Boiling Point Rant
It seems that with each passing article I write, the news just keeps getting worse. I have spoken to members repeatedly about all things postal. Whether it be political or just work related. Sometimes I repeat myself and seem to be going in circles, but in my mind, I have to keep pushing.
On the political side, we are in a gray cloud. We do not know what is going to happen under President Trump’s administration. What we do know is that Labor in the Federal workforce is under siege. Trump has banned collective bargaining under most agencies. 1.4 million workers have been furloughed and 700,000 are working without pay. We are still in the middle of the fray waiting to see where it all lands for us. If you did not know or are unaware, if the Administration was successful a few months back and we were placed under the Commerce Dept., we would not be receiving any pay right now but yet still mandated to work. That is one of the reasons Trump wants us there. The other is to destroy your right to collective bargaining and wipe out the unions. This is all by design as retribution to Federal unions opposition to right wing actions. For all USPS workers who voted for Trump in the election, this is the consequences of that vote. I know that will offend some members, but I call it like I see it. Elections have consequences, and that is exactly what we are seeing. The ferocity of attacks by this administration is unprecedented. Your jobs, health benefits, retirement benefits including the Thrift savings and Social Security are all in their cross hair, yet many do not seem to care. I promise you; you will care if and when the shoe drops on us. Unless you’re independently wealthy, you will burn like all your brothers and sisters in the other federal unions that have been attacked. No matter what happens, you still need to take care of your families, put food on the table, housing, childcare, insurance, car repairs etc. at the same time, Trump is cutting away much of the safety net that helps those in need. This administration is built upon fear mongering. They have convinced many that immigrants are our issue. People who are of color and/or speak a different language need to be banished. They have unleashed an army of hooded ICE agents and given them the right to do whatever they want. They have arrested dozens and dozens of American citizens without cause. They have assaulted hundreds if not thousands of people. They have locked people in cages in Florida. They have and continue to send armed national guards into democratic cities to “clean them up.” They do it under the guise of stopping dangerous crime in those cities. Funny thing is that those cities are not the most crime ridden. What they are is, Democratic states that stand up to the tyranny of this administration. Not one RED state is under siege, yet they have the worst criminal records around, far worse than those blue states being attacked. I don’t know about you, but these actions are unamerican. This country was founded by and built by immigrants. Do we need better checks and balance with regard to immigration? Absolutely. There should be a better process to allow those who what to come here an opportunity to do so legally. Should we be setting daily quotas to arrest, lock up and deport every illegal immigrant? Absolutely not. By setting a quota of arrests you are greasing the skids for abuses that are continuing to go on. The use of our military against American citizens is illegal and unconstitutional. Yet the administration just continues to ignore that and sell you on their grand plan of cleaning up the United States.
I did not mean to go off on a rant here but at some point, I needed to say what I needed to say. If I offended you, I apologize. And you can apologize to me if/when we lose all that we have gained over the decades.
Pay very close attention to the actions of this administration in the coming weeks and months. If we stay on the sidelines and don’t get involved, we are all complicit in our demise. Call your congressman, senators and anyone else who you think could help. Let them know what you think. The upcoming budget will once again attack our retirement and worker rights. It will also attack our shop steward representation by denying them the time to represent you on the clock. This is all by design. Anything to take away your rights and voices of opposition. The neutering of Free Speech! Do not be afraid but don’t sit this out. Like NALC President has said: We Will Fight Like Hell!
It may seem a little off at this point after writing this article, But I still need to say:
I wish you all a Very Merry Christmas, Chanukah and Kwanza. I pray for health and happiness and better times ahead for all of you and your families.
