Union Vows Fight to Keep Stations Open

The Postal Service announced Oct. 9 that 371 stations and branches in Level 24-and-above post offices remain under consideration for possible closure, but cautioned that “the filing does not represent a final decision on consolidation.”

“The APWU is committed to fighting the Postal Service’s attempt to reduce service to our customers,” said APWU President William Burrus. “Our members have found significant opposition to these plans virtually everywhere they have been made public.

Although management suggests that the cuts are designed to cut costs, the Postmaster General has admitted that savings from such closures would be “modest at best.”

“The union has been joining with community organizations and legislators to oppose the closings,” he said. “I have assigned Vice President Cliff Guffey and Assistant Clerk Craft Director Mike Morris to coordinate these activities.”

The APWU has prepared a toolkit [members only - PDF] for locals to assist in these efforts, which is available on the union’s Web site, at www.apwu.org. The toolkit includes sample letters to legislators, an itemization of information locals should request from management, a guide for challenging improper Contract Postal Units, and other material.

The national union also has intervened in a proceeding before the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC), which is preparing to issue “an advisory opinion” on the station-and-branch initiative. The APWU has filed interrogatories and made related arguments in PRC hearings, and has asked local presidents to provide specific information about targeted facilities in their areas.

Locals are encouraged to check the union’s Web site often, and to contact Morris via e-mail at stations@apwu.org (please include your name, Employee ID Number, local, phone number, and title) or call the national office (at 202-842-4220) to receive updates.