Meet the Candidates
APWU President Election – Questions & Answers
Each candidates’ answers alternate between questions and are in different color
as shown below. Initials are bolded
for each candidate at the end of each answer.
Mark Dimondstein – Candidate for APWU National President (I) - MD
John Marcotte – Candidate for APWU National President - JM
Please tell our members about yourself. Years of service with the USPS,
Union and offices held.
Mark Dimondstein -
I worked as a
clerk in Greensboro, NC. I started in 1983 on the old Letter Sorting Machines,
then performed a variety of jobs including manual letters, package sortation,
and retail window duties. In 1986, I was elected local president and served six
terms (12 years). I served as a shop steward for most of my postal career. I
have been an arbitration advocate, a labor educator, and have working knowledge
of OWCP and EEOC. I worked for a decade as the APWU National Lead Field
Organizer during which time I negotiated numerous first contracts after leading
organizing campaign victories. Based on that work, I was awarded the “AFL-CIO
Southern Organizer of the Year.” I
was deeply honored to be elected national president in 2013, and am now in my
third term. As president I have been responsible for the overall work of the
union, was the lead negotiator in the last three contract negotiations with
postal management, and instituted a variety of programs that have built the
strength of the union, built strong alliances with the public, and protected our
jobs and the public Postal Service.
John Marcotte -
I want to thank and salute the MPWU for this unbiased attempt for more democracy
and participation by the membership in our national elections. Please know as a
veteran I use the word salute sparingly and with meaning.
I am proud to be the father of three amazing children that I raised as a single
parent while working my bid job and serving as a steward/officer in the APWU.
Second, I am proud to be a Postal Worker and member of the APWU because without
our union, I would have never been able to be there as much for, or support my
kids needs as I did, without our union.
Prior to joining the Post Office, I honorably served six years in the US Navy as
a Nuclear Power Reactor Operator and after that as an Operator/Engineer at the
National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory at Michigan State University.
Shortly after being hired by the Post Office in 1994, I became active in our
union, serving as a Steward and then within a year, serving as Craft Director. I
went on to hold several different union positions in APWU Local, Michigan Postal
Worker Union and Michigan AFL-CIO.
I was serving as Local and State President when I decided to run for my first
national position, APWU Legislative and Political Director in 2013. I was
elected by the membership to that position where I served the members of the
APWU before being asked to revitalize
the APWU’s health plan. I accepted the request and successfully ran for APWU
Health Plan Director. From 2016-2019, I worked extremely hard and was successful
in stabilizing the health plan and getting it going in the right direction.
If you win the next election, what are your goals for your term in office?
John Marcotte -
This question was difficult to answer because there are so many things that the
APWU needs to change to improve our members work lives. There are some changes
that need to take priority due to the time sensitivity and long-term impact on
our membership.
1.
The most important goal is more of a must for our membership, and that is to end
the unacceptable and harassing work environment our members are enduring on the
workroom floor. This is not a localized problem or limited to “a few bad apples”
in supervision. This is a nationwide, systemic, and longstanding issue that
continues to get worse and worse. Whatever it takes we must have action on this
issue, this was an issue last presidential election.
I do not know how long the current administration is going to continue to
promise improvement on this matter, but I do know that enough is enough with the
talk and the empty promises and it is time for action. Listening to the
incumbent President talk about working conditions it is obvious he has not
worked a bid job in a very long time, and it shows in his administration’s slow
response to this issue. If elected, I will be a bulldog while fighting for an
work environment free from harassment and bullying for all our members.
2.
