APWU Supported Legislation
Learn more about the issues! Use the guide below to learn more about the specific bills that APWU supports and opposes. Contact your elected representatives to let them know where you stand!
H.R. 2382 & S.2965 – USPS Fairness Act
The burdensome prefunding of retirement healthcare benefits is the cause of 92% of the United States Postal Service’s net financial losses since 2007. S. 2965, like its counterpart, H.R. 2382 which recently passed the House, fully repeals the prefunding mandate and returns USPS to a pay-as-you-go method for funding retirement healthcare. The Pay-as-you-go method will grant USPS the financial flexibility they need to innovate, and is the same funding method every other government agency and private sector company uses to fund their retirement benefits.
H.Res. 33 & S.Res. 99 – Protect the Postal Service from Privatization
Calls for the House of Representatives to take every measure available to ensure the United States Postal Service remains independent, and will not be subject to privatization. Privatization would accomplish nothing but increases in postal rates, and reductions of services, especially to those living in suburban and rural areas. Privatization would also jeopardize postal jobs, undermining the Postal Service’s ability to complete its constitutionally mandated mission and goals.
H.Res. 60 – Restore Service Standards
Calls for USPS to restore 2012 mail service standards. Prompt and reliable nationwide mail service is critical to retaining business, growing business and satisfying customers. Delayed mail will continue to drive business away from USPS and to its competitors. Requiring the mail to be transported further distances, USPS’s mail slowdown plan has increased costs and actually lost the agency money.
H.Res. 54 – Protect Six-Day Delivery
The Postal Service is delivering in some places 7-days a week now and is offering same-day delivery through partnerships. Eliminating Saturday delivery is counterproductive to the thriving e-commerce business the Postal Service is part of. Eliminating Saturday delivery will drive business and revenue away. USPS provides affordable last-mile delivery for UPS, FedEx and Amazon to every delivery point in the country, partnerships that have been extremely successful. Without Saturday delivery these companies will find alternate, more expensive means of delivery.
H.Res. 23 – Protect Door Delivery
Converting existing door-delivery to centralized delivery points is wildly unpopular among small business and residential delivery customers. The USPS’ brand is its best asset, that brand is trusted by the American people at their door and inside their businesses, not at a neighborhood cluster box. Revenue is generated everyday by Letter Carriers who connect with business owners and other customers at the door.
H.R. 2517 – USPS Shipping Equity Act
Under this bipartisan legislation, the prohibition of the Postal Service shipping alcohol would be fully removed. As the Postal Service looks for innovation and how to diversify provided services, the delivery of wine, beer, and spirits is an obvious solution that would bring in millions of dollars.
H.R. 2478 – Federal Retirement Fairness Act
The legislation would allow postal and federal workers who started their careers as temporary employees to make additional contributions to their retirement benefits, to obtain credit for their years of service before becoming full-time employees.
H.R. 141 & S. 521 – Social Security Fairness Act
Repeals the Government Pension Offset and Windfall Elimination Provisions. The Government Pension Offset (GPO) reduces Social Security benefits to spouses or widows by two-thirds if they are currently receiving a retirement or disability pension based on prior employment, during which they did not pay into Social Security.
H.R. 1170 & S. 478 – Social Security Expansion Act
Extends the solvency of Social Security by lifting the earnings cap on Social Security taxes and by combining the Disability Insurance Trust Fund with the Old Age and Survivors Trust Fund. Increases benefits by $1,300 a year for low-income workers and calculates COLA increases by using the Consumer Price Index for the elderly.
H.R. 92 & S. 26 – Vote By Mail Act
APWU believes that voting in every election should be as convenient, fair, and secure as possible. The Vote By Mail Act requires every state to provide registered voters the opportunity to vote by mail. By utilizing America’s most trusted government agency, voting by mail can reduce election-related expenses and provide much needed relief to thinly stretched state and local budgets. Voting by Mail encourages working people to exercise the most fundamental right of every citizen and is proven to increase voter participation.
H.R. 7 & S. 270 – Paycheck Fairness Act
Addressing the wage gap, the legislation in the House and Senate would strengthen the Equal Pay Act of 1963, and allows women to challenge pay discrimination. It would also require employers to prove pay disparities exist due to skill level and merit, not gender, while also limiting the influence of current salary on future salary.
H.R. 582 & S. 150 – Raise the Wage Act
Despite a growing economy and decreased unemployment, the average American’s wage has become stagnant. Adding to this problem, the federal minimum wage, $7.25 an hour, has not increased in ten years, and does not meet the rate of inflation. Legislation in both the House and Senate call to gradually raise the federal minimum wage to $15.00 an hour by 2025. This modest increase would boost the country’s economic activity and increase low wage earners’ buying powers.
H.R. 1384 & S.1129 – Medicare for All Act
70 million Americans are either uninsured or cannot afford medical co-pays and deductibles. This legislation would improve and expand the current Medicare program, ensuring everyone has access to comprehensive benefits. By calling for a move to a single-payer model, patients would see a reduction on the cost of services as well as better explanation of how providers budget health care expenses.