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NALC Postal Ease  Liteblue  

 

Five reasons to oppose five-day delivery

1. It’s penny-wise and pound-foolish.
Saturday delivery is the Postal Service’s key strategic advantage over its private competitors, UPS and FedEx. Giving away our most important comparative advantage in the one area of the postal market that is likely to grow when the economy recovers—e-commerce package delivery—would be very risky. Over time, the loss of revenue would outweigh the short-term savings.

2. It will drive customers away.
Slower service—letters mailed on Friday nights would not be picked up until Monday morning or Monday afternoon—and less frequent delivery is likely to accelerate the shift to electronic invoicing and electronic bill paying. Booming businesses like mail order prescriptions would be threatened. Reduced service would also threaten one of the fastest growing segments of the mail—Parcel Select—as UPS, FedEx and other consolidators would reconsider their use of last-mile delivery services by USPS letter carriers.

3. It would prompt the emergence of new competitors.
If the Postal Service doesn’t deliver on Saturdays, other companies will step in to fill the void. Within days of the Postal Service’s March 2 announcement, multiple press accounts quoted executives from niche delivery firms welcoming the news. Many companies would view the Postal Service’s exit from Saturday delivery as a business opportunity. Once established, competitors will demand a “level playing field” and ask Congress to open the nation’s mailboxes to their services, making it impossible to enforce the monopoly and maintain affordable universal service.

4. It would set a bad precedent.
If the language requiring six-day delivery were repealed, there would be no legal barrier to prevent the Postal Service from reducing delivery days further, from 5-day to 4- or 3-day delivery. Indeed, Business Week magazine called on the Postal Service to shift immediately to 3-day delivery within days of the Postal Service’s announcement of its action plan. That would not only destroy half our jobs, but also likely lead to a death spiral for the Postal Service—less service leading to less mail volume leading to less service, and so on.

. It’s not necessary.
The Postal Service has hidden financial strengths, with fully funded pension plans and, if the accounting is done properly, fully funded retiree health benefits. If we can convince Congress and the administration to fairly allocate pension costs and correct the $75 billion error made by the OPM when it established our retiree health fund, eliminating Saturday delivery would not be necessary. Postmaster General Jack Potter acknowledged as much at a March 18 hearing before a Senate Appropriations subcommittee. “If that [recovering the $75 billion and applying it to future retiree health care] were to happen,” he said, “we wouldn’t have to go to six-, to five-day delivery.”

Trip, TV top prizes in Anaheim convention raffle

 

 

How to contribute to COLCPE

 

NALC's political action fund helps elect friends of letter carriers (for NALC members only)

 

Active members can contribute directly from their paychecks via PostalEASE. Phone instructions | Online instructions

 

Active and retired members can contribute automatically from their bank account via Electronic Fund Transfer. Instructions

 

Retired members can contribute directly from their OPM annuities. Instructions

Two raffles will be held at this summer’s national convention in Anaheim as a way of saying thanks to the men and women of the NALC who give every pay period to the non-partisan Committee on Letter Carrier Political Education.

The top prize is a trip for two to the 2011 NCAA Final Four, a getaway that includes a pair of tickets to the Final Four and national championship, airfare, a three-night hotel stay and a per diem for expenses.

To be eligible to win the trip, active and retired letter carriers must be a “Gimme 5 for COLCPE” contributor. For active carriers, that means automatically contributing $5 per pay period by electronic funds transfer (EFT) or by using one of their three payroll allotments. For retirees, “Gimme 5” is $5 per month directly from their annuity payments or by EFT. For both active and retiree members, NALC Headquarters must receive your “Gimme 5" automatic contribution by June 30. Last-chance sign-ups will be accepted at the Legislative Department’s booth at the Convention Center.

Additionally, “lump sum” donors who do not give automatically will be eligible to win a 42-inch flat-panel high-definition television. These donors are active carriers who have contributed at least $120 between January 1 and June 30, or retirees who have given $60 in that same time period. A donation that helps a member reach those benchmarks will be also be accepted at the Legislative Department’s convention booth, allowing the member to qualify for the raffle.

“The real benefit we all get from COLCPE is job security, thanks to electing and keeping our friends in Congress” said NALC President Fred Rolando. “But this is a fun way for us to recognize and show that we appreciate each member’s contribution.”

  • The Committee on Letter Carrier Political Education, or COLCPE, is NALC’s political action committee. Funds are used to support candidates—Republicans, Democrats and independents—who support letter carriers’ issues, and to help finance get-out-the-vote and other political activities. Absolutely no union dues money is used to support political candidates.
  • Contributions to COLCPE are entirely voluntary. Tens of thousands of active and retired NALC members choose to give each year, many through regular deductions from their paychecks or monthly annuity payments, or by electronic funds transfer from their checking accounts.

“Gimme 5 for COLCPE” was launched in March 2006 with the aim of increasing the number of automatic contributors. The target of $5 per pay period represents just 50 cents per work day. The goal for retiree contributions is $5 each month. (Of course, any amount is welcome.)

A steady stream of contributions is important for planning by the union's Legislative and Political Affairs Department, as well as for budgeting resources.

 

 

      2009 State Lobby Trip

Louisiana State Association partcipated in a lobbying trip in Washington, DC organized by California State President -John Beaumont, March 8-13, 2009. There were five Regions participating in the Lobbying trip.Regions 1,2,4,8, and first timers 10(Texas). We were trained on Monday, March 9, by the National Staff. We hit the ground running on Tuesday speaking to our Congressmans on the Bill H.R.22. Below are a few pictures from the congressional breakfast held on Thursday.

 

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