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Roscoe Woods
  President

Steve Wood
  Executive V.P.

Gary Thomas
  Vice President

Kevin Osak
  Clerk Craft Director

Joe Wrobel
  Motor Vehicle Craft Director

Ed Gibbs
  Maintenance Craft Director

Joe Gordon
  Secretary-Treasurer

Paul Felton
  Editor

John P. Smeekens
  Veterans Director

Lucy Morton
  OWCP Director

Flo Morris
  Human Relations Director

Tracey Kolossa
  Legislative Director

Welcome to the 480-481 Area Local Website

This website is primarily intended for you, the member to get information and to learn more about your Union and the labor world around you. Any suggestions you have for added features are welcome, just drop us a line or give us a call.

This web site is also designed to provide the Stewards of our local with certain resources they can use to better represent our membership.

Your web site will be updated frequently so you can find more timely information than can be found in our monthly newsletter.

You can contact any Local Officer by clicking on the link on their web page. You can find links to a wealth of resources regarding your postal employment, the labor movement, veterans’ issues, and pending legislation.

Consider this your one stop shop for the labor organization that works for you! Welcome to your web site and please visit it frequently.

In Solidarity,

Your Executive Board

Hey Activists -

Below my comments is the latest update from APWU HQ regarding the current state of postal legislation. If you were following along you noticed that we took somewhat of a beating where some very solid and supportive amendments were concerned.

All and all I am comfortable with President Guffey’s assessment and I encourage you all to stay vigilant.

Tuesday May 1st, 2012 Brother Joe Wrobel, me and Veterans Director John Smeekens will be meeting with Michigan’s 10th District Representative Candace Miller. She has yet to co-sign any of the house bills the APWU is supporting.

Your local leadership will meet with her and encourage her to take a departure from typical partisan politics and be brave in her support of Veterans and those hard working men and women who work for the USPS in her district - by last count - over 290 of you.

In Closing - I say you did well - Senators Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow made us proud, you called and they responded by voting on the right side of every issue important to the APWU - I encourage you all to call them locally and thank them for their efforts.

Please read President Guffey’s update below and I will report on our meeting with Rep. Miller soon.

Senate Approves Postal Bill, Action Now Moves to House
APWU News Bulletin 12-2012, April 27, 2012
PDF | View on APWU Website

The Senate passed an amended version of the 21st Century Postal Service Act (S. 1789) on April 25, and legislative action on postal reform will now move to the House of Representatives.

“Although the bill is flawed, the amended version is far better than the original,” said APWU President Cliff Guffey. “That is a result of the tremendous effort of APWU members, postal customers, and elected officials who appreciate the importance of the Postal Service to American life. Thank you for your hard work,” he said.

“With the moratorium on the closure of mail processing plants and post offices set to expire on May 15, we must now turn our attention to the House. We expect to face very tough challenges there,” Guffey said. “But we will do everything we can to get a good bill. We call on our members, small businesses, individual customers, and lawmakers to re-double our efforts to Save America’s Postal Service.”

“House leaders have not yet given any indication of how they plan to proceed,” said Myke Reid, APWU Legislative and Political director.

The House could consider H.R. 2309, a bill sponsored by Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) and Rep. Dennis Ross (R-FL), which would destroy the Postal Service. More than half of the members of the House are co-sponsors of another bill, H.R. 1351, which postal unions support, but Rep. Issa, the chairman of the House committee with jurisdiction over the Postal Service, has refused to allow it to come up for a vote. The House also could consider the Senate bill.

A Mixed Bag
“The Senate bill is a mixed bag,” Guffey said. It would provide the USPS, which is facing imminent collapse, with short-term financial relief, by returning $11 billion in USPS overpayments to federal pension funds to the Postal Service. “Keep in mind,” Guffey said, “this is money paid by postal customers, workers and the Postal Service - not taxpayers.”

The legislation also would restructure USPS payments to pre-fund healthcare benefits for future retirees, spreading the payments over 40 years - instead of the current 10 - and reducing the funding mandate from 100 percent to 80 percent. No other government agency or private company is required to make such payments.

“These are positive steps,” Guffey said, “but they do not go far enough. As a result, the USPS will not have access to the capital it needs to meet the challenges of the future,” he said.

Closings, Consolidations
Another improvement, Guffey said, is that the 21st Century Postal Service Act would allow more community input in the decision-making process for closing or consolidating post offices and postal facilities. It also would give the Postal Regulatory Commission authority to reverse USPS decisions on these issues.

In addition, the bill would provide limited protection for service standards for a minimum of three years. “Although we sought stronger, longer safeguards, this is an improvement over the original bill, which did nothing to preserve service,” Guffey said. “Protecting service is essential to preserving the Postal Service - and postal jobs.”

But the legislation also would have devastating consequences for the thousands of postal and federal employees who were injured on the job and who receive compensation from the Office of Workers Compensation Program (OWCP), Guffey noted.

Among other provisions, the bill would authorize the Postal Service to offer retirement incentives. It also would allow the USPS to negotiate with postal unions to create a health plan separate from the Federal Employees Health Benefit Program.

