House Delegation Urges PMG to Reject Deal; Teachers Vote to Boycott Staples

California opponents of the USPS deal with Staples delivered two stunning blows to the program yesterday: Thirty members of the U.S. House of Representatives from California called on Postmaster General Patrick R. Donahoe to reject the program, and the California Federation of Teachers voted to boycott Staples.

“The USPS-Staples program is a dramatic step in the wrong direction, as it threatens the livelihoods of thousands of USPS employees and jeopardizes the promise of universal mail service to all communities — an obligation Staples, a private corporation, does not have,” the U.S. representatives wrote in an April 29 letter to Postmaster General Patrick R. Donahoe. [PDF]

“The USPS-Staples units would allow low wage, non-postal employees to provide mail retail services traditionally performed by Postal Service employees… While we recognize the USPS should explore innovative ways to increase revenues and cut costs, we believe the pilot program is a clear and unmistakable attempt at union-busting, as well as the privatization of critical public services,” they wrote. Thirty-one of the 82 “pilot” sites for the program are in California.

The letter was initiated by Rep. Alan Lowenthal. Other signers were: Janice Hahn, Jackie Speier, Anna Eshoo, Mike Thompson, Doris Matsui, Brad Sherman, Loretta Sanchez, Henry Waxman, Barbara Lee, Lucille Roybal-Allard, Judy Chu, Zoe Lofgren, Xavier Becerra, Sam Farr, George Miller, Mark Takano, Grace Napolitano, Adam Schiff, Juan Vargas, Raul Ruiz, Susan Davis, Tony Cardenas, Eric Swalwell, John Garamendi, Ami Bera, Julia Brownley, Mike Honda, Karen Bass and Maxine Waters.

Teachers Hold the Key

In a related development, the Executive Council of the California Federation of Teachers (CFT) announced that it had voted unanimously to boycott the office supply retailer. [PDF] The organization represents 120,000 educational employees from Head Start through university.

It’s estimated that roughly one-third of Staples’ revenues come from the sale of school supplies, making teachers a key ally in campaign to Stop Staples!

“CFT has long been opposed to the privatization of public services in schools, colleges and other public institutions, especially when the contractual terms between the government agency and the private contractor are cloaked behind a veil of secrecy,” the teacher’s union wrote.

“These no-bid contracts point to a dirty deal. The consumer will suffer — a lack of postal training means less mail security and worse service, without any cost savings for the consumer,” said CFT President Joshua Pechthalt.

“By this simple act — asking our members and educators across the country to buy their school supplies elsewhere — we put USPS management and a profit seeking corporation on notice that the quality of mail delivery is not for sale.”

The resolution [PDF] passed by the CFT on April 28 may extend beyond California. The resolution calls on the state union to introduce a similar resolution at the national convention of the American Federation of Teachers, which it will host in mid-July.

“This is the people’s post office, and the people have choices,” said Pechthalt. “We want to send a clear message to USPS and Staples that we value public service. When it comes to privatizing the U.S. mail, we say ‘no sale.’ Our members have choices where to buy school supplies, and we won’t shop at Staples as long as they operate postal counters without uniformed postal workers.”

APWU Applauds

APWU President Mark Dimondstein cheered the developments.  “It’s great that our friends and allies are standing up against postal privatization and the transfer of good, living-wage jobs to low-wage jobs, and that they are demanding strong, public service for our customers.

“APWU members in California have done outstanding work,” he said. “They have helped win support from our brothers and sisters in the labor movement and from their representatives in Congress. In addition, they have continued to mount as many as six or seven protests per week outside various Staples stores throughout the state.

“I commend them and APWU members across the country for the outpouring of support for the campaign,” Dimondstein said.

Michael Evans, president of the California State APWU, recounted how the letter from 30 House members came about: “I was talking to Rep. Lowenthal and I asked him if he knew about the Staples deal,” he said. “Like most representatives, he didn’t,” Evans recalled. “When I told him about it, he immediately said, ‘That’s union-busting and privatization.’ He volunteered to write a letter and get others House members to sign on.”

“This is an excellent example of local, state and headquarters cooperation and just how powerful that teamwork can be,” said Legislative and Political Director John Marcotte. “The efforts of Mike Evans, California Legislative Director Phil Warlick, and Grassroots Coordinators Melissa Matos and Janice Kelble were instrumental in making this legislative effort a reality and a template for other states to follow. Congratulations to all involved for a job well done,” he said.