Postal Unions Join Forces To Save America’s Postal Service
Rallies Set for Sept. 27 in Every Congressional District
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.
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.
| “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. |
|
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
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.
Host David Holt begins by introducing Dale McCoy, who demonstrates his style of finger picking, a style viewers may recognize from The Potters of Seagrove. Wayne Henderson not only dazzles audiences with the flight of his fingers, but he invites us into his guitar shop, where he explains the precision and care involved in handcrafting a guitar. Paul Graybeal, known well by people who collect guitars, handcrafts miniature and full-sized guitars, but devotes as much time and care to the process as one would do with a guitar that can play. Bryan Sutton demonstrates flat-picking and its variations and explains the demands made of a session player in Nashville. As a final treat, David Holt plays alongside the legendary Doc Watson, one of the great pioneers of Appalachian folk music.
