e-Team Report, Aug. 19, 2011
Is a Postal Service Shutdown Less Than a Year Away if Legislative Changes Are Not Made?
In fiscal year 2011 the Postal Service is now forecasting a loss of about $9 billion dollars. Without Congressional intervention the Postal Service is now also forecasting a Postal Service shut down in July of 2012 and possibly earlier. The Blog “Courier, Express, and Postal Observer” is writing about both the Postal Service’s losses and the possibility of a shut down. To read the Blog post, please click here.
The Federal Times this week has also written about the possibility of the Postal Service’s insolvency if no Congressional action is taken soon. To read the article in the Federal times please click here.
A Countless number of articles both this week and last week have highlighted the Postal Service’s request to congress to allow it to break union contracts and layoff over 120,000 USPS employees, pull out USPS employees from federal retirement and health benefits, and a move to five day delivery of mail. To read the Slate’s article this week please click here.
To watch President Guffey’s interview with the Washington Post in which he addresses the USPS’s proposed cuts please click here.
Also, this week Postmaster Donahoe sat down in an interview with Bloomberg news to talk about cutting 220,000 jobs and ending Saturday delivery. To watch the interview click here.
When Congress comes back into session right after Labor Day both Houses of Congress are going to be looking at revamping the Postal Service and/or fixing billions in FERS and CSRS overpayments which have been made by the Postal Service. Many bills have already been introduced in both Houses of Congress taking aim at overhauling the Postal Service while others look to allow access to billions in overpayments made by the Postal Service into both FERS and CSRS retirement funds. Multiple legislators have polarizing views as to how to fix the Postal Service and the USPS’s financial problems.
The APWU is asking our members to reach out and urge their member of Congress to cosponsor and support Congressman Lynch’s H.R. 1351, which will let the USPS use billions of dollars in CSRS and FERS overpayments to meet its financial obligations. Unlike, other bills that address the pension overpayments, H.R. 1351 will not attack the rights of workers to collectively bargain. Also, tell your member of Congress to oppose Congressman Issa’s H.R. 2309. Rep. Darrell Issa’s H.R. 2309 does not correct the massive USPS overpayments to its CSRS and FERS pension accounts. Congressman Issa’s bill will wage an attack on current negotiated wages, benefits, and protection against layoffs of postal workers.
What can you do to help? Contact your member of Congress today! You can reach your member of Congress by calling the Capitol Hill switchboard today at (202) 224-3121 or to find your member of congress click here. If you have not already sent a quick message to your member of congress asking them to cosponsor H.R. 1351 and oppose H.R. 2309 take action today by clicking both of the links below.
The Positive Influence of the Postal Service over the Years
While many articles in the past few weeks have decided to highlight the Postal Service’s problems some articles decided to talk about how the USPS has provided strong middle class jobs for generations of workers and others speak to the “Stake” our country has in the Postal Service. To read the Washington Post’s article about the Postal Service being a “gateway to the middle class” please click here. This week The Atlantic wrote about “Why We All Have a Stake in the U.S. Postal Service”. To read The Atlantic’s article please click here.
State-by-State Voter I.D. Law Look-Up Texas Hurting Veterans' Ability to Vote
With all of the sweeping proposals in state legislatures across our country to restrict the ability, timeline and accessibility for registered voters to cast their ballot in an election taking place it has been hard for the average voter to know exactly what they need to bring with them in order to vote. The National Conference of State Legislatures has put together an online state by state resource guide to new voting laws. To find your state’s Voter Identification Requirements please click here.
An informed voter is a powerful voter! Know your rights!
Presidential hopeful and current Texas Governor Rick Perry has signed a bill into law that will not allow veterans to use their government issued ID card from the Department of Veterans Affairs as a valid ID to vote in Texas.