August 3, 2012 

Letter from Louie 

 

Congress: The Postal Service's Only Hope
Louis Atkins

Louis Atkins

 

 

The Postal Service's default on its $5.5 Billion healthcare prefunding obligation is only the latest challenge in a long ordeal that has pushed the Postal Service to the edge of financial ruin.  It has moved from being a profitable, self-sustaining organization to one that now is on the verge of collapsing upon itself due to a burden that no other organization, either public or private, is responsible for paying.

 

We have discussed the pitfalls of the Postal Service's $5.5 Billion overpayment mandate. It is a provision that was inserted into the 2006 Postal Reform law with the purpose of insuring that the legislation would score "budget neutral" and to protect the taxpayers from funding benefits for a growing postal retiree pool. The result however has been the creation of a financial "ball and chain" that will prevent the Postal Service from changing with the times. While the decrease in First-Class volume has a lot to do with the declining financial situation of the Postal Service, the prefunding mandate prevents the USPS from modernizing its business operations and embracing new sources of revenue. In fact, just this week, the USPS Office of Inspector General has confirmed L'Enfant Plaza's assertion that there is significant risk that the Postal Service will run dangerously close of running out of operating capital by the Fall.

 

Now, the Postal Service has to consider compromising service standards in order to stay afloat. I don't need to tell anyone that moving in this direction would erode the public trust in the USPS. The collective appreciation and admiration of the American public for the Postal Service is one of the few things keeping it afloat. However, unless Congress acts on its Constitutional obligation to ensure the long-term welfare of the Postal Service, that trust and admiration will evaporate.

 

Congress' failure to act is truly tragic and serves as yet another example of how dysfunctional and ineffective this Congress has been in conducting the business of the American people. Instead of reaching across the aisle and embracing a common sense solution that would restore the Postal Service to fiscal stability, Congress has elected to play an unnecessary game of chicken with the future of an organization that provides an affordable and necessary public service.

 

This is where I am disappointed and angry. There are so many solutions on the table that do not increase the financial burden on individual taxpayers while also fixing the direct causes of the Postal Service's financial issues. Congress could easily expand the payment schedule for the prefunding to one that is more manageable or use the overpayment from the Postal Service's contribution into CSRS to meet their prefunding obligations. Whatever the solution, it is clear that there are reasonable fixes available to the Congress. Instead of embracing these solutions, the Congress elects to focus on creating talking points that will resonate with the media.

 

Without action, this week's headline will become more and more common. It is important that all of our members work to create relationships with Members of Congress that consider a healthy Postal Service a priority in this election year. It is important that we make our lawmakers realize that Voting Postal is simply the "Right Thing to Do". 

Jay's Notes
 
To Reno and Beyond!
James Killackey

Jay Killackey

 

 

The clock is ticking and we are getting closer to our National Convention in Reno, Nevada. When delegates begin to arrive in Reno on Saturday, August 18th, we will gather to review what has happened in the course of the last two years and chart a course for the future of this organization.

 

We know all too well what we have experienced in the past two years including pay freezes, job freezes,  increases in insurance premium payments and a general lowering of morale and esteem amongst our membership. NAPS members weren't alone in feeling the pain as postal unions had to accept new, two-tiered pay systems, the same pay freezes and large increases in non-career employees in their ranks.

 

While all of these bad things were happening, NAPS was doing everything we could both to protect our member's interests and to save the institution that we all love. We lobbied to convince the Senate that legislation had to be passed in order to save the Postal Service. We had success in the passage of S 1789, but the bill is not expected to go anywhere in the Republican dominated House of Representatives. 

 

Now, the Postal Service will officially run out of money as we head towards Reno. What impact will the insolvency of the Postal Service have on our future? The answer will be determined in the next several months. Who will be making these decisions? It will be the United States Congress determining our future.

 

This is why we will be concentrating our efforts at the national convention in getting delegates to support our Supervisor Political Action Committee: SPAC. We must use our political capital to effectively lobby members of Congress. They need to be convinced to support our recommendations to save the Postal Service. Our efforts were successful in the United States Senate with the passage of S 1789. Now we have to concentrate our efforts on lobbying the 435 members of the House.