Another particularly important need is to stop the long string of concessionary
bargaining that has led to substandard wages for postal workers. It is amazing
to me that the incumbent has been successful in keeping so many of our members
from realizing that their compensation is worse than their counterparts in other
Postal unions. Many members do not know that a pre-2011 hired level 6 clerk, at
their top step, will effectively make the same money as an after-2012 hired
level 4 mail-handler at their top steps. Worse than that, an after 2011 hired
level 6 clerk, will make $1,900.00 less than an after 2012 hired level 4
mail-handler when both are at their top steps and $3,000.00 less than a level 5
mail-handler at their top step. When did this become okay? There is no defense
and no more concise way to highlight the unsuccessful bargaining by the
incumbent than APWU higher level members earning less money than other postal
unions,’ lower-level workers, at their top steps. Our members effective dropping
2-3 levels on the pay scale via concessionary bargaining over multiple contracts
reduces our members ability to provide for their families, their pensions, and
their thrift savings contributions. Creating tough times now and retirement
harsher and harder to achieve later. I will work tirelessly to achieve the pay
raises our members need and deserve.
3.
I WILL REMOVE THE MANIPULATION, POLITICS, AND RETALIATION FROM THE CULTURE OF
THE NATIONAL APWU. I will restore the office of President to one that is laser
focused on serving the membership, as opposed to serving the cause of
reelection. I will respond to the concerns of our active and retired members
regardless of politics, category of the member, size or voting preference of any
Local or the Chapter. The APWU was founded as a union family and that means we
are all equal and every one of our members concerns and issues have value, and
retaliation, and favoritism cannot be allowed. This is essential in repairing
and reuniting our union, and a
requirement before it can succeed and grow because the current “political
atmosphere” is unacceptable and ultimately for the benefit of very few while
coming at the expense of the members on the workroom floor.
And to think, this is coming from your former Legislative & Political Director.
I believe in getting everything we can in terms of legislation that helps our
membership, but I have zero tolerance for internal union politics at the expense
of the membership. If this sounds like “campaign propaganda” then you obviously
do not know my personality, history, or disgust for the internal politics within
the APWU. Call me if you would like to hear more on this subject matter.
4.
I will work in a concerted effort with ALL national officers at our National
Executive Council Meetings when formulating solutions to our problems,
developing ways to better serve the membership, and using technology to bring
our members into the 21st century. We cannot solve today’s problems,
nor can we tailor our union to fit our current and future members, with outdated
tools and methods. I will work to not only provide these tools to those serving
our membership but also provide more ways to leverage technology so that our
membership can have better direct access to information and their officers at
the National level as well. This is the same way that I turned the APWU Health
Plan around: leverage technology and give direct lines of contact from the
workroom floor to the highest position in that department.
Mark Dimondstein -
My goals are
to continue to build on the great progress made over the last eight years,
during which time we moved mountains to successfully defend the public Postal
Service and our jobs. We allied with the public, took our issues to the TV and
radio airways, negotiated solid new contracts in 2015, 2018 and 2021, negotiated
more jobs, and won urgently needed legislation. High inflation underscores that
it pays to belong to the union. I am proud that in all three contracts since I
took office, we have maintained every COLA. In the past, it was commonplace to
have some of them eliminated. Going forward, we need to protect the gains of the
past, continue the progress already made on eliminating the divisive two-tier
wage system instituted in the 2010 contract (which I opposed at the time and my
opponent did not), continue to advance the alliance with the people of the
country, and further strengthen our membership ranks and solidarity with all
workers.
Mark Dimondstein -
I am running
on the “APWU Solidarity Team” consisting of every incumbent APWU national
headquarters officer. At the local and national level, I have always run as part
of a team, which I believe helps elect officers who trust each other and will
work together once elected. I am humbled that every incumbent officer, those who
know my work up close, fully support my candidacy for re-election.
John Marcotte -
I am running by myself. I hope our membership remembers that most of the
National officers in DC ran with me, a challenger for president in the last
election and were incumbents themselves at that time, something that is
incredibly rare if not unprecedented. Those officers, like myself, saw an urgent
need for a different leader. Because I supported those National officers 3 years
ago when we ran together, it would be hypocritical of me to ask someone to run
against them now. I will not do that. I hope that the membership and my
supporters will respect that I value my integrity over increasing my campaign
coffers or odds of winning this election.
So yes, I am running by myself, without a “ticket,” and that may hurt my ability
to have an inside track to some potential voters, but it is the right thing to
do and I am confident that our membership is smart, and will see that wages,
benefits, and working conditions are not going to improve unless we change who
is elected president of the APWU. I am paraphrasing but electing the same person
and expecting different results is the definition of insanity.
