#postal service union

[nando161mando]

New tentative agreement for mail carriers is a disgrace

I'm a mail carrier for the USPS. Today, after more than 600 days of negotiations and more than 500 days of being out of contract, our union president announced our tentative agreement. [It's a fucking disgrace.](https://www.nalc.org/news/nalc-updates/body/Summary-of-2023-Tentative-Agreement.pdf?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAabg3eRkti_wgqVJecFjuxu5-a0Fy2CJ6CBPfmFK0JiXkNHWbglLO1r9TFI_aem_vEwSMOQsiZCwuodW7-s7FA)

To summarize:

* Our raises for 2023, 2024, and 2025 are 1.3% for each year

* The two-tier system that was put in place in 2013 by federal arbitration is being "eliminated" by...... everyone being moved to the shittier tier

* Our non-career workforce, a position called City Carrier Assistant who have worse pay, worse benefits, and fewer workplace protections, are being re-entrenched as a fundamental part of the service.

All this for a few hundred dollars in (prorated) COLAs.

There's going to be a movement for a No vote on the TA so that we can go to federal arbitration and get something better than this wet piece of toilet paper, please look out for ways to support mail carriers!

[usmailnotforsale]

It's already way too hard for working people to live in any kind of comfort or prosperity. What's going to happen to families if the Trump administration takes out half a million union jobs and cuts off people who rely on the mail?

[bakingmoomins]

correos de mexico slays so hard

[lifearoundtheworld]

License Plates Around the World

Austria - Province of Burgenland

[melyzard]

If they are that crucial,why can't they have air conditioning? If they are so darn essential, why can't they work full time and afford rent? If they are absolutely key to a functioning society, why are they treated like absolute shit?

[dixiedrudge]

The 2024 Election is Being Rigged: How You Can Help Stop It

After serious issues about election integrity, voter fraud and mainstream media deception in 2020, we can be certain that 2024 is turning out to be much of the same. View Source: Americans can be rightfully concerned about the significant changes in election practices, including universal mail-in voting, widespread ballot harvesting, counting integrity, and a concerted effort by Democrats to…

[liteblueinsider]

Stand with USPS Employees: A Vital Call for Support

In recent times, rural carriers at the United States Postal Service (USPS) have faced challenging circumstances, something that urgently calls for public awareness and action. My connection to this issue is more than just observational, as my partner is among the affected USPS employees.

The issue at hand stems from a dispute between USPS and the National Rural Letter Carriers' Association (NRLCA) over the compensation model for rural postal routes. While urban carriers are paid hourly, rural carriers are salaried, a structure that has recently undergone significant changes. Following an arbitration decision, a complex algorithm was introduced to determine rural carriers' pay based on work volume, leading to drastic reductions in annual salaries.

The impact of this new compensation system is substantial, with many rural carriers seeing a decrease in their earnings by 5% to 30%. Personal stories, including my partner's $4,000 salary cut and reports of others losing up to $18,000 annually, illustrate the severity of the situation.

This recent development is another example of the challenges USPS workers face, compounded by their inability to strike, which limits their means of protest. While union grievances are an option, the effectiveness of such actions remains uncertain.

How can you help?

Amplify the Issue: Share this information on social media and other platforms to increase awareness. Visibility is key in advocacy.

Political Advocacy: Contact your local and national representatives to express your concerns. Political pressure can be a catalyst for change.

Start Conversations: Discuss this issue within your community. Public discourse can lead to a broader understanding and support for USPS workers.

Your support can make a significant difference in the lives of rural USPS carriers. By standing together, we can push for equitable treatment and fair compensation for these essential workers.

For more detailed insights into USPS employees' challenges, I recommend visiting resources like LiteBlueInsider, a dedicated platform providing valuable information and perspectives. Additionally, for official information about the USPS, you can refer to its USPS

[allthecanadianpolitics]

Canada’s postal worker strike is nearing the end of its second week with no sign of movement from Canada Post after negotiations broke down earlier this week. While 55,000 members of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers have been on the picket lines since November 15 fighting to protect their pensions, improve working conditions and push for higher wages that keep pace with inflation, media coverage of the strike has tended to focus on anti-worker narratives rather than the reasons postal workers went on strike. Now, even as the union says the employer is moving to lay off striking workers, common headlines centre around the impact of service disruptions on the general public —a similar talking point being used by Canada Post.

Article posted November 29, 2024.

Continue reading

Tagging: @newsfromstolenland

[usmailnotforsale]

"...it’s actually as important as ever, crucial for delivery of prescription drugs, mail-in election ballots and online purchases. And privatizing it could mean the end of guaranteed mail service to every American address, leaving many rural customers without the deliveries they have come to depend upon."