The legislation also would require arbitrators to consider the financial condition of the Postal Service, along with other relevant factors.

For the latest news, visit www.apwu.org.

Official Newsbreak: 480 481 Area Local, APWU

On April 17 from 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm postal workers will have an informational picket in front of the Royal Oak Main Post Office at 200 W Second Street.

We will inform customers bringing in their tax returns that the Postal Service does not take one penny in tax dollars.

We will also inform them that the financial crisis facing USPS was caused by Congress, and that there is an imminent danger of plant closings, Post Office closings, and a wholesale degradation of service standards - all of which is unnecessary.

And we will ask customers to contact their Senators to save the quality of mail service they currently enjoy.

Any media outlet that is already planning to do a story on “Tax Day at the Post Office” would do well to come by the Royal Oak Post Office between 3:00 and 7:00 and we will add something to your story.

For more information contact:
Roscoe Woods, President
480-481 Area Local
American Postal Workers Union
248-543-3262

Senate Debate on Postal Bill Expected in Mid-April

From www.apwu.org Web News Article 024-2012, March 27, 2012

Slightly edited... By yours truly... Contact Information for each and every Representative is provided at the end of this update...

The Senate is now expected to consider a postal bill in mid-April, following a two-week congressional recess that begins Friday, APWU Legislative and Political Director Myke Reid reports. Senators were expected to begin debate this week, but discussion of a bill to repeal tax subsidies for oil and gas companies will probably take up most of the chamber’s time this week, he said.

The postal bill, S. 1789, is expected to be the Senate’s first order of business when lawmakers return to the Capitol on April 16.

The APWU has sharply criticized the legislation in its current form, saying that it will provide short-term relief but inflict long-term damage on the nation’s mail system. Numerous lawmakers, led by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), have been advocating changes to the bill that would address many of the union’s concerns. The bill is sponsored by Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT), Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE) and Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA).

The APWU is urging senators to support several amendments that would address the underlying cause of the Postal Service’s financial crisis and prevent devastating cuts in service and the elimination of tens of thousands of jobs.

It goes without saying that this Easter recess is a golden time to reach our Representatives at their home offices and try to get them to see things our way...

APWU President Cliff Guffey is calling on locals and state organizations to take advantage of the congressional recess to press the union’s case with legislators.

“The clock is ticking,” Guffey said. “We are approaching the end of the six-month moratorium on the closing and consolidation of mail processing plants and post offices, so it is crucial that our members impress upon their senators the importance of getting it right.” The moratorium, which is intended to give Congress time to address the Postal Service’s financial crisis without severe cutbacks in service and jobs, expires May 15. Postal managers have announced that they intend to begin implementing closures as soon as the moratorium expires, and to complete as many as possible by the end of August. (We have been told locally that on 5-19-12 the service standards will change.)

We are beginning negotiations locally (Monday April 2nd, 2012) to try and convince management to post as many decent bids as possible, that being said... It is in the best interest of all members of the 480 481 Area Local and the APWU as a whole that these Service Standard Changes NEVER happen - only Congress with your insistence can shut this down now...

“The union’s national officers have been working non-stop to get our message across to legislators,” Guffey continued. “We realize, however, that members of Congress are most receptive to input from voters in their districts. For that reason, it is essential that locals and state organizations reach out to their legislators during Congress’ Easter recess.”

The APWU is endorsing amendments to:

• Set strict service standards. (This is crucial, because the Postal Service is planning to degrade delivery standards in order to eliminate half of all mail processing facilities.)
• Allow the USPS to recover overpayments the Postal Service made to its retiree pension funds.
• Adequately address the requirement that forces the USPS to pre-fund future retiree health benefits. (This mandate is the primary cause of the agency’s financial crisis. No other government agency or private company bears this burden, which costs the USPS approximately $5.5 billion annually.)
• Establish new ways to generate revenue, such as providing notary services, issuing licenses, contracting with state and local agencies to provide services, and allowing the USPS to offer services that mail systems in many other countries provide, such as digital services.
• Prevent the closing of small post offices by giving the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) binding authority to prevent closures based on the effect on the community and employees.
• Protect six-day delivery.
• Eliminate the provision that would drastically reduce the compensation of workers who are injured on duty once they reach retirement age.
• Repeal the provision that would require arbitrators in postal contract negotiations to consider the financial health of the USPS. (Postal unions note that arbitrators routinely do so, and criticize the provision as an attempt to skew contract negotiations in favor of management.)

After you read this article point and click your way on over to the APWU web site http://www.apwu.org/index2.htm and click the link on the right that takes you to the http://capwiz.com/apwu/home/ it’s from here you can find all the contact information you need to reach out and talk to your representatives.

The service standards issue must be addressed when you talk to your representatives. If management is successful in degrading the standard of our service - such as turning overnight letters into 2-3 day letters it will signal the beginning of the end for this company and eventually all of our jobs could be at stake.

In Solidarity,
President Roscoe Woods

For the latest update on this year’s “Open Season” in the Maintenance craft please head on over to Director Gibbs’ page...

Now - the latest in the USPS attacks on your jobs and your installations...

