“The U. S. Postal Service is facing financial problems that was created largely by Congress. Now Congress wants to strip Postal Workers of their Union rights. MSNBC Ed Schultz talks with Cliff Guffey, President of the American Postal Workers Union on what’s being done to protect postal workers.”
“How much do you know about the United States Postal Service? You hear a lot of negative comments about their finances, don’t you? Well, earlier today,I spoke to the postal workers in Orlando, Florida. These are men and women in the same boat as Republican employees in states like Wisconsin and Verizon workers across the country on strike right now.They’re fighting for their jobs, their rights and their futures.”
“The United States Postal Service, announcing today that it wants to reduce its work force by 20%. But layoffs of that nature are prohibited by union contracts.That’s where the Republicans step right on in. GOP Congressman Daryl Issa has introduced a bill that would slash postal worker wages, slash benefits and end protections against layoffs.”
“But the financial problems facing the postal service, and I want you to hear this, were created largely, not by you and me but by the Congress.”
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Is the money USPS is paying into future retiree’s benefits going directly to the Treasury? If so, why wouldn’t Congress want to privitize the postal Service and get it’s hands on that money? As a career letter carrier with about 10 more years to retire, I’m curious as to how that fund will be used and by whom. Anyone who thinks Postal Workers (ie the middle class) can get by with less money and benefits is only looking to send more people to unemployment lines, food stamps and other tax draining sources. WE NEED TO STRENGTHEN THE MIDDLE CLASS not dismantle it – it’s what is funding this country with tax dollars and spending. Let the Postal Service evolve and find new sources of revenue – we are a direct marketer’s dream with our address lists, universal service and coalitions with mailers – a huge industry that wants to see us succeed. Private delivery services use the Postal Service to deliver parcels in areas they don’t go – because the Post Office goes EVERYWHERE. Let’s keep it that way and help it to thrive.
Issa is a f**king crook. So take your “armed and peaceful so far” bullsh*t and go back to jacking off to sean insanity. YOU F**KING SCAB BITCH!
Issa and his buddies have forgotten a most important fact. That if you get rid of Social Security, Medicare, Civil service retirement, Postal retirement plans and the workers wages, you will lose the income ( tax monies ) that you use to fund the rest of the budget. You can’t tax it , if you don’t pay it. Also entitlements are called that because people have paid into them and are entitled to get THEIR money back. IT ISN’T WELFARE.
“The things that pass for knowledge I don’t understand.” Anyone who believes Daryl Issa started this must have just crawled from underneath the union-labeled rock.
If the rich are bitching about tax hikes now… Just wait when 120,000 postal workers are laid off with an average salary of $ 55,000 per year… The rich can pay my unemployment compensation and then pay my welfare… Oh boy!! The Republicans are fucking themselves.. They’ll never get re-elected when they’ll tax the rich even more.. Oh well!!! See what you started Congressman ISSA…. You’re done asshole!!!!!
The US Congress is the CAUSE of the current problem that USPS has due to THEIR REQUIREMENT that the USPS make these outlandish “payments” which the CONGRESS uses to HELP REDUCE the size of THEIR ANNUAL DEFICIT.
The US CONGRESS does the SAME THING with the payroll taxes for SOCIAL SECURITY….THEY STEAL THE MONEY AS AN “INDIRECT TAX”.
As most are aware who come here to read Postal Reporter, there is a Bill in Congress that will FIX THE INEQUITIES IN THE CURRENT LAW, but that Bill is being blocked BY DARRELL ISSA and his COMMITTEE in favor of HIS DRACONIAN LEGISLATION that will end collective bargaining at the USPS and enables HIS HAND PICKED GOP/TEA PARTY FLUNKIES to accomplish the destruction of the Postal Service as we know it.
Current upper level POSTAL MANAGEMENT is now WORKING DIRECTLY WITH DARRELL ISSA and the GOP CONGRESSIONAL LEADERSHIP in order to obtain the ENABLING LEGISLATION to empower the PMG and his management team to RENEGE ON CURRENT CONTRACTS and crush the Postal employees that currently work here.
The ONLY SAVING FACTOR in this CONGRESS CREATED MESS is that the REPUBLIBAGGERS only control the House of Representatives….THEY CANNOT FORCE THE SENATE TO PASS THIS LEGISLATION….and ultimately there is the PRESIDENTIAL VETO PEN as a last resort.
WHY we cannot get the Congress to do THE RIGHT THING is clear…..THE CONSERVATIVE RIGHT WING IDEOLOGY that “privatization” and “the PRIVATE SECTOR” is the most efficient way to deliver goods and services….AT A PROFIT.
THE POSTAL SERVICE IS NOT A “FOR PROFIT” CORPORATION.
It never has been.
It should NEVER be.
The Postal Service, formerly the Post Office Department, was authorized by the Constitution to provide a nationwide mail handling and delivery service to the American People. They have done so for HUNDREDS OF YEARS…yet in the span of FIVE YEARS the US CONGRESS has brought this organization to the BRINK OF DESTRUCTION by their myopic insistence that the USPS is the GOOSE WITH THE GOLDEN EGGS with which to BALANCE THEIR BUDGET WITH.
I say to CONGRESS “pass the law to fix the inequities contained in their law of 2006″….
Looks like a perfect storm is brewing for postal employees.
Postal unions have little clout these days in congress, despite large money contributions to candidates. Incredibly, NALC actually gave Issa $10K of union funds before the last election.
Anti-union fervor is at a fever pitch and republicans in congress hate government workers.
The math seems simple. The gravy train is over.