 

We need to be able to leave Reno with a renewed focus on what we need to do and a plan to do it. We will be debating many issues at the convention, some of an internal nature and most of an external nature. I am confident that the delegates will look at the big picture and we will come out of this convention united in both sense and purpose as to what needs to be done to save the Postal Service.   

 

 

Seth's Slant

 

Full Speed to Reno! 

Seth

Seth Lennon

 

 

Every two years, the combined membership of this organization gathers for our biennial national convention which as we know is being held in the "Biggest Little City in the World"- Reno, NV. 

 

Preparation for this event began shortly after NAPS officers and staff returned from the 2010 National Convention in Orlando. As we are about three weeks away from the finish line, it's time to reflect on the journey that has taken us at headquarters from Orlando to Reno. Since our return from Orlando, some of the faces here in Alexandria have changed and circumstances surrounding the Postal Service have indeed become much rockier.

 

Since the late spring; NAPS headquarters officers and staff along with our various contractors and contacts at the Peppermill Resort have been working to prepare the venue for our membership's arrival. We have been working on the various publications for the convention floor; assembling name badges, processing, and formatting resolutions submitted to us by the membership, along with collating all of the supplies that will be needed in order to insure that all aspects of the convention will run as smoothly as possible. 

 

Even as this article is being written; our office is filled with various boxes that contain all of the materials that will be on their way to Reno in the short span of a few days. In fact, when this issue of HQ2U hits your inbox, these pieces will be on a truck bound for Nevada. While the convention seems to run like a well-oiled machine; it's a machine whose foundation was built upon months of hard work and planning by all parties.

 

As a special note; this will be the first convention in almost 30 years where Jill Barrett, longtime NAPS staff member will not be a part of the planning process or be in attendance. Jill was a long-term fixture of the NAPS family and a good friend to me personally. Jill is now enjoying a well earned retirement. While I am sad that Jill is no longer a fixture at the office and someone to bounce ideas off of, I am happy that she now gets to kick back and relax.

Brian's Scoop

  

What A Crowd Pleaser!

Brian Wagner

 

 

 

If you are a veteran or a First-Timer, we anticipate that our 2012 Reno National Convention will be a definite crowd pleaser.  Speaking of crowds, here's the scoop.

 

As of August 1, our National Convention has 1,299 convention delegates registered.  Overall, including delegates, auxiliary, and guests, 1,465 have registered for this year's National Convention.  Don't worry about finding a seat.  The Tuscany Ballroom, where our NAPS convention business will be conducted, is large enough to provide our delegates with plenty of leg, elbow, and for some of us "taller" delegates - head room. 

 

Finding a seat is very easy.  There will be signage in the convention hall designating where each respective NAPS Area will be located.  Here is a quick reference as to where the 16 NAPS Areas will be sitting.  When entering the Tuscany Ballroom from the back, as you face the podium, the following NAPS Areas will be seated to the far left side; Midwest, Illini, Rocky Mountain, Pacific, and Cotton Belt.  The following NAPS Areas will be down the middle of the convention hall; Pioneer, Michiana, North Central, Northwest, Central Gulf and Texas.  The far right side will include the Capitol-Atlantic, MINK, New York, New England, and Southeast NAPS Areas. 

 

Once you find your respective NAPS Area sign, select a seat in that area, and let the NAPS business begin. 

As for Monday morning's Opening Ceremony, it is open seating.  With such a big crowd attending this year's National Convention, that should be a sign that you will want to get to your seat early on Monday morning.

 

If you are looking for a "sign" on how to stay cool this summer, my ice cream flavor of the week recommendation is -- Vanilla Fudge Ripple!

 

 


SPAC Alert 

 

Have you donated to SPAC?  If not, visit our Legislative Center's SPAC section  at www.naps.org to learn the many ways  to donate, including how to make a recurring contribution via your USPS paycheck. 

 

You can also click here to make a secure contribution via credit card.

 


Call the toll-free NAPS hotline:
1-877-667-NAPS
 
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Quote of the Issue!  

  

"A hero can be anyone. Even a man doing something as simple and reassuring as putting a coat around someone's shoulders to give them hope."    

                       -Christian Bale