Darrel Issa/ Appropriations Committee is Trying to Destroy the US Postal Service with HR 2309

Just to put it all into context, the postal service is completely self funded and doesn't rely on tax money to thrive. That being said, Congress has dictated to the postal service to set aside 5.5 billion dollars of their profits every year for the past several decades for their retirement funds, and now they won't give them the roughly 70 billion dollars they owe them. Instead congressman Darrel Issa introduced HR 2309, which will, if passed, close a bunch of facilities around the country, end Saturday delivery, end collective bargaining for postal unions, etc.

http://www.apwu.org/news/nsb/2011/nsb13-110624-issa_bill.htm

I think neo-con politicians want to use something that's really a result of executive branches incompetence to punish postal workers and ultimately privatize the postal service for their corporate backers and business partners.

On the other hand, Representative Stephen Lynch of Massachusetts has introduced a bill, HR 1351, that will protect bargaining rights and make congress give the retirement money back that they owe the post office.

http://www.apwu.org/news/webart/2011/11-072-hr1351_letter-110616.htm

Anyway, I think this is a very important issue, and I really don't want to have to use Fedex and UPS. I think if they were given the market, it would destabilize millions of Americans who rely on the cheap shipping provided by USPS to supplement their income through internet businesses and ebay stores. I paid 13 dollars to ship a CD through Fedex's 4 day delivery once. USPS offers basically the same service for less than a dollar. UPS, on the other hand, has lost three of my packages, and they still cost more money. For all the mail I've received through USPS, I've had little to no problems with them.


I think the postal service is one of the better services that the government provides, as it doesn't draw any money from the treasury (only puts it there apparently), and it has a great model for management and labor relations. Its a shame people want to destroy it.

I find it funny these politicians, Obama included, always use being hustled at the post office as an example of ineffectual government when they're on the campaign trail. They never bring up the ATF fire bombing innocent men women and children at Waco, DEA agents opening fire on innocent people, and the CIA funding death squads, terrorists, and genocidal dictators, like the Contras, Osama Bin Laden, Saddam Hussein, and Suharto. They never bring any of that, just a stupid cliche about the post office, which in reality, I've found to be very consistent in delivering my mail. Most countries don't even deliver 6 days out of the week like USPS does. I think in France, its only 2 days out of the week.

You have to remember, too, that it was started by Benjamin Franklin, the countries first Postmaster General, and its mandated by the Constitution of the US.

"Article I, Section 8, Clause 7 of the United States Constitution, known as the Postal Clause or the Postal Power, empowers Congress 'To establish Post Offices and post Roads'." -Wikipedia

than a half a buck. It's cheaper, faster and more efficient than private companies. Of COURSE it has to go.

K&R. By the way, I don't work for the post office.

The US Postal service used to own its own planes and could deliver domestic, overnight packages to most parts of the country by noon the following day. Then a lot of the transportation was outsourced to third party, private industries, with the promise of increased efficiency, and, Ironically, after massive layoffs and such, it takes 2 days to deliver an overnight package.

I don't work for the postal service either, but I don't take it for granted, which a lot of people apparently do.

from owning airplane in the 1920's. Postal mail is contracted to UPS or FedEX for air.

I know that inefficiencies resulted from outsourcing more work to private corporations that made overnight delivery take longer than it previously did.

and now the boomers are getting ready to need these funds and nobody wants to shore them up.

It is criminal.

Its part of their agreement or something.

If we lose that, we have no reason not to strike.

Issa wants to make it where workers get laid off, but he wants to keep the part about not striking. I hate that man.

I know Issa to be an asshole of the highest order.

If he succeeds, the USPS as we know it will be gone.

Your only form of truly secure communication will be gone.

Your only truly universal communication will be gone.

And my job will be gone- no matter my debts, I will not work for a private postal system.

Ironically, they probably like the CIA, an institution that's aided genocide and that draws billions of dollars from tax money. I haven't heard tea party people have anything bad to say about the millitary-industrial complex and out of control intelligence agencies. The postal service generates all its own money though, and it doesn't kill people. It would be ideal, as a public service, if it weren't for congress mismanaging their funds.

