Member Spotlight: Jameelah Lashley (APWU)
Member Spotlight is a recurring blog post series intended to highlight and connect the dots between the programs and priorities of the NC State AFL-CIO and the leaders and activist members of our affiliates who make it all possible.
My name is Jameelah Lashley, and I am a member of APWU Local 1078 in Raleigh, NC. I’ve worked for the United States Postal Service for 17 years. As an expeditor, I coordinate between USPS employees and drivers to help deliver America’s mail, and I love what I do! I love serving my community and appreciate all of the opportunities my union gives me to better serve our members. I became a steward last year but have been very active since I first started working for the post office.
A lot has changed over my 17 years, but we’re facing some of the same fights. Privatization of the post office is one of the biggest obstacles we face, but fighting it is nothing new to me. We’ve been around for over 200 years now, and it is a great service for the public. We pride ourselves on delivering to every door in America, and we mean every door! We deliver to the “Last Mile”, places that Amazon and UPS won’t go to because they can’t make a profit off of driving that far. We deliver where they won’t for way less than they charge. You can send a letter anywhere in the United States, one street over or 1,000 miles away, for the same cost, but changes by the current postal administration threaten this reality.
Local mail processing plants are being closed, necessary equipment is being disassembled and removed from overwhelmed regional processing plants, and the mail is being delayed as a result. Mail that used to take two or three days to reach its destination is now taking five or six. All postal routes are being affected, but rural routes are going to be affected the most. It’s sad that people who depend on timely delivery of necessary medications or social security checks or cards from far away friends and family will suffer because some greedy, self-serving unelected postal officials want the service to fail so they can privatize it.
People are rallying together because privatizing our public postal service would harm us all and they are scared for what that future holds. You have to think beyond the post office too. We all benefit from quality public services, safe workplaces, and respect for the hard work it takes to deliver for the American people. Members in my union are more engaged, and together we are a force to be reckoned with. So keep your heads up, let your voices be heard, and stand up for what’s right!