Author: tommyroma

21st Century Postal Service Act (P-21) Summary

??The P21 Act saves money with critical workforce-related reforms.

Buyouts and Retirement Incentives

The bill would give the Postmaster General access to the money the United States Postal Service (the Postal Service or USPS) has overpaid into one of its pension funds (FERS) and use it to offer buyouts or retirement incentives to reduce the active postal workforce by 100,000 or more employees over the next several years. The incentives could include either a cash buyout of up to $25,000 (the cap for federal worker buyouts) or credited service years toward retirement annuity: up to one year for Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) employees and up to two for FERS employees. Any funds remaining after the Postal Service has completed this incentive program may be used to repay debt and meet obligations related to workers’ compensation, pensions, and retiree health. USPS has estimated that reducing its workforce by 100,000 would save up to $8 billion annually.

Download the full Summary here.

THE UNFAVORABLE STAND

When you accept the Presidency of your local Naps office, I hope you know you will be put on the hot seat when you must take an unfavorable stand against the local USPS. Don’t let any one kid you, if you become a thorn in the side of upper management, they will look to retaliate. It’s all part of the job. If you are looking for upward mobility, they will tell you that your on the wrong side. In my time I have been asked to take a step back if I was looking for upward mobility in the future. My answer to these people was, I was here before you got here and I will be here after you leave. Forty four years later I am still standing. In my opinion anyone who can’t take the pressure of the responsibility of the Presidency should not be President. I love when I hear I cant get involved for fear of retaliation. This tells me you are a marginal EAS and afraid for your job. If that is the case you are not giving your members honest representation. As President of Branch 68 in Brooklyn, I showed Management I was not the enemy and wanted to partner with them for the betterment of both the USPS and NAPS. My track record proves that I gained the respect all through my career. (Roma quote) I don’t want you to love me, I want you to respect me as I respect others.

During this holiday season let us not forget our dear departed President Vince Palladino who left us suddenly on Dec 21, 2004. It was Vince who instilled a lot of what I discussed above in me through the years.

If ever I needed an answer to anything my friend Vince always had the right answer for me. I often wonder if he were alive today, would he have the answers to the Postal problems of today? Im sure he would be right in there fighting for our rights during these trying times. They say the great ones like Vince Palladino only come along once in a life time. Even though it was cut short, I’m happy that I was able to be part of his life while he was here. Rest in peace my friend, you will always be missed.

In closing from my house to yours, Happy Holiday’s and a Happy Healthy, Safe, New Year.

Stay Strong
Tommy Roma

Where Are We Now? What Comes Next?

NAPS Leg/Reg Update – October 20, 2011

Two recent events have triggered questions from NAPS members about the chances of Congress passing legislation that helps the Postal Service and deals with its financial problems.

The first involved the Government Accountability Office’s finding that the OPM complied with federal law in determining how much USPS should pay for its CSRS pension obligations, undermining the transfer of additional assets to USPS. The second event involved the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee’s approval of a new version of the Issa-Ross postal reform legislation, H.R. 2309. NAPS continues to oppose the legislation as approved by the House Committee.

These two events have prompted questions about the GAO report, the future of H.R. 1351 and what it means for legislation on Capitol Hill to save the Postal Service. Here are the answers to some of those questions:

What did GAO really find? Did GAO conclude that the Postal Service did not overpay its pension obligations?

The GAO found only that OPM’s actions in calculating how much the Postal Service owed for its CSRS obligations were “consistent with the law,” regardless of the fairness of the allocation of CSRS payments between the Postal Service and the Treasury.

Does GAO’s finding mean that the Postal Service will not receive a refund for any overpayment of its CSRS obligations?

The GAO finding will make it much more difficult for the Postal Service to receive a refund of any overpayment of its CSRS obligations. Even before the GAO finding, significant political and budget-scoring barriers were making it difficult to convince Congress to provide a refund of CSRS assets to the Postal Service. The White House also has registered deficit-based concerns and only supports the return of overpaid FERS assets to the Postal Service, not overpaid CSRS assets.

Does GAO’s finding mean that H.R. 1351 is dead?

We always knew that getting H.R. 1351 approved by the Republican-controlled House of Representatives was going to be difficult. Many House Republicans have resisted H.R. 1351 because of its impact on the federal deficit. In the Senate, however, pending postal bills introduced by Sen. Tom Carper (S. 1010) and Sen. Susan Collins (S. 353) would deal with the overpayment issue, just as H.R. 1351 does. They require OPM to recalculate the Postal Service’s CSRS payments since 1971 using a different method more fair and favorable to the Postal Service. But now, the GAO report will make it more difficult to secure Senate approval of the Carper or Collins bills with inclusion of the CSRS recalculation provisions. Sen. Carper has suggested setting aside the CSRS issue to craft a bill with greater chances of approval by the Senate.

