H.R. 2382, the USPS Fairness Act, is up for a floor vote in the U.S. House on Wednesday, February 5. This bill would repeal the 2006 mandate to prefund retiree health benefits currently imposed on USPS.
Call Congress at 202-224-3121 to urge a YES vote. Give the switchboard your ZIP code and you'll be connected to your Member of Congress.
Rep. Gwen Moore, Rep. Mark Pocan, and Rep. Ron Kind have all signed on to support H.R. 2382. Thank them for supporting our Postal Service and remind the rest of the Wisconsin U.S. House Congressional delegation to support H.R. 2382 today.
Quick Facts on USPS Fairness Act H.R. 2382
- R. 2382 would end the 2006 mandate that USPS prefund retiree health benefits decades in advance, a requirement that no other public or private sector company must do.
- This mandate accounts for 90 percent of USPS losses since 2007 and 100 percent of the losses between 2013-2018.
- The mandate has been used to justify privatization and cuts to critical services to our customers such as six-day delivery, door-to-door service, as well as post office closings and office hour reductions in both urban and rural areas.
- The mandate has hindered USPS's ability to invest (preventing USPS from replacing its obsolete vehicle fleet).
Repealing the prefunding requirement of retiree health benefits would:
o Dramatically reduce the Postal Service's financial losses eliminating a $4-$5 billion annual expense from its books.
o Allow USPS to return to a pay-as-you-go system for funding retiree health care that applies to all other private and public enterprises.
o Restore confidence and promote investment in the broader $1.4 trillion mailing industry, which employs 7.5 million Americans in total.
o Prevent an excessive rate increase for postal mailers via the Postal Regulatory Commission's ongoing rate-setting review.
o Provide temporary financial relief help stabilize the agency so that Congress can consider more modest postal reforms.
Repeal would not:
o Leave taxpayers on the hook to "bailout" the Postal Service or fund its retiree health costs.
o Relieve the Postal Service of its obligation to fund its retirees' health benefits. Over $45 billion has already amassed in the Postal Service Retiree Health Benefits Fund (on Treasury's books). That fund could pay 10-12 years in retiree health premiums and USPS would return to pay-as-you-go for retiree health, which is standard practice in both private and public sectors.
o Solve every problem at USPS -- but it would stabilize USPS and reduce the size of the financial hole to be filled by reform and ease the burden on Congress with respect to enacting more comprehensive legislation
**Call Congress at 202-224-3121 to urge a YES vote on H.R. 2382, the USPS Fairness Act, today**
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