At our national convention in August 2022, Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence reflected on her time in the House of Representatives as a postal champion and how her long career in various roles at the USPS laid the foundation for a life of public service. With her recent retirement from Congress, Representative Lawrence wants to utilize her passion for strengthening the public Post Office by seeking a position on the Postal Board of Governors.
The APWU has been a strong advocate for the nomination of Congresswoman Lawrence to the Postal Board of Governors and in October 2022, President Dimondstein sent a letter to President Biden urging him to nominate former Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence to serve on the Postal Board of Governors of the U.S. Postal Service.
The Postal Board of Governors is comprised of nine governors, along with the postmaster and deputy postmaster general. These governors serve seven-year terms and select the postmaster general. Governors also set postal policy, control expenditures, and review postal practices. The Board deals with service standards as well, which is an issue of critical importance to all APWU members. In order to fill vacancies, the president of the United States sends a nomination to the Senate, where a candidate’s confirmation is then put to a vote.
Two of the current nine governors’ terms have now expired. They remain in position until another governor is appointed or for a period of one year, whichever comes first. Governors can serve a maximum of two terms.
It is critical that President Biden nominates someone who has extensive knowledge of both postal operations and the workforce. Congresswoman Lawrence understands the Post Office in a way only few can due to her unique experience at the Postal Service. Before joining Congress, she served as a postal employee for over 30 years, including time as a clerk. After leaving the Postal Service, she was elected mayor of Southfield, Michigan, where she worked with the community to bolster the quality of the mail service. Prior to her retirement from Congress, she served on committees with jurisdiction over the USPS, where she skillfully defended the public Postal Service from privatization.