My Letter to Congress: S.1789 Workers' Compensation Reform Act of 2011 
Contact Congress
This letter was sent by OpenCongress user
greenwave78
on
February 07, 2012
in opposition to
S.1789 Workers' Compensation Reform Act of 2012.
Privacy setting:
PUBLIC
To:
-
Rep. Frank Pallone [D, NJ-6] Vote on Passage of S.1789: -
Sen. Robert Menéndez [D, NJ] Vote on Passage of S.1789: Nay -
Sen. Frank Lautenberg [D, NJ] Vote on Passage of S.1789: Aye
S.1789 Workers' Compensation Reform Act of 2011
I am writing as your constituent in the 6th Congressional district of New Jersey. I oppose S.1789 - Workers' Compensation Reform Act of 2011, and am tracking it using OpenCongress.org, the free public resource website for government transparency and accountability.
Greetings, presently your office is, has or will havr reviewed Senate Bill 1789 that would change the postal service forever...not for the better. S-1789 would provide short term financial relief and yet still permit decimating affects to the standards of the nation mail system. Senate Bill 1789 can not be permitted to go forward in its present form. It was the 2006 Postal Accountability Enhancement Act that put the postal service in the financial situation it deals with today. Repeal PAEA, more specifically the portion requiring the postal service to pre-fund future retiree health benefits $5.5 Billion each year. No other government agency or private company is required to do so, neither should the postal service. The war is over so we can stop robbing Peter to pay Paul.
I would ask you to make these amendments to S-1789 as well:
Recover the overpayments to the retiree pension fund.
Set strict service standards to allow the postal service to maintain the national delivery service.
Establish new ways to generate revenue such as notary service, license issuance, contract with State and Local agencies providing services (that were done by the postal service before) and allow the USPS to offer services that many other countries offer such as digital services.
Give the Postal Regulatory Commission binding authority to prevent closures of postal facilities and offices based on the affect on the community and employees.
Protect six-day delivery.
Repeal provisions that would require arbitrators in postal contract negotiations to consider the financial health of the USPS (note: arbitrators routinely do consider the USPS financial health, this provision is an attempt to slant contract negotiations in favor of management.)
Eliminate the provision that would egregiously reduce the compensation of workers injured on duty once they reach retirement age.
TITLE 39 - POSTAL SERVICE
PART I - GENERAL
CHAPTER 1 - POSTAL POLICY AND DEFINITIONS
Sec. 101. Postal policy
-STATUTE-
(a) The United States Postal Service shall be operated as a basic
and fundamental service provided to the people by the Government of
the United States, authorized by the Constitution, created by Act
of Congress, and supported by the people. The Postal Service shall
have as its basic function the obligation to provide postal
services to bind the Nation together through the personal,
educational, literary, and business correspondence of the people.
It shall provide prompt, reliable, and efficient services to
patrons in all areas and shall render postal services to all
communities. The costs of establishing and maintaining the Postal
Service shall not be apportioned to impair the overall value of
such service to the people.
(b) The Postal Service shall provide a maximum degree of
effective and regular postal services to rural areas, communities,
and small towns where post offices are not self-sustaining. No
small post office shall be closed solely for operating at a
deficit, it being the specific intent of the Congress that
effective postal services be insured to residents of both urban and
rural communities.
Senator the Postal Service is an Institution and can not be affected, to put it simply, it is our life. The postal service has been here through the good and bad times in our nation history. Changing the system that has been here since the Constitution would be changing the constitution.
Thank for your time on this matter and patiently wait your favorable response.
Sincerely,
jeffrey brents
Greetings, presently your office is, has or will havr reviewed Senate Bill 1789 that would change the postal service forever...not for the better. S-1789 would provide short term financial relief and yet still permit decimating affects to the standards of the nation mail system. Senate Bill 1789 can not be permitted to go forward in its present form. It was the 2006 Postal Accountability Enhancement Act that put the postal service in the financial situation it deals with today. Repeal PAEA, more specifically the portion requiring the postal service to pre-fund future retiree health benefits $5.5 Billion each year. No other government agency or private company is required to do so, neither should the postal service. The war is over so we can stop robbing Peter to pay Paul.
