First, I want to thank all our members who voted in our recent Election of National Officers. I will work hard for you. Many members did not vote. We will just have to work harder to communicate the importance of our union. I hope and pray that all of you have a safe and special holiday!
Our new Postmaster General, David Steiner, needs to make sure he listens to the labor unions and the public and stops the “Delivering for America” 10-year plan. The Postal Service is an essential, economic, and civic service for America. The APWU has been fighting for our workers and for our public service. We need you all on board!
Essential:
The Postal Service requires sanctity and protection; it is a provider of supplies, medicines, vaccines,
food, money orders, and passports. We can provide services during natural and biomedical disasters. The Postal Service should not cripple the ability to respond to national emergencies and public health crises. The mail belongs to the people, linking rural communities, families, and economies. Our services are safeguarded with the postal workers’ oath, the Inspection Service, and the Office of Inspector General’s audits and investigations. Postal workers have proven repeatedly that we save lives and are essential to America.
Economics:
The Universal Service Obligation (USO) provides prompt, affordable, and reliable services to the public. No matter where you live, how much money you have, or how small your town is – post offices are to
remain open for your community.
Postal Banking was part of the essential, economic services we provided for over 56 years until the big
banks lobbied Congress to shut down revenue-based services. Many Americans are now ensnared in debt
by payday loan sharks, and over 68 million people are underbanked. There are currently 51 countries that
have postal banking services. Postal banking serves the public while generating revenue that keeps our
cherished Postal Service thriving.
Today, we have many ways to expand the public services we offer. Stop the “Delivering for America Plan” 10-year plan that consolidated facilities, reduced the network, and weakened and diminished prompt, affordable, and reliable services that Americans rely on every day. We have lost customers and businesses, and we have a fractured network that no longer provides overnight services.
Mr. Steiner, we need a better plan that is based on the successful services we provided years ago. Taking out all the mail-cancelling and sorting machines from many of our network facilities and slowing down transportation (i.e., optimization) was a big mistake.
We have a legal and operational commitment under the USO. America and our economy depend on it.
Civics:
America depends on Vote-by-Mail. The APWU bargained for an Election Taskforce to include management and the unions. Together, we need to do more to expand the program to all postal facilities nationwide, to secure and deliver election mail in a timely manner, including ballots, voter registration cards, absentee voting applications, and polling-place notifications. We need to assist Native Americans in providing each person with a ballot. Eight states and the District of Columbia are Vote-by-Mail states (WA, OR, CA, CO, UT, NV, VT, HI, and DC). Reverse the consolidations and let us work together with a deep review of the needs of each state in the United States, and how we can bring back overnight services. Let’s get ready to make these changes!
The post Delivering for the Public and Postal Workers appeared first on American Postal Workers Union.
The post Delivering for the Public and Postal Workers first appeared on APWU.