APWU Files Amended Complaint with PRC

The APWU filed an amended complaint with the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) on Dec.13, alleging that the USPS is failing to comply with service standards on first-class mail and periodicals. The APWU alleges that significant delays in mail delivery are being caused by the closure of processing facilities around the country.

The amended complaint follows a Sept. 5 filing and gives the PRC additional evidence that the Postal Service is violating service standards. The APWU also is attempting to obtain USPS records about service failures to provide additional proof of the violations.

The APWU Complaint asks the PRC to order the Postal Service to cease and desist from making any changes in its mail processing network that will cause violations of service standards. The Complaint also demands that the Postal Service take whatever steps are necessary to come into compliance with service standards. This could include stopping consolidations that have not been completed and reversing some that have been fully implemented, said APWU Executive Vice President Debby Szeredy.

The APWU has called on Congress to include protection of service standards in any postal reform legislation it considers. “Including language that protects service standards will help stop the USPS from damaging the postal network and destroying service to customers,” Szeredy said. “The Postal Service must not be allowed to abandon its obligation to provide universal service,” she said. “Without such a provision in legislation, the Postal Service threatens to cut service even further in February 2014.”

Szeredy also expressed appreciation for the support the union has received from locals around the country. “We received many reports from locals detailing the delays they see at their facilities every day,” she said. “Neither the PRC nor Congress should ignore this evidence.”