I would ask you to make these amendments to S-1789 as well:
Recover the overpayments to the retiree pension fund.
Set strict service standards to allow the postal service to maintain the national delivery service.
Establish new ways to generate revenue such as notary service, license issuance, contract with State and Local agencies providing services (that were done by the postal service before) and allow the USPS to offer services that many other countries offer such as digital services.
Give the Postal Regulatory Commission binding authority to prevent closures of postal facilities and offices based on the affect on the community and employees.
Protect six-day delivery.
Repeal provisions that would require arbitrators in postal contract negotiations to consider the financial health of the USPS (note: arbitrators routinely do consider the USPS financial health, this provision is an attempt to slant contract negotiations in favor of management.)
Eliminate the provision that would egregiously reduce the compensation of workers injured on duty once they reach retirement age.
TITLE 39 - POSTAL SERVICE
PART I - GENERAL
CHAPTER 1 - POSTAL POLICY AND DEFINITIONS
Sec. 101. Postal policy
-STATUTE-
(a) The United States Postal Service shall be operated as a basic
and fundamental service provided to the people by the Government of
the United States, authorized by the Constitution, created by Act
of Congress, and supported by the people. The Postal Service shall
have as its basic function the obligation to provide postal
services to bind the Nation together through the personal,
educational, literary, and business correspondence of the people.
It shall provide prompt, reliable, and efficient services to
patrons in all areas and shall render postal services to all
communities. The costs of establishing and maintaining the Postal
Service shall not be apportioned to impair the overall value of
such service to the people.
(b) The Postal Service shall provide a maximum degree of
effective and regular postal services to rural areas, communities,
and small towns where post offices are not self-sustaining. No
small post office shall be closed solely for operating at a
deficit, it being the specific intent of the Congress that
effective postal services be insured to residents of both urban and
rural communities.
Senator the Postal Service is an Institution and can not be affected, to put it simply, it is our life. The postal service has been here through the good and bad times in our nation history. Changing the system that has been here since the Constitution would be changing the constitution.
Thank for your time on this matter and patiently wait your favorable response.
Sincerely,
jeffrey brents
This letter was a reply from the office of Sen. Robert Menéndez [D, NJ] on February 07, 2012.
Senator Menendez Message Confirmation
Dear Friend,
Thank you for taking the time to contact me. Your comments are very
important to me, and I wanted to confirm with you that I have received
your message. All communications I receive are registered and sorted by
my office, and I will try to respond to you as quickly as possible.
If you have contacted me about an individual issue that you are having
with a federal or state agency that requires immediate assistance please
contact my Newark, NJ office directly at 973-645-3030.
Sincerely,
Senator Robert Menendez
Please do not reply to this e-mail as this address is not monitored. To
contact my office, please use the contact form found on my website at
http://menendez.senate.gov/contact/
Thank you for taking the time to contact me. Your comments are very
important to me, and I wanted to confirm with you that I have received
your message. All communications I receive are registered and sorted by
my office, and I will try to respond to you as quickly as possible.
If you have contacted me about an individual issue that you are having
with a federal or state agency that requires immediate assistance please
contact my Newark, NJ office directly at 973-645-3030.
Sincerely,
Senator Robert Menendez
Please do not reply to this e-mail as this address is not monitored. To
contact my office, please use the contact form found on my website at
http://menendez.senate.gov/contact/
This letter was a reply from the office of Sen. Frank Lautenberg [D, NJ] on February 07, 2012.
Thank You For Contacting Me
This is a Mulit Part MIME message. Your mail client does not support MIME or you have disabled this feature. This is a plain text version of the content.
Dear Friend,
Thank you for contacting me. Your comments are important to me and I wanted to confirm with you that I have received your message.
Please feel free to contact me again should you have additional concerns or if there is any way in which I can be of assistance.
Thank you,
Sincerely,
Senator Frank R. Lautenberg
Dear Friend,
Thank you for contacting me. Your comments are important to me and I wanted to confirm with you that I have received your message.
Please feel free to contact me again should you have additional concerns or if there is any way in which I can be of assistance.
Thank you,
Sincerely,
Senator Frank R. Lautenberg
This letter was a reply from the office of Sen. Robert Menéndez [D, NJ] on February 12, 2012.
