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| | Legislation & Political Activity
Updated May 25. 2008
CURRENT ISSUES FOR APWU MEMBERS
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HR-4236 Mail
Network Protection Act - This bill requires the
USPS to bargain with the unions before it engages in significant
subcontracting.
Thanks to continuing legislative outreach efforts by APWU
locals, 10 additional members of the U.S. House of
Representatives have become co-sponsors of the Mail Network
Protection Act (H.R. 4236). To date, a total of 104
representatives — nearly a quarter of the House membership —
have taken a stand against wasteful, inefficient, and
detrimental subcontracting by the U.S. Postal Service.
The legislation, introduced last November by Rep. Stephen
Lynch (D-MA), would require the Postal Service to bargain with
postal unions before it engages in significant contracting-out
and protect inexpensive, trustworthy mail service for the
American public.
Gaining additional co-sponsors remains a top priority for the
union, and many locals remain busy communicating with their
representatives in Congress seeking additional support for the
bill.
For more information -- or an updated list of co-sponsors click
on the HR 4236 Mail Protection Act.
- FMLA Protections - threatened with new
"regulations" --
APWU President William Burrus stated, " The
FMLA is one of the most important pro-worker, pro-family laws in recent
memory. Since it was signed into law by President Clinton, it has
worked well for both employers and employees."
A complete list of the proposed changes in regulations and how they
affect workers can be found in the
May 2008 issue of News and
Views. Please familiarize yourself with the proposals.
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Social
Security –
 In
a time of Deficit - It's always on the Table!
Are we out of the frying
pan
and into the FIRE???
By
Kathy Danek, Legislative Aide Editor
The
National Partnership for Women and Families worries about the impact on
women and children of proposed Social Security changes.
Exactly
who would be impacted by President Bush’ proposed changes in Social
Security? To answer that
question, we must know who uses Social Security.
Social
Security is a benefit for retirees (the elderly), the disabled, women and
children. It was designed to
serve as a safety net, keeping our citizenry out of poverty and able to
sustain a decent standard of living.
Over
50% of our seniors lived in poverty before Social Security.
It wasn’t that individuals weren’t trying to save, but low paying
jobs coupled with the cost of shelter, food and clothing had people living
from paycheck to paycheck. (sounds
familiar doesn’t it). If
you worked for a company, lived in company housing and bought your supplies
from the company store you were further compromised.
Seventy
years ago, FDR called on Congress to enact legislation to provide assistance
for the unemployed, the elderly, impoverished children and the disabled.
Thanks to the enactment of Social Security, 90% of our over 65
population receives Social Security benefits.
But look beyond that number – over 60% of the Social Security
beneficiaries are women and children.
Two-thirds
of elderly women are dependent on social security to avoid living in
poverty. Almost one-third of the
recipients are disable workers, families of retired or disabled workers or
survivors of deceased workers.
Undermining
the safety net of our current social security system could drastically harm
women and minorities. Should
social security be whittled away or strengthened?
It’s a question of reality and we must deal with it today.
Drastically increasing the deficit by removing billions of dollars
from the system and placing them in private accounts only enhance the
problem. Our children,
grandchildren, great grandchildren and beyond will pay that debt.
Let’s take a little common sense approach and ask a lot of
questions. Are there options? Sure
– are there suggestions – absolutely? Question why would we have to have
“individual accounts with one or two percent of our FICA ?
That increases bookkeeping at the federal level.
Would we know how to invest – would we have the unlimited options
– not according to the President’s plan – we’d have specific low
risk options of mutual funds to invest – the same ones used by the Thrift
Savings Plan. So why do we need
individual accounts within the confines of Social Security.
If there is so much confidence in the market why not invest a portion
of those funds for all of us – keeping the proceeds to fund the future
growth of the system.
After
all, strengthening the system would be better than reducing the benefits of
the recipients. And
strengthening the system would ensure the long term stability of the system.
Of course the answer to that is simple.
The
current administration cannot guarantee any gains from private accounts –
nor can they guarantee that privatization will enhance the lives of the
citizens in the future. The
only guarantee would be less money in means less money to pay benefits out.
Women
rely on Social Security more than men do. Reducing
the guaranteed benefits will force more elderly women into poverty.
Women would be disproportionately harmed by private savings accounts
because they historically earn les than men, are less likely to have the
resources to save for retirement, spend less time in the workforce due to
caregiving responsibilities and, on average, live longer than men.
It’s simple. Strengthen Social Security by fighting for guaranteed
benefits for our elderly, disabled and disadvantaged.
Make
certain that women and families are at the forefront of this debate.
Special thanks to the National Partnership for Women and Families for
their efforts to engage all of us in this discussion.
Their website served as a great resource for this information.
Their efforts to fight for economic safety nets for all Americans
should be applauded – and joined. It’s up to you!
