USPS Letter Carriers to Protest Postal Legislation This Week

On April 12, the National Association of Letter Carriers will hold demonstrations outside of Senate offices across the country in order to pressure senators to oppose S. 1789, which it believes will be brought up in the Senate after the Easter recess. Letter carriers say the legislation would hurt the Postal Service by:

• Putting an end to six-day mail delivery in two years.
• Phasing out door-to-door mail delivery.
• Failing to fully address the Postal Service's pre-funding requirement.
• and not addressing the overpayment into the CSRS pension fund.

In Speech at Rutgers, NALC President called on Congress to take time to draft comprehensive reform "instead of pushing through flawed legislation." Fredric Rolando said Postal Service legislation pending before Congress "lacks any long-term vision and fails to provide for the creation of an effective business plan for a vital American institution."

He also said that postal management at the highest levels has "thrown in the towel." Congress and Postal Service management are so focused on cutting costs, he said, that the inevitable result will be more long-term damage. Degrading services to residents and business will only drive customers away from the Postal Service, further reducing revenue and eventually destroying the world's best and most-affordable delivery network, Rolando said. It also will threaten the 7.5 million private-sector mailing industry jobs that depend on a robust Postal Service.

Adapting to the current changes, he said, "will require difficult sacrifices for all involved, including letter carriers and other Postal Service employees. Letter carriers are not afraid to make those changes. In fact, if it were part of a comprehensive plan to save this institution, we would be the first to step up."

"Nothing is inevitable about the so-called decline of the U.S. Postal Service, and the National Association of Letter Carriers is prepared to lead the effort to revive and improve this vital national institution," Rolando said.