Response from Senator Menendez
nendez.senate.gov>
Dear Mr. Brents:
Thank you for contacting me to express your support for legislation that
would help to restore solvency to the United States Postal Service
(USPS). Your opinion is very important to me, and I appreciate the
opportunity to respond to you on this vital issue.
Over the past several months there have been several bills introduced in
Congress addressing the financial problems currently facing the USPS
including S. 1789, the 21st Century Postal Service Act of 2011. As you
may know, S. 1789 would refund the USPS for their retirement fund
overpayment, restructure obligatory payments to their healthcare
benefits fund, and postpone the elimination of Saturday delivery for at
least two years. I believe that before we pass any proposals into law,
we need to make sure that we protect the long-term viability of the USPS
and the level of customer service that Americans have come to expect.
As your United States Senator, I am committed to ensuring a strong and
financially healthy postal service. However, I do not believe we should
eliminate crucial services provided by the USPS such as six-day delivery
at no extra cost, something that distinguishes it from its private
sector competitors. I also oppose eliminating the rights of hardworking
postal employees to collectively bargain for better pay and working
conditions. Postal workers are not the reason for the USPS's current
fiscal issues and they should not be made the scapegoat or bear undue
burdens for a problem they did not cause. First things first, we must
address and remedy the USPS's overpayment into the Civil Service
Retirement System (CSRS) in a fair and appropriate way. While the USPS
does not receive any federal tax dollars, it is crucial for Congress to
address these critical issues in order to ensure that Americans continue
to benefit from a service that has been in operation since 1775. In a
post-September 11th world, it has become even more important to have
capable and dedicated professionals overseeing these fundamental and
vulnerable duties. Please rest assured that if any of these bills comes
up for a vote in the Senate, I will take your views into strong
consideration and support efforts to strengthen the USPS.
Again, thank you for sharing your thoughts with me. I invite you to
visit my website (http://menendez.senate.gov
nendez.senate.gov> ) to learn more about how I am standing up for New
Jersey families in the United States Senate.
For the latest news from Senator Menendez visit the following sites:
nendez.senate.gov%2f>
w.youtube.com%2fuser%2fSenatorMenendezNJ>
w.facebook.com%2fsenatormenendez>
itter.com%2fSenatorMenendez>
Please do not reply to this e-mail as this address is not monitored. To
contact my office, please use the contact form found on my website at
http://menendez.senate.gov/contact/
nendez.senate.gov%2fcontact%2f>
This letter was a reply from the office of Sen. Robert Menéndez [D, NJ] on February 12, 2012.
Response from Senator Menendez
nendez.senate.gov>
Dear Mr. Brents:
Thank you for contacting me to express your support for legislation that
would help to restore solvency to the United States Postal Service
(USPS). Your opinion is very important to me, and I appreciate the
opportunity to respond to you on this vital issue.
Over the past several months there have been several bills introduced in
Congress addressing the financial problems currently facing the USPS
including S. 1789, the 21st Century Postal Service Act of 2011. As you
may know, S. 1789 would refund the USPS for their retirement fund
overpayment, restructure obligatory payments to their healthcare
benefits fund, and postpone the elimination of Saturday delivery for at
least two years. I believe that before we pass any proposals into law,
we need to make sure that we protect the long-term viability of the USPS
and the level of customer service that Americans have come to expect.
As your United States Senator, I am committed to ensuring a strong and
financially healthy postal service. However, I do not believe we should
eliminate crucial services provided by the USPS such as six-day delivery
at no extra cost, something that distinguishes it from its private
sector competitors. I also oppose eliminating the rights of hardworking
postal employees to collectively bargain for better pay and working
conditions. Postal workers are not the reason for the USPS's current
fiscal issues and they should not be made the scapegoat or bear undue
burdens for a problem they did not cause. First things first, we must
address and remedy the USPS's overpayment into the Civil Service
Retirement System (CSRS) in a fair and appropriate way. While the USPS
does not receive any federal tax dollars, it is crucial for Congress to
address these critical issues in order to ensure that Americans continue
to benefit from a service that has been in operation since 1775. In a
post-September 11th world, it has become even more important to have
capable and dedicated professionals overseeing these fundamental and
vulnerable duties. Please rest assured that if any of these bills comes
up for a vote in the Senate, I will take your views into strong
consideration and support efforts to strengthen the USPS.