Latest USPS Announcement on Consolidation
Raises More Questions than It Answers

From www.apwu.org Courtesy of the 480 481 Area Local...

APWU Web News Article 017-2012, March 8, 2012

The Postal Service’s announcement on March 7 [PDF] that it would suspend consolidation of mail processing and distribution centers during the “election mailing season” seems to have raised more questions than it answered. Lost in much of the reporting on the announcement is this pertinent quote from the USPS press release:

“Therefore, most closures or consolidations would have to take place starting after May 15, 2012, and be completed by August 31, 2012.”

It appears that the Postal Service intends to implement as many consolidations as possible between May 15 and Aug. 31; take a break, and resume consolidations early in 2013.

But the USPS refuses to provide any information about when it plans to close which facilities. The Postal Service announced plans to study approximately half of the nation’s mail processing facilities for consolidation in September. In December, in response to pressure from members of Congress, the USPS agreed to a moratorium until May 15, 2012.

In February, the postal officials approved the consolidation of 223 facilities, and notified the APWU that they plan to begin implementing the consolidations as soon as the moratorium ends.

And apparently, management intended to suspend consolidations in the fall all along. In a Feb. 23 posting on the USPS Web site, the Postal Service wrote, “We will not have any major facility moves during the peak mailing season.” [See the response to Question 12.]

States Complain

The March 7 announcement follows complaints from officials in several states that drastic cuts to the mail processing network could compromise elections that rely heavily on mail-in ballots. Some members of Congress asked for a delay in postal closings until after the November elections.

Last week, the Associated Press reported that officials in California and Arizona said that closing processing centers could delay the return of mail ballots beyond the deadline. Election officials in Ohio complained to the Postmaster General about the security of ballots sent to mail processing facilities across state lines. And in Oregon, whose residents vote by mail exclusively, the state registrar said voters in rural areas where post offices are scheduled to close would have nowhere to drop off ballots.

One in five voters cast ballots by mail in 2010, according the U.S. Election Assistance Commission.

“The Postal Service should be encouraging and supporting mail balloting,” APWU President Cliff Guffey said. “It represents an opportunity for growth.

“Instead, USPS consolidation plans could compromise elections in some states - in addition to jeopardizing the stability of the Postal Service itself,” he said.

Will It Help?

Will the suspension of consolidations during the “election mailing season” solve the problems reported by state election officials? That’s unclear.

Eleven primaries are scheduled between May 15 and the end of June, when consolidations would take place under the Postal Service’s current plan.

USPS Notifies Employees of Consolidations
APWU Continues to Oppose Plan To Slash Service, Jobs, Network
APWU News Bulletin 012-2012, February 12, 2012
View on APWU Website

As the Postal Service notifies employees whether their mail processing plants will be consolidated beginning in mid-May, the APWU is fighting back. The union is continuing to oppose USPS plans to slash service, eliminate 35,000 jobs, and destroy the mail distribution network.

In “stand-up talks” in offices all around the country on Feb. 22, postal managers informed employees about the future of their plants, but refused to tell the unions how many plants would be consolidated and which plants they are. The USPS says it will notify the unions and media on Feb. 23.

“APWU members have done an outstanding job of expressing our concerns to members of Congress and the media,” said APWU President Cliff Guffey. “We face an uphill battle, so it is crucial that union members continue to make their voices heard.”

APWU members have gotten the attention of elected officials at public meetings, where they joined with businesspeople and community residents to voice stiff opposition to the consolidation of mail processing facilities and to reductions in service. Locals have also organized rallies and petition drives and meetings with elected representatives. Many have also done outstanding work with the media. [Click here for more information on work with the media (members only)].

Service Standards Are Crucial

At the national level, the union has been working to win support for amendments to the 21 st Century Postal Service Act (S. 1789), which is expected to come up for a vote in the Senate soon.

Twenty-seven senators signed a letter to the authors of S. 1789 on Feb. 14, asking them to adopt amendments the APWU supports - to maintain current service standards, protect rural post offices, maintain six-day delivery, and establish a blue-ribbon panel to examine how the Postal Service can earn additional revenue by offering new services.

With the USPS preparing to identify the plants that are slated for consolidation, the amendment on service standards is especially important: The Postal Service cannot maintain current service standards if it implements massive consolidations. At a Feb. 13 meeting with the APWU, the USPS said it plans to eliminate 261 of 461 mail processing facilities by 2015.

“As the USPS prepares to announce which facilities it will close, it is critical that APWU members reach out to their senators and ask them to support the amendments,” Guffey said. (Click here to find out how).

S. 1789 is unacceptable in its current form because it fails to adequately address the cause of the Postal Service’s financial difficulties - a Congressionally-manufactured crisis resulting from mandates in the 2006 Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act (PAEA), the union says.

“As currently written, S. 1789 would leave the Postal Service starved for cash, and lead to the closure of hundreds of mail processing plants and thousands of post offices, the elimination of tens of thousands of postal jobs, and drastic reductions in service to the American people,” Guffey said. “The amendments offered by the 27 senators would prevent that.”

