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LAST UPDATED 09/15/2004 04:47 PM
THE POSTAL REFORM COMMISSION (INFORMATION LINKS) updated 8/31/03 POST-COMMISSION NEWS updated 3/6/04 APWU Sends Postal Reform Comments to Senate Committee Senator Collins Pledges Postal Reform Legislation Our Struggle Moves To The Halls Of Congress AND THE COMMISSION SAYS... updated 8/17/03 RECENT NEWS & COMMENTARY updated 8/13/03 TESTIMONY updated 7/31/03 FROM THE FIRST DAYS PROCEEDINGS THE POSTAL REFORM COMMISSION (EARLIER NEWS) FOLLOW THE MONEY updated 4/4/03 DON'T LOOK NOW (Other Threats To Our Survival) updated 8/11/03
LINKS FROM & AVAILABLE ON THE PAGES OF Lu's News & Views - Postal Employees Newsletter (unless otherwise noted)
President's Commission on the United States Postal Service 1120 Vermont Avenue, N.W. Suite 971 Washington, D.C. 20005 INFORMATION SITES Commission's Final Report and Recommendations (added 7/31/03) EXECUTIVE SUMMARY (added 8/1/03) LuNewsViews - Postal Employees Newsletter Consumer Alliance for Postal Services (added 8/31/03) Link to Petition Against Privatization (Postal Employee Network) Pennsylvania Postal Workers Union UNDERSTANDING POSTAL PRIVATIZATION by Sarah F. Ryan (as recommended on 21cpw) Comments to the President's Commission from Postal Workers and others USPS.COM (Commission "kit") (added 7/27/03) PostalMag.com! (added 7/27/03) POST-COMMISSION NEWS AND COMMENTARY APWU Sends Postal Reform Comments to Senate Committee (November 19, 2003)--In a 5 page letter addressed to Chairperson Susan Collins, APWU President William Burrus urged the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee to reject many of the recommendations of the President's Commission. As was reported here, the Committee accepted public comments for the official record through November 19. Noting that "Input into the [Commission]
deliberations was dominated by the large mailing industry, whose interests
differ widely from the average citizen's," President Burris questioned the
Commission's premise, its process, and its conclusions. "We recognize that many believe the decline in first-class mail volume over the past two years will continue indefinitely due to electronic communications and electronic fund transfers," said Burris. "Yet not a single recommendation of the Commission proposes to reverse this trend." Burris predicted that mail volume will return when the nation's economy recovers, pointing out that mail volume has historically grown in spite of competition from other technological advances such as the telephone and fax machine. "The dominant means of communication in the future," he said, "has not yet been determined." Specifically, President Burris wrote, the APWU opposes Commission proposals to establish a partisan Postal Regulatory Board, the closing of plants and post offices without citizen input, the Commission's tacit endorsement of "below-cost" discounts for private mailers, and proposals to effectively gut Collective Bargaining and reduce postal workers' pay and benefits. President Burris, who will later testify before the Senate Committee, closed the letter by offering proposals for Postal reform the APWU favors, including "holding the management structure accountable for their decisions." The Committee also received comments from Direct Marketers and Consumer Groups. Consumer Action echoed many of President Burris' concerns. Executive Director Ken McEldowney opined, "The Commission finding that the Postal Service has a 'unique attrition opportunity' to right-size the work force by as much as a nearly 50% cut does not augur well for the interests of the consumer. It is likely a prescription for reduced service...and a serious decline in customer satisfaction with mail service." Links to "Public Comments" submitted to the Senate Committee: Senate Committee Wants More From Potter (postcom.org) added 12/3 Direct Marketing Association Postal Reform Comments to Senate Committee Consumer Action Comments to the Senate Committee (pdf) National Farmers Union Comments on Postal Reform (pdf) National Taxpayers Union Supports Privatization Alliance of Nonprofit Mailers Letter to Senate Committee (pdf) Postal Rate Commission's Comments to Senate Committee (pdf) added 11/21 Pay Comparability Review (PostalMag.com) added 11/21
Senator Collins
