APWU Leadership Northeast Region:
On behalf of the Northeast Region let me extend our best wishes to you and your family for an enjoyable and safe Labor Day. As union members we must take great pride in telling and educating our families, our friends and yes sometimes even our co-workers, that the American worker and the American labor movement built this great nation. We wake it up every morning. We make it run every day. And yes we collectively put it to bed every night. We always do whatever it takes…no matter what the cost.

As we collectively begin the process of applying the new provisions of our contract it is important to understand that the vast majority of workers today do not work under a labor contract. They are ‘at will’ employees and subject only to the rules of management. So it is important for our members to fully appreciate all of the protections and rights that a labor contract provides them. Most importantly our collective bargaining agreement is the corner stone of improving our member’s standard of living by providing a living wage, good benefits to protect themselves and their families, and dignity after they retire with a pension. Ask a family member or a friend if their employer provides these kinds of protections and the answer is unfortunately No! So it is clear that as a labor movement we have much more work to do so that someday the answer to that important question will be a resounding Yes!

In keeping with the theme of this year’s APWU Convention let’s reflect upon our past 45 years as a labor union, let us be proud of our current accomplishments, and most importantly let us collectively go forward into the future proclaiming our message of…”Fighting For Justice”

Be proud to be Union and be extremely proud to be APWU! Happy Labor Day Sisters and Brothers!

First Name: John
Last Name: Dirzius
Email: jdirzius@apwu.org
Union/Local: American Postal Workers Union
Office held if any: Coordinator, Northeast Region