Viewpoint Article: Governor Walker in Wisconsin

                                                       Governor Walker in Wisconsin
       Okay the recall did not work; now what?  Union public sector employees are definitely in the crosshairs nationwide and they now have a conservative hero to be the spokesman of the Republican party on this issue. If you think this is not going to be an major component of their platform you are delusional.  There is no beating around the bush about this, there is one party that hates organized labor and there is one that has and still continues to support us. There is one that will do anything to destroy collective bargaining and there is one that believes it is our right. There is one that claims we are run by "Big Union Bosses" and there is one that realizes 99% of us are just workers who elect our own leaders. There is one that takes hundreds of millions of dollars from a couple of billionaires  and complains when union members donate their own money to a candidate. Which party did you choose to support in the last election? 
      Ordinary citizens who buy into this propaganda in some cases are simply jealous or vastly uninformed.  I have some in my own family and you probably do too. In a tough economy people look for scapegoats. I remember when people hesitated to take government jobs because they wanted to work in the private sector. It was by some considered demeaning to work for the government; amazing what organizing and unity can accomplish isn't it? Money is without question a huge part of this election and sorely needed but turnout is even more important. This country is pretty much split right down the middle so every vote is important. I talk to everyone in my family about postal issues and let them know why we support candidates who support us and in the best interest of the USPS.  It is disheartening when talking to family or friends how often they will say; I did not know that when told about such problems as retiree pre-funding mandates. Do not overlook the impact you can have by just simply stating your opinion. 
     State employees targets now, federal employees next? Don't you believe for one moment it can't happen because it can.  
 
 
     Ed Gorman
     Br. 30 legistrative chair 

Get Ready

GET READY

 

 Later this summer after the Republican party chooses their presidential nominee we as an organization will be mobilizing our members nationwide to state our views on who should run our country for the next four years. I have been somewhat of a political junkie since JFK and I do not believe that there has ever been such an obvious difference between the two parties. We have two and maybe in the future three parties for a good reason. America is the freest and most diverse country in the world and we all have an opinion. Every four years we have the privilege of stating that opinion. This year it is vital for all working people, especially union members, to stand up and shout no to those that would take away our rights that we have fought so hard for.

  

 Somehow state and federal employees have become the villains to most conservative politicians. They propose laws that would cripple the ability to "negotiate" an honest and honorable wage and benefit package. How dare we think we should be able to afford to live in a nice home and drive nice vehicles we are just the people who carry the mail? How dare we think that we are as good as lawyers, doctors, bankers, or even politicians? Well in my opinion not only do I think we are just as good but deserve every penny we get and that we are under compensated as well. We did not cause the economic crash in this country; blatant greed did. I have not heard anything about a bailout coming our way. We will continue to pay our share to support our country as we always have but do not use the USPS or its' employees as an example of wasted resources. Stay proud of what you do and your value to this country and get ready for a fight because it is a-coming.

  

Ed Gorman

Legislative Chair Br. 30

It's All In The Letters

   It's all in the letters!
  
        You know the business saying, it is always all about the numbers? In my opinion politics and our choice of who to support are always all about the letters. D,R, or I are always somewhere on any piece of legislation that is debated and voted on in our form of government. The person or persons who have proposed this bill are designated by their political affiliation. Democrat, Republican, or Independent will be stated somewhere. I personally really like this system. It is a shame that with the mood of the country we very seldom have more than one letter on any piece of legislation but maybe we will see an end to that in my lifetime. I plan on living for a few more decades so there is that possibility. The reason I do like the system is because you can match the letter with the proposals and what they request. It doesn't take a genius to connect the dots. Let me give you an example.

        There are 22 states with right to work laws in affect. Of those 22 states there is a R in front of the Governors of 21 of them. If you have been paying attention to the presidential debates going on you have heard all of the participants voice their approval of "RTW" laws. I might point out that at this time 7 of the 10 poorest states in America are RTW states. Now who do you think are benefitting from lack of unions in those places? You connect the dots. These are facts folks not rhetoric. We are fighting not only for union rights but workers rights. What is good for labor is good for America plain and simple. A vibrant economy can not be sustained with minimum wage jobs. Do not be timid when this subject is brought up with friends and neighbors.  

         If that sounds like I have made up my mind who to work for in the coming elections you would be correct. All I had to do was connect the dots. I hope you participate as well. We will be looking for volunteers.
      

 