Again, thank you for sharing your thoughts with me. I invite you to
visit my website (http://menendez.senate.gov
nendez.senate.gov> ) to learn more about how I am standing up for New
Jersey families in the United States Senate.
For the latest news from Senator Menendez visit the following sites:
nendez.senate.gov%2f>
w.youtube.com%2fuser%2fSenatorMenendezNJ>
w.facebook.com%2fsenatormenendez>
itter.com%2fSenatorMenendez>
Please do not reply to this e-mail as this address is not monitored. To
contact my office, please use the contact form found on my website at
http://menendez.senate.gov/contact/
nendez.senate.gov%2fcontact%2f>
This letter was a reply from the office of Sen. Robert Menéndez [D, NJ] on February 12, 2012.
Response from Senator Menendez
nendez.senate.gov>
Dear Mr. Brents:
Thank you for contacting me to express your support for legislation that
would help to restore solvency to the United States Postal Service
(USPS). Your opinion is very important to me, and I appreciate the
opportunity to respond to you on this vital issue.
Over the past several months there have been several bills introduced in
Congress addressing the financial problems currently facing the USPS
including S. 1789, the 21st Century Postal Service Act of 2011. As you
may know, S. 1789 would refund the USPS for their retirement fund
overpayment, restructure obligatory payments to their healthcare
benefits fund, and postpone the elimination of Saturday delivery for at
least two years. I believe that before we pass any proposals into law,
we need to make sure that we protect the long-term viability of the USPS
and the level of customer service that Americans have come to expect.
As your United States Senator, I am committed to ensuring a strong and
financially healthy postal service. However, I do not believe we should
eliminate crucial services provided by the USPS such as six-day delivery
at no extra cost, something that distinguishes it from its private
sector competitors. I also oppose eliminating the rights of hardworking
postal employees to collectively bargain for better pay and working
conditions. Postal workers are not the reason for the USPS's current
fiscal issues and they should not be made the scapegoat or bear undue
burdens for a problem they did not cause. First things first, we must
address and remedy the USPS's overpayment into the Civil Service
Retirement System (CSRS) in a fair and appropriate way. While the USPS
does not receive any federal tax dollars, it is crucial for Congress to
address these critical issues in order to ensure that Americans continue
to benefit from a service that has been in operation since 1775. In a
post-September 11th world, it has become even more important to have
capable and dedicated professionals overseeing these fundamental and
vulnerable duties. Please rest assured that if any of these bills comes
up for a vote in the Senate, I will take your views into strong
consideration and support efforts to strengthen the USPS.
Again, thank you for sharing your thoughts with me. I invite you to
visit my website (http://menendez.senate.gov
nendez.senate.gov> ) to learn more about how I am standing up for New
Jersey families in the United States Senate.
For the latest news from Senator Menendez visit the following sites:
nendez.senate.gov%2f>
w.youtube.com%2fuser%2fSenatorMenendezNJ>
w.facebook.com%2fsenatormenendez>
itter.com%2fSenatorMenendez>
Please do not reply to this e-mail as this address is not monitored. To
contact my office, please use the contact form found on my website at
http://menendez.senate.gov/contact/
nendez.senate.gov%2fcontact%2f>
This letter was a reply from the office of Sen. Robert Menéndez [D, NJ] on February 12, 2012.
Response from Senator Menendez
nendez.senate.gov>
Dear Mr. Brents:
Thank you for contacting me to express your support for legislation that
would help to restore solvency to the United States Postal Service
(USPS). Your opinion is very important to me, and I appreciate the
opportunity to respond to you on this vital issue.
Over the past several months there have been several bills introduced in
Congress addressing the financial problems currently facing the USPS
including S. 1789, the 21st Century Postal Service Act of 2011. As you
may know, S. 1789 would refund the USPS for their retirement fund
overpayment, restructure obligatory payments to their healthcare
benefits fund, and postpone the elimination of Saturday delivery for at
least two years. I believe that before we pass any proposals into law,
we need to make sure that we protect the long-term viability of the USPS
and the level of customer service that Americans have come to expect.
