Please Oppose S. 3831
The Postal Operations Sustainment and Transformation (POST) of 2010
I am writing to you today as a postal employee and constituent to voice my strong opposition to S. 3831 which was introduced by Senator Carper on September 23, 2010 to amend the provisions of title 5, United States Code, relating to the methodology for calculating the amount of any Postal surplus or supplemental liability under the Civil Service Retirement System, and for other purposes.
While S. 3831 addresses the CSRS pension overcharge as well as the Postal Service Retiree Health Benefit Fund (PSRHBF), it also includes other USPS related issues that I am strongly opposed to. If passed as is, S. 3831 would allow the USPS to change the frequency of delivery days, and close post offices without Congressional oversight.
This legislation also seeks to reform the way in which unionized Postal employees? wages and benefits are determined. If passed as is, it would require arbitrators to take the financial state of the USPS into account when issuing their rulings.
We often hear that USPS labor costs are approximately 80% of the USPS expenses. The Postal Service is required under the law to pay its employees wages and benefits that are comparable to those paid in the private sector. Delivering mail is a labor intensive job that provides service to every address in the country. There is no other business or company in the United States that can make that claim, but we do it every single day, and it takes a lot of people to provide the American people the mail service they deserve.
If included, this provision would tilt the scales for the USPS and put its employees at a disadvantage and would put many hard earned and bargained for benefits at risk. Arbitrators already routinely consider the financial state of the USPS during negotiations. To make this provision law would undermine the collective bargaining process and make it subject to manipulation.
I ask that you stand with thousands of postal employees both in your District and across the United States and oppose S. 3831 if it contains these provisions that are detrimental to all postal workers.
Thank you for your time and attention to this issue
While S. 3831 addresses the CSRS pension overcharge as well as the Postal Service Retiree Health Benefit Fund (PSRHBF), it also includes other USPS related issues that I am strongly opposed to. If passed as is, S. 3831 would allow the USPS to change the frequency of delivery days, and close post offices without Congressional oversight.
This legislation also seeks to reform the way in which unionized Postal employees? wages and benefits are determined. If passed as is, it would require arbitrators to take the financial state of the USPS into account when issuing their rulings.
We often hear that USPS labor costs are approximately 80% of the USPS expenses. The Postal Service is required under the law to pay its employees wages and benefits that are comparable to those paid in the private sector. Delivering mail is a labor intensive job that provides service to every address in the country. There is no other business or company in the United States that can make that claim, but we do it every single day, and it takes a lot of people to provide the American people the mail service they deserve.
If included, this provision would tilt the scales for the USPS and put its employees at a disadvantage and would put many hard earned and bargained for benefits at risk. Arbitrators already routinely consider the financial state of the USPS during negotiations. To make this provision law would undermine the collective bargaining process and make it subject to manipulation.
I ask that you stand with thousands of postal employees both in your District and across the United States and oppose S. 3831 if it contains these provisions that are detrimental to all postal workers.
Thank you for your time and attention to this issue
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