Clint Burelson APWU Director, Clerk Division
May 1, 2015 In the last 10 years, more than 100,000 living-wage clerk craft jobs have been eliminated. Service standards have been reduced, lines at the windows have grown longer, and many cherished local post offices have been forced to close their doors or reduce their hours.
Many of the most significant changes that have negatively affected the Clerk Craft and the Postal Service are the result of recommendations made by a little-known group that operates behind the scenes at USPS headquarters – the Mailers Technical Advisory Committee, or MTAC.
MTAC was established on May 27, 1965, by former Postmaster General John Gronouski. This was in response to President Kennedy’s 1962 Executive Order that called for the creation of committees to advise government agencies. MTAC’s charter states:
“The Postmaster General’s Mailers Technical Advisory Committee (MTAC) is a venue for the United States Postal Service to share technical information with mailers, and to receive their advice and recommendations on matters concerning mail-related products and services, in order to enhance customer value and expand the use of these products and services for the mutual benefit of mailing industry stakeholders and the Postal Service.”
Some of the mailing industry stakeholders on the committee include Pitney Bowes, FedEx, UPS, DHL, and Amazon.
In recognition of the upcoming 50th anniversary celebration of the group’s formation, Postmaster General Megan Brennan identified many MTAC-influenced “accomplishments.” These include presorting, drop shipping, automated verification of business mail, service standard changes, and more.
Corporate Advisors to the PMG
The Postmaster’s Advisory Committee (MTAC) is made up of approximately 150 appointees from the largest multi-national companies and mailing industry groups. These corporations and their associations are often comprised of former Postal Service executives, members of the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) and the USPS Board of Governors.
Such individuals have inside knowledge, personal connections and influence in the Postal Service. As a result, they are able to effectively lobby the Postal Service and Congress for changes that benefit their new corporate employers. Notably, many of the MTAC advisory committee members are also media spokespersons.
In addition, many of the corporations belong to more than one business association. As a result, the larger corporations frequently have more than one representative at the MTAC meetings.
Similarly, there are many former corporate representatives now working in high-level management positions at the Postal Service. This revolving door of corporate representatives, along with the influence of big-business, helps promote changes that benefit corporations in the postal industry – often at the expense of postal workers and the public good.
The post office was established to bind the nation together through the creation of a nationwide, equal-access communication system. It was founded to cultivate a virtuous and informed citizenry, to support a free exchange of information, and to nurture one of the world’s first democratic nations. It was not created by or for corporate interests. It is understandable that business interests have a seat at the table to put forth their needs and interests, but they should not have all the seats.
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MTAC MEMBERS |
| The following organizations are just a few of the MTAC members:Association for Postal Commerce This is perhaps the largest “umbrella” association of postal industry groups, with approximately 32 members on its Board of Directors. Also known as, “PostCom,” the organization’s vice president and MTAC representative is Jessica Lowrance, a former economist for the USPS.Parcel Shippers Association This group is also known as the “Quiet Association,” in part because many of the most powerful corporations prefer not to draw attention to themselves. Hiding behind the face of this association are some of the Postal Service’s biggest competitors: UPS, FedEx, Amazon, DHL, Pitney Bowes, and others.Direct Marketing Association This is the main business organization of large advertisers and one of the most active. The DMA represents direct advertisers in all industries, regardless of whether they use mail as the primary method of advertising. The group’s MTAC rep, Ed Gleiman, is a former chair of the Postal Rate Commission and was one of authors of a study financed by Pitney Bowes that recommended privatization of all USPS operations except delivery.International Mailers’ Advisory Group This organization represents major players such as the Association for Postal Commerce, DHL, FedEx, Quad/Graphics, R.R. Donnelley, UPS, and more. Kate Muth, director and MTAC rep, stated, “It is time to think of USPS as a corporate commercial activity and not a federal government program.”
National Association of Presort Mailers In their own words, this group is “An association of firms concerned with postal programs, especially work-sharing and discounts for presorted, automated mail.” The executive director and MTAC rep, representing more than 140 presort businesses, is Robert Galaher, former manager of Business Mail Acceptance for the Postal Service. American Bankers Association This group is a business association that represents the interests of financial institutions, including Bank of America, JP Morgan Chase, and many others. The Bankers Association opposes postal banking. Newspaper Association of America This business association represents the interests of newspaper owners. Its members are large media corporations, including Gannett, McClatchy, Hearst, New York Times, Washington Post (owned by Amazon’s Jeff Bezos), and more. Newspapers have a lot of power, since they decide what qualifies as “news,” and how it is reported – including postal policies and changes. Pitney Bowes, Quad Graphics, RR Donnelley These corporations deserve extra attention. Because of generous bulk mailing discounts, these corporations now provide mail processing and transportation services that were formerly provided by the Postal Service. Living-wage jobs have been turned into low-wage jobs and the business owners and CEOs are making millions. More information about MTAC can be found at https://ribbs.usps.gov. |
source: APWU
posted May 17, 2015
What do you expect? These corporations run everything else. Their bottom line means they have to increase profit at any cost. The cost is minimum wage jobs for ALL non-salaried employees and gigantic dividends to their already mega-wealthy stockholders, none of whom are salaried employees. Those folks are too busy trying to make ends meet to be able to invest. Sad in a country like ours where 2 incomes rarely allow for real saving.
