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Additional USPS Security Funding
Needed After $500 Million Appropriation
APWU News Service Bulletin #1-02, Jan. 8, 2002 | PDF
APWU members should be on guard for the homeland security bill, which President Bush is expected to introduce in early 2002. The voices of postal employees likely will be needed to urge House and Senate members to support additional emergency homeland security funding for the Postal Service.
The Postal Service had requested a special appropriation of $1.1 billion for postal homeland security, but when the House adopted the fiscal year 2002 Department of Defense appropriations bill, no money was included for the USPS, despite valiant efforts by House appropriations committee ranking member David Obey (D-WI).
The Senate approved $600 million for the first quarter of 2002, thanks to the efforts of Senate Appropriations Chairman Robert Byrd (D-WV). Since the Senate and House disagreed about postal appropriations, the issue was sent to a conference committee.
The House-Senate Conference finally agreed that $500 million would be approved to "enable the Postal Service to protect postal employees and postal customers from exposure to bio-hazardous material, to sanitize and screen the mail, and to replace or repair Postal Service facilities destroyed or damaged in New York City as a result of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks."
Along with Sen. Byrd and Rep. Obey, special APWU thanks go to Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK), the Senate ranking appropriations committee member, House Appropriations Chairman C.W. "Bill" Young (R-FL) and House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-IL) for helping to secure this funding, which is in addition to the $175 million that President Bush authorized immediately after the anthrax attacks.
Burrus Elected to AFL-CIO Council
APWU President to Serve as Federation Vice President
APWU President Bill Burrus was elected to the AFL-CIO Executive Council by unanimous vote of the delegates to the federation's 24th biennial convention in December.
As a vice president of the AFL-CIO, Burrus will have a voice in the policy deliberations of the U.S. labor federation, which represents nearly 14 million union members. The executive council is made up of 53 members from U.S. unions, including AFL-CIO President John J. Sweeney, Secretary-Treasurer Richard Trumka and Executive Vice President Linda Chavez-Thompson.
Burrus originally was appointed to the council by Sweeney in November, after former president Moe Biller retired. The convention elected Burrus and the rest of the executive council with a voice vote on Dec. 4, 2001.
Among the actions by the AFL-CIO convention delegates was a resolution to meet in convention every four years, instead of two, and for the executive council to meet twice a year, rather than three times. The next council meeting is in February.
CLUW Offers Scholarships
Application Deadline Jan., 18, 2002
The Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW) is offering 10 $500 labor education scholarships to be awarded for 2002.
All CLUW members, regardless of sex, are eligible to apply. The application deadline is Jan. 18, 2002.
To be considered for the scholarships, members are asked to send an application and an essay of up to 300 words discussing how their course work is related to achieving one or more of CLUW's four goals: organizing, increasing the participation of women in unions, increasing participation in political and legislative action, and affecting affirmative action.
Labor education courses may include: organizing, mobilizing, bargaining, education, community services, writing, publication, women's studies, new technologies, political, and legislative or legal action.
To apply, contact Dessadra Lomax, Coalition of Labor Union Women, 1925 K St. NW, Suite 402, Washington, DC 20006, (202) 223-8360, Ext. 1.
Final 2001 COPA Report
Leaders Texas, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Alabama, Virginia, POWER
The 2001 Texas State Convention led the way with an outstanding COPA (Committee on Political Action) contribution of $14,939!
This was followed by excellent contributions of $8,883 from the Indiana State Convention, $8,521 from the Kansas State Convention, $7,000 from the Alabama State Convention, $7,321 from the POWER Convention in Albany, NY, $5,790 from the Louisiana State Convention and $5,160 from the Virginia State Convention.
APWU applauds its members, retirees and auxiliaries for continuing to give their hard earned dollars to APWU COPA, and thanks locals and state organizations for doing their part to raise money for the unionÍs political action fund through their various activities and events. The following group contributions have been reported since the last News Service contributionÍs list:
