Committed, Determined Union Members
‘Make the Difference’ in State of APWU

APWU Web News Article #7-04, Aug. 16, 2004

"Since our last convention, our world has changed dramatically," APWU President William Burrus said in his 2004 state of the union address, "but the unchanging constant has been the commitment and determination of APWU members."

Speaking on the first day of the 17 th Biennial Convention in Los Angeles, Burrus told union members, "You make the difference." He selected that slogan as the convention theme "to emphasize that our strength and our effectiveness grow from individual involvement."

The union has made major gains and is poised with confidence to move into the future, the APWU president said.

Burrus noted that union teamwork stood out when the APWU stood virtually alone in criticizing the "reform" efforts of the President's Commission on the U.S. Postal Service. "Not a single anti-worker recommendation it proposed is included in the legislation under consideration. To the great dissatisfaction of the powerful forces of large mailers," Burrus noted, "we were successful in preserving collective bargaining rights and limiting work-sharing discounts, a long-standing objective of our union."

If postal reform is not passed in 2004, "it is certain that bills will be reintroduced in 2005 and APWU will again draw the line to protect our interest."

Burrus commended union members for their record-breaking COPA contributions.

"The fact that we surpassed $1 million in our 2003 COPA drive was historic, and when we achieve our goal of $2 million this year we will join the leaders in the political arena. Whether we achieve these goals will be determined by the actions of local and state leadership and, most importantly, our membership. We have work to do, but you make the difference."

The 2002 contract extension provided much-needed stability during a time of uncertainty, Burrus said. "We made a judgment that conditions in late 2003 would not be favorable for contract negotiations and we were right. The economy slid into recession; the president appointed a commission; and mail volume was decreasing dramatically."

"Instead of bitter negotiations and arbitration we achieved early retirements, upgrades, limits on excessing, guaranteed pay increases, and the highest cost of living adjustment in 24 years. You ratified the contract extension with 90 percent approval and I thank you for your show of confidence in our judgment."

"The state of the union is strong," Burrus told the convention. "We will use every tool available and fight anytime, anywhere, to preserve our jobs and good service to the American public."

As to the future, Burrus asked delegates to "address the issue of declining revenues caused by declining membership." The union must do everything it can to further cut costs, he said.

"You will decide resolutions relating to our conventions and our elections," he said, referring to proposals to convene every three years instead of every two, and to hold balloting for national officers every four years instead of three.

He said he fully supported these resolutions. "We have a solemn obligation to allocate the dues money efficiently no matter our membership level," Burrus said. "We must make structural changes that make us more efficient."

The union president promised, however, that the APWU would never accept the proposition that postal hiring practices dictate the size of our membership. "We have tools at our disposal to grow our union and we will use them."

In closing, Burrus told delegates, "In the upcoming presidential contest, you make the difference. You must go to the polls, take your family members to the polls and exercise your fundamental right to vote. Your future, my future, our future is in your hands.

"You make the difference!"

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