Postal Service Ranked as Most Essential Company During COVID-19 Pandemic

(This article first appeared in the July/August 2020 issue of the American Postal Worker magazine)

On June 12, the Harris Poll released “The Harris Poll Essential 100,” a report that ranked companies based on their response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The report, compiled through a survey of over two thousand Americans, ranked the United States Postal Service as the number one most essential company during the pandemic.

The report ranked companies based on four equallyrated components: resolve, measuring how much people believe the company should be providing solutions during the pandemic; integrity, measuring how much the company can be counted on to fight the pandemic; responsiveness, measuring the public opinion of the company’s actions; and permanence, a measure of how much the company would be missed if it closed for good. In addition to its number one overall ranking as the most essential company in the report, the Postal Service also ranked number one in responsiveness and permanence. “This report is yet another piece of evidence that shows just how vital the Postal Service has been for the people of this country during the pandemic,” said President Dimondstein. “The Senate must pass urgent financial relief for the USPS so we can continue serving the people through this crisis and beyond.”

Click here to read the full report.

New York City Central Labor Council Passes Resolution Supporting Urgent Financial Relief for the USPS

On June 3, the New York City Central Labor Council (CLC) passed a resolution urging its member unions to mobilize members around the demand that the Senate pass urgent financial relief for the Postal Service.

The New York City CLC is the largest municipal labor federation in the country. The CLC is comprised of over 300 unions, representing 1.3 million workers.

In their resolution, submitted by New York Metro Area Postal Union Local President Jonathan Smith, the CLC wrote that, in understanding “the importance of the public Postal Service to all Americans and the need for it to survive this crisis for generations to come,” it will “encourage all member unions to ask their members to support the public Postal Service by calling their two Senators and requesting immediate financial relief for the Postal Service, and ask their friends, relatives and co-workers to do the same with their two Senators, especially those who live in rural states.”

The full resolution is available to read on apwu.org. The APWU encourages members to submit resolutions in support of urgent financial relief for the USPS to their central labor councils and state federations. For help on writing a resolution, email communications@ apwu.org. 

Get involved with APWU Labor 2020

Join us for a Hatch Act Training July 22, 2 pm EST

The 2020 election is quickly approaching and we know that many APWU members are eager to get involved. As postal employees you are required to adhere to the Hatch Act, a federal law that limits certain political activities of federal workers.

Join us on July 22 for a training organized by Legislative & Political Director Judy Beard that will discuss how you can get involved in the 2020 election without violating the Hatch Act.

Some of the topics we will discuss:

• What is the Hatch Act;
• What activity is allowed on postal property;
• What activity is not allowed on postal property;
• Social media guidelines.

To register for this training, please visit apwu.org/events.