National Assocation Letter Carrier Branch 46 president, Mike Harazmus, sat down with us to talk about the attacks on the United States Postal Service (USPS). He explains that the massive cutbacks in service called for by Republicans in the US House of Representatives are bogus and how the current manufactured crisis can be solved with existing legislation.

Labor leaders, union members, and area politicians joined together on Friday to honor the American worker at its honor Labor Day Breakfast at the Castle of Knights in Chicopee, MA. Turnout to event was solid, with representatives from a variety of area unions reflecting the diverse Pioneer Valley workforce.

On Friday, Massachusetts AFL-CIO president, Robert J. Haynes, gave an emotional speech about the events ten years ago today at the Pioneer Valley AFL-CIO Labor Day breakfast. "We must honor the resilience and the unity and the strength of the country that 9/11 represents." President Haynes shared his personal account of coming home on on 9/11/2001 to his high school son and friends who wanted answers for what was occurring. "I didn't have any answers. So I sent my son Joe up to the attic to get the flag that the United States Army gave me when my father died. And I took those boys out on the front porch and I raised that flag."

Verizon's onerous proposals have been withdrawn and workers will return to work on Tuesday. The Communication Workers of America (CWA) and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) will begin negotiations again with Verizon. Both sides have agreed to let the expired contract go into effect until the two sides can finalize a new agreement.

Congratulations to the IBEW and CWA for hanging tough and forcing Verizon's hand!

To date, the Union Community Fund's Tornado Victim Fund has raised over $36,000 and counting. 100% of the money collected will go directly to tornado victims and their families here in our community.

The UCF is currently accepting applications from all union members in good standing who suffered property and financial losses as a result of the tornadoes that struck Springfield and surrounding communities last month. If you are a union member and have been affected by the storm, please download the application, fill it out and send to:

Union Community Fund
640 Page Boulevard #101
Springfield, MA 01104

You may also and scan and email the application to ucf@pvaflcio.org.

The Union Community Fund of Western Massachusetts, a charity set up by workers and their unions, added $20,000 to it's coffers as a result of the generosity of IAM Lodge 743, a machinists union that represents workers at the Hamilton Sunstrand plant in Windsor Locks. 100% of the proceeds will go to victims of last month's tornadoes that tore through Springfield and surrounding communities, tossing thousands of lives into a state of chaos. The check was presented to Rick Brown, President of the Pioneer Valley AFL-CIO and a board member on the Union Community Fund last Wednesday, July 13th, at an IAM board meeting.

One week after severe tornadoes struck the Western Massachusetts region, thousands of families struggle to clean up their ravaged properties and piece their homes and lives back together. The Pioneer Valley AFL-CIO, through its non-profit charitable arm, the Union Community Fund, has tapped into the energy of the collectivist spirit of its unions and union members to pitch in and help. "This is what unions are all about, picking our brothers and sisters up when they're down. Disaster relief is a natural fit for us because we've got lots of networks in the community that we can leverage and activate to find those who needs our help and get them cleaned out from this mess," said Rick Brown, President of the Pioneer Valley AFL-CIO and one of the Union Community Fund's board members.

Download this disaster assistance information for those affected by the tornados that struck our region. Please disseminate widely to make sure those affected get the information and help they need to get their lives back on track.

Yesterday, hundreds, if not thousands, of our friends and neighbors suffered life-changing setbacks as a result of the tornados that devastated our region. To help ease the financial burden on these unfortunate families, the Pioneer Valley AFL-CIO's charitable organization, the Union Community Fund, is launching a special Tornado Disaster Relief effort.

We hope you and your union will consider a generous donation to our fund our efforts to help our neighbors in this time of need. We encourage you to also please encourage your members to pass the hat and take up a collection at work.

Checks should be made out to the "Union Community Fund" and sent to:

Union Community Fund
640 Page Blvd.
Springfield, MA 01104

Thank you for your support in this important campaign! 

A piece of Dr. Martin Luther King's dream was realized yesterday as a diverse group of about one hundred local community members rallied at the steps of Springfield City Hall to continue King's struggle for social and economic justice. The gathering, held on April 4th, commemorated the assassination of Dr. King in 1968 in Memphis, TN, while helping striking sanitation workers. The Springfield rally was part of "We Are One," a nationwide effort by the national AFL-CIO and other organizations to help build support for workers getting assaulted by right-wing politicians across the country.