Does all of this mean that our efforts to get Congress to pass H.R. 1351 are for naught?

By no means! GAO’s finding does not suggest that our lobbying efforts, including the Save America’s Postal Service Rally on September 27, have been worthless. Just the opposite, in fact. These actions have elevated public attention to show exactly why the Postal Service’s finances are what they are and the impact of the burdensome retiree health prefunding payments.

The schedule governing these massive retiree health prefunding payments must be changed by Congress. This is the same situation a bank and homeowner face when the bank revises its mortgage payment schedule because the homeowner faces financial difficulties and the threat of foreclosure. The revision of the retiree health payment obligations is just the same, and remains an important focus of H.R. 1351 and the Carper and Collins bills. NAPS continues to urge Congress to revise the retiree health payment schedule to restore the Postal Service’s near-term financial stability, while addressing its longer-term business model needs.

When will H.R. 2309 be brought to the House floor? When will the Senate begin to move a bill?

The House Republican leadership has not announced its schedule for bringing H.R. 2309 to a floor vote.

In the Senate, efforts are underway in the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee to craft a bipartisan measure more sensible than H.R. 2309. Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) and Sen. Collins (R-ME), the top Democrat and Republican on the Committee, have indicated their intent to recommend the package that emerges to the House-Senate deficit reduction supercommittee for inclusion in its package of recommendations. NAPS will continue to keep you advised of further developments.

Bruce Moyer
Legislative Counsel to NAPS

Retirement – I’ve Done It

After 45 + years today is the last day for me. I began way back when very few women were “mailmen” no uniform other than what the guys wore but it did look good and we stood straight and bright each morning at uniform inspection. I moved on to the supervisor ranks and have been a supervisor for 37 years now. I’ve seen a lot and will always be grateful for the opportunity working, to raise my family well.

But lately I will agree things are very difficult out there in the field and also the plants. I’ve worked them both.

I think of Garth’s song, ” I will sail my vessel till the river’s run dry… I’ll never reach my destination if I never try…”

My postal destination is reached; retirement and new destinations lay ahead.

Good luck to those that follow. Keep on trying.

I will continue to be a devout NAPS advocate and will be working even more closely with all the NAPS members in the entire district. I’ll be around for several more years working with the NAPS association and hopefully the tensions will settle and opportunities will be justly awarded.

I read somewhere that retirement is when you stop living at work and begin working at living. I intend to do my utmost in following the adage “Retirement is the beginning of life — not the end!” I know, however, that regardless of how much I enjoy retirement, that I will miss everyone in this organization.

I have just one final point to make. I feel that retirement is an incredible gift. It’s a gift that everyone should give themselves when they feel they can. So set your goals and prepare yourselves wisely. The purpose of retirement is not simply to exist, to simply survive, but to elevate oneself in life, to have purpose, to achieve, and to conquer new horizons.

Contact me at 562-277-6045 or [email protected] if you need assistance or have a problem or if there is information you want to find out about. I will be available to keep on helping.

Sincerely and farewell,

Mary Di Gioia

Bipartisan Postal Bill Introduced in Senate

NAPS Leg/Reg Update – November 3, 2011

Four key Democratic and Republican Senate lawmakers on Wednesday announced the introduction of compromise legislation that they say will “save the United States Postal Service from financial disaster and put it on the road toward financial stability.” The bill is The 21st Century Postal Service Act, (S. 1789). For a copy of the bill and other background information, click here.

The bill was introduced by the four Senators with leadership roles for overseeing the Postal Service — Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Joe Lieberman (I-CT), Ranking Member Susan Collins (R-ME), Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management Chairman Tom Carper (D-DE), and Ranking Member Senator Scott Brown (R-MA).

The bill is on a fast track for committee approval, with a markup scheduled by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee for next Wednesday, November 9. Senator Lieberman and Senator Collins have indicated they plan to submit their legislative proposal to the deficit reduction supercommittee for potential inclusion in that panel’s recommended legislation to Congress, due November 23.

Major Provisions

The 21st Century Postal Service Act would:

* Require OPM to refund $7 billion in overpaid FERS payments to USPS. Those funds may be used by USPS for buyouts to employees to help reduce its workforce. According to USPS, $2 billion in buyouts will help it reduce its workforce by as many as 100,000 employees over the next three years, reaching $8 billion a year in savings.

* Recalibrate the USPS pre-funding requirements for its retiree health benefits by reamortizing those payments over 40 years.

