Mail Handlers Make It Official: Don’t Buy Staples

The National Postal Mail Handlers Union continues to demonstrate outstanding support for the Stop Staples campaign, with its National Executive Board voting unanimously to endorse the APWU’s ‘Don’t Buy’ call.

“All Union members are being asked to avoid patronizing Staples during this boycott. The outsourcing of postal jobs and services must stop,” the NPMHU wrote on its website.

“All NPMHU Local Presidents are encouraged to adopt a Don’t Buy Staples policy, said NPMHU President John Hegarty. “I am hopeful that our members, their families and friends will support this important cause by boycotting Staples.”

“We greatly appreciate the expression of solidarity,” said APWU President Mark Dimondstein. “The Postal Union Alliance, which we formed with the National Association of Letter Carriers, the Mail Handlers and the National Rural Letter Carriers Association in March, is taking shape in the real world,” he said. “This is a great example of how unity among the postal unions can benefit us all as we work to preserve the public Postal Service for the American people.”

The NPMHU is the latest labor organization to formally endorse the Staples boycott. The California Federation of Teachers was the first to sign on to the ‘don’t buy’ campaign on April 27, followed by the AFT-Michigan on May 17 and the AFT-New Hampshire on May 23.

The American Federation of Teachers is expected to consider a ‘Don’t Buy Staples’ resolution at its national convention in July. Educators are a key ally in the Stop Staples campaign: Roughly one third of Staples’ revenue is estimated to come from the sale of school supplies.

The AFL-CIO is considering the APWU’s request to endorse the boycott.