Government affairs

Lawmakers were in Washington DC for what became a very consequential series of days, this week. An impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump has begun while work continues on appropriations for FY2020.

House activity

On Wednesday, the House Committee on Labor and Education marked up and advanced the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act (H.R. 2474), legislation that would increase protections for workers’ right to organize and bargain for higher wages, better benefits, and safer working conditions. 36 amendments to the bill were considered with each of the Democratic amendments adopted and each of the Republican amendments defeated, including one from Senior Republican Virginia Foxx (R-SC) to rename the bill the ‘‘Socialist Solutions for Labor Unions Act.” NALC supports the PRO Act and its advancement marks an important step in improving workers rights across the country. Read more here.

Ahead of the third Extraordinary Congress of the Universal Postal Union (UPU) in Geneva on September 24-25, the postal workforce sent a letter to Congress requesting Members to urge the White House not to withdraw the U.S. from the UPU. On Wednesday, the UPU agreed to restructure international postal fees in response to the White House’s threats to abandon the nearly 150-year-old organization. Read more here.

A bill has been introduced by Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA) along with 21 Democratic colleagues introduced the Asuncion Valdivia Heat Illness and Fatality Prevention Act of 2019 (H.R.3668). The bill would direct the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to issue an occupational safety and health standard in order to protect workers from heat-related injuries and illnesses. NALC is currently reviewing the legislation. Read more here.

Senate activity

On Thursday, the Senate voted 82-15 to send the House-passed continuing resolution (CR) to the President for a signature. This CR would fund federal agencies at current levels through November 21, giving lawmakers more time to address the ongoing appropriations debate for fiscal year 2020 (FY2020). The President is expected to sign the stop-gap measure. Read more here.

The Senate Committee on Appropriations has now advanced 10 of its 12 appropriations bills out of committee, though none have reached the floor. Disagreements over funding for a wall on the southern border and other issues have held up the FY2020 process, but lawmakers from both parties have expressed optimism that they will finish negotiations before the CR’s November 21 deadline.

Also on Thursday, the Senate confirmed Eugene Scalia’s nomination to serve as the Secretary of Labor following his advancement on Tuesday by the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP). Scalia, son of the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, is currently a partner at the Washington law firm Gibson Dunn, where he has represented companies such as the United Parcel Service (UPS), Ford, Walmart and others in workers rights claims. His nomination was opposed by Senate Democrats and he has been referred to as a “lifelong union-buster” by Richard Trumka, president of the AFL-CIO. Read more here.

NALC Priority Bills/Resolutions

H.R. 2382 – USPS Fairness Act
Status: Introduced by Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR)
Co-sponsors: 256 (215 Democrats – 41 Republicans)

To repeal the requirement that the United States Postal Service prepay future retirement benefits.

House Resolution 23 (H. Res. 23) – Door Delivery
Status: Introduced by Reps. Susan Davis (D-CA) and Peter King (R-NY)
Co-sponsors: 250 (201 Democrats – 49 Republicans)

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States Postal Service should take all appropriate measures to ensure the continuation of door delivery for all business and residential customers.

House Resolution 33 (H. Res. 33) – Anti-privatization
Status: Introduced by Reps. Stephen Lynch (D-MA) and Rodney Davis (R-IL)
Co-sponsors: 263 (223 Democrats – 40 Republicans)

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that Congress should take all appropriate measures to ensure that the United States Postal Service remains an independent establishment of the Federal Government and is not subject to privatization.

House Resolution 54 (H. Res. 54) – Six-day Delivery
Status: Introduced by Reps. Gerry Connolly (D-VA) and Sam Graves (R-MO)
Co-sponsors: 281 (214 Democrats – 67 Republicans)

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States Postal Service should take all appropriate measures to ensure the continuation of its six-day mail delivery service.

House Resolution 60 (H. Res. 60) – Service Standards
Status: Introduced by Rep. David McKinley (R-WV) and Marcy Kaptur (D-OH)
Co-sponsors: 192 (167 Democrats – 25 Republicans)

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States Postal Service should take all appropriate measures to restore service standards in effect as of July 1, 2012.

Senate Resolution 99 (S. Res. 99) – Anti-privatization
Status: Introduced by Sens. Gary Peters and Jerry Moran (R-KS)
Co-sponsors: 53 (43 Democrats – 8 Republicans – 2 Independents)
Expressing the sense of the Senate that Congress should take all appropriate measures to ensure that the United States Postal Service remains an independent establishment of the Federal Government and is not subject to privatization in whole or in part.

H.R. 2478 – Fed Retirement Fairness Act
Status: Introduced Reps. Derek Kilmer (D-WA) and Tom Cole (R-OK)
Co-sponsors: 40 (29 Democrats – 11 Republicans)

To provide certain federal employees the opportunity to make catch-up retirement contributions for time spent as temporary employees after Dec. 31, 1988, thus making such time creditable service under the Federal Employees Retirement System. Now applies to temporary postal employees, such as letter carriers who spent time as casuals, TEs, and CCAs.

H.R. 2474/S. 1306 – PRO Act
Status: Introduced by Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA) and Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA)
Co-sponsors: House 208 (All Democrats) – Senate 40 (39 Democrat, 1 Independent, 0 Republican)

To increase protections for workers’ right to organize and bargain for higher wages, better benefits, and safer working conditions.