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Union Praises House Bill
To Restore USPS Financial Stability
(07/19/10) The APWU is praising a bill introduced by Rep. Stephen F. Lynch (D-MA), which is designed to restore financial stability to the Postal Service. The legislation (H.R. 5746) would modify the formula for funding the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS), and would rectify overpayments to the CSRS by the Postal Service ranging from $50 billion to $75 billion.
“I urge APWU members to contact their U.S. representatives immediately and ask them to co-sponsor this important legislation,” said union President William Burrus. [read more]
Supporting Saturday Service
(This article was first published in the July/August 2010 issue of The American Postal Worker magazine.)
A resolution to continue six-day delivery introduced in the House in February 2009 got little attention — until earlier this year, when the Postal Service began an aggressive campaign to eliminate Saturday service.
By mid-June, more than 220 U.S. Representatives had signed on as cosponsors of House Res. 173, which urges the USPS to “take all appropriate measures to ensure the continuation of its six-day mail delivery service.” The resolution was introduced by Rep. Sam Graves (MO-6) in February 2009, and took on new importance as the USPS launched a coordinated crusade to abolish Saturday delivery.
Although H. Res. 173 is a “sense of the House resolution” and does not create a new law, it sends a strong message that lawmakers support six-day delivery.
The APWU is asking House members to co-sponsor the measure, and we are encouraging locals to assist in these efforts. We urge members to contact their U.S. Representatives: If they have not yet signed on, please ask them to do so. If they are co-sponsors, thank them for their support. We also are working to have a similar resolution introduced in the U.S. Senate.
PRC Field Hearings
The Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) held a series of public hearings around the country to gather input on the USPS initiative to eliminate Saturday delivery. The seven hearings began in Las Vegas on May 10 and concluded on June 28 in Buffalo, NY. Hearings also were held in Sacramento, Dallas, Memphis, Chicago, and Rapid City (SD).
Testifying at two of these hearings, union officers Mike Morris, Clerk Craft Assistant Director, and Omar Gonzalez, Western Region Coordinator, asserted that eliminating Saturday delivery would hurt service and damage the viability of the Postal Service. They urged the PRC to consider other options, such as ending the USPS obligation to pre-fund future retiree healthcare liabilities. The union witnesses also challenged the Postal Service’s outlandish projection that it would incur a budget deficit of $238 billion by 2020.
For more information about the union’s efforts, click here.
President’s Deficit Commission
Members of a commission formed by President Barack Obama have their work cut out for them. The commission, appointed in February, will study the deficit and make recommendations about how to balance the budget. President Obama and many others see the growing deficit as a serious threat to the country’s economic future, and spending cuts and taxes will likely dominate the discussions.
The commission has been instructed to issue a report on their findings and recommendations, which must be approved by at least 14 members, no later than Dec. 1, 2010.
The commission is co-chaired by Erskine Bowles, former Chief of Staff of President Bill Clinton, and former Senator Alan Simpson (R-WY). Members include Senators Mike Crapo (R-ID), Dick Durbin (D-IL),Max Baucus (D-MT), Kent Conrad (D-ND), Judd Gregg (R-NH), Tom Coburn (R-OK); House members Xavier Becerra (D-CA), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Dave Camp (R-MI), John Spratt (DSC), Jeb Hensarling (R-TX), and Paul Ryan (R-WI).
Other members include Andy Stern, former president of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), and members of the business community.
The APWU will be keeping a close eye on the commission’s report, and we will be ready to respond to any recommendations that would have a negative effect on our members’ healthcare or retirement benefits.
President Obama has already announced a three-year freeze on discretionary federal spending, but has stated that Medicaid, Social Security, national security and veterans’ benefits will not be affected.
Healthcare for Young Adults
Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D–MD) and Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD) have introduced legislation (H.R. 5200 and S. 3341) that would enable the children of postal and federal workers enrolled in the Federal Employees Health Benefit Program to retain health insurance coverage up to age 26 beginning this year. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, adopted earlier this year, extends coverage to children until their 26th birthday, but this provision will not take effect until January 2011.
Currently, dependents are covered only until age 22. The legislation, if passed, would give the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) the authority to implement the change immediately.
Co-sponsoring the House bill were Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Rep. Kathy Dahlkemper (D-PA), and Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA). The legislation has been referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
