Senators Lieberman, Collins, Carper, and Brown React to USPS Losses

WASHINGTON – Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Joe Lieberman (ID-Conn), Ranking Member Susan Collins (R-Maine), Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management Chairman Tom Carper (D-Del.), and Senator Scott Brown (R-Mass.) reacted Tuesday to an announcement from the Postal Service that it lost $5.1 billion in Fiscal Year 2011. The loss would have been $10 billion without emergency Congressional intervention.

Sen. Lieberman: “This is yet more confirmation of what we already know: the Postal Service is in such deep financial trouble that mail delivery would be disrupted sometime next year unless bold action is taken. Senators Collins, Carper, Brown, and I have proposed bold reforms in our 21st Century Postal Service Act, which was approved by the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee last week. I urge my colleagues to support our bill as a last ditch effort to save this valuable national asset upon which millions of people and businesses rely every day.”

Sen. Collins: “It’s no surprise the red ink continues to flood the U.S. Postal Service. Absent action, it won’t be able to meet its payroll a year from now. The Postal Service is the linchpin of a $1.1 trillion mailing and mail-related industry that employs approximately 8.7 million Americans in fields as diverse as direct mail, printing, catalog companies, and paper manufacturing. It literally won’t survive without legislative and administrative reforms. That’s why the bipartisan bill passed by the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committee represents a huge step forward toward giving the Postal Service the authority it needs to restructure, modernize, survive, and thrive. I’m hopeful that this bipartisan compromise legislation will move swiftly through the Senate.”

Sen. Carper: “I have been saying for some time now that Congress needs to come together on a plan that can save the Postal Service and protect the more than eight million jobs that rely on it. Last week, we took an important step in our effort to reform the Postal Service by passing the bipartisan 21st Century Postal Service Act (S.1789) out of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. Today’s report again underscores the urgency of this situation. But while the situation is dire, it is not hopeless. That is why we need to pass this bipartisan and comprehensive bill – the only bipartisan proposal from Members in either Chamber – as soon as possible. It is my hope that Congress and the Administration can come together on this plan in order to save the Postal Service before it’s too late.”

Sen. Brown: “Combined with losses from previous years, it is clear that the Postal Service faces a significant risk of being insolvent by next year. Congress will need to act soon to address some of the major financial challenges the Postal Service is facing. The 21st Century Postal Service Act is ready to head to the floor and it’s my hope that it will be called up as soon as possible, so that we can begin to put the Postal Service on a path towards financial solvency.”

6 thoughts on “Senators Lieberman, Collins, Carper, and Brown React to USPS Losses

  1. Wage slave you need to put a block on that NALC website. Stop believing their horror stories. Just about everything they have been saying are half truths of all out lies fabricated to make you dance like a trained monkey at their save the dues rallies. Read the bills for yourself. We will not be seeing a perfect one ever, but the bi partisan 1789 bill goes beyond what mist of us could hope for a few months ago. Like trupat says our company is disease ridden all over and must be shaken at every angle to get all the waste out. A bill that is in the best interest of the USPS is by default in the best interest of it’s employees in a time where even privatizing is being talked about. I also vote clear and loud for 1789. We can go after management and expose all of their pay for performance criminal activity next year for now we must support this bill and oppose our own union who has left no doubt in any literate employees minds that they are seeking their own agenda with only the slightest concern for it’s members or the company we all work for. Please support 1789 and help get the word out in order to counter the unions save the dues misinform the members campaigns. 1789 all the way

  2. The postal act of 2006 was a harsh blow on the USPS, but is far from the only problem this company faces. H.R. 1789 returns a little over 7 billion to the post office and extends the prefunding time from ten years to forty years. It is time we vote on this bill that will save the most amount of jobs and will be in the best interest of the USPS and all of us employed by it. Enough with the selfish save the dues propaganda from these stupid and irresponsible unions. It is up to you out there that are able to read and understand what is really taking place to speak up against the special interest in the NALC who has a vested interest in permanent disagreements between craft and management. The NALC itself is only persuing an extension of the exact same shameful and irresponsible spending practices we have now. The problem is not the employees it is the entire companies layout. It is almost as if these special interest have molded the USPS into their own vision of having the most amount of employees (dues) possible to do a job that with proper restructuring can be done by far fewer in the future. We need to move to a five day non curbside delivery product; not to eliminate jobs, but to only replace those of retirees if absolutely needed. Within the next five to ten years routes must be made flat in order to have a logical decrease in future carrier hirees and the wages and benefits they cost. Saturdays alone cost the post office an excess of 3 billion a year for a service most Americans have spoken up against. I am against layoffs and see them as unnecessary in a company that is financially potent. The only way to get the USPS into that standing is to drastically and greatly cut back in labor cost, which in all honesty and visible to any employee with the faculty of reason must happen. When the Ross/Issa bill was proposed the first thing I said was any carrier with less than six years seniority can kiss their jobs goodbye, but now with this new bi partisan bill H.R. 1789 all of these recent hirees have a hood chance of keeping their jobs given the many retirements that will take place and the brighter future this will give our entire company. Vote for H.R. 1789 save the USPS and the wages and way of life of the millions that depend on it’s financial strength.

  3. Carper and Collins came up with the Postal Destruction Act of 2006….THEY HELPED CREATE THIS MESS….and they damn well know what to do about fixing it….but they keep dragging their feet.
    On top of that is the fact that the House, with it’s DOMINATION BY RIGHTWINGNUTS bent on DEFUNDING EVERYTHING GOOD IN AMERICA will not pass anything but the ISSA/ROSS anti labor, anti union, anti worker Postal Privatization Act.

    And more worrisome is what will be coming out of the CONFERENCE COMMITTEE when they meet to iron out the FINAL DETAILS OF THE LAW??

    The devil is IN THE DETAILS OF THIS LEGISLATION and I would suggest to all my fellow employees that they NOT BE SWAYED BY PROMISES OF “POSSIBLE CASH” while being asked to support a bill and law that will bite you in the tail later on.

  4. As Don put it what is the hold up? The time for passing blame etc is over and we need this sorted out ASAP. Congress needs to sit down and figure this mess out so that the employees of the USPS no what the hell is happening. I am tired of constantly wondering will I have a job next year. The longer this is delayed the worse the situation becomes. This needs to be sorted out now not next month, not next year NOW!

  5. What’s the hold up? Let’s get this bill to vote and see if with the 7.9 billion from FERs can be handled properly by the nitwits that have brought us to the brink. Bring on the early out offers and see if we can’t down size our work force so we return to profitability. I for one am tired of all the talk and would like to see every thing resolved by the first of the year. Let’s gooooooo!

Comments are closed.