APWU Says Honor Vets with Jobs
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On Veterans Day today, lawmakers will make a lot of speeches honoring the service of the nation’s military veterans. But many of these same lawmakers are backing legislation that could cost the jobs of 26,000 veterans who work for the U.S. Postal Service (USPS).
The bill (H.R. 2309), sponsored by Reps. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) and Dennis Ross (R-Fla.), was approved by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on Oct. 13. It would force the Postal Service to lay off as many as 120,000 workers, including veterans who served our nation.
The Postal Workers (APWU) and Mail Handlers, an affiliate of the Laborers (LIUNA), have launched a new TV ad (see above) that salutes the nation’s “real life heroes” and urges viewers to tell their representatives in Congress to vote ”No” on H.R. 2309 when it comes to the House floor for a vote.
Our nation’s veterans are real-life heroes. But when they come home, they don’t want a parade, they want a job.
King County Transit Workers Approve Contract—and More Bargaining News
Some 3,800 transport workers in King County, Wash., approve a new three-year contract, and more news from the “Bargaining Digest Weekly.” The AFL-CIO Collective Bargaining Department delivers daily bargaining-related news and research resources to more than 1,300 subscribers. Union leaders can register for this service through our website, Bargaining@Work.
SETTLEMENTS
ATU, King County Metro: Members of Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 587 in Washington State ratified a three-year contract with King County Metro. The contract eliminates 2011 cost-of-living increases for the 3,800 ATU members but reinstates them in the following two years.
WORK STOPPAGES
AFM, Detroit Symphony Orchestra: The first formal bargaining session in nearly two months between the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and the Detroit Symphony Musicians (DSM)/AFM ended with no agreement. DSM members have been on strike since Oct. 4. DSM says orchestra management barely gave bargaining a chance, going instead to the media to mischaracterize a proposal by the musicians.
NALC Says 5-Day Delivery Is the Wrong Way To Go
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The U.S. Postal Service’s (USPS’s) plan to end Saturday mail delivery would do more harm than good and it distracts from the real solution, which is eliminating the “crushing burden of a deeply flawed health benefits pre-funding policy,” according to the Letter Carriers (NALC).
The real key to saving the Postal Service, says NALC President Fredric Rolando, is to overhaul the health care funding system, which could save the agency at least $8 billion a year—far more than the speculative $3 billion annual savings the USPS claims it can get from reducing service. He adds:
The arrogance of the Postal Service in this campaign to lobby the public to embrace five-day delivery as the answer to the Postal Service’s problem is astounding. Given that Congress has shown very little interest in eliminating Saturday service and must approve any change, the Postal Service should focus its energies on real solutions, not risky and counterproductive service cuts.
Help Honor Mother Jones with a Commemorative Stamp
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Mickey Mouse, Mickey Mantle and Mickey Rooney have been honored with commemorative stamps by the U.S. Postal Service. So have obscure diplomats, comic book heroes, authors, architects, motorcycles and love birds.
All occupy a niche of American history and culture. Now labor historians and social activists say its time to honor someone who significantly improved the lives of America’s workers: Mary “Mother” Jones.
Mother Jones was a fearless fighter for workers’ rights:
Once labeled “the most dangerous woman in America” by a U.S. district attorney, Mary Harris “Mother” Jones rose to prominence as a fiery orator and fearless organizer for the Mine Workers during the first two decades of the 20th century.
Nearly anywhere coal miners, textile workers or steelworkers were fighting to organize a union, Mother Jones was there….She was banished from more towns and was held incommunicado in more jails in more states than any other union leader of the time.
Take Action Today to Save Bargaining Rights for Postal Workers
An amendment to a short-term financial assistance bill for the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) would destroy collective bargaining between the USPS and its unions. The Postal Workers (APWU) and the Letter Carriers (NALC) are mobilizing to defeat the amended bill (S. 1507) when it comes to a vote before the full Senate later this week.
APWU President William Burrus warns that if the bill passes as written,
it will destroy collective bargaining for postal workers.
Click here to visit APWU’s website and to send a message to your senators.
Postal Unions Slam Saturday Mail Cut Plan
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Six days a week, 144 million U.S. homes and businesses count on the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to deliver the mail. Now, in a cost-cutting move, the USPS wants to slash Saturday mail delivery and the nation’s two largest postal unions say it is a disastrous proposal.
Letter Carriers (NALC) President Bill Young says stopping six-day delivery would have a profound impact on the Postal Service, its costumers and Letter Carriers across the country:
The NALC’s position on this issue should be crystal clear: We oppose the elimination of six-day delivery. Downsizing the Postal Service to meet the needs of a severely depressed economy is short-sighted and self-defeating—it will cost us tens of thousands of jobs and open the way to competitors to provide service on the sixth day.
The USPS is conducting a study of dropping Saturday delivery as part of an overall move to cut costs and is seeking comments from various stakeholders. Postal Workers (APWU) President William Burrus says his advice is simple: “Don’t do it!”