John Marcotte -
As mentioned above, restoring accountability and correcting management’s
horrific personnel actions. These actions, left unchecked year after year, has
led to the hostile work conditions our members are forced to endure today.
Getting this corrected and not just talking about it at election time is job
one.
We must eliminate the two-tier wage scale for career employees, and we must
convert the current non-career workforce to career status, thus eliminating the
unjust non-career workforce. While we all understand step increases, a union is
built on “the same day’s work for the same day’s pay” principal. These unfair
multi-tier classes of our members was put in place in the 2010 contract, and
then left in place by the incumbent president for three following contracts, are
grossly unfair and corrodes a union from the inside out.
PSEs are not being used as temporary or support employees. They are being taken
advantage of and unions do not turn a blind eye to this injustice. If you are
working 40 hours a week every week, you are not a support employee. Their
families deserve career thrift savings matching, pension contributions, better
health care benefits, and wages.
The USPS has hiring problems, high turnover, and retention issues that it has
never had before. It is obviously due to a substandard starting wage and benefit
package that has replaced the career wage package. A postal worker job used to
be highly valued, hiring highly competitive, and with almost zero turnover of
employees. This changed with the wrongheaded approach of abandoning the
phenomenally successful APWU career wage and benefit package and replacing it
with a corporate exploitation of labor model.
Elimination of the non-career workforce not only would massively improve the
lives of our members eliminating lost years of work towards retirement
contribution and better health care, it makes good business sense for the USPS
as it would help solve its high overtime, poor retention, high retraining and
burdensome hiring costs. Ending USPS’s anti-worker, failed, non-career PSE
experiment is overdue. I will devote all the resources necessary and work
non-stop to take care of our own and ensure equality among the membership of the
APWU.
Mark Dimondstein -
One important
area where we can improve the work of the APWU is to better develop, mentor, and
inspire new generations of postal worker unionists. And at all levels of the
union, we have to pull together to collectively address the outrageous hostile
working conditions that are far too prevalent. We have made some progress in
this area, but more work is needed.
Mark Dimondstein -
See Above
John Marcotte -
An issue that will have great positive impact for our membership but will be a
difficult lift and most likely requiring multiple terms is to work with our
allied Federal/Postal unions to remove the unfair method of calculation and cap
on cost-of-living increases for the FERS retirees pensions. The rounding down of
the FERS annuity COLAs ensures a yearly loss of purchasing power and huge losses
when inflation is over the maximum 3% cap (as it is now with inflation numbers
floating between 8% and 9%).
For example, this year, a FERS retiree, at full retirement age, would
effectively lose one out of every twenty dollars (or 5%) in their annuity due to
the difference between the COLA they receive, and the money inflation takes away
from their pension.
This designed reduction of retiree spending power ensures that paying the
premiums for USPS provided health care (currently FEHB) and Medicare B premiums
will become unaffordable for large number of our members in FERS retirement as
premiums for healthcare quickly eat up a larger and larger percentage of a FERS
annuity as its spending power shrinks with inflation. This is even worse when
you consider the recent requirement that our members must pay Medicare B
premiums to be eligible for USPS paid health care in retirement. The new law
would force a cash strapped FERS retirees who cannot afford both health
insurance premiums to give up their USPS paid health insurance. This is because
purchasing Medicare B is now a REQUIRED prerequisite for all who retire after
2025 in order to be eligible for USPS paid health insurance in retirement. Of
note, Medicare B premiums go up with medical inflation and Medicare A (paid by
payroll taxes) is predicted to be insolvent in 2026.
When you think about it, a pension set up to lose money to inflation combined
with healthcare costs that are rising at a rate greater than inflation, is a
terrifying combination. This is a looming crisis for our active workforce, as
well as our FERS retirees, and regardless of how many terms it takes to get this
done, or who is in the office of APWU President, getting full COLAs for
postal/federal retirees must get done.
Tell the members something positive about your opponent.
