The following was received from PostalReporter reader via email:
Call to Action
HUNGER STRIKE to SAVE THE POSTAL SERVICE
June 25 – 28th , Washington DC
Congress: Stop Starving the Postal Service!
Repeal the Pre-funding Mandate! Refund the Pension Surplus!
Postmaster General: Suspend the Closures and Cuts!
America’s postal service is being starved to death. A 2006 Congressional mandate forces the USPS to prefund retiree health benefits 75 years in advance. 10% of the postal budget, $5.5 billion per year goes to prefund benefits for people who aren’t even born yet. Not only would the postal service have been profitable without the mandate, the USPS has also overpaid tens of billions into two pension funds.
Not the internet, not private competition, not the recession – Congress is killing the postal service. Corporate interests, working through their friends in Congress, want to undermine the USPS, bust the unions then privatize it. The Postmaster General’s response is to speed the death spiral by pushing forward massive cuts to service, closures of facilities and the decimation of living wage jobs.
We will not stand by as our beloved postal service is destroyed. A group of postal patrons and postal workers will declare a hunger strike the week of June 25th in Washington DC. We will shame Congress and denounce the Postmaster General. We will engage in dramatic actions in the halls of Congress and at USPS Headquarters to raise public awareness and turn up the heat on decision makers. We invite all who care about our national treasure – enshrined in the Constitution, serving over 150 million households and businesses six days a week, providing universal mail services at reasonable, uniform rates – to join, endorse and otherwise support our hunger strike, in Washington DC or in their local area.
More info: Communities and Postal Workers United, www.cpwunited.com
Initial endorsers (partial list)
Traven Leyshon, AFL-CIO, Vermont, Secretary-Treasurer
Clint Burelson, APWU 2354, Olympia WA, President
Ken Lerch, NALC 3825, Rockville MD, President
David Yao, APWU 28, Seattle WA, Vice President
Bill Schorsch, NALC 825, Oakbrook IL, Vice President
Jane Duggan, APWU 295, Detroit MI, Secretary-Treasurer
Rich Shelley, APWU 181, Baltimore MD, Director of Organizing
Doug May, NALC 825, Oakbrook IL, Legislative Liaison
Patty Olson, APWU 128, Portland OR, Legislative Director
Tom Richardson, NALC 82, Portland OR, Executive Board
Jamie Partridge, NALC 82, Portland OR, Organizing Committee
Frank Couget, NALC 36, NYC, steward
Dave Welsh, NALC 214, San Francisco, retired
Melissa Rakestraw, NALC 825 , Oakbrook IL
John Dennie, NPMHU 300, NYC, retired
Matt McAuliffe, NPMHU 321, Denver CO
Steve Brown, NPMHU 321, Denver CO
Tom Dodge, APWU 181, Baltimore MD
Brilliant . Employ illegals on medicad andb food stamps.
The point is… we need to spread awareness somehow…why not this. I think many people still think we are subsidized by the government. There is a lot of miss information out there, we need to set the record straight.
I’m almost embarrassed to be a Postal employee about now……
why is the union to blame for everything? cant find anyone else to blame. As I left the morning after working off the clock for two hours doing union work, the union vp was still working, and had been working for 6 hours off, after a 10 hour shift. this might not be going on where your at, or you do not see it, but you are looking in the wrong direction to place blame. Put the blame where it is due. Oh and the hunger strike is symbolic( No kidding?) they are starving the Postal Service with the overfunding…. or did you only read what you wanted to?
I was talking to a apwu person and she said the ver is coming soon
PLEASE, everyone write a letter to guffey stating that you are going to be sending in a request to resign from the union. tell him he is going to be voted out come next election. let’s send THOUSANDS of letters of this type to him in the next 3 days. yes, send letters….. thousands of them.. it’s only a few cents and just a little of your time. that hunger strike is embarressing. send those letters, get your co-workers to send one. get the word out. in three days. keep the comments coming, but send those letters.
