American Postal Workers Union
Encyclopedia
The American Postal Workers Union (APWU) is a labor union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...

 in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. It represents employees of the United States Postal Service
United States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States...

 who are clerks, maintenance employees, and motor vehicle service workers. It also represents approximately 2,000 private-sector mail workers.

The APWU is affiliated to the AFL-CIO
AFL-CIO
The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, commonly AFL–CIO, is a national trade union center, the largest federation of unions in the United States, made up of 56 national and international unions, together representing more than 11 million workers...

, and Union Network International
Union Network International
UNI Global Union is a global union federation for skills and services, gathering national and regional trade unions. It was launched on January 1, 2000. Its more than 900 affiliated unions in 140 countries have 20 million members...

.

Current operations

The American Postal Workers Union is currently working to stop the closing of Post Offices. Due to current economic factors the USPS is looking to close several local branches around the nation.

History

Postal workers in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 first won collective bargaining
Collective bargaining
Collective bargaining is a process of negotiations between employers and the representatives of a unit of employees aimed at reaching agreements that regulate working conditions...

 rights after the U.S. Postal Service strike of 1970.

The APWU was founded on July 1, 1971, by a merger of five postal unions. The United Federation of Postal Clerks and the National Postal Union, the two largest unions, and the National Association of Post Office and General Service Maintenance Employees, the National Federation of Motor Vehicle Employees, and the National Association of Special Delivery Messengers.

S. 1507

On Thursday, July 30, 2009, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee voted 12-1 in favor of S. 1507 (Postal Service Retiree Health Benefits Funding Reform Act of 2009), which would provide financial relief to the Postal Service. An amendment, offered by Sen. Tom Coburn
Tom Coburn
Thomas Allen "Tom" Coburn, M.D. , is an American politician, medical doctor, and Southern Baptist deacon. A member of the Republican Party, he currently serves as the junior U.S. Senator from Oklahoma. In the Senate, he is known as "Dr. No" for his tendency to place holds on and vote against bills...

 (R-OK), requiring the arbitrator to take into consideration the financial health of the Postal Service when deciding Postal Union contracts, was added prior to its passage. Sen. Joe Lieberman
Joe Lieberman
Joseph Isadore "Joe" Lieberman is the senior United States Senator from Connecticut. A former member of the Democratic Party, he was the party's nominee for Vice President in the 2000 election. Currently an independent, he remains closely affiliated with the party.Born in Stamford, Connecticut,...

 (ID-CT), chairman of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs, and Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE), chairman of the subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government information, Federal Services and International Security, supported the amendment, and voted with committee Republicans
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 for its adoption. The American Postal Workers Union, National Postal Mail Handlers Union
National Postal Mail Handlers Union
The National Postal Mail Handlers Union is a progressive labor union representing more than 50,000 Mail Handler craft members in United States Postal Service facilities across the United States.- Purpose :...

, the NALC and the NRLCA have all voiced opposition to S. 1507 with the inclusion of the arbitrator amendment.

See also

  • United States Postal Service
    United States Postal Service
    The United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States...

  • National Association of Letter Carriers
    National Association of Letter Carriers
    The National Association of Letter Carriers is an American labor union, representing non-rural letter carriers employed by the United States Postal Service...

  • National Postal Mail Handlers Union
    National Postal Mail Handlers Union
    The National Postal Mail Handlers Union is a progressive labor union representing more than 50,000 Mail Handler craft members in United States Postal Service facilities across the United States.- Purpose :...

  • National Rural Letter Carriers' Association
    National Rural Letter Carriers' Association
    The National Rural Letter Carriers' Association is an American labor union that represents Rural Letter Carriers employed by the United States Postal Service...

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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