Rallies Set for Sept. 27 in Every Congressional District
The APWU has joined forces with the three other postal unions to designate Sept. 27 as a day of action to Save America’s Postal Service.
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Together, the APWU and the National Association of Letter Carriers, the National Postal Mail Handlers Union and the National Rural Letter Carriers Association will rally in every congressional district in the country to build support for H.R. 1351, a bill introduced in the House by Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA).
“With the USPS’s dire financial situation making headlines, and a battle raging in Congress over what to do about it, postal workers must take action now,” said APWU President Cliff Guffey. “I urge APWU members to work with our brothers and sisters in the other postal unions to organize the rallies. We must let every U.S. representative know that we need their support.”
The Lynch bill would prevent the financial collapse of the USPS — without closing thousands of post offices, eliminating hundreds of mail processing facilities, delaying mail delivery, laying off 120,000 workers, cutting postal workers’ pay, or ending collective bargaining rights. It would allow the Postal Service to apply billions of dollars in pension overpayments to the congressional mandate that requires the USPS to pre-fund the healthcare benefits of future retirees. No other government agency or private company bears this burden, which forces the Postal Service to fund a 75-year liability in 10 years — at a cost of more than $5 billion annually. Without the mandate, the USPS would have shown a surplus of $611 million over the past four fiscal years.
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Unfortunately, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), the chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, has another idea. Word on Capitol Hill is that Rep. Issa is blocking consideration of H.R. 1351.
Instead, Rep. Issa has introduced a bill that would destroy the Postal Service as we know it. His bill (H.R. 2309) would do nothing to correct the cause of the USPS financial crisis: It would do nothing about the pension overpayments or the pre-funding requirement. But it would establish a “solvency authority” with the power to unilaterally cut wages, abolish benefits, and end protection against layoffs. It also would create a board that would order $1 billion worth of post office closures in the first year and $1 billion worth of facility closures in the second year. If H.R. 2309 is enacted, thousands of offices throughout the country would be closed.
At the same time, the Postal Service is proposing legislative changes that would authorize management to lay off 120,000 workers and that would remove postal employees from the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program and from federal retirement plans.
Pass H.R. 1351 NOW
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At the rallies on Sept. 27, the unions will be asking legislators to co-sponsor to H.R. 1351, the bill that would restore financial stability to the Postal Service. The legislation has 193 co-sponsors, including both Democrats and Republicans. Where lawmakers have already signed on, the rallies will thank them for their support and ask them to pledge to do everything in their power to ensure its passage.
Each union has volunteered to be responsible for specific congressional districts, and locals have already begun designating District Leads for various locations. The District Leads will secure permits (where necessary), contact the media, and make other arrangements.
The unions have developed a common Web site to provide information about the rallies, which will be held from 4-5:30 p.m. A complete list of rally locations will be posted on the site by Sept. 16, which will be updated often. Visit saveamericaspostalservice.org for the latest news about the Sept. 27 rallies.
Terry will save IndustryPDC from closure (or at least take credit for it!)
The Post office has been a source of money for washington and now that we want the money back, they are saying they dont have it and they dont want to give it back. The prefunding has been nothing but a way for our gov”t to use money for whatever it is they wanted to use it for. The bailout to the crooks that brought down our economy is a disgrace!!! Those crooks should of been prosecuted for stealing money from the american people. Its sad that within our gov’t , there is so much corruption.. The american dream is slowly dying I am sorry to say. If your the top 1% of the rich, then you have it made. Everyone else beware. The middle class is on its way out and headed to poverty level. The Postal service is an american institution that was intended as a SERVICE to the american people. The down fall of the Postal Service is a direct reflection of what america is headed for.
I believe that every family in america has a relative that works for the USPS.
USPS put a lot of money in the retailers pockets. Where else can you get a change of address? Where else can you mail for the low fee(s) that the
USPS charges? America needs to wake up and smell the coffee;roses;
their butts.
Republicans have always been about themselves. The USPS has without a doubt been mismanaged. Too many bossess that do nothing but walk around with their hands in their pockets looking at you crazy. Too many fat paychecks for mgmt. They don’t pay for their medical depending on what EAS level they are.
No matter whose fault it is we need to get together and fight it. There is power in numbers even if we disagree on how we got there. Unite and fight since there is a way to stop this. If we continue to argue amongst ourselves that will be our downfall. There is a way. Let’s unite behind THAT and stop arguing.
I am csrs with 34 years in. got a 5 year no raise/wage concession contract (3.5% vs 25% inflation is 0% increase in purchasing power) stole my $1000.00 COLA .nothing added to increase my 3 years.