As your United States Senator, I am committed to ensuring a strong and
financially healthy postal service. However, I do not believe we should
eliminate crucial services provided by the USPS such as six-day delivery
at no extra cost, something that distinguishes it from its private
sector competitors. I also oppose eliminating the rights of hardworking
postal employees to collectively bargain for better pay and working
conditions. Postal workers are not the reason for the USPS's current
fiscal issues and they should not be made the scapegoat or bear undue
burdens for a problem they did not cause. First things first, we must
address and remedy the USPS's overpayment into the Civil Service
Retirement System (CSRS) in a fair and appropriate way. While the USPS
does not receive any federal tax dollars, it is crucial for Congress to
address these critical issues in order to ensure that Americans continue
to benefit from a service that has been in operation since 1775. In a
post-September 11th world, it has become even more important to have
capable and dedicated professionals overseeing these fundamental and
vulnerable duties. Please rest assured that if any of these bills comes
up for a vote in the Senate, I will take your views into strong
consideration and support efforts to strengthen the USPS.
Again, thank you for sharing your thoughts with me. I invite you to
visit my website (http://menendez.senate.gov
nendez.senate.gov> ) to learn more about how I am standing up for New
Jersey families in the United States Senate.
For the latest news from Senator Menendez visit the following sites:
nendez.senate.gov%2f>
w.youtube.com%2fuser%2fSenatorMenendezNJ>
w.facebook.com%2fsenatormenendez>
itter.com%2fSenatorMenendez>
Please do not reply to this e-mail as this address is not monitored. To
contact my office, please use the contact form found on my website at
http://menendez.senate.gov/contact/
nendez.senate.gov%2fcontact%2f>
This letter was a reply from the office of Sen. Robert Menéndez [D, NJ] on February 12, 2012.
Response from Senator Menendez
nendez.senate.gov>
Dear Mr. Brents:
Thank you for contacting me to express your support for legislation that
would help to restore solvency to the United States Postal Service
(USPS). Your opinion is very important to me, and I appreciate the
opportunity to respond to you on this vital issue.
Over the past several months there have been several bills introduced in
Congress addressing the financial problems currently facing the USPS
including S. 1789, the 21st Century Postal Service Act of 2011. As you
may know, S. 1789 would refund the USPS for their retirement fund
overpayment, restructure obligatory payments to their healthcare
benefits fund, and postpone the elimination of Saturday delivery for at
least two years. I believe that before we pass any proposals into law,
we need to make sure that we protect the long-term viability of the USPS
and the level of customer service that Americans have come to expect.
As your United States Senator, I am committed to ensuring a strong and
financially healthy postal service. However, I do not believe we should
eliminate crucial services provided by the USPS such as six-day delivery
at no extra cost, something that distinguishes it from its private
sector competitors. I also oppose eliminating the rights of hardworking
postal employees to collectively bargain for better pay and working
conditions. Postal workers are not the reason for the USPS's current
fiscal issues and they should not be made the scapegoat or bear undue
burdens for a problem they did not cause. First things first, we must
address and remedy the USPS's overpayment into the Civil Service
Retirement System (CSRS) in a fair and appropriate way. While the USPS
does not receive any federal tax dollars, it is crucial for Congress to
address these critical issues in order to ensure that Americans continue
to benefit from a service that has been in operation since 1775. In a
post-September 11th world, it has become even more important to have
capable and dedicated professionals overseeing these fundamental and
vulnerable duties. Please rest assured that if any of these bills comes
up for a vote in the Senate, I will take your views into strong
consideration and support efforts to strengthen the USPS.
Again, thank you for sharing your thoughts with me. I invite you to
visit my website (http://menendez.senate.gov
nendez.senate.gov> ) to learn more about how I am standing up for New
Jersey families in the United States Senate.
For the latest news from Senator Menendez visit the following sites:
nendez.senate.gov%2f>
w.youtube.com%2fuser%2fSenatorMenendezNJ>
w.facebook.com%2fsenatormenendez>
itter.com%2fSenatorMenendez>
Please do not reply to this e-mail as this address is not monitored. To
contact my office, please use the contact form found on my website at
http://menendez.senate.gov/contact/
nendez.senate.gov%2fcontact%2f>
This letter was a reply from the office of Sen. Robert Menéndez [D, NJ] on February 12, 2012.
