lobbies Congress to help letter carriers and the Postal Service
coordinates NALC's grass-roots political action program
Fact sheet Tell Congress to return the Postal Service’s FERS pension overpayment;
Support H.R. 961: United States Postal Service Stabilization Act
March 27, 2013 -- Each year, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) calculates
the surplus and/or liability of the Federal Employees Retirement
System (FERS) pension fund. It specifically addresses the
postal portion of the fund and determines the financial situation of that
portion.
OPM estimated in 2011 that the U.S. Postal Service portion of FERS
had a $2.6 billion surplus and projected that it would grow to $3 billion
by 2012. While this is certainly good news, the assumptions that OPM
uses when making this calculation are deeply flawed. Click here to read the fact sheet.
Fact sheet Eliminating Saturday delivery is not the answer;
Support H.Res. 30
March 5, 2013 -- The U.S. Postal Service faces the worst crisis in its history.
Over the last six years it has reported an
astounding $41 billion in losses. Although the collapse of the housing and financial sectors in late 2008 are
responsible for the largest decline in mail volume since the Great
Depression in the 1930s, the main cause of the Postal Service’s financial crisis is
the decision— advanced by the Bush administration in the postal
reform law of 2006—to require the USPS to pre-fund its future
retiree health benefits, a 75-year liability, in just 10 years. That
law mandated 10 annual payments of between $5.4 and $5.8 billion per year, even as the economy crashed. The cost of this
unaffordable annual pre-funding payment accounts for most of
the losses reported since 2007, totaling some $32 billion. The
financial crisis caused by the Great Recession and the congressional mandate has led to massive service cuts, including the
proposed elimination of Saturday delivery. Click here to read the fact sheet.
Fact sheet Save the Postal Service:
Demand fairness
in USPS pension and retiree health funding
Feb. 28, 2013 -- As the economy struggles to recover from the worst recession in 80 years, the Postal Service continues to face a
financial crisis. The loss of revenue resulting from declining mail volume is compounded by a provision in the 2006
postal reform law that requires the Postal Service to massively
pre-fund its future retiree health benefits at a cost of $5.6 billion
annually. The requirement has resulted in mounting losses, rising debt and destructive job and service cuts. Click here to read the fact sheet.
Fact sheet Congressional mandates and the Great
Recession have caused the Postal Service’s
recent financial challenges
Feb. 28, 2013 -- The U.S. Postal Service is facing long-term financial
challenges due in part to the increased use of the Internet as a
substitute for first-class mail. To survive, the USPS will need to transform its business model to succeed in the 21st century.
But use of the Internet is not the principal cause of the Postal Service’s significant losses over the last six years. Those losses are due
to the continuing effects of the Great Recession and to a requirement
mandated by Congress that the Postal Service aggressively pre-fund
its future retiree health benefits. No other government agency or company has such a requirement.
The USPS needs to change, but it should not be forced to make
short-sighted decisions under duress. Near-term, fiscally responsible
reforms are needed to give the Postal Service and Congress breathing room to devise a more successful long-term business plan. Click here to read the fact sheet.
Fact sheet Support S. 316 & H.R. 630: The Postal Service Protection Act The Postal Service Protection Act is the solution to the USPS’ financial crisis
Feb. 22, 2013 -- Over the past several years, there have been numerous measures introduced in the House and Senate to address the Postal Service’s financial condition and to facilitate a viable future for one of America’s most useful and popular institutions. Many of these bills had important components to return the Postal Service to operating as a financially sound company, while many others completely miss the mark, favoring efforts to dismantle the Postal Service rather to save it. However, S. 316 and H.R. 630, both titled “The Postal Service Protection Act,” are the only pieces of legislation that include all the key provisions necessary to return the Postal Service to financial health in both the short and long terms, while preserving its vital networks, high-quality service standards and solid middle-class jobs. Click here to read the fact sheet.
Fact sheet Four budget battles in 2013:
The threats to Saturday delivery & postal employee benefits
Feb. 7, 2013 -- Sensible postal reform remains the NALC’s top legislative
priority for 2013, but city letter carriers also must
pay attention to the ongoing fight over how to reduce
the federal budget deficit. In fact, there will be four separate
budget battles in Congress this year that threaten our interests:
the so-called “sequestration,” the continuing resolution
(CR) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2013, President Obama’s budget for
FY 2014 and another national debt limit. These will likely
dominate national political discussions this year.
This fact sheet aims to clarify these four battles and explain
how letter carriers could be affected adversely by their outcomes.
It concludes with actions that active and retired letter
carriers must take to protect our jobs and our benefits. Click here to read the fact sheet.
COLCPE is for NALC members and retirees only. COLCPE has and enforces a policy of returning any contribution
that is received from any other source.
NALC e-Activist Network Become a legislative activist
Join together
with tens of thousands of other letter carriers to make your voice heard! NALC will send you
e-mail alerts when it's time to act on issues affecting active and retired letter carriers and the future of the Postal Service.
Carrier Corps members represent the views of letter carriers in Washington and help pro-letter carrier candidates win election to Congress. Carrier Corps membership begins anew at the start of each election cycle. Members need to renew their membership by participating in one of several kinds of activities. Click here to find out more.
LEGISLATION AND POLITICAL ACTION TOPICS
Issue fact sheets:Essential information on postal reform, legislation, postal finance, retirement issues and more
Contact us: Get the latest information, training and more from Headquarters staffers, state legislative chairs
Training material: Grassroots guides that can help you to maximize your legislative potential
Hatch Act and federal election law: You can do more than you think you can! What letter carriers can do in politics and legislation under the Hatch Act and the Federal Election Campaign Act.
Testimony: NALC leaders’ testimony before Congress
Useful links: Links to other legislative and political websites
QUICK LINKS
Click here to access the form to update your contact information with the NALC Membership Department.
