National President John Hegarty, National Secretary-Treasurer Mark Gardner, and Eastern Region Vice President Sam D’Ambrosio were in Philadelphia on March 17, 2008 to celebrate the Installation of Officers ceremony with the newly-elected officers of Local 308. Local 308 has jurisdiction over all mail processing facilities in Eastern Pennsylvania, South Jersey, and Delaware.
Local 308 Officers (seated l-r) Harrisburg Branch President Brian Carson, Delaware State Executive Board Member Quentin Seth, Treasurer and South Jersey Branch President Tony Branco, Local President John Macey, New Jersey State Executive Board Member and Trenton Branch President Steve Bahrle, Reading Branch President Coleen Sweigart, Philadelphia Branch President Barrie Bowens (standing l-r) Eastern Region Vice President Sam D ’Ambrosio, Vice President and Philadelphia BMC Branch President John Gibson, Recording Secretary and Wilmington Branch President Ed Tucker, Lehigh Valley Branch President Douglas Hilbert, Lancaster Branch President Jim Curcio, National President John Hegarty, National Secretary-Treasurer Mark Gardner, Southeastern Branch President Richard Vennera, Scranton Branch President Robert Glycenfer, Wilkes-Barre Branch President William Smith, Swedesboro Branch President Perry Fiorentino, and Pennsylvania State Executive Board Member Ed Gallagher
On July 30th the House of Representatives passed a bill supported by the National Postal Mail Handlers Union that would credit prospective Federal Employee Retirement System (FERS) retirees for accumulated sick leave. Currently, employees under FERS are in a “use it, or lose it” vice.
The legislation (HR 1108) has the following formula that would kick in upon retirement: any FERS employee who retires within three years after the bill is signed into law by the President would receive credit at retirement for ¾ of their accumulated unused sick leave. If the employee retirees after the three year window, full credit for 100% of unused sick leave would be granted. The credit cannot be used for retirement eligibility. The bill would be prospective and not affect persons who retire before it is signed into law.
“We have been working closely with the staff of Congressmen Jim Moran (D-VA) and Henry Waxman (D-CA) on formulating this legislation,” said National President John F. Hegarty. “It is all about `fairness’. This legislation would put FERS employees on a par with Civil Service Retirement System Employees.
“This is a giant first step—but only a first step. The bill must pass the Senate, survive a joint House-Senate conference, and be signed into law by the President,” noted Hegarty. At this point, the White House has not commented on this particular provision. However, it is part of the “Family Smoking and Prevention Tobacco Act,” which the President has said is bait for a veto. Because the Senate and House have adjourned until after Labor Day, there will be no action on the bill for the next month.
“We need you, our activists, to stay tuned. We will provide information as we get a clearer picture of what the intentions of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs and the full Senate are. It will be important that our members, who live in all 50 states, send a message to Senators that we support this improvement to the retirement system. Given enough bi-partisan support, we may be able to overcome the White House.”
Both the Senate and House return after Labor Day for the month of September, before they adjourn until Election Day on November 4.
Bill Affecting Large-Scale Subcontracts Introduced
Representative Stephen Lynch (D-MA) has introduced H.R. 4236, a bill that would require the Postal Service to bargain with the Union before it signs certain contracts with private companies. Such contracts also would be subject to arbitration if management and union representatives could not reach agreement.
The bill would apply to any contract providing for mail processing, mail handling, or surface transportation of mail. Contracts affected would be those that, for any 12-month period, involve the equivalent of 50 or more workyears of work that would otherwise be performed by career postal employees, or cost the Postal Service $5,000,000 or more. It would not affect already existing contracts.
The NPMHU has opposed privatization of mail handler work. National President John F. Hegarty has testified before both Senate and House Committees that Congress should not tolerate USPS subcontracting of work to low-paid, no-benefit workers, especially when the jobs being contracted could have an impact on security issues. The NPMHU's 2007 Legislative Conference, with more than one hundred mail handler activists in attendance, lobbied Capitol Hill in opposition to privatization.
At one recent hearing during which President Hegarty testified against "outsourcing" of military and other mail, Representative Lynch used the NPMHU testimony to ask tough questions of USPS witnesses. Lynch unequivocally stated that privatization is the wrong solution, and his current bill attempts to implement that view.
President Hegarty praised the bill, saying that Lynch has been a friend of the NPMHU since his first days in Congress. The NPMHU worked closely with Rep. Lynch's staff in developing the bill. Also, Rep. Lynch was a featured speaker at our 2004 National Convention, and has participated at each of the last three NPMHU National Legislative Conferences.
"This act demonstrates that privatization of postal jobs is gaining opposition from the highest levels of government," said President Hegarty. "The NPMHU will work with Representative Lynch to gather support for the bill."
The future is not clear. Cosponsors must be added, hearings have to be set, votes taken, and a similar process followed in the Senate. This bill is a significant first step in a lengthy, complicated process.
Please watch your bulletin boards for the latest information, and write your Members of Congress to urge their support for H.R. 4236. A full copy of this story is on the www.NPMHU.org web site.
