This weekend, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) continued his social media assault on the Postal Service, making a case to the American people that Congress should make the cuts to begin the process of dismantling the USPS.
Coming prepared with an arsenal of misinformation, Issa claims that his “postal reform” legislation, HR 2309, would not end collective-bargaining rights for postal employees if it passed. Rather, he is satisfied that his proposals do enough to severely limit the right to bargain collectively by including the creation of an oversight authority that would have the power to unilaterally change and nullify portions of bargained agreements.
Furthermore, Issa misleadingly declared, “USPS is not required to fund 75 years of retirement benefits in 10 years.” Yet the USPS is required to put roughly $5.5 billion per year through 2016 into a fund called the Postal Service Retiree Health Benefits Fund (PSRHBF). This fund cannot be used to pay for the cost of benefits for current retirees; rather, it would fund 80 percent of the cost of USPS retirees over the next 75 years. Forgetting the fact that there is already more than $40 billion in the PSRHBF right now—half of the total cost of retiree health benefits over the next 75 years—Issa’s misinformation campaign has one purpose: To tear apart the USPS, one piece at a time.
By focusing on cutting business and service standards, busting the postal employees’ unions and ending the trusted service provided to the American people six days a week, Issa refuses to work toward a viable future for the USPS.
The right legislative solution will empower the USPS to find new ways to make money while using existing USPS resources in every community, continuing to visit every American home and business six days a week, and providing more convenience and service to the American people.
via Issa continues campaign to dismantle the Postal Service | NALC Activist Alert
Let us pray brother and sisters
Can i have ’em? Please, Please, Please.
“the southern redneck hate mongers, the plains states morons and the lunatic Christian right”
Yep i got to do something ’bout them.
FYI
Not in a good mood today you talkrolling right flang nitwit slut.
hey wingman, just love your liberal rants about the GOP! union thugs like you and your idol, Hoffa Jr. are the most vile a**holes in America today, along with Obama. talk about bailing out big business. the dems. had that covered giving billions to Fannie and Freddie, AIG, GM, GE. etc. and not to mention the loans to the solar companies that went belly up! it’s your union that’s obstructing postal reform. the general public knows it and is finally turning against them. screw you, (left) wing nut!
Califorians, I hope and pray that Issa get voted out of office the next election! He’s an complete idiot!! He doesn’t care about workinbg americans at all!
Issa is one of the most vile unpopular assholes in Washington. As last week’s attempts at taking away FERS annuities failure shows, most Congressmen and the Senate don’t have the stomach for cutting the throats of so many people. What they didn’t count on was widespread public support of the Postal Service being reformed without so much carnage toward its employees.
Issa’s district must be loaded with ultra rich assholes. This union busting shit the Koch brothers started in Wisconsin has backfired on them big time. If anything, their continued attacks on working people everywhere has only rallied us to fight back with much more determination than they thought possible.
With the exception of the southern redneck hate mongers, the plains states morons and the lunatic Christian right, the GOP is losing ground. We can only hope their downslide continues as more people who normally don’t bother to vote pay some attention and recognize the Republicans and their supporters for the greedy butt boys of the Koch brothers, big business and financial institutions that they are. We need the general public in addition to postal employees to speak up on our behalf, because all workers eventually can be affected if one segment is damaged. But with solidarity, we’re all stronger.
On January 4, Pamela Hinzman, former treasurer of American Postal Workers Union Local 1580, was charged in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia with embezzling $26,260.68 from the Parkersburg-based union. APWU supported Issa with COPA money in 2009.
Issa has a clear conception as to what the future holds in generating revenue via delivering bulk business mail at a high distribution cost and low revenue generator. Demand for USPS services will continue to decline increasing debt. Street delivery should be reduced to 5 days a week in order to operate cost effective in reducing vehicle-fuel cost as well as delivery workhour cost. Electrronic mail in the 21st century has eliminated the need for the USPS to be the means of personal and business communication as it was in past times in the 20th century.
Demand for USPS services will continue to decline and in order to maintain some form of existence must be restructed as it cannot operate at a brakeven bottomline as it presently exist. If the USPS is a government service and continually operate at massive monatary loss who or how is it to be paid??
Obviously Rep Issa is a tyrant who is only out to destroy another segment of our countries workforce and the unions. He wants to privatize the postal service and put over 200,000 people out of work to join in the unemployment lines. That makes a lot of sense to make the taxpayers pay insurance into the unemployment fund to pay out benefits to people who should still be working and earning a living instead of (not their choice) living off of the people who still have jobs and pay for their benefits which also include food stamps, etc… There is a bill in the House that would go a long way towards helping the postal service to pay off it debts and survive well into the future. The bill HR1351 is there with a majority of the House wanting it approved but Issa doesn’t want it to come up for a vote because it’ll prove that he is way off in left field and has no clue what is happening. It’ll also prove he’s completely wrong.
