Congressional lawmakers return to Washington today from a two-week recess. Nearly right off the bat, there is a strong possibility that postal legislation will come up for action on the Senate floor as early as Tuesday. This will occur after the Senate completes a procedural vote on a separate tax measure later today.
The Senate agenda remains fluid and can change at a moment’s notice. Nonetheless, after the tax legislation receives a cloture vote on a “motion to proceed” (and likely fails), the Senate could turn to a new substitute version of S. 1789, the Senate postal reform bill.
Procedurally, Senate action on postal legislation would begin with a cloture vote on a “motion to proceed” as well. Sixty votes are required to proceed, so a bipartisan bill that attracts Democratic and Republican support will be necessary to move ahead. (There are 53 Senators aligned with the Democrats and 47 with the Republicans in the Senate.) Senate Democratic Leader Reid is unlikely to bring any postal bill to the floor until he is assured of the necessary 60 votes, especially given the failed cloture vote on the postal measure that occurred three weeks ago in the Senate.
Meanwhile, Senate Democrat and Republican leaders on the Senate postal oversight committee (Senators Lieberman, Carper, Collins and Brown) are continuing to craft the terms of a new version of S. 1789, with added provisions that would preserve current first class 1-3 day mail service standards, moderate plant and post office closures, and create greater business model flexibility.
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Bruce Moyer Legislative Counsel to NAPS
I’m laughing at dude who said it’s the “young people on FMLA’s fault”. It’s really more like: the old lazy people who are underwater in their homes who show up and do nothing and expect young people to do it all for them’s fault.
Sorry. 2 years OR $25000 ($17000 after taxes) just isn’t enough for most of us to give up a $50000-$60000 a year job. By the time you pay the increase in health insurance, that small amount of money will go fast. Then you are stuck with no job and an increased monthly health insurance bill. I would like to see the Postal Service forget about the money and increase the years of service. It would be better for the USPS as they don’t have to put a bunch of money up front and it would work out better for the employee in the long run.
remember the usps does evertthing on the cheap. the first offer is probably going to be the best one,
The National Association of Letter Carriers also indicated it would be willing to ask its nearly 300,000 members for more “tough sacrifices” to get the Postal Service out of the red. It didn’t specify what concessions it would seek from members, besides no COLAS and a 1% raise 2 years from now.
Mail Carriers Try Own Rescue Plan.
Raising Stamp Prices Is Central to Postal Union’s Plan.
The Postal Service’s proposal to keep open thousands of post offices and not cut back on the number of days that mail is delivered “will work” and would accelerate the agency’s ascension from debt, according to the six-page report by Ron Bloom, President Barack Obama’s former auto czar, and investment bank Lazard Ltd., LAZ -0.45% who were hired by the union in October.
Part of this report sponsored by the NALC promotes the VERA, the early outs as so called to allow craft workers to retire with dignity, and the S.1789, the Senate bill is a linchpin of the NALC’s six-page report by Ron Bloom, President Barack Obama’s former auto czar, and investment bank Lazard Ltd., LAZ -0.45% who were hired by the union in October.
202-224-3121
(Capitol Switchboard)
[Click here for direct #s]
Tell them you Support
S. 1789 as it is currently written.
Whoever is saying they’re are getting bonuses as an MDO or EAS employee are lying. I have been in EAS for over 14 years, and we DO NOT get bonuses. They don’t exist.
We also don’t get cost of living raises. The only type of salary increase that EAS DO get is an annual merit evaluatied raise, if approved. Which we did not get this passed year.
So, quit lying and adding fuel to the fire, saying bonuses exist. They DO NOT.
Knowing that PRO is the opposite of CON, then the absolute opposite of PROGRESS is CONGRESS!!!
32 year veteran of the late, great, oxymoron, “POSTAL SERVICE”,
What a shame.
Let me go now.
Early out with incentives. Good bye!
Since when does CONGRESS care for anyone but their own pockets?? Vote out those old farted congress and senate people from your districts.
OMG = Obama Must GO!!!!
where is the news that the other offer would be $25,000 if you do not take the yrs. to add on??????? what page of the bill does it specify and mention $25,000 as an incentive to leave?????? why not let the employees have both the yrs. and the money??? they need people to leave so badly, they should pay out. who’s gonna go???? you??
