June 19, 2015 Management put their plans to consolidate and close our mail processing facilities in a “To Be Determined” (TBD) status on May 22, except for three sites. Then, on May 27, the USPS posted an official notice on www.usps.com announcing that they had decided to defer consolidation activities and would resume them in 2016.
Throughout negotiations, the APWU requested a moratorium on consolidations and closures for the life of the contract. The deferral is welcome news, but we still have work to do. We cannot rest.
According to union officials at some of the losing facilities, they are being told that the TBD status is not stopping management from sending some mail to gaining facilities. The TBD status should stop mail from being transported to other facilities. Please contact me if machines or mail are planned to move from your facility. Since gaining facilities are understaffed and working large amounts of overtime, the Postal Service is forcing mail volume into facilities that may already be overwhelmed.
From 2006 through 2013, the USPS consolidated over 256 mail processing centers nationwide. Another 10 facilities were stripped of their mail processing in April and May of 2015. We used to have 673 mail processing facilities – we have lost over 39 percent of our facilities.
Loss of Service Standards, Jobs
Under the PO-408 Handbook, Chapter 8, the USPS can reverse consolidations. Examples of when this should occur include:
- When they cannot meet the service standards
- Advances in automation technology
Service standards were not met in the second quarter of fiscal year 2015 (January through March), despite the fact that the standards were lowered. During this time, management moved mail and employees to different shifts in order to handle the consolidations/closures and the degraded service standards.
Service performance results for April and May continued to show that USPS was unable to meet the degraded service standards, especially where mail processing operations were shut down and consolidated with another facility.
Since 2006, the USPS has cut over 216,416 postal jobs. That year, we had over 673 mail processing plants. The Board of Governors said the USPS should try to save money by consolidating.
Since the Postal Service agreed to the plan, approximately 266 mail processing plants have been consolidated. However, the Board of Governors has failed to review how detrimental consolidation of the latest 82 sites would be to customer service.
The USPS had to change service standards and based consolidations on outdated Area Mail Processing (AMP) studies. The service standard changes and site moves have destroyed our great service standard record. We are losing business, money – and our reputation.
As Ruth Goldway, Postal Regulatory Commissioner since 1998, said in a January 2015 column in The Hill newspaper, “These measures will result in a two-tier patchwork network in which service to smaller cities and rural areas will be degraded much more than the urban areas. This despite the fact that the law requires that postal customers in all areas be provided prompt, reliable and efficient services.”
“The Postal Service is moving ahead with these changes despite three cautionary reports: a March 2013 Management Advisory Report; a September 2012 Audit Report issued by its Office of Inspector General, and an Advisory Opinion produced by the Postal Regulatory Commission in 2012.”
Eliminate Independent Auditing?
For the last two years, management has played 82 mail processing facilities – and the employees that work in them – as pawns, in an effort to get legislation passed. Since legislation was not adopted, service standards were changed.
Our service to the public is diminishing. EXFC scores, which measure on-time delivery of first-class mail, are at an all-time low.
The USPS has asked the Postal Regulatory Commission to permit management to conduct their own EXFC evaluations, which are currently performed by an external impartial group, IBM. The APWU has ardently opposed the request. (See PostalRegulatoryCommission.gov, Case # P12015-1.)
The elimination of independent auditing would be very harmful to the public’s trust, and to service, because the Postal Service’s track record is to continue to cut our services, subcontract, and privatize, serving the big businesses and corporations.
Legislators Join the Fight
Our APWU locals continue to get the word out across the country that we need help from businesses and our communities to stop the destruction of their Postal Service. We all need to play a part in educating the people. Here are some examples:
Tucson Area Local President Connie Nelson-Sadler helped elected officials and business leaders launch surveys to provide residents a platform to share opinions, impacts and concerns about the consolidation of Tucson’s mail processing to Phoenix. See the surveys at, www.apwu.org/departments-divisions/vice-president.
Youngstown [OH] Area Local President James Varner hosted a news conference with Rep. Tim Ryan reporting that although Youngstown has been placed in a “to be determined” status, they have been receiving new work from Akron, Cleveland, Mansfield and Canton that the Cleveland Processing Center can’t handle.
Omaha [NE] Area Local President Phil Thomas made sure the Omaha Metro knew that the consolidation of two sites – Norfolk and Grand Island – had contributed to poor service performance.
The North Jersey Area Local took out a full-page ad in the New Jersey Star Ledger on April 26, urging customers to call their representatives and Postmaster General Megan Brennan and ask them to stop the consolidations and closures.
APWU locals have won support from legislators in many locations.
On May 13, Oregon’s congressional delegation met with the Deputy Postmaster General to discuss consolidation plans and the future of mail delivery standards.
Seattle’s nine councilmembers and Mayor Edward Murray sent letters to Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) and Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) on April 6, requesting legislation that would restore service standards, eliminate the pre-funding mandate, and secure a vibrant, public Postal Service.
On April 15, the Senate approved a motion (S. Con. Res. 11) introduced by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) in support of a fund to halt mail processing center closures, restore overnight mail delivery, and protect rural services. The non-binding instructions were approved 85-11 in a resounding bipartisan vote.
But our struggle isn’t over. We need everyone’s help. Thank you to all those who have been working really hard to get community and congressional support. We can’t stop now! We can make the difference!
(This article first appeared in the July-August 2015 issue of The American Postal Worker magazine.)