January 27th, 2017: New York, NY
The Jewish Labor Committee is dismayed at President Trump’s executive order to “block the entry of refugees from war-torn Syria and suspend the entry of any immigrants from Muslim-majority Middle Eastern and African countries Syria, Sudan, Somalia, Iraq, Iran, Libya and Yemen while permanent rules are studied,” as reported recently by Reuters. These actions run counter to the best traditions of the United States, and counter to the pressing needs of not only American society but refugees seeking shelter from violence and oppression in other lands.It is unacceptable that President Trump will bar people fleeing war and persecution While the proposal says it is aimed at refugees from certain countries where there is terrorism, it is likely to be interpreted as against Muslims. As Jews, we have been victims of religious and ethnic discrimination, and understand that these need to be combated, especially when they become government policy. These refugees need a sanctuary -- as we once needed a sanctuary -- and the United States cannot close the door on these victims of religious and ethnic violence and hatred.The vast majority of today’s refugees are people in desperate need. Today, all refugees who are trying to get to the United States are screened very thoroughly by the Department of Homeland Security and other government agencies before being allowed entry to the United States.President Trump’s proposed actions, combined with proposals to build a wall and seal off the U.S. border with Mexico, will likely have no impact on national security – and may serve to weaken our economy and society.We understand that any government has a right – and duty – to rationally regulate trade, and our borders. But putting out a Not Welcome sign to Latin America and Muslim countries will not improve the lives of workers in the United States, and certainly not improve the lives of workers in other lands.We call on our unions, as well as ethnic, religious and other community organizations, to make every effort to counter the proposals regarding refugees of the Trump Administration. We will, and call on others to, make our voices heard through every means appropriate to today’s difficult political climate.At the same time, we call on our members and the larger community to support the refugee aid groups which are both in the frontline of assisting current refugees and their families, and working to stop the proposed refugee policies of our Government, and strengthen the United States as a country of refuge and sanctuary.
Image via the Los Angeles TimesAPWU’s members strongly believed that this plan would diminish the USPS brand by having mail processed in unsecured locations by workers who had little or no training in protecting the privacy and sanctity of the mail, as well as ineffectively serving the customers with the broad array of postal products and services.“The public Postal Service is a national treasure that was treated like a cheap trinket by the former Postmaster General,” said APWU President Mark Dimondstein. “First, former Postmaster General [Patrick] Donahoe cut a dirty deal to set up post offices staffed by Staples employees in 82 Staples stores. Then they downgraded the offerings to the ‘Approved Shipper’ status in hopes of ending the protests, but expanded nationally. In each case, the security and the sanctity of the mail, the training of clerks, and proper oversight were tossed out the window. This was bad for the consumer, bad for the USPS brand and an insult to our dedicated members.”Staples and USPS announced in late 2013 that they would launch a pilot program operating mini post offices in the company’s retail outlets. The initial test markets were the San Francisco Bay Area, Pittsburgh, Atlanta and the Boston suburbs.Beginning in 2014, the APWU held protests, rallies and other demonstrations outside Staples retail locations and the Staples headquarters with crowds that at times numbered in the thousands, proclaiming “The U.S. Mail Is Not For Sale!” APWU members from across the nation joined the campaign and participated in street protests and leafleting efforts to educate customers about the dangers of privatized postal services, which would result in the decline of service to the postal customers.The union organized a national boycott of Staples stores that was joined by other labor groups, including the AFL-CIO, the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC), the Laborers-National Postal Mail Handlers Union (LIUNA-NPMHU), the Communications Workers of America (CWA), the Service Employees International Union, the National Union of Healthcare Workers and, perhaps most importantly, the nation’s two largest teachers unions, the AFT and the National Education Association. A significant portion of Staples revenues is generated by the sale of school supplies.Following the AFT’s convention in July 2014, where the union’s leadership announced that it would ask its 1.6 million members, colleagues and family members to boycott the chain and buy school supplies elsewhere, Staples and USPS announced that they were ending the mini post office idea and would handle postal services through the already existing “Approved Shipper” program. APWU at the time called this “a ruse.” Dimondstein, in an interview with The Wall Street Journal stated that, "this attempt at trickery shows that the 'Don't Buy Staples' movement is having an effect. We intend to keep up the pressure until Staples gets out of the mail business."APWU and its allies maintained the boycott and continued protests outside Staples stores across the country, expanding protest activity beyond the pilot program locations.In February 2015, Staples announced its planned $5.5 billion merger with Office Depot. APWU became the largest public opponent of the merger. The union released two white papers critical of the Staples/Office Depot proposal and met with the Federal Trade Commission staff examining the merger. The FTC eventually blocked the merger.The union also prevailed on a number of cases before the National Labor Relations Board, adding more pressure against the USPS/Staples deal.“This is a big win,” said Dimondstein. “Staples is out of the mail business, which they should never have gotten into. Our members take great pride in their training and their responsibilities; they swear an oath; they perform a public service. The quality of service at a Staples store isn’t comparable. The public should have confidence in the mail. Important letters, packages and business correspondences shouldn’t be handled like a ream of blank paper.”“This is also a win for those who care about the neighborhood post office,” he continued, “and for all those in our society who think that workers should earn a fair living wage with decent health care and a pension, rather than the Staples model of minimum wage, part-time hours and no benefits.”The American Postal Workers Union represents 200,000 employees of the United States Postal Service, and is affiliated with the AFL-CIO. For more information on APWU, visit www.apwu.org.