Pledges Postal Reform Legislation (photo, from a May Committee hearing, from the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs web site). House, Senate government oversight panels ready 2004 agendas Post Office Delivers More Than Just Mail GAO calls for more streamlined, transparent Postal Service Statement of GAO Comptroller David Walker (pdf) Potter: Proposed Regulatory Board Needs Limits (FedTimes) Statement of PMG John Potter (pdf) WRITE YOUR CONGRESSMAN OR SENATOR
Our Struggle Moves To The Halls Of Congress
By William Burrus, President APWU (The American Postal Worker, Sept/Oct
2003)--The President's Commission On The U.S. Postal Service has issued its
final report and, as expected, its recommendations would have a devastating
effect on postal workers. The report confirms our prediction that the commission
was more concerned about postage rates for large mailers than service to the
American public. Collectively, the recommended changes represented the "wish
list" of the large mailers, and the commission complacently fulfilled their
wildest dreams. Postal Union President Attacks Corporate Mailers (Federal Times) Groups Weigh In to Senate on Postal Reform (DMNews) Small Business Survival Committee calls for "full scale privitization"(pdf) GAO calls for more streamlined, transparent Postal Service Statement of GAO Comptroller David Walker (pdf) Potter: Proposed Regulatory Board Needs Limits (FedTimes) Statement of PMG John Potter (pdf) Opening statement of James Johnson, Co-Chair President's Commission Opening statement of Sen. Joseph Lieberman, Ranking Committee Member Senator Collins concerned about impact of reform on rural communities The Business Perspective on Postal Reform (Postcom.org) (added 10/8/03) How Long Will Rate Relief Last? (added 9/23/03) Postal commission chair outlines proposal for deep staff cuts (added 9/18/03) Deliver Us -- 09/17/2003 (added 9/17/03) PrezComm Hurts America; Editorial (South Shore Area Local, MA) (added 9/7/03) Editorial: Postal Service Can't Afford 38,000 Offices (added 9/4/03) USPS (Non) Disclosure: Time to Bring in the SEC (Heritage Foundation) (added 9/4/03) Mail Remains Vital to Business Today, Says Pitney Bowes Chairman and CEO (added 9/2/03) Post offices threatened (newarkadvocate.com) (added 9/2/03) Post Offices Not Delivering Profits (The Clarion-Ledger) (added 9/2/03) Postal unions blast plan to weaken collective bargaining (added 9/2/03) UPS drives changes to Postal Service (MSNBC) (added 9/1/03) It's "OUR MAIL" Says Consumer Group Ad (added 8/31/03) Thinking Outside The Mailbox (washingtonpost.com) (added 8/29/03) Florida Postal Workers Fight to Preserve Service (added 8/29/03) Consumers Should Take Note of Commission Report (added 8/24/03) Cutbacks loom (Hearings to begin September 3) (added 8/24/03) Exposing the Postal Myths (by Martin Johns, Red Bank Local) (added 8/18/03) Is it Profit or Public Service? (APWU Auxiliary) (added 8/18/03) Setting the Record Straight (from APWU National, via Palm Beach (FL) local #749) (added 8/18/03) Postal Reform Update (Denver Metro APWU) (added 8/18/03) Going postal on the nation's mail service (added 8/17/03) "Define 'flood'" (The Citizens Voice) (added 8/17/03) New Jersey Town Fears Loss of 'Community Center' (added 8/16/03) Postal reform backers upbeat, but effort may be delayed (Govexec) (added 8/16/03) Postmasters Discuss Rural Post Offices (added 8/16/03) Editorial: Leave Our Mail Alone (The Record) (added 8/16/03) Quad Graphics: Postal Reform Overdue (added 8/16/03) Rural Post Offices May Be Replaced By Machines (added 8/16/03) Scotts Mills (OR) Post Office Takes Pulse of Community (8/16/03) Commission Targets Injured Workers (by Sue Carney) (added 8/17/03) Bush Commission Lauches Attack On U.S. Postal Unions (added 8/16/03) Senator Reid (NV) Works to Protect Post Offices (Lu's News) (added 8/13/03) Mailers Council Praises Commission, Pushes for Fast Action (added 8/13/03) COMMISSION RECOMMENDATIONS PRESENT ATTACKS ON COLLECTIVE BARGAINING (added 8/8/03) Commission wins ADVO praise (Windsor Journal) (added 8/8/03) John M. McHugh Plans September Hearing (added 8/2/03) Next: Reform That Works for Everyone (added 8/2/03) Commission's Final Report and Recommendations (added 7/31/03) Private Mailers Applaud Postal Commission Report (added 7/31/03) Americans have favorable view of Postal Service (PDF) (added 7/31/03) Big Business Welcomes Outsourcing (Business Wire, added 8/1/03) Consumer Group Blasts Commission Report (added 8/1/03) Mailer Praise, Labor Scorn (DMNews) (added 8/1/03) Mailers Hope Commission Report Will Translate into Legislation (added 8/1/03) Panel