Dear NALC e-Activist:

I write to give you an update on progress toward achieving NALC’s most important goal for 2005: Enacting comprehensive postal reform legislation. There is news from both the House and Senate sides of Congress.

Yesterday, the House Government Reform Committee held a mark-up of H.R. 22, the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act. The legislation, which largely mirrors a similar bill from the last Congress, was passed by the Committee on a unanimous vote of 39-0 and sent to the full House for consideration. It is not yet clear when the bill will be scheduled for debate on the floor of the House of Representatives.

Chairman Tom Davis (R-VA) and Ranking Member Henry Waxman (D-CA) once again teamed up with Rep. Danny Davis (D-IL) and Rep. John McHugh (R-NY) to advance the bill in a bipartisan manner. With the exception of a single amendment to remove a provision that would have allowed the USPS to use foreign airlines to transport international mail, the bill was passed as it was drafted. In solidarity with the airline workers’ unions which advocated the "buy American" policy, NALC and the other postal unions did not oppose the amendment.

Although I held a conference call with all the National Business Agents earlier this week to make plans for reaching out to you and your fellow e-Activists if hostile amendments were offered at the mark-up, I am relieved that we did not have to call on you this week.

While I do not anticipate any problems at this point, next week may be different. On April 20, the Senate Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee is scheduled to mark up its version of the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act (S. 662). In anticipation of that mark-up and of a hearing scheduled by Committee Chair Susan Collins (R-ME) on the bill today, I announced that the NALC has once again decided to endorse the Senate bill this year. I did so with the understanding of Senator Collins that NALC will continue to have a seat at the table as the bill proceeds and that our final position on the legislation will depend on the nature of any amendments adopted.

As I have in the past, I will rely on you to help protect our collective bargaining interests and the future viability of the USPS when the legislation is debated in both chambers. Thank you for remaining ready and alert as this process moves forward.

In Solidarity,

William H. Young,
President