The Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW) held their 2025 National Executive Board and Educational Conference in Washington, DC from March 26-28. Delegates and observers in attendance learned about the ongoing attacks on unions and workers across all industries and strategized to defend workers’ rights.
CLUW sisters from the United Steelworkers and the American Federation of Government Employees spoke up about how new legislation and executive orders, such as the Paycheck Protection Act (H.R. 2174) and the “Exclusions From Federal Labor-Management Relations Programs” executive order, would severely impact their jobs and the future of collective bargaining.
APWU Legislative and Political Director Judy Beard, who also serves as National CLUW Treasurer, addressed the CLUW members on the current threats facing the United States Postal Service from bills, executive orders, and congressional hearings. In February, the Trump administration revisited privatizing the USPS in part or in full, with news outlets reporting an impending executive order that would place the Postal Service under the control of the Commerce Department. She explained how APWU immediately sprang into action, organizing the “Hands Off our Public Postal Service!” National Day of Action that took place on March 20 to educate the public on the dangers of postal privatization.
Informational flyers were distributed to the delegation and the APWU sisters present urged everyone to support APWU’s campaign by leafleting the public when they returned home. APWU National Business Agent and CLUW National Vice President Rachel Walthall provided instructions on how to use the flyer to solicit signatures for a “U.S. Mail is Not For Sale” petition to protect our public postal service.
“The Postal Service is a national treasure, and we must preserve it at all costs.” Judy ended her presentation by urging the membership to call, write, and email their congressional representatives to urge them to defend the people’s public Postal Service, and cosponsor House Resolution 70, which expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that Congress should take all appropriate measures to ensure that the United States Postal Service remains an independent establishment of the Federal Government and is not subject to privatization.
The APWU delegation gathered for a group photo outside of the AFL-CIO building where the event took place, holding signs that made our message clear: “Hands off Our Public Postal Service – The U.S. Mail is NOT for Sale!”