The USPS, or the precursor to it (pony express) was used as a communication network during the revolution to defeat the British. Ben Franklin was responsible for creating it. I don't see why a crowd of people who support this government service (any government service that actually helps people for that matter) wouldn't have a right to wave Gadsen flags and wear period costumes too. I don't see why its all these pro-corporate pawns that think they only have a right to that.

Issa and Sensenbrenner (sp) were always complete assholes and completely antagonistic towards the Postal Service

The problem with USPS, and what has always been its problem is its entrenched bureaucratic management on all levels ( I was a supervisor and I can tell you 75% of my fellow managers/supervisors were utterly worthless--a complete drain on the USPS)

The Postmasters and Station Managers literally do NOTHING all day long. Not a tad, not a bit here and there---NOTHING.

The NALC and what's left of the APWU (postal unions) should have merged long ago, but inexplicably have refused to even broach the topic. They, (particularly the NALC) have saved the Postal Service from Repukes that would love nothing more than to to privatize operations.

Privatization = no or severe reductions in service to poor and rural areas, (the universal mandate would be history) and even larger giveaways to the bulk mailers.

The USPS has problems, obviously, but they can be fixed. It's a vital service that many Americans depend on, and should remain a government operated entity/corporation.

Oasis

Simply because the public thinks we are all letter carriers or clerks, and I'm going to hear some petty complaint about a crumpled package or something. I've been an MPE, BEM and ET. The wages are only mediocre for the skill level but the benefits and job security were great, plus the coworkers are mostly a pretty good bunch. You are 100% right on about mid level management. Every place I've been is just a good old boys club. None have any skills or abilities except covering their own ass and kissing ass above.
They really need to eliminate most of the EAS jobs. In good times they could afford it, but do to the drop in revenue from the recession they need to clean house.

Idiotic managers, and particularly District managers is staggering alone. Basically, as a Supv. you are instructed to completely disregard the contract wherever and whenever it suites you. "We'll deal with it later" is ALWAYS the standard operating procedure for floor supervisors and their superiors.

We (management) would lose grievance after grievance---arbitration award after arbitration award--yet the same policies and same tactics would continue unabated. They had absolutely ZERO respect fpr the national contract--much less local agreements.

The USPS management is the ENTIRE problem. 99% of bargaining unit employees are dedicated, hardworking servants to the public.

I've never been a part of an organization with management that's so dysfunctional. I actually left the USPS over it. I make a little more money now, but the private sector benefits aren't even close. I've often wondered if I made a mistake, but I was told it was either stay in management or leave--no opportunity to go back to the craft ( I was a clerk when I started). I would have gladly stayed if I would've been given the option to return.

Oasis

with the union contracts. I've seen carriers and clerks working, and they look like they work hard to me. They act like they're all lazy and get huge, ridiculous pensions. Of course, this is all really just propaganda to get the portion of the public, who don't have benefits or unions, to attack those who have them. Its the same thing they did with the teachers unions. Its ridiculous. To them, probably the existence of any organized labor is bad in their view. They just don't like uppity working class people having any rights. I honestly believe that, having watched the discourse over the past year. I wouldn't be surprised if those two legislatures behind this have campaign funders tied to Fedex and UPS. I'd like to look more into that actually.

Yah, I know internally, nothings ideal. However, compared to the CIA selling weapons to Iran and Iraq in the 80's, the Postal Service looks ideal to me looking at it as an outsider.

Of course. Why deal with actual issues concerning the deficit, when you can go after NPR, Planned Parenthood, and the Post Office! You could probably combine the funding for all these programs, and it wouldn't cover the Bush tax cuts in ONE state

NPR I can't find a clear figure on. I'm guessing its less than 100 million. So compared to the 14 trillion dollar debt, cutting those things wouldn't even make a dent.

The dispute is over 70 billion dollars worth of money that Congress actually owes the postal service that they actually generated their selves. Really, if they pass that bill and keep the money, they're effectively robbing the Post Office. This is what people should all understand and be aware of.

Plus the postal service has a high rate of minority employment. Perfect target for these classist and racist assholes.

When are people going to stop voting in these businessmen that only see services like the Post Office and the Military as a potential markets that they can free up for their frat buddies? Why can't we put a scientist in office for a change? Its always businessmen that work for Multi-National Corporations, and large segment of the public hasn't really figured it out, after all these years, that there might be an ulterior motive to people like that seeking positions of power.