The primary message of an NPMHU-endorsed August 15, 2014 “Dear Colleague” letter by Congressman David Joyce sent to all House members is to Support the Preservation of First-Class Mail Delivery Standards. In response to the United States Postal Service’s plans to close 82 mail processing facilities throughout 37 states in January of 2015, Representative Joyce writes, “[w]e ask you to support our efforts in obtaining a one-year moratorium on the closure of these 82 processing facilities and the preservation of First-Class mail delivery standards while Congress continues to work on comprehensive postal reform.” The letter highlights the degradation of mail service, and the possible elimination of up to 15,000 Postal Service jobs. It is hoped that 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.
Dear Chairman Rogers and Ranking Member Lowey, Subcommittee Chairman 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 imp0l1ant issue. Thank you for your consideration.
Read the August 15, 2014 “Dear Colleague” letter. (pdf)
@nom de plume-That number for cost savings Downahole puts out is pure fiction,lost revenue as a result of degrading service will dwarf that number.
Congress has done little if anything to try to turn this around. Congress couldn’t choose a birthday card at Walmart without debating for 6 months. Why are you worrying about delivery standards when 80% of the mail is business related? No one says anything about delays that Pitney Bowes and other presort houses impose on their First Class presort mail collecting and then shipping 700 miles to process. The businesses can adjust their billing cycles by a day or two and not hurt anything. Why not take back some (say 3 cents) of the discounts afforded the presort houses. It doesn’t cost anywhere near 10 cents for them to collect, process and maintain a small profit to process the mail.
Why didn’t the resolution include any funding that would pay for the savings lost by not consolidating. If the postal service expected to save $750 million by consolidating the plants then congress should appropriate $750 million to pay for the one year moratorium.
The smartest thing Congress can do right now since they will not stop the prepay indefinitely is to give the postal service a grace period to get back to the profitting company it was prior to the prepay and then once it has done all of the adjustments say 10 yrs then they can pay the final 4 yrs of the prepay that is still pending or figure out a new plan instead of just digging a bigger hole. The postal service would have had a profit this year minus the prepay so it goes to show that with time they could cover it and still remain profittable.
The PMG and Congress have done nothing the past 5 years what makes you think it will get done in one year?
I have met with changes all of my life, and I have fought every one of them. I don’t like the idea of closing any facilities or consolidating anything. Sadly, however, I have learned that such changes are going to happen over my strenuous objections. We should fight the good fight, but when we inevitably lose, we should make the best of it and move on. If we get the one year reprieve that is great, but if we don’t we will just adjust and make the best of it.