Right now, Congress is considering a budget deal that could both threaten the future of the U.S. Postal Service by ending Saturday delivery and cutting letter carriers’ pay by increasing pension contributions. Use the form below to send a message to your representative in the House that cutting Saturday delivery and increasing federal and postal pension contributions should not be in the budget deal.
Also, call toll-free 888-812-6038 to deliver that same message to your representative.
Tell Congress: Don’t cut letter carrier jobs and pay
Click here to read NALC President Fred Rolando’s letter to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA).
Dear Madam Leader:
I write on behalf of 274,000 active and retired letter carriers who live and work in every
congressional district in America. We wish to express our deep concern with reports that the
budget conference committee may propose to eliminate tens of thousands of postal jobs and
reduce the take-home pay of every postal and federal employee in the United States.
The National Association of Letter Carriers urges every member of the Democratic Caucus to
oppose any bill that eliminates Saturday mail delivery or raises the retirement contributions of
federal and postal employees.
The proposal to end Saturday delivery is outrageous, given that the Postal Service does not
contribute to the federal deficit (it’s off-budget and receives no taxpayer money) and has
returned to operational profitability. Ending Saturday delivery would destroy 25,000 city carrier
jobs, 45,000 rural carrier jobs and 10,000 other postal jobs – according to estimates provided by
the Postal Service to the four postal unions. Eliminating jobs that provide a middle-class
standard of living certainly does not comply with the mission of the Democratic Caucus
Worse, at a time when the Postal Service is winning new business to offer Sunday delivery of
packages, reducing service would stop the postal recovery in its tracks. Indeed, it would drive
business away from the Postal Service and leave Americans with slower mail service. This
would threaten millions of private-sector jobs in the printing, publishing, paper and e-commerce
sectors that rely on the Postal Service and undermine affordable universal service for the
American people.
Raising payroll contributions by federal and postal employees for retirement benefits – with no
increase in those benefits – is equally outrageous. No group of Americans has contributed
more to deficit reduction in recent years though pay freezes, benefit cuts and furloughs. And the
pensions of America’s postal employees are fully funded.
The purpose of the budget conference committee, created after the federal government shutdown
in October, is to reduce the negative impact of budget sequestration on jobs and public
services. It makes no sense to replace the current sequester with a job-killing reduction in
delivery services or a confidence-killing pay cut for America’s federal employees.
NALC would support a package of postal reforms in the budget that would eliminate the
crushing burden of pre-funding future retiree health benefits, provide postal pension fairness,
preserve service standards and grant product and pricing freedom to the Postal Service. We
have shared such a package with congressional leaders in both parties and on both sides of the
Capitol. We believe it is budget-neutral. Such a package would contribute to the original goals
of the conference committee to promote growth and job creation.
I urge the Democratic Caucus to oppose the end of Saturday mail delivery in the budget or any
other legislation. No matter how it is dressed up – with a volume trigger or profitability test –
slashing service is a bad idea. It’s bad for our customers (mailers who want 6- and even 7-day
delivery), it’s bad for the Postal Service, and it’s bad for jobs and the American economy.
Democrats should also reject any increase in federal pension contributions – cutting our take-home pay is grossly unfair given the sacrifices we’ve made since the 2008 financial crash.
Thank you for continuing to fight for America’s working families.
Still don’t see “finally both side? Agree on 5 day is the way to go”
Both sides do NOT agree and no postal bill has been pushed through as yet that I’m aware of?
What I do see is they (Congress) agree on increasing pension cost for new employees and under consideration changing the formula for calculating annuities from the highest 3 yrs to 5?
But no where? Oh by the way we also agree and threw in the the postal service is now going to deliver 5 days only. Maybe in another bill? Were they dont agree but is its under consideration in a postal reform bill?
Both sides so far don’t agree on 5 days is flat bullshit. Maybe that’s how many days out of the year they work?
You are right though? It is hard…everytime I wake up, from both sides.
Both Sides you need open your eyes…I know its hard for you but comon….Did you even read this article…..Amazing
I heard that they will have to pass a budget just to see what is in it! lol
Where or where do you see that?
5 day what? This isn’t a postal bill.
Maybe a dream you had?
Finally both side agree 5 day is the way to go. I can’t wait…Screw the Unions
For us tier 2 employees it is the ice age.
Most don’t know it….pray for us.
Current federal empoyees managed to emerge unscathed into contribute more in their pensions as unions, advocacy organizations an Washington -area congressional delegation pushed hard.
You were saying San?
There’s an ice age coming again?
Not in my life time San green eggs an ham
if it were up to the unions there will be no jobs at all and no usps…they are shutting it down…stand down unions
The AFSM machines that the postal service overpaid for to process flats have been a bust and Pitney Bowes is the culprit. They should be liable for it but because they have been a loyal partner of ours we sue each other yet stay in business together because it’s complicated beyond comprehension as is the federal government. If we were a private company then big businesses would suffer beyond belief as they would lose their pre-sort discounts that they get and if this was gone then the postal service would actually be making money but wait we can’t as we are only allowed to lose money thanks to the congress mandate of 2006 which makes us overpay retirement funds in ten years instead of let’s say fifty years. Congress should have term limits and leave the six day delivery in place and allow the postal service to compete with our competitors.
Looks like a done deal, they want to railroad this through before their vacation so they can go to their home districts and say they did something,
South Jersey deviler, in the large % of the country that gets snow, there wouldn’t be a single minute saved.
Nice try.
Come back when you’ve actually done the job.
make carriers top pay 65000.00 and evaluated routes.Do you know how much the postal service would save in overtime.
Hey psycho! I think we have your answer?
Right above your post.
Do you Obammy lovers still like your “Hope and Change?”… Dumbasses!
Typical.
Bail out Wall St., again, but no money for workers.
Fuck you Obama. Fuck you Congress.
CONGRESS DO NOT LISTEN TO THE SELF SERVING UNIONS!!!!! TRIM THE FAT SAVE THE POSTAL SERVICE, PROTECT THE ENVIRONMENT WITH LESS AIR POLUTION, REDUCE DEPENDENCE ON IMPORTED OIL, REDUCE DEMAND FOR GAS, ELIMINATE SATURDAY DELIVERY, LEAVE PENSIONS ALONE……
Co-pay are up too, a family could see cost go up over $100 a month more.
Same health care they had in 2013.
Yea more great news for Americans.
Pension contribution should go up a lot more than proposed. Residential delivery should be no more than 3 days each week.
IT IS TIME TO THINK ABOUT REDUCING THE MILITARY BUDGET AND THE TAX BREAK FOR ALL COMPANIES. LET’S HAVE BUSINESSES PAY THERE FAIR SHARE. DON’T USE THE WORKING POOR FOR THE BUDGETS FIXES.
THANKS