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A House committee approved legislation on Feb. 7 that would cut pensions for postal and federal employees, while increasing the contributions the workers must make toward their retirement. The party-line vote was 22-16, with Republicans voting in favor of the retirement cuts and Democrats voting against.
“This bill is an outrageous attack on postal and federal employees,” said APWU President Cliff Guffey. “Some politicians are quick to cut benefits for middle-class workers, but they fight to the death to protect tax breaks for the super-rich.”
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“Despite its name, the ‘Securing Annuities for Federal Employees Act’ would cut retirement benefits for postal and federal workers and make them pay more for less,” said Legislative Director Myke Reid. “This bill would amount to a pay cut for our members.”
The legislation (H.R. 3813) was shepherded through the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee by a pair of politicians who are well-known opponents of postal workers: Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-CA) and Rep. Dennis Ross (R-FL). The two are co-sponsors of H.R. 2309, a bill that would destroy the Postal Service as we know it.
Increases Costs, Cuts Benefits
H.R. 3813 would increase the amount postal and federal employees contribute to their retirement by 1.5 percent, with the increase phased in over three years, beginning in 2013.
Employees with less than five years of service would face an increase of 3.2 percent. (Employees in the Federal Employee Retirement System [FERS] currently pay 0.8 percent of salary into the pension fund. Employees enrolled in the Civil Service Retirement System [CSRS] currently pay 7 percent to their retirement system.)
It also would reduce pensions for employees with less than five years of service by calculating annuities based on the average of employees’ high-five salary years instead of their high-three years, which is the current method. In addition, their pensions would be calculated at a lower rate of 0.7 percent per year, down from 1 percent.
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The measure would eliminate the supplemental annuity provision, which augments benefits for employees who retire before they are eligible for Social Security benefits at age 62.
Following committee adoption of the bill, the House Rules Committee voted to merge it with the H.R. 7, a $260 billion highway bill, which the House is expected to consider during the week of Feb. 13.
APWU members are encouraged to contact their representative as soon as possible and urge them to oppose the bill as it is currently written.
via House Panel Approves Bill to Cut Postal, Federal Pensions
Infidel
Only the WEAK become a group and try to be strong. You are only as strong as the weakest member, and in my office, there are a bunch of weak useless people that should be FIRED in the group. But I am still praying for you and your families, i hope for nothing but the best.
Don’t pray for me mo2usps you F***ing Fool.All these years you have leeched off the rest of us so that you can enjoy the benefits of the Union for free while the Union membership foots the bill.Keep me out of your prayers A**hole.You Freeloading Sack of S***.
How i see it, you anti-union right wingnuts want it so the the working class doesn’t have a voice.
Low wages no benefits shity days off/hours abusive working place, less for the workers is all you are about. No? just take look around at whats going on.
Isaa/Ross everything is less for the workers in any and every bill they put out
You want to pray for us ….pray to save us from the likes of you and the tea prick party,
Yep, I feel sorry for you guys. YOU are all in my PRAYERS. I hope for the best for you and your family. Just remember, it is up to YOU to take care of them, Just keep following YOUR Union. As long as you keep giving them money, they are your friend. The Post Office has it right as for Unions, Its a CHOICE, I choose not to give money to the crooked SOB’s.
ANARCHY SOON WITH GUNS A FIRING !!!!!!!!! KILL THE TEA PARTY !!!!!!
Hey Leech:You don’t speak for the rest of us you dumba**.
MO2USPS is also a F***ing SCAB that has leeched off the Union and the rest of us to get all his money to invest.The F***ing S.O.B. let the Union members foot the bill for his retirement money…without the Union wage you wouldn’t have jack s*** for your retirement A**hole.
