Please take the time to ask your Representatives and Senators to support financial relief and flexibility to the USPS.  Without it, the Postal Service would be forced to consider drastic actions (some of which have been addressed in the media in recent weeks), that we should hope to avoid.

The United States Postal Service faces the most dire economic conditions in its history.  A requirement that the USPS pre-fund retiree health care benefits for future retirees, as well as continue to pay for current retirees has placed the postal service in a serious financial position that is difficult to sustain.   A provision of The Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006 (PAEA) requires the postal service to pay into the Retiree Health Benefits Fund upwards of $5.4 billion per year until 2016. No other agency or major American company is required to pre-fund the retiree health benefits of its employees. This bill simply allows the USPS to make these payments from the fund now when the relief is needed most, rather than wait until 2016 to begin funding these benefits from the Retiree Health Benefits Fund as provided for in the PAEA.   The fund currently has a balance of over $32 billion.   Representatives John McHugh (R-NY) and Danny K. Davis (D-IL) have introduced H.R. 22, legislation that would permit the Postal Service to make the payments for pre-funding future retirees health benefits from the Retiree Health Benefits Fund.  If passed, H.R. 22 would provide needed financial relief to the Postal Service, while at the same time continuing to pay mandated payments for retiree health benefits.   What You Can Do We have provided a message to your elected Representatives on the APWU Legislative Information Center for your use.  Please go to that message by clicking on the link below this message and send an e-mail asking them to cosponsor, support, and vote for H.R. 22.  As always, working together we can make a difference.  If you have any questions, please contact the Legislative Department at (202)842-4211.    APWU info on HR22 and EFCA Postmaster Organization call for action on HR 22 Call for Follow up  and   Critical Nature H.R. 22 is vital to USPS future: NALC President Young has asked that members contact their house representatives and ask them to co-sponsor H.R. 22. He also delivered marching orders to state legislative chairs at their recent training session in Washington: Make sure every senator and representative knows how important passing H.R. 22 is to letter carriers and the Postal Service. Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), ranking Republican on the committee that oversees USPS, addressed the chairs’ gathering as well. And Young released a response to reports that PMG Potter is seeking to curtail mail delivery to five days. Statement | Bulletin | H.R. 22 fact sheet