Seek Action To Protect Workers’ Jobs
Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand joined with a bipartisan group of 43 senators urging the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to extend the moratorium in place to delay postal facility closures.
In December 2011, the USPS voluntarily agreed to put in place a moratorium until May 15 on closing postal facilities. Schumer and Gillibrand called on the USPS to give Congress more time to enact postal reform legislation.
“On the heels of a cost-saving postal reform bill clearing the Senate, it is critical that we allow time for this bipartisan legislation to be enacted, before post offices are closed and thousands of jobs are lost in New York after May 15,” said Schumer. “As the economy is turning the corner, it is critical to keep post offices open for business as long as possible, so that New Yorkers get their paychecks on time, small businesses aren’t forced to wait for much needed revenue, and senior citizens aren’t stuck without a Social Security check. The Senate passage of major postal reform in April clears a huge hurdle towards reform that preserves the Post Office’s vital services in a cost-effective way, while still preventing job loss and hardship for families and businesses across the state, and I’m urging the Postmaster General to see that legislation through enactment before ending its moratorium on postal facility closures.”
“The U.S. Postal Service plays a vital role in every community,” Gilli- brand said. “Small businesses, families, and seniors depend on these facilities daily. I hope the Postmaster General will extend the moratorium on the closures of postal facilities. In New York, thousands of jobs, 87 post offices and seven Area Mail Processing centers must continue serving their communities while Congress works on reforming the postal service to ensure its survival.”
In their letter to U.S. Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe, the senators wrote, “On Apr. 25, the United States Senate passed S. 1789, the 21st Century Postal Service Act. We believe this bipartisan legislation will provide the United States Postal Service (USPS) with the flexibility and tools it needs to get back on the road to financial stability.
“The Senate included within this legislation a Sense of the Senate that the USPS should extend the current moratorium until enactment of the postal reform legislation,” the letter continued. “This moratorium will provide the time needed to enact the reforms in the 21st Century Postal Service Act. Again, we strongly urge you to extend the current moratorium on the closing of postal facilities.”
On Sept. 15, 2011, the USPS announced plans to review its mail processing network in the hopes of reducing costs. The USPS is currently considering the elimination of overnight delivery and studying the possibility of closing 3,700 mostly rural post offices and 252 mail processing facilities.
