Postal Workers Fight Privatization

[Omaha Steve]

http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=74&jumival=13863

ESSICA DESVARIEUX, PRODUCER, TRNN: With the contract for United States postal workers set to expire in less than a week, more than 100 locals across 44 states are taking their message to the streets.

MARK DIMONDSTEIN, PRESIDENT, AMERICAN POSTAL WORKERS UNION: We're certainly fighting to protect and expand good living wage jobs and good wages and benefits, because that helps our--it not only helps postal workers and our families, it helps our communities and it helps our country. Secondly, we're fighting for the people of the country in terms of the best possible service. So we're talking to the Post Office about doing things like postal banking, where people aren't going to get ripped off by payday lenders and check cashing places. And the Post Office is everywhere and it's trusted.

DESVARIEUX: Ideas like postal banking are not foreign to the U.S. During the first part of the 20th century, post offices provided many financial services. But almost 60 years later, it was phased out under President Lyndon Johnson after the amount of deposits diminished drastically. According to USPS records, by 1947 the Postal Savings System had the equivalent of about $36 billion in today's dollars, but in 1967 it had the equivalent of $3 billion.

Higher interest rates from private banks, the passage of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act in 1933 which enabled private banks to guarantee deposits, and a strong bank lobby all contributed to the demise of the Postal Savings System. With this history, we asked how postal workers today plan to fight the banking lobby.

FULL transcript at link.

Uploaded on May 14, 2015
TRNN's Jessica Desvarieux interviews actor & activist Danny Glover and USPS workers during the nationwide day of actions

[yallerdawg]

1. No contract for USPS workers.

No funding for Highway Trust Fund. No infrastructure program. No jobs program.

Not one mention of the Federal government running out of money right now!

Just a taste of Republicanism. Can you imagine if they had all 3 branches?

[Jefferson23]

2. I was just about to post this, thanks! K&R

[Pooka Fey]

3. K&R for the US Postal Service

This is a issue of tremendous importance to working Americans.

[historylovr]

4. K & R

[Hoyt]

5. Definitely against privatizing USPS. Not sure about taking on the risk of banking though.

[turbinetree]

6. And the two

right wing hypocrites that did this, Delay and Hassert, or doing what right now:

Tom Delay: bloviating

http://www.rightwingwatch.org/category/people/tom-delay




Dennis Hastert; lobbyist

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20090410/NEWS02/200033649/hastert-to-lobby-for-turkey



They have no moral fiber in there right wing body and they willfully forgot that the government is suppose to have a postal system and not a system for profit.
What they did on that voice vote in 2006 is a perfect example of how republicans take a system weaken the government entity, then go around and say see it doesn't work, privatize it:

http://www.opednews.com/articles/Hartmann--Destroying-the-by-Thom-Hartmann-110907-65.html

[daleanime]

7. +1

[daleanime]

8. K&R.....

[tecelote]

9. An American Institution

[appalachiablue]

10. R & R

[RufusTFirefly]

11. K & R! This is issue is so important!

There is an aggressive, calculated effort to destroy the public sector. And the USPS is one of the Crown Jewels. And make no mistake. Neo-liberal Democrats like Mr. Dianne Feinstein, Richard Blum, who is brokering the sale of some of the priceless, historic post offices, are complicit, too!

[Agony]

12. Send lots of these post cards in solidarity "I Stand With Postal Workers"

if you have card stock and your printer will handle it, you can print and mail these yourself.
http://www.apwu.org/sites/apwu/files/resource-files/Postcard%20-%20I%20Stand%20w%20Postal%20Workers%20-%20Online.pdf

(make sure it meets postal regs if you do this...http://pe.usps.com/businessmail101/mailcharacteristics/cards.htm)

Or you can submit one online and it will be mailed for you…
http://www.apwu.org/postcard-i-stand-postal-workers

Spread the word.

Agony