Washington, D.C.
For more than six decades, Vice President Moe Biller has served the members of the American Postal Workers Union with his innovative and vigorous dedication to the best interests of his members and their families. At the same time, he has been a strong and eloquent advocate of social justice, equal rights and human dignity for working people around the world.
Born on New York’s Lower East Side, Biller went to work at the post office in New York in 1937 where he quickly became active in union activities and held a succession of responsible posts in both his local and national union. An Army veteran of World War II, Biller returned to work in the post office after the war, and by 1959, he had been elected as president of the New York local postal union--at that time, the largest postal local in the world. Biller became a recognized and vocal national leader in the landmark 1970 national postal strike that brought the difficult working conditions of post office employees to national attention and led to significant and historic gains in pay and benefits for postal workers.
A staunch advocate of the value of strong and active unions in the public sector, Vice President Biller was a key leader in the 1971 merger of the five postal unions that now comprise the APWU. He has served as an officer of the AFL-CIO’s former Public Employee Department, and over his career, he had held elected offices in the New York City Central Labor Council and the Postal, Telegraph and Telephone International Trade Secretariat.
In 1980, Biller’s ability and commitment to his union were recognized by his fellow members when they elected him as the national president of APWU, a post he has held until 2001 when he announced that he would retire at the end of his current term.
Vice President Biller was first elected to the AFL-CIO Executive Council at the federation’s November 1989 convention.His depth of experience in public and federal sector issues, collective bargaining, and civil and human rights, and his matchless dedication to the solidarity of the labor movement have enriched the deliberations and the work of this council in the shaping and implementing of the federation’s national policies.
On behalf of the men and women of the unions of the AFL-CIO, this Executive Council expresses its warmest thanks and appreciation to Moe Biller for his lifetime of service to the members of his union and to the men and women of the labor movement everywhere.