APWU, Grand Alliance Urge House Members To Co-Sponsor Resolutions to Protect Mail Service

The APWU joined more than 50 member organizations of A Grand Alliance to Save Our Public Postal Service last month to urge members of the U.S. House of Representatives to co-sponsor two bipartisan resolutions to restore mail service standards and protect six-day mail delivery.

In a letter dated July 23, the organizations wrote, “The people of this country expect and deserve great public postal services. Regrettably, USPS management has instead adopted a plan to diminish service by delaying America’s mail and seeking the end of Saturday mail delivery.

“Recognizing the dangers posed by such counterproductive cuts, our broad coalition of national organizations has joined under one banner in support of this great American institution – A Grand Alliance to Save Our Public Postal Service. We write to you in support of two important and bipartisan resolutions to protect essential postal operations – House Resolution 54 and House Resolution 12.”

House Resolution 54 expresses the sense of the House that the USPS “should take all appropriate measures to restore service standards in effect as of July 1, 2012.” On Jan, 5, 2015, USPS management reduced service standards, virtually eliminating overnight delivery of first-class mail. House Resolution 12 expresses the sense of the House that the USPS “should take all appropriate measures to ensure the continuation of six-day mail delivery service.”

“Taking the ‘service’ out of the Postal Service will result in lower revenue and more postal red ink, threatening the future of this crucial public good,” the letter noted. “Americans from all walks of life rely on timely and efficient delivery of the mail and this must be a priority for the USPS. We cannot afford to allow America’s Postal Service to be torn apart.”

Initially, postal executives downplayed the scope of the changes and the effects they would have, but homes and businesses around the country felt these cuts immediately. Amid countless customer complaints of delayed mail, a report by the Postal Regulatory Commission shows that service performance for the period of January 1 to March 31, 2015 worsened compared to the same period last year, and even fell short of the Postal Service’s lowered targets for the quarter. Postal management and many members of Congress continue to push for an end to Saturday delivery, which many millions of customers rely on to receive packages and medicines.

These two resolutions are close to achieving bipartisan, majority support. Thanks to the efforts of A Grand Alliance, H.Res.54 gained one co-sponsor for a total of 198 co-sponsors, and H.Res.12 gained two co-sponsors for a total of 212 co-sponsors.

More than 90 national and locally-based organizations have joined A Grand Alliance to Save Our Public Postal Service and to advocate for expanded services. Declining mail service is a pathway to privatization, the Alliance says, and is very troubling to the people and communities their organizations represent.

This is a crucial time for the broad and diverse communities represented by A Grand Alliance to voice support for the good, public postal services we deserve, and alarm over service cuts that threaten the future of this public good as Congress is poised to consider postal reform legislation. A Grand Alliance continues to urge members of the House to co-sponsor House Resolutions 54 and 12 and to support good, public postal services. The APWU is proud to stand with this broad coalition calling on Congress to strengthen and champion the Postal Service.

Learn more about A Grand Alliance and sign the pledge at AGrandAlliance.org. If you or someone you know would like their organization to join A Grand Alliance, simply have a representative of the organization complete this form. If you belong to a civic organization, faith community, local labor union or labor council, consider passing a resolution in support of the fight to save our Postal Service for generations to come.