From APWU National…a request to please contact your House Representatives and ask them to CO-SPONSOR & SUPPORT HR 1351.
Everyone’s help is needed in building support on Capitol Hill for a very important piece of legislation introduced by Rep. Stephen Lynch (Dem., Mass.) HR 1351 is a bill that addresses the current financial crisis facing the Postal Service, as well as correcting the methodology used by OPM which has led to overpayments into the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) of over $50 billion dollars and overpayments of over $7 billion dollars into the Federal Employee Retirement System (FERS).
Please use the link below to go to our Congressional Contact site and send an email to your House Member urging him/her to become a co-sponsor to this bill. Follow the instruction on the site and it will take only a couple of minutes of your time to send a message that National has written for you, or you can write one in your own words. Please take action as soon as possible as this matter must be resolved by congress before this fiscal year comes to a close. www.Capwiz.com/apwu/issues/alert/
This is not a Democratic or Republican matter. This is a matter of saving the U.S. Postal Service and saving your job. It is so important that we are being asked to not only e-mail and call, but to actually make an appointment with your local congress person or staff person in charge of Postal Matters at their Home Office…take either other members of your family who can vote or other postal members…if you are not registered to vote DO SO IMMEDIATELY. Explain that H.R. 1351 would require repayment of the surplus monies to the USPS, which would then allow the USPS to use those funds to meet its obligations. These are not TAXPAYER’S Monies…these are the USPS’s Monies. Let your Local know what the response was from your Congressperson. Failure to act will result in you letting yourself, your family and the American public down….Help save the United States Postal Service and your Job. It is vital that you immediately take action.
Just as important as being for a bill is to oppose a very bad bill that has come out of committee. H.R. 2309 would decimate the U.S. Postal Service. It is imperative to contact your Representative and ask them to vote NO on H.R. 2309. You can call toll free to 1-866-220-0044 and ask to be connected to your Congressperson.
About 33-40% of our members are Registered Republicans. The Agenda for the current Republican Party is to do away with Organized Labor. We, the Unions set the standard for those who are not represented by Unions…just remember every Right that we lose we will never get back in our lifetime. The Unions are neither Democrats nor Republicans. They support those that support Labor’s causes….however, in recent years, while we have supported some “maverick” Republicans; for the most part it is the more liberal Democrat that is concerned with the working class. We need more support for COPA…just $52.00 a year ($2.00 per pay period) will help in the fight with Congress. We need to educate our membership about the issues and the Legislative issues supported by our APWU LAST BUT CERTAINLY NOT LEAST: Washington could cost you hundreds of dollars each year…You may have seen in the NEWS…as part of the big budget agreement, leaders in Washington are considering altering the way COST-OF-LIVING ADJUSTMENTS (COLAs) are calculated in Social Security. But what you may not know is that a change in the COLA calculations would also affect YOU and your FEDERAL RETIREMENT ANNUITY. Don’t be silent! Call your members of Congress today…It’s easy and only takes a few minutes. Use the toll-free numbers below and follow the instructions.
Step 1: Dial 1-866-220-0044 for the Capitol. Ask the operator to connect you to your representative’s office or supply your ZIP code.
Step 2: Tell the staff person who answers the telephone where you live. So he/she knows you are a constituent. Then say something like this:
I am a (ACTIVE/RETIRED) Federal Employee and I am calling because I would like to voice my opposition to any attempt to change the way cost-of-living adjustments in the federal retirement program are calculated. A COLA change would hurt millions of retired federal workers who protect America and would drive qualified, talented public employees out of the federal workforce.
Step 3: Hang up, then call again, and ask for one of your Senator’s Offices and repeat the script above…Then call your other Senator.
Step 4: Call the White House at 1-888-225-8418 – Four calls can take less than 15 minutes, so call today.
This is not the time to sit on the side lines and let the other person do the work…it must be a united front…everyone must make the calls…it’s your jobs…it’s your future!