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THE BULLETIN BOARD

August 2012

        pushpin[August 2nd]

Update on VERA Incentives
APWU Web News Article 94-2012

As we reported in June, the APWU has been engaged in informal conversations with management on financial incentives to encourage employees to leave the Postal Service.

Although no official offers have been made, discussions are continuing, APWU President Cliff Guffey has reported.

"I understand that there is great interest in this topic among some members, but it is simply not feasible or smart to conduct negotiations in public," he said.

"As additional information becomes available, we will keep members informed. This process cannot be rushed. In the meantime, please rest assured that needs of APWU members are uppermost in our mind. We will not be pressured into accepting an offer that is not in the best interests of our members."

        pushpin[August 1st]

60 House Bills to Name Post Offices, Zero To Fix Mail Service
article excerpted from ABCnews.com, Tom Shine

In the 18 months the 112th Congress has been sworn in, the House has introduced 60 bills to rename post offices. Thirty-eight have passed the House and 26 have become law. During those 18 months, the House has produced 151 laws, 17 percent of which have been to rename post offices, according to Congressional Democrats.

Not a single bill has come to the House floor aimed at reforming a Postal Service, which is bleeding billions of dollars because of Congressional mandates.

August 1st, the United States Postal Service defaulted on a Congressional mandate to pay $5.5 billion to "prefund" health benefits for future retirees. On Friday, August 3rd the House of Representatives will leave town for a five-week summer vacation. There is no plan to take up postal reform before that summer recess.

The Postal Service has pleaded with Congress for years to end the requirement that it pre-fund its retiree's health benefits. But many lawmakers claim that because USPS has such a massive workforce — there are 614,000 Postal Service employees — if it does not pre-fund retirement benefits, it will not be able to pay them in the future.

And as long as these disagreements persist, it looks like naming post offices is the closest Congress will get to passing postal reform.

Read entire article at ABCnews.com.



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