slams USPS initiatives (Federal Computer Week, added 8/1/03) Living By Letters (Southeast Missourian, added 8/1/03) Commission: Postal Service Must Modernize (AP) (added 7/31/03) Commission: Preserve Universal Service, But Cut Costs (added 7/31/03) Postal Commission Final Recommendations (added 7/23/03) Final Recommendations--Links to PDF SubCommittee Reports (added 7/24/03) MY OPINION--Martin Johns translates the Commission report (added 7/24/03) NALC: Employees Would Become Second-Class Citizens (added 7/26/03) Postal Service urged to cut work force (coshoctontribune.com) (added 7/26/03) Cutting Jobs Cuts Efficiency (Northwest Arkansas Times) (added 7/26/03) Postal Service advised on how to better operate (Cincinnati Enquirer) (added 7/26/03) ALABAMA RURAL LETTER CARRIERS (added 7/24/03) The EMA Foundation's "Rationalizing The Workforce" testimony (pdf)
Commission Recommends Trimming Postal Workforce (washingtonpost.com) (added 7/23/03) APWU Vows to Fight (Federal Times Online) (added 7/23/03) Postal Service Urged to Cut Work Force (WashingtonPost.com) (added 7/23/03) Senator Critical of Commission Assault on Unions (postcom.org) (added 7/23/03) NALC Press Release - July 23, 2003 (added 7/23/03) Mailers Applaud Commission (Business Wire) (added 7/23/03) Mailers Uneasy About Unions in Postal Reform (added 7/23/03) Postal panel tackles collective bargaining (Govexec) (added 7/23/03) Commission Favors Outsourcing of Processing (added 7/23/03) Recommendations made by the President's Commission on 7/16/03 (postcom.org) Mailer Groups Approve (Directmag.com) The "Costs" of Closing Small Post Offices (CITIZEN-TIMES) Postal Service Needs Flexibility (Washington Post) Commission pushes reforms (Federal Times Online) Commission endorses consolidation (Govexec.com) Postal ID plan creates privacy fears (added 8/13/03) Senator Reid (NV) Works to Protect Post Offices (Lu's News) (added 8/13/03) NAPS Priorities: Plant Closings and Higher Supervisor Pay (FedTimes) (added 8/11/03) Machines, kiosks could replace 'low-activity' post offices (The Olympian) (added 8/9/03) Rural post offices in government's sights (mansfieldnewsjournal.com) (added 8/8/03) Workforce Issues Loom In Postal Service's Future (washingtonpost.com) (added 8/8/03) Postal Service's edge should end (ajc.com) (added 8/8/03) Restructuring a necessity for USPS (newsleader.com) (added 8/8/03) James Plummer: Tracking You Through the Mail (Counterpunch, added 8/5/03) Commission Proposals Would Cheat Consumers (FedTimes) (added 8/4/03) Stamping out postal glory (added 8/3/03) Future Of Nation's Smallest Post Office Uncertain (News4Jax.com, added 8/1/03) The Threat from "Negotiated Service Agreements" (added 7/31/03) 'Lifelines' at risk (Charlotte Observer) (added 7/31/03) Post-office plan rooted in necessity (battlecreekenquirer.com) (added 7/28/03) Small Post Offices Don’t Fear Closings (Winchester Star) (added 7/28/03) Endangered post offices (battlecreekenquirer.com) (added 7/28/03) Ochopee, other towns may lose post offices (Naples Daily News) (added 7/27/03) Residents Unlikely To Approve of PO Closings (Central Maine Morning Sentinel) (added 7/26/03) Commission supports Post Office closings, opposes privatization (added 7/16/03) Mailer Groups Back Closing Plants And Post Offices (from Google search, added 6/29/03) Editorial: Break up the USPS Monopoly (through Mailer link, added 6/29/03) More propaganda from the Big Mailers (added 6/17/03) APWU responds (PDF) (added 6/2/03) The Relative Size of Labor Costs by Workplace Economics (Lu's News) (added 6/2/03) Postal commission considers pay for performance (added 5/29/03) Commission Survey shows Americans don't want major changes (added 7/31/03) NPMHU TO COMMISSION: STAY AWAY FROM COLLECTIVE BARGAINING (added 7/16/03) Report to Commission on Grievance Procedure (PDF) (added 7/8/03) Report To Commission on Benefits of USPS Employees (Lu's News) (added 7/8/03) PMG Potter Sums Up (added 5/29/03) Postal Workers Overpaid (PDF) (added 5/27/03) The Challenge for the Presidential Commission (PDF) (added 5/16/03) USPS Cost Savings/Avoidance Summary (PDF) (added 5/15/03) "Abolish binding arbitration"--Murray Comarow (from 21cpw, added 5/2/03) Links to Testimony on Collective Bargaining (from April 29) (Lu's News) Mailhandlers' Submission (PDF) DMA seeks "Postal Reform Now" (Oral Testimony) (from Pitney Bowes) Testimony of R.R. Donnelley (from RR Donnelley) APWU President William Burrus' Written Testimony (PDF) Alliance Of