photo credit: APWU
Janice Kelble, legislative director of the New Hampshire Postal Workers Union, told the Union Leader newspaper, “We are adamantly opposed to any efforts to replace decent postal jobs with non-union, low-wage, non-postal workers who have no accountability for the safety and security of the mail.”
And that gets to the root of what has some online sellers concerned.A letter from an EcommerceBytes reader pointed to the convenience factor of the Staples CPUs, but brought up two concerns:
Would packages posted at Staples counters be as secure as packages handed over the counter at the Post Office?
And, “With Postal Service employees facing job losses, would there be a backlash in the form of intentional handling delays of packages left with Staples?”
A commentor on a Washington Post article about the USPS-Staples partnership wrote, “Do I want my precious mail handled by a minimum wage, “specially trained” Staples worker? Or do I want it protected by a Federal employee?”
via As USPS Outsources the Counter, Will Ecommerce Packages Be Safe?
NH Postal Workers Vehemently Oppose Opening ‘Postal Units’ In Staples Stores
A small group of postal workers from the American Postal Workers Union and the local community delivered a letter to the manager of the Manchester Staples store.
It has been well documented that Staples in one of the ’50 largest low-wage employers’. The National Employment Law Project reported that the majority of the 33,000 Staples employees make less than $10.00 per hour.
Another part of the pilot program is tied to Congressman Issa’s postal reform legislation that would close 1,200 post offices that are located less than a few miles from the store. Closing these post offices would mean that people would not have access to services that can only been completed at a post office like: PO Boxes, certified mail, insured mail, and passport photos.
What happens when Staples decides to ‘restructure’ and decides to close one of these stores with a postal counter? Poof, no post office at all! It is completely baffling that the USPS would try to grow by cutting services and closing post offices.
“We understand that Staples hopes to increase business by placing these “postal units” in their stores however, if these postal services are not being provided by postal employees, we will have no choice but to ask our members, families, friends and colleagues (many who are currently Staples customers) to refrain from continuing to do business with your store. Postal employees live and work in every city and town across the country and we will work to ensure that postal services continue to be provided by well-trained postal employees.”
click here to read the full letter from the APWU.
via NH Postal Workers Vehemently Oppose Opening ‘Postal Units’ In Staples Stores
I would be a USPS supporter and boycott any service that would take jobs away if “YOU the POST OFFICE EMPLOYEES” did your job! You don’t provide service, and I am not just talking about carriers, I am talking about paying for insurance and having to fight to get a refund when the USPS destroyed or LOST the item I paid to insure that it would not. Shipping has become not only expensive, which I would gladly not complain about, if my packages showed up. Take a peek at the idiot in Texas tossing packages rather than walking an extra ten feet to place a box on a stoop. Why even charge for insurance if you’re not going to pay it? Do your job and you not have to fight to keep it … the USPS used to be a proud place of employment, it is an absolute disgrace. Do your job and you’ll have one. People will pay if they know they will get the service they are paying for!!!!