In addition to the amendments outlined in the senators’ letter, the APWU supports amendments that would adequately address the requirement that forces the USPS to pre-fund future retiree health benefits; allow the USPS to recover overpayments the Postal Service made to its retiree pension funds; give the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) binding authority to prevent post office closures based on the effect on the community and employees; eliminate the provision that would drastically reduce the compensation of workers who are injured on duty once they reach retirement age, and repeal the provision that would require arbitrators in postal contract negotiations to consider the financial health of the USPS.

They’re Not Waiting, We Can’t Wait

The timing of the announcement of closings is significant because the Postal Service is not waiting for the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) to issue an advisory opinion, which the USPS is required to seek whenever it proposes to implement changes that will impact service on a “substantially nationwide basis.” Postal officials posted a notice in the Federal Register in October announcing that the massive restructuring will force the USPS to degrade service standards - to eliminate overnight delivery for first-class mail and periodicals, change next-day delivery to two days, and extend two-day delivery to three days.

The USPS plans to publish the “final rule” in mid-April. The PRC is expected to issue its recommendations in August.

“If the Postal Service degrades service standards before postal reform is enacted, stopping massive consolidations will be that much more difficult,” Guffey said. “Congress must take action!”

Congress is in recess this week, but the union president is urging members to contact their senators immediately to urge them to support the amendments endorsed by the APWU.

APWU Warns Members:
Beware of Risks in USPS Campaign For Voluntary Transfers to Letter Carrier
APWU News Bulletin 01-2012, January 13, 2012
PDF | View on APWU Website

The APWU is warning union members of risks associated with a management campaign to encourage career Clerk, Maintenance and Motor Vehicle Craft employees to volunteer for reassignments to the Letter Carrier Craft.

In a letter dated Jan. 3 [PDF], management notified the union that it will mail a letter to all career employees in the three APWU-represented crafts (and employees in the Mail Handler Craft) touting the benefits of voluntary reassignments to the Letter Carrier Craft.

But there are disadvantages to the voluntary reassignments - which management is not divulging to employees.

Seniority:

When employees transfer voluntarily to another craft, they begin a new period of seniority.

Limits on Excessing:

The APWU negotiated strict limits on excessing during bargaining over the 2010-2015 Collective Bargaining Agreement [PDF]. As a result, employees in crafts represented by the APWU cannot be excessed beyond 50 miles.

Our brothers and sisters in the National Association of Letter Carriers are currently bargaining with the Postal Service over the terms of their contract, but, as of now, the USPS is not bound by these limits for employees in the Letter Carrier Craft.

Protection Against Layoffs:

The 2010-2015 Collective Bargaining Agreement between the APWU and the USPS includes a Memorandum of Understanding that grants protection against layoffs [PDF] to all regular workforce employees that were on the rolls as of Nov. 20, 2010. Our brothers and sisters in the Letter Carrier Craft do not currently enjoy this coverage; their protection against layoffs applies to Letter Carrier Craft employees who have accrued six years of “continuous service.”

The APWU asserts that once employees obtain protection against layoffs, they retain it. However, the USPS disagrees with the union’s position and contends that once employees transfer from a craft represented by the APWU to a craft represented by another union, they lose the protection against layoffs granted by the Memorandum of Understanding.

According to the Postal Service’s reasoning, employees with less than six years of continuous service who transfer to the Letter Carrier Craft could be subject to layoffs. The APWU has a pending national-level dispute [PDF] challenging management’s interpretation. However, until the dispute is resolved, employees who voluntarily transfer (or are involuntarily reassigned by management) may be in jeopardy.

The loss of seniority and the potential for excessing and layoffs are not abstractions, the union points out. The Postal Service is planning workforce changes with the goal of eliminating tens of thousands of Letter Carrier positions.

“Transferring to another craft is an important decision,” said APWU President Cliff Guffey. “I encourage union members to think long and hard before they make such a major change. And I urge employees to be aware of the risks as well as the benefits when management promotes the transfers as a great opportunity.”

Union Launches Petition Drive To Save America’s Postal Service
APWU News Bulletin 121-2011, October 28, 2011
View on APWU Website

President Guffey is asking APWU members to collect signatures on a petition [PDF] to Congress urging senators and representatives to oppose plans to close post offices, shutter mail processing facilities, and drastically degrade service to the American people.

Download Petition [PDF] Download Flyer [PDF]

In a letter [PDF] to state and local presidents dated Oct. 26, 2011, President Guffey wrote, “It is urgent that we bring as much political pressure as possible to bear against the Postal Service’s plans to dismantle its network of processing, distribution and retail facilities.”

In addition to the petition, the letter includes a flyer [PDF] with the message, “ Closing Post Offices & Mail Processing Centers and Cutting Service is Wrong.”

“No company can grow or even maintain its business by cutting its service. But that’s exactly what the Postal Service is proposing to do,” the flyer says.

In July, the USPS announced plans to close 3,700 post offices; in September, management announced plans to close 252 of approximately 460 mail processing centers.

In early October, the Postal Service posted a notice in the Federal Register announcing its intent to revise service commitments, eliminate overnight delivery of first-class mail and change two-day delivery to three days.

The proposed change in service standards acknowledges what the Postal Service has repeatedly denied: Slashing the mail processing network will result in drastic cuts in service to the American people.