Cliff Goofy got PSE to join corrupt union and force them into apwu health plan as only choice…..now I am supposed to rally around goofy/morris on some house bill when it is really the evil, corrupt, uneducated, cronyism, nepotism riddled po mismanagement 110,000 strong that destroyed the post office……don’t think so.
taking my Kawasaki Ninja 1000 for a vacation on “the tail of the dragon” in TN/NC……….I am tied of the lies of this corrupt unholy alliance between uneducated mismanagement/union….Marvin Runyon was on too them…..I will pop a coke in his memory-at least he stopped the postal shootings…..the ones mismanagement/union swept under the rug for years.
I would not mind the PO going bankrupt as long as the current corrupt mismanagement/union went under as well. want to fix the usps? change its name to UPS!
Notice the anti-union crybabies making posts that their posts are blocked? Paranoid, low IQ, always whining paid propaganda trolls. They should learn what”Thou shall not bear false witness” means from the right-wing “Christians ” that they con into joining political forces with. But, then again, if they fry in hell forever, heaven will be more pleasant.
I applause the Unions for joining together as one. Remember the saying.” together we stand. divided we all shall fall”! This is a good thing we will be doing this September!! This should get the men and women attention, who are supposedly representing us and looking out for our best interest! We do not need anymore americans out of work. Who would be paying taxes and keeping this country afloat, if hundreds of thousands of more workers are pout of work! What’s wrong with ISSA and the rest of congressmen who think like him!! The Postal Service helped get themselves in this situation also, beside over paying the retiree pre-fund money!! It’s not the Union employees who make all the money, it’s upper managemnent with high salaries and the different bonuses, and perks they receive regularly. Also the Postmaster General making $800,000 thousand a year. This is too much money for any one person to get paid when the company is facing this kind of finanical provblem!! Quit blaming the Unions!! I will be there on that day to help represent!!
Gee, Geez and / or Grumpie, I forgot what the topic is. One thing the Tea Party has to be thankful for is not having Claire McCaskill as a Republican. Thank God she’s a Democrat, she does fit in quite well. Scary to think she has some input into the future of the Postal Service.
Well one thing is being missed. The postal service is mandated by the Constitution, it should be regarded as a government service and paid for and budgeted in each FY budget. If the USPS were retorgraded back into the Executive Branch and they did not pay senior managers anymore than the other Cabinet officers, the Congress could than be responsible to exercise its Constitutional responsibilities in providing oversight to make necessary changes to insure the mandate to provide unoversal postal service is carried out.
Have you noticed that no newspaper or television report has mentioned HR 1315 which would make us solvent for at least 5 years! Ex- Prsident Bush mandated the U.S.P.S. to pre-fund retirement for every employee for 75 years from day one of their employment. No other government agency or private business is required to do so. All this money does is sit in a bank. Why? Remember: Granddaddy Bush was chairman of the Federal Reserve. Which by the way is not actually a Federal agency! Its run by a bunch of rich Repulican fat cats!
Mr. Grumpy/Geez should run for Congress….after he quits his postal employment…wouldn’t want him to run afoul of the Hatch Act.
He does however show an outstanding example of some of the really
odd motivations behind THE TEA PARTY fringe….they seem to be getting
more over the edge as time goes on.
Grumpis – Geez take you meds
What does Brown have to do with anything? Get a grip. Nothing you’ve said has any ring of truth at all!
STOP Blocking The Posts!!!
Unions nogoodbutwasteyourdues money…
It’s the unions’ fault for all this mess to begin with. They supported those DEMON-crats and look what they got, a numb-nuts affirmative action president. If someone needs affimative action, they are not qualified for the job. Run the country into the ground, just like the useless postal management staff has done to the postal service-downhill. Our local is soooo lazy, they probably won’t participate!!!! Issa is an ignorant fool in office, and again you fools voted in an idiot. Get rid of that O-Bummer, less trouble for this country and the rest of the world. Don’t listen to his hopeless promises to you welfare collecting illegals. When thiscountry goes broke, nothing left foryoutofree load on!!! You idiots who voted in that old farted Jerry Brown who was also supported by your union dues, he is too old to think and still goeswith old school politics. Brown’s been in office too long, nothing chnages with him. No more hopeless and changed for the worse presdient. O-Bummer will be gone, if there are any intelligent voters left out there!!!
STOP Blocking The Posts!!!
It’s the unions’ fault for all this mess to begin with. They supported those DEMON-crats and look what they got, a numb-nuts affirmative action president. If someone needs affimative action, they are not qualified for the job. Run the country into the ground, just like the useless postal management staff has done to the postal service-downhill. Our local is soooo lazy, they probably won’t participate!!!! Issa is an ignorant fool in office, and again you fools voted in an idiot. Get rid of that O-Bummer, less trouble for this country and the rest of the world. Don’t listen to his hopeless promises to you welfare collecting illegals. When thiscountry goes broke, nothing left foryoutofree load on!!! You idiots who voted in that old farted Jerry Brown who was also supported by your union dues, he is too old to think and still goeswith old school politics. Brown’s been in office too long, nothing chnages with him. No more hopeless and changed for the worse presdient. O-Bummer will be gone, if there are any intelligent voters left out there!!!