@MO2USPS The tea baggers party. Anyone who is anti-union is a tea bagging crack head that believes that the earthquakes and hurricanes are gods’ wrath against democrats and the middle class. Look at your history. April 1937 Hitler’s 1st act of power was to assassinate the 5 German union presidents. Anyone who doesn’t know their history is doomed to repeat it. So when the corporate fascists succeed at destroying our union and our postal service who will protect and fight for your working contract with management? The SS or the Gestapo? Issa or Ross? The Koch Brothers’who financed 687 of these tea bagging clowns? Pick one Adolf, I mean MO2USPS.
What a great idea. Lets all not take responsibility for ourselfs, like our officials.
Will just say your LORD and our HEARTS said what goes around comes around.
Stop paying the banks credit cards the car payments, allready stop the house payments more then it was worth so fuck it, Uncle Sammy IRS person please except this IOU NOT!
And everything else in between….Me so sorry…will see who gets pissed off then.
I feel sorry for quite a few of you fellow posters. You are full of anger, I understand that. Buy that is because you are not taking responsibility for YOURSELF. Come on, follow our LORD and your HEART, They will lead us, NOT the MOBSTERS of your UNION. Stop paying them and see who your friends are.
The government is reneging on the contract it has made with federal employees.Now you know how the American Indians feel
Right on Wingman! You called it right, those people with all kinds of money in IRA’S and such love to brag about how their all set for retirement. I’m happy for them, but I want to be secure in my retirement too. I left a very good company to work for the P.O. because of the pension and other bene’s. I left at the time $11.40 an hour for $8.44 because of the security of the job. That’s the trade off money per hour for security. And now with 33 years in I want what I earned for all the hard work I gave to this service, and for all the abuse I put my body thru. All of us have the physcical damage the years of working outside in all kinds of weather causes. That in itself should earn a decent monthly retirement check.
I hope I’m right that this monster bill will not pass a general House vote. That would make the representatives in great danger of getting the boot this fall. Issa has had a lot of trouble getting sponsors for his greedy fucking proposals to kill the Postal Service as we know it. Messing with FERS would not just affect postal employees if my understanding is correct. It may mess with all government retirement plans, including the military, park service and other Federal jobs. I seriously doubt the public would stand for screwing our servicemen and women out of their retirements.
If my savings were in the seven figure range like one claims, I’d not be terribly concerned either. But that just shows you how those types couldn’t care less about anybody but themselves.
That rant Limbaugh and most conservatives spew about “pulling yourself up” is the biggest chickenshit cop out! It’s all spoken from a position of somebody who already has financial security, and lots of those people got their nest eggs thanks to inheritances. I hardly call that “pulling yourself up.”
This way of thinking just shows how selfish and callous the conservatives can be. They know goddamn good and well that there are millions of good hard working people out there who, through no fault of their own, don’t get the lucky breaks. It doesn’t make them any less of a person than anybody who has money. Conservatives absolutely hate anybody who isn’t just like them. If it’s a rich conservative, they hate anybody who isn’t rich, and especially hate the middle class because they want to fuck us out of our money. And like the idiot working class conservatives, they’re racist hate mongering jerks.
You will never reason with somebody like that.
MO2USPS hitingt the secret sause a little early today
“Stop listening to the mob Union”?
Are you waking up this morning singing Soprano again?
Your just a goose stepper MO2USPS.
Please people, stop your crying. Reach down and grab a pair and take care of YOURSELF. This country still allows you all the freedoms to prosper with hard work, But little by little the Liberal commies are taking away our freedoms. Stop listening to the mob Union. They steal your money and are laughing all the way to the bank.
how come it is always the worker that has to give up some of their pay? No one EVER complains about the all the bonus that mgt always gets off the backs of the workers.
I voted Republican, and will continue to do so.
Get a net another one got loose
I RETIRED IN 2010,I ALSO WORKED WITH A LOT OF PEOPLE IN THE POSTAL SERVICE WHO VOTED AGAINST THEIR OWN INTEREST.
By just reading these post it dont take a crystal ball to see what party will be the winners and losers in Nov.
Hey $hit for brains Alan WTF are you talking about?
