e-Team Report, April 26, 2013

Postal Service Protection Act Gains Support in Congress

The Postal Service Protection Act, introduced by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Rep. DeFazio (D-OR) as S. 316 in the Senate and H.R. 630 in the House, continues to gain co-sponsors. This comprehensive postal reform bill embodies the principles the APWU has identified as essential to the long-term health of the USPS. As of April 26th, the bill is up to 20 co-sponsors in the Senate and 127 co-sponsors in the House.

The legislation would “go a long way toward solving the Postal Service’s financial crisis,” said APWU President Cliff Guffey. “It would make many of the planned cutbacks in service unnecessary; give postal employees a greater sense of security, and give the American people a Postal Service they can count on for the future,” he added.

Guffey is calling on union members to continue reaching out to lawmakers who have not yet signaled their support for the legislation.

As key lawmakers in both chambers are said to be close to reaching a bipartisan agreement on postal reform, APWU Legislative and Political Director Myke Reid adds, “additional support for the Postal Service Protection Act can help convince lawmakers that Congress must act soon to pass a responsible bill that will improve service, protect postal workers, and strengthen the Postal Service in the digital age.”

For more on the Postal Service Protection Act and how to contact your members of Congress, please click here.

Are your senators signed on as co-sponsors? To check, please click here.

To check if your representative is a co-sponsor, please click here.

Sign the Petition to Save the Postal Service

In addition to contacting our members of Congress in support of the Postal Service Protection Act, we can also petition the White House in support of the bill.

The APWU is asking union members and supporters to sign an online petition urging the White House to Save the Postal Service and Save American Jobs by supporting the Postal Service Protection Act (H.R. 630 in the House / S. 316 in the Senate).

The We the People petition, which was posted by Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR), must garner 100,000 signers by May 24 to generate a response from the White House.

“So sign the petition!” said Legislative and Political Director Myke Reid. “Please post it on your Facebook page and share it on any social media you participate in,” he said.

To sign the petition, please click here.

For more on the petition, please click here.

Obama Announces Nominee for USPS Board of Governors

On Tuesday, President Obama announced his intent to nominate D. Michael Bennett as a Postal Service Board of Governors (BoG) member. BoG members are charged with representing the interest of the public when exercising control over postal expenditures and in policy setting. Currently, only six of the nine Board of Governors seats are filled. Bennett’s nomination requires confirmation with the advice and consent of the Senate. If confirmed Bennett will replace Thurgood Marshall, Jr. whose term has expired.

For more about Obama’s announcement for USPS Board of Governors nominee, please click here.

Sen. Carper Expresses Hope for Postal Legislation on Obama’s Desk by July 4th

This week, Senator Tom Carper (D-DE), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security, expressed confidence in having postal reform legislation on President Obama’s desk as early as the July 4th recess. By using last year’s Senate bill, S. 1789, as a framework for new postal legislation, Carper indicated such a speedy timetable for passing postal reform was achievable. Parts of S. 1789 Carper expects to be included in the Senate postal bill are, among others, a provision that would restructure the onerous pre-funding mandate to lengthen the payment timetable; and a requirement that would call for a refund of USPS overpayments to FERS.

Carper also indicated that his discussions with Chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) and Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD), the Committee’s Ranking Member, demonstrated progress, placing much needed postal legislation on the horizon.

For more on Sen. Carper’s push for postal legislation by the summer, please click here.

Email Pioneer Says the United States Postal Service Must Survive

How might you imagine one of the people responsible for the widespread use of email would view the U.S. Postal Service? Google VP and Chief Internet Evangelist Vint Cerf, a man hailed as one of the “Fathers of the Internet,” stated this week that the Postal Service is fundamental to our democratic society and that “it’s a national infrastructure like schools, public roads, water supply, electricity, and telecommunications.”

So what does Cerf, one of the earliest developers of email, see as the root of the Postal Service’s current financial troubles? As he stated this week, the agency’s money woes are the fault of a Congress that had “set them up as a quasi-private sector business and then tied their arms behind their backs.” He remains optimistic about the future of the Postal Service, especially considering new and creative products and services available to the Postal Service.

To read more about Vint Cerf and his views on the Postal Service, please click here.