e-Team Report, Aug. 2, 2013

Have You Contacted Your Lawmakers to Voice Opposition to Darrell Issa’s Devastating Postal Legislation?

The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee voted along party lines to approve H.R. 2748, a bill that would wreak havoc on the U.S. Postal Service.

It is crucial for every postal worker to contact their members of Congress and voice opposition to this devastating bill.  

H.R. 2748 would deprive customers of vital services by closing post offices, stations and branches; consolidating plants; privatizing operations, and degrading service standards. It would harm workers by prohibiting postal unions and management from negotiating protection against layoffs; increasing health insurance costs, and limiting collective bargaining rights.

To read more about this bill, please click here. To contact your members of Congress by phone, call the Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121. To send a printed letter or email to your members of Congress, please click here.

APWU Urges Locals to Meet with Lawmakers During August Recess

Today, Aug. 2, marks the last day Congress is in session before it breaks for a month-long recess. Lawmakers will leave D.C. and return to their home districts to campaign, fundraise, and meet with constituents. 

APWU President Cliff Guffey is urging locals to contact their congressional representatives’ and senators’ state offices to schedule an appointment as soon as possible during the August recess to explain the urgency of the House and Senate taking up responsible postal reform. 

“Locals are doing a fantastic job getting our message out at rallies, public input meetings, and in the media,” said APWU Legislative Director Gary Kloepfer. “We need to keep up the pressure on Congress to act now,” he said.

Please join us in lobbying for postal reform during the congressional recess.  If your local requires any assistance, contact APWU Legislative Director Gary Kloepfer at 202-842-4211 or the Vice President’s office at 202-842-4250. To find out more about the August actions, including materials for distribution, please click here.

Turning Back the Clock for REAL Service?

“We’re turning back the clock on this.” “We’re going back to the way we used to do this. We’re going to hand-sort in an effort to make this work.” Yes, these comments were reportedly made by one Texas postmaster trying to ensure timely service following a flood of complaints from customers and bulk mailers who reported a loss of business due to slow delivery of time-sensitive material. 

A large publisher in Kilgore, TX, reported confirmation of more than 70 documented complaints about delayed service since the closure of the East Texas Processing and Distribution Center near Tyler, TX. 

The USPS plan to dismantle the postal network by closing distribution centers is not a path for growth. Perhaps a better plan would be to put the SERVICE back in Postal Service.

To read more about the problems that followed the mail processing changes, click here.

Where Has All the Logic Gone?

In 2009 the USPS wanted to close the post office located in a historic 1890 building in East Irvine, CA. Local historians and residents fought to keep it open and as a compromise it was decided to reduce the hours and eliminate service on Saturday.

Fast forward to 2013… The Postal Service is now considering closure based on “A steady lack of revenue and/or volume.” No kidding! Who could have predicted?

A public meeting was held, as required by discontinuance regulations, and residents and customers are once again awaiting the outcome. To read more click here.

Hoyer Statements on Obama Meeting and July Jobs Report

In a meeting with House Democrats this week, President Obama discussed issues affecting the middle class and his efforts to grow jobs in America. Other topics addressed in the meeting included investments in infrastructure and education, immigration, and protecting Americans’ voting rights. Additionally this week, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released its monthly jobs report which showed 161,000 private sector jobs added in July.

To read a statement by House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD) on the meeting, please click here.

To read Hoyer’s remarks on the July jobs report, please click here