'A Champion of Workers Rights': 200,000-Strong Postal Workers Union Endorses Sanders for President

Sen. Bernie Sanders received the stamp of approval from the 200,000-strong American Postal Workers Union for his quest for the 2020 Democratic nomination for president, receiving the organization's endorsement Thursday after the group's National Executive Board voted to back the Vermont lawmaker's bid for the White House.

The union also endorsed Sanders during his ultimately unsuccessful 2016 run for the 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."

The union delivered its endorsement to Sanders because the senator has been a longstanding supporter of the Postal Service and a consistent opponent of schemes to privatize the service. In a video annnouncing the endorsement, APWU showed clips of Sanders defending the service and its workers and calling for strengthening the government-run mail system.

Sanders welcomed the endorsement and emphasized his commitment to both the union and the Postal Service.

"I'm so honored to receive the endorsement of the American Postal Workers Union," Sanders said in a statement. "For years, I've been proud to work with the APWU to prevent the U.S. Postal Service from slashing hundreds of thousands of good-paying jobs, stop the closure of mail processing plants and rural post offices, and keep six-day mail delivery."

The Vermont senator also took a shot at President Donald Trump, his presumptive opponent in the general election, focusing on the incumbent's push to promote the longtime Republican Party effort to privatize the Post Office.

"Sadly, Donald Trump and his extreme right wing Republican friends are seeking to privatize the Postal Service, the most popular federal agency in America," said Sanders. "Well, I've got some bad news for them: When we defeat Donald Trump, we're not going to privatize and cut the Postal Service. We're going to expand and strengthen the Postal Service and speed up the delivery of mail."

APWU secretary-treasurer Liz Powell said that the senator's long record of standing up for the working class was part of the appeal of the Sanders campign.

"Senator Sanders was a champion of workers' rights long before he became a candidate for president," said Powell. "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," Powell added.