Non-Members Fail to Appreciate What’s at Stake

Burrus Update 07-2009, May 29, 2009

In March I sent a letter to non-members, requesting that they join the union. Approximately one thousand decided to join, returning their signed applications; others chose to share their negative views about the union in the postage-paid envelopes supplied by the APWU.

The remarks of those who rejected the invitation to join the APWU included a wide range of anti-union sentiment and some mean-spirited comments.

Under normal circumstances, I respond to such letters individually, as they arrive in my office. Unfortunately, the Postal Service misdirected the returns from the March mailing to a post office box the union no longer uses, so we received all the returns at once, in late May. Because of the delay in receiving the responses, I am unable to respond individually.

Generally, the responses from those who declined membership demonstrate that they fail to appreciate that every benefit of employment they receive is a direct result of union activity.
As conditions change due to the Postal Service’s deepening financial crisis, these individuals may begin to realize that their working life is directly affected by the union.

It would be in their best interest to have a voice in the decisions that will affect them, including their rate of pay, the number of hours they work, and the location of their employment.
The employees who identified themselves that wrote to express their animosity toward the union — or offered weak excuses for refusing to join — are listed below.

Gloria Gass – Cloverdale, OR
Jvonne D. McGowan – Slidell, LA
Carolyn A Schillo – Wallingford, CT
John Carleton – Magnolia, TX
Jeff Bryant – Cape Girardeau, MO
Sheila Griffin – Aurora, CA
William Gonzalez – Corona, CA
Pauline C. Mulanix – Rockford, IL
Gerard F. Morriss – Denver, CO
Joy M. Blondin – Norris, IL
Esther Wild-Lynch – Lakeview, OR
Rebecca Carpenter – Rural Retreat, VA
Mike Schneider – Tulsa, OK
Yvonne M Burgun – Brockton, NY
James Luchs – Cabot, AR
Robert Dolan – Ridgefield Park, NJ
Jill Ann Johnson – Adams, MA
Jerry Davis – El Paso, TX
Larry Sponder – La Mars, IA
Mary Ann Paredez – San Antonio, TX
Daniel E. Forero – Waco, TX
Tony Petrino – Moonachie, NJ
Quoch, K
Tom Pflum – Twin Falls, ID
Doug Wocel – Manteo, NC
Robert Cassidy – Scottsville, VA
Hosea Williams – Kinston, NC
Hanley, Duhon
Larry D. Smith – Cantonment, FL
John Sturey – Delano, MN
Richard Tyrel – Olathe, KS
Patricia Tabor – Marion, KY
Linda Rowlette – Salt Lake, UT
Billy York - Hickory, NC
Larry Dozier – Brockton, MA
William Thomas – Modesto, CA
Janelle Schindler – Medford, OR
Cherie Cormican - Ravenna, OH
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Source: National APWU Website