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News 2005-2011 |
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USPS Announces Moratorium
On Post Office, Plant Closures
(12/13/11) The Postal Service has announced a five-month moratorium on the closure of post offices and mail processing facilities, in response to a request from 22 senators. The delay until May 15, 2012, is intended to give Congress more time to adopt legislation that would address the USPS financial crisis without drastic cuts in service. [read more]
Senators Seek to Stop USPS Cutbacks
Is Your Senator on Board?
(12/09/11) Twenty senators are asking Congress to impose a six-month moratorium on USPS plans to consolidate more than 250 mail processing plants, close thousands of post offices, and eliminate overnight mail delivery, in order to give lawmakers an opportunity to consider postal reform legislation. [read more]
USPS Plan Will Hasten Demise
Of a Still-Vital Institution
Degrading Mail Service Will Hurt, Not Help,
USPS
(12/05/11) “The Postal Service plan will hasten the demise of the USPS,” APWU President Cliff Guffey said in response to the agency’s announcement that it would seek an advisory opinion from the Postal Regulatory Commission on plans to eliminate next-day delivery of first-class mail and periodicals. “The USPS should be modernizing and striving to remain relevant in the digital age, not reducing service to the American people,” he said. “Degrading service is a direct consequence of Postal Service plans to eliminate half of its mail processing centers,” said Guffey. [read more]
Finally, An Admission:
Cuts will Degrade Service
(11/01/11) In late September, the Postal Service admitted something they’ve been denying for years: Cutbacks in the USPS mail processing network will lead to drastic reductions in service to the American people. The Postal Service announced plans to eliminate 252 mail processing facilities on Sept. 14, and one week later published a notice of proposed changes in service standards in the Federal Register. [read more]
Battle Over USPS Future Enters Critical Period
Union Launches Petition Drive to Protect
Post Offices, Mail Processing Centers, Service Standards
(10/31/11) The battle over the future of the Postal Service — and our jobs — has reached a critical stage: Key senators are meeting behind closed doors in an effort to produce a compromise bill to address the USPS financial crisis. It is likely that any proposals they develop will be submitted to the congressional “super-committee” to be incorporated into the committee’s plan to reduce the nation’s deficit. “It is absolutely essential that we make our voices heard now — before any deal is cut that could adversely affect the future of the USPS and our members,” said APWU President Cliff Guffey. [read more]
Union Launches Petition Drive
To Save America’s Postal Service
(10/28/11) President Guffey is asking APWU members to collect signatures on a petition to Congress urging senators and representatives to oppose plans to close post offices, shutter mail processing facilities, and drastically degrade service to the American people. In a letter to state and local presidents dated Oct. 26, 2011, President Guffey wrote, “It is urgent that we bring as much political pressure as possible to bear against the Postal Service’s plans to dismantle its network of processing, distribution and retail facilities.” [read more]
Union Challenges Proposed
Changes to USPS Service Standards
(10/06/11) The APWU is challenging proposed changes to USPS service standards that would result from a major reduction in the number of mail processing facilities. The Postal Service announced plans to eliminate 252 mail processing facilities on Sept. 14, and one week later published an “advance notice” of the proposed changes in service in the Federal Register. “The APWU vehemently opposes the USPS proposal to eliminate 60 percent of existing mail processing facilities and to make corresponding cuts in service standards,” President Cliff Guffey wrote in a letter dated Oct. 5. “If adopted, this proposal would deprive postal customers of needed service, damage the economy, and drive customers away from the Postal Service. [read more]
APWU Battles Consolidation Onslaught
(09/01/11) The USPS is accelerating consolidation plans in the face of a looming financial crisis and growing calls from Congress to cut costs and eliminate “excess” network capacity. Since June, the APWU has received notification of the Postal Service’s decision to consolidate operations at more than 25 mail processing centers, and plans to conduct more than 15 more Area Mail Processing studies. There’s no let up in sight, but APWU locals are continuing to lead the fight against misguided consolidations. [read more]
Union Files ULP Charge Over USPS Refusal
To Provide Information on Consolidations
(08/04/11) The APWU has filed an unfair labor practice (ULP) charge with the National Labor Relations Board (NRLB) protesting the Postal Service’s refusal to provide the union with information regarding Area Mail Processing (AMP) feasibility studies. The union contends that management’s failure to provide the information constitutes a breach of its obligation to bargain in good faith. [read more]
Threats to Our Service:
The Proof is in the Numbers
 |
(07/01/11) After years of fighting tirelessly to debunk management’s claims that consolidations will result in improved efficiency and cost savings, APWU locals now have proof that network realignment has a negative impact on the mail service that communities rely on. An audit recently completed by the USPS Office of Inspector General (OIG) found that a consolidation in Lima, OH, resulted in delayed mail and a decline in on-time performance and customer service. [read more]
Updated Consolidation Toolkit
Available to Assist in Locals’ Efforts
(06/01/11) The APWU has produced an updated toolkit to assist locals in their efforts to bring attention to the negative effects consolidation would have on mail service. “We encourage union activists to get involved in the fight against the Postal Service’s plans to cut the postal network,” said APWU Vice President Greg Bell. “In many cases, the consolidation of postal operations would have an adverse impact on customer service, the community, and jobs. This material will help union activists inform their communities, elected officials, and the media.” [read more]
Public, Legislators
Join the Fight to Save Mail Service
(04/13/11) The Postal Service’s assault on the nation’s mail processing network shows no signs of stopping — and APWU locals have responded by engaging elected officials, community leaders, and members of the public in the fight to save our service.
