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Approximately 70 APWU members and supporters lined the streets in Belleville, IL on March 7 to ask passersby not to patronize a newly opened postal retail operation at Ben Franklin’s Crafts & Floral store. The store began offering postal services as a Contract Postal Unit (CPU) in February.
Union members say the new CPU will undermine the viability of the town’s post office, which is just three blocks away. The private postal unit “will pull business away from the Belleville Post Office and lead to reduced hours and reduced business,” Local Vice President Edward Eversman told the Belleville News-Democrat.
The new contract “jeopardizes the safety and security of the mail. Only USPS Employees have taken an oath to protect the sanctity of the mail and are well trained to identify hazardous material and preventing them from entering the mail stream,” a union flyer said.
Active members and retirees from the Southwestern Illinois Area Local 407, which represents APWU members in Belleville, participated in the protest, along with members of the National Association of Letter Carriers Local 155, the Southwestern IL Central Labor Council AFL-CIO, and officers from various APWU locals and state organizations who were in nearby St. Louis attending training sessions.
The local plans to continue to protest at the store and is starting a letter writing campaign to the store.
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Jonathan Smith , NY Metro President at work Belleville, IL
SAVE THE POST OFFICE!!!!
I’m not sure if the place being picketed is a Contract Postal Unit (CPU) or a USPS Approved Shipper. There is a difference. A CPU receives a percentage of the sales of postal products, but can not offer others services from FedEx, UPS or DHL. On the other hand an Approved Shipper does not receive a split from sales and must markup the products to cover the cost and are not limited in offering shipping from other service providers.
The bottom line is that most businesses that offer USPS products provide them as a service to their community and do generate a profit from their sales. It may help to increase traffic through their businesses for other products offered by the businesses, i.e. Staples for examples. But as for being a cash cow, its not. I think the protest by APWU makes the entire postal service look desperate. Picketing a mom and pops business as though it posed a threat to the “good paying jobs” at the postal service. In the end these acts may come back to haunt the service.
The public sees the postal service as being their letter carrier delivering mail every day and most of us relate to the tough job they have carrying mail. But most people dread going to a station for various reasons. The concept of expanded access to postal products through private sector retailers does not increase expenses for the postal service, but does increase revenue. What’s not to understand about this?
has the apwu put any serious thought into making an strong play to organize the clerks at staples stores? this effort alone may make staples management decide that the
‘postal retail units’ aren’t worth the trouble. on that same note, i don’t understand why no serious effort nationwide has not been made to organize/unionize
fast food and retail workers. i realize these folks generally earn low wages now so
any dues would have to be low. but the sheer number of these folks could still generate a lot of money to operate a union. also, these are jobs that are not going anywhere. companies can’t really transfer this work to mexico or china so the jobs will remain. the question is will they be unionized jobs or not? quit whining about the low pay of retail and fast food workers and go get them unionized.
Not to worry…all showed up and were compensated salary & per diem for their “outrage” courtesy of union dues. So keep paying dem dues so we can have mo pickets like these!
Contract stations are authorized in the contract and I hope the Postal Service files labor board charges against the union with financial damages. Despite what the union thinks they don’t run the company. They can’t pick and chose which sections of the contract they follow. The unions are out of control and no longer stand up for the good workers. They waste time and their reputations on BS like this..
AMEN, Brother Ben , ISSA bad move!