GROW. RISE. TOGETHER.
mittee will help us maximize the im- pact of that strength by embracing and celebrating the diversity of our membership. The main goal of this committee is to improve access and make it as easy as possible for any- one, regardless of their race, gen- der, religion, sexual orientation or anything else, to get involved and fulfill the mission of our union—to fight for city letter carriers. Solidarity and organizing NALC is the best organized open shop union in the country—94 per- cent of letter carriers choose to be a part of NALC. We do not take these rights or successes for granted. We celebrate our wins by standing in solidarity with our siblings across the labor movement who are fight- ing for their right to organize and collectively bargain. In April, our siblings at the United Auto Workers celebrated a major vic- tory with an overwhelming vote to organize a Volkswagen plant in Chat- tanooga, TN. Similarly, in May, 1,700 Disneyland Resort cast members vot- ed to join the Actors’ Equity Associa- tion (AEA). Organizing victories, and hard-fought battles, are taking place every single day across every sector. One of the biggest fights ahead of NALC, and the entire labor move- ment, is to organize Amazon’s workforce. Amazon has been a topic of con- versation at our last few conven- tions, and rightly so. With its ag- gressive growth strategy, cutthroat approach toward competitors and its hostility to the rights of its work- ers, the company is increasingly seen as a threat to the U.S. labor market and economy. This is especially true for the Postal Service and letter carriers. Amazon used the universal service that we provide to build a massive customer base, and then attempted to model its own delivery network on our own. In 2023, for the first time ever, Amazon delivered more packages than UPS. It had already surpassed FedEx’s an- nual volume in 2020.
If Amazon becomes the domi- nant player in the parcel delivery industry, it will affect both letter carriers and customers. Its bru- tal labor practices and deceptive employee misclassification of its delivery workers will set the labor market standards for our industry. And its ability to cherry-pick the most profitable delivery points, leaving USPS with the least, and even unprofitable ones, will hurt USPS finances and result in service declines. We cannot let the com- pany continue to compete with a non-union workforce and without a check in its power. In the coming years, we must be- come involved in legislative and reg- ulatory strategies, along with provid- ing support to organizing campaigns, to counter Amazon’s anti-labor and anti-competitive practices. This will include lobbying our representatives about the importance of passing the PRO Act, engaging with antitrust ef- forts about Amazon’s place in the delivery market, and other ideas we have not explored yet. This is one area where the empow- ered solidarity of letter carriers alone is not enough. Amazon is a global company, and it will require the col- laborative efforts of the entire global labor movement to ensure workers are protected from its power. Looking forward As referenced above, the world, the Postal Service and our union have been in a period of transition. Transitions can be full of unknowns, and it can be easy to resign our- selves to an expected outcome. But, I do believe that while change is inevitable, its outcome is not. When we come together, use our collective strengths and dedicate our time and energy to one another, we can build a better future. I have seen how potent this em- powered solidarity is, time and again, in my union work. In fact, I have just outlined the numerous ways NALC harnessed this power, made progress and worked to build
The Postal Record 35 August 2024
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