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 Leaders Honor Sweeney, Discuss Labor’s Future
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| IUPAT President Jimmy Williams and AFL-CIO President John Sweeney share a laugh at the state and local conference. |
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| Christine Trujillo, president of the New Mexico Federation of Labor, addresses the state and local conference today in Pittsburgh. |
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| Participants at the state and local conference discussed strategies for building a stronger labor movement in our communities. |
The AFL-CIO state federations and local central labor councils are the keys to reviving the union movement in communities across the country. They prove their value every day by building political power from the ground up, training new leaders, supporting organizing drives and creating coalitions with groups who share our goals.
Today, more than 250 state and local leaders met in advance of the AFL-CIO’s 26th Constitutional Convention to discuss the best ways to build a stronger union movement in our states and communities. The State Federation, Area and Central Labor Council Conference offers a forum for local union leaders to discuss strategies and share best practices to build on the political and organizing successes since the last convention four years ago.
Retiring AFL-CIO President John Sweeney, who was honored for his leadership over the past 14 years and commitment to strengthening the movement’s grassroots, told the local leaders they had pulled the federation through some difficult times.
You all proved that a unified labor movement at the grassroots is what workers need.
You’ve played a key role in all the progress we’ve made from passing so many minimum wage and living wage laws, to supporting our organizing campaigns that have brought in an average of 450,000 new members every year, to leading our crusade for diversity, inclusion and full participation of women and minorities.
When so many in the media wrote us off politically, you put the wheels on the strongest political program in our history.
But there is still plenty of work to be done. Postal Workers (APWU) Secretary-Treasurer Terry Stapleton, vice chair of the Executive Council Committee of State and Local Strategies, told the group:
We are here to change the labor movement, to strengthen the labor movement and to change the United States for working people.
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!”