          Ed Gorman

         Legistrative chair Br. 30

The Post Office and Billy Long

The Post Office And Billy Long by R. Duane Graham The Postal Service sells only one thing: postal service. So, naturally, those who are in charge of the Postal Service, in order to deal with a largely Congress-created financial crisis, want to jettison the service they sell.  That is what is happening with USPS management's move toward 5-day delivery and its plans to close mail processing centers and post offices all around the country. In Springfield on Wednesday, as Wally Kennedy of the Globe reported, the Postal Service held a public hearing on the closing of the mail processing plant in that city. If the plant were shut down, mail would be processed in far-away Kansas City. That would mean delivery standards for first-class mail would deteriorate. Mail that is now being delivered overnight would take a day or two more to deliver. And that would affect Joplin, too, because our mail is currently processed in Springfield. We all know that first class mail is declining in the Internet age; we all know there has been a serious recession and a slow recovery; but we all don't know that the real problem with USPS finances is Congress' ridiculous insistence in 2006 that the agency pre-fund 75 years of retiree health benefits in 10 years, which means about $5.5 billion off the top every year since 2006. Without that onerous requirement, there would be no financial crisis in the Postal Service, although it would still face some long-term challenges. But rather than focus all of its efforts on getting that burdensome requirement modified, USPS managers instead are slowly undermining the reason the Postal Service exists: to provide universal service in a timely manner. Wally Kennedy reported: So many people showed up for the public hearing that there was not enough room in the Executive Conference Center Ballroom, 910 W. Battlefield St., to hold them. Up to 100 people waited in line outside the center for seats to open inside. There are two very basic reasons why so many folks showed up. One, there are lots of well-paying jobs at stake, which around these parts are hard to come by in good times, not to mention challenging times.  Two, a lot of folks rely on the service that management is so eager to cut. The Globe story briefly demonstrates how: Specific segments of the business community, especially those with time-sensitive materials, such as newspaper and business journal publishers, said they would lose subscribers if the delivery of their products is delayed. Frank L. Martin III, editor and publisher of the West Plains Daily Quill, said, “This could very well put us out of business, and we are the only source of local news in our area.” Elaine Johnson, of Springfield, told the Postal Service representatives that she suffers from a medical condition that requires the timely delivery of medicine. She said she does not own a computer and relies on the Postal Service to help her keep in touch with other people.  As I said, USPS has only one product and that is the timely delivery of the mail. Messing with the quality of that product spells doom in the end. Finally, I want to put in a rare good word for Congressman Billy Long, who was in attendance and appeared to be trying to keep the processing center alive, according to the Globe: Echoing what some others said, Long expressed the hope that the Postal Service would take into consideration the fact that Southwest Missouri is the fastest growing area of the state. He said the loss of the mail processing center to Kansas City, the loss of dozens of good-paying jobs, and the fact that mail would take several days to be delivered instead of arriving overnight would not help the region further its growth. The paper also quoted him as saying, "This is pretty well a done deal. Is there anything we can do?" Why, yes, there is, Mr. Long. I'm glad you asked. You can co-sponsor H.R. 1351 (which will help straighten out USPS finances) and urge your colleagues to vote for it.  And you can co-sponsor and urge your colleagues to support H.R. 137 (ensures 6-day mail delivery), which was introduced by Rep. Sam Graves (MO-6). And you can vigorously oppose H.R. 2309, a bill sponsored by Darrell Issa that will eventually kill the Postal Service. If you do all that, then I might go easy on you for a while. View original post here.

Older Than The Constitution Institution

Older-Than-The-Constitution Institution

For any of you interested in the fate of the Postal Service, MSNBC’s Up with Chris Hayes devoted a couple of segments to it Saturday morning (a little over 16 minutes). Although it doesn’t happen that often on television, most of the discussion involved an accurate portrayal of the pre-national institution’s problems as well as a good presentation of the pre-funding issue that is crippling its finances.

As you watch, you can easily pick out the conservative on the panel, although for a conservative, Josh Barro of National Review and the Manhattan-Institute, is somewhat sympathetic to (and knowledgeable of) USPS:

Original post by R.Duane Graham at The Erstwhile Conservative

Class Warfare

I have been planning on writing this article for awhile but when I read the words of Venessa Freedle in the Oct. issue of our Postal Record I knew it was time. If you did not read it get a copy and do so. Great job Venessa.

    Why is it that the only time workers are accused of class warfare with the leaders/bosses/owners is when we fight back? It is so easy to get along with these folks when we never question them on issues that affect us and our families. Every letter carrier I worked with over the years wanted a decent wage and a safe and respectful workplace. I never worked with one carrier that wanted to be the richest person in the world. Yet somehow we are always the villains when negotiations or hard economical times occur. We are at war in this country right now with people who would strip all of the rights we have fought for so long to gain. None of these benefits were given to us. Not one member of management or our government said lets give these folks more holidays, better wages, safer conditions, a good retirement, or the right to negotiate our own contracts. Our union and us did that.

    There are people in this country who think stamps should be 10 cents and letter carriers should make minimum wage. There are people in this country who think we should not have the right to organize. There are politicians in this country who use us as a way to fire up their base and claim we are a prime example of government waste. There is a political party in this country who will do anything to eliminate all labor unions. There are union members in this country who somehow think they do not need union representation because the bosses like them just fine. I am a firm believer in the truism that you get what you work and fight if necessary for. Our union and us did that.

     In 1931 Florence Reece the wife of a union organizer for the Mine Workers in Harlan County, Kentucky wrote a song. The name of the song is "Which side are you on".

     The verses throughout the song are 

  Which side are you on boys?

   Which side are you on?

     I think it is past time for every letter carrier to look in the mirror and ask yourself that question.

Ed Gorman

MO State Convention Update

Greetings from your State Secretary!
The State Convention is quickly approaching.
This year it will be held June 3,4 and 5 at Tan-Tar-A Resort at the Lake of the Ozarks.
It is not too late to get a golf team together for the annual MDA golf tournament.
The cost is $70 per person.  It is always a good time and all proceeds go to MDA.
If you have any questions, please use the Contact us link in the sidebar.
We hope to see you there.