UPDATE: The USPS has provided the APWU with copies of the “stand-up talks” and the text of a video given to employees on Feb. 22. The Postal Service did not provide the APWU with lists of the facilities that fall in the various categories.
As the Postal Service prepares to announce which mail processing facilities will face consolidation beginning in mid-May, the APWU is fighting back. The union is continuing to oppose USPS plans to slash service, eliminate 35,000 jobs, and destroy the mail distribution network.
“APWU members have done an outstanding job of expressing our concerns to members of Congress and the media,” said APWU President Cliff Guffey. “We face an uphill battle, so it is crucial that union members continue to make their voices heard.”
APWU members have gotten the attention of public officials at public meetings where they joined with businesspeople and community residents to voice stiff opposition to the closure of mail processing facilities. Locals have also organized rallies, petition drives, meetings with elected representatives, and many have also done outstanding work with the media. Click here for more information on work with the media [members only].
Service Standards Are Crucial
At the national level, the union has been working to win support for amendments to the 21 st Century Postal Service Act (S. 1789), which is expected to come up for a vote in the Senate soon.
Twenty-seven senators signed a letter to the authors of S. 1789 on Feb. 14, asking them to adopt amendments the APWU supports — to maintain current service standards, protect rural post offices, maintain six-day delivery, and establish a blue-ribbon panel to examine how the Postal Service can earn additional revenue by offering new services.
With the USPS preparing to identify the plants that are slated for consolidation, the amendment on service standards is especially important: The Postal Service cannot maintain current service standards if it implements massive consolidations. At a Feb. 13 meeting with the APWU, the USPS said it plans to eliminate 261 of 461 mail processing facilities by 2015.
“As the USPS prepares to announce which facilities it will close, it is critical that APWU members reach out to their senators and ask them to support the amendments,” Guffey said. (Click here to find out how).
S. 1789 is unacceptable in its current form because it fails to adequately address the cause of the Postal Service’s financial difficulties — a Congressionally-manufactured crisis resulting from mandates in the 2006 Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act (PAEA), the union says.
“As currently written, S. 1789 would leave the Postal Service starved for cash, and lead to the closure of hundreds of mail processing plants and thousands of post offices, the elimination of tens of thousands of postal jobs, and drastic reductions in service to the American people,” Guffey said. “The amendments offered by the 27 senators would prevent that.”
In addition to the amendments outlined in the senators’ letter, the APWU supports amendments that would adequately address the requirement that forces the USPS to pre-fund future retiree health benefits; allow the USPS to recover overpayments the Postal Service made to its retiree pension funds; give the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) binding authority to prevent post office closures based on the effect on the community and employees; eliminate the provision that would drastically reduce the compensation of workers who are injured on duty once they reach retirement age, and repeal the provision that would require arbitrators in postal contract negotiations to consider the financial health of the USPS.
They’re Not Waiting, We Can’t Wait
Call Your Senators:
202-224-3121
(Capitol Switchboard)
[Click here for direct #s]
Tell them you oppose
S. 1789 as it is currently written
The timing of the announcement is significant because the Postal Service is not waiting for the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) to issue an advisory opinion, which the USPS is required to seek whenever it proposes to implement changes that will impact service on a “substantially nationwide basis.” Postal officials posted a notice in the Federal Register in Octoberannouncingthat the massive restructuring will force the USPS to degrade service standards – to eliminate overnight delivery for first-class mail and periodicals, change next-day delivery to two days, and extend two-day delivery to three days.
The USPS plans to publish the “final rule” in mid-April. The PRC is expected to issue its recommendations in August.
“If the Postal Service degrades service standards before postal reform is enacted, stopping massive consolidations will be that much more difficult,” Guffey said. “Congress must take action!”
Congress is in recess this week, but the union president is urging members to contact their senators immediately to urge them to support the amendments endorsed by the APWU.
Sadly, we are hearing the death knell of the USPS. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that eroding service will only drive more business away. The USPS needs solutions to survive, not die. Once the USPS and universal service is gone it is gone forever. There is no going back. The only thing that will save the USPS at this point is competent management. I doubt that is possible with the system that exists today.
FIRST THING IS TO CUT THE NUMBER OF EXECUTIVES IN D.C.SECOND MANAGEMENT IN THE FACILITIES,THEY ARE STILL WORKING 6 DAYS A WEEK.WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE IS IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF OF OUR SERVICE,NOT LOWER IT.
Your jobs don’t matter because, as we all know, our Republican Mantra is “the government cannot create jobs”. So all you peons go F yourselves. We are busy giving everything we can to our corporate masters!
USPS Plans to Implement Consolidations As Soon As Moratorium Ends
Top-level postal managers were unable – or unwilling – to specify which mail processing centers would be closed immediately. Decisions will be made at the end of February, they said.