Every year my CSRS goes up 2%,
$25K chump change? oldtimers can make that in 5 months …..so ha ha ha!! back at you.
Just another one of Issa/Ross wasted bills thats going in the waste of time and tax payers money tea bag SHIT can.
ha ha ha!!
MO2USPS CSRS was the way the truth and the light.
We need to stop depending on others like you Issa/Ross Fucking over federals employees.
I apologize for the typo in my post. I should read “They promised….” instead of “The promised….”
MO2USPS,
F*** you! You’re a f***ing idiot for voting Republican! What do you mean by “I will not depend on the gov to give me a pension”? I earned my pension just like every other person who works for the government, you moron! The promised me a pension when they employed me.
You’re not the only person who invests in the TSP you F***ing half-wit!!
MO2USPS Most people have lives and families to provide for. Im at 34 Yrs into my Job and was looking for the next early out. But I guess now I have another 11 Yrs to go. Im only 51, I guess i’v done all of this for nothing. There won’t be a Post Office that far down the road..What a waste of my life!!
I voted Republican, and will continue to do so. I invest my OWN money, I will not depend ond the gov to give me a pension. I think there should be NO pensions, a 401K/TSP plan is better. I’m just a tad under 7 figures in my TSP and IRA’s and ROTHs from 22 years of postal service and always paying myself first. You have to take care of yourself FIRST in life. We need to stop depending on others.
To all you idiots who have been waiting when you could’ve taken the $15,000 incentive but OH NO you wanted $25,000….yeah just keep sitting around….now you’re going to have to pay more towards your pension and get less…..ha ha ha!!
Just goes to show that sometimes you don’t get what you bite off and chew.
SO did I read that the bill has passed that will now take away our supplement to SS. I thought they wanted us to retire, now many will be forced to work many more years
To all the earlier high-fivers:F*** you.
F*** the tea party,republicans,and all that voted for them.F*** you.
G.##%#%## republicans. F.###@#@#em ITS OK FOR THEM, NUTHIN EVER GETS
CUT FROM THEIR PAY OR BENE’S
HAVE THEM GO SPEND SOME TIME WITH BERNIE MADOFF AND
STANFORD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
DAMN I HATE THEM.
Postal reform is a hot topic in Congress as the Senate prepares to vote on the 21st Century Postal Service Act, and APWU President Cliff Guffey is urging union members to contact their senators and let them know: Senate bill 1789 is only acceptable in its current form.
As lawmakers review the bill, Guffey is asking union members to let their senators know that S. 1789 must be passed.
Call Your Senators:
202-224-3121
(Capitol Switchboard)
[Click here for direct #s]
Tell them you Support
S. 1789 as it is currently written
The U.S. Senate soon will likely debate the 21st Century Postal Reform Act (S. 1789), bill designed to ‘save” the U.S. Postal Service by offering Early Retirement Incentives.
As president of the National Association of Letter Carriers, I understand the budgetary and market challenges facing the USPS. However, these issues don’t result from an outdated organization. Despite the economic problems our country has confronted for the last several years, the Postal Service has done quite well. In fiscal years 2007-10, it had an operational profit of $611 million delivering the mail, and customer satisfaction and on-time delivery are at record highs.
S. 1789 should not be dramatically restructured, it will save America’s postal network. Rather, it will assure the survival of a venerable institution based on the Constitution, and not upset the livelihoods of the people, communities and businesses throughout Missouri and the United States that depend on a strong, reliable service. Instead of enacting shortsighted, destructive policies, Congress should approve this bill ,S.1789.
Fredric V. Rolando is the president of the National Association of Letter Carriers
incentives to be combined.
1. 25,000 cash.
2. 5 years added on to your FERS retirement.
3. Max out 80% on your CSRS retirement.
* NOTE: Remember you can choose combines of the three.
GOOGLE……….U.S. SENATE………Choose your “SENATOR HOME” State. Look for the area in which to write and send your comments.