[racefortheironthrone]

Nobody is making anyone go into scriptwriting. No one is born in a Netflix company town where their dad takes them into the script mines at age 12. Fuck writers who want to get paid more than once for the same job. They should only get residuals AFTER all the people who do REAL WORK, like construction, grips, costume, makeup & animators etc. Most of them are much better at their jobs than writers especially for streaming services, and they are what screenwriters can lean on & novelists can't.

People need to realize that the unions for white collar people like WGA or SIEU or NEA (public sector unions are why cops who kill the people they were supposed to serve & protect remain employed get pensions) is not the AFL-CIO or any other historical union fighting for the lives of the people who built the country's industry and made it run, any more than the NRA are the Minutemen of 1775 New England.

First, go fuck yourself, you fucking scab. No, seriously - you don't come to my blog and spout off about what workers deserve unions and decent pay and what ones don't, like it's your fucking decision. The intellectual labor that writers perform is just as real as any other work done on a film set - "all who labor by hand or brain" is the inherent logic of industrial unionism for a reason.

Second, writers aren't asking to get paid more than once: residuals are deferred pay, you absolute moron. In Hollywood, whether it's writers or actors or voice talent or whatever, you get a small fraction up front - it's usually an ok check, depending on the union's day rates and so forth, but you can't make a living off stitching these together - and then most of your pay comes from monthly royalty checks that provide you with the income you need to live off when you're between jobs.

The problem is that, historically in Hollywood, residuals have been structured with a very long "tail" - the payments start out relatively low and then get more generous over time as the show has more seasons and (presumably) goes into syndication. This doesn't work with streaming's new business model, where increasingly shows are getting 2-3 seasons max and streaming services have become increasingly quick to not just cancel shows but yank them off their servers in order to avoid paying residuals.

So what WGA writers are fighting for is a system that ensures writers (but also actors and other creative workers, because the unions pattern bargain) get a fair share of the show's revenue, even if the show is only given 2-3 seasons.

Third, the U.S labor movement would not exist today if it wasn't for white collar workers and public sector workers. About half of the U.S labor movement - 7 million workers - is public sector, and those workers are overwhelmingly women of color, mostly working as either teachers or postal workers. Likewise, about half the U.S labor movement is made up of white collar workers, and we're graduate students and adjuncts and lab researchers, teachers and social workers, administrators and IT departments.

I'm both public sector and white collar, and I'm a member of an NEA union. I'm an adjunct professor who earns $6,000 a course and it's my job to get working adults with jobs and families who've never gone to college or who've been out of higher ed for a decade to graduate with a bachelor's or a master's. If you don't think that's real work, you're free to research and write all the lectures and powerpoints, deliver those in an entertaining and educational fashion, answer a flood of questions from students who need help navigating academia, and then grade all the midterms and finals and research papers.

[homerow99]

More specifically with the Postal Service- the government is trying to privatize the service. This would destroy the unions in the USPS and their benefits. Mailmen and women across the US are rallying against this but things are looking tough with the Postmaster General being forced out earlier than expected.

Not only would privatizing the USPS hurt the workers, but it would also hurt the people who need the mail. If privatized, receiving and delivering your mail could become far more expensive, or worse, may mean you no longer get the mail you need. The USPS is special because they offer their services regardless of how far or where you're located (ex: in rural areas). Even if the USPS may seem to be inefficient, they're the ones that are actually required to deliver to anywhere within the US without an additional cost. It may seem smart now, but it will only lead to destruction in the long run.

How you can help the USPS!

Contact your local Congressmen/women about the issue! Find out who your Congressman/woman is here.

Donate to the NALC here! This one is a political fund where the union then donates to politicians who support their cause. This is a non-partisan fund.

Check the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) site for news as well! The postal service is incredibly important and should be fought for!

