Statement from NALC President Fredric Rolando
about the Postal Service’s financial situation
May 10, 2012 -- “The Postal Service’s own data shows that the first thing Congress needs to do is address this artificial political burden that is driving almost all the red ink. It would be absurd to start to dismantle the universal network and degrade service to the American people and America’s businesses—when almost all of the red ink has nothing to do with the costs of those services but stems directly from a burden that Congress imposed and Congress could fix overnight.” Click here to read more.
NALC disappointed, but determined,
as Senate passes S. 1789
April 25, 2012 -- The United States Senate adopted a deeply flawed postal reform bill on Wednesday, voting for S. 1789, the 21st Century Postal Service Act, by a vote of 62 to 37. “We’re disappointed, but we are determined to fight on,” NALC President Fredric Rolando said after the vote. He reminded letter carriers that the legislative process is far from over. “It may take months to get a bill through the House of Representatives,” he said, “but we will not rest in this struggle to defend a strong and viable Postal Service.” Click here to read more.
Statement of NALC President Fredric Rolando
following today’s Senate vote on S. 1789
April 24, 2012 -- “The Senate voted Tuesday to begin the slow dismantling of the United States Postal Service and to attack injured postal workers by slashing their workers’ compensation benefits,” NALC President Fredric Rolando said. “Senators ignored more than 25,000 phone calls from NALC members around the country Tuesday urging them to adopt these amendments. Now we have no choice now but to strongly oppose final passage of S. 1789, a vote on which is expected Wednesday in the Senate.”
Click here to read the president's full statement on today’s vote on S. 1789.
Statement of NALC President Fredric Rolando
before today’s Senate vote on S. 1789
April 24, 2012 -- “The U.S. Senate faces a major vote today that could affect a huge industry that employs more than 7.5 million workers (mostly in the private sector) and determine the fate of one of America’s oldest and greatest institutions, the U.S. Postal Service,” NALC President Fredric Roland said. “In the absence of the adoption of major amendments – most notably the Udall and Schumer amendments – S. 1789 threatens to trip the Postal Service into a death spiral from which it may not recover. Slashing services is likely to drive more business away and do more harm than good – which even an internal study done by a USPS contractor concluded last year before it was buried by postal management. Yet reducing the quality, speed and value of the Postal Service’s delivery networks appears to be the goal of the legislation as currently drafted.” Click here to read the statement.
Deeply flawed S. 1789 set for vote
April 20, 2012 -- Late Thursday night, the leadership of the U.S. Senate announced an agreement to bring S. 1789, the 21st Century
Postal Service Act of 2012, to the floor for debate on Monday,
April 23, and a final vote is scheduled for Tuesday night. NALC opposes S. 1789 as currently drafted and will urge senators to vote “NO” on Tuesday unless three amendments are adopted. NALC President Fredric Rolando has recorded a robo-telephone call to alert union members about an emergency tele-town hall meeting scheduled for Sunday night at 8:30 p.m. ET. Click here to read more.
‘We don’t have to dismantle the Postal Service to save it’
April 17, 2012 -- Today, the four co-sponsors of S. 1789 introduced a new version of their bill to reform the Postal Service and the Senate has voted to debate this legislation in the days ahead.
Although the National Association of Letter Carriers deeply appreciates the hard work of Sens. Lieberman, Collins, Carper and Brown in bringing this legislation to the floor, we cannot in good conscience support S. 1789 as currently drafted. We believe it will drive the Postal Service into a death spiral. Click here to read more.
Rolando: S.1789 Lacks Vision,
Won’t Solve USPS Problems
April 6, 2012 -- In a speech at Rutgers, NALC President Fredric V. Rolando calls on Congress to take the time to draft comprehensive reform instead of pushing through flawed legislation.
Rolando said Friday that Postal Service legislation pending before Congress lacks any long-term vision and fails to provide for the creation of an effective business plan for a vital American institution.