|
February was a record month for consolidation announcements, as the USPS launched studies that could lead to the closing or significant downsizing of 20 mail processing centers. The previous record month was September 2010, during which the Postal Service announced 13 planned studies. [read more]
APWU Locals Demand:
‘Keep the Mail Here!’
(02/28/11) In response to the Postal Service’s efforts to reduce the nation’s mail processing network, the APWU has ramped up its fight against the cuts at locations across the country.
Locals have held public protests, contacted members of Congress, engaged members of the community and elected officials in their efforts, and rallied to save postal facilities. Using material prepared by the national union, members are demanding that the USPS stop cutting service, jobs, and the postal network. [read more]
APWU Locals Lead Fight
Against Consolidation Plans
(11/01/10) The Postal Service’s efforts to cut the nation’s mail processing network have picked up again in recent months – and so has the union’s response. Since August, the USPS has issued frequent announcements that it plans to implement feasibility studies in many locations. Using material prepared by the national union, locals across the country have rallied, held public protests, and engaged community activists and local representatives in the fight to save postal facilities and protect our service. [read more]
No Relaxing in Fight Against Consolidation
(03/01/10) The Postal Service’s assault on mail-processing jobs has picked up in recent months, with frequent announcements that the USPS is seeking to consolidate operations at many Processing & Distribution Centers. These consolidations compromise service to postal customers and jeopardize thousands of postal jobs. Last May, when the Postal Service announced it was considering closing more than 3,200 large stations and branches, many APWU members thought the focus of management’s “network realignment” efforts had shifted away from mail-processing facilities. But the pace of Area Mail Processing (AMP) surveys — which study the feasibility of consolidating mail processing operations — picked up again shortly after the announcement about retail services. [read more]
OIG Audit:
USPS Can’t Rationalize ‘Network
Rationalization’
(01/19/10) Echoing APWU criticisms, a recent audit by the USPS Office of the Inspector General (OIG) concluded that after more than five years of initiatives aimed at streamlining the mail-processing network, the Postal Service has failed to establish criteria for identifying consolidation opportunities. The USPS has made only limited progress in implementing Area Mail Processing consolidations in the Processing & Distribution network, the Jan. 7 report says. [read more]
Plans Face Stiff Opposition
(01/01/10)
Every day I come to work and work hard,” said APWU member Tom
Thorpe, a postal worker since 1988. “But I might have to move.” Thorpe
was among more than 60 union members at a spirited rally held by the
side of U.S. Highway 29 on Nov. 15 protesting a plan to close down
the Charlottesville (VA) P&DF. Thorpe told the Daily Progress that
the proposal to shift mail processing 80 miles away to Richmond would
mean an additional 800 miles of commuting each week. [read
more]
Area Mail Processing Proposals:
Locals Fight Back
 |
(08/17/09) APWU locals around the country have been busy fighting the consolidation of mail processing operations — even as the Postal Service announced it was considering consolidating more than 3,200 of the nation’s larger stations and branches. [read more]
Changes and Challenges
(07/14/09) If postal management continues to respond to the current economic crisis by cutting service and slashing the workforce, it risks causing the USPS irreparable harm, APWU President William Burrus writes in an Update for union members. The union president says the APWU will vigorously enforce the Collective Bargaining Agreement as the Postal Service implements new cost-cutting measures. Support from the public and elected officials also are crucial to the survival of the USPS, he said. [read more]
P&DC Consolidation
AMP Plans: Locals Fight Back
(07/09/09) APWU locals around the country have been busy fighting the consolidation of Processing & Distribution Centers — even as the Postal Service announced it was considering consolidating more than 3,200 of the nation’s larger stations and branches. Here’s a round-up of network realignment activities, most of them involving Area Mail Processing (AMP) studies to trim back operations or close down large mail-sorting facilities. [read more]
