National postal workers union endorses Sanders

The American Postal Workers Union (APWU), which represents more than 200,000 U.S. Postal Service employees, on Thursday said it is backing Sen. Bernie Sanders’s (I-Vt.) presidential campaign.

They also backed the senator in his 2016 bid for the Democratic nomination.

“As with 2016, once again the Sanders campaign is boldly uplifting the goals and aspirations of workers,” APWU President Mark Dimondstein said in a statement. “Simply put, we believe it is in the best interests of all postal workers, our job security and our union to support and elect Bernie Sanders for president.”

“Senator Sanders was a champion of workers’ rights long before he became a candidate for president,” Liz Powell, the APWU’s secretary-treasurer, added. “Like those who make up the core of the APWU, he is a firm believer in social and economic justice for all. It’s no wonder that he is ranked as the most popular member of the U.S. Senate.”

The influential union said its support for the Vermont senator was in part because he “has released a series of proposals that would end the universal service requirement and also would make significant changes in the pricing structure of mail products.” Dimondstein also cites the immediacy of the election, as the Trump administration has proposed “selling the entire public Postal Service to private corporate interests.”

Following the endorsement, the union said it will encourage its members to attend Sanders rallies, make individual campaign contributions and volunteer on the campaign.

The endorsement is Sanders’s fourth notable backing from a national union, following National Nurses United, the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America, and the National Union of Healthcare Workers, with the latter also endorsing Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.).