The Status of the USPS and our National Convention

As we come into the summer months, there are many issues to deal with. First in the minds of many is the status of the USPS. The PMG sat before a congressional committee last month and answered questions from many members. I personally thought he came off better than many of the past PMGs did. He spoke clearly, answered questions, and articulated his beliefs of how to fix the USPS.

I do not agree with all he said but he did touch on many issues that we have spoken about over the past 2 decades. We have brought up repeatedly the fact the USPS cannot invest any of its money outside on government bonds that pay nothing. We lose billions under this rule. Every private company invests its monies in diversified portfolios and makes millions to billions in profits from it. We only get to invest in US bonds and earn crap. He also spoke about our debt limit of 15 billion dollars set in 1991. This creates problems with hurting our ability to invest in our infrastructure, including vehicles. The debt limit which was set 35 years ago has not risen at all. If it just kept up with inflation, the number would be in the hundreds of billions. This is money that could be used to bring us into the future to keep a foothold on our jobs and benefits. Because of the financial status of the USPS, they have suspended making their part of payments to the FERS program until 9/30/26. It does not affect the matching of thrift funds or your contributions to the FERS system. This money saves the service 200 million dollars every pay period. This has extended the cash flow for the service for a while as congress and the USPS try to find a solution. While they are “saving” money they are spending like drunken sailors on leave. Why do they have teams all over the country harassing and bullying craft employees on a daily basis? They had 20 supervisors in a local office following clerks around all day. Why? The service is bloated with management. They attack the people who actually do the work, every craft. Headquarters is also bloated with waste, but they are worried you may take an extra 2 minutes for lunch. This organization is becoming more of a joke as we speak. These 204b and new supervisors are clueless as to how we actually get the job done. Their ignorance of the reality of their actions is comical. If the service downsizes, who do you think will be the first ones gone? They will. No intelligent organization in the private sector would keep this antiquated and bloated system in place. When Postmaster General Marvin Runyan was sworn in in 1992, there was fear across the crafts that he would be cutting jobs based on his past history with the Tennessee Valley Authority where he was nicknamed “Carvin Marvin”. This fear was alleviated when Marvin spoke at our National Convention where he stated that he would not cut Letter Carrier jobs. He told us that we were the backbone of the organization and could not function without us. He further stated that he would cut the bloated fat at HQ and in the field. He did just that. When DeJoy took over a few years ago he hired thousands in management. It amazes me that Congress is blind to this. Management is a repetitive business with many doing the same or similar jobs. I see emails sent from numerous people in management all on the same subject every day. Why? It is just to show how “busy and important” they are. These people add nothing to the service. They impact the service in a negative way. There is no positive impact at all from them.

I can go on all day about much of this but there is not enough room to fit it in. You all know exactly what I am saying because many of you tell me the same thing.

As you know our contract will expire in a few days. You probably will not get this LIMB paper until after it expires. The National President has called a meeting for all presidents to meet in Washington June 1st to 3rd. I assume the meetings will be to review where we are at and what we asked for. I fully expect us to be going to Arbitration based on what I hear. Management wants givebacks and we want more money and benefits. They are crying poverty and we are saying we carry the load for the USPS. I am curious to see what is said at this forum.

I am sure many will attack the President, and many will back him. I have no position at this time until he goes through the entire process. As most know, I am old school and I back the position of the President. Any president who was elected by the membership deserves our support, especially during these turbulent times. I will always support our sitting President.

As many know, this is an election year for our National Officers so tensions will be high. I believe that there are at least 3 candidates for President. We will have to wait until the National Convention to see who is actually nominated so we can sift through the candidates and decide on who we should support. This election could be the most important election since the late 1970’s when Vincent Sombrotto was elected. With the daily uncertainty we face and the attacks against us from both outside and within the service, it is paramount to make sure we vote for a candidate who we believe will lead us forward. After we return from the convention, we will have a special meeting where we can discuss these issues that confront us and how to respond to it. I have just secured August 20th as the special meeting date. It will be at the Knights of Columbus Bay Shore at 7 pm.

We need to have a sincere discussion regarding the upcoming elections and the battles we have on our plate. If we lose the confidence of Congress, we lose period. All of the benefits and gains we have made over the years will be in the crosshairs. Please do not listen to all of the white noise on the internet. Between AI and bad and uninformed comments on the web, it is hard to know what is real and what is not. Let’s face it, everyone has an agenda and they twist the facts to get their points to the forefront. Don’t fall for it. We are all under pressure in life right now. With overtime cuts and local management feeling the pressure to crack down it only gets worse. We have had a number of incidents recently with craft employees getting into arguments or actual physical confrontations at work due to the pressures I have cited. Take a breath, and a step back before making a decision that could end your career. We will make it through these tough times as we have in the past, but it is never easy. Just remember, you have family to care for and bills to pay so do not jeopardize that.

Please enjoy your summer as best you can. Stay safe and remember to drink plenty of fluids during the peak heat waves that we have. The kids will be out of school soon and running in the streets. Be aware of your surroundings at all times.