Building
a Coalition of Friends
Remain Vigilant -- in
protecting the Sanctity of the Mail
The Mail Network Protection act (HR4236) talks about contracting out
But -- the bottom line:
Don’t Dismantle our Postal Service
By
Kathy Danek, Legislative Aide Editor
It’s time
to build a coalition of support – those who would be most affected by the Bush
Agenda to dismantle or adversely affect the service and structure of
the United States Postal Service. Whether
it is Traverse City MI, Bangor ME, Medford OR or Mission TX we all have
something very precious to lose.
Before we
build this coalition let’s ask ourselves a few very pertinent questions:
-
Why does 90%
of the American public (that’s the people who use the USPS) approve of the
U.S. Mail?
-
Why do we
have universal service?
-
Why do we
have a single cost format for the U.S. Mail – one ounce for 37 cents
currently?
-
Why would a
president elected by the slimmest of margins try to privatize and dismantle
a public service with a 90% approval rating?
-
Who would
benefit if the USPS were privatized?
-
Who would be
the losers if we privatize the USPS?
Protect Universal Service at a Universal Price Now that we have asked the questions – have you come up
with the answers? Privatizing the
USPS would benefit the populous sectors of the nation – but would also limit
the services now available. True,
you
might be able
to mail a letter across New York City cheaper – but there is a price to pay
for that service. To mail a letter
to Albany might cost 40 cents. And
how about if you wanted to mail a letter to Aunt Minnie in Kalispell Montana –
do you really think you could mail it for 42 cents if it is privatized?
But it goes much deeper than that. It’s
not just the private correspondence. Even
with the increase in usage of email and the Internet the fact is that all people
do not now have access to these services. It’s
just like the telephone – it costs money to use these services.
If you currently mail 20 letters a month (that’s 20 times you
correspond) the cost is $8.40 to anyplace in the US. Is your email service less than that – and is there a limit
to the amount of time you can use it before you have additional cost?
How about those long distance telephone calls – they charge by the
minute – and sometimes more expensive inside your state than across the
nation. There are lots of options
for both phone and email service – but none of them are consistent, secure or
protected. There is no consistent
price – for the service – a “one size fits all”
- to every nook and cranny of this great nation.
That’s the beauty of universal service.
It serves everyone – not just a few—and for the same price no matter
what, no matter where.
Security of the Mail -
How do we protect the mail from contamination
or theft – and also
protect the workers? Many of our states
are currently using the "Vote by Mail" option of early voting for elections.
In fact, the state of Oregon trusts the US Mail so much that their entire
election voting is done by mail. Would you trust your vote to a
contracted, minimum wage employee with little or no training? Would you
want the protections of the mail dismantled - and then allow any company to
handle (or mishandle) your vote. (NEW)
Obviously it
would be almost impossible to trace a biological attack on the mails.
The recent Anthrax scare
should be a testament to us all. If there were forty different companies any half-baked
terrorist could drop a contaminated letter in each of the boxes.
One service might catch it – maybe even two – but there will always
be that one company who puts profit before service.
That is a prescription for disaster.
The federalization of the airline security is an example for us
all.
Protecting
our Way of Life – In rural
Nebraska a great many communities rely on the USPS for their business. Every
other state in this great nation shares the same situation. Their chamber of
commerce members, local businesses, city councils and mayors would be very
interested in protecting this communication source in their community.
There are mail order catalogs, bank by mail, bill paying, communications,
church and civic organizing and much much more.
Even now the private delivery package companies do not offer universal
service to every community.
Ask yourself WHY??? Is it Profit or Public Service? There
is a very large group of business mailers who wish to compromise the existence
of the US Mail and universal service. There
are those who would like to skim the cream – the larger communities – and
leave the delivery of the mail to the rural parts of this country to the USPS.
That’s the more costly part. Why
would the President propose this? The only answer I can see is PROFIT.
Why is it bad – because the USPS operates on a cost for service as a
public service it is prohibited from making a profit and still serving every
corner of the United States. We also get mail to our men and women in the Armed Forces –
for that same 42 cents- no matter where they serve in the world.
Would a private company do that – and for that amount of money?
They do a pretty good job and keep 90% happy.
We need to send a message to the Congress of the US to prevent the
privatization of the United States Postal Service. Sure, they can make a few changes – tweak the law if you
must – but don’t privatize. Protect
universal service, and protect the livelihood of the thousands of men and women
who dedicate their lives to the daily delivery of mail to their communities.
What Can You
Do?? BEGIN BUILDING OUR COALITION
OF SUPPORT by putting together a list of friends, neighbors, business associates
and local political entities.
We need to build a coalition from the ground up.
We need names, addresses, emails, telephone numbers.
AND, we need your help.
Please contact Kathy Danek, Legislative Aide Editor, 4261 Knox, Lincoln, NE
68504-1955, email kmdanek@aol.com.
Begin putting together a contact list in your community and do it today.
Please drop me a note, call me or email me as soon as your list is compiled.
Thanks for your help and Lets Work Together.
The U.S. Postal Service belongs to all of us. The members of the American
Postal Workers Union and their Auxiliary want to protect this great public
service for today and for generations to come.
Useful Legislative and
Political Links
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The
Auxiliary to the