Clint Burelson – Candidate

Why A Change In APWU National Officers is Needed

In 1970, courageous postal workers participated in an illegal strike against the US government and won substantial increases in wages and benefits for postal workers nationwide. “Wildcat” postal workers defied even their national officers who were against the strike. In the years following the strike, APWU’s reputation for collective action won us additional improvements.

Many of us fought hard to protect and improve upon those gains. And yet in one tragic contract negotiation, we shamefully, gave much of those hard-earned gains away. Following the weakness demonstrated in negotiations, management accelerated consolidations. They are currently running rampant over the union and the public interest.

Seemingly invisible to the national officers, yet parked like a parasite at USPS headquarters, the large mailers are directing the USPS to dismantle itself, destroy family wage jobs, and turn a democratic institution into a corporate advertisers’ dream.

I am running for national office to correct these tragic losses and to rebuild our valuable union. To have a successful plan for action, we first need an accurate analysis. Here then, is my brief assessment of some important issues.

The USPS is part of a $900 billion dollar mailing industry. The large corporations in the industry are banks, insurance companies, media/communication corporations, and other Wall Street companies. The rich owners of these corporations pushed the crisis inducing 2006 PAEA legislation, consolidations, cutting service to the public and converting family wage jobs to lower wage jobs. Mailing and media industry corporations are not telling the public the truth of the financial situation at the Post Office.

We cannot afford illusions. Our current contract has the most substantial givebacks and concessions of any negotiated contract in the history of the APWU. For example, the union negotiated Non-Traditional Full-Time (NTFT) […]

300 Word Candidate Article for APWU Magazine

Over the years, the owners of large corporations in the mailing industry influenced Congress and the USPS to make changes benefiting themselves at the expense of postal workers and the communities we serve. The large mailers pushed the harmful 2006 legislation that created the false financial crisis at the USPS.

Prior to contract negotiations, the union’s position was that a false crisis existed because of the pre-funding requirement in the 2006 legislation. During contract negotiations, we had an opportunity to expose corporate influence undermining the USPS and gather public support. Instead, national officers agreed to real concessions to help the USPS survive the false crisis.

Our current contract has the most substantial givebacks and concessions of any negotiated contract in the history of the APWU. For example, the USPS can convert full-time jobs to 30-hour NTFT assignments in up to 50% of all Clerk jobs at the plants and in 100% of all Clerk jobs at the stations. The USPS can have up to 20% of Clerk Craft employees district-wide be non-career employees instead of the previous 6% limit for all crafts. These and many other concessions are devastating.

Misleadingly, national officers sold the contract as a “win-win” agreement. Shamefully, not one national officer spoke publicly against the tentative agreement. The worst negotiated contract in the history of the APWU was not the best we could get.

I have almost 30 years experience as a steward and local president. I believe our strategy for success is to increase democracy in our union, fight corporate influence on the USPS, gather community support, and coordinate our actions to maximize the power of our great union. There is strength through democracy. I request your support and your vote for the Members […]