|
The APWU has united with a prominent veterans’ organization and other postal unions to urge members of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform to vote no on H.R. 2309 when the committee deliberates on Oct. 13. [Click here for live Webcast – committee deliberations begin at 10:30 a.m.]
The bill would force the Postal Service to lay off workers, including tens of thousands of veterans.
In a print ad appearing in publications [PDF] that are widely read by members of Congress, the APWU and VoteVets point out that “The USPS hires more veterans than any other civilian employer in the country.
“Some in Congress want to fire them,” the ad continues.
“Putting tens of thousands of America’s veterans out of work won’t fix the Postal Service,” the ad notes. “Congress talks a lot about patriotism, but there’s nothing patriotic about destroying the USPS, devastating mail service, and telling our veterans they’re not wanted.”
The Postal Service has announced it wants to reduce the workforce by 220,000, and is seeking authority to lay off as many as 120,000. H.R. 2309, which was introduced by Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-CA) and co-sponsored by Rep. Dennis Ross (R-FL), would grant authority to a newly-established control board to carry out layoffs, despite any provisions in union contracts that limit such actions. The bill says that employees who are eligible for retirement must be laid off before employees who are ineligible, and dictates that retirement-eligible employees with the longest service must be separated first.
If 120,000 postal workers were laid off, approximately 26,000 veterans would be affected.
The Issa-Ross bill calls for $1 billion worth of cuts in post offices in the first year and $2 billion worth of cuts in mail processing facilities in the second year. If facilities are shuttered, veterans would be among the employees laid off, even if they are covered by the Veterans Preference Act.
“H.R. 2309 would destroy the Postal Service as we know it,” said APWU President Cliff Guffey. “In the process, it would devastate many dedicated workers, including thousands of military veterans.
|
“This mean-spirited bill fails to address the fundamental cause of the Postal Service’s financial difficulties,” said Legislative and Political Director Myke Reid. ”It does nothing to correct the requirement to pre-fund the healthcare benefits of future retirees, which forces the USPS to fund a 75-year liability in just 10 years, he said. No other government agency or private business is required to make these payments, which cost the Postal Service approximately $5.5 billion annually. The bill also fails to address billions of dollars in USPS overpayments to federal pension accounts, Reid noted.
“We call upon APWU members to step up their opposition to H.R. 2309 and their support for H.R. 1351,” Reid said.
H.R. 1351 would help provide the Postal Service financial stability by allowing the Postal Service to apply the pension overpayments to the pre-funding obligation. The bill, introduced by Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA), has 226 co-sponsors — including 29 Republicans — but Rep. Issa has refused to allow it to come up for a vote.
The ad will run in Politico, The Hill, CQ Today and the National Journal Daily on Oct. 12 and 13. Sponsoring the ad with the APWU and VoteVets are the National Association of Letter Carriers, the National Postal Mail Handlers Union, and the National Rural Letter Carriers Association.
It’s not taking money from taxpayers. It’s taking money back from Congress that was illegally taken from Postal Accounts. Not a taxpayer issue, wasn’t taxpayers money to begin with.
Hope you Union folks had a good time in Vegas this week on our dues! I’m sure you didn’t accomplish a damn thing, hope you weren’t as stressed out as all of peons. Sure makes me so proud to be a Vietnam Veteran, makes my life complete being screwed by my Government to the end!@#$%
it still would have to pass a full vote! many chages will still be made, and it won’t matter what they come up with. Theese morron’s can’t decide what toilet paper to buy! One thing is for sure, we have their attention now. The press is picking up on the veteran’s issue. Right Now thru the elections, start talking to friends and relatives, campaign like there’s no tommorow! Because there may not be for some!!!!!
It passed, now it is going to the house. UPS and Fedex must be licking their lips. Close a post office and open a UPS or kinko / Fedex store.
Many of us postal workers are vets. One in the same, and yes we did serve to save others and now as USPS employees we are entitled to save our fellow workers and brother and sister veterans. To fight for a cause that is just is not whining it is courageous. The Issa-Ross bill is despicable and a travesty to all Veterans, US Postal Workers and Americans who should stand against it. NO to Issa-Ross postal reform act bill. Also, don’t support those in favor of it. Remember it could be you someday with your old head on the chopping block.
Now using veterans as your savior? Riding the coat tails of those who served to save your skins, at the same time whining about vet pref, and the disabled vets as said above.
You slugs would throw a vet under the bus in a minute to save your own skin, and you have a so called votevets organization as a useful idiot ally.
Soon as the RIF begins, then the vets will be kicked to the curb again.
These are just a bunch of guys, with some facts not all the facts, who think they can fix everything by sticking their nose into everyones business. When infact they don’t have all the facts straight and their manipulations of the truth could harm many people. Like they have done with this current group of USPS employees in the past… by taking away the lump sum retirement right, and GPO, WEP and now possible forced layoffs without severance, with possible future increased health care. On top of 2 yr federal wage freezes. CSRS employees have had enough while FERS employees may have the government portion of FERS increased. Yes, young families, and new vets need doors opened. But like the choices the young men and women are making today about their careers, the senior USPS employees made years ago, when they had other options in careers to choose and chose the USPS, served the USPS well and now deserve to finish their planned career as they choose based on the promises made to them at their career entry dates.
