Rolando says only Congress can authorize cutback
NALC launches “5-Day is the Wrong Way” website to keep public informed
WASHINGTON — The national president of the 295,000-member National Association of Letter Carriers union (NALC) today criticized the U.S. Postal Service for arrogantly lobbying the general public with a misleading Internet web site to win approval of elimination of Saturday mail delivery despite the fact that Congress has shown little interest in such a move.
NALC President Fredric V. Rolando said the recently announced postal web site offers misleading information and planning guides for businesses and households regarding its plan to cut Saturday collection and mail delivery services.
“The arrogance of the Postal Service in this campaign to lobby the public to embrace five-day delivery as the answer to the Postal Service’s problem is astounding,” he said. “Given that Congress has shown very little interest in eliminating Saturday service and must approve any change, the Postal Service should focus its energies on real solutions, not risky and counterproductive service cuts.”
“The Postal Service should stand down on this reckless drive to end Saturday delivery,” Rolando added. “It would do more harm than good and it distracts us from the real solution, eliminating the crushing burden of a deeply flawed health benefits pre-funding policy.”
Rolando said the Postal Service’s move has forced the union to set up its own special web site that will provide the news media and general public with complete information on why the proposed change to five-day delivery is the wrong way to go to secure the long-term viability of the Postal Service.
The NALC special web site is http://nalc.org/postal/reform/index.html.
“What makes matters worse is that the Postal Service is sending a very confusing message to Congress,” Rolando said. “Just a week ago, Postmaster General John Potter told a Senate hearing that ‘we wouldn’t have to go to five-day delivery’ if Congress corrected the deeply flawed retiree health pre-funding policy.”
Rolando emphasized that the decision to reduce the level of service and slow mail service in America is not the Postal Service’s to make.
“Only the Congress can authorize this change. The web site and the public relations campaign launched by the Postal Service appears designed to fool mailers and the American people that 5-day delivery is a done deal,” Rolando added.
He said the Postal Service took the outrageous step to launch the deceptive web site:
- Despite the fact that current law requires 6-day delivery and that Congress has not given its approval to the Postal Service’s proposal to cancel delivery and collections services on Saturday;
- Despite the fact that neither the Appropriations Committees nor the Postal Service’s oversight committees have even held hearings on the radical proposal to slow service and destroy 50,000 to 80,000 good jobs in the middle of a jobs crisis; and
- Despite the fact that the Postal Service had not yet filed for an advisory opinion from the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC), which must hold hearings and subject the Postal Service’s questionable financial claims to democratic scrutiny.
Over the past few years, the NALC has led the drive to reform the pre-funding policy. That drive has been assisted in recent months by reports of the Postal Service’s own Inspector General that show that, measured accurately, the USPS surplus in the Civil Service Retirement Fund is large enough to fully fund future retiree health benefits. Fixing this problem would save the USPS at least $8 billion annually — far more than the speculative $3 billion annual savings the USPS claims it can get from reducing service.
I will be purchasing jet scooters with wings for all of you carriers so you will be able to fly your routes in minutes instead of hours. I will raise the price of stamps to a even dollar to pay for them
after reading all this drama from non-union members , you really need to sit back and be quiet. where areyou getting your stupid info from? we actually have a great union that has really been there for its members and brought us from a long way. Now to all that this apply to would all do what we ‘re suppose do by doing it managements way maybe by now things would have changed along time ago.instead of skipping breaks and running just maybe our good union could have had things going in our favor along time ago. so stop with your foolish insults and remember the idiots that come with these stupid ways of carrying mail has never carried mail before. Yeah Harvard!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
to Jimmy: Obviously you are not employed in the Postal Service.
hey BOBO lokk at union officials salary mailhandler pres making 230,000 plus postal salary many others making 100,000 or better plus double dip pension yeah we know postal pension plus union pension. how about posting all grievance awards and deals you make just like congress if you did you would all be in jail!!!!!!
