Letter Carriers Union Assails Postal Service for Lobbying Public to End Saturday Delivery
TweetWASHINGTON, March 29– The national president of the 295,000-member National Association of Letter Carriers union (NALC) today criticized the U.S. Postal Service for arrogantly lobbying the general public with a misleading Internet web site to win approval of elimination of Saturday mail delivery despite the fact that Congress has shown little interest in such a move.
NALC President Fredric V. Rolando said the recently announced postal web site offers misleading information and planning guides for businesses and households regarding its plan to cut Saturday collection and mail delivery services.
“The arrogance of the Postal Service in this campaign to lobby the public to embrace five-day delivery as the answer to the Postal Service’s problem is astounding,” he said. “Given that Congress has shown very little interest in eliminating Saturday service and must approve any change, the Postal Service should focus its energies on real solutions, not risky and counterproductive service cuts.”
“The Postal Service should stand down on this reckless drive to end Saturday delivery,” Rolando added. “It would do more harm than good and it distracts us from the real solution, eliminating the crushing burden of a deeply flawed health benefits pre-funding policy.”
Rolando said the Postal Service’s move has forced the union to set up its own special web site that will provide the news media and general public with complete information on why the proposed change to five-day delivery is the wrong way to go to secure the long-term viability of the Postal Service.
The NALC special web site is http://nalc.org/postal/reform/index.html.
“What makes matters worse is that the Postal Service is sending a very confusing message to Congress,” Rolando said. “Just a week ago, Postmaster General John Potter told a Senate hearing that ‘we wouldn’t have to go to five-day delivery’ if Congress corrected the deeply flawed retiree health pre-funding policy.”
Rolando emphasized that the decision to reduce the level of service and slow mail service in America is not the Postal Service’s to make.
“Only the Congress can authorize this change. The website and the public relations campaign launched by the Postal Service appears designed to fool mailers and the American people that 5-day delivery is a done deal,” Rolando added.
He said the Postal Service took the outrageous step to launch the deceptive web site:
* Despite the fact that current law requires 6-day delivery and that Congress has not given its approval to the Postal Service’s proposal to cancel delivery and collections services on Saturday;
* Despite the fact that neither the Appropriations Committees nor the Postal Service’s oversight committees have even held hearings on the radical proposal to slow service and destroy 50,000 to 80,000 good jobs in the middle of a jobs crisis; and
* Despite the fact that the Postal Service had not yet filed for an advisory opinion from the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC), which must hold hearings and subject the Postal Service’s questionable financial claims to democratic scrutiny.
Over the past few years, the NALC has led the drive to reform the pre-funding policy. That drive has been assisted in recent months by reports of the Postal Service’s own Inspector General that show that, measured accurately, the USPS surplus in the Civil Service Retirement Fund is large enough to fully fund future retiree health benefits. Fixing this problem would save the USPS at least $8 billion annually far more the speculative $3 billion annual savings the USPS claims it can get from reducing serve.
The 295,000-member NALC represents city delivery letter carriers in all 50 states and U.S. jurisdictions employed by the U.S. Postal Service, along with retired letter carriers.
March 29th, 2010 14:03
Most postal workers are more upset at potter for complete lack of mention about the 75 billion dollars we have OVERPAID the fund. WHY IS HE NOT PUSHING TO STOP THIS PAYMENT????????? Something we all should wondering and the oig should be looking into.
March 29th, 2010 14:10
I’m one tired mailman that is forced to work 6 days. The union should speak for themselves not me.
March 29th, 2010 14:24
Potter said if the congress give back the 75 billion overpayment, we don’t have to go 5 days.
Get your fact straight!
March 29th, 2010 14:29
If your tired, then quit and let someone that wants to work six days a week have your job
March 29th, 2010 15:25
Reducing service in a service industry is a suicidal “Business Model”, and that should be obvious to anyone with an ounce of common sense.
March 29th, 2010 15:34
Then why isnt potter trying harder to get 75 billion dollars back. I would be more focused telling the public about that then trying to go to 5 day delivery. We got robed
March 29th, 2010 16:13
Hey tired mailman, im sure you have no problem accepting all the perks the union has given you. Im sure that management just gave us all of our holidays off and they willingley give us all of our vacation time. I bet the union had nothing to do with that!!