Response from Senator Menendez
nendez.senate.gov>
Dear Mr. Brents:
Thank you for contacting me to express your support for legislation that
would help to restore solvency to the United States Postal Service
(USPS). Your opinion is very important to me, and I appreciate the
opportunity to respond to you on this vital issue.
Over the past several months there have been several bills introduced in
Congress addressing the financial problems currently facing the USPS
including S. 1789, the 21st Century Postal Service Act of 2011. As you
may know, S. 1789 would refund the USPS for their retirement fund
overpayment, restructure obligatory payments to their healthcare
benefits fund, and postpone the elimination of Saturday delivery for at
least two years. I believe that before we pass any proposals into law,
we need to make sure that we protect the long-term viability of the USPS
and the level of customer service that Americans have come to expect.
As your United States Senator, I am committed to ensuring a strong and
financially healthy postal service. However, I do not believe we should
eliminate crucial services provided by the USPS such as six-day delivery
at no extra cost, something that distinguishes it from its private
sector competitors. I also oppose eliminating the rights of hardworking
postal employees to collectively bargain for better pay and working
conditions. Postal workers are not the reason for the USPS's current
fiscal issues and they should not be made the scapegoat or bear undue
burdens for a problem they did not cause. First things first, we must
address and remedy the USPS's overpayment into the Civil Service
Retirement System (CSRS) in a fair and appropriate way. While the USPS
does not receive any federal tax dollars, it is crucial for Congress to
address these critical issues in order to ensure that Americans continue
to benefit from a service that has been in operation since 1775. In a
post-September 11th world, it has become even more important to have
capable and dedicated professionals overseeing these fundamental and
vulnerable duties. Please rest assured that if any of these bills comes
up for a vote in the Senate, I will take your views into strong
consideration and support efforts to strengthen the USPS.
Again, thank you for sharing your thoughts with me. I invite you to
visit my website (http://menendez.senate.gov
nendez.senate.gov> ) to learn more about how I am standing up for New
Jersey families in the United States Senate.
For the latest news from Senator Menendez visit the following sites:
nendez.senate.gov%2f>
w.youtube.com%2fuser%2fSenatorMenendezNJ>
w.facebook.com%2fsenatormenendez>
itter.com%2fSenatorMenendez>
Please do not reply to this e-mail as this address is not monitored. To
contact my office, please use the contact form found on my website at
http://menendez.senate.gov/contact/
nendez.senate.gov%2fcontact%2f>
This letter was a reply from the office of Sen. Robert Menéndez [D, NJ] on February 12, 2012.
Response from Senator Menendez
nendez.senate.gov>
Dear Mr. Brents:
Thank you for contacting me to express your support for legislation that
would help to restore solvency to the United States Postal Service
(USPS). Your opinion is very important to me, and I appreciate the
opportunity to respond to you on this vital issue.
Over the past several months there have been several bills introduced in
Congress addressing the financial problems currently facing the USPS
including S. 1789, the 21st Century Postal Service Act of 2011. As you
may know, S. 1789 would refund the USPS for their retirement fund
overpayment, restructure obligatory payments to their healthcare
benefits fund, and postpone the elimination of Saturday delivery for at
least two years. I believe that before we pass any proposals into law,
we need to make sure that we protect the long-term viability of the USPS
and the level of customer service that Americans have come to expect.
As your United States Senator, I am committed to ensuring a strong and
financially healthy postal service. However, I do not believe we should
eliminate crucial services provided by the USPS such as six-day delivery
at no extra cost, something that distinguishes it from its private
sector competitors. I also oppose eliminating the rights of hardworking
postal employees to collectively bargain for better pay and working
conditions. Postal workers are not the reason for the USPS's current
fiscal issues and they should not be made the scapegoat or bear undue
burdens for a problem they did not cause. First things first, we must
address and remedy the USPS's overpayment into the Civil Service
Retirement System (CSRS) in a fair and appropriate way. While the USPS
does not receive any federal tax dollars, it is crucial for Congress to
address these critical issues in order to ensure that Americans continue
to benefit from a service that has been in operation since 1775. In a
post-September 11th world, it has become even more important to have
capable and dedicated professionals overseeing these fundamental and
vulnerable duties. Please rest assured that if any of these bills comes
up for a vote in the Senate, I will take your views into strong
consideration and support efforts to strengthen the USPS.
