e-Team Report, Feb. 24, 2012
Service Standards Crucial to Saving USPS Jobs
This week, the Postal Service announced their plan to move forward with approving the consolidation of 223 mail processing plants after the moratorium expires on May 15th. Congressional intervention is needed to save the current mail processing network. The key to saving the Postal Service’s current network is maintaining the existing high level of service standards the public deserves.
The APWU is asking you to please reach out to your senators and ask them to support several amendments to the 21st Century Postal Service Act (S. 1789). To send your senators a quick message, click here.
After you send a message to your senators, make sure you also take a minute to call their offices and tell them to amend S. 1789.
You can reach your senators by calling the Capitol swithcboard at 202-224-3121
To read more on the APWU’s website about the Postal Service’s plans for consolidation, along with more information about S. 1789, please click here .
H.R. 3813 Update
Postal and federal workers’ retirement benefits are still under attack. A piece of legislation, H.R. 3813, would increase the required contribution rate paid by postal and federal employees in both the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) and the Federal Employees’ Retirement System (FERS) for their retirement. Beginning in January 2013, the bill would raise workers’ retirement contribution rates by 1.5 percent of salary, phased in over three years (0.5 percent per year). Under current law, most CSRS employees contribute 7 percent of their salary towards retirement and most FERS employees contribute 0.8 percent. The proposed rate increase would apply to all employees with 5 or more years of federal service as of January 1, 2013.
Employees with less than five years of service would face an increase of 3.2 percent. (Employees in the Federal Employee Retirement System [FERS] currently pay 0.8 percent of salary into the pension fund. Employees enrolled in the Civil Service Retirement System [CSRS] currently pay 7 percent to their retirement system.)
It also would reduce pensions for employees with less than five years of service by calculating annuities based on the average of employees’ high-five salary years instead of their high-three years, which is the current method. In addition, their pensions would be calculated at a lower rate of 0.7 percent per year, down from 1 percent.
Under current law, certain FERS employees who retire before the age of 62 receive a supplement to their annuity that is intended to equal what they would receive from the Social Security Administration if they were eligible for Social Security benefits at the time of retirement. The supplement ends when the retiree turns 62 or becomes eligible to receive actual Social Security benefits. H.R. 3813 would eliminate that supplement for most postal and federal employees who retire after December 31, 2012.
After H.R. 3813 was reported from committee, the House Rules Committee merged the bill with H.R. 7, the American Energy and infrastructure Jobs Act of 2012. Both bills contain these troubling attacks on postal and federal workers retirements.
Click here to take action and send a quick message to your representative. Tell them to vote no on H.R. 7 and oppose H.R. 3813!
After you send a message to your representative, make sure you also take a minute to call their office and tell them to vote no on H.R. 7 and oppose H.R. 3813!
You can reach your member of Congress by calling the Capitol Hill switchboard at (202) 224-3121.
To find your representative, please click here.
Romney Blasts “Labor Stooges”
Mitt Romney has come out against labor once again. He publicly demonized the Employee Free Choice Act, labor leaders, and President Obama. Furthermore, Romney has criticized the successful bailout of the auto industry that saved thousands of U.S. jobs in many states.
To read the story in the Washington Post, click here.