“What the Postal Service needs most is a new business model,” Rolando said, “built from the bottom up, one that looks above the immediate financial and structural problems to find opportunities to meet the evolving needs of the American people in the 21st century.”
Click here to read more.
S. 1789 held off until after Easter
March 27, 2012 -- The Senate failed to uphold a motion to move forward and begin debate on S. 1789, the 21st Century Postal Reform Act. This means that the vote likely won’t be held until after the Senate's Easter recess, at the earliest.
“Thank you to the more than 50,000 NALC members who took part in Sunday’s national teleconferences,” NALC President Fredric Rolando said, “and thank you to the thousands of letter carriers and allies who, Since Sunday, have flooded Senate offices with calls to voice our opposition to this deeply flawed bill. But we must be prepared to renew the fight at any time. It’s this unparalleled level of commitment that will help us win the fight to preserve the Postal Service.
"We hope senators will now use this extra time to carefully analyze the Service’s financial problems, so that when the Senate resumes consideration of the bill, it will be prepared to work on real reform designed to strengthen the agency, not dismantle it.”
- Click here to find out how you can still contact your senators and urge them to oppose the bill in its current form.
- Click here to read President Rolando's letter to senators, urging them to oppose S. 1789.
- Click here to read the NALC's press release on S. 1789.
Postmaster general supports ‘practically everything’
in draconian Issa-Ross bill
March 27, 2012 -- Today, during a hearing of the House Oversight & Government Reform Committee’s Subcommittee on the Federal Workforce, Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe was asked by Rep. Justin Amash (R-MI) about his support for elements of the service-destroying, job-killing Issa-Ross postal reform bill, H.R. 2309. Click here to read more.
New data indicates proposed cuts could mean
greater losses in volume, revenue
March 22, 2012 -- The proposed cuts in service sought by the U.S. Postal Service could result in a far-greater loss of mail volume—and thus of revenue—than postal authorities previously have disclosed, new testimony indicates.
In fact, the losses—outlined in a preliminary study commissioned by the USPS but which the agency has since kept under wraps—could outweigh any savings realized by the cuts. Click here to read more.
The Ryan budget plan:
A path to inequality and national decline
March 21, 2012 -- The House Budget Committee’s proposed budget for 2013 continues the assault on federal employees by calling for a freeze on federal workers’ salaries for an additional three years and for massive cuts to retirement benefits.
“Federal workers are the heart and soul of the middle class,” NALC President Fredric V. Rolando said, “but it seems that some members of Congress are determined to keep trying to use federal workers’ pay and benefits as a sort of piggy bank to finance their budget proposals.”
Click here to read more.
Marching for civil, workers' rights:
March 4-9, the NALC joined with the AFL-CIO for its annual retracing of the 1965 civil rights marches from Selma to Montgomery. "Today, 47 years later, we face new challenges," NALC President Fredric Rolando said, "with lawmakers in states across America launching an all-out coordinated assault on our democracy by attacking workers’ rights, voting rights, public education and comprehensive immigration reform." Click here to browse the Flickr photo album.
Response to USPS mail-processing announcement:
Feb. 24, 2012 -- The Postal Service has announced its plans for restructuring its mail processing operations across the country. Click here to read an overview in The Washington Post. The plan would close or merge some 223 of the 264 processing plants reviewed over the past six months. The NALC Contract Administration Unit is working with the NALC's 15 regional offices to determine which delivery units, if any, might be affected by the plans. The so-called "network optimization" plan could result in the elimination of 35,000 mail processing jobs through attrition.
The Postal Service issued its plan despite its commitment to congressional leaders in December to put a moratorium on plant closings until May 15, and despite the fact that the Postal Regulatory Commission has yet to complete its review of the plan. "NALC remains deeply concerned about any plans that would degrade our networks, reduce service quality or undermine our ability to develop new business in the future," NALC President Fred Rolando said.
