It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve as your president for the last 12 years. For me, the presidency was never about holding a title but rather advancing our cause. It was about building a stronger APWU and labor movement, uplifting and empowering our members, fighting for justice, and building workers’ power. It was about standing with the people in defense of our national treasure — the public Postal Service.
While I am proud of the APWU’s many accomplishments under my leadership, I recognize that no individual makes history by themselves. Our progress has been the work of many dedicated national, local, and state officials, thousands of activists, capable union staff, and every member who forms the strong foundation of our union. It has been a privilege to work with so many union fighters, and I appreciate their many contributions.
The record of any union leader should be judged not by personalities or talk, but by results.
In 2013, members voted for needed change, and that change was quickly reflected in our fight against management’s Staples privatization plan – a big step toward subcontracting all retail services. Left unchallenged by the previous union leadership, we mobilized our members and allies, took to the streets, and waged a groundbreaking and victorious campaign!
Facing ever-present threats of privatization, we built “A Grand Alliance to Save Our Public Postal Service” consisting of 80 national organizations. It proved critical over the years. With countrywide mobilizations between 2018-2020, we defeated Trump’s privatization plans and saved Vote-by-Mail for the 2020 election.
The memo I negotiated in 2014 led to over 100,000 life-changing career conversions for Postal Support Employees (PSEs). We also resolved the ongoing PostPlan grievances, resulting in 8,000 new clerk jobs.
After inheriting a deeply concessionary 2010 Collective Bargaining Agreement that undermined career employment, established PSEs, created the divisive two-tier career pay scale, and gave up some wage increases and Cost-of-Living-Adjustments(COLAs), I was proud to be your lead negotiator in making significant gains over four national negotiations.
With those national contracts, we: secured annual wage increases; protected full COLA; narrowed the gaps in the two-tiered wage structure; won an all-career workforce in Maintenance and Motor Vehicle Service; restored level 8 to the pre-2010 higher pay scale; increased Part-time Flexible (PTF) work-hour guarantees; and achieved automatic PSE conversions to career after two years. These contracts maintained and secured tremendous job security, including the “no-layoff” clause and 50-mile limits on excessing.
Working on a bipartisan basis, we passed historic legislation, including: $10 billion in USPS Covid relief; pandemic-era Emergency Federal Employee Leave; the Postal Service Reform Act that eliminated the pre-funding debacle; funding for the new postal electric vehicles; and the Social Security Fairness Act.
Other important achievements include: negotiating comprehensive pandemic safety protocols; advancing internal and private-sector organizing; organizing Human Resources Shared Service Center (HRSSC) workers into the APWU; engaging in the critical, long running battle to unionize Amazon; strengthening our Retirees Department; promoting veterans’ rights; creating a Young Members’ Committee; improving injury compensation training; promoting our “Stand Up for Safe Jobs” campaign; building stronger relationships and solidarity with the other postal unions; growing the union’s media presence; bringing your voice to the AFL-CIO Council; opening an inspiring APWU history center; advocating for expanded services, including postal banking; improving communications with the members through our website, social media, and podcast; and investing in our future with the APWU Leadership Institute.
Guided by the APWU’s constitution and convention actions, our union helped lead the way on political issues that impact working people. We rightfully supported Bernie Sanders’ pro-worker presidential campaigns, demanded justice after the murder of George Floyd, and have been firm defenders of voting rights and pushed to expand Vote-by-Mail. We opposed our tax dollars being used to slaughter innocent people in Gaza. We promoted health care as a human right, raised the need for independent politics, fought for clean water and air, and opposed job-killing trade deals like the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). We defended free speech and the right to protest, demanded war dollars be brought home, and encouraged vigilance and resistance to the rising tide of tyranny and fascism.
Of course, we have not won every battle. The struggle for better staffing and service, tackling the toxic work environments, forging one postal union, and addressing the slow grievance procedure must continue.
Some may wonder why I took on the stress, long hours, slander from some detractors, and personal sacrifice that came with the presidency. Like many of you, I was shaped by others and the times we live in. I was raised by a decorated anti-fascist World War II veteran father and peace activist mother. A cousin was a hero of the underground resistance in Nazi-occupied France and executed by the fascist barbarians. Much of my family perished in the concentration and death camps of the Holocaust. My great-uncle was an outstanding leader of the progressive Fur and Leather Workers Union.
Simply put, I deeply believe in justice and freedom and that the world will be better run by workers rather than billionaires enriched by their military, tech, and medical-industrial complexes.
There is a long list of people I am grateful to for shaping me into the leader I became. Unfortunately, with limited space, I can only single out a few: Former President William Burrus, whose support and confidence in me played a major role in my 2013 election.
Richard Koritz, my mentor, who over the years taught me to have great confidence in workers as the creators of wealth and makers of history.
Stephen DeMatteo, my executive assistant, who greatly propelled our work forward.
Melissa Dimondstein, a rock of support and an APWU activist in her own right, who volunteered countless hours for the national union.
I have been asked how I see my legacy – I will leave that up to others to determine. For me, it is enough to know I have given my very best, proudly stood on the shoulders of those leaders, activists (including the courageous 1970 postal strikers), and family members who came before me. That I have left the APWU stronger with more members involved. That I am a man of the people who recognizes that, while good leadership is vital, nothing can be accomplished without the members, whether in the Stop Staples fight, our legislative efforts, contract campaigns, or to protect the public Postal Service.
The union belongs to you, the members. Keep it strong! Attend union meetings and speak up. Join a union committee. Fight for safer workplaces, better staffing, and service. Stand up for each other on the workroom floor. Build maximum unity with the people in your community to save the public Postal Service in the face of ongoing serious threats. Stand in solidarity with all workers in struggle.
While no longer your president, I remain in the just struggle for strong and militant unions, living wages, shorter workweeks, health care as a human right, a healthy planet, affordable housing, a vibrant public Postal Service, defending and expanding hard-won democratic rights, strong public education, and an independent labor party accountable to and representing the interests of working people, not billionaires.
As we commemorate the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution against the British king, let us say “no” to new kings, “no” to tyranny. Don’t play the bosses’ game of divide and conquer, pitting native-born against immigrants and white folks against people of color. Unite around our common interests and build solidarity, equality, and unity of all working people at home and abroad, no matter where we come from, how we might worship, the languages we speak, or the color of our skin. That indeed is the union way!
Ours is a class struggle – the bosses versus the workers, Wall Street versus Main Street, and capital versus labor. I pass the torch! From the workplaces to the streets, from our communities to the halls of Congress, agitate, organize, and mobilize for power and justice!
Forward APWU! Solidarity Forever!
The post Onward Postal Workers! Forward APWU! appeared first on American Postal Workers Union.
The post Onward Postal Workers! Forward APWU! first appeared on APWU.