The APWU National Executive Board voted on Nov. 5 to endorse Bernie Sanders for president. âPolitics as usual has not worked,â said President Mark Dimondstein. âEnough is enough!â The endorsement follows Sandersâ rousing speech before 2,000 activists at the unionâs All-Craft Conference in late October.
âWe should judge candidates not by their political party, not by what they say, not by what we think they stand for, but by what they do,â Dimondstein said.
âApplying that criteria, Sen. Bernie Sanders stands above all others as a true champion of postal workers and other workers throughout the country,â he said.
âSen. Sanders opposes the consolidation of mail processing facilities and fought successfully to keep the Vermont White River Junction center open,â Executive Vice President Debby Szeredy pointed out.
âHe is a fierce advocate of postal reform to address the cause of the USPS financial crisis and an outspoken opponent of USPS policy that degrades mail service. He fought the closure of post offices and spearheaded the effort to pass a âsense of the Senateâ resolution to restore service standards, which was approved by a vote of 85-11,â Dimondstein said.
“Bernie Sanders doesn’t just talk the talk. He walks the walk. He is a leader in the fight to protect our public Postal Service,” he added.
âBernie Sanders has blocked the slate of nominees to the postal Board of Governors that includes the âking of postal privatizersâ James Miller and payday lending industry lobbyist Mickey Barnett,â Dimondstein said. âHe staunchly opposes postal privatization, and supports enhanced postal services, including postal banking.â
More Than Postal Issues
Sandersâ commitment to working people extends far beyond postal employees, Dimondstein pointed out. âNo other candidate has his record of standing with workers on picket lines, fighting for a $15 per hour minimum wage, for free public college tuition, and advocating for veteransâ benefits.
âNo other candidate has his record of fighting to defend and expand Social Security, promoting âMedicare for all,â and opposing âfast track trade authorityâ and rotten deals like the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP).
âNo other candidate has his record of exposing the rule of the billionaire class,â he said. âSanders is refusing all corporate money. He doesnât have a âsuper-PAC,â and he doesnât hire polling firms to help draft election-time promises,â Dimondstein noted.
âSen. Sanders was a champion of workersâ rights long before he became a candidate for president,â said Secretary-Treasurer Liz Powell. âLike the APWU, he is a firm believer in social and economic justice for all.â
âOur union is made up of people from all walks of life with many different political beliefs, and I fully respect that fact,â Dimondstein said.
âSandersâ message coincides with the APWUâs core principles, as expressed in our constitution and by delegates to our national conventions,â he added.
From Enthusiasm to Building a Movement
âItâs little wonder that in a period of massive income inequality the Sanders campaign has generated so much excitement and drawn such huge crowds,â Dimondstein said.
âBut Sen. Sanders is the first to point out that without a powerful mass movement, electing one individual â even the most righteous â will not defeat the corporate powers that exert so much control over our lives.
âI urge APWU members to join the âpolitical revolutionâ and get involved in the campaign â to volunteer, sign up for Labor for Bernie, and help elect Sen. Bernie Sanders President!â
Source: Executive Board Endorses Bernie Sanders for President | APWU