Issa-Ross proponets are just to pushy and ignorant to really know the USPS, it’s fairly new to them and by the time their ” committee”, learns all the facts it will be to late for many families.
As far as caring, this Issa-Ross and associates group, I believe care about their own wealthy greedy pockets and about upsetting the perception Americans have about our current incumbant and overwhelming the current administration, prior to presidential elections at the expense of the eldest postal employees, senior veterans, residential America and the postal customers that depend on USPS service. Thanks for nothing!
Also:
Poofh!…A bailout, to have a bailout taxpayers would have to pay money to an industry or organization that is from the government and the money is not and never has been from that organization.
Difference:
The post office has overpaid the US government, CSRS pre funded health care in excessive amounts and when ununiform, unjust, and excessive overpayments have been made a fair government rights that wrong, and refunds that overpayment. Also, it should show that organization rapid consideration and repay the excess so as not to cause further harm to the USPS and it’s great employees.
Bailout what a crock!!!!!!!!!!!!
I find it interesting that the Union(s) find out they have veterans in sufficent numbers to justify fighting this fight. What about all the vets that get screwed for needing medical attention every year? The ELM in chapter five allows vets to take sl and lwop on demand for medical treatment and the bosses consistently try to screw these guys by ignoring their rights to treatment. You hire a disabled vet you buy the whole package and the APWU, NPMHU and NALC s CIM/JCAM/JCIM should reflect those rights in their agreements. Other than that the solution is the USPS goes back under the executive branch and is funded on budget by the Treasury with Congress maintaining its Constitutional oversight responsibilities.
THANKS CALIFORNIA FOR AN ASSHOLE LIKE ISSA !
Wreck Of The U.S. Postal Service October 4, 2011
Our Postal Service was founded in 1775 with Benjamin Franklin being our first Post Master.
The Postal Service is in trouble because of a Bush- era law that requires the Postal Service to pre-fund the cost of retiree’s benefits for the next 75 years in 10 years time.
No other company or agency in America is required to do this.
In June 2011 Hangman Darrell Issa and Hangman Dennis Ross introduced H.R. 2309 which will be the Wisconsin of the Postal Service if it becomes law. It will dismantle collective bargaining and forbid payment of severance pay to retirement-eligible employees. And reduce delivery services and close plants and post offices.
Rep Steve Lynch introduced H.R. 1351 which would prevent the financial collapse of the USPS – without closing thousands of post offices, eliminating hundreds of mail processing facilities, delaying mail delivery, laying off 120,000 workers, cutting postal workers’ pay, or ending collective bargaining rights.
We are in the fight of our lives but people have voted wrong for too long and done nothing to help preserve their jobs over the years. People tell me it doesn’t matter what we do as we are doomed anyway.
The Postal Service has its mind made up even before the Area Mail Processing studies are done.
All we can do is say we went down trying to keep our Eagle from drowning to keep service for the American people and jobs and benefits for the workers.
Hangman Issa and his cronies will never give up until all services that help us including the Postal Service, bled and dead. Common sense is not in the makeup to improve the economy, only the rich get richer and the poor poorer.
Private companies will not deliver to the rural areas or inner cities and the elderly will not get their medications.
We will have a museum of our defunct Postal Service.
By the way – I’m a 22 year Air Force Vet. Let’s all stand together and do what we can to fight this.
I am not anti-Republican, but I am anti Mr Issa’s bill. We can bash Republicans, we can bash Democrates, but what is important is defeating this bill and our jobs. Keep focused on the main issue. Congress as a whole is corrupt left or right. I still have some faith that there are still a few honest people in Congress to stand up for us and what is right. Keep them busy with e-mails, letters, and phone calls and encourage you family, friends, neighbors, and businesses to do the same.
Has the PO ever put layoffs into effect? Will management be forced to retire?
What is the benchmark (years of sevice needed to avoid being layed off?
What about disabled vets are they going to throw us to the curb like road kill?
If after 33 years of service in the postal service and also served in the Air Force what is this country coming to. We can only hope that congress is not as ignorant as D. Issa and his republican hooligans who wish to damage the entire postal service. God help us all if this passes, never mind I will be out of a job.
Issa and Ross should not even be in Congress.
How do these corrupt people get to be in Congress?
It just amazes me that the other Congressmen and Congresswomen have not stood up to Issa and Ross and demand that they be removed from Congress today!
man, just sell out the postal service to private companies, so the congress has no power to control USPS anymore. lol….
H.R. 1351 would help provide the Postal Service financial stability by allowing the Postal Service to apply the pension overpayments to the pre-funding obligation. The bill, introduced by Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA), has 226 co-sponsors — including 29 Republicans — but (Issa and Ross) has refused to allow it to come up for a vote.
What a bunch of douch bags. I know how im voting in 2012.
As you can see the American people have had enough of your BULLSHIT!
HR2309-Are Issa and Ross bought off by someone to privatize? Something sure seems strange when you can overlook all of the facts and the impact and won’t allow Rep. Stephen Lynch’s bill with alot of support HR1351 to come up for a vote. I think Issa needs some serious looking into his personal agenda against the post office. He could care less, full of lies.
When that RIF comes, I’ll be glad I got my pref points.