Postal officials said that as a result of the consolidations, approximately 83,000 jobs will be eliminated in the crafts represented by the APWU, including more than 63,800 Clerks, close to 9,000 Maintenance Craft employees, and more than 1,800 Motor Vehicle Craft employees.
GOOGLE……….U.S. SENATE………Choose your “SENATOR HOME” State. Look for the area in which to write and send your comment.
I wrote ” I work for the U.S.P.S. and I do not oppose S1789 in it’s amended form”. This bill offers three types of incentives not to be combined.
1. 25,000 cash.
2. 2 years added on to your FERS retirement
3. 1 year added on to your CSRS retirement.
“This announcement makes it all the more important that APWU members reach out to their senators to let them know that S. 1789 as amended,” must be passed now said Guffey.
Call Your Senators:
202-224-3121
(Capitol Switchboard)
[Click here for direct #s]
Tell them you Support
S. 1789
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.
S. 1789 should be passed as amended, it will save America’s postal network. 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
NAPUS will continue to work with Senate allies to pass S. 1789, and ensure that the measure will garner the requisite votes for passage.
“APWU & NALC members have done a great job of getting the word out to legislators about our concerns: Keep up the good work ,support S-1789”
— Cliff Guffey, President
Call Your Senators:
202-224-3121
(Capitol Switchboard)
[Click here for direct #s]
Tell them you Support
S. 1789 as it is currently written
GOOGLE……….U.S. SENATE………Choose your “SENATOR HOME” State. Look for the area in which to write and send your comment.
I wrote ” I work for the U.S.P.S. and I do not oppose S1789 in it’s current form”. This bill offers three types of incentives not to be combined.
1. 25,000 cash.
2. 3 years added on to your FERS retirement
3. 2 years added on to your CSRS retirement.
* NOTE: Remember you can only choose one of the three.
A potential Senate floor vote on which NAPUS will be focusing will be a motion to “waive a point of order” against the bill for violating a Senate budget rule. We expect that an anti-postal Senator will raise such a point of order against the bill. NAPUS will push for a waiver, because congressional budget rules are inherently unfair to the USPS and prejudicial to implementing postal relief.
In the meantime, NAPUS will continue to work with Senate allies pass S. 1789, and that the measure will garner the requisite votes for passage.
The GOP should focus on giving USPS craft workers the early out incentives, and other monies to upright the USPS, because this USPS is intertwined with over a trillion dollars of commerce, when the USPS comes down, so does this American economy, arrogance or ignorance?, how can Congress okay Trillions to bailout banks and for worthless wars, that cost the taxpayers and take the lives of our Soldiers, yet want to cut those who teeter on the verge of bankruptcy and live pay check to pay check ?
There is a very simple answer, Congress as well as many State and local Governments are disconnected and/or trying to keep their padded pay checks at the cost of depriving the working class of a decent existence, the so called American Dream, has turned into a nightmare for most.
The reason the Post Office is mentioned is because it is a disaster happening now, from overpaid Management who have squandered billions on failed Postal
experiments to Unions that have gone from “do what is good for the members unions”, to advancing their own political agendas.
The majority of Federal/ Postal workers , excluding the Fat Cats in Congress and Federal/ Postal management, may average $40- $55,000 dollars, after reaching the top rate, and that depends upon the Agency and/or the pay Grades.
Congress truly no longer represents those who they serve, and the Unions and Management in the Postal/ Federal Government agencies are no better.
When the above mentioned wake up and see the disasters looming will they change their ways ?, or are they so blind and/ or arrogant ,that we should prepare for the worst ?, time will tell very soon.
APWU
Take Action to Pass Amended S. 1789 and S. 1853.
Click here to send a quick message telling both of your senators that the postal reform bill, S. 1789, is acceptable in the amended form.
Send a message to your representative, make sure you also take a minute to call their office and tell them to vote for S. 1789.
To find your senators, please click here.
The passage of these bills S.1853 & S.1789 will enhance the Early Retirement Incentives for our APWU craft workers , when the offers are announced in March 2012.
They’re Not Waiting, We Can’t Wait says Cliff Guffey, we need our members to have the
opportunity for Early Out Incentives.
APWU Says;
Call Your Senators:
202-224-3121
(Capitol Switchboard)
[Click here for direct #s]
Tell them you Support
S. 1789 as it is currently written
Take Action to Pass Amended S. 1789 and S. 1853, from APWU
Click here to send a quick message telling both of your senators that the postal reform bill, S. 1789, is acceptable in the amended form.
To Mr Cola brain, deferred crap co;as, crap raise, sold out you braininess
PMG Donahoe 2/22/12 with Cliff Guffey APWU
As we heard from the Postmaster General in his video, if the Postal Service reduces the size of its network, it also will have to reduce the size of the workforce. In that regard, the Postal Service is continuing to work with the unions and management associations about possible incentives.
