The wait is over. The inevitable pro privatization, anti postal worker, mailing house loving postal reform bill has left the Issa controlled oversight committee and is heading to the full house chamber for consideration. So what do we do now? We ensure the debate is on facts not Mr. Issa’s campaign of misinformation. We make postal reform about what kind of postal service best services 300 million Americans not a few mailing houses or our competitors like FEDEX. We force Congress to address their responsibility to provide a relevant, vibrant postal service that delivers with the speed the digital age demands. Below is my article in the May/June Michigan Messenger, online at mpwu (messenger tab May/June 2013 issue). I stand by what my thoughts on postal reform were in early May and I feel are worth repeating. Postal Reform Our Jobs our Future The postal reform legislation that emerges from the halls of congress will greatly impact every postal worker. In my previous articles I have outlined how PMG Potter’s terrible leadership has driven the USPS to the brink of insolvency and that congressman Issa and his ilk are attempting to unfairly use this self-generated crisis to justify postal privatization. We are now at the point in time where congress must act. The following is where postal reform stands as of the deadline for this publication. The senate and house bills that would stabilize the postal service in a reasonably fair manner are S316 and HR 630 respectively. These bills are sitting in committee at this time and are supported by the APWU. These bills contains solutions that don’t require postal workers to pay the price for the USPS’s horrendous string of decision making or the inexplicably aggressive prefunding of retiree healthcare. Unfortunately it is my opinion the republican majority of the house committee led by chairman Issa will prevent HR 630 from ever being debated. Issa will refuse to let it out of committee and it will never see a vote much like HR1351 that we all worked so hard on getting cosponsors for. Chairman Issa prevented 1351 from being voted on even though more than half the house cosponsored the bill. As long as Issa remains chair of this committee he will insist that postal worker wage and benefit reductions will be part of postal reform. I expect the long awaited postal reform bill from Senator Tom Carper will be introduced and this bill as amended will be postal reform that is sent to president Obama. This bill most likely will initially contain things that will be harmful to postal workers and future retired postal workers. Only by debate and amendments in the house and senate will language damaging to postal workers be removed. Even the threat of a rare Obama veto could swing postal reform in postal workers favor. There is only one way to get congress and president Obama to fight for you. YOU HAVE TO TELL THEM. Only with a loud, sustained and continuous voice will we be heard. Postal workers do not have the option of not being active. Go to your congressman’s office and speak to the staff. Write, call, email and Facebook them. Refuse to be silenced by an unacceptable answer. Now get your family and friends to do the same. In most congressional offices a dozen calls and 50 emails is a crisis, double that and the sky is falling. Is your job worth one hour a week every week until postal reform is law? Once postal reform is passed it will be too late. We do it now, we do it together, we do not stop and we will win. If we don’t we will lose for a very, very long time. Note: The MPWU is planning political rally’s in congressional districts key to postal reform and is offering a cash drawing as an incentive to sign Rep. DeFazio’s petition to save the postal service. Please go to mpwu for updates. Yours in Solidarity and Friendship, John
Posted on: Thu, 25 Jul 2013 01:42:18 +0000
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