“Reducing the scope and quality of service will not restore the Postal Service to health. It would likely drive mailers away and therefore worsen the Postal Service’s financial problems,” Guffey said.

“If every APWU member filled up one petition, we would have nearly two million signatures,” the letter notes.

The APWU is requesting that locals act at once to make this petition drive a success. Completed petitions should be sent by Nov. 14 to:

Save America’s Postal Service
American Postal Workers Union
1300 L Street NW
Washington DC 20005

The national union will make sure that House and Senate members receive petitions collected in their districts or states.

Congressman Gary Peters, Co-sponsor of HR 1351 attended our October Union meeting to address the bill and pledge his support of Postal Employees and our current struggles with Congress.

Please click on the link to see how to make comments in regards to the Postal Service’s proposal to relax service standards:

http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-09-21/pdf/2011-24149.pdf

480-481 Area Local Members, if you have not already please contact your legislators now! Proposed legislation will affect you if passed.

Make no mistake about it you and your Union are in the crosshairs.

If you choose to sit back and see what happens hoping that someone else will do it for you then you are gambling with your job, benefits and your family’s future.

Time to get up, stand up and speak up!
Save America’s Postal Service

House Panel Approves Postal ‘Destruction’ Bill
Amendment Prevents Bargaining to Limit Layoffs
Union Vows Fight to Save America’s Postal Service
APWU News Bulletin 24-2011, October 14, 2011
PDF | View on APWU Website

The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform approved an amended version of the Issa-Ross postal bill on Oct. 13 by a vote of 22-18. All but one Republican (Rep. Todd Platts of Pennsylvania) voted in favor of the bill; Democrats voted against it.

The APWU has denounced the bill, H.R. 2309, as a “reckless assault on postal services and postal employees.” The bill demands that the USPS implement $3 billion worth of cuts in post offices and mail processing facilities in a two-year period. It also would reduce “door delivery” by 75 percent.

In addition, the legislation would gut collective bargaining: An amendment adopted by the committee prohibits postal unions and the USPS from negotiating protection against layoffs.

Bill Guarantess Layoffs

The Postal Service announced in August that it wants to reduce the workforce by 220,000, and is seeking authority to lay off as many as 120,000, including tens of thousands of military veterans. H.R. 2309 would authorize layoffs; the wholesale elimination of post offices and mail processing facilities demanded by the legislation virtually guarantees that massive layoffs would take place.

The bill also would empower a new “solvency authority” to unilaterally cut wages and abolish benefits.

“This legislation would destroy the Postal Service as we know it,” President Cliff Guffey said. “It would lead to drastic cuts in service to the American people, and it would pave the way for privatization of this crucial public service.

“The bill violates fundamental principles of our nation: fairness, the right of workers to engage in free collective bargaining, and respect for seniority,” he said.

“The APWU will continue the fight to save America’s Postal Service,” Guffey said. “We will be joined by our brothers and sisters in the other postal unions, veterans, senior citizens, and communities that rely on a robust Postal Service.”

Other Amendments

In addition to the amendment that would prevent bargaining over layoffs, several other amendments were adopted: An amendment offered by Rep. Dennis Ross (R-FL) would remove postal employees from the federal injury compensation program and would require the USPS to develop a separate program for workers who are hurt on the job. It also would force disabled employees to retire as soon as they are eligible.

An amendment offered by Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) would permit the Postal Service to eliminate up to 12 delivery days per year rather than requiring an immediate abandonment of Saturday delivery. An amendment offered by Rep. Ann Marie Buerkle (R-NY) would limit to 10 percent the number of rural post office closures.

An amendment offered by Rep. Bruce Braley (D-IA) to evaluate the impact of layoffs on veterans was adopted. The amendment was introduced in response to an ad sponsored by postal union and VoteVets, a prominent veterans’ organization, decrying the layoffs of tens of thousands of veterans that H.R. 2309 would cause. The ad appeared in Washington publications that are widely read by lawmakers on Oct. 12 and 13.

“Two of the adopted amendments were clearly regressive,” said APWU Legislative and Political Director Myke Reid, referring to the prohibition on negotiating limits on layoffs and removing postal employees from the federal injury compensation program. “Some of the others may appear to improve the bill,” but they just “nibble around the edges” without changing its basic character, he said.

“If passed, H.R. 2309 would be a disaster for the USPS and for postal employees.” The bill must be passed by the full House and Senate and signed by President Obama before it can become law, he pointed out.

“H.R. 2309 fails to address the fundamental cause of the Postal Service’s financial difficulties,” Reid added. The bill does nothing to correct the requirement to pre-fund the healthcare benefits of future retirees, which forces the USPS to fund a 75-year liability in just 10 years, he said. No other government agency or private business is required to make these payments, which cost the Postal Service approximately $5.5 billion annually. The bill also fails to address billions of dollars in USPS overpayments to federal pension accounts, Reid noted.

GAO Report as a Backdrop

An Oct. 13 report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) that rejected the findings of the USPS Office of Inspector General (OIG) and the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) regarding USPS overpayments to the Civil Service Retirement System served as a backdrop to the deliberations. Two independent actuarial studies performed at the request of the OIG and PRC concluded that the USPS has overpaid $50 billion to $75 billion into the account, due to a faulty funding formula.