Vote NO to S-1789! A $25,000 lump sum or 1 year credit is not an incentive to go but an incentive to stay for my full 80%. I have 34.5 years in now. Another 7.5 years is no problem. Most people will not accept $25,000 to go when they have less than 10 years to having 42 years.
As for the USPS, we are doing just fine. Do not believe all the doom and gloom BS the PMG and Congress are selling. The pre-funding alone is the problem. Take it away and we are in the black! Everything else is BS. Remember, any bill passed by Congress will continue to allow Congress to rape the USPS financially.
Believe me NOTHING is going to happen till AFTER Nov. None of these guys wants to lose an election! They will wait till after they get a seat and then they will act. Because then it won’t matter what we the people want . All they care about is themselves !!!!
Congress please PLEASE stop show boating and do your jobs.. Pass S-1789 before its to late!
IF CONGRESS WOULD STOP PLAYING GOD,AND START DEBATING IN ERNEST, PEOPLE WOULD STOP HOLDING ON TO SEE IF THEY COULD GET SOMETHING ADDED ON TO THEIR PENSIONS. SOME EMPLOYEES HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR THREE YEARS FOR THE NEXT OFFER. HOW MUCH DID THE POSTAL SERVICE LOSE BY NOT OFFERING SOMETHING SOONER. I DID MY TIME AND WILL BE RETIRING IN LESS THAN TWO MONTHS, WHETHER THEY OFFER ANYTING OR NOT.
If Yumyon Watuz Tue 17th Apr. 2012 at 1:24 AM is correct about S-1789 where they will offer 2 yrs to FERS and 1 yr to CSRS or $25,000.00 but not both, it would be perfect. It may be S-1789 is favorable at this time. We must wait and see.
Please pass this Bill so thousands would retire early and provide a landing spot for o!ther employees
They are too busy grandstanding about the GSA to do anything with this. Forget about it!
Postal officials said that as a result of the consolidations, approximately 83,000 jobs will be eliminated in the crafts represented by the APWU, including more than 63,800 Clerks, close to 9,000 Maintenance Craft employees, and more than 1,800 Motor Vehicle Craft employees.
GOOGLE……….U.S. SENATE………Choose your “SENATOR HOME” State. Look for the area in which to write and send your comment.
I wrote ” I work for the U.S.P.S. and I do not oppose S1789 in it’s amended form”. This bill offers three types of incentives not to be combined.
1. 25,000 cash.
2. 2 years added on to your FERS retirement
3. 1 year added on to your CSRS retirement.
“This announcement makes it all the more important that APWU members reach out to their senators to let them know that S. 1789 as amended,” must be passed now said Guffey.
Call Your Senators:
202-224-3121
(Capitol Switchboard)
[Click here for direct #s]
Tell them you Support
S. 1789 and S.1853
The U.S. Senate soon will likely debate the 21st Century Postal Reform Act (S. 1789), bill designed to ‘save” the U.S. Postal Service by offering Early Retirement Incentives.
As president of the National Association of Letter Carriers, I understand the budgetary and market challenges facing the USPS.
S. 1789 should be passed as amended, it will save America’s postal network. Instead of enacting shortsighted, destructive policies, Congress should approve this bill ,S.1789.
Fredric V. Rolando is the president of the National Association of Letter Carriers
NAPUS will continue to work with Senate allies to pass S. 1789, and ensure that the measure will garner the requisite votes for passage.
In all sincerity this bill is about the best Postal workers are going to get. Vote yes on this bill or watch the USPS be torn apart by the PMG.
I don’t care, I got bonus .
It’s the young one’s on FMLA. don’t like to come to work.
Our plant in Gary, IN, which is slated to be consolidated to IL, just was told that plans were on hold until after the Nov. elections!
Most of the people on light duty and fmla are young. Younger does not allways mean capable. I can’t wait to retire so I can get another job and collect my postal retirement. Clean out senior people please.
When will they offer an early out just to clean out senior people who are on light duty or on fmla who can’t perform there duties. They need a younger an capable work force. Also would save the post office money.
Pass S1789 now.
vote yes on this bill. it’s a really good bill… a great compromise for all sides.
i consider it awesome, considering all the animosity in the congress.
it proves that the sides can get together for the common good sometimes.