Art MacNeil, Legislative Director,
APWU of Massachusetts President
____________________
Updated April 8, 2008
Legislative REPort
As most of you are aware, on 11/12/07, Congressman Stephen Lynch filed a bill that would require the Postal Service to bargain with the unions before doing any substantial subcontracting. With the exception of Congressman Markey, the entire Massachusetts Congressional delegation has signed onto this bill as co-sponsors.
The bill, (HR 4236) would affect private contracts involving surface transportation, mail processing and mail handling. This piece of legislation would definitely slow down G.W.’s plans to privatize America.
While giving away our futures to private companies like Halliburton is one of Bush’s goals, he would also like to weaken the Family Medical Leave Act for the employees who survive his devastation. The really sad story is that the Department of Labor is spearheading the attack on working families. For the benefit of those who have worked only under this administration, the Department of Labor was created to serve working folks. However, this president has appointed Pro-Business Anti-Labor people to the department. It’s not about being anti-business. We need successful businesses to keep our country working. We also need respect and dignity in the workplace, and not just on posters.
Again, we can easily remedy this situation by winning in November. We can also make some positive changes in the meantime, as long as we have access to the politician on Capitol Hill and right here in our own state. This access is achieved through our own political activity, (phone banking, sign holding, knocking on doors), and our COPA contributions. I realize that times are tough and keeping you gas tank full is expensive. I know the cost of living is up because virtually everything we consume gets to us by the trucking industry. I also know that we are nearly the last workers in this country that get cost of living increases, and a no lay/off clause to boot. If you are a COPA contributor, I thank you on behalf of the APWU. If you are not contributing, please reconsider. The job you save could be your own. I hope to see you at the union hall.
Legislative Report 2/23/08
I guess we'll know for sure (pretty sure) next week who the Democratic Presidential nominee will be.
Either one, Clinton or Obama will be quite acceptable to me. Either one will become the next
president, and will make history in the process, and I will work for the nominee as though he or she
was my first choice. There is little we can do at this point, other than stay engaged, and be ready for
the fight ahead. Maybe it's just me, but the media sure hasn't seemed very fair in their coverage
of politics this season, especially in regards to Senator Clinton. And it's not just FOX, it's all of the
media from political cartoons to the nightly news. If not questioning her emotions, her motivation,
or her ability, they suggest she is part of some sinister plot to continue some sort of white house
dynasty. You've had to hear it even if you're just a little political, Bush-Clinton-Bush-Clinton, and
then maybe Jeb Bush. Please. Talk about a non-issue. Whatever happens, we will have a candidate
we can support, and I will do whatever I can to help our cause. Closer to home, our good friend from
the Worcester 2nd senatorial district, Senator Ed Augustus, has announced he is not a candidate for
re-election. While I consider that a loss to the labor community, a strong labor leader has stepped
up to the plate. Brother Doug Belanger from UFCW 1445, financial secretary for our own labor
council, the Central Ma.AFL/CIO, and Selectman in the town of Leicester for the past 10 years,
has agreed to run for the position. Doug is one of us. He's been there for virtually every labor
event I can remember, be it a picket line, a phone bank, or walking and knocking on most of the
doors in Worcester County and beyond. Having Doug in the state senate will be like being there
ourselves. We have our work cut out for us for the next few months, and we need everyone to help.
The last thing we need is 4 years to regret that we didn't work hard enough.
I hope to see you at the union hall.
2/7/08
PUT THE SERVICE BACK IN POSTAL SERVICE
Not much has changed since we last communicated. Actually, looking at the big picture, I’m not sure how much has really changed in the last year.
We continue to be under attack from within. It seems the Postal Service won’t be satisfied until they eliminate the very last craft job, and turn the keys over to the private sector. What’s really funny is that so many folks in management are working so hard to make their own jobs obsolete. They didn’t realize that’s what they were doing, until their superiors told them to start looking for available positions elsewhere.
As has almost always been the case, the service continues to raise the bar whenever anyone even comes close to achieving goals. Whether in delivery, customer service, retail, bulk mail, or customer satisfaction. You name it, and the service will be glad to help you achieve mediocrity. One of my carrier friends once told me that “you’ll never be good enough.” Now I understand.
I think the best example is the mystery shopper farce. Our brothers and sisters on the window service are understaffed about half of the time. Not always because there aren’t enough window clerks scheduled to wait on our customers, but because they are always being directed to the workroom floor or the box line to do the work of the other clerks who have been excessed, or had their jobs disappear through attrition.
