Take Action Now!  Contact Your House Member and Ask for Support to Shape Worker-Friendly, USPS-Friendly Legislation!

The U.S. House of Representatives may soon begin debate on legislation that will have enormous consequences for postal operations, the U.S. Postal Service, and all Mail Handlers.  It is important for NPMHU legislative activists to take action now.

Lobbyists and activists representing the National Postal Mail Handlers Union have been working hard to help shape S. 1789, the Senate version of postal legislation that was passed on April 25, 2012.  While not a perfect bill, S. 1789 is a good start, and will serve as a solid framework that all NPMHU activists should try to improve upon when the full House begins its debate.

Until now, the primary focus in the House for the NPMHU and many other postal stakeholders was on H.R. 1351, which was introduced by Congressman Stephen Lynch D-MA.  Unfortunately, because of the divisive politics on Capitol Hill, it remains unlikely that H.R. 1351 will reach the floor of the House for consideration.  Instead, because of the extreme policies and anti-union rhetoric of the Republican House leadership, the most anti-worker and anti-postal service bill (H.R. 2309) – introduced by Congressman Darryl Issa (R-CA) – is expected to be brought to the full House for consideration and debate. 

With the fall election season approaching, and with increased media focus on the financial state of the USPS, the NPMHU asks all of its e-activists to take action, and to do so now.  Please contact your Representative in the House and ask him/her to save good middle class jobs, and to save the USPS – an institution that is at the core of a $900 billion dollar that has been serving our nation well for over 237 years.

The National Postal Mail Handlers Union is again joining forces with the members of its sister union – the American Postal Workers Union (APWU) – during the Congressional Memorial Day break.  We ask that all NPMHU and APWU members call or visit their House member during this recess and ask them to say NO to H.R. 2309 and YES to working together to improve the Senate postal bill (S. 1789) when the House reconvenes following its Memorial Day break.

 TALKING POINTS WHEN ASKING YOUR REPRESENTATIVE TO REJECT H.R. 2309

• H.R. 2309 doesn’t address the billions in FERS or CSRS overpayments.
• H.R. 2309 would establish a control board that could cut two billion dollars in network costs, and would lead to the death spiral of the USPS.
• H.R. 2309 would establish a commission that could take control of USPS operations and could unilaterally eliminate hard-fought worker gains made through collective bargaining.
• H.R. 2309 has language that could cause 5-day delivery within 6 months of enactment.
• H.R. 2309 has many provisions that could limit or change benefits agreed upon through the 40 years of successful labor & management negotiations.

TALKING POINTS FOR DISCUSSION ON HOW TO IMPROVE S. 1789 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

• S. 1789 needs to provide additional prefunding relief, by providing that less than 80% of the total prefunding is required and/or by providing that the amount owed is amortized permanently, over a 40-year period.
• S. 1789 needs to remove the anti-worker changes that have been included with regard to OWCP benefits under the Federal Employees Compensation Act.  These changes barely passed in the Senate, and need to be removed from the House Bill. S. 1789 needs to address the CSRS overpayment as documented by the Postal Regulatory Commission and the Postal Service’s Office of Inspector General.
• S. 1789 should preserve the network needed to meet processing and delivery standards by keeping open as many processing and distribution plants as possible.