From the National Association of Postal Supervisors:
The Postal Service’s announcement last Thursday regarding its modified, two-phase plan to consolidate its mail processing network, coupled with its May 9 POStPlan to keep rural post offices open (but with limited operating hours), is likely to move the House of Representatives closer to bringing postal legislation to the floor some time in June. Until now, House Republican leaders have been unable to find enough votes within their own party to assure passage of the controversial Issa-Ross postal legislation, H.R. 2309.
Closures of post offices and mail processing plants are radioactive issues for Washington lawmakers in an election year, with thousands of jobs and significant local interests in jeopardy. But the Postal Service’s recent announcements, significantly downsizing its original plans, have softened the breadth and negative political impact of closures. Far less facilities will be immediately closed than the Postal Service originally announced. Many lawmakers, particularly Republicans with rural districts, are breathing a sigh of relief that their post offices will remain open, albeit with reduced operating hours. Significant numbers of House Members and Senators are similarly relieved that mail processing plants in their districts and states are not among the 40 mail processing plants that will be closed between now and early next year, or the additional 89 to come next year, after the November election.
These events are likely to give Republican House leaders enough confidence to bring a modified version of the Issa-Ross postal legislation, H.R. 2309, to the floor next month. How much the Issa-Ross measure will be modified still remains uncertain. If the House acts and approves a postal measure next month, House and Senate negotiators potentially could iron out the differences between their bills over the summer, opening the way for Congressional approval of a final postal reform measure by early October, before the start of the election recess. A lot of very troubling questions yet remain, however.
The Issa-Ross bill and the Senate-approved measure are dramatically different in their fundamental views of the Postal Service itself and what is necessary to put the troubled enterprise back on its feet. Finding compromise could be especially difficult for House and Senate conferees, especially in the ramp-up to the November elections, when a failing government institution like the Postal Service could become a popular target for many Republicans.
In the meantime, the clock toward financial armageddon for the Postal Service continues to tick. Without Congressional intervention, the Postal Service will be unable to make the twin $5.5 billion retiree health prefunding payments for 2011 and 2012 that are due in early August and late September. Even worse, the Postal Service may run out of cash and find itself unable to meet its payroll by later this fall.
It is critical that the House of Representatives act immediately and pass sensible postal reform legislation. NAPS supports the Senate-approved bill and is urging its members to contact their House lawmakers to ask them to support the Senate bill. SEND THAT MESSAGE TO YOUR HOUSE LAWMAKER TODAY BY CLICKING HERE.
if we are losing 25 million a day,how can we wait 2 years to stop saturday and close the last of the processing centers, and what can congrees do if we stop the pre-funding,sounds like a lot of bullshit,they keep telling us things are so bad,but because of ot ,my check gets bigger each and every week,my postmaster told me today be prepared to work 6 days a week from june thru sept,let the good times roll.
Wingman has it right & I am a 6th generation Rep, not anymore. Issa, Ross, &co. have to go and right now. I am lucky I can end a 37 yr. career and leave. God help the ones I have trained and helped thru out this career. If the Rep’s aren’t voted out, God help us all. Unfortunatley; even Postal workers have very short memories and always want “vote your guy out, leave mine.” Regan gave us WEP and Ross, Issa and Donahoue, and Potter gave us “death keel for the USPS”. Goodby and goodluck.
losing 30m a day.No plant closings. issue incentives for eas-craft. Especially impacted employees. offer 20k-25k and you will reduce the compliment by at least 75k.
mass postal…….LOL!
Turn Congress up side down, watch it all fall back
we lost another 25 mil today.
Since republicans are stalling on brining up a bill for postal reform that would save thousands of jobs even in thier own districts. I urge all citizens to remember this and vote democratic, so republicans can use thier time to ponder thier own careers.
No argument here, there’s plenty of blame to go around Phil Uranus.
Clicking on (ToThe Left) a uranus turned inside out view of the divide and conquer Dont Tread On Me far right ideology tea party getting skinned in 4 simple steps.
We found grannys secert
im going to start taking drugs
reading this PR will be a better trip
What a bunch of dimwitted Demoncrats here. Blaming the entire congress would be more reasonable since the Demoncrats had plenty of opportunities to fix this when they controlled the entire congress for 2 years. I would say you have short memories but that would imply having a brain.
losing 25 million a day —- and the beat goes on and the beat goes on.
Give it to the republicans to coin “Snail Mail”. It would take a week to buy a book of stamps considering that the working class won’t be able to buy the stamps due to limited window hours. Once you finally get a stamp, it would take a week to get there. From over abundance of mail in the crippling mail processing centers.
Issa will dig in his heels if his own ass isn’t on the line this November, and from what I understand his district is full of rich bastards who hate the middle class as much as Issa does. However, the other House bill that mirrors the Senate version could be adopted if enough Republicans stand up to Issa and pressure that asshole to allow reasonable legislation to pass. As it is, H.R. 2309 is dead, anyway.
My own Congressman, Steve Womack of Arkansas’ 3rd district, is just as far right as Issa is, and I can expect no mercy or consideration from him. He aligned himself with Michelle Bachmann and other crazy right wing evangelical loons as soon as he was sworn in.
I agree that a Republican majority will be the death knell for the middle class. They have totally lost touch with reality and let their greed blind them. What they don’t want to understand is that wiping out unions and the middle class will mean big business will fail even more, banks will collapse and they could end up at a soup kitchen, too. I would hope even a stupid Republican voter would turn against his darling party if things got bad enough, but there will always be those who are too dumb know where the blame lies. Stupidity is a very dangerous tool in the hands of slime balls like the GOP who know how to take advantage of their idiot constituency.
ho more slaverry – you are so correct If the banana Republicans take control again, that will be the end of the middle class. Welcome banana republic and and our ruling class oligarchy.
gonna be a bunch of smoke and mirrors, congress will pass the buck, until after the elections. If the facist Republicans win in November, god help the middle class, unions, and lower income america. There will be a slash and burn mentality by the Republican party that will make the US a truely draconian horrible place to live for the have nots, economic slavery, and unequal rights will rule for decades.
If the VER is not across the board, be a wave of Sick leave, maybe a riot , a lot of anger building up, would not want to be a PM nor any EA-ASS, not a good scenario arising!
VER or ?
Come on Man! Tell us something we don’t know. I have a solution, lets set another date……like June 15, Then July 15th…….it’s all a bunch of Bull!