Corker, McCain, Coburn Urge Postmaster General to Move Forward with Cost-Saving Changes
WASHINGTON – Noting the unlikelihood that Congress will reach an agreement on postal system reforms anytime soon and that the postal service is on track to lose $21 billion annually by 2016 without changes to its business model, U.S. Senators Bob Corker, John McCain, and Tom Coburn today wrote to Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe urging him to “move forward with cost-saving changes.”
“As Senators committed to fiscal responsibility and preventing future taxpayer-funded bailouts, we support your efforts to put the USPS on a sustainable financial path for the future,” Corker, McCain and Coburn wrote to Donahoe.
Full text of the letter follows and is attached below.
Dear Postmaster General Donahoe:
“Despite the Senate’s passage last week of S. 1789, the 21st Century Postal Service Act of 2012, we believe it is very unlikely that both the House and Senate will come to agreement on legislation that reforms the postal system anytime soon and strongly encourage you to move forward with the cost-saving changes you have previously outlined.
“The 21st Century Postal Service Act would create many new mandates that would prevent the US Postal Service from reducing its costs and creating a sustainable business model. Specifically, the legislation would halt many processing facility and post office closures, prevent the USPS from revising its delivery service standards, not allow flexibility in appropriately pricing services and further delay the transition to 5-day delivery. Each of these changes could save the US Postal Service billions of dollars per year. According to the Government Accountability Office, the USPS has projected an annual savings of $4 billion by consolidating its processing and transportation network.
“According to your projections, the USPS is on track to lose $21 billion annually by 2016 if it does not change its business model. We understand that even with making tough but essential cost-saving changes today, it will still be a challenge to meet the long range viability of the Postal Service in the future and avoid bankruptcy. As you said on April 25, ‘If [S. 1789] were to become law, the Postal Service would be back before the Congress within a few years requesting additional legislative reform.’
“As Senators committed to fiscal responsibility and preventing future taxpayer-funded bailouts, we support your efforts to put the USPS on a sustainable financial path for the future.”
Sincerely,
Bob Corker, United States Senator
John McCain, United States Senator
Tom Coburn, United States Senator
While you and I are worrying about whether we’ll retire or whether the APWU will be able to save our jobs, the following might interest you about something you have paid for with your union dues that you will be unable to enjoy like our union officers do:
APWU Officers Qualified Retirement Plan is a 401k plan which has $55,398,175 net assets as of end of year, which is drastically more than the average for all Company 401k Plans. The plan has been in effect since 7/1/1971, and is a Multiple-Employer.
Participants
The APWU Officers Qualified Retirement Plan’s 401k plan has 119 active participants , which is slightly more than the average for all Company 401k Plans. The APWU Officers Qualified Retirement Plan 401k plan has 102 retired or separated participants receiving benefits, which is drastically more than the average for all Company 401k Plans.
So contact APWU today for a piece of their pie! You stewards should also contact them! Wonder why nothing is posted bout this on APWU.org. You didn’t know about this? You should ask bout it at the next union meeting. You should ask…and keep paying dem dues bruthas n sistas sos we can continue raking in the dough.
I think they ask people if they would volunteerly move to another facility instead of closing aprocessing plant first . they might be surprised some people might want to move.
its never enuff!!!
What a bunch of self serving idiots! These politicians would LOVE to push the closures of the USPS. Because It would help THEIR campaign! USPS closings, job losses, unemployment up….all on Obama’s watch…and all under the disguise of “fiscal responsibility” I dont what to hear any more lies about “fiscal responsibility” from any republicans. It was the BUSH administration that brought this country down and Obama is having to clean it up, some things were just to late to save. Im all for reducing the deficit. But the Dem’s do help out the people and if we’re not getting breaks, who do you think will?..Corporate America! How rich does someone have to be before they are content? Dont ask me because I am still in the 99%.
I know McCain was tortured when he was a prisoner of war but he was never tortured like an APWU clerk. At least prisoners got colas.
reminder on Friday is full of shit!!!
I used to be proud to be called a Republican because I was (am) a conservative. Now the Republicans make me sick as they are trying to destroy the Post Office, which is in our Constitution to have. I honestly don’t know how I will vote this November. Fed Ex or UPS must have Donahoe and Issa on their payrole to dismantle the USPS so they can buy it. They have been slowly over the years getting ready for this with putting Fed Ex boxes along side ours on Postal Property and having Fed Ex fly our Priority and Express mail and we will see more integration as time passes. I feel sad for you that cannot retire now as the future doesn’t look good. Maybe we should all pray for a miracle.
