USPS:Save Saturday delivery

[POSTMAN]

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The Postal Service's proposal to drop a day of delivery is not the solution to its financial problems.

The Postal Service laid out a wide-ranging—some would say radical—plan in March for coping with its current economic problems and future business challenges. It featured headline-grabbing initiatives, such as eliminating Saturday mail delivery, and more mundane, nuts-and-bolts proposals, like streamlining the regulatory process.

The NALC supports many of the plan’s recommendations and goals, especially relief from the burden of accelerated pre-funding of retiree health care and recovery of CSRS pension fund overcharges.

But other aspects—particularly cutting service back to five days a week—are foolhardy and the union will fight them with all our might.

See the link for lots more...

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Postal employees protest proposal to eliminate Saturday mail delivery

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In response to plans of the U.S. Postal Service to reduce weekly delivery to 5-days, union members of the American Postal Workers Union (APWU) and National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) and their community supporters will be holding informational pickets outside local post offices.

On July 1, 2010, postal workers and letter carriers will be outside the Medford Main Post Office, Central Point Post Office and Ashland Post Office between the hours of 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. to picket in opposition to USPS plans to eliminate Saturday mail delivery.

Citing rising fuel and labor costs along with a drop in business, the U.S. Postal Service recently announced a plan to end mail deliveries on weekends and move to a five-day delivery schedule.
“Our proposal, you’ve heard it over the last year, is that we move from six-day delivery to five-day delivery,” said Postmaster General John E. Potter.“The Postal Service is facing a severe income gap that we absolutely have to close.”

In response to claims that reducing days of mail service will save money, APWU National President Bill Burrus said, “We should not even seriously engage in discussion of this proposal. No service-oriented business can grow by reducing service.”

In a press release, Southern Oregon Area Local APWU President Jim Alexander said, “Unlike any other government entity, the United States Postal Service does not receive tax revenue from the federal government. Instead, the USPS is owned, lock, stock and barrel by the American public and pays for that ownership through its purchase of postal services and products. As such, the public is entitled to know when and how postal management wants to reduce postal services. This informational picket is intended to shed light on the proposal to eliminate a day of mail delivery and what that means for the mailing public.”

The NALC site includes fact sheets showing why switching to five-day delivery will not solve the USPS’s financial problems and, in fact, would mean between 50,000 and 80,000 workers would lose their jobs.

For more information on the upcoming action, contact Jim Alexander at 541-826-9427 or email jimsturn@charter.net;.