Today’s vote by the House Appropriations Committee to approve an amendment to restore postal service standards is an important step forward for postal employees and our customers – large and small. The bipartisan vote was 26-23.

Postal workers have been fighting the drastic cuts in service that USPS management implemented unilaterally on Jan. 5. Today’s committee’s vote is a vivid example of how the demands of postal workers reflect the people’s demand for good postal service.

The amendment would rescind the lower service standards – which have wreaked havoc on mail delivery – and restore the standards that were in place on July 1, 2012. If enacted, it would require postal management to restore overnight mail delivery within cities and towns, and the 2- and 3-day delivery standards that were wiped out in January.

We are very appreciative of the legislators who voted for the amendment and to the postal workers and customers who encouraged them to ‘do the right thing.’ If enacted, the measure will greatly improve customer service and strengthen the U.S. Postal Service.

This is the just first step in a long process, however. We will continue to work with legislators and postal customers to restore the excellent service the American people expect and deserve.

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The American Postal Workers Union represents 200,000 employees of the United States Postal Service, and is affiliated with the AFL-CIO.