Margo O’Neill

I am a city letter carrier with 5 years of experience, with two of those years as a CCA. I currently serve as a shop steward at my station and food drive coordinator for Branch 352 in Des Moines, Iowa.

I was born to two state employees and AFSCME members. Before becoming a letter carrier, I cut my teeth in activism knocking doors for the Bernie 2016 campaign in my hometown of Mason City, Iowa. In 2017, I fought for union power alongside my parents when the Iowa Legislature gutted Chapter 20 collective bargaining rights for public employees. I returned to work for the 2020 Bernie campaign as a field organizer with a renewed fervor to fight for universal healthcare, stronger unions, and an end to drastic income inequality.

As a carrier, I helped found Iowa Build a Fighting NALC after helping to organize the Vote No movement from the ground up, which involved throwing break-room parties, listening to the concerns of my coworkers, and organizing nationally. Today, I serve as the National Treasurer of the Build a Fighting NALC reform caucus. After the success of the Vote No movement, we teamed up with the local APWU and AFL-CIO to throw rallies in frigid midwestern winter weather to show public support for a fair contract. Three out of four of our national House Representatives responded by issuing an official statement in our support. 

We have had three rallies since 2024, including the March 23rd Fight Like Hell rally, at the start of negotiations in February 2026, and again on May 23 2026. More recently, I attended the 2026 Labor Notes Conference in Chicago, where I learned about the issues facing union members from around the country. Back at home, we founded the Iowa Postal Council, a monthly meeting attended by members of all four postal unions across the state. Our goal is to work together as though we are one big union, and we’re currently planning a day of action in Late July for the APWU.

I am running with the Stand Up slate for AFL-CIO delegates because I believe that organizing in the labor movement holds the answer to the issues facing working people. I want to represent and bring attention to Table Two carriers as well as unite union members in Iowa and around the country.