01/28/2015 – Just weeks into the 114th Congress, a new bipartisan coalition of eight U.S. representatives is taking a stand for prompt, reliable mail service.
On Jan. 27, Rep. Dave McKinley (R-WV) and Rep. Paul Tonko (D-NY) introduced House Resolution 54, which expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the Postal Service should take all appropriate measures to restore the service standards that were in effect as of July 1, 2012.
“The USPS cut service standards nationwide on Jan. 5, but this destructive policy can be reversed,” said APWU Legislative and Political Director John Marcotte. “Restoring the service standards that were in effect as of July 1, 2012, would help stop the slowdown of all overnight delivery of first-class mail. It would allow the USPS to grow business within its existing network.”
The resolution, which is non-binding, is quickly garnering support from both sides of the aisle, and has already been co-sponsored by three Republicans and three Democrats:
- Rep. Don Young (R-AK)
- Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH)
- Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-CA)
- Rep. Richard Nolan (D-MN)
- Rep. David Joyce (R-OH)
- Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-CA)
“We appreciate Congressmen McKinley and Tonko’s leadership on securing the future of America’s public postal service,” said APWU President Mark Dimondstein. “We call upon all APWU activists to send the message that mail matters and take action in support of this resolution.”
Please call your representative’s DC office today and ask them to co-sponsor H. Res. 54. Click here to find your representative’s office number.
Your Legislative and Political Grassroots Coordinator can help your efforts to secure co-sponsorship from your member of Congress. To find your Grassroots Coordinator, click here.
– See more at: APWU
It’s about time! Recently some of my business customers ( law firms ) have noticed their mailed delayed. Letters mailed from local areas that arrived next day are now arriving several days later. Enough that these firms are considering using Couriers instead of us. In fact being a customer connect person in my office I inquired with one of these firms as to some packages that were sitting awaiting mailing. To my surprise they have decided to go back to FedEx in order to insure garauntee on time delivery. Embarrassing! Good move Donahoe.
Trying to run a mailorder bookstore in a tiny Iowa town is difficult. I didn’t mind when they cut the post office hours to 4 per day and 2 on Saturday, but they let go the fulltime, dependable postmistress who wanted to stay on parttime. Instead we have 3 rotating parttime people which can’t even keep the doors open at the reduced hours. In two months the window has been closed without good reason for one Saturday and one Tuesday Afternoon. Makes it hard to get boxes of books to the mail truck. Fortunately there is an exterior mailbox that most of the packaged books will fit but the delivery confirmation doesn’t get scanned in for at least two days.
What delayed mail? It’s the new “service standard” that we created to justify putting the employees and the plants on the chopping block.
Obviously overtime isn’t being called in that photo! Here in Boston it’s V-time
every night with no end in sight. The decision to send Shrewsbury’s mail here
to Boston is costing the Postal Service big $$$$$$. They have to call it or it will
be sitting like the photo above. Mail handlers and clerks are here early and
leaving late. The consolidation proposal with cost savings in no way could
have reflected or included the anticipation of this much overtime which erodes
the cost savings. I guarantee you this has been swept under the rug!! The most
damaging of all this is to our co- workers whose jobs are lost, turning their worlds
upside down. Seeing the end result of this above with mail being delayed only
deepens my empathy for anyone losing their jobs because of these knee jerk
inappropriate reactions like this from management.
Woo Hoo! Go Mountaineers!!! WV leads the way!!!
too little, too late, we’ve allready started dis-assembly and disposal of mail processing machines, many of them gone to the scrap yard it would take a massive infusion of cash to buy new machines and that ain’t gonna happen.
I see the owners finally waking up ! Must be elections in the offing ! !
Hmmm…………..I thought purposefully delaying the mail, as the new “service standards” plainly are designed to do, was a felony……………
Here is a suggestion: start the carriers at 7:30 instead of 8:30. Then maybe when asked why are you so late I won’t have to say it is because of stupid management.
Nice to see someone has common sense.[after 8 years]
The delay in mail can affect the outcome in The 2016 races. Democrats tend to like going to the polls in Presidential election years. Republicans are more likely to send in mail in ballots. Republicans voting days will be shortened 2-3 because of these changes. Spending billions in the next election may be nullified and give Democrats the win in the next election from these changes.
Wow, you figured out the Democrats nefarious plan!! Now we’ll have to go to plan B. ……………………Except its the REPUBLICAN Congress that is cutting the Postal Budget, closing plants and smaller offices, etc. What do you think Darryl Issa (R) has been doing the whole time he was in office??? Drive the Postal System into the toilet, and that will make it easier for his Republican buddies to PRIVATIZE !!!
Two days ago in my California plant we were running 2-5 day old 1st Class parcel mail (based on the date on the printed label). I was told that four trailers of mail had been sitting on the tarmac for an unknown number days.
I reckon parcels are being delayed in most facilities. We have parcels that are taking 7 days on average to be delivered since management needs the SPBS clerks to run the DBCS machines. The dying letter mail is more important due to EXFC score bonus money. Let packages sit for a few days in the plant while we run mainly 3rd class letters mixed in with a few 1st class letters just to maximize the EXFC scoring model.
Good news. I’d contact my Rep but he’s a dyed in the wool lunatic fringe Republican who thinks people like Michelle Bachmann and Tom Coburn are the shit. I prefer not to waste my time in worthless pursuits because Steve Womack (Rep. – Ar.) is all about big business and shafting the little guy. I figure because he’s from Benton County Arkansas, home to Wal-Mart headquarters and lots of Tyson plants, whose headquarters are just over the county line in Washington County, he’s nothing but a Wal-Mart/Tyson butt boy.
A non-binding resolution is not what we need, but I suppose this means it can get out of committee and go to the floor as a bill. With Darryl Issa out of the way, a bill forbidding the morons at L’Infant Plaza to close plants and retain prior standards may have a chance. If you live in a state where your Representative isn’t a Tea Party lunatic you need to contact your legislator in support of this resolution. It’s your job you may be protecting, and after 30 years in the Service, let me assure you as newer employees that you must never assume anything when it comes to postal management. Even decent managers are shut down once district jerks get involved, and these people who would like to do the right thing are powerless and risk removal for rocking the boat. Why anybody would be in management is beyond me.
Congress may be to late. The changes that just took effect have already caused an extra day of delay to most of the mail on top of delay caused by the previous changes. Our office is currently taking apart many of the machines. They can be put back together, but if this equipment is scrapped there will be no way to go back.
These clowns have had since 2007 to undo the harm from the 2006 PAEA. Repeal this useless regulation and refund any money that doesn’t have to be held in the various retirement funds.
Guess you didn’t here.
The money was asked for awhile back.
It’s already been spent on the two wars.
*That* was the entire purpose of the act in the first place.
Really , All of a sudden their going to look at delayed Mail ! What a bunch of flaming butt heads. This has been going on for years and no one gave two hoots, Now that Donahoe is retiring With One Heck of a package I might add Washington Butt Heads are going to do something. You want to do something ? take a look at that retirement prefunding , Take a look at Top level Management pay for doing Doo. Thirty years and the past four have been the WORST …