John Marcotte -
I have heard him play the banjo at headquarters and I appreciate anyone with
musical inclination or ability.
Mark Dimondstein -
No comment
Mark Dimondstein -
Under my
leadership, we worked with both Republican and Democratic Congressional
Representatives and many others to achieve historic postal reform legislation.
The legislation eliminated the pre-funding mandate that was financially choking
the Postal Service, made six-day delivery the law, and established Medicare
integration on a prospective basis that will keep everyone in their FEBHP plans
and will save both the individual worker and the USPS money on health insurance
premiums. We need to continue to work on restoring service standards to July 1,
2012, create an EV postal delivery fleet and public charging station networks at
local Post Offices, win postal banking, and correct the injustice of the
“windfall” penalty where Civil Service retirees lose much of their earned Social
Security benefits. The union continues to strive to legislatively make
healthcare a human right and to establish full voting rights as the federal law
of the land.
John Marcotte -
First off, I would get the critical 2012 service standards codified into law,
speeding up the mail. Returning to these standards would better serving the
public, increase revenue making more money available for our wages and benefits
and force the USPS to finally invest in its workforce. Speeding up the mail
would make the USPS competitive again with our private sector competition and if
we do not provide faster service, I fear the USPS is facing the real probability
of becoming a shadow of its former great self.
This will not be an easy task as PMG after PMG for over a decade have slowed the
mail in the idiotic notion that reducing speed and service in a service industry
will be good for the USPS finances and future. Time after time, slowing down the
mail has in fact accelerated financial shortfalls and driven away customers. The
good news is the will of Congress to put these standards into law was proven
back in 2015 when the effort by the APWU to return to service standards that the
American people and industry need and deserve were bravely championed by
representative David Joyce. Mr. Joyce brought key Republicans to our cause and
whipped enough votes to get 2012 service standards through committee against the
voiced objections of his Republican chairperson. He helped APWU get a clear
majority in a Republican dominated House of Representatives to support speeding
up the mail. Our Legislative and Political Department, Mr. Joyce and most
critically the APWU membership in Kentucky successfully lobbied then Majority
Leader McConnel to include 2012 USPS service standards into the 2016 omnibus
budget bill under reconciliation.
The bad news is, after this bipartisan agreement was reached to make speeding up
the mail a law, a key Senator was convinced to refuse to allow improving mail
service for every American and with that, not allow the USPS to directly compete
with speed of delivery against its private sector competition. I was told this
Senator did this because he did not want to go against the current APWU
incumbent president. Who after the fact, opposed service standards being
included in this law. This wrongheaded and non-sensible action wasted
incalculable hours of work by members and officers at the local, chapter, state
and national levels. Not to mention massive Congresspersons and their
staffs time and effort or the impact on APWU jobs, plant closures and
consolidations and preventing further slowdowns. It also made the APWU look
ridiculous and not trustworthy on Capitol Hill when it comes to legislation.
Going back, with a few exceptions, to the same group of law makers and asking
again for help speeding up the mail will be difficult knowing what happened in
2015 but speeding up the mail is essential to the survival of the USPS in an
ever fast paced world. That is why privatizers have worked hard to slow down the
mail and close processing plants repeatedly when it has failed to save money. We
must get legislation to speed up the mail and I am uniquely qualified to do just
that as I was the APWU Legislative and Political Director the organized and
executed the plan that made it a reality in 2015 and I will not abandon our
members, congressional allies or the American public when I am elected president
of the APWU. I am confident with your help we will get it done.
Secondly, I know that most of our membership does not know that the idea of
separating Postal from Federal workers for health insurance was entertained by
President Burrus. Then, the delegates at the National Convention, were crystal
clear adopting a resolution mandating that postal workers health insurance would
STAY IN A GROUP WITH ALL OTHER FEDERAL EMPLOYEES. It is scary to think what may
happen to our health insurance costs when you consider that Postal workers are
more expensive to insure and if separated from all other federal employees, the
smaller risk pool will also drive-up premiums. This is assuming we do not lose
our FEHB in the future now that we are separated from the much larger federal
workforce. Also, even current retirees will be forced into the postal only
health plan options and even if they choose to not purchase Medicare B they will
only be able to choose the postal plans and not be able be able to return to
plans with federal employees. The resolution language was very clear, passed at
National convention and must be followed and respected.