McCain is the Manchurian candidate. How many remember he was one of the Keating 5 – up to his neck in the S&L scandal helping to ripoff taxpayers. Most postal management feels they are under paid and if privatized, they would finally be paid what they are “worth”. Pffftttt! Most were the laziest, whiniest POS.
Most folks here are just waiting for a buyout that’s never going to come. Our mgmt is trying very thing they can to drive empolyees out as fast as they can.
As for those Republican azzhats??? In their “market driven”, consumerist nirvanna economy my spending is their income. ???? Well if we have no money to spend, then how the hell are they going to “earn” anything. Wake up morons.
I am a Postal Employee who supports doing what needs to be done to right a sinking ship. The problem will be that this will simply be a temporary fix until they close the doors for good. That will force many of the lazy SOBs who work for the USPS to go out and get a real job. Most will be SOL!
mccain has agent-orange in his brain, why else with a vet like him want to screw all the fine veterans we have in the postal system? shame on him. God bless all are veterans.
We’re the #1 employer of veterans in the country and McCain wants to shut us down? Wow! The same guy who picked Palin for a running mate. The people in Arizona must be nuts to elect this crazy old man. He is missing the boat on this issue and it’s time to put him in retirement. Hope all the retiree’s in Az. vote him out before he starts attacking their bennie’s.
Amazing how McCain went from being a humble veteran to a loser politician. Your brother and sister vets want to thank you for nothing, McCain. You obviously learned nothing from your struggles in Nam. The post office is where alot of vets both old and new are looking for jobs. Way to forget where you came from, Johnny-boy.
Let me remind all of you…..for 2 years the Dem’s had the House, Senate and White house in a veto proof majority. They made no effort to save us. They were too busy passing other legislation like health care. Now it’s the Rep’s fault? don’t think so.
There is nothing left for Me to say, All the comments here are Dead on. 24 years this is the worst I have seen from the Ole PO….
Hum, if we can save money by eleminating one day a week think of how much we could save if we went to only one day of service heck why even have a post office at all we can just put our product in the transporter and beam it over like in star trek, but sirously if these republican douch bags get re-elected in November than people deserve what they ask for.
I thought elected officials were to promote, encourage and save good paying jobs in America… I thought the American dream was to buy a home, raise a family and send the kids off to college.. Give your children a better life then what we had.. I guess when huge corporations contribute millions of dollars to their campaign coffers, this is what we get.. Typical Republicans and shady human beings protecting the rich and who schratched their backs.. I can honestly say i’ve been sick to my stomach for the last two years watching Donahue lie about our finances, creating a panic in the Postal Service, crying to Issa about our pay and benefits and trying to abrogate our collective bargaining rights.. Why doesnt OBAMA step in and stop this??????? Ladies and gentleman.. If Witt or Mitt Romney becomes President, every union in America will probably have their collective bargaining rights stripped or at least tried… Look at Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana, New Jersey, etc… Wake up America!!!! Republicans are not the working man/woman friends.. I don’t agree 100% with democrats but at least their somewhat in touch with the average American… VOTE for DEMOCRATS across the BOARD!!!!
P.S… Sen. McCAIN… We should’ve let your ass die in Vietnam!!!! You’re a POW and you support ISSA’s bill 2309.. Do you know how many veterans work for the Postal Service???? Over 25,000… As a veteran, you make me SICK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The best way the postal service could save is for donahoe and all his management cronies to resign !
just shut up and do as your told sheeple. p master donohoe knows whats best for you.
Why don’t these Senators call on the Republican Postal workers to quit? Between them gone and natural attrition.The postal service could be profitable and not at risk for a taxpayer bailout. Republican postal workers need to stop being hypocrites and join the private sector. Smaller government is their core value.
All three of these Republican Morons support the ISSA/ROSS Bill.
They want to destroy the place and hand it over to the Private Sector.
The McCain Amendment to S.1789 was actually a proposal to SWAP OUT
the Lieberman Bill for THE ISSA/ROSS Bill.
These three CLOWNS and their associates DESPISE LABOR AND GOVERNMENT AGENCIES….they want to eliminate as many GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES along with benefits, as they can.
It’s about time!
What are the 3 stooges?
are they for real? are we supposed to laugh now?
Why don’t you 3 home wreckers put prayer back in school, do something
for America for a change. Your strong suggestions are nothing more than bad breath. You 3 amigos stink, and stink bad.
god help the human race
All 3 Senator and Donut hoe need French hair cuts.