Obamacare and the RCA .....

[elynrose]

Does anyone have any thoughts on what the impact will be  of Obamacare passing the Senate and the (so-called) job security of the RCA if the Postal Service will be penalized and taxed if it does not provide government mandated health insurance for all employees?
  Another words, do you think it would be cheaper for the Post Office to find more reasons to let go of the RCA rather than keep them on... and...can they do that ?

[Doug RCA]

It seems a bit far fetched to tie the two things together as you are. Another arguement would be for the post office to have only RCA's and no regular cariers as we are 1/2 the cost. Seems like the posibilities when speculating are to many to count

[elynrose]

I really hope it is "far-fetched" , Doug RCA !!
As far as the RCA being considered "cheap labor" , one of those reasons we are is  that the Postal Service doesn't provide health insurance for us...the government mandate would require them to provide us with that and that would be one less "cheap labor" argument!

[charlie]

If we go to 5 day the post office suspects that 40,000 rural craft will not be needed. That's us fellow RCA's.

It would be a good laugh if Obamacare forced the post office to provide " affordable" insurance for us.
 
Now that it is open season, here is another stick it to RCA's
The post office comes under FEHB for health benefits. FEHB says that part time employees can open Flexible Spending Accounts. They do it in every department except the post office. In the post office only "career" employes can join. Seems like this is discriminate and a violation of FEHB rules. What does our union do to help us in this?  Zip.

[gjtrisa]

Companies are already required to provide health insurance for employees that work over 26 hours per week but somehow the USPS seems to exempt the RCA.  I bet they will try to find a way around it again.


-----Original Message-----
From: Elynrose [via RURAL MAIL TALK] <[hidden email]>
Sent: Sun, Nov 8, 2009 10:54 am
Subject: Obamacare and the RCA .....

Does anyone have any thoughts on what the impact will be  of Obamacare passing the Senate and the (so-called) job security of the RCA if the Postal Service will be penalized and taxed if it does not provide government mandated health insurance for all employees?
  Another words, do you think it would be cheaper for the Post Office to find more reasons to let go of the RCA rather than keep them on... and...can they do that ?

[charlie]

RCA's are "exempted" from insurance because our union contract does not call for it. It seems that our union has never negotiated it.  All the other "part timers" in the other unions get all the benefits.  Anyone care to explain this disparity to me?

[rsewell]

It's not just RCAs. It's all non-career employees, whether you work for the PO or the State Dept. Remember, PTFs are part-time folks, but they are also career employees.

As to our Union negotiating for health benefits for RCAs. Just because they haven't gotten them for us doesn't mean they haven't tried. Remember that the PO also has to agree to it before it can happen.

[WV Rural girl]

A few years ago it was big news that RCAs could even get health insurance via the post office route. I don't know how competative the rates were I didn't use it as my husband had employer provided insurance. So somewhere along the line the right to purchase health insurance and get it as a pay roll deduction was introduced. I assume the union did that??? Under Obama-care, the part of our health insurance paid for by the post office will be taxed as income. That is NOT good. It then ceases to be a benefit, I think.

[RogerR]

Under Obama-care, the part of our health insurance paid for by the post office will be taxed as income.

No it won't.  Don't believe the hype you are hearing.  Only very high priced plans will be taxed.