The two-day May 2011 Legislative Conference was filled with significant programs and activities. The first day included a full training program, with a host of speakers highlighting both the substance of USPS issues now facing Congress and the methods used by successful lobbyists. National President John Hegarty, National Secretary-Treasurer Mark Gardner, and AFL-CIO Executive Vice President Arlene Holt-Baker opened the program by highlighting the importance of the NPMHU’s representation on Capitol Hill, noting in particular that year-round legislative and political involvement must be part of the commitment made by all NPMHU activists.
The program also included appearances by a host of experts on postal issues that are currently being debated in the nation’s capital. Among the featured speakers were Congressman Gerald E. Connolly (D-VA), a key member of the House Oversight & Government Reform Committee, and Marie Therese Dominguez, USPS Vice President of Government Relations and Public Policy. Important presentations also were made by Terry O’Sullivan, General President of LIUNA, the NPMHU’s international parent body, and by several key representatives from other unions with whom the NPMHU coordinates its legislative efforts, including Paul Lemmon from the AFL-CIO, Jim Sauber from the NALC, and Kevin Talley from the NRLCA.
The second day of the Conference allowed mail handlers to meet with Members of Congress and their professional staff. During those meetings, mail handlers expressed their support for the Postal Service’s efforts to eliminate the unjustified pre-funding of the Retirees Health Benefit Fund and to stop USPS overfunding of the Civil Service Retirement System and the Federal Employees Retirement System. Mail handlers urged Members of Congress to co-sponsor legislation that would fix these funds and relieve the Postal Service of its unjustified financial burdens. The day ended with a reception, held in the Rayburn House Office Building, at which dozens of Members of Congress and staff members stopped by to discuss issues relevant to the NPMHU and all mail handlers in a more relaxed setting.
Kudos must be given to Bob Losi, NPMHU Director of Legislative and Political Affairs, and to Roger Blacklow, Senior Legislative Advisor, for orchestrating a superb program.
