Burrus Asks Bush to Appoint Postal Service Advisory Council

APWU President William Burrus has asked President Bush to appoint a Postal Service Advisory Council, noting that the appointment of the panel is required by federal law. “The Postal Service is required to ‘consult with and receive the advice of the Advisory Council regarding all aspects of postal operations,’” Burrus wrote in an April 11 letter to Bush. 

“Nevertheless, no appointment has been made to the Advisory Council, and, of course, no meeting of or consultation with the Advisory Council has occurred,” he said.

The purpose and make-up of the Postal Service Advisory Council was outlined in the Postal Reorganization Act of 1970 (39 U.S.C. § 206), Burrus noted, and was reconfirmed by Congress with the recent passage of the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act (PAEA).

Under the law, the postmaster general serves as chairman of the council, the deputy postmaster general serves as vice-chair, and the president appoints 11 other members, including four nominated by postal labor unions; four representatives of major mail users; and three representing the public at large.

“At this critical juncture in the history of the Postal Service, the APWU insists that the Advisory Council be established and consulted, in accordance with the statute,” Burrus wrote. “Matters of crucial importance to the Postal Service and its employees, including realignment of the postal mail processing network, implementation of a major new flat sorting program, establishment of service standards, and implementation of the new rate-setting provisions enacted by the PAEA, make consultation with the Advisory Council more important now than at any time since the passage of the Postal Reorganization Act.

“I request prompt compliance with the statutory requirement to implement the Postal Service Advisory Council,” the APWU president concluded.