Workers under siege at the Postal Service need solidarity help

From RH Jones, December 27, 2011

To all:

Solidarity is not over. The GOP members of congress are presently coming after our brothers and sisters in the United States Postal service. Like with us, they want to get their hands on postal worker's money "to privatize a piece of the pie for themselves and their supporters". Please read this letter (below) that appeared in the Beacon today, and I think you may want to help them as they helped us in the fight with the Ohio GOP over their terrible SB 5 -- that had to be recalled through expensive repeal legislation in the way of our voting no on Issue 2.

Let us do stay solidly together so we can defeat the Republican party of the powerful greedy "robber barons" that would keep the American dream only for themselves and lord over the rest of us in a 2-class society. Contact your Washington reps and let them know of our nationwide solidarity movement that will certainly follow us into our voting booths all over our beloved America.

RHJones, a proud CORE member and multi-union member

http://www.ohio.com/editorial/vop/letters-to-the-editor-dec-27-1.252261

Under siege at ?the Postal Service

The U.S. Postal Service has issued a moratorium on post office plant closings and consolidations until May 15, as reported in the Beacon Journal (“Postal Service to delay cutbacks,” Dec. 14). This moratorium was issued at the request of approximately 20 senators across the nation. It is designed to give Congress more time to work on postal reform, but I am afraid they may not come up with a viable solution to keep the Postal Service running well into the future.

The problem lies in the U.S. House. The House Oversight and Budget Committee, which oversees postal issues, is led by Rep. Darrell Issa of California, the same man who introduced the anti-union legislation H.R. 2309, which passed through the committee a few weeks back.

Isssa is blocking any attempts to have H.R. 1351 brought before the House for a vote. H.R. 1351 would return all of the money the Postal Service has overpaid into its federal retirees health benefit plan (roughly $50 billion to $75 billion) and change current legislation that requires the Postal Service to make 75 years worth of payments into this plan in a 10-year period. This bill was signed into law by former President George W. Bush in 2006, as a way for Congress to get its hands on the earnings of the Postal Service at that time.

Republican members of Congress such as Issa are attempting to pass postal reform that would not only guarantee that the Postal Service will never see any of its own money, but also lead to thousands of layoffs and the demise of the Postal Service. They want privatization, and a piece of the pie for themselves and their supporters.

There are currently some decent bills in the House and Senate, such as the H.R. 1351, but you can be sure that the Republican and tea party members will not let the bills see the light of day. They don’t have the money the Postal Service overpaid. And they certainly do not want the people to know that the deficit is actually about $50 billion to $75 billion more than they are stating.

Sherrod Brown is the only senator from Ohio trying to do the right thing to keep the Postal Service running and a valuable service. Sen. Rob Portman is doing absolutely nothing to support the Postal Service and the jobs that our communities need. Please contact your representatives and tell them enough is enough.

Timothy J. Manning
Branch president, Local 304
National Postal Mail Handlers Union
Canton