Senate Gets Close on Employee Free Choice
Act, But Fails Final Test
A slim majority in the US Senate voted to support a law to restore workers' freedom to make their own choice to join a union and bargain for a better life. However, the 51 votes fell short of the 60 needed to conclude debate on the issue and vote for (or against) the legislation. President Bush said he would veto the legislation if it was passed.
All Democratic Senators and Independents Bernard Sanders of VT and Joe Lieberman of CT voted in favor, along with Republican Arlen Specter (R-PA). All other Republicans voted "no." Senator Tim Johnson (D-SD) did not vote due to illness.
"It is sad and shameful that Republican Senators chose to block the road to the middle class for millions of workers by throwing up procedural barricades from their minority position," said AFL-CIO President John Sweeney. "The vote made clear exactly who is on the side of working families' dreams and economic opportunity-- and who is siding with corporate America to block those opportunities."
The NPMHU supported the legislation and worked for its passage. "Thanks to all our activists who called their Senators to pressure them to vote for a better workplace," said National President John F. Hegarty. "Getting a majority of the Senate to vote in favor was a tremendous accomplishment. Unions are the best way to get adequate wages, health care and retirement benefits."
The House had previously passed the bill. Without greater Senate support, however, it probably will have to wait for another Congress for further action. The vote tally is available on the AFLCIO.org web site.
New Study Reveals Workplace Dangers
Nation’s Workplaces Too Unsafe, Reports New AFL-CIO Death on the Job Study
The nation’s workplace safety laws are too weak to effectively protect the nation’s workers, according to the new AFL-CIO annual study: Death on the Job: The Toll of Neglect. In 2005, there were 5,734 fatal workplace injuries, with significant increases in fatalities among Latino, African–American, foreign-born and young workers.
On average, 16 workers were fatally injured and more than 12,000 workers were injured or made ill each day of 2005. These statistics do not include deaths from occupational diseases, which claim the lives of an estimated 50,000 to 60,000 workers each year.
“The number of workers killed, injured and diseased on the job each year is a national tragedy and disgrace. It’s time for the Bush Administration to wake up and see there are real solutions to preventing workplace injuries and deaths. Enforceable safety laws. Better funding for OSHA. Voices for workers on the job,” said AFL-CIO President John Sweeney. “Instead of rolling back workplace safety measures, the Bush Administration should meet its responsibility to provide needed protections for America’s workers.”
The Bush Administration’s proposed FY 2008 budget for worker safety and health programs provides $490 million for OSHA, which represents a $25 million cut. Federal OSHA enforcement staffing levels have been cut from 1,683 to 1,543 positions and staffing for the development of safety and health standards from 100 to 83 positions.
To inspect each workplace, it would
take federal OSHA 133 years with its current number of inspectors.
The release of the AFL-CIO Death on the Job report coincides with Workers
Memorial Day, April 28th, which commemorates workers who died or were injured in
the past year. As part of the day of remembrance, community and union members
from around the world are participating in hundreds of events to remember local
workers and draw attention to the “unfulfilled promise” of worker safety.
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Postal
Reform Passes Congress |
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In the waning hours of the 109th Congress, H.R. 6407 passed the House and Senate early this morning, and will be sent to the White House for signature. President Bush is expected to sign the legislation, meaning that postal reform legislation has been enacted after more than a decade of debate. Most of the onerous provisions were taken out of the bill. Gone are attempts to control collective bargaining, reduce retirement annuities, increase the retirement age, privatize portions of the Postal Service, and hand the single-piece parcel business and mail handler jobs over to private competitors. Unfortunately, included in the final bill is a provision that would move the three-day waiting period during which an injured employee does not receive wages to the first three days of an injury. “It adds to the pain and suffering of injured employees,” said National President John F. Hegarty. “It makes no sense to me, that employees who are injured on duty will have to use their own leave, or go without pay for three days before benefits kick in. I will press the Senators and Representatives to hold aggressive oversight hearings on the issue, with an aim to prevent any abuse on the part of managers and to possibly repeal the provision.” As written, employees can use annual, sick or unpaid leave for the first three days, and receive reimbursement if the injury lasts for more than fourteen days. It will not go into effect until President George Bush signs the bill into law. Also included in the bill is the return to the Postal Service of money, now being placed in an escrow fund, which will pre-fund the USPS’s share of rising retiree health care costs. Furthermore, the Postal Service will not be required to pay for military credit earned by postal employees. Instead, the U.S. Treasury will pay that money, as is the case for nearly all federal agencies. The legislation also gives the Postal Service some flexibility to set rates in a modern, expedited manner. On the negative side, it caps the amount the USPS can raise postage each year, although the cap has been softened by the addition of banking provisions and an escape clause. The bill came up in the final moments of the “lame duck” session of Congress, moving quickly through both the House and Senate. There was overwhelming sentiment among members of Congress that the 1970 law governing the Postal Service needed immediate modernization. For example, the recent spike in oil prices cost the USPS hundreds of millions of dollars because, unlike UPS and Fed Ex, the Postal Service could not immediately add a surcharge to its rates. After
passage, Congress adjourned. It will return on |
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