Again, thank you for sharing your thoughts with me. I invite you to
visit my website (http://menendez.senate.gov
nendez.senate.gov> ) to learn more about how I am standing up for New
Jersey families in the United States Senate.
For the latest news from Senator Menendez visit the following sites:
nendez.senate.gov%2f>
w.youtube.com%2fuser%2fSenatorMenendezNJ>
w.facebook.com%2fsenatormenendez>
itter.com%2fSenatorMenendez>
Please do not reply to this e-mail as this address is not monitored. To
contact my office, please use the contact form found on my website at
http://menendez.senate.gov/contact/
nendez.senate.gov%2fcontact%2f>
This letter was a reply from the office of Sen. Frank Lautenberg [D, NJ] on March 14, 2012.
In Response to Your Message
This is a Mulit Part MIME message. Your mail client does not support MIME or you have disabled this feature. This is a plain text version of the content.
Dear Mr. Brents:
Thank you for contacting me about efforts to bring financial relief to the United States Postal Service (USPS). I appreciate hearing from you on this issue.
As you may know, the federal government is responsible for paying for the retirement benefits of postal workers who were employed before the Post Office was privatized in 1971, while the United States Postal Service (USPS) is responsible for the portion of benefit costs attributable to individuals employed in later years. According to the Office of the Inspector General of the USPS, the current method for calculating the Postal Service?s required contributions to the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) for retirement costs does not conform to modern accounting standards. As a result, the USPS may have contributed as much as $75 billion more than it owes, compromising its financial condition.
The ?21st Century Postal Service Act of 2011? (S. 1789) would allow USPS to offer buyouts to employees to reduce its workforce by as much as 100,000 employees. The funding for these buyouts would come from USPS overpayments into the Federal Employee Retirement System (FERS). This legislation would also recalibrate the pre-funding requirements for USPS retiree benefits by amortizing the payments over time, and allow USPS to develop a new healthcare plan to cut costs. It would also bar the USPS from five-day delivery for two years, until USPS can create remedies for customers who might be negatively impacted by the change.
This bill was approved by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, of which I am not a member, in November 2011. It currently awaits action before the full Senate. I understand your concerns about the impact this bill may have on postal workers. Please be assured that I will keep your views in mind should this or similar legislation be considered in the Senate.
Thank you again for contacting me.
FRL: mts
Dear Mr. Brents:
Thank you for contacting me about efforts to bring financial relief to the United States Postal Service (USPS). I appreciate hearing from you on this issue.
As you may know, the federal government is responsible for paying for the retirement benefits of postal workers who were employed before the Post Office was privatized in 1971, while the United States Postal Service (USPS) is responsible for the portion of benefit costs attributable to individuals employed in later years. According to the Office of the Inspector General of the USPS, the current method for calculating the Postal Service?s required contributions to the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) for retirement costs does not conform to modern accounting standards. As a result, the USPS may have contributed as much as $75 billion more than it owes, compromising its financial condition.
The ?21st Century Postal Service Act of 2011? (S. 1789) would allow USPS to offer buyouts to employees to reduce its workforce by as much as 100,000 employees. The funding for these buyouts would come from USPS overpayments into the Federal Employee Retirement System (FERS). This legislation would also recalibrate the pre-funding requirements for USPS retiree benefits by amortizing the payments over time, and allow USPS to develop a new healthcare plan to cut costs. It would also bar the USPS from five-day delivery for two years, until USPS can create remedies for customers who might be negatively impacted by the change.
This bill was approved by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, of which I am not a member, in November 2011. It currently awaits action before the full Senate. I understand your concerns about the impact this bill may have on postal workers. Please be assured that I will keep your views in mind should this or similar legislation be considered in the Senate.
Thank you again for contacting me.
FRL: mts
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