Let me be clear: there is a decision on possible incentives at this point in time, and further details on what an incentive offer would entail, will be forthcoming this week and next.
The incentive program is approved and will be offered, details will be posted on the new HR Web page, Workforce Connection, all FERS Clerk Craft Employees may receive additional information in the mail.
We are all screwed… the nifty jobs are slowly creeping up from san diego all the way to the canadian border… be prepared to scramble like rats for one third of the jobs that are full time…40 hrs… the rest are 32 hrs or less… 80 percent of us voted yes… for this which to me means that 80 percent of clerks are… (id like to use this word but I think they would delete this post) Thank-you APWU for looking after youself………G-Money
“for louis Q”
louis Q,
the apwu presented this horrific contract to the membership and
asked the members to pass it. it passed because many members don’t vote and many who do vote follow their apwu leadership blindly without educating
themselves or getting involved. the contract was horrible. management knew they had the apwu by the balls because of declining apwu dues paying members due to the very sharp decline in clerk jobs over the last several years.
guffey chose to give up a hell of a lot in order to “unionize the casuals” and therefore get more dues paying members with the new casual/pse class of employee. the casuals could now be dues paying members and could choose only 1 specific health plan after 1 year. which health plan? well, only the apwu plan of course!
the apwu is like any other bureaucracy, a bloated payroll and a lot of
waste. it is my belief that they were facing serious financial issues if they didn’t find a way to increase membership or cut their expenses dramatically.
guffey chose this route. was it right?
Mike Gallagher
Eastern Region Coordinator
American Postal Workers Union
Click here to send a quick message telling both of your senators that the postal reform bill, S. 1789, is acceptable in the amended form.
Send a message to your representative, make sure you also take a minute to call their office and tell them to vote for S. 1789.
To find your senators, please click here.
The passage of these bills S.1853 & S.1789 will enhance the Early Retirement Incentives for our APWU craft workers , when the offers are announced in March 2012.
They’re Not Waiting, We Can’t Wait says Cliff Guffey, we need our members to have the
opportunity for Early Out Incentives.
APWU Says;
Call Your Senators:
202-224-3121
(Capitol Switchboard)
[Click here for direct #s]
Tell them you Support
S. 1789 as it is currently written
Take Action to Pass Amended S. 1789 and S. 1853, from APWU
Click here to send a quick message telling both of your senators that the postal reform bill, S. 1789, is acceptable in the amended form.
@Louis…APWU agreed to waive the 2011 COLA only. The 2012 COLA’s are deferred until 2013. Then we get the 2013, 2014, and 2015 on time.
Oh for crying out loud. APWU. You just want membership. We all know dang well that if they gave a decent buyout/early out, there will be plenty of jobs for everyone else left even with the closures. Stop the drama
I still can’t understand why the clerks gave up their cost of living during the contract negotiations. CAN SOMEONE PLEASE EXPLAIN IT TO ME? I’ve written the union but of course I get no answer I am just a dues paying member.
being a postman, I really don’t see the need for Saturday delivery, unless there is a dramatic increase in mail. The majority of the mail is business bulk and on Saturdays mail volume is low. What seems to have increased is sprs ( small parcels) business bulk should be staggered in delivery so that we may have something to deliver on Thursday and Fridays..
Take Action to Pass Amended S. 1789 and S. 1853, from APWU
Click here to send a quick message telling both of your senators that the postal reform bill, S. 1789, is acceptable in the amended form.
Send a message to your representative, make sure you also take a minute to call their office and tell them to vote for S. 1789.
To find your senators, please click here.
The passage of these bills S.1853 & S.1789 will enhance the Early Retirement Incentives for our APWU craft workers , when the offers are announced in March 2012.
They’re Not Waiting, We Can’t Wait says Cliff Guffey, we need our members to have the
opportunity for Early Out Incentives.
APWU Says;
Call Your Senators:
202-224-3121
(Capitol Switchboard)
[Click here for direct #s]
Tell them you Support
S. 1789 as it is currently written
Take Action to Pass Amended S. 1789 and S. 1853, from APWU
Click here to send a quick message telling both of your senators that the postal reform bill, S. 1789, is acceptable in the amended form.
Mail processing facilities Consolidation will not solve the whole problem. Eliminating jobs should include eliminating 6 day street delivery. Consolidating workhour savings by eliminating 52 workdays reducing delivery days from 302 to 250 would include massive savings from continually increasing fuel cost. Carrier workhour saving and fuel and vehicle cost savings is a double elimination which is a cost effective double play. The truth of the 6 day mail delivery question is a matter that amount to zero as for as the American public is concerned as mail delivery by the USPS is not even a consideration in the day of increasing APPS.