Top House and Senate Leaders Back NALC on Contracting Out
From NALC News Bulletin February 16, 2007
Young, State Chairs Fan Out Across Capitol Hill
To Ensure Lawmakers are Aware of USPS Plans
NALC President William H. Young and union legislative leaders from all 50 states swept through offices of House and Senate members this week to bring them up to date on issues critical to letter carriers in the 110th Congress, especially the Postal Service’s plans to outsource delivery work through expanded use of Contract Delivery Services.
The NALC state chairs were in the nation’s capital for the entire week for annual training sessions and a full schedule of lobbying their respective senators and representatives.
President Young, as part of a special AFL-CIO group, met with several Democratic Party leaders in both the Senate and House including Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), covering a wide range of issues that affect working men and women. Young made sure contracting out and abuses by the Postal Service’s Offi ce of Inspector General were on the agenda.
“I received assurance from almost all of them that that (outsourcing) was a deal that would not work and they would help us fight contracting out at the Postal Service,” Young said. “They seemed very sympathetic.”
At the same time, the state chairs were meeting with members of the House and Senate or their key staff officials about contracting out and other issues.
‘Sympathetic Ears’
“Everywhere we went, we found sympathetic ears,” Young said.
That pledge of support was very evident at a special dinner for the state chairs February 14. Speaker after speaker expressed support for regular carriers.
In noting the contracting out issue, Senate Majority Whip Richard Durbin (D-IL) recalled how regular carriers and others in the Postal Service continued to deliver the mail to Americans during the anthrax crisis, adding that as long as he remains in the Senate leadership “we’re going to deliver for you in the U.S. Senate.”
Freshman Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT), who more direct when discussing contracting out. “What a bunch of (expletive deleted),” he said “It only shows me one thing. We need new leadership in this country.”
Tester, Durbin, and another freshman senator, Claire McCaskill (D-MO), all praised NALC’s herculean role in last fall’s congressional elections when it sent 160 people out to work in campaigns that helped elect pro-worker candidates.
2008 Pledge
“You not only deliver the mail, you deliver the votes,” Durbin said.
“Don’t ever think that any of us take you for granted,” said McCaskill. “You bring the passion and the blood, sweat and tears to the election process.”
“You guys did a damn good job,” added Tester, who said if it hadn’t been for support from the NALC and other unions, he and several other Democrats would have lost tight races.
When Tester said the NALC must step up in the next general elections and help out one more time, President Young made a pledge: “In 2008, this union will put twice the number of people out in the field. We’ll make sure that the occupant of the White House is labor friendly.”
February 20th, 2007 at 2:14 pm
Give credit where credit is due! Young has the EAR of congress!!! And they are on OUR side… They know management is so screwed up.. They say
no APWU in 15 years.. I say no management in 10..
Lets stick together folks…The ride is getting
rough.. never seen it this bad in Vermont in over
27 years!!! Fight management, not each other!!!!
February 20th, 2007 at 7:41 pm
I agree, stick together folks!!!
February 22nd, 2007 at 3:53 pm
I agree! Together we stand, divided we fall (one by one!) Our local is going to demonstrate by staging an informational picket around the local post office that has notified us of their intent to contract out some new construction in our area. We are pushing back. We’ll be marching with positive message signs and expect 150-200 participants with media coverage, etc. What is YOUR local going to do about the threat of contracting out? In solidarity.
February 23rd, 2007 at 4:58 pm
Somebody should tell Young about sticking together. He is the poster boy for divide and conquer. He is a management stooge.
February 28th, 2007 at 2:12 pm
Hooray!! It is about time that the leadership of the NALC has the guts and courage to enlist the Congress in this fight against subcontracting. Maybe they woke up finally.
March 13th, 2007 at 9:09 am
Folks, there is a concerted effort by the right-wing financial and media forces to destroy the NALC union with outsourcing. as of Jan.23rd. 2007, Hollywood has released a film entitled CROOKS with the jacket cover showing an evil faced letter carrier prominently displayed on the cover in USPS uniform with large bolf font letters above “CROOKS”. If you guys want your union to survive to have to start accessing IMAGES in the public’s eye favorable to your cause. Hollywood is against you and the financial oligarchs are too.
March 25th, 2007 at 2:30 pm
right-wing conspiracy ?
is this hillary ?
April 18th, 2007 at 9:18 pm
Ed says Hollywood put out a movie. Hell the Hollywood types are so far left wing they can’t even stand up and that includes studios and all indie movie makers. So how’s the Dems gonna help?
May 6th, 2007 at 9:53 am
Crooks was made in 2002 and is a b grade movie at best no national attention. Look it up on Yahoo movies if you dont believe it.
August 5th, 2008 at 10:38 pm
I cant belive you Union people! I am a human being just like YOU! A contracted route person and I am sorry that YOUR EMPLOYER the United States Postal Service contracts out work. Our government subcontracts out most of its work and has been doing so for many years so why wasnt it such a big deal then? And why now the year 2008 are Postal Employees crying about us the evil Contractors. Im hear to tell you I know for a fact a few of our USPS employees mail carriers misdeliver mail and one carrier had freaking mail from 2005 hidden in her case! They found it when she went on leave to have a baby and someone filled her route. That person bitched everyday! about how screwed up her route was and how messy her case was. He cleaned it up and lost his promise to take over her route due to her actions and the post office let her back on it! I am greatly proud of my work and do a wonderful job thats what all my customers say and tell the clerks and other postal employees when they are in doing their postal business. You people should read a HCR contract before you goging blowing up. We get screened, drug tested, a driving record must be clean and have a copy for the contract, and have to pass the paperwork in order to get a badge. Im sorry Id like to have all the perks you get but I cant do 7 diffrent route in a week for years before Im even considered one of my own. Ive been on my route for 4yrs. and I know ALL 500 people on the route. I just need a JOB and this happens to be the one. I need a home and food just like YOU! Im sorry for takeing anyones job from them but rember its YOUR EMPLOYER to doing this to you so dont hate me hate them. It cracks me up on how before all this uproar on contracts the “USPS Employees” we all were cool and friends and now they just turn up their nose like I did this to them and you. I just want us all to be aware that we have a job and will be able to say that a year from now not homeless and hungry. Looked at like a piece of trash! So before you go hateing us contracted people get the truth the facts.