OCCUPY 1300 L STREET NW, WASHINGTON DC! FIND OUT ABOUT YOUR DUES FUNDED APWU OFFICER RETIREMENT PLAN THAT YOU CAN’T USE AND THAT YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT.
I also feel misrepresented by the APWU, but if you are not aware of this let me share a little fact about the APWU that may interest you: *All members of the APWU with 25+ yrs of membership are eligible for the “25 YEAR LIFETIME MEMBERSHIP REWARD OF $250. In order to receive this reward you must obtain and provide a copy of your union anniversary date “SEGMENT E” form which must be printed directly from the “EMPLOYEE MASTER RECORD”, which you may request from the USPS/HR Shared Service Center, but my manager was very instrumental in promptly obtaining this document for me. Please do not rely on your steward, as I was given the wrong info. it only delayed the payment process, (and we know why employees get involved with the union, for the same reason employees sign up for mgmt positions, they don’t want to work). Once you obtain a copy of your union anniversary date “SEGMENT E” form – fax it to the Secretary – Treasurer of your Local Union. For the Miami Area Local fax it to the attn of: Kevin J. Baker, Secretary – Treasurer at 305-591-5975 **I received my check via US MAIL in approx 1 week. T.O.O.
At least there trying!! and Cliff Guffey says no VER for clerks, start calling his office.
this is so stupid. if you are getting together as a group, get into congress and speak your mind. union is doing an awful job. tell things from the craft perspective, like if we are so broke, why pfp’s still going on. less craft, management still the same, etc. GET THE VOICE OF CRAFT HEARD.
Patrick Donuthole says food strike will be mandatory. More bonuses for more donuts for him and Goofy to snack on while they discuss “no buyouts for clerks”!
As the Postal Reporter news item of May 25th, “How Phantom Accounting Is Destroying The Post Office” explains so well, Congress truly is starving the Postal Service. Postmaster General Donahoe and Congressman Daryl Issa are going ahead full throttle with their scorched-earth campaign to do as much damage as possible. Some postal employees and some union officials seem to have a wait-and-see attitude – This is not the best way to preserve the USPS and good postal jobs. Congressional legislation will improve if Congress feels the heat. What is the best way to get the attention of the news media and the general public- one more rally or a hunger strike? I vote for hunger strike.
Really? There must be a better way to get attention for all the B.S. that’s going on with the PO, and the do nothing Congress, and the deafening silence of the person we helped to put in White House…What happened to 2 years of service time for FERS, and 1 year for CSRS, that’s the only way you are going to reduce the clerk workforce, who is really stupid enough to give up they’re postal job for $10k, after taxes, only those were leaving anyway?
Really a hunger strike! Sounds like another union function that your dues pay for! How preposterous is that! DRAMA
kcco
How about a Ice Cream Strike instead…that will show um!!!
Wow. drastic action indeed. A voluntary hunger strike!! I’m hanging on until its mandatory.
hunger strike? are you sure they didn’t stash the food collected in the NALC food drive and are only going to pretend not to eat? seriously, i am all for
the hunger strike and really love the part about, “engaging in dramatic actions
in the halls of congress and usps headquarters.” the public needs to be educated about the prefunding health care costs mandate and sometimes
the craziest ideas get the most attention and therefore the media coverage gets the message out. maybe also picketing the private homes of idiots like
rep ISSA and rep ROSS should also be added to the agenda. this makes politicians nervous for several reasons, their neighbors are inconvenienced and
start asking questions and one other reason is politicians are suddenly made aware that the people they are screwing over know exactly where they live. this dosen’t work if political offices are picketed, it has to be their private homes.
i once read that when a politician or group of idiotic politicians propose a
really assine policy that the best way to defeat it is for the opposition to ‘fall in love with the idea!’ perhaps the unions and postal workers should pubically
announce their support for the issa/ross stupidity house bill IF THE house
representatives would only do one thing! that one thing would be add to the bill or pass a new bill that requires every business and government agency in the united states of america to PREFUND THEIR HEALTH CARE RETIREMENT BENEFITS FOR THE NEXT 75 YEARS BY SENDING IN MONEY TO THE GOV’T TO COVER IT WITHIN THE NEXT TEN YEARS!!!!! of course, this would bankrupt
the country and the stupidity of the idea would suddenly hit some business people who don’t understand as long as it is someone else getting screwed over. it would become obvious that the usps shouldn’t be the only company or agency in the united states of america to be forced to prefund these retirement health benefits for the next 75 years!
