e-Team Report, June 30, 2012
Stop H.R. 2309, Vote NO!
In the coming weeks, the House of Representatives is expected to begin consideration of postal reform legislation. The postal bill that the House ultimately votes on could very well be Rep. Darrell Issa’s “postal destruction” bill, H.R. 2309. The bill, which imposes billions in cuts to post offices and mail processing facilities, “would bleed the USPS of assets and make it ripe for privatization,” says APWU President Cliff Guffey.
It’s imperative we urge our Members of Congress to VOTE NO ON H.R. 2309 and use the more reasonable Senate bill (S. 1789) as a starting point for postal reform.
Call the Capitol switchboard at (202) 225-3121 and ask for your representative’s office. To look up who your representative is, please click here. To send that message online, please click here.
With Congress recessing for the 4th of July holiday, this coming week is a great opportunity to try and arrange a meeting with your representative while they are back home in the district!
TV Ad
Not only does Rep. Issa’s H.R. 2309 contain many damaging provisions, it entirely fails to address the most pressing issues facing the Postal Service: the prefunding mandate and overpayments made into federal retirement accounts.
In the run up to the House’s consideration of a postal reform bill, APWU is re-airing a television advertisement that sets the record straight about the reasons the Postal Service is in the red. “The problem,” says the ad, “is a burden no other agency or company bears: A 2006 law that drains $5 billion a year from Post Office revenue while the Postal Service is forced to overpay billions more into federal accounts.”
Editorial on USPS Finances
A recent editorial in the Des Moines Register provides a 10,000-foot view of the Postal Service's financial situation, how we got here, and what’s at stake. To read “Another View: The myth of the Postal Service’s finances,” please click here.
Changing of the Guard
A message from Myke Reid, APWU Legislative & Political Director:
"With this issue of the APWU e-team, we are pleased to announce the promotion of Matt Kent to the position of Grassroots Coordinator. Matt came to the department as a temporary employee several months ago and quickly displayed his interest, intelligence, and energy. He is a great addition to the department and I’m looking forward to working with him in his new position.
"At the same time, I’ll unfortunately report the departure of Ian Stublarec. Ian was one of the original Grassroots Coordinators. Ian is a smart, hard working, high energy guy who will always excel at whatever he does. His dedication to the members of APWU will be sorely missed."