What did we expect from a man like Issa? Mother a Mormon, father Orthodox and his grandfather a Lebanese imigrant. Correct me if I am wrong…but didn’t ABC News show a clip late last year of Issa shaking hands with Lybia’s dictator Kadafi prior to his death? Also with Iran’s President ? For a man who is said to have been born in Cleveland Ohio, Issa that is, it make one wonder if he isn’t out to farm out the Postal Service overseas for cheap labor service. If anyone’s birth certificate should be questioned, it ought to be Issa’s. Don’t be surprise if Issa’s idea of Postal Reform will force employees to wear Turban’s on their heads with the logo: “Lebanese Postal Service” on it. What is this country being reduced to when have elected senate and congress imigrants attempting to destroy the American Worker’sDream of freedom and decent wages?
Issa Nutsa !
APWU and the NALC wants to save the USPS even though it does not need it, they want dues, APWU and the NALC have gone so far as to tell Management and Congress not to offer Early retirement incentives to APWU and NALC members ( or represented by NALC or APWU), in exchange for more flexibility and givebacks, for dues of course.
Deborah C. Essler 3/13/2012
America needs a financially stable and Private Postal Service to best adapt to a changing marketplace and evolving mail needs.
Toward that end, the U.S. Postal Service is taking actions to abrogate the long-term affordability of mail and send this organization to financial instability.
The Postal Service is pursuing a significant consolidation of its national network of mail-processing facilities, reducing the total number of facilities from 461 to fewer than 200 by the end of 2013.
Declining mail volumes and a rising percentage of our 6 figure salaries and bonuses dictate that we take this bold action to preserve and protect the Postal Service to retain our lucrative salaries.
In the past financial quarter, the Postal Service lost $3.3 billion dollars and is projecting steep losses for the remainder of the year, most due to the high salaries paid to upper and lower management.
It is in March ,2012 that we will announce across the board Early Retirements and possibly incentives, though the largest incentives will go to Management, and any remaining funds for craft buyouts.
Times have just changed, and so must the Postal Service. The fact is the American public and businesses are relying more on electronic communications. Bills are paid online. Friends and family interact through email, Facebook and Twitter.
Nevertheless, the demise of the Postal Service is something we all have to deal with, The Postal Service sustains a $900 billion industry that employs more than 8 million people. Its employees deliver mail to 151 million locations, the free ride of delivery to every residence , is an element of the past.
Last year, more than 8,000 postal employees in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont alone processed, transported and delivered 650 million pieces of mail to more than 1.83 million homes, businesses and post office boxes, even though management in their places of work used and continue to use intimidation and threats against them daily.
Our employees do a great job and are committed to both their co-workers and our communities, these employees though working in abusive and hostile working environments, for some reason ,continue to work.
And yet, to preserve the affordability of mail and to return the Postal Service to long-term financial stability, the Postal Service is pursuing a dismantling of our operational networks. As we do so, we are committed to ensuring a tragic end for our employees and our customers.
The realignment is contingent upon the Postal Service’s adoption of a final rule to change delivery service standards. In December, the Postal Service agreed to impose a moratorium on closing or consolidating post offices and mail processing facilities until May 15, to give Congress time for Privatization to begin.
The steps we are taking now will put the Postal Service on a strong course for Privatization footing within the next few years.
Deborah C. Essler is district manager of the Northern New England District of the U.S. Postal Service, composed of Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont.
The Bush and Obama regimes set forth Trillions of Dollars of monetary stimulus, working class people, living check to check, are still waiting for that to reach them ,so when asking these elite elected ? Representatives where the stimulus was and/or why it did not reach the working class, the only class besides the Wealthy class, they suggested maybe we should wait for it at a certain bus stop, after checking this out , it was a Bus stop where no bus has stopped for the last 20 years, “ Surely the Stimulus Bus will stop there for the Working Class”, they said, both political parties are there to represent their own agendas and not there for the people.
The sad part is, what happened to the Trillions of Dollars in these stimulus and bailout packages ?,
That money never reached the working class, and now Congress is scrounging for cuts to those areas already cut, what a sad country, Congress represents the wealthy class which includes Congress.
Congress is now beating a dead horse, the Federal employees are the Sacrificial Lambs, when you vote remember that Congress gets those big paychecks and a House member or Senator works one term, 2-6 years normally, and they get a retirement, if either has to even work the full term, forcing employees to work part time to mentor others is a joke, it is to get money from them and stop them from retiring when they are eligible, what a disaster, if Obama signs this legislation, then he too is a loss in November 2012, why would the “Change we need President” go after Federal employees along with both parties ?, yet spend Trillions on what ?, another Stimulus that will never
reach the working class, Ron Paul the Texas Representative, said to abolish the tax system, a national Sales Tax or some other fair system, unless this is done, the gulf between the classes will grow, too bad a legitimate third party cannot be formed, seems like the USA is “Greece II”.
