page 1 of current facilities scheduled for consolidation or closure starting in January 2015
Stop Service Cuts and Plant Consolidations
Tell Your Congressman: Sign the Letter!
A bipartisan group in the House of Representatives – five Republicans and five Democrats – has drafted a letter to leaders of the House Appropriations Committee calling for a one-year moratorium on Postal Service plans to close mail processing plants and slow down mail delivery.
The letter’s authors are attempting to gather as many co-signers as possible before sending it to committee leaders.
APWU President Mark Dimondstein is asking union members and supporters to urge their U.S. representatives to sign the letter. “Union members around the country stepped over the last several weeks and persuaded half of the Senate to sign a similar letter,” he said. “We must make a strong effort to get House members to sign this letter as well.”
The House members leading the effort are Reps. Dave Joyce (R-OH), Ron Kind (D-WI), Pete King (R-NY), Peter DeFazio (D-OR), Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ), Gerry Connolly (D-VA), Michael Grimm (R-NY), Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-NM), Michael Fitzpatrick (R-PA) and Matt Cartwright (D-PA).
The letter, which is modeled on an Aug. 14 letter to leaders of the Senate Appropriations Committee, urges congressional action to preserve service standards and prevent the closure or consolidation of mail processing facilities.
Over the past few weeks, APWU members and allies sent thousands of messages and phone calls to their senators’ offices asking them to oppose Postmaster General Patrick R. Donahoe’s proposal to close as many as 82 mail processing plants; slow mail service, and eliminate up to 15,000 jobs. Fifty senators signed the letter.
”We must reach out to our representatives and ask them to stand up for a vibrant, public Postal Service,” Dimondstein said.
“If the Postmaster General’s plan to cut service standards is implemented in January 2015, it will end overnight delivery of first-class mail throughout the country. Slowing down the mail is an issue that affects every congressional district in the country – it drives away postal patrons, denies essential services to communities, and harms small businesses.”
Call your representative today and ask him or her to sign on to this important letter!
Tell Your Congressman: Sign the Letter! | APWU.
Dear Chairman Rogers and Ranking Member Lowey, Subcommittee Chai rman Crenshaw, and Subcommittee Ranking Member Serrano:
The United States Postal Service (USPS) is facing many serious challenges. While a number of reform proposals have been introduced in both the Senate and the House to tackle these problems over the past several years, we have yet to enact legislation. In the absence of Congressional compromise, the Postal Service has proposed more sweeping changes to its operations.
The Postmaster General has announced that the Postal Service will consolidate up to 82 more mail processing facilities and eliminate up to 15,000 more jobs in 2015 . This wave of closures will directly impact 37 states across our nation, and more importantly, the citizens who count on their Postal Service to be reliable. At a time when our middle-class is disappearing, the loss of 15,000 good working class jobs from the Postal Service will harm our local communities and economies.
The Postal Service has already consolidated 141 mail processing facilities since 2012. As the postal network has been weakened, service has suffered. Since the Postal Service slowed down the processing and delivery of first class mail over two years ago by revising its service standards, it has been more difficult for the American public and small businesses to receive mail in a timely manner. Slowing down mail delivery even further will especially hurt senior citizens on fixed incomes, small businesses, rural areas, and the economy.
To address this immediate problem, we respectfully request that you include language in an upcoming continuing resolution that would prevent the USPS from closing or consolidating any more area mail processing facilities during Fiscal Year 2015. We also respectfully request that you include such language in any omnibus appropriations package for Fiscal Year 2015 following the continuing resolution. In addition, we would ask that you include language to maintain and comply with service standards for First Class Mail and periodicals currently in place that became effective on July 1,2012. This one-year moratorium will give Congress the time it needs to enact the comprehensive postal reforms that are necessary for the Postal Service to function effectively into the future.
We look forward to working with you on this imp0rtant issue. Thank you for your consideration.
The actions by the Postmaster General leave a lot to be desired.. I work in a plant that makes money and is located in the best possible area in massachusetts.and is scheduled to close. The ignorance continues to amaze me by the Chairman of the House Government Oversight and Reform Committee..The man is on a one way street to cripple the USPS…Imagine what this country would be like with no mail delivery for 2 weeks ? USPS not only delivers our own mail but Fedex and UPS…imagine that?
As Chairman of the House Government Oversight and Reform Committee,I am in full support of Postmaster General Donawhore’s efforts to put the wrecking ball to an institution that was self supporting and provides good paying jobs,therefore,there will be no action from my committee to initiate legislation to stop Mr.Donawhore from doing the excellent work he is doing in hi-jacking the U.S.Postal Service from the American people.