In our 5 minute or less waiting time, the service often times sets them up for failure, by using a window clerk elsewhere, while the line to the window service is out the door. And really, just how many more questions do you have to ask a person trying to purchase a single stamp. I know that most clerks try to up sell when it’s appropriate, but how about a little common sense here. Even when a clerk asks all the right questions, he or she is criticized for not giving more detailed information about each product or service offered.
What would be a good solution to this 5 minute problem? I know, let’s get rid of the vending machines. We can slow down service and lose a couple of good jobs at the same time.
What can we do? If they don’t manage to privatize us completely in the next year, and we manage to win back the White House, we might be able to put back the SERVICE in the Postal Service. In the meantime, we need to stay engaged in the political process through out activism, and our COPA contributions.
With just less than one full year left of our long national nightmare. The White House is ours to lose. We can’t lose sight of the prize, and the consequences should be pretty clear to all of us.
The Republican candidates are all talking about keeping the war effort going until we achieve victory. The Democrats are all talking about bringing our troops home.
The Republicans want to continue cutting taxes for the wealthy, saying they’re sure the benefits will trickle down to the working folks.
The Democrats want to close the loopholes, stop the corporate welfare, and give breaks directly to working folks.
The difference in party philosophy, between Democrats and Republicans is enormous. The difference between the candidates within each party is not so large. I would have no problem voting for any of the Democratic candidates, or any ticket consisting of any combination of the serious Democratic candidates in the race.
Any discussion of the American peoples’ readiness to elect a black candidate, or a women candidate, is nothing more than a smokescreen. We the people are a little smarter than we are given credit for. At the end of the day, I firmly believe that the majority of the people who vote will not allow another Republican administration to continue to ruin our country further. Please stay engaged in the political process. Continue to support the candidate of you choice. When we do have a ticket, please get behind it, and push ‘til the end. If we stay united, we can and will change the course of history.
I hope to see you at the union hall.
In Solidarity....Art MacNeil
Legislative Report
It’s only been a couple of weeks since our last meeting, so not much has changed since we last communicated. Actually, looking at the big picture, I’m not sure how much has really changed in the last year.
We continue to be under attack from within. It seems the postal service won’t be satisfied until they eliminate the very last craft job, and turn the keys over to the private sector. What’s really funny is that so many folks in management are working so hard to make their own jobs obsolete. They didn’t realize that’s what they were doing, until their superiors told them to start looking for available positions elsewhere.
As has almost always been the case, the service continues to raise the bar whenever anyone even comes close to achieving goals. Weather in delivery, customer service, retail or bulk mail, customer satisfaction. You name it, and the service will be glad to help you achieve mediocrity. One of my carrier friends once told me that “you’ll never be good enough.” Now I understand.
I think the best example is the mystery shopper farce. Our brothers and sisters on the window service are understaffed about half of the time. Not always because there aren’t enough window clerks scheduled to wait on our customers, but because they are always being directed to the workroom floor or the box line to do the work or the other clerks who have been excessed, or had their jobs disappear through attrition.
In our 5 minute or less waiting time, the service often times sets them up for failure, by using a window clerk elsewhere, while the line to the window service is out the door. And really, just how many more questions do you have to ask a person trying to purchase a single stamp. I know that most clerks try to up sell when it’s appropriate, but how about a little common sense here. Even when a clerk asks all the right questions, he or she is criticized for not giving more detailed information about each product or service offered.
What would be a good solution to this 5 minute problem? I know, let’s get rid of the vending machines. We can slow down service and lose a couple of good jobs at the same time.
What can we do? If they don’t manage to privatize us completely in the next year, and we manage to win back the White House, we might be able to put back the SERVICE in the postal service. In the meantime, we need to stay engaged in the political process through our activism, and our COPA contributions. I hope to see you at the union hall.
