(This article appeared in the September/October 2026 issue of The American Postal Worker magazine)
As your Support Services Division Director, I want to thank the 28th Biennial Support Services Committee — Susie Sheppard, president of the North Carolina Triad Shared Services Local; Ryan Cady, president of the Twin Cities PDC Local; and Carolyn Coney, accounting services steward of the St. Louis Gateway Area Local — for your time and unwavering commitment to our craft. I also want to thank Dan Bade, vice president of the Twin Cities PDC Local, for presenting the Understanding Back Pay Settlements Workshop on Aug. 14.
This class was about more than back pay settlements; it was about making sure our members receive every penny. We examined where discrepancies occur, provided the auditing tools needed to find them, and discussed how we fight back when management fails to follow through. The knowledge shared in that room strengthens every one of us and, ultimately, our entire union.
In our craft breakouts, I provided an update on the national-level disputes filed from 2016 through our most recent disputes in 2023 concerning the Information Technology/ Accounting Services (IT/AS) contract. We also discussed the ongoing IT/AS telework agreements. Our next meeting is scheduled for mid-September, and I will continue pushing for the changes our members deserve.
Charlie Trujillo of Albuquerque Local 380 updated us on the ongoing contract negotiations for the Albuquerque Mail Service drivers. After approximately two and a half years of negotiations, our next session was scheduled for Sept. 9–10. We will continue standing with these members as we push for their first contract.
We also discussed the critical role that postal nurses play
in protecting our members. That conversation took on
even greater meaning following the recent passing of
Demarcus Little Sr. at the Palmetto USPS facility, after
becoming ill and collapsing at work. Occupational health
nurses (OHNs) are a vital part of our postal facilities.
Our Work Today Cannot Be Separated From
Where We Came From
The history of the Support Services Craft is different
from other crafts; it is a story of workers who once had
little or no voice, organized, stood together, and became
part of a stronger, more unifi ed labor movement.
Forty-eight years ago, Support Services was formed.
Since then, we have demonstrated that we are not simply
another craft within the APWU. We are part of our
union’s continuing evolution.
The Great Postal Strike of 1970 showed America that
postal workers would no longer be ignored. The Postal
Reorganization Act established collective bargaining
rights. The formation of the APWU brought multiple
crafts together under one powerful organization. The
creation of Support Services extended those hard-earned
union rights to thousands of postal employees working in
specialized operations. That history was built by people
who refused to accept that things could not change. That
responsibility now belongs to us.
It was also an honor to have Greg Proferl, a proud member
of the Twin Cities PDC Local, join our craft breakout
as a delegate and give us a well-deserved history lesson
about our Craft. Greg was the fi rst National Business
Agent, for what is now the Support Services Craft, following
the 1980 National Convention in Detroit. Greg carries
decades of knowledge, and I am honored to call him both
a friend and confi dant. Today, every Support Services
member carries that legacy forward.
We Inherited a Movement. Now It Is Our Turn
to Strengthen It
Our future depends on the values that built this craft:
- Solidarity
- Organization,
- Education,
- Professional excellence, and
- An unwavering commitment to the fight.
We will protect our members, defend our rights, organize, educate, and never stop fi =ghting for the future of the Support Services Craft. Long live the APWU! Long live the Support Services Craft! And long live the labor movement! ■
The post The Strength, History, and Future of the Support Services Craft first appeared on APWU.