APWU Locals Lead Protests
Of USPS Consolidation Plans
(06/16/09) The controversy over USPS efforts to cut the nation’s mail processing and distribution network has been rekindled in recent months, following a rash of announcements that the Postal Service is seeking to consolidate operations in many locations. Workers, owners of small businesses, and other concerned citizens have been speaking out against USPS plans. [read more]
Union Updates
Consolidation ‘Tool Kit’
(06/11/09) An updated tool kit is available to help APWU local and state leaders in their efforts to stop the Postal Service from moving vital mail processing operations away from the communities they serve. Many of the USPS consolidation proposals would lead to diminished mail service, the union notes. [full story - members only]
Consolidation of Large Post Offices:
APWU Responds
To USPS Notice on Retail Operations
(06/09/09) In response to a USPS notice that “the Postal Service is considering consolidating operations in our larger stations and branches,” APWU President William Burrus has reminded management that a Memorandum of Understanding included in the 2006-2010 Collective Bargaining Agreement requires that “all existing retail operations will remain within the installation of which they are a part.” [read more]
Burrus Testifies on Capitol Hill:
To Survive, USPS Must Change Strategy
(05/20/09) In testimony before a House panel May 20, APWU President William Burrus told lawmakers that if the Postal Service is to survive, it must re-examine its overall strategy. He emphasized that the need was urgent for passage of H.R. 22, which would allow the USPS to pay its share of contributions for annuitants’ health benefits out of a retirees fund rather than from its operating budget. [read more]
Locals, Business Owners, Officials
Oppose Plant Consolidations
(05/19/09) Business owners, elected officials, workers, and other citizens continue to speak out against USPS plans to consolidate mail-processing consolidations. APWU locals in Northern Virginia, Western Pennsylvania, and Queens, New York, have been taken the lead in protests in their areas. [read more]
APWU-Led Consolidation Protests
Gather Steam, Gain Public Support
(04/20/09) Owners of small businesses, workers, and other concerned citizens continue to speak out at protests and at public meetings staged by the Postal Service to “share initial results” of Area Mail Processing studies. At one of the noisier of such gatherings, several business owners and public officials in Wilkes-Barre disagreed sharply with the USPS conclusion that moving mail processing operations 25 miles away to Scranton would leave the economy of Luzerne County unharmed. [read more]
APWU Locals Lead Protests
Of Postal Service Consolidation Plans
(03/04/09) APWU members staged informational pickets protesting USPS mail-processing proposals in several locations in north-central Ohio on March 2. The pickets, in sub-freezing weather, took place in Fostoria, Tiffin and Bucyrus, all towns in which outgoing mail is sent to Mansfield for sorting, but, under Postal Service plans, would be shifted another hour east to Akron, with service likely to suffer. [read more]
APWU Leads Protests
Of Florida Consolidation Plans
(02/17/09) Approximately 200 postal workers and their families and friends crowded a university auditorium in Lakeland, FL, on Feb. 11 to protest the Postal Service plan to move processing operations and as many as 40 jobs from the Lakeland P&DC to the Tampa P&DC, about 40 miles away. According to the Lakeland Ledger, about 50 additional people who wanted to attend couldn’t fit into the room — for the only public meeting the USPS planned to hold on the matter. [read more]
APWU Blasts USPS Response
To Postal Financial Crisis
(02/10/09) APWU President William Burrus decried Postal Service plans
to address its financial crisis in a letter to the Postmaster General
on Feb. 9. “It is extremely disappointing that not a single step
is aimed at reducing the loss of revenue from ‘worksharing’ discounts
or from subcontracting,” he wrote, referring to a list of steps
the USPS outlined in a Feb. 4 edition of News Link Extra. Burrus
said he is particularly disturbed by USPS plans to consolidate “excess” capacity
in its mail processing and transportation networks while postal policy
encourages the growth of private entities that perform these duties.