Egghead, by dropping saturday delivery it will be the beginning of the end as far as the postal service is concerned. Why dont you rip management for wasting money on g.p.s. and flat sorting machines?
March 29th, 2010 16:53
USPS forcasts 238 billion loss next 10 years.
Stopping Sat. delivery will save 3 billion a year !
3X10 years=30 billion…wow…we’re only 208 billion short
for the 10 years…I know if we cancel all 6 days delivery we’ll save 180 billion and only be 58 billion short,,,
WE”RE SAVED !!!
March 29th, 2010 17:19
billion dollar flat sorting machines that dont work like there suppost to. and now thier forseing mailers to change thier flats not to ‘droup’ or pay a hefty penalty.that’s a way to increase bussiness!
March 29th, 2010 18:14
Why don’t the union just take a pay cut like the rest of the country, like the tune of 10170.00(year) x 295000 members now there is there 3 billion. Or maybe stop protecting people that don’t deserve such a good job, hell we have felons working for use that the union “saved” their jobs!!! Someone with bad sick leave, GET RID of them, no the unions saves their job on some BS not signed, or filled out right. UNION it’s a business for you also, just your turn to take a hit in your pocket book(less members), you should have long ago started to weed out the members that SHOULD NOT BE THERE!!!!
March 29th, 2010 18:46
Wow, what a ruse. And to think the NALC pres wants us to believe his motivation behind his comments are sincere. Gee Fred, I wander if you’re worried about lost union dues. Postal Service financial health be dam_ed, we’ve got a union to run! Arrogant? That would be you sir.
March 29th, 2010 18:53
why dont people learn better ways to save money if this is what they need to do then they should start cutting the pay and force retirement on postmaster and supervisors who make twice as much money sitting at their desks while the carriers are out there trying to deliver and bring business you want to save money start by that then people may listen dont need postmasters one or 2 supervisors per office do more than one postmaster saying this has to be done like i say or this has to be done like that and pick up the garbage i wish i was making that kind of money but its absurd to ask the people who are doing the actual work to take pay cut while management sits around driving bmw and mercedes and drinking martinis
March 29th, 2010 19:07
Hey NALC !
The end is in sight. The cash cow DID actually have a limit.
How many NALC administrators (managers) did the NALC reduce at their national HQ?
It couldn’t last forever !
March 29th, 2010 19:31
The NALC is useless, I got out of the union 7 months ago, and I’m glad I did. 5 day’s all the way.
March 29th, 2010 20:05
Congress won’t give us 5 billion and for some stupid reason Rolando thinks the best argument to make is to ask for MORE than what Congress is not giving us now. The absence of logic in his argument leads me to believe that the union has already given in. The know it’ll happen and can’t stop it but still need to look like they are doing something for the members. Anybody that read the OIG’s report would know how the 75 billion isn’t real money anyway.
March 29th, 2010 20:47
Hey Me
sounds like typical Limbaugh Babble about anyone who wont work for 8/hr
starvation wages OOH! “big labor!” Givebacks ?what’s that fat crackhead giving back? Makes 20 million a year flapping his gums. What’s Potter giving back? gave his ass a nice raise after putting the PO in a death spiral. 53 grand a year, Wow!
March 29th, 2010 23:08
I don’t want to lose my job. I want to work more, at least enough to get by. I only get to work 2 days a month and then on call the rest of the time. I love my job and would be willing to give up a future raise or two, or three to keep my job.
March 29th, 2010 23:20
Tony 5days all the way it just wont be at the USPS. Learn some facts next time you get a raise give it back start to pay more for health care give back your vacation IDOT
March 30th, 2010 05:28
I’m going to take everything every other carrier gets, I’m not giving anything back. and I’ll gladly take 5 days. And Matt, get spell check.
March 30th, 2010 12:57
I love the DOIS master!! You have the right idea!Without Saturday’s delivery we will only be short 208 billion! That is not so bad..WHY IS POTTER NOT FIGHTING FOR THE 75 BILLIONS IN OVERPAYMENT’S???? Hey it is our money…Finally why spend the 10 billion in flat sorting machines when the volume is by their own words is declining… From where I stand, these 3 issues should be the topic of our conversations. Why the over-expenditures with the flat sorting machines, why the over-expenditures with the retirement fund and why give Saturdays away. As a bonus, look into when HQ got its raise.