The OIG and PRC provided a vigorous rebuttal to the GAO report, and Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA) called it “terribly flawed.” Nonetheless, at the hearing, Rep. Buerkle and Rep. Pat Meehan (R-PA) cited the GAO findings and voiced reservations about their previous support for H.R. 1351, the bill postal unions are supporting.

The APWU issued a statement denouncing the GAO report, calling it “seriously flawed.”

“Fortunately, there are many in Congress who reject this discredited report and will continue to tell the truth about the need for reform and fairness on this issue,” the union said.

“The report was clearly designed to undermine support for H.R. 1351,” Reid said, “so APWU members will have to make sure members of Congress remain steadfast in their support for this important legislation.”

H.R. 1351 would help provide the Postal Service financial stability by allowing the Postal Service to apply the pension overpayments to the pre-funding obligation. It would provide the USPS with financial stability it needs to modernize and adapt to changes in communication.

The bill, introduced by Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA), has 226 co-sponsors – including 29 Republicans. The number of co-sponsors is significant because it represents a majority of the members of the House of Representatives; nonetheless, Rep. Issa has refused to allow it to come up for a vote.

“I am deeply disappointed that Rep. Issa would thwart the will of the majority and prevent Congress from debating a bill that has wide bipartisan support,” Guffey said. “But he will not be able to stop the American people for long!”

Cliff Guffey on C-SPAN:
Save America’s Postal Service

The Real Cause of the Postal Crisis:
Ed Breaks It Down On MSNBC

APWU Television Ad
This APWU TV ad will air on CNN, MSNBC and Fox.

Issa’s ‘Postal Destruction’ Bill Passes House Subcommittee
Bill Would Authorize Layoffs, Force Out Senior Employees First
Unions Keep Pressure On, Urge Members to Join Sept. 27 Rallies
APWU News Bulletin 22-2011, September 21, 2011
PDF | View on APWU Website

A bill that would destroy the Postal Service as we know it passed a House subcommittee on Sept. 21 by a vote of eight to five, along party lines. Republicans voted in favor of the bill; Democrats voted against it. The bill, H.R. 2309, was co-sponsored by Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and Rep. Dennis Ross (R-FL), chairman of the postal subcommittee.

Prior to the vote, Rep. Issa amended the bill, which he first introduced on June 23, to include numerous provisions that are even more controversial than those contained in the original version:

The amended version includes a provision to grant authority to a newly-established control board to carry out layoffs, in spite of any provisions in collective bargaining agreements that might limit them. In addition, it says that employees who are eligible for retirement must be laid off before employees who are ineligible, and dictates that retirement-eligible employees with the longest service must be separated first. The new language also forbids the payment of severance pay to retirement-eligible employees.

The new version of the bill continues provisions from the original that would empower a newly-created “solvency authority” to unilaterally cut wages and abolish benefits.

The amendment doubles – from $1 billion to $2 billion – the value of mail processing facility closures mandated by the bill, and it continues the provision found in the original version which requires $1 billion worth of post office closures. The new version also includes many changes to mail delivery, such as a requirement to reduce “door delivery” by 75 percent within two years.

In addition, the amendment includes several changes that would negatively affect workers who are injured on duty, including one that would cut the monthly compensation of totally disabled employees from 66.66 percent to 50 percent, once they meet the age and service requirements for retirement.

Democrats on the subcommittee argued strenuously against the bill and offered several amendments of their own; all of them were defeated by the Republican majority.

APWU President Cliff Guffey denounced the bill. “This is a brazen attempt to dismantle the United States Postal Service and render it ripe for privatization,” he said. “It is a blatant attack on unionized workers.

“The bill does not address the cause of the Postal Service’s financial crisis. It does nothing to correct the requirement to pre-fund the healthcare benefits of future retirees, which forces the USPS to fund a 75-year liability in a period of just 10 years,” Guffey said. No other government agency or private company is required to make such payments, which cost the USPS approximately $5.5 billion annually. “The bill also fails to address billions of dollars in USPS overpayments to federal pension accounts,” he noted.

“The Postal Service is a critical part of our economy. It is the center of a $1.2 trillion industry that employs 8 million people, including printers, mailers, and other businesses that rely on the Postal Service,” Guffey said.

“The post office is where the flag flies across America, and it is an integral part of our national life. Yet the bill would destroy this great institution – shutting thousands of offices, slashing service, and punishing workers.”

Guffey called on all union members to participate in rallies set for Tuesday, Sept. 27, to Save America’s Postal Service. Events are planned in every congressional district across the country, as part of a campaign by the four postal unions to win support for legislation to avert a collapse of the nation’s mail system.

The APWU is working with the National Association of Letter Carriers, the National Postal Mail Handlers Union and the National Rural Letter Carriers Association to organize the activities. (Please send high-resolution photos of your event to sdavidow@apwu.org.) To find the location of the rally nearest you, visit www.SaveAmericasPostal Service.org.

