The APWU has launched a new TV ad that salutes our nation’s “real life heroes” and points out that a bill pending in the House of Representatives would force the USPS to fire tens of thousands of military veterans.

The ad, which is co-sponsored by the National Postal Mail Handlers Union, urges viewers to tell their representatives in Congress to vote no on H. R. 2309 when it comes to the House floor for a vote.

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) and Rep. Dennis Ross (R-FL), was approved by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on Oct. 13. It would force the Postal Service to lay off workers, including veterans who served our nation.

The ad says, “Our nation’s veterans are real-life heroes. But when they come home, they don’t want a parade, they want a job.”

“The Postal Service employs more veterans than any other civilian employer,” the spot notes.

“But Congress is debating a bill that would force the Postal Service to fire tens of thousands of vets, close post offices, shut mail processing plants, and disrupt mail delivery. Drastic cuts won’t fix the postal service and aren’t needed,” the ad continues.

The ad concludes with a call to action, “Tell your representative to vote ‘no’ on House Resolution 2309. It’s time to deliver for our veterans – and America.”

The Postal Service announced in August that it wants to reduce the workforce by 220,000, and is seeking authority to lay off as many as 120,000 workers. H.R. 2309 would grant authority to a newly-established control board to carry out such layoffs, despite any provisions in union contracts that limit these actions. It also calls for $3 billion worth of cuts in post offices and mail processing facilities within two years.

If 120,000 postal workers were laid off, approximately 26,000 veterans would be affected.

The APWU has denounced H.R. 2309 as a “reckless assault on postal services and postal employees.”

“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.

“We are asking members of the public who value the contributions made by our military veterans to tell their House representatives to oppose H.R. 2309,” Guffey said.

The ad will run on CNN, MSNBC and Fox News for approximately one week. It also will air on broadcast networks in several media markets.

The TV ad is a part of a broader campaign to oppose destructive legislation such as H.R. 2309 and to build support for legislation that would address the cause of the USPS financial crisis and restore financial stability to the cash-strapped agency.

Senate To Vote On 21st Century Postal Service Act

The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs will begin its mark up on Nov. 9 of the 21st Century Postal Reform Act.

The bill, introduced by Sens. Joseph I. Lieberman (I-CT), Susan Collins (R-ME), Thomas Carper (D-DE) and Scott Brown (R-MA) on Nov. 2, provides short-term financial relief to the USPS, but also would inflict long-term damage to the nation’s mail system.

The bill would return overpayments made to the Federal Employees Retirement System, but it would not return overpayments to the Civil Service Retirement System.

Although the bill does not include several of the most odious parts of a bill pending in the House (H.R. 2309), by failing to provide more substantial financial relief, it would force the USPS to dismantle its network and impose severe cuts in service to the American people.