I’m not thinking this is the best idea anyone has ever had to get public or Congressional attention. Many people in the public sector (let alone the union bosses and our Congressional lawmakers) do not feel sorry for us, the US Postal Worker. If they did, then all this crap wouldn’t be happening to begin with.
And “Two Cents,” I don’t see “alot of people working hard to try to fix the Post Office!” The only people who seem to really care these days are the ones who are being threatened…US! The workers! The REAL WORKERS!
And “enufisenuf,” I do not believe ANYTHING is covered under FMLA anymore! There is some idiot at the HRSSC who keeps sending valid FMLA papers back because they are too stupid to read anything but one freaking paragraph that has nothing to do with anything! Where in the hell did they get these people? Donahoe’s office? I’m writing to my Congressman about Mr/Ms HRSSC 27497, who should be freaking fired!
Just sayin’….
How you going to shame congress by going on a hunger strike! That’s one of the dumbest ideas i heard while they on strike trying to shame congress who by the way will be eating and probably laughing at they ass, idiots nothing but damn idiots.
Yup! Those beerbellies union officers don’t need to not eat for a week!!
Will someone/anyone holding an office with the APWU,PLEEEEEEZ,speak up and let the clerks/and the rest of the USA know…WHATS UP WITH A VERA?
Thanks in advance
If you dropdead of starvation, may we have your job?
BACK TO WORK!
APWU where is our VER?
Some of these folks need to go on diet strikes. What a bunch of crap.
WHAT IF YOU WERE OLDER, AND WANT THE REAL THING, NOT SOMETHING OVER THE INTERNET, OR NOT BEING ABLE TO SEND
GIFTS TO LOVED ONES, ETC. THE MAIL SYSTEM SHOULD REMAIN AS IS
WITH HOME DELIVERY, AND PLACES TO POST, WITHOUT IT BEING
A PROBLEM TO WHERE THESE LOCATIONS ARE.
I DONOT MIND PAYING THE PRICE OF STAMPS AND SENDING OUT
OF THIS COUNTRY. PLEASE KEEP THOSE EMPLOYEES WITH DECENT
WAGES, AND HAVE GOVERNMENT CUT DOWN ON THEIR FRIVILOUS
SPENDING THAT GOES ON UNREPREMANDED.
THANK YOU ALICE OBRIEN
And Gluttony, lust, avarice, greed and you name it (Guffey) will reign supreme at the Feast in LA, APWU dues are good for something, the Feast for the Beast (Cliff Guffey) in LA!
@Vince – the federal debt has NOTHING to do with the PO. The PO is NOT funded by taxpayers. If you beleive it is you are a fool.
Well, hopefully the “adults” will address the real causes of the PO’s problems – the ones mentioned in this notice.
PO doesn’t need a bailout, doesn’t need any tax money. It just needs to be allowed to keep its OWN money, and stop being forced to subsidize the Federal budget.
Massive crowds can be generated by feeding illegal green card bearers. The American public has no concern for incidental BS which poses no threat to national security, or anything signifigant other than receiving a wasted piece of junk mail but increases country debt by millions daily.
hunger pangs are no stranger for real workers and the hard workers!
Starvation-related illnesses are NOT covered under FMLA! Get back to work n take an extra 15 for lunch.
morons!, if they starve to death the p.o. would be better off without these idiots.
This’ll bring them to their knees! Everyone is invited to Terry’s place for drinks afterwards! We’ll be showing “On the Waterfront” as an extra added feature.
And exactly how does this help anyone? A lot of people are working hard to try to fix the PO and then there are the nut bars like these fools who have to make everyone look bad just so they can get their names in the news.
Go away, let the adults work to fix the PO without your stupidity!