e-Team Report, Jan. 29, 2014

Emergency Alert: Call Your Senator No Later Than Tuesday, Feb. 4th, 2014!

Today the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs met to mark-up the flawed postal reform bill S.1486.  The markup has been suspended, which allows us time to act.  This bill, which would threaten more than 100,000 good postal jobs, is strongly opposed by APWU and the other postal unions and should be defeated.  

We urge all of you residing in the home states of Committee members to immediately call your senators and tell them to vote 'NO!' on S. 1486.

If this bill becomes law it would:

• Recklessly diminish collective bargaining for postal unions
• Lead to pension cuts
• Mandate the USPS pre-fund workers’ compensation by $17 billion further strangling USPS finances
• Allow the USPS to close and consolidate mail processing facilities after 2 years 
• Reduce service standards after 2 years
• Reduce mail delivery to 5 days 
• Reduce workers' compensation benefits

APWU Legislative & Political Director John L. Marcotte observed that "this proposed bill has nothing to do with securing a vibrant postal service that is vital to the American people. What the postal service needs is reform that allows us to serve every American with high quality first rate service while relieving us from the choke hold of unnecessary prefunding."

Proposed amendments will not lessen the devastating impact on postal workers!   

CALL YOUR SENATORS and tell them to VOTE NO on S.1486.

"It is crucial that the postal unions stand together to defeat legislation like S. 1486, which would be very detrimental to postal workers and to the people of this country," said APWU President Mark Dimondstein.  "The Postal Service belongs to the people, and postal unions must work together to keep it that way."

To view a video of today's markup on S. 1486 please click here. Continue to check out www.apwu.org for more updates.