[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 152 (Wednesday, October 12, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6463-S6464]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Ms. MIKULSKI:
  S. 1688. A bill to amend the provisions of title 5, United States 
Code, relating to the methodology for calculating the amount of any 
Postal surplus or supplemental liability under the Civil Service 
Retirement System, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Homeland 
Security and Governmental Affairs.
  Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, I rise to introduce the Save Our Postal 
Worker Jobs Act.
  Even with advances in technology, America relies on the Postal 
Service

[[Page S6464]]

for everything from notes to family back home, birthday cards, 
medicine, tax returns and absentee voting. The Postal Service binds our 
nation together through communication. But the Postal Service is facing 
a financial crisis and it needs Congress to help.
  The Save Our Postal Worker Jobs Act is simple. It doesn't restructure 
the Postal Service, lay off workers, or close Post Offices. It simply 
gives the Postal Service the authority it needs to take its own money--
not taxpayer money--that it overpaid into its employee pension funds to 
use to help pay its obligations.
  This bill is a jobs bill. Many of the plans that have been introduced 
to keep the U.S. Postal Service financially solvent include provisions 
to lay off thousands of workers, cut promised benefits, and undermine 
collective bargaining rights. The Postal Service has talked about 
reducing its workforce by more than 200,000.
  Our postal service employees are on the front lines every day, 
working hard for America. I want them to know that I am on their side, 
and I will not let them be scapegoated for financial problems at the 
Postal Service. Through the dedication and diligence of our postal 
workers, the mail is delivered across the country through rain or sleet 
or snow. It is their work that conveys messages to family, brings 
medicine to our veterans and seniors, and helps our constituents who 
are away from home on election day have their voices heard.
  This bill is about preserving the local Post Office--an important 
part of a neighborhood's identity and a piece of the fabric of our 
communities. This bill is about preserving Postal Service delivery--
which is so important for rural areas like Western Maryland and the 
Eastern Shore. Each region has unique geography that can complicate or 
delay mail delivery. And reductions to the Postal Service could 
seriously harm those residents.
  This bill alone will not solve all of the Postal Service's problems. 
The process of reforming the Postal Service and bringing it into the 
21st Century may mean that some workers will be let go, some Post 
Offices may close, and some changes may be made to delivery.
  Ultimately, this bill is about allowing those decisions to be 
thoughtfully considered, with time for the Americans who rely on the 
Postal Service to be heard. It's about avoiding making rash decisions 
with a crisis hanging over our heads.
  It is about saving our postal workers' jobs.
                                 ______