Statement of AFL-CIO President Richard L. Trumka on The Plan to End Saturday Mail Delivery

Cutting back services is not the answer to the Postal Service’s financial problems. The truth is that Congress caused this untenable financial position and must be held accountable to fix it.  For years, postal workers have advocated for reform and proposed various changes only to have their critical input fall on deaf ears.  Instead of drawing up a serious business plan that will put the USPS on solid financial ground and on the path to sustainable growth, Postmaster General Donahoe has followed the same kind of dangerous policies put forth by Congress that cut services at the expense of our working families.

Ending Saturday mail delivery negligently tears at a piece of the American fabric that has existed since 1863. It is sorely misguided and ignores the responsibility Congress holds for wrecking the USPS finances in the first place. This move would not only eliminate more jobs at a time when Americans need them most, but it would also have a huge impact on the millions of customers who rely on mail delivery, including small businesses that need mail for accounting and commerce transactions, and rural communities where mail is still the major form of communication. We may live in a digital age, but the elderly and the disabled, as well as the working poor, often don’t readily have access to information other than through the delivery of their mail.