Orlando Postal Workers Protest Staples

Members of the APWU Central Florida Area Local paid a visit to a Staples Store in Orlando on Feb. 8 to protest the privatization of postal retail operations at the office supply retail giant’s stores.

“Outsourcing an essential public service to a for-profit corporation staffed with clerks making less than a livable wage and no accountability to the American public is completely irrational," local president Steve Morris told an Orlando TV news station.

“Not only does it jeopardize the safety and security of the U.S. mail system, but consumers are getting a bad deal too,” he added.  “Postal workers support expansion of mail services but not at the expense of the public we serve or the security of the mail we protect.”

More than 80 Staples stores are operating postal retail counters staffed by Staples employees. If successful, the program could be expanded to all of Staples 1,600 stores nationwide.