Another issue to approach Congress about is to allow federal and postal
temporary workers (like our PSE’) who are career be allowed to buy back their
PSE time as to count for retirement along the same lines as buyback for military
service. This is common sense and would help with members who must have a
portion of their time worked at the USPS not count for retirement. A movement to
correct this injustice must be created and led by the APWU.
John Marcotte -
Yes. I think the current setup prevents the average postal worker from running
for an American Postal Worker Union resident officer position. I believe that
any APWU member should be able to run for a nationally elected union position
without needing $50,000, $100,000 or even $500,000 to do so.
1.
The cost to send ONE POSTCARD, to our entire membership, is > $100,000. I love
using the mail at our house and we all understand that mailings cost money, but
think about how many mailings you got from the incumbent, in the last election…
1, 2, 3, 4, 5???
2.
Kelly Press is a company that our union mandates we must use to send out
election mail and email blasts to our membership. Each time Kelly Press “hits
the send button” to our membership, a candidate must pay around $3500 for an
email. Why is our union allowing such profiteering by Kelly Press, the election
committee could easily do this and why not multiple bids to perform these
services?
The current election system is the opposite of democracy, and it is not the
election committees’ fault, this has been a big problem with our union for a
long time. I have never heard a union ideal that claimed democracy should come
second to money. I am proud that as an INCUMBENT officer, I supported the
resolution that requires the national officer ballot and a newly created
“election magazine” consisting of the candidates’ positions to be mailed
together, at no cost to the candidates, as an attempt to level the playing field
and educate the membership on the candidates. It was shocking last election when
they were NOT mailed together by the incumbent’s administration. Again,
resolutions, decided by our membership at convention, must be followed by all
officers of our union. I will ensure that happens.
Also, you are correct, current incumbents use APWU funds to travel to Local,
State, Regional, and National events. While at these events, they can meet
potential voters. Whereas challengers must spend money out of pocket to travel
to events and facilities. I think it would be easier to limit paid travel for
officers in an election year to that of their previous two-year average. Or
perhaps, change our election cycle to happen outside the state and local
convention period. In any event, I defer to the wisdom of the assembled
delegates at convention to decide what is best.
However, one thing I will certainly make a priority when elected is to bring
ACCOUNTABILITY and TRANSPARENCY to the travel budgets of National officers
because it is essential our officers can prove our money has been accurately
reported and well spent while squashing rumors of corruption. For example, in
2019 (an election year), our officers travel expenses on the LM2, vary wildly
and in some cases cannot be true by personal observation. I don’t know if some
officers travel is being placed in other budget items and why that would be, but
I believe in being honest with the membership. A member should easily find out
that information and all officers should be able to defend their reported travel
budgets just as easily.
There is no doubt we need election reform and I believe a fair and equitable
solution resulting in the most highly qualified and able candidates can run for
national APWU office. I believe a solution that creates choice without confusion
or chaos is attainable if our Local, State, Chapter and National officers all
work to achieve it.
Mark Dimondstein -
I have already
worked to “level” the playing field for candidates. When I first ran for
national president, I took successful action against the union to ensure that
every candidate had access to the members’ emails in the possession of the
union. Now every candidate does. Once in office, I made more prominent the
candidate election articles in the magazine. I supported a special election
issue of the magazine to be mailed to every member. I do not support the idea
that the hard-working, dues-paying member should pay for candidates’ unlimited
travel around the country to campaign – which could cost into the millions of
dollars. Such expenses should be in the hands of the candidates themselves.
Any additional statement that you would like to close your interview. (MAX 500
Words)
Mark Dimondstein -
Our union is
very democratic, with one person, one vote in our union elections. It is part of
what makes us strong. But at election time, anyone can say or promise anything.
