"'This is also a win for those who care about the neighborhood post office,' his statement continued, 'and for all those in our society who think that workers should earn a fair living wage with decent health care and a pension, rather than the Staples model of minimum wage, part-time hours and no benefits.'"
Postal Professionals vs Low-Age Retail Employees
One of the objections to Staples stores handling mail was the need for well-trained professionals to handle mail services. An Inspector General conducted an audit of the "Approved Shipper Program" and as the Bloomberg report put it...
"The audit found that the Postal Service lost revenue due to participants incorrectly accepting boxes with insufficient postage, that clerks at the private retailers often didn't complete certified mail forms correctly, and that ...shippers are still not complying with mail security requirements."
It Takes A Coalition
This victory for postal workers shows how coalitions like the "Grand Alliance to Save Our Postal Service" can achieve things for working people. According to APWU...
"Many national unions endorsed the boycott including large teacher unions, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and the National Education Association (NEA). The other postal unions enthusiastically supported the campaign. The 12 million worker-strong AFL-CIO added Staples to their official boycott list. UNI the Global Union, an international union association, endorsed the Staples boycott urging all of the affiliated unions throughout the world to put pressure on Staples, since the company does business in 26 countries. Dozens of state AFL-CIO federations, local unions, Central Labor Councils, community allies and city councils passed resolutions endorsing the boycott."
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