The American Postal Workers Union (APWU) invited me to speak at their biennial convention yesterday.
I honestly was GEEKING out over being invited. Not many people may know this, but the Postal Workers Union is pretty badass.
This union was founded and has roots in the largest wildcat strike in American history. A wildcat strike is a strike undertaken by unionized workers without union leadership's authorization.
The Postal Workers Union formed in 1971 after exploited postal workers, suffering from low wages and poor conditions, went on strike. It was technically illegal, but more than 200,000 workers got involved. The public so deeply supported the workers that the Nixon administration couldn’t retaliate without risking further backlash. After 8 days, the workers won: Congress approved their demands and the American Postal Workers Union was formed.
APWU is still revolutionary today. The Postal Workers Union was one of the earliest unions to come out in support of Medicare for All, raising the minimum wage, expanding voting rights, and more.
They are also essential to our society and our democracy. U.S Postal Workers saved the 2020 election by processing an unprecedented amount of mail-in ballots during a global pandemic and under very hostile conditions – all before COVID vaccines were available!
To learn more, you can watch my remarks here.
Thank you for reading and thank you to all our postal workers, union organizers, and workers (union and not) across the country. Together, we can win it all.
In solidarity,
Alexandria
 |
 |
 |
Email us: [email protected]
This email was sent to [email protected]. Email is the most important way we keep in touch with people like you, so thank you for reading to the end. Small donors like you keep us going. To contribute via check, please address to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for Congress, PO Box 680080, Corona, NY 11368.
Paid for by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for Congress
