LEGISLATIVE ISSUES
NEW YORK STATE BRANCH
NATIONAL LEAGUE OF POSTMASTERS
Alexandria, VA -- October, 1, 2009
One-Year H.R. 22 Provisions Become Law.
Last night the Senate passed the House version of the Continuing Resolution (CR), which is necessary to keep the government funded until all the appropriations bills are passed. The measure was signed by the President last night.
Included in the CR was a one year version of H.R. 22 which, in order to help the Postal Service through the recession, postponed $4 Billion dollars worth of the Postal Service's obligation to prefund its retirees' health benefits for 2009. The Postal Service still made a $1.4 Billion payment for 2009.
"We are very pleased with the result of last night's vote," said League Legislative Counsel Bob Brinkmann, "and I heartedly commend Charlie Mapa our President and Bill Krejci who has spearheaded our grassroots efforts, as well as the hundreds of League members who have contacted their Congressmen and Senators on this issue over the last nine months." "Without all this effort, this legislative victory would not have happened," said Brinkmann.
National League of Postmasters
5904 Richmond Highway Suite 500, Alexandria, VA 22303-1864
703-329-4550 703-329-0466 (f)
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Dear Leaguers, January 5, 2010
I hope that your holidays were filled with good times spent with family and friends. We all need that break at the end of the year!
I'm writing specifically to urge you to come to this year's League Legislative Forum here in Washington DC. Normally I spend some time telling you about what a wonderful experience it is to take this opportunity to participate in democracy, and even though that is certainly true, I won't dwell on that too much. Last year's Forum was fantastic; the League was in the vanguard of postal groups that went to bat for the Postal Service to ask for some relief from Congress on its obligation to pay in advance for our retirees' health benefits. In a big part through the efforts of the League and a consistent and strong follow up by Bill Krecji and the Legislative Committee, HR 22 passed and gave the Postal Service a year of relief. This year we will certainly readdress that issue and work for a permanent solution to that problem. That will be one of our focuses, but it will not be our main focus.
Last year we expended a tremendous amount of time, energy and resources toward the passage of HR 22, and rightly so, the Postal Service was in huge trouble financially and as loyal Postmasters we did the right thing and went to bat for our Postal Service. This year will be different and could even be termed the Year of the Postmaster. This year we will be carrying the issues of Postmasters to Congress. We need you to be there with us to carry the message. Work conditions for Postmasters continue to deteriorate and the Postal Service does not seem to be inclined to make things better. If you think that Postmasters working 50, 60 and more hours a week because the Postal Service has not allowed the hiring of supervisors is wrong, then you need to be at our Forum to join your voice of concern to the voices of hundreds of other Forum attendees.
If you believe that it is wrong to force Postmasters to work 50 and 60 hours a week by not allowing clerk hiring or by shifting non-exempt workload to the backs of Postmasters, then you need to join us in Congress to have your voice heard! If you are tired of the threatening management style so prevalent in so many districts of the United States Postal Service, if you are overburdened by the endlessly growing pile of reports and logs, if you are displeased with the hammer approach disciplining of Postmasters for relatively trivial issues, or if you are concerned with the many wasteful practices employed to chase numbers, then THIS IS YOUR FORUM! If you think that NPA/PFP has outlasted its usefulness, come to Forum, and if you think that the Postal Service is doing a disservice to America by circumventing federal laws on closing post offices, then you need to be here at Forum to listen to Mario Principe tell you how to engage your communities to stop this abuse!
If you've never been to Forum you have good reason to join us this year; the issues for you are personal and relevant and now is the perfect time to make a very strong statement! Commit now to join us. Go today to our website at
to register for the League's National Legislative Forum and to make your hotel reservations at the Crystal Gateway Marriott. Show your Postmaster friends how important it is for them too to come to Forum. They don't have to be members, just Postmasters who want to see change enacted. Spread the word; the League is going to Congress!
I'm looking forward to seeing you at Forum; come help make a big difference for Postmasters!
Respectfully,
Charley Mapa
President, National League of Postmasters
Message from National President Charlie Mapa