Independent Store Owners and Professionals The Saturation Mailer’s Coalition Association For Postal Commerce National Association of Postmasters (NAPUS) Greeting Card Association Offers Comments Rate Commission Member Pushes Privitization (Lu's News) PMG POTTER'S OPENING REMARKS (1/8/03) Remarks of Treasury Under Secretary Fisher (1/8/03) CFO Richard Strasser briefing to Commission (PDF) (Lu's News) FROM THE FIRST DAY'S PROCEEDINGS Subcommittees established (PDF) Giant Task in Short Time Frame (govexec.com) Potter: Privatization not feasible (Forbes) Charting the Future of the USPS (Associated Press) GAO Head Paints Bleak Budget Picture (washingtonpost.com) Postal Service's Dangerous Game (Lexington Institute, PDF) "Abolish binding arbitration"--Murray Comarow (from 21cpw) William Burrus rebuttal testimony (April 29, 2003) Postal Service rejects ‘right to strike’ proposal for unions The Compelling Case For Privitization (Lexington Institute) STOPPING CONSOLIDATION AND PRIVATIZATION (KYOWVA Area Local) Study recommends increased investment, worksharing(PDF) Postal Service may face tough times Reflections on Responses to the President's Commission Privitization--The Wrong Direction For USPS (from Ninth Street Rag) Editorial Supports Privitization APWU: Mailers' Rebuttals Fall Flat Mailers Defend Discounts (Lu's News) Rep. John M. McHugh (R-NY) to chair Postal Reform Committee APWU President William Burrus (Oral Testimony) APWU Testifies (News Service Bulletin) Postal Governor Advocates Reform (FedTimes) DMA Opposes Binding Arbitration (from Pitney Bowes) Commission Gets an Earful (Directmag.com) The "Big Bang" theory (Govexec.com) USPS seeks " more flexibility" for Postal rates UPS favors "level playing field" (MSN Money) NALC favors 6-day delivery & discounts (Lu's News) Guffey: Commission's Report Already Written (Kansas WorkBeat) (21cpw) As Automation Eliminates Jobs...(Washington Post) Editorial: Cutting Service at the Postal Service (Northwest Indiana News) Commission Subcommittee Members Announced Labor Relations at the home of one Commission Member (Yale Insider) Commission Hits The Ground Running (Lexington Institute) Committee's Lengthy Agenda (Fed Times) Bill Burrus Update (12/11/02), APWU.org APWU Response to Postal Reform Commission (pdf) USPS - Dec. 11, 2002 - REMARKS BY POSTMASTER GENERAL Bush Appoints Postal Service Review Panel (Washington Post) Postal Watch applauds PRC (Boston Globe) Citizens Against Government Waste critical: NewsRelease_12/11/02 More from the Private Mailers (Direct Mag) Government Executive Magazine - Bush announces postal commission (12/11/02) U.S. mail privatization mulled (MSNBC) Postal Service May Be Urged to Privatize (Washington Post) Rethinking Snail Mail In 21st Century (CBS News, 12/11/02)
Pension Bill Contains "Stamp Tax" What To Do About The Extra Money (AP) Postal Service Records a $1B Profit (ABC) Forget Enron, USPS Tops in Creative Bookkeeping (Lake Worth Herald) Four More Years—The Story Behind the Postal Windfall Postal Cost-Cutting Reduces Fiscal Shortfall (USPS, 12/10/02) Postal Service Cuts Losses to $676M (ABC News) Pension windfall to put USPS back in business (Postcom.org) Improved Financial News (Govexec.com) Burrus Update on the $27 BILLION DOLLARS (11/13/02) Mailers to Lobby for $27 Billion Where have I heard that number before? (Dec. 2001) (from Google search)
Selling Out: Our Public Space, Universal Services Under Assault (added 8/11/03) Mail Tracking System Raises Privacy Fears (TechNews.com) (added 8/8/03) James Plummer: Tracking You Through the Mail (Counterpunch, added 8/5/03) The Decline & Fall of the US Economy By Alan Caruba (added 6/17/03) Free Trade Area of the Americas- FTAA (official web site) (added 6/17/03) Trade Deals and Postal Workers (Lu's News) (added 4/27/03) The new generation of free trade deals (added 4/25/03) Republican crack down on labor (from 21st Century Postal Worker, added 4/21/03) CAPITAL ONE RATE BREAK MOVES FORWARD (added 4/4/03) House Republicans Target Retirement Benefits (APWU.org) (added 3/22/03) Mail stolen by forwarding to ‘new’ address (added 3/2/03) Leaked WTO documents--they want it all! (Lu's News) (added 3/2/03) USPS may face WTO challenge (The Black World Today) Capitol One Deal May Be Illegal (Pensacola News Journal, 12/7/02) Free-Market Mail (from 1987) (from Google search) Overtime and FMLA In Danger (Washington Post) (added 2/2/03)
The Red Bank Local, APWU, AFL-CIO, is a non-profit organization.