The unions are urging support for H.R. 1351, which was introduced by Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA). The Lynch bill would prevent the financial collapse of the USPS – without closing thousands of post offices, eliminating hundreds of mail processing facilities, delaying mail delivery, laying off 120,000 workers, cutting postal workers’ pay, or ending collective bargaining rights.

H.R. 1351 would allow the Postal Service to apply billions of dollars in pension overpayments to the congressional mandate that requires the USPS to pre-fund the healthcare benefits of future retirees.

“We are fighting for our lives,” Guffey said. “I urge every APWU member to attend a rally, and to ask his or her member of Congress to support H.R. 1351.”

Postal Unions Join Forces To Save America’s Postal Service
Rallies Set for Sept. 27 in Every Congressional District
APWU News Bulletin 20-2011, September 8, 2011
PDF | View on APWU Website

The APWU has joined forces with the three other postal unions to designate Sept. 27 as a day of action to Save America’s Postal Service.

saveamericaspostalservice.org

Together, the APWU and the National Association of Letter Carriers, the National Postal Mail Handlers Union and the National Rural Letter Carriers Association will rally in every congressional district in the country to build support for H.R. 1351, a bill introduced in the House by Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA).

“With the USPS’s dire financial situation making headlines, and a battle raging in Congress over what to do about it, postal workers must take action now,” said APWU President Cliff Guffey. “I urge APWU members to work with our brothers and sisters in the other postal unions to organize the rallies. We must let every U.S. representative know that we need their support.”

The Lynch bill would prevent the financial collapse of the USPS – without closing thousands of post offices, eliminating hundreds of mail processing facilities, delaying mail delivery, laying off 120,000 workers, cutting postal workers’ pay, or ending collective bargaining rights. It would allow the Postal Service to apply billions of dollars in pension overpayments to the congressional mandate that requires the USPS to pre-fund the healthcare benefits of future retirees. No other government agency or private company bears this burden, which forces the Postal Service to fund a 75-year liability in 10 years – at a cost of more than $5 billion annually. Without the mandate, the USPS would have shown a surplus of $611 million over the past four fiscal years.

Unfortunately, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), the chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, has another idea. Word on Capitol Hill is that Rep. Issa is blocking consideration of H.R. 1351.

Instead, Rep. Issa has introduced a bill that would destroy the Postal Service as we know it. His bill (H.R. 2309) would do nothing to correct the cause of the USPS financial crisis: It would do nothing about the pension overpayments or the pre-funding requirement. But it would establish a “solvency authority” with the power to unilaterally cut wages, abolish benefits, and end protection against layoffs. It also would create a board that would order $1 billion worth of post office closures in the first year and $1 billion worth of facility closures in the second year. If H.R. 2309 is enacted, thousands of offices throughout the country would be closed.

At the same time, the Postal Service is proposing legislative changes that would authorize management to lay off 120,000 workers and that would remove postal employees from the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program and from federal retirement plans.

Pass H.R. 1351 NOW

Contact Your Legislators H.R. 1351 Co-sponsors

At the rallies on Sept. 27, the unions will be asking legislators to co-sponsor to H.R. 1351, the bill that would restore financial stability to the Postal Service. The legislation has 193 co-sponsors, including both Democrats and Republicans. Where lawmakers have already signed on, the rallies will thank them for their support and ask them to pledge to do everything in their power to ensure its passage.

Each union has volunteered to be responsible for specific congressional districts, and locals have already begun designating District Leads for various locations. The District Leads will secure permits (where necessary), contact the media, and make other arrangements.

The unions have developed a common Web site to provide information about the rallies, which will be held from 4-5:30 p.m. A complete list of rally locations will be posted on the site by Sept. 16, which will be updated often. Visit saveamericaspostalservice.org for the latest news about the Sept. 27 rallies.

Countdown with Keith Olbermann 09-09-2011
Signed, Sealed, Indebted, with Allison Kilkenny

USPS Seeks Legislation To Allow Layoffs, End Federal Benefits APWU News Bulletin 17-2011, August 12, 2011
PDF | View on APWU Website

APWU President Cliff Guffey has condemned Postal Service legislative proposals that would permit the USPS to layoff 120,000 employees and remove postal workers from the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program and from federal retirement programs.

“This is a clear attempt to abrogate our contract and destroy postal collective bargaining,” Guffey said. “Crushing postal workers and slashing service will not solve the Postal Service's financial crisis,” he added.

The Postal Service's “Mandatory Stand-Up Talk” [PDF] to employees made its proposals sound almost harmless: Management said, “The Postal Service is reviewing with Congress additional ways to improve our workforce flexibility as we adjust the size of our networks to meet operational needs and the changing marketplace.”

However, a “discussion draft” [PDF] of proposals for Congress reveals the Postal Service's goal: By 2015, the USPS intends to reduce the employee complement by 220,000, and projects that 100,000 jobs will be eliminated by attrition. “In order to eliminate the remaining 120,000 career positions... it is imperative that we have the ability to reduce our workforce rapidly,” the document says. [Click here to view a “discussion draft” of USPS healthcare and retirement proposals - PDF]

But postal employees are not the cause of the USPS financial crisis, Guffey said. “The USPS economic crisis is the result of a provision of the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006 that requires the Postal Service to pre-fund the healthcare benefits of future retirees – a burden no other government agency or private company bears.” The mandate requires the USPS to fund a 75-year liability over a 10-year period and costs the USPS more than $5.5 billion per year. Guffey also pointed out that “the federal government is holding billions of dollars in postal overpayments to its pension accounts.”