[read more]
APWU Local Collects 8,000 Signatures
In Support of Consolidation Fight in Florida
(01/23/09) As part of its drive to keep mail processing operations at the Manasota (FL) P&DC, an APWU local has collected more than 8,000 signatures from the community opposing the proposed shift of some operations to Tampa, about 60 miles away. “We’ve been gathering signatures for just over six weeks,” said Manasota APWU President Jim DeMauro. “Some we’ve collected near the facility itself, but we’ve been getting the message out every way we can, including at public events and online.” [read more]
APWU
Members in Florida
Enlist
Public’s Support in Consolidation Fight
(12/12/08) When the Postal Service announced a consolidation study
in Bradenton, FL, APWU’s Manasota Area Local APWU swung into
action without waiting for the first in “a series of community
meetings” that the USPS said it would schedule. Instead, the
local launched its own effort to inform the public about the plan,
and prompted the area’s largest city government to hold a special
meeting.
[read more]
Rough Rides
Along
The Network Realignment Trail
(12/10/0) In the fall we learned of yet another example of the failure of the USPS network realignment plan: The Postal Service announced in November that it was rescinding two consolidation proposals — both of them nearly three years old. One was a plan to consolidate a western Iowa postal facility’s mail across state lines; the other was a proposal to consolidate a South Dakota facility to a plant 90 miles away. [read more]
Bronx Consolidation Plan ‘Not Approved’
(11/24/08) Nearly three years after an Area Mail Processing study was launched, a plan to send mail from three major processing facilities in the Bronx to a sorting facility in Manhattan has been shelved. The Bronx AMP study, announced Dec. 15, 2005, proposed transferring “secondary processing activities from the Bronx P&DC” and two other facilities in the borough to the facility located in midtown Manhattan. [read more]
USPS
Scraps
Western Iowa Consolidation Plan
(11/07/08) Almost three years
after the Postal Service announced plans to consolidate a western Iowa
postal facility’s mail across
state lines, the USPS has decided to allow the Sioux City Processing & Distribution
Facility to continue with its normal operations. The Area Mail Processing
survey in Sioux City was among the first batch of consolidation studies
begun in late 2005. There was almost immediate public backlash, with
Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) assailing the Postal Service for ignoring “major
issues such as the costs the USPS plan will impose on local businesses
and possible delays in mail service..."
[read more]
APWU
Testimony Assails
Latest ‘USPS Network Plan’
(07/28/08) The Postal Service’s strategy for “network realignment” is based on a faulty premise, APWU Legislative Director Myke Reid told lawmakers July 24. The stated objective of the USPS Network Plan is to promote efficiency by eliminating redundancy, he said. “But the fallacy of the plan is that it artificially limits the definition of the postal network. By intentional design, the plan considers only the 400-plus USPS mail processing facilities to be ‘the network,’ while in reality, the network consists of both public and private facilities that prepare mail for delivery by USPS employees.” [read more]
USPS ‘Network
Plan’ Would
Adversely Effect Postal Workers, Service
(06/26/08) The Postal Service’s latest plan to realign its mail processing, transportation, and retail network “would adversely affect APWU-represented employees and disrupt mail service to the American public,” APWU President William Burrus said in an update for union members. “Regrettably, postal management has developed a business plan that relies almost exclusively on reducing work hours as a means of remaining financially solvent,” he noted. “This is a failed strategy and it cannot sustain America’s mail service.” [read more]
Spending Bill Includes Rider
That Blocks 7 Consolidations
(12/20/07) A provision attached to the appropriations bill awaiting President Bush’s signature would indefinitely postpone most of the Postal Service consolidation plans still awaiting implementation. [read more]
Consolidation Plans Challenged
(12/20/07) Prompted in large part by an APWU advertising campaign,
citizens of Flint and Detroit spoke out last fall against the consolidation
of mail-processing operations into a new facility situated between
the two cities, which are 65 miles apart.
