During the third week of July, National President John Hegarty traveled to both Chicago and Philadelphia to speak at the respective Conventions being held by two of our sister Postal Unions, the American Postal Workers Union (APWU) and the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC). It was an honor for the NPMHU President to be invited to speak to the delegates attending these other Postal Union conferences, and Hegarty expressed his personal appreciation for the recognition that his appearances bestowed upon all Mail Handlers across the country.
During both Conventions, Hegarty spoke about the importance of Postal Union solidarity, noting in particular the recently signed Postal Union Alliance. “The Postal Union Alliance puts it out there for all to see; we are united and we can’t be defeated,” said Hegarty. With particular reference to the Alliance, Hegarty noted that “[t]his isn’t just a piece of paper, or a symbolic gesture. This has solidified the joint spirit of cooperation that we’ve always had, and has us working together towards common goals like never before.”
At the NALC Convention, Hegarty spoke at length about the onslaught of never-ending efforts to adopt postal reform legislation, and the unified presence that the Postal Unions have on Capitol Hill. The message to Senators and House Representatives, Hegarty commented, is to preserve the scope of service that the USPS provides, and to reject all efforts to diminish that service, whether through plant closures or consolidations,, the degradation of service standards, the elimination of six-day delivery, or further restrictions on door-to-door delivery.
Before the APWU delegates, Hegarty acknowledged the ongoing partnership of both the NPMHU and the APWU when addressing issues such as safety, health, and security, but spoke most passionately about the NPMHU’s wholehearted support for the APWU-initiated Stop Staples campaign. “We were happy to join with you in numerous locations around the country in the Stop Staples campaign. I can tell you we sent a message loud and clear: the U.S. Mail is not for sale.”
Calling on all delegates at both Conventions to deliver the Union message to their Senators and Representatives, Hegarty asked everyone to “[t]ake the time to write that letter or attend that meeting. . . . We need to hold our Members of Congress accountable.”
In closing, Hegarty addressed the need to be diligent and active in the upcoming congressional elections. “We all know that in November of this year, we need to work together to ensure that we elect a more Union-friendly, worker-friendly Congress. We consider the current log-jam in a bitterly partisan Congress to be a disaster for postal employees and all working people,” said Hegarty.
The delegates from the APWU and the NALC both gave warm welcomes to the NPMHU President, as the Unions pledged continued joint efforts when their interests coincide.
