The APWU is outraged by USPS plans to accelerate the closure of 71 mail processing plants that were originally slated for possible consolidation in 2014, said APWU President Cliff Guffey. 1/These closures will eliminate jobs, harm communities, and delay mail delivery every day- Monday, through Saturday," he said. The consolidations will drastically curtail local mail sortation and will virtually eliminate overnight delivery.

liThe Postal Service is on the brink of cutting service in a way that will permanently damage our treasured institution. This would be a tragic mistake, and it is unnecessary," he said. The USPS notified the APWU on March 26 that it would implement 53 consolidations this year that were originally scheduled for 2014. In January, the Postal Service said it would accelerate implementation of 18 other closures.

1/These closures could have been avoided entirely," Guffey said. 11They are a casualty of congressional inaction.

11Congress must act now to enact meaningful postal reform -reform that restores the Postal Service to financial stability without destroying service or harming postal workers," he said. 11And Congress must act now to prevent the Postal Service from implementing these devastating cuts in service.

~~we are calling on members of Congress to support the Postal Service Protection Act, which was introduced in the Senate and House on Feb. 13. This legislation would address the cause of the Postal Service's manufactured financial crisis and allow the USPS to develop new products and services, so that it can remain relevant in the digital age," he said. The Protect Service Protection Act would protect- at least temporarily- current service standards.