I don't know how many of you read the report from the person who slammed the salary of postal employees as compared to private industry. It is the same misinformed individual who has been on the USPS side in contract arbitrations who testified in several instances that his comparison of salary and benefits puts Postal employees way above thier peers. I read his testimony before the commission and it is full of holes. He compared our wages to all companies with 200 or more employees. Of course even us lowly blue collar workers can figure out that there are thousands of companies in the 200 to 300 range that do not pay any benefits nor do they pay above the salary level for the area they are in. We should only be compared to the huge fortune 500 companies and I would imagine we would be way under most of them. I for one would like to see a comparison with other huge labor intensive companies if any one out there knows of the location of such a comparison.

Average american, Even I know that you are intelligent enough to notice that the Commission report is biased towards big business and top postal executives. There is not anything in this report that is good for the craft worker. And, you know that this commission was picked by GW. I also know you have enough brains to know that GW and his congress will do what is good for big business regarding this report. So, no, I will not support any president who so openly despises the working man while all the time doing patriotic photo ops for votes. Lets just wait and see what comes out of this commission, and If I am wrong, I will come out and say it.

PAD, I am afraid you will be very very right. Also has anyone read Mike Causey's most recent report 8-6-03?
He mentions that the most recent casualties of the Bush hit list for privitization will be air traffic controlers. I just can't believe how quickly this guy has been able to move in the effort to eliminate all middle income jobs from the federal payroll.

"This Is Why We Need Unions"

Verizon wants to be able to shift more jobs to other lines of business and to call centers in other parts of the country or world."


-- Verizon spokesman Larry Plumb, reported in BNA, Daily Labor Report, 7/31/03


Jobs At Risk*
 
Maine 150
N.H. 90
Mass. 1,300
Vermont 150
New York 25,200
New Jersey 2,900
Delaware 800
Penn. 8,700
Maryland 7,200
D.C. 1,300
Virginia 6,600
W. Virginia 2,300
Verizon says it needs to be "competitive" and "flexible." We've got to let our communities know that if our jobs are moved, it’s not just Verizon workers and their families who will suffer. With shrinking local and state budgets and a slow economy, losing good, family-supporting jobs is the last thing any community needs.


Many customers, community organizations, and legislators have already gotten the message. Local, state, and federal politicians have been attending our rallies in New York and Boston, and more are scheduled to do so this week. Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy is circulating a letter among other Senators calling on Verizon to protect hometown jobs.


Other unions also understand how important our fight is, both for labor and for our communities as a whole. Today, CWA briefed SEIU leaders representing 500,000 members up and down the East coast.


They're prepared to push the "Fairness at Verizon" campaign (www.fairnessatverizon.com) through their locals on our request, because they recognize that ours is a leading struggle on hometown jobs.


  


*Includes CWA jobs. Another 15,000 IBEW jobs in the region are also at risk.

Edited by author 08-09-2003 07:50 PM
We need a real union that will represent the maintenance department. At present, maintenace union members are treated as the crazy cousins that are in the basement.

At present I am willing to be a clerk and just dump the mail on a feeder and have no other responsibility.

I hope that this commission recognizes that the maintenance (ETs & MPEs) are the real backbone of this organization.

Maintenance is no more a priority than anyone else, if you don't have people to run the machines you dont need anyone to fix them. You guys have got level increases the last to contracts, give me a break. There's not that much most of maintanence has to do that really requires any knowledge. I have yet to see 1 ET have to use any formulas to replace a broken belt.

Maintenance is no more a priority than anyone else, if you don't have people to run the machines you dont need anyone to fix them. You guys have got level increases the last 2 contracts, give me a break. There's not that much most of maintanence has to do that really requires any knowledge. I have yet to see 1 ET have to use any formulas to replace a broken belt.

At present I am willing to be a clerk and just dump the mail on a feeder and have no other responsibility.

I hope that this commission recognizes that the maintenance (ETs & MPEs) are the real backbone of this organization.

Let's try and be a little more honest here. ALL jobs in the USPS have a responsibility for getting the mail out. We just have different aspects we are responsibile for.

Clerks have just as much responsibility as ET's, Mail Handlers, etc. If that is your attitude then the clerk craft, or any other craft, probably wouldn't want you.

I believe the Commentary on the Presidential Commission Recommendations was excellent. The attack is on ALL postal workers irrespective of WHAT craft a person is in.

Dumbya, where did I hear that term? Oh it is GW Bush known as GW Dumbya. On I see... The President's Commission on the USPS was one of his dumbest ideas yet. I thought the movie Dumb and Dumber was really dumb. But GW Dumbya wins it all now. You Republicans never learn. The economy gets bad with Republicans in control. Yet you listen to their silver tongued smooth talk.

Let's hope US Congress is smart enough to reject the Commission's findings like they did with Reagan's report in mid-1980. It was just tossed out the window.

. Regarding Ms. Nielsen's excellent article. I believe her analysis is right on target. I would like to expand on her version of the Bush administration's attack on the Federal Work Force and its plan to reduce it drastically by slash "and burn". Between the quotation marks is my added comment.
  The Bush attack on Federal workers is also an attack on the potentially powerful Postal Unions. Any Union is an abomination to the privatizing supporters of the current regime and therefore we are considered a threat to their domination of the American economy.
  We workers in the Postal Service, especially on the East Coast remember the fiasco concerning the attempt to privatize Priority Mail using Emery.
  It is pathetic that this attack on one of the few remaining blue collar industries that pays its workers a living wage with decent benefits, is under attack by the same people who are trying to undermine our standard of living.
  We had better be alert this Fall when Congressional hearings are held. We should be contacting our Representatives and Senators to tell them no privatization and no pay or benefit cuts.

Edited by author 08-18-2003 02:33 PM
Yeah why should the rich get richer and deprive the middle class of a decent life? Why make the poor become poorer? The Republicans just want to avoid paying their fair share of taxes. Yes go to this link capwiz site to write
to your Representatives and Senators. You can use the preformatted letters if you wish or make your own.

We need to go to work!

I read these posts regularly and I am amazed. All I can say is welcome to the real world. Were have you people been for the last twenty years. You all didnt know that millions of people have had there lives disruped with plant closeings and down sizeing. Did you think it couldnt happen to you or didnt you care? The knock is at your door now. Dont worry you will survive,only with a little less security.Like I said welcome to the real world.