Y’all act like this is some secrete society! It has been known by many for decades including ALL the unions. The APWU is only POed about the loss of dues coming in as it impacts their lifestyle.
At one time the postal service was a real necessity. But not so much anymore. Come to think of it a lot of the things that we used to do are out dated. Like voting. There should be an app for that. Let the people decide what they need. Voting could be conducted on every decision ever being made. We don’t need a hand full of people making big dicissions for everyone.
Mit all of “these good ol’ boys(& MAYBE a girl or 2 ?) handin’ out hockey , how could a little ol’ Corp. like the USPS go wrong ? Hmph !
I meant negative postal reform
if this group of people are to be so powerful and influence congress, then why hasn’t there been any postal reform yet that we have been trying to get? I’m not quite sure what to make of this thing
Bribes. Selling the Service to whomever slides the biggest bag of moolah under the table. Management is corrupt to an extreme degree, and now that we know this committee exists, it explains why Donawhore especially was hell bent on ruining the Service.
The more postal employees who find out about this committee the better. You can bet your ass management does not want any of us gutter slime to know about MTAC. Well, we know now, you managers reading this. It’s going to bite you on the collective ass sooner than later.
union still crying…….but no mention of democrat sen diane feinstein and husband richard blum making over $1 billion dollars in a no bid real estate contract scam selling over 85 buildings…….while mao-bama is in white house. yeah blame it on Staples lol.
over 100,000 clerks gone in 10 years………burASS and Guffy are to blame on that score……..instead of going on strike…………..going to Vegas was more important-along with is big republican house and $1500 dollar suits. for a union that climbs into bed with po mismgt at every turn like a common whore…..they have little to show for it. FDX $175 a share. UPS $102 a share. hope you jokers bought some thru the years.
The names of these people and the businesses they represent should be published both online and in flyers mailed to every delivery stop in the US so that the general public can be more aware of how big business is affecting their mail.
Maybe the unions should mass mail articles like this and other enlightening ones
like it to the American people instead of buying ads on tv that don’t seem to reach enough people. The only news coverage we get seem to be getting are quick bites showing the ‘greedy’ union postal workers with signs trying to save their ‘overpaid’ jobs. America needs to know the truth, but no one wants to tell them, very curious
Now, this is the stuff unions should be educating their memberships about. The NALC never talks about this stuff at least directly, and since employees are, through extension, affected by this MTAC group, every last craft employee should know just who is, for all intent and purposes, running the Postal Service, and thanks to horribly corrupt assholes like Jack Potter, Pat Donahoe, the worst PMG ever, and Megan Brennan, the MTAC members are having a field day.
Not that we didn’t know strings were being pulled – we’re not stupid, despite what management thinks – but I didn’t know of this committee’ existence until now. And look who’s on it – FedEx and UPS!!!! Wow. The stupidity of allowing direct competitors to help run the USPS behind the scenes is indescribable. Not to mention the payouts and bribes that are no doubt also a part of the picture.
Is it wrong to have committees to provide feedback to improve their goals? Of course not, in a business that is run competently and legally. But this is USPS management and that is reason enough to demand that UPS and FedEx be removed from the committee. This is where decisions like standard rates that we deliver at a loss come from. It was never about management being stupid in the case of marriage mail, which is very much a money loser for the Service because of the overtime it takes to shove fliers that are ill sized, have inserts that fall out all over the place and barely fit into a mailbox. Management knows it loses money by the millions every year because of this shit that nobody wants, but because a handful are getting comped for allowing it to continue nothing happens, and no real body of inspection (The GAO and Inspection Service are a joke) that can force the USPS to stop this practice and charge enough to at least cover labor costs exists, and it won’t, ever.
I suppose we shouldn’t be alarmed. Business America is a corrupted evil entity from its head to the ugly toes, so the USPS isn’t going to be any different.
Almost 400,000 USPS craft positions lost forever since 2000. Just sayin’…