Payroll tax extension heads to president’s desk
Feb. 21, 2012 -- Legislation to renew a payroll tax holiday and extension of unemployment benefits passed both the Senate and House on Friday, and is now on its way to President Obama’s desk, where he’s expected to sign it. While the NALC strongly supported the extension of the payroll tax holiday and unemployment insurance benefits, the union did not support the overall package because of a provision that singles out future federal and postal employees.
Despite the NALC’s best efforts, the overall deal includes a provision to "pay for” the unemployment insurance extension with an increase in pension contributions by federal and postal employees hired after 2012. NALC President Fredric V. Rolando weighed in with Congress that this will cost the average new postal employee nearly $1,000 per year and is simply “a tax hike or a pay cut by another name.”
The AFL-CIO issued a statement of “no support,” and while a few members of Congress noted that federal workers cannot continue to be singled out and treated unfairly by Congress, in the end it was not enough and the deal passed through both chambers of Congress with bipartisan support.
While Congress needed to take action to strengthen the economy and give millions of jobless Americans much needed benefits, it should have been done through shared sacrifice, not on the backs of future generations of postal and federal workers. This is only the beginning of what is expected to be a series of hits to current and future postal and federal employees to offset the cost of unrelated legislation. NALC needs to be diligent in standing up to Congress, opposing any such provisions moving forward.
NALC reacts to USPS 'business plan' announcement
Feb. 16, 2012 -- In response to the Postal Service's proposal Thursday to reduce services in an effort to trim losses, the NALC issued the following statement:
The National Association of Letter Carriers will study the Postal Service's new business plan in more detail over the next few days, but any plan that calls for cutting Saturday delivery, downsizing our networks and slowing delivery will not restore USPS to profitability. Charging more for reduced service is not a rational plan for any business, including the U.S. Postal Service. What is needed is a forward-looking plan to meet the needs of an evolving society.
It is important to note that the Postal Service's financial statement last week reported a $200 million operational profit delivering the mail for the first quarter of 2012. Almost all of the $3.3 billion in red ink the Postal Service recorded resulted from the $3.1 billion it owed to pre-fund future retiree health benefits, a mandate Congress has imposed only on the Postal Service.
Since this unnecessary burden accounts for almost 90 percent of the Postal Service's red ink since Congress imposed this mandate in 2006, lawmakers should address that problem immediately. Then, all postal stakeholders can address the very real challenges that exist, but we should not dismantle a unique universal delivery network that provides Americans with the best and most affordable postal service anywhere—without a dime of taxpayer money.
With 7.5 million private-sector jobs depending on a strong Postal Service, changes need to be made urgently, but thoughtfully. NALC is aggressively engaged with members of Congress and the postal industry to make that happen.
Obama's FY2013 budget calls for
eliminating
a day of delivery starting in January
Feb. 13, 2012 -- President Barack Obama today released his budget for Fiscal Year 2013. Of specific concern is the call for giving the USPS the authority to reduce mail delivery service from six days a week to five as soon as early as January 2013.
"Eliminating Saturday delivery is a counter-productive proposal that would degrade services to the public and to businesses, threaten the viability of the Postal Service itself, and begin to dismantle the universal network that has served the country well for 200 years," NALC President Fredric V. Rolando said. Click here to read President Rolando's full statement.
NALC statement on USPS financial report
for first quarter of FY 2012
Feb. 9, 2012 -- NALC President Fredric Rolando issued a statement on the USPS financial report for the first quarter of FY 2012. "Despite the headline on its press release, the U.S. Postal Service announced today a net operating profit of $200 million delivering the mail in the first quarter of FY 2012—an impressive achievement given the current economy." Click here to read the full statement.
Carriers mobilize to oppose FERS bill
Feb. 6, 2012 -- On Jan. 24, Rep. Dennis Ross, the chairman of the House Subcommittee on the Federal Workforce, U.S. Postal Service, and Labor Policy, introduced H.R. 3813, the Securing Annuities for Federal Employees Act. But it probably comes as little surprise that Ross’ measure, were it to become law, would in fact threaten the retirement benefits of federal workers—including postal workers.
