What the heck is COLCPE

What the heck is COLCPE?

COLCPE.....is not just another add-on to your union dues, brothers and sisters, it's the NALC's Political action committee (specifically: NALC's Committee on Letter Carrier Political Education).

What do they do?
Among other political duties, they lobby congress on issues of concern to letter carriers.

What's changed, why is contributing now so important?
Have you heard about the presidential commission's Report on the U.S. Postal Service?
Are you aware of their recommendation to cap our wages and roll back our benefits?
Did you note the suggestion to open retirement benefits to collective bargaining; thus eliminating any income or benefit guarantees you might have when you retire?

Somebody has to speak up.

The NALC is not allowed to lobby congress directly, nor is it allowed to use its funds to lobby indirectly. The Postal Service also is barred by law from lobbying, due its status as a federal agency.

In contrast, UPS spent over $2 million per year in 1999 and 2000 lobbying congress. (source: www.opensecrets.org) . Word has it that they spent more than 10 times that last year; specifically for lobbying congress to create legislation making postal reforms go their way.
To date, COLCPE's lobbying expenditures have been a small fraction of the expenditures of UPS. Of course, UPS is a huge company who can donate money at a whim, where COLCPE and the other postal lobbying groups have to rely on individual donations to fund their campaigns. UPS is lobbying heavily to weaken the Postal Service and to gain any competitive ground it can.
COLCPE is your voice in Washington. COLCPE is doing everything it can to protect your job and all the benefits we've fought so hard for. COLCPE needs these funds to maintain that fight and to fight against the special interests like UPS, who'd like to see the Postal Service crumble.
This is where you come in.
It's time to act, brothers and sisters. Turn to the last inside page in any recent Postal Record for step-by-step instructions to sign up to have your COLCPE contributions taken directly from your paycheck. Five or ten dollars a pay period can make a huge difference in COLCPE's lobbying power.
This is not a drill, folks. Act now and convince your fellow letter carriers of the importance of their signing up also. This is your chance to make a difference.