Articles related to USPS privatization/USPS rally:

Changes are coming for your mail: Postal service faces challenges − digital and DOGE

Postal Workers Throng to 500 Rallies to Save the Postal Service

This article is not about the rallies but I find it important as well: The war against the Postal Service

[seadeepspaceontheside]

I have seen little to no support for the strike from fellow Canadians about the current Canadian Postal workers who are out there protesting for better work conditions. Canadian Postal workers =/= Canada post. Currently workers are striking for pay that has been stagnated as well as benefits being halted. Some of the things I want to debunk with all anti-worker talk about the strike. 1) "Our tax dollars pay for them! They should just go back to work! They are losing money!" False! They aren't GOVERNMENT JOBS they are a CROWN CORPORATION, they are still structured and operated as a legal corporation. The head people are still CEOS who get paid millions in bonuses as the corporation fails or makes bad decisions such as buying new vehicles that make workers feel unsafe, can't fit in urban areas, cost so much more! 2) "They don't provide a useful service its only flyers" "what about my cheque!" It can't be both, you can't claim Canada Post workers are useless for spam mail while also touting small businesses are failing, people needing their pay, and delivering where other courier services wont! Currently Canadian Postal workers will deliver benefit checks and child support on volunteer. 3)"Why are they striking now when its busiest??" They are striking now because it will affect you to care, its moot point to strike when there is little to no leverage against. THATS THE POINT OF ANY PROTEST! Show solidarity with the workers, if you have issues and want the strike to end complain to the company to work with the union (who have been asking for a resolution for years before wanting to strike) RAISE AWARENESS FOR IT.

[thehaberdasheress]

Wishing strength to the sword arms at the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, who are striking for better wages and working conditions at Canada Post. That's our national mail service, which is currently shut down - mail across Canada is not being collected, processed, or delivered until an agreement is reached.

Postal workers do hard and invaluable work that is the backbone of our economy, and also my business. The union are fighting for a lot of things, from rest and meals during the workday to gender-affirming care in their insurance package.

This means I'm writing my MP to encourage the government and Canada Post to find resolution through compromise, not force and legislation.

I apologize to my customers for any delays or expenses that happen while this dispute drags on. I'll do my best to find alternate mail carriers and let you know what's going on. This will affect orders of embroidery patterns and sewing tools, but print-on-demand items like mugs, dresses, or umbrellas should still work smoothly.

[archie-sunshine]

i will see an essential worker's vehicle and ask 'is anyone going to turn that into a big robot' and not wait for an answer

anyway heres parcel, he's a canadian postal service truck (UNION STRONG, STAND WITH THE STRIKERS!!!)

[afeelgoodblog]

Best News of Last Week - December 11

1. Biden administration to forgive $4.8 billion in student loan debt for 80,300 borrowers

The Biden administration announced on Wednesday that it would forgive an additional $4.8 billion in student loan debt, for 80,300 borrowers.

The relief is a result of the U.S. Department of Education’s fixes to its income-driven repayment plans and Public Service Loan Forgiveness program.

2. Detroit on pace to have lowest homicide rate in 60 years this year

A partnership to reduce Detroit crime is being praised with the City on pace for the fewest homicides in 60 years.

"This is the day we’ve been waiting for, for a long time," said Mayor Mike Duggan. The coalition which includes city and county leaders that Detroit Police Chief James White formed in late 2021 to return the criminal justice system in Detroit and Wayne County to pre-Covid operations.

3. Dog that killed 8 coyotes to protect sheep running for Farm Dog of the Year

Over a year ago, Casper was stacked up against a pack of 11 coyotes, and he overcame them all to protect the livestock at his Decatur home. Now he needs your help.

Casper, the Great Pyrenees livestock guardian dog, needs the public to vote for him to become the American Farm Bureau's "Farm Dog of the Year: People's Choice Pup" contest.

4. Shimmering golden mole thought extinct photographed and filmed over 80 years after last sighting

De Winton's golden mole, last sighted in 1937, has been found alive swimming through sand dunes in South Africa after an extensive search for the elusive species.

5. About 40% of the world's power generation is now renewable

The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and World Meteorological Organization (WMO) have released their first joint report to strengthen understanding of renewable energy resources and their intricate relationship with climate variability and change.

In 2022 alone, 83% of new capacity was renewable, with solar and wind accounting for most additions. Today, some 40% of power generation globally is renewable, due to rapid deployment in the past decade, according to the report.

6. Jonathan the Tortoise: World’s oldest living land animal celebrates 191st birthday

The world’s oldest living land animal - a Seychelles giant tortoise named Jonathan - has just celebrated his 191st birthday. Jonathan’s estimated 1832 birth year predates the invention of the postal stamp, the telephone, and the photograph.

The iconic creature lived through the US civil war, most of the reign of Queen Victoria, the rise and fall of the Soviet Union, and two world wars.

7. New enzyme allows CRISPR technologies to accurately target almost all human genes

A team of engineers at Duke University have developed a method to broaden the reach of CRISPR technologies. While the original CRISPR system could only target 12.5% of the human genome, the new method expands access to nearly every gene to potentially target and treat a broader range of diseases through genome engineering.

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That's it for this week :)

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