Postal workers, supporters protest cuts

Rye Brook, N.Y. — Members of the New York Metro and Mid-Hudson areas of the American Postal Workers Union, the National Postal Mail Handlers Union and community organizations, including Community Labor United for Postal Jobs and Services, participated in a day of action here on Sept. 9, holding a militant picket line and rally in front of the Westchester Hilton Hotel. They were protesting the presence of a high-ranking postal officer from Washington, D.C.

The focus of the picket line was four demands: saving our mail; stop the closings of postal and mail processing centers; boycott Staples; and no privatization of the postal service. Drivers riding by the picket line showed their support by honking horns or giving a clenched fist.

Also protesting in front of the hotel were members of District Council 9 of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades. They were demanding that contractor AM Painting pay at area wage and benefit standards, as established by the council. An inflatable rat at the rally signified that AM Painting hires scabs and pays scab wages.

Marching together in solidarity, this demonstration of postal workers and supporters was a building block for a national action to be held in November in Washington, D.C.