You can reach your senators by calling their Capitol Hill offices using the numbers below:
Image Blocked“APWU 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
This Bill contains the early Retirement Incentives and Buyouts.
The APWU will be working to negotiate a retirement program that will provide an incentive to APWU members who choose to retire or resign during the coming months, thereby providing additional landing spots for any members who may face excessing from their current installations.
PMG Donahoe, 3/15/2012
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.
Congress should focus on giving USPS craft workers the early out incentives, and other monies to upright the USPS, and not with taking away pensions and the supplement or bridge to Social Security,
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.
Also include an inept Congress who waste more time with Partisan bickering, who are more inclined to limit and abridge your individual freedoms, than fix a broken burdensome tax system or “Bailout the Working Class”.
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.
When Greedy Corporations on Wall Street, Including JP Morgan Chase, Citibank, AGI, GM etc. , were bailed out, what happened to you the working class, when you were going broke, lost your job, your home your car etc. ?, you went broke or bankrupt, there was no bailout, no stimulus, only lies from the Federal , State and local Governments, who only know how to raise your taxes, increases ordinances, rules and regulations, and make you the taxpayer pay for them to be implemented.
Neither Congress nor the rest of the Federal Government nor the State and Local Governments, truly represent those who they serve, they are self serving, and the Unions and Management in the Postal/ Federal Government agencies are no better, and are also self serving, the Military serves at the whim of the Military Industrial Complex, strange it is, when the Economy tanks, War is the answer to salvage the Economy, which country now Iran?, Syria ?, be sure that our leaders will “As Rome Burns” find a solution.
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.
Once a thief always a thief. Issa like a zebra cannot change his stripes.
Proposed Amendment Would Extend Pay Freeze A one year extension of the pay freeze on federal employees has been buried in an amendment introduced by Senator Pat Roberts (R-KS) to the Senate Highway Bill.
Posted: 3/9 RELATED HEADLINES:
Debating the Cost of Federal Employees
Phased Retirement: How Would It Impact Your Federal Annuity?
WH Budget Asks Federal Employees to Sacrifice
Sure you can trim the Federal Workforce, start with the Kings and Queens, from Obama to Congress and in between , so they want to force all federal workers to have to work part time and train others before they retire, does this apply to everyone?, what happened to all those Trillions?, did anyone out there get anything from them?, we now have a true Government of the Government, by the Government, for the Government, we the people have no elected representatives, of course neither Congress nor the President, nor the Czars ( what country is this ?) will lose anything, time for a real third party, or another American Revolution.
My thoughts? GET RID OF HIM! All I can wonder is “What’s in it for him by taking the American people’s constitutional rights away and ruining the USPS?” Seems to be the favorite thing to do in Washington these days…pretend like we have no Constitution, democrats and republicans alike. We need to vote almost all of them out of office! Hell, it won’t hurt them a bit. They have all become millionaires up there in Washington D.C. The only good thing that can happen is that they won’t have any more ability to sell the American people out!
Maybe instead we the people should dismantle congress and house of reps so we don’t have to wonder what the two fools on the hill are doing for koch cuz they sure ain’t doing squat for the average joe. Can’t wait for california to slide into the ocean. No other way to get issa gone that I can see happening. Should have 20 million dems move to vista, that will do it. Problem is the rich want issa in office so they don’t have to worry about their lambos, ferraris and rolls getting stolen by him.
The Post office might be reworked….but I assure you, the Postal anvil will survive that monkee’s banana. America needs delivery, it doesn’t need foolish politicians.
Issa is only a hot air balloon, cut the cord and let it go, VOTE him out.
He does have a big nose…just like Pinocchio.
Only fitting that a car thief made his fortune selling car alarms;glad I never bought one.
Darrell Issa is just a grandstanding self promoting ego maniac that is simply setting himself up to run for president in 2016. How people in Vista california could back him is beyond belief. Postal management has failed to stream line operations,creating busy work for managers. They should just rif management, and stop blaming the unions. Donohoe is a double talking liar, he should move to Iran, he would fit right in. Koch bros are pure evil.
It’s really not about Issa. The upper management at the post office want to dismantle. Congress won’t have to do anything. This way, Congressman won’t have to explain to their districts why postal jobs are being lost in their districts. The Post Office did it to themselves, they had nothing to do with it. They tried to save the post office, but the post office started closing plants before they could do anything to save it..
Issa is agent of the Koch brothers. His only motive is to destroy the unions and create part-time cheap labor for himself and his buddies who want to make millions more delivering the mail. In the end, if he succeeds , he’ll sell off to other wannabe millionaires who will fail leaving the federal government to bail out the mail service at tax payer expense.