Commission Targets Injured Workers By Susan M. Carney, National APWU Human Relations Director A priority function of the Human relations Department is to provide information, guidance, and advice to APWU local and state representatives in order for them to assist our injured members. Each year nearly 84,000 new claims are filed with OWCP by postal workers. We account for over half of the new OWCP claims filed annually by federal employees. This equates to nearly 10% of the entire postal workforce, which means on a percentage basis more employees are filing new OWCP claims than are using the grievance procedure. That being said, the President's Commission has targeted injured workers with recommendations that would relieve the USPS of millions of dollars in workers' compensation costs, placing the financial burden on workers and their families. Their recommendations include imposing a 3-day waiting period before we'd be eligible to receive continuation of pay (COP), limiting wage loss compensation to 2/3 of our basic pay and forcing injured workers into retirement. Think you can stop reading because this doesn't affect you? You saw the figures. Every day we are at risk of being injured on the job. If you haven't been, consider yourself fortunate; but you should never consider yourself to be exempt. So now that you understand that this does affect you, we need to understand that simply reading these recommendations does nothing to explain the major impact these changes will have on us. To understand their grandeur we will have to look below the surface. Currently, there is no waiting period for COP. According to postal statistics, on average injured workers with disabilities are only using 66.3 hours of COP. In these instances our COP benefits would be slashed by 37%. Limiting wage loss compensation benefits to 2/3 of our regular basic pay is an outright attack on postal families. Postal workers with qualifying dependents are currently entitled to 3/4 of their basic pay. I suspect those of us without dependents can expect a reduction as well but we will have to wait to read the fine print. Despite age discrimination laws that currently protect postal workers from forced retirement, the Commission seeks transitioning injured workers into retirement rather than permitting us to claim our Federal Employees' Compensation Act (FECA) benefits. Many of us who are eligible to retire don't because we can't afford to live on our retirement annuity or because we would have nothing else to occupy our time. It is a fact that retirees without a plan often feel unproductive, become depressed and ill. Then there is this to consider, many of us who are eligible to retire have not yet attained our maximum annuity. With retirees living 30 years beyond retirement, this is a long term financial blow. And finally on the issue of forced retirement, in these instances retirees would be unable to seek other employment due to the medical restrictions that resulted from workplace injuries. So how many of us could survive on unjust pay cuts of this magnitude? Most of us are just getting by as it is, living payday to payday. The Commission's recommendations permit the service to divorce themselves of their "renewed commitment" to safety. Perhaps the Commission should be recommending the reimplementation of our OSHA Ergonomic Standards rather than punishing workers for their injuries. Certainly these standards would have prevented workplace injuries, illnesses and diseases and reduced compensation costs had they not been dismantled by their appointer. Finally, their recommendations are disparaging to postal employees, barring us from receiving the same FECA benefits to which all other federal employees would still be entitled. We have a major battle to fight against the anticipated but certain legislation which will be forthcoming based on the Commission's recommendations. It is very important that we focus on the priority issues that dramatically affect us; our rights to all collective bargaining, our opposition to work sharing, protection of universal service and rates. But we must not allow our FECA benefits to fall through the cracks or to serve as the sacrificial lamb. When engaging in battle we must educate our opposition as well as our allies on why we are opposed to any give backs of our FECA benefits and why we demand accountability of the USPS for a safe working environment. From the webmaster: Sue Carney is from the South Jersey Area Local. If memory serves me, she still holds a Tour 1 Mail Processing bid. Prior to her election as National APWU Human Relations Director, she served with distinction as President of the New Jersey State Postal Workers Union. Spelling errors, if any, are the fault of the webmaster and not the author.
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WASHINGTON,
D.C.—Senate Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Susan Collins (R-ME) today
urged the U.S. Postmaster General to continue taking strong steps to reform his
agency, and pledged to introduce legislation to help the Postal Service meet its
reform goals. 
