From: Vance Zimmerman <vzimmerman@apwu.org>
Sent: Thursday, January 21, 2021 8:50 AM
Subject: Vaccine Stand-up Talk and Vaccine Letters

Sisters and Brothers,

Please see the attached documents. The first is the most recent stand-up talk that the USPS released on January 20, 2021 in regards to receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.

As the stand-up notes, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other agencies are providing recommendations to federal, state, and local governments on who should be vaccinated first. The recommendation is that postal employees be “considered” for vaccination during what is called “Phase 1b”. Currently, most states have entered into Phase 1b of the vaccine distribution.

However, as of January 20, 2021, there is not a consistent federal distribution plan. Also, it is becoming clearer each day that the previous Presidential Administration announced a number of available vaccine doses was not accurate and is lower than suggested. Because of these reasons, the vaccine rollout has been hampered and what groups of people are actually in Phase 1b is not consistent from state to state.

President Mark Dimondstein on behalf of all APWU members, has already reached out to the Biden Administration and requested that a national distribution plan be implemented (letter attached). President Dimondstein has asked that postal employees be included in Phase 1b across all jurisdictions/states. The Industrial Relations Department was tasked to research which states have removed postal employees from Phase 1b of the distribution and we have already found multiple states who have moved postal employees out. Based on our research, President Dimondstein, on behalf of the APWU, will be contacting the governors of these states directly to request that postal workers be moved back to Phase 1b of the vaccine distribution and because all states recognize that postal employees are essential employees— President Dimondstein is demanding that all states treat postal workers as such in order for employees to obtain the vaccine. Attached is a copy of the letter sent to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo as an example of what is being sent to each governor.

We understand that the decision to get the vaccine is a personal one for all members of the APWU. The APWU and the Postal Service are in agreement in believing the vaccine is safe and effective and have agreed that the vaccine will not be mandatory for any APWU represented employee. The APWU encourages you to consult your health care provider on any questions or concerns you may have about receiving a COVID-19 vaccine.

Please Disseminate.

Vance Zimmerman
Industrial Relations Director
American Postal Workers Union, AFL-CIO
1300 L Street, NW
Washington, DC 20005-4128
Tel: 202.842.4273 | Fax: 202.371.0992

USPS Vaccine Stand-up Talk

APWU letter to Biden Administration

APWU letter to New York Governor Cuomo