e-Team Report, July 29, 2011
Oppose H.R. 2309 Send a Message to Your Member Of the U.S. House of Representatives Today!
To send a quick message asking to your member of the U.S. House of Representatives to Oppose H.R. 2309 today please click here.
If passed, H.R. 2309 would lead to the end of the Postal Service as we know it, and it would have a devastating impact on the American economy.
Rep. Darrell Issa’s H.R. 2309 does not correct the massive USPS overpayments to its CSRS and FERS pension accounts. Issa’s bill will wage an attack on current negotiated wages, benefits, and protection against layoffs of postal workers. Some members of congress have already stated on the record that they believe postal workers currently receive a wage premium over the private sector to the tune of about 34%. This bill will set up a system to empower an unelected board to unilaterally cut all of our current negotiated pay, benefits, along with protection against layoffs. This bill will also target at least a billion dollars worth of post office closures each year in the next few years.
This week in the Washington Post’s editorial section it was suggested that Congressman Issa’s H.R. 2309 is the only option for correcting the Postal Service’s Problems. To read the editorial in the post please click here.
Also, this week The Atlantic suggested 5 ways to “Save to Postal Service.” One of the five savings they cited was changing our collective bargaining rights through the passage of Congressman Issa’s H.R. 2309. They go on to say that this will open the door for the USPS to pay its employees less than either FedEx or UPS currently pay their employees. To read the suggestions from The Atlantic please click here.
Please take action today! One minute is all you need send your members of Congress a quick message urging them to oppose Issa’s H. R. 2309 by clicking here!
Some States Halt Moving Forward with Voter ID Legislation While Other States Prepare to Change and Educate Public about New Laws
Multiple states sustained a victory this week in their battle against attempts to pass laws requiring voter to show a photo ID before they are allowed to vote.
In North Carolina Republican leaders at the state house failed to garner enough support to override Gov. Perdue’s veto of the States proposed voter ID bill. To read more about this victory in North Carolina please click here.
In Ohio this week the attempts to pass a Voter ID bill came to a halt. This bill grounded to a halt due continued Democratic opposition along with to lack of support of some of the Republican leadership at the State level. To read more about Ohio’s Voter ID bill failing please click here.
In Tennessee voters need to be informed and educated about the new voter ID law. To read more about some of the restrictions, to find out where you can obtain a photo ID in your community or to see what might already work as ID please click here.
The Milwaukee Courier aims to inform voters in Wisconsin about their state’s new law. To find out more please click here.
OPM Speaks Out at Hearing In Opposition to Legislation That would Force Injured Workers to Retire
This week at a Senate Hearing OPM Deputy Director Griffin stressed that this legislation would lower many workers injured on the job into poverty. The bill, S.261 would force federal and postal workers who receive workers compensation benefits into retirement once they reach the appropriate retirement age. To read more please click here.
Republican House Committee Looks To Sneak by H.R. 2587 Aimed at Hurting Rights of Workers
Recently, with less than 48 hours left before the House Committee on Education and The Workforce was to meet Republicans lead an attack against the National Labor Relation Board (NLRB) in the form of H.R. 2587. This piece of Legislation would make it easier to ship jobs overseas, would make it easier for an employer to fire a worker trying to organize and would result in lower wages and benefits for workers due to making organizing a workplace more difficult.