APWU to Fight Back Against Postal Closures, Consolidations
On June 30, the Postal Service announced plans to resume the closure and consolidation of up to 82 mail processing plants beginning in January 2015. The APWU was quick to denounce USPS’s destructive scheme. “This is a direct assault on service to the people of the country, on postal workers and on the Postal Service’s own network,” said APWU President Mark Dimondstein.
Undoubtedly, these cuts will cause USPS to degrade its already weakened service standard and will slow the mail. “The APWU headquarters will release a major battle plan to stop the consolidations and the attack on service because the future of the USPS depends on it,” union Executive Vice President Debby Szeredy said. “We will make this fight a nationwide campaign and ask all Americans to stand up and fight back.”
While USPS proceeds with self-destructive cuts, it is important to remember that Congress has the power to significantly improve USPS’s position. There is legislation pending in Congress right now, like H.R.630 and S.316 that could undo the prefund mandate, preserve postal infrastructure, restore service standards, and allow USPS to expand into new lines of service. “With closures and consolidations set to occur in January 2015 nationwide, waking our representatives up to the disastrous effects of congressional inaction will be essential to saving America’s Postal Service.”
Several lawmakers have already expressed outrage and called upon Postmaster General Donahoe to reverse this decision. In an op-ed, Rep. Rick Nolan (D-MN) has some tough questions for the Postmaster General about how much “savings” USPS could possibly generate from such inefficient and wasteful cuts. In a letter to Donahoe, Reps. Jared Huffman (D-CA) and Mike Thompson (D-CA) expressed fierce opposition, citing disruption of mail delivery and damage to their local economies. Both of these Congressman have worked with APWU locals as well as with our Legislative and Political Department.
To read more about the USPS plan and APWU’s response, please click here.
Issa Tries To End 6-Day Delivery . . . Again
It’s no secret that the chair of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), is no fan of 6-day delivery. Issa has tried unsuccessfully several times over the last few years to cut 6-day delivery of mail. Most recently, Issa tried to strip a three decades old rider protecting 6-day delivery from an appropriations bill by claiming jurisdiction over all postal legislation. Unfortunately, for Issa, the House Rules Committee voted to keep the six-day mandate untouched.
As APWU Legislative and Political Director John Marcotte noted, Issa’s protests were particularly hypocritical given that he entirely ignored other provisions in the appropriations bill over which his committee has jurisdiction. “Rep. Issa’s complaint would be comical if it wasn’t such a serious attack on the people’s Postal Service,” said Marcotte.
The full House will now consider the Financial Services portion of the appropriations bill H.R.5016, which still includes the 6-day mandate and is expected to be on the House floor next week.
To read more about Issa’s latest failed attempt to end 6-day delivery, please click here.