American Postal Workers Union Endorses Bernie Sanders for President
https://www.breitbart.com/2020-election/2020/02/01/american-postal-workers-union-endorses-bernie-sanders-for-president/amp/?__twitter_impression=true
The American Postal Workers Union (APWU) endorsed Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) for the Democratic Party’s 2020 nomination for president on Thursday.
The financially troubled United States Postal Service (USPS) has an estimated 500,000 full-time employees, almost all of whom are members of a union. There are seven different unions that represent USPS employees.
The two largest unions are the AFL-CIO-affiliated National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC), which has 270,000 members (including both current and retired USPS employees), and the APWU, also AFL-CIO-affiliated, which represents 200,000 current and retired USPS employees. “APWU members belong to the Clerk, Maintenance, Motor Vehicle Service (MVS), or Support Services divisions,” according to the union’s website.
In June 2016, the NALC endorsed Hillary Clinton, one month before the Democratic National Convention. It has not yet endorsed a candidate for president in the 2020 campaign.
“The U.S. Postal Service lost more than $2 billion during the second quarter of the fiscal year, putting it on track to finish the current year more than $7 billion in the red—way worse than the nearly $4 billion in losses it posted last year,” Reason.com reported in May.
“The U.S. Postal Service lost $8.8 billion in fiscal 2019, more than doubling its losses from the previous year,” Government Executive reported in November.
The APWU endorsement of Sanders was not unexpected as the 200,000-member union endorsed him for president in 2016, but the timing, coming just days before Monday’s Iowa caucuses, added to the perception that momentum is growing for the Sanders campaign.
The APWU announced its endorsement of Sanders in this statement, released Thursday:
The American Postal Workers Union announced today that its National Executive Board has voted to endorse Bernie Sanders for president. “We’re pleased that a number of presidential candidates have taken positions and actions supportive of postal workers and expanding union rights. But when we judge candidates by their long-term and consistent actions, Bernie Sanders stands out as a true champion of postal workers and all workers throughout the country,” said APWU President Mark Dimondstein.
In their deliberations, APWU’s board members cited Sanders’ record on postal issues including his speaking out against USPS policies that have degraded mail service; his fierce opposition to proposals that would sell off all or part of USPS to private interests; his efforts to keep post offices and mail facilities open; and his support for enhanced customer services such as postal banking. “As the lone senator blocking postal privatizers from appointment to the Postal Board of Governors it was clear that Bernie Sanders is on the side of postal workers.” said Dimondstein.
APWU’s leaders also cited Sanders’ sustained commitment to improving the lives of all working people. In their discussions, APWU National Executive Board members mentioned the Vermont senator’s long record of walking picket lines, fighting for living wages and universal health care, as well as his advocacy for improved veterans’ benefits and the expansion of Social Security.
“Senator Sanders was a champion of workers’ rights long before he became a candidate for president,” said APWU Secretary-Treasurer Liz Powell. “Like the APWU, he is a firm believer in social and economic justice for all. It’s no wonder that he is ranked as the most popular member of the U.S. Senate.”