[Update: A summary of the AFGE's letter in opposition to H.R. 3813 is now included.]
Ross’ proposal calls for entirely eliminating the defined benefit component government workers receive under the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS). Instead, under the Ross plan, FERS annuitants would be entitled only to the benefits earned through both Social Security and the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP).
“Ross’ bill is a blatant attack on federal pensions,” NALC President Fredric Rolando said, “yet another front in the war on the middle class being pursued by the right-wing faction that now dominates the national Republican party." Click here to read more.
Action on S. 1789 delayed
Thanks to pressure from NALC activists, S. 1789 (see Postal issues front and center as reps return to DC, below) will not be brought to the Senate floor the week of Jan. 30. S. 1789 is still on the docket, though, and it might be brought up in the near future. Therefore, letter carriers are encouraged to stay informed via the NALC e-Activist Network and to check this website regularly for the most up-to-date information regarding further action on S. 1789. Meanwhile, the NALC continues to work with the leadership and our allies in the Senate before that chamber takes it up again for consideration.
USPS declines to extend contract talks with NALC
On Jan. 20, the U.S. Postal Service announced that it was declining to further extend its collective-bargaining negotiations with the NALC.
“I am disappointed by the Postal Service’s decision,” NALC President Fredric Rolando said. “We had been making steady progress in negotiations, right up to the latest deadline. Our negotiations have been innovative, professional and productive and have been conducted at the highest level.
“Now that the formal litigation process has begun, we will pursue a negotiated agreement through mediation and prepare to vigorously defend our members in interest arbitration, if it reaches that step,” he said.
The decision triggers an impasse that will automatically send contract talks to mediation under the auspices of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service. If no consensual agreement between NALC and USPS is reached within a 60-day period of mediation, the issues will be submitted for final and binding resolution before an interest arbitration panel, which under law must consider all the evidence presented by both parties.
“Notwithstanding this turn of events, NALC continues to believe that a negotiated agreement is in the best interests of the parties, the businesses that rely on us, and the nation we serve,” Rolando said. “We will continue to negotiate in good faith as mediation takes place under the law’s dispute-resolution process, even as we prepare for binding arbitration. We will continue to work with Congress on vitally needed reforms and work with our external expert advisers to advance a new business model that will revitalize and preserve the USPS as a vital element of the nation’s business and cultural infrastructure.”
Rolando to Issa: Don’t send USPS into a death spiral
Jan. 16, 2012 -- A commentary piece written by NALC President Fredric Rolando was published in the Sunday, Jan. 15 edition of Southern California’s Press-Enterprise, a major newspaper in Rep. Darrell Issa’s district.
Issa is chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. His so-called postal reform bill, H.R. 2309, contains provisions that, were it to become law, would destroy the U.S. Postal Service while hurting people and businesses.
In Rolando’s item, which was a response to Issa’s Dec. 18 op-ed in the Press-Enterprise, the NALC president laid out a compelling argument against the congressman’s efforts and discussed what should instead be done.
“[Issa’s] op-ed is all over the lot in citing culprits: management, e-commerce, workers and more,” Rolando wrote. “Those are assertions masquerading as analysis.” Click here to read more.
Beware of survey!
The NALC received information that a survey is being sent to letter carriers in various Districts. We are told by Postal Service management that the survey is the marketing tool of a group that is trying to sell financial investment services. Postal management adamantly states that this survey is not sanctioned by the USPS.
The District Manager from the first District where the survey appeared has instructed all postmasters and managers there to return any such mail and not to hand out the surveys to employees.
Postal issues front and center as reps return to DC
Jan. 26, 2012 -- As the nation’s elected representatives returned to Washington in January to begin the second session of the 112th Congress, NALC President Fredric Rolando penned a special greeting to all House and Senate members to mark the occasion.
“On behalf of the nearly 300,000 men and women who make up the National Association of Letter Carriers,” he wrote, “I would like to formally welcome you back and give you a brief update on letter carriers’ actions in the field over the last six weeks.” Click here to read more.
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