Crooked a**hole right wing thieves.
i am still giving out high five’s. don’t matter who is in office they r all crooks. i’ve made our ot money and will resign with 14yrs when they close my plant down.,
The so called conservative blue blood ivy league socialites mega wealth contro the monatary policies of this country. This group of wealth mongers would not even allow health or pay a minimum wage and bury the serfs in pauper graves if they had the freedoom or can control the birth rate of this servant class to serve wealth class. The ivey league wealth mongers concern is corpoate bottomline regarding earnings. Most clothes are made in 3rd world countries such as Ralph Lauren POLO which is made in China and a shirt is sold in US for $89.00. I ZOD, Naticua,same story made in Pakistan and India at a $2.00 hr. wage and sold in US at $60.+++. Many rdept. stores in US do not sell any clothing made in US.
The wealthy bluebllod high DNA GENETICS reproduce same genetics as they are sepate from working class world and marry in same wealthy genetic claa. Lauren Bush became Lauren Lauren as she married Ralph LAUREN GRANDSON; A PRESERVATION OF WEALTH GENETIC CLASS. The Repulicans believe in free enterprise as long as it benefits their controloing wealthy group. No surprise that house republicans propose bill to cut federal pensions.
Former pres. Bush and Allen Greenspan created the depressed economy Pres. Obama inherited and had to take steps to reestablish American economy. TARP
Greenspan made interest rate so low central bank financed housing without any regards to credit risk. Wall street rich created more wealth for rich Republicans, Democrats, as well as wealthy forigners without any concern for working Americans when depression economics indicators such as Unemploment rate reached 14% and home foreclosures increased monthly, GDP decreased, and economic chaso launched by the Republicans was financial epidemic death for many working class Americans. Republicans approve bills that preserve wealth for their wealth class and the working servant class can survive by any means they can providing goods and services for the wealthy. Working class survives by bonding as in Unions to preserve a decent standard of living.
Lets face it-we all know fellow postal workers who voted republican. They vote according to gun control,right to life issues, food stamp/welfare issues, etc…instead of voting for the party which will fight for their job! Hella, any fool should be able to see that these right-wing, so-called conservative tea party reps are only concerned with preserving the top 1%’s right to be under-taxed. I am so bitter that these idiots co-workers are voting to eliminate their own darned jobs! I specifically know of 2 co-workers who didn’t vote Democratic last time because they didn’t want a Black President. So I’m sure they’ll do the same thing again this November. It just amazes me that someone would willingly cut their own throat (and the throats of their children because let’s face it, these policies will live on into the future) just to get President Obama out of office. I could go on but this is just killing me!!!
isnt anyone with less then 10 years going to be laid off anyway
I hope every working americans, especially postal workers remember this assault on Postal federal employees when it comes time to vote these Republicans out of office! They want working americans to pay their fair share and more for thier pension and retirement, but yet they fight tooth and nail to not to raise their own taxes to what by law what it should be! There arre double standards for average working americans, but for them its different. These people in congress care nothing about how average working americans survive in this country anymore! Where are the real americans that we can put in office that care about the people, not just themselves! Shame on them!
Issa is an idiot. He makes millions a year and wants to destroy the working class. He needs to be booted from Congress along with all the other rich kids that don’t respect the middle class. Congress makes $174k a year and cry about what postal workers make. Get rid of all the idiots!
Yea matty, you’ll see a whole lot more high fives November 3rd, 2012.
Guess what..there are Postal workers who voted for these guys.Straight party line vote.And I saw guys high fiving at work in 2010…when the GOP took the house.
I’ll say it again any working person in this country who votes republican is an idiot! Do you think that Issa and Ross think any differently than Romney, Gingrich, Paul or the other republicans that are running for office in November? The whole bunch will send the middle class in this country to Hell in a hand basket! They have millions and want to deny us any semblance of a comfortable retirement.