In Solidarity.....Art MacNeil
Legislative Report
I don’t have too much to say that wouldn’t be redundant, considering our current state of affairs. We are still in a lousy war that we don’t want to belong in. We still have a matter how much evidence of their dirty lying cheating stealing from the treasury ways. He still thinks Brownie did a hell of a job. He still awards no dib contracts to the Halliburton’s of the private sector business world. He continues to stand behind his crooked lying attorney general, even as the whole world is on to him. Now he goes even further in his fairy tale world as he tells us how sorry he is that his buddy, the president of the World Bank, has been forced to resign. Just because he gave his girlfriend a big job with a huge raise in salary, it doesn’t seem to be of any concern to our president. Where is the conflict of interest here he wonders. Why did it have to come to this he asks? Imagine one of our brothers or sisters being caught with their hands in the cookie jar. Out the door you go if they even suspect something is amiss. Not W’s BOYS. You get canned from one of those jobs, and you leave at the end of next month. That must be so you can hang around long enough to negotiate a great severance package, and maybe get a hefty bonus to go along with it. For some folks, getting fired is a dream come true. On a more positive note, we have won most of the elections this past month, and our state is looking bluer than ever. And I don’t want to jinx anything, but is this the year, or what? You know what I’m talking about, but I’m afraid to outright say it. I understand that this is probably Brother Healy’s last meeting as a working stiff, and I certainly wish him well, although I know he’ll miss the day-to-day B.S. that only the USPS can offer. Good luck John, it’s been a pleasure. I hope to see you at the union hall.
In Solidarity.....Art Macneil
Legislative Report
Here we are in the fall of 07, with the Christmas advertising already hitting us over the head like an 8-pound mallet. And the saddest thing is not just the commercialization of the holiday, and its diverse meanings to most of mankind, but the fact that we aren’t safe in celebration in the manner that most of us have become accustomed.
What toys are safe enough to purchase for our children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and friends? What toy doesn’t contain lead paint, choking hazards, and God only knows what other perilous parts. How far have we gone to save a buck, so that greedy CEO’s and wealthy speculators could make more of what they already have too much of? Last week I overheard a conversation between two customers lamenting the fact that their kids’ Happy Meal contained lead painted toys, and wondering how things got to be so bad. The topic changed to tainted pet food, and how sad it was that so many family pets died as a result of imported pet food and pet food additives from China. I couldn’t help but give them my take on the situation.
How about a little NAFTA, CAFTA, and of course my favorite, SHAFTA? How about a little bargain from Wal-Mart where low prices and even lower wages are always guaranteed? This company has driven more manufacturers out of our country, and destroyed more living wage jobs here, in the U.S.A., than anyone can imagine. It’s way past the time when folks need to realize there is a difference between cheaper, and less imagine. No one can manufacture anything better than we can, and if there were real competition on a level playing field, with fair wages safe working conditions, no one could hold a candle to the American Made Union Label.
Of course this would include stopping child labor and slave labor. It would mean protecting the environment. It would require workers rights.
I believe Americans would pay a little more for safe products. As it stands now, we can’t be sure of anything we give our kids or our pets. And we can’t even be sure of what we consume. We used to read labels to check nutritional content, and now we need to read them to see the country of origin, and decide if it’s worth the risk. Just ask anyone who saved a buck on pet food, and then spent hundreds at the vets. Ask any parent who is having their kid tested for lead because they’re not sure how much he ingested chewing on what they thought were safe toys.
On a happier note, I was honored to be present at the Massachusetts AFL-CIO Constitutional Convention, where Governor Patrick signed the states new Card Check Legislation. The governor brought the Secretary of Labor and the Commissioner of Labor with him. Can you imagine? Mitt Romney never met with President Bob Haynes of the MA AFL-CIO, and our current Governor looks forward to sitting at the table with labor. Believe me he is not at all uncomfortable with us.
The National Labor Relations Board, (owned and operated by your friendly neighborhood republicans) which was created to protect employees from unscrupulous employers, has gutted the employees free choice act, by allowing a 45 day cooling off period so that employers can find a way to decertify newly formed unions.
This, Brothers and Sister, tells of the real danger of republican administrations. The make up of so many boards and panels both on the state and national level. Even after the war criminal is removed from the White House, we will still be subjected to the Supreme Court and the other right-wing federal judges and appointees he has saddled us with.
Why do I go on and on you ask? Because we began turning our state around and we were able to elect people who are friends to labor. Sure, they can be friends to industry also, but they are able to strike a balance. Because labor stayed engaged in the political process we were able to take back our state. We were able to assist our neighbors to the north elect democrats like they’ve not been able to do in years. We were able to take back the House and Senate. And if we stay engaged, we will take back the White House and our country in 2008.
In Solidarity.....Art Macneil
Posted January 19, 2006
(l-r) Boston Metro
Legislative Director Lynda Lynch, Senator John Kerry,
CMAL VP Mary Toohil, APWU of MA Pres. Nick Zeo.
.
l-r) CMAL Legislative
Director Art MacNeil and Candidate for Governor
of Massachusetts Deval Patrick.