“Congress must address the cause of the USPS financial crisis so that postal workers can continue to serve the American people and the USPS can continue to act as an important engine of the U.S. economy,” he added.

“There are some in Congress who may support these proposals,” Guffey noted. “But we will not allow the hard-working men and women of the U.S. Postal Service to be made the scapegoats for the outrageously poor judgment of Congress in instituting the pre-funding requirement.

“Congress created this mess,” he said, “and Congress can fix it.”

Take Action Now!

Contact Your Legislators H.R. 1351 Co-sponsors

Guffey also said it is absolutely urgent that postal employees contact their U.S. representatives and urge them to support H.R. 1351 and to oppose H.R. 2309.

H.R. 1351 would address the cause of the USPS financial crisis without cutting pay and benefits, eliminating collective bargaining rights, or slashing service, the union president said. The bill, introduced by Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA), would allow the Postal Service to use billions of dollars in pension overpayments to meet its financial obligations – including the Congressional mandate to pre-fund the healthcare benefits of future retirees.

On the other hand, Guffey said, H.R. 2309, introduced by Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) and co-sponsored by Rep. Dennis Ross (R-FL), would do nothing to correct USPS overpayments to its pension accounts and do nothing to correct the congressional mandate that requires the USPS to pre-fund the healthcare benefits of future retirees.

H.R. 2309 would empower a board to unilaterally cut wages, abolish benefits, and end protection against layoffs; create a commission to order $1 billion worth of post office closures in the first year, and $1 billion worth of facility closures in the second year, increase employees' costs for healthcare and life insurance, and eliminate the right to bargain over these crucial benefits.

Postal Jobs, Pay, Benefits Threatened by Congress APWU News Bulletin 14-2011, June 29, 2011
PDF | View on APWU Website

The Postal Service is in danger of financial collapse, and could close its doors as early as July 2012. A battle is raging on Capitol Hill over what to do about it, and one thing is clear: Our jobs, our pay, and our benefits are in jeopardy! Two very different plans are under consideration in the House of Representatives.

House Resolution 1351

A bill introduced by Rep. Stephen Lynch (MA), the ranking Democrat on the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, would address the cause of the USPS financial crisis without cutting pay and benefits, eliminating collective bargaining rights, or slashing service. H.R. 1351 would:

• Allow the USPS to use billions of dollars in pension overpayments to meet its financial obligations – including the congressional mandate to pre-fund the healthcare benefits of future retirees.
• Leave workers' collective bargaining rights intact. It would make no changes to wages, benefits, or protection against layoffs.

House Resolution 2309

H.R. 2309, introduced by Rep. Darrell Issa (CA), the Republican chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and co-sponsored by Rep. Dennis Ross (FL), the Republican chairman of the Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, U.S. Postal Service and Labor Policy, would:

• Do nothing to correct USPS overpayments to its pension accounts.
• Do nothing to correct the congressional mandate that requires the USPS to pre-fund the healthcare benefits of future retirees. (No other government agency or private company bears this burden, which costs the USPS $5 billion annually.)
• Force postal workers to make up the difference:
  • Ensure that Postal wages are “comparable” to the private sector. (Rep. Ross claims postal employees enjoy a “compensation premium” of 34%.)
  • Empower a board to unilaterally cut wages, abolish benefits, and end protection against layoffs.
• Create a commission that would order:
  • $1 billion worth of post office closures in the first year, and
  • $1 billion worth of facility closures in the second year. Would that include your office or your facility? Would that wipe out your job?
• Increase employees' costs for healthcare and life insurance, and eliminate the right to bargain over these crucial benefits.

Rep. Issa says his bill is designed to avoid a “bailout,” but the USPS doesn't rely on taxpayer funding, and doesn't need a bailout. As noted above, the federal government is holding billions of dollars in excess postal payments to FERS (Federal Employees Retirement System) and CSRS (Civil Service Retirement System).

It's Time to Act!

“The choices are clear,” said APWU President Cliff Guffey. “But the word on Capitol Hill is that Chairman Issa won't allow Rep. Lynch's bill to come up for a vote!

Contact Your Legislators H.R. 1351 Co-sponsors

“APWU members must let their U.S. representatives know that we adamantly oppose H.R. 2309 and that we urgently support H.R. 1351.

“We must demand that Rep. Issa stop blocking H.R. 1351,” he added.

“We can't win the battle to defend the Postal Service and protect jobs without you! We are asking local union officers to organize APWU members to visit their U.S. representatives to discuss our concerns with them,” Guffey said. “If you don't hear from your local officers, ask them why.

“In the meantime, I urge you to call Congress to voice your opposition to H.R. 2309 and your support for H.R. 1351.” The phone number for the Capitol Hill switchboard is (202) 224-3121.