Time for action on amendments to S. 1507 that are detrimental to postal employees..

[Postaltexan]

Ok my friends, it is time for us to put our collective butts on the same page.  

There are amendments being added to the Senate bill (S. 1507) (This is the Senate companion bill to HR 22) that would provide short term financial relief to the USPS.  Most of these amendments are not in the best interest of postal employees.  

Amendments offered by Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) and Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) would require arbitrators to consider the financial health of the USPS when ruling on collective bargaining agreements, and an amendment submitted by Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) would increase the share postal employees pay for healthcare coverage.

An amendment submitted by Sen. Coburn would repeal the requirement in appropriations law that requires the USPS to deliver mail six days per week. A total of 11 amendments were submitted as of the deadline for submissions, but additional amendments could be offered when the committee meets on July 29 to vote on the bill.

For the summary of all of the amendments, click the link below:

http://www.divshare.com/direct/8021535-057.pdf

Once the committee acts on the amendments, it is expected to vote on the main bill, the Postal Service Retiree Health Benefits Funding Reform Act of 2009 (S. 1507) The bill was introduced by Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE) on July 23, would restructure the USPS obligation to pay retiree healthcare benefits, and would generate savings of billions of dollars over the next several years. The USPS is projecting a loss of $7.1 billion in Fiscal Year 2009, despite predictions that it will cut costs by $6.1 billion this year.

If you live in one of the states of the Senator's that serve on the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs then please contact those senators and urge them not to approve this bill with these amendments attached.. If they are a Senator in your state, then they need to hear loud and clear from their consituents. And, I dont see where it could hurt for the rest of us to contact the Committee also..  

You can find the Senator's that serve on that Committee along with links to their websites with contact information at the link below:  
http://hsgac.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=AboutCommittee.Membership

This is make or break time folks..  Lets put our voices together and do something..

Thanks to the APWU for this information

[Postaltexan]

UPDATE

The following amendments were adopted to S. 1507 Postal Service Retiree Health Benefits Funding Reform Act of 2009 on July 29, 2009 at the Senate Committee on Homeland Security & Government Affairs bill mark-up business meeting.

    * Coburn # 1 Would require any binding arbitration in the negotiation of postal contracts to take the financial health of the Postal Service into account.
    * Coburn #3 Would prohibit the Postal Service from issuing bonuses in any year that it reports a yearend net loss.
    * Collins #2 Would require GAO to expedite the reporting requirements for its study of USPS's options and strategies for the long-term structural and operational USPS reforms. The Postal Enhancement and Accountability Act of 2006 requires that GAO conduct this study by 2011. This amendment would require that the study be complete by March 31, 2010, so that USPS can benefit from this study sooner.
    * Collins #3 Would limit USPS's total outstanding debt to $15 billion, as required under current law. The underlying bill would allow USPS to borrow an additional $2 billion in fiscal years 2009 and 2010 (increases annual borrowing from $3 billion to $5 billion), but exempts the $2 billion from being applied to USPS's total debt ceiling of $15 billion. This amendment would require that any additional amount of the additional $2 billion USPS borrows apply to the $15 billion debt ceiling.