APWU Pres. Dimondstein Testifies to Congress

On February 24, APWU President Mark Dimondstein appeared at a hearing of the House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Reform to discuss the financial issues facing the Postal Service and a draft legislative proposal on postal financing, which was published just days before the hearing. Other witnesses included Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, Postal Board of Governors Chairman Ron Bloom and USPS Inspector General Tammy Whitcomb.

President Dimondstein saluted the efforts made by postal workers during this extraordinary time of pandemic.

"The pandemic has underscored the vital role of the Postal Service, enshrined in the Constitution and overwhelmingly supported by the public. Our mission is to “bind the nation together” by moving critical information, necessary goods, life-saving medicine and providing voters access to the ballot box. Like other frontline workers, postal workers have been nothing short of courageous in these dangerous and stressful times," he said.

One of the issues facing the Committee discussed was the setting of mail standards. The draft legislative language included provisions that would allow the USPS to lengthen delivery times for certain classes of mail. Media reports, which were confirmed by the Postmaster General in his responses, indicated that changes to service standards, which would permanently slow the mail were included in the draft 10 year plan.

In his testimony, President Dimondstein spoke up for prompt mail delivery standards. “Current delivery standards should not only be upheld and met, but restored to the July 2012 level.

The Postal Service must not be allowed to artificially “improve” their performance scores by further lowering service standards,” President Dimondstein said. “This is no time to shutter or further consolidate processing facilities and post offices which will only further delay the mail and drive away postal customers and revenue. The law requires, and the people deserve ‘prompt, reliable and efficient’ service.”

The reported plan to reduce service standards for first-class mail was also criticized by members of the committee. During his allotted time, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD-08) asked Postmaster General DeJoy to explain the “logic of eliminating First Class service which generally delivers the mail in roughly two days and moving instead to a three-to-five-day window. How will that improve the appeal and the resilience of the post office?” Raskin asked.

Meanwhile, Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA-07), raised the importance of expanding the USPS by expanding services such as postal banking.

"Postal banking represents a unique opportunity to provide incrased revenue for the Postal Service while advancing the cause of economic justice. An estimated one in four people in America are unbanked or underbanked, including 50 percent of black and latinx communities," said the Massachussets Congressmember. 

During her allotted time, Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO-01) questioned Chairman Bloom and Postmaster General DeJoy on the current makeup of the Postal Board of Governors, its unfilled seats, and a lack of diversity across the Board. At the time of the hearing, the board was made up exclusively of white men.

The Postal Service 10 year plan will likely be released before the end of March and we expect that the House Oversight Committee will publish actual legislation in due course. APWU national officers will continue to engage and, as always, members will need to keep the pressure up on all of our elected officials to ensure that our jobs and the future of our public Postal Service are safeguarded.