I urge you to simply make your vote a business decision. Incumbents have to earn
your support. I am running on my record of achievements. Many long-term members
have identified the new union contract as the “best ever.” I was proud to be
your lead negotiator and to work collaboratively with our outstanding national
negotiating committee. Our legislative victories, where I worked hand in hand
with our extremely effective Legislative Director Judy Beard, are second to none
with EFEL, $10 billion of COVID relief to the Postal Service, and historic and
urgently needed postal reform. We had a strong health and safety response to the
pandemic, including the negotiated liberal leave policy. I led in negotiating
the residual vacancy MOU that has led to the conversion to career of 100,000
former PSEs, as well as a series of staffing memos which increased the Clerk
complement by 10,000 workers. We have secured new work guarantees for PTFs. We
won an all-career maintenance workforce. We achieved an all-career workforce in
Motor Vehicle with the exception of “new work.” Under my leadership we launched
the three-year campaign to stop the Staples privatization of retail scheme.
We won the Stop Staples fight and potentially protected tens of thousands
of clerk jobs. In addition, we have built “A Grand Alliance to Save Our Public
Postal Service” which proved invaluable when the previous White House openly
planned to sell off the public USPS to private companies for private profit. We
launched the campaign for postal banking, established closer working relations
with the other postal unions around common ground, strengthened the work of the
Retiree Department, encouraged the participation of young workers, and worked in
solidarity with the general labor movement. We have not won every battle, but
overall, as a union we have collectively achieved outstanding results over my
three terms. I respectfully ask for your support and vote, and for all the
members of the APWU Solidarity Team. Let’s keep the progress going! I have
always believed and advocated that the union belongs to the members. I continue
the commitment to you that I made when I first ran for office in 2013 -- I will
always be honest with you, the member, and always put the members first.
John Marcotte -
Our national union needs to deliver more value to while being more transparent
and in touch with their membership.
APWU members continue to suffer under hostile working conditions on the workroom
floor. Our members via bad negotiating, are paid less than other USPS employees
at lower levels, going against common sense and the history of the positions.
Also, forced overtime has turned into a way of life instead of for peak periods
or volunteers. This is simply the USPS refusing to convert and staff properly.
Forty hours a week should be enough to pay our bills. Fixing APWUs unfairly low
wages and the working conditions for our members is job one when I am elected.
Overtime should be an option, not a mandate. Dignity and respect are never an
option.
The incumbent continues to “cheerlead” lousy dollar amount raises, despite
Postal workers are being pushed further behind due to COLAs not coming close to
keeping up with inflation. The incumbent avoids the subject of inflation because
these TINY PAY RAISES WILL NOT COME CLOSE TO KEEPING UP! Your purchasing power
decreasing means a lower standard of living now as well as an exponentially
lower standard of living in retirement, due to more of your paycheck going
toward living expenses and less toward your TSP, other investments, or savings.
Now and in retirement, this will be devastating.
The incumbent trying to spin these contracts and his actions as a positive,
illustrates the disconnect with our members working hard to provide for their
families. I know what it is like to struggle financially while raising a family.
I will not forget where I came from. When elected I will serve the membership
and I WILL NOT ignore the struggles of our membership.
The incumbent has had NINE YEARS AND THREE CONTRACTS to show what he can do, and
he has shown:
1.
To be disconnected from our membership
2.
He believes to be above the rules of the APWU
3.
Money wins elections
4.
Lower standards of living for our membership are acceptable
Any honest person that knows me well will say I:
1.
Have the energy, drive, and doggedness to get the APWU back on track
2.
Will fight for and win for our members
3.
Consider myself one of you my union family, always working on your behalf and
not being self-interested or above the rules.
Far less than 20% of our membership voted in 2019. The incumbent received less
than half of that small percentage. VERY FEW Votes are needed to change the
APWU’s direction. I whole-heartedly believe that without the APWU, me and my
family would not have the life we have today. I want to pay that debt back by
serving you as your president. So, if you want our union to continue to drive
off course then vote for the incumbent or do not vote at all but if you want to
turn things around, vote for John L. Marcotte for APWU President this
September.
