Karen See Elected to Lead CLUW
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Delegates to the 15th Bienneial Convention of the Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW) earlier this month looked to the future by electing a new slate of officers. Karen See, a member of the Postal Workers (APWU), was elected president, succeeding Marsha Zakowski.
More than 600 delegates and observers at the convention in Los Angeles discussed strategies for building the organization and recruiting younger members.
See says the convention theme, “The Rising Tide of Change: Activism, Leadership–Union Women!!” summarizes her goal of rejuvenating CLUW and getting union women more involved in the leadership of the union movement.
State and Local Bodies: The Heart of the Union Movement
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Today’s theme at the 2009 AFL-CIO Convention is “The Power of Many,” and in support of a strong movement across the country, members approved a resolution to step up involvement with state federations and central labor councils.
Resolution 8 encourages leadership development and training, attention to diversity, alliances with community organizations, accountability and transparency at the state and local levels, as well as the continued pursuit of solidarity charters to keep all unions engaged and unified in pursuit of a pro-worker agenda.
AFL-CIO Executive Vice President Arlene Holt Baker said everyone in the union movement benefits from the strength of state and local bodies:
Today we’ll discuss the power of many at the grassroots level—what it means to us and how we make the most of it.
One of the unique and most powerful advantages of the AFL-CIO is that we have a presence in every state and in more than 500 communities across our country—nobody can match that…at the grassroots, there may be no more important work than this.
Take Action Today to Save Bargaining Rights for Postal Workers
An amendment to a short-term financial assistance bill for the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) would destroy collective bargaining between the USPS and its unions. The Postal Workers (APWU) and the Letter Carriers (NALC) are mobilizing to defeat the amended bill (S. 1507) when it comes to a vote before the full Senate later this week.
APWU President William Burrus warns that if the bill passes as written,
it will destroy collective bargaining for postal workers.
Click here to visit APWU’s website and to send a message to your senators.
Postal Unions Slam Saturday Mail Cut Plan
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Six days a week, 144 million U.S. homes and businesses count on the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to deliver the mail. Now, in a cost-cutting move, the USPS wants to slash Saturday mail delivery and the nation’s two largest postal unions say it is a disastrous proposal.
Letter Carriers (NALC) President Bill Young says stopping six-day delivery would have a profound impact on the Postal Service, its costumers and Letter Carriers across the country:
The NALC’s position on this issue should be crystal clear: We oppose the elimination of six-day delivery. Downsizing the Postal Service to meet the needs of a severely depressed economy is short-sighted and self-defeating—it will cost us tens of thousands of jobs and open the way to competitors to provide service on the sixth day.
The USPS is conducting a study of dropping Saturday delivery as part of an overall move to cut costs and is seeking comments from various stakeholders. Postal Workers (APWU) President William Burrus says his advice is simple: “Don’t do it!”