* Authorize USPS to create a new USPS health care plan outside FEHBP, if USPS and all unions agreed to its terms. USPS estimates a new healthcare plan could cut costs roughly in half, while maintaining “adequate” benefits.

* Delay the start-up of five-day-a-week mail delivery for two years if USPS completes studies and develops remedies for customers who may be affected disproportionately by the change in service.

* Expand curbside service through delivery to neighborhood cluster boxes, eliminating door deliveries.

* Overhaul the federal workers comp program, bringing it in line with most state programs and requiring future disabled federal workers upon reaching retirement age to shift from disability to retirement benefits.

House Action

In the House, floor time has not yet been scheduled for a postal bill (H.R. 2309) introduced by Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) that would make sweeping and controversial changes to the Postal Service, creating a master control board, closing thousands of post offices and cutting Saturday service. Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) has proposed a similar version of that bill in the Senate.

Bruce Moyer
Legislative Counsel to NAPS

Message from Senator Charles E. Schumer

Dear Mr. Roma:

Thank you for your letter regarding horse slaughter and the humane treatment of horses. I share your concern for these wonderful animals and you will be happy to know that I co-sponsored the S. 727, the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act of 2009, a bill which would prevent the slaughtered of horses for human consumption.

Animal welfare is personally important to me. In the 110th Congress, I cosponsored several bills to protect companion animals: S. 714, the Pet Safety and Protection Act; S. 1880, which would make dog-fighting a federal crime; and S. 2439, which would require the Federal Bureau of Investigation to track animal-cruelty crimes nationwide. Provisions very similar to the Pet Safety and dog-fighting bills were included in the 2007 farm bill, and I am happy to report that they are now law. I also strongly supported the Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act, which passed the Senate in April and is now federal law and I have pushed the Appropriations Committee to provide funding to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to develop plans for evacuating pets during emergencies, such as should have happened in Hurricane Katrina. In addition, I was proud to support the passage of P.L. 106-152, a law banning the interstate trade in “crush videos.” Under this law, it is illegal to engage in the interstate commercial distribution of materials depicting animal cruelty, specifically the crushing of small animals by women wearing high-heeled shoes.

Although I am proud of the accomplishments made on behalf of animal welfare so far, I am aware that there are still many animal welfare issues remaining to be addressed. Rest assured that I remain strongly committed to protecting animal welfare.

Again, thank you for contacting me on this important issue. If I may be of further assistance on this or any other matter, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Sincerely,

Charles E. Schumer
United States Senator

Please do not respond to this email. To send another message please visit my website at http://schumer.senate.gov/SchumerWebsite/contact/webform.cfm . Thank you.

Memories of a Friend

Over the course of our ten year professional association, I was fortunate to know the real Andy Sozzi. There was his NAPS person and so much more as a human being.

We shared many things in common and it began with our sports teams, we both loved The Mets and The Jets. The Mets were a mystery to me for this Bronx aka Yankee resident but then I knew Andy had good taste. We were both animal lovers and all of our trips consisted of a stop at a nearby Petco or Petsmart. We would bring home toys for our furry friends. Andy would always look to adopt another cat.

Our travel schedules were arduous and overlapping at times and we believed in attending new Catholic churches in each new city. The first time worship would entitle us to one wish and it was always Good health, luck, safe travel and please help our Mets. Naturally we both loved Italian cooking and fine wines from all over the world, for it was Andy who was a true wine connoisseur.

NAPS business put us in the classic good cop, bad cop roles with Andy of course always playing the good cop. I nicknamed him Mr. Spock because he always had the logical answer which would defuse a potentially hostile situation which as the bad cop I may have initiated. His classic line was ” What Tommy really meant to say” was a signal it was time to back off and calm down a situation.

The memorial service hosted by NAPS and Branch 100 created a flood of memories as I waited my turn to speak and try to summarize my partners life in 5 minutes. We both started in the USPS as Letter carriers, became front line supervisors at almost the same time. We were both Presidents of our beloved Columbia association and local NAPS Branches.. Both of us retained our mutual respect for each other during all of our NAPS adventures. NEVER a single disagreement.

STAY STRONG is the motto that Andy left us, try to live his words. Rest in Peace my Friend.

Tommy.

THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES FRANK SPATOLA

I first met Frank Spatola in 1968 when he was a Shop Steward for the N.A.L.C. in HOMECREST STATION..I WAS A SUBSTITUTE CARRIER from Blythebourne station who was loaned out for the week to Homecrest. To cover vacation vacancies. At first I was intimidated by the presence of this man who everyone at Homecrest respected. I wondered at that time why he was not part of Management because nothing happened at Homecrest unless Frank was involved. Even the overtime desired list was handled by this man. After working at Homecrest for a few days Frank approached me and said ,KID, I like the way you move mail, do you want to transfer to Homecrest. I thanked him for the kind words but stated, it was much easier for me to commute to my home station because I did not have a car. He said ‘If you ever need help for anything call me at Homecrest.

I ran into him on the picket line the N.A.L.C. formed at the G.P.O. in Brooklyn during the Postal work stoppage in 1970. Frank was leading the workers INCLUDING ME across the Brooklyn Bridge to meet up with our N.Y. Postal Brothers and sisters in SOLIDARITY. The USPS and Police Department considered this illegal and detained Frank and others as ring leaders. They all were later exonerated of any wrong doing and the rest was history. The U.S.Postal service was born and my friend Spats had a lot to do with it. Frank went on to management a job he was born for. I met up with him again when he was on the route examination team testing routes in Blythebourne station. He advised me that being a carrier was a good honest job but being a supervisor meant more in retirement benefits. He kept after me to join Management and I FINALLY MADE IT IN 1976. My first assignment was a supervisor in mail processing on tour 1 at the Brooklyn G.P.O. The first one to congratulate me was Frank. He was now an Area Mgr and asked me to transfer back to the stations. My first assignment was Williamsburg station and guess who was my Area Mgr.? After a tour in Customer services I returned to supervision in Kensington Station. My friend Frank treated me like his son and guided my career all the way up to Manager of Ryder Station, a position I STILL HOLD TODAY. He then advised me to get active in Naps and helped get me elected New York Area V.P. NAPS in Alaska in 2000. Even in retirement he would call me and say T, whats happening in D.C. always interested in the Postal Service and its survival.

Frank was a powerful force with Postal legislation and was instrumental in getting the Postal reorginazation act enacted by changing the mind of Senator Jacob Javitts N.Y. to vote for the act instead of against it. That was no easy task. He held the deciding vote.

The Hatch Act HR20 would never have come to fruition if not for Frank Spatola. Then Senator Al D’Amato threw both Frank and myself out of his office because we asked him to Support HR20 when he opposed it. Frank made him an offer he could not refuse

And 2 weeks later the Senators office advised us that he would back the bill if the I.R.S.

And F.B.I. were exluded from it. The rest is history.

I could go on an on about all the things my friend and mentor accomplished for the Postal Service, NAPS, N.A.L.C. and Narfe but I WOULD NEED TO WRITE A BOOK. Everything I KNOW ABOUT THE Postal service and NAPS I owe to my friend Frank. While he was a father figure to me I could always go to him for advice about anything.

As his health was failing he asked me for one more thing, help keep NAPS the respected organization it always was under Don, Ruben, and Vinny. Make me proud of you and remember I Love you like a son Tommy. Right back at you Frank, Rest in Peace.

Christmas Movies

Two movies which always get a tremendous amount of airtime and reaction are: It’s A Wonderful Life”, and “Miracle on 34th Street”.

First, It’s a wonderful life Jimmy Stewart plays George Bailey the head of the household always trying to do the right thing. From childhood on George is there helping people i.e. Mr. Gower and the drug store. Frank Capra, the director of this classic paints the central theme of this movie that the actions of one man affects the life of so many other people. I think of all the NAPS members and Postal employees who as a single individual can and will do so much action that they help the entire body. Be it a donation to SPAC, a letter to a politician or using the great internet communicator capwhiz on the Naps web page. each person is their own George Bailey helping individually for the greater good of all. My specific thoughts go to Vince Palladino who was our George Bailey, Yes, just like George he made a difference by himself and you can too. Don’t be disheartened keep up the good fight and we will win!

“Miracle on 34th Street” has a different theme but its relevancy to the Post Office Department is even more pronounced. Think of Jack Albertson (Chico and the Man) as a Postal Clerk working the old time culling tables. He is perplexed he has all these letters to Santa Claus and does not know where to send them. Just at this time Edmund Gween (Santa) is on trial for being Santa Claus. Well the ending remains timeless as Sack after Sack of Santa Claus letters are delivered to the court and the Judge rules that Gween must be Santa Claus as the Post Office an agency of the Federal Government recognized that this man must be Santa as the mail is delivered to him. In real life for many years, Andy Sozzi played the Post Office Santa at GPO/JAF. Art does indeed imitate life and this was always a special project, held close to Andy’s heart.

So to all the George Baileys and Santa Claus’ in NAPS , YES your work does make a difference!

Stay Strong

Tommy Roma