OK if you think a mounted route is doable then I believe you are a PM. As you know if you have a mounted route the number of bundles is unlimited, where is the physics of time and space involved here, never mind safety as you are constantly being rushed while driving a motorized vehicle to make those street times. True I rather have a mounted then walking during these times, but failure to make your daily assignment with the falsification of DOIS, increased street time, unlimited bundles of mail and constant harassment make the job far more difficult then the person on the street would believe. FSS is here it shouldn’t be but it is, one of every 10 flats has a bar code covers the address. If you think for one minute retired employees cost more then full time career employee’s you and Potter have more in common then you may admit to, as the math is not adding up. A retired FERS employee will only get 1500 a month max as of now. A FERS employee or any retired employee will now have to pay 75% of health care cost, increased life insurance percentage, no annual or sick leave to worry about for the retired employee. So for every full time craft employee making 55,000 a year it cost the PO with their benefits over a 110,000 a year, same employee retired under 35,000 a year max. Retirement is something every company in this Country has to face, put the offer on the table, and save money. If the PO wants the new Letter Carrier to work 7 hours on the street he or she will need the 2 days off.
Look folks, I’m a PM. Your union leader is telling you the truth, what he says is a fact, what is killing the service is the Retirement Fund. If this burden was lifted then everything else goes away in terms of dollars and cents.
The issue is PMG Potter seems like he’s gun ho on killing the service with 5 days. He needs to be stopped and you guys need to write to your congress person ASAP about this. ALL three Management Associations have written to their congressional leaders telling them that 5 days is not the way to fix our situation. It’s time each one of you acted on this as a private citizen and write your congress person, I have.
We don’t want FSS or anything else for that matter, it sucks you guys may be out there for 7 hours a day, who in their right mind thought anyone could keep this up if its a walking route and remain healthy? A driving or an NDBCU delivery well that’s doable, not walking.
Now the NALC speaks out. If you would of negotiated the last VER like you were suppose to, since we all are paying Union members and deserve representation for employment and retiring, you would of seen a gradual work force reduction. Now you are crying because if Saturday’s are gone so is about 50,000 jobs, lets times that by 50 dollars a month, that’s 2.5 million, 30 million a year, less you will be pulling in. Do the job you are being paid to do, stop worrying about the Unions pocket book, if a reasonable VER occurs next time people with 20 or more years will take it and they will be a lot better for doing so, so we don’t have to answer to the Morons running the show when we are 5 minutes late from the street, thus the remaining work force will be solid. I am willing to step aside for my craft employee brother providing a good offer is on the table. NOW ALL UNIONS START NEGOTIATING THE NEXT VER, DO THE JOB YOU ARE BEING PAID TO DO REPRESENT US IN OUR RETIREMENT!!!!!!!!
Well, more than 1/6 less membership(T-6, plus, 1/6 PTF and VR) should mean less National, State and local Officers. More of you guys would have to work..hehehehee
The figures would be more like 18%. Don’t think that 500 miles excess rule won’t come into play for carriers. IT WILL
Keep bleeding the usps with grievances like good old Bob. This will help ensure that 5 day is the only option. THXS Bob….Keep up the good work you idiot.
With less Dues, will our officers be going to Hawaii again anytime soon for convention? Mike is right, you will just raise our DUES again. LOL
Just how many TEs and PTFs would be laid off if they went to five days? Don’t lie to me and say that the guys who are working for pennies an hour would finally retire.
I think most of our FTRs have six years…but even if we make it, will that grandfathered into the next contract?
Nobody knows for sure, but I am pretty sick of Potter, the bosses, AND the union guys who just say “stand your ground” when THEY are safe from layoffs. Excessing has already happened in our area, and we have clerks carrying. Route adjustments were a joke; if you didn’t defend yourself against BOTH sides, as well as your “brother carriers”, you got stuck with an hour or so of new delivery.
A union is only as good as its members and if you want change at your office you need to be active in union. our office of 70 rts collected over $200,000 last year
and yes with the new sorting machines everyone has more street time .at least you have a job, ask your clerks how they feel some being excessed over a 100 miles away.
Without the union you would be working with TE pay and work hours,which is exactly what Potter wants…
Better get you eyes open !!!
NALC where have you been as my route gets added to every year of the last five? That great process of our routes being adjusted some 100% by management after FSS. Carriers on the street 7 hours now, not so sweet for us 50 year old plus carriers. After 27 years service and union dues I watch the Postal Service and the union fighting for themselves and not the workers. If you want to do something for me negotiate a fair early out!!!
stop it fred, you only care about the lost membership dues, lets be honest what has the nalc done for its membership ever? answer is absolutely nothing except getting into health care business. joke all around union , we cant even strike, come get real!! 5 day is going to be a reality suck it up. just like you tell your membership when the post ofiice sticks it to us. youll probably be raising union dues to make up for lost membership, im guessing next pp after 5 day is implemented. union has lost this battle when they backed obama. good luck fred retire and feel good about screwwing all of your brothers!!