The Fights Go On

There is so much going on in the world that our heads are spinning. We write these articles every 2 months, so it is hard to keep up with everything in a timely fashion. We write the articles 2 weeks before they are printed and mailed out to the members. Many times, the info we write about is already passed or completely changed by the time it goes to print. Here is some news that may have passed by or is coming up. As everyone should know at this point, the budget went from the house to the senate back to reconciliation committees where after a lot of maneuvering and posturing by everyone involved, it was passed and sent to the President for his signature. While I personally think the bill is a pile of crap that seems to be harmful to the lower income people in the country as well as hurting food banks, meals for children and the rest, President Trump signed the bill to great fanfare. We shall see how it plays out. I always pray for the best but expect the worst.

For us here in the post office, we had great success in taking out every item that the house put into their version that would have severely hurt every employee under FERS as well as the health plans covered under PEBA. At the onset, it looked like we would be taking a major hit. But credit must be given to our leaders and those craft employees who joined to get these items stricken from the bill. President Brian Renfroe did an outstanding job as the face of the union. He was everywhere, every day speaking to Congress and the Senators along with our partners in the mailing industry to further our perspective and needs. He testified before numerous congressional committees to state our positions on each issue regarding his members and their families. He did all this while he was being attacked almost daily on a personal level by disgruntled members who did not like the Arbitrators’ decision on a new contract. I also must congratulate each and every member who made calls to their representatives, marched in the rally’s and donated to the Letter Carrier Political Fund (LCPF). Your efforts reenforced President Renfroe’s message to Congress and the country. For those that did nothing, re-evaluate your thought process. If you’re not in the game, there will be no game for you to be in. This battle is temporarily done, but there are upcoming fights in front of us. The President’s upcoming budget has a direct hit to the union and your access to representation. There are issues with the PEBA being underfunded at OPM which will endanger your health benefits. There is a new PMG who is a wild card. Nobody really knows what he will do with the service and the workforce. Just remember, he comes from one of our largest competitors, FED-EX, with known anti-union thoughts. The fear of the unknown is deafening. We also still have the Spector of being placed under the Commerce Dept. If that is done, we will then, in all possibility, be handled like every other federal union has been over the past 6 months. Wipe out your negotiated rights that hundreds of thousands of former letter carriers have fought for over the last 70 years. These are just some of the battles in the near future that we may be involved in. Whether you’re a political person or not, the minute you took a job at the USPS, you are involved in politics. Everything we do is surrounded by Federal laws and rules. Everything we do is connected to the political spectrum. Congress controls almost every aspect of the USPS. That is why we need to keep our PAC fund full and at the ready. Money talks in Congress and our competitors are not bound by the same rules and laws that we, Federal workers, are. They are not under the HATCH Act and have the freedom to do things we cannot. Our LCPF combined with most of Congresses and the public’s love of their letter carriers gives us an edge. So, the next time you buy a coffee and roll or an $8.00 Mocha Latte at Starbucks, stop and think. If we all just gave $5.00 per pay to the LCPF, our political strength would multiply by 90. Having one less coffee every other week, and that money going to the LCPF would benefit you. This fund helps in our fight to maintain the benefits we have. If your retirement benefits, health benefits, Life Insurance and the rest of your benefits and protections do not matter to you, then don’t worry about it. If having these benefits, along with a decent salary over time, then get in the game before it is too late. That’s it for my preaching. It’s up to you! *We are scheduled to receive all of our back pay in the August 29th paycheck. We have a COLA coming in September and a 1.5% pay increase in November. The last COLA under this contract will be in March 2026. Our contract expires in May 2026 with a bargaining beginning in February.

I would also like to point out that every other union, the APWU, Mail Handlers and Rurals have either signed off on or will shortly do so on new contractual agreements. Every one of them is in line with the contract we just had arbitrated. I will say this once again, as I stated after the arbitrator’s decision. while our contract could have and should have been better, it was bargained for under the cloud of the USPS losing $9.5 Billion dollars. It was also done under the cloud of a new President being sworn in. A president who has made no bones about his desire to privatize the service. I know of no other company in the world that would give any contract to employees under those circumstances. As a matter of fact, most would be looking for massive givebacks and layoffs. I do not live under a rock nor in a glass house. Circumstances and timing dictate most of what occurs in our lives. We need to understand that things change for both the good and bad, but if you do nothing, you get nothing.

Hope you have had a great summer. Stay safe and if something comes up that is immediately important, I will reach out to the stewards with the information.