We congratulate our brother and friend, Mark Dimondstein, on his recent retirement as president of the American Postal Workers Union (APWU).
During his 12 years as president and 42 years of membership with APWU, Dimondstein proved to be a tireless advocate for his fellow postal workers and an unwavering fighter in the struggle for social and economic justice.
Dimondstein began his postal career in Greensboro, North Carolina, in 1983. In 1986, he was elected to the first of six consecutive terms as president of the Greater Greensboro Area Local. From 2000 to 2010, he served as the national lead field organizer for the union, where he engaged in a series of ground-breaking organizing campaigns and contract negotiations for private-sector workers in the mailing industry.
In 2013, Dimondstein was elected APWU’s sixth president by the more than 200,000 members of the union, a position he would hold for four terms.
As president, Dimondstein transformed the union into a fighting, activist organization. He fostered unity and fellowship with other postal unions, labor allies and community organizations, and that solidarity proved instrumental in fighting off a number of privatization schemes so that the U.S. Postal Service remained a reliable public service for the American people and a source of good jobs. Through successful campaigns such as the “Stop Staples” fight, he helped solidify the reputation of the Postal Service as a public good that must be preserved and expanded.
During his tenure, he steered the union through the COVID-19 pandemic, served members by winning back concessions from the 2010 contract, and helped end the congressional mandate requiring the Postal Service to pre-fund future retiree health benefits.
Dimondstein served on the AFL-CIO Executive Council and was a valued member of its Executive Committee, the Committee on Organizing, and the Political Committee, and as a member of the AFL-CIO Commission on the Future of Work and Unions.
Throughout his career, Dimondstein refused to accept the inequities he saw in the world, and his dedication to fighting for a better future for working people made his union and the entire labor movement stronger. The AFL-CIO Executive Council wishes our brother and friend, Mark Dimondstein, a long, healthy and happy retirement.