White House Budget Misses the Mark on Postal Matters

The administration’s budget proposal for 2015 misses the mark on postal issues, APWU President Mark Dimondstein said.  “The White House budget echoes the misguided policies ofPostmaster General Patrick Donahoe.  It calls for severe cutbacks that will harm service, drive away business, and eliminate jobs,” he said. The proposal calls for the immediate end of Saturday delivery and would allow the Postal Service to begin to shift from door delivery to centralized delivery. 

“The budget fails to eliminate the pre-funding requirement of the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act, which is the fundamental cause of the Postal Service’s manufactured financial crisis,” he continued. Instead, the budget would simply restructure the payments.

“With the Postal Service posting operating profits in mail and package delivery, there is absolutely no justification to continue a strategy of austerity,” Dimondstein said. “Rather than damaging the infrastructure and network that is essential for providing service, the Postal Service must expand service.” The recent report by USPS Office of Inspector General endorsing non-banking financial services is the exactly the kind of innovation that is needed, he added.

“The Postal Service is funded by its customers — not taxpayers — and therefore shouldn’t even be a part of the budget process,” the union president said.  

 “The four postal unions are now working together to build support for a strong and vibrant Postal Service that fulfills its mandate to the people of the country,” Dimondstein said.  “We are more than willing to sit down with the White House to discuss any and all proposals that will strengthen America’s Postal Service.”