[read
more]
APWU Launches Ad Campaign
Against Consolidation in Michigan
Detroit, Flint Facilities Threatened
(10/15/07) An APWU advertising campaign in southern Michigan got underway last week, urging the citizens of Flint and Detroit to speak out against the consolidation of mail-processing operations into a new facility in Pontiac. The campaign is designed to generate interest in community meetings Oct. 22 and 23, when the USPS will discuss Area Mail Processing studies for the two cities. [read more]
3 Consolidations Stopped; 1 Reversed
(09/01/07) The APWU has been notified that three proposed consolidations that would have resulted in mail-processing shifts in Tennessee, Wisconsin, and Texas will not occur. And thanks to the efforts of the Marysville (CA) Local, a nearly two-year-old consolidation is being reversed. [read more]
Postal Regulator: END Planning Flawed
(09/01/07) In a rush to redesign its nationwide network of facilities, the Postal Service acted on several misguided and poorly rationalized assumptions, a Postal Regulatory Commission official told Congress in late July. [read more]
Postal Regulator Tells Congress of
Failures in Consolidation Planning
(08/02/07) In a rush to redesign its nationwide network of facilities, the Postal Service acted on several misguided and poorly rationalized assumptions, a Postal Regulatory Commission official told Congress in late July. In testimony before a House of Representatives subcommittee, John D. Wailer also cited a lack of consistency in how proposed consolidations are reviewed; a failure to develop criteria for approval or disapproval of proposed consolidations; a failure to seek public input; and “severe tardiness and errors in analysis in post-consolidation reviews.” [read more]
Tennessee AMP Study Terminated
(07/27/07) The APWU has been notified that a proposed consolidation that would have resulted in a mail-processing shift from the Jackson, TN Post Office into the Memphis, TN Processing and Distribution Center will not occur. [read more]
Texas Consolidation Plan Shelved
(07/25/07) The APWU has been notified that a proposed consolidation of mail-processing operations in Waco, TX, will not occur. A study to determine whether operations should be shifted both north (about 90 miles to Fort Worth) and south (100 miles to Austin) has been terminated. Approximately 250 jobs were at stake. [read more]
Oshkosh-to-Green Bay Consolidation Cancelled
APWU Lawsuit Alleging USPS
Failed to Seek Approval of Plans Dismissed
(07/20/07) The APWU has been notified that a proposed consolidation that would have resulted in a mail-processing shift approximately from one Wisconsin P&DF to another 50 miles away will not occur, rendering “moot” an APWU legal challenge over the Postal Service’s lack of adequate public and stakeholder notification concerning its network realignment plan for the facilities. [read more]
Seven More AMPs Terminated
(07/01/07) From late April through the first week of June, the Postal Service terminated seven Area Mail Processing studies, bringing to 28 the number of feasibility studies halted in the past year. “After review, it has been determined that there are currently no significant opportunities to improve efficiency and/or service through consolidation” at the La Crosse (WI) P&DF, said a letter to the APWU on May 22. “Therefore, no significant changes will be made at this time.” [read more]
Public Affairs Group Honors APWU TV Ad
(06/25/07) An APWU-sponsored TV commercial that decried the negative effects of Postal Service consolidation plans has won a “Pollie Award” from the American Association of Political Consultants. [read more]
Zanesville Consolidation Study Terminated
(06/12/07) The APWU has been notified that a proposed consolidation that would have resulted in a mail-processing shift approximately 60 miles across central Ohio will not occur. “After review, it has been determined that there are currently no significant opportunities to improve efficiency and/or service through consolidation of certain mail processing operations at the Zanesville OH Post Office into the Columbus, OH Processing and Distribution Center,” the Postal Service wrote to the APWU on June 7. “Therefore, no significant changes will be made at this time.” [read more]
Wisconsin-to-Minnesota AMP Halted
(05/22/07) The APWU has been notified that the consolidation of some mail-processing operations at the La Crosse (WI) P&DF into the Rochester (MN) P&DF will not occur. “After review, it has been determined that there are currently no significant opportunities to improve efficiency and/or service through consolidation of mail processing operations at the La Crosse P&DF,” the Postal Service wrote to the APWU on May 22. “Therefore, no significant changes will be made at this time.” [read more]
Termination of AMPs Is Good News
For Northern Michigan, Southern Texas
(05/17/07) The APWU has been notified that studies of the consolidation of some mail-processing operations at the Gaylord (MI) Main Post Office and at Beaumont (TX) P&DF have been brought to a close and the proposed consolidations will not take place.
[read more]
House Bill Would Set
Timetable for Consolidation Studies
(05/10/07) A bill introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives would establish firm deadlines for Area Mail Processing surveys and would prohibit the USPS from removing equipment or reducing the workforce in affected facilities during AMP studies. Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI) introduced H.R. 2177, which would require the Postal Service to complete AMP studies within 180 days. Extensions of 60 days would be permitted only if “persons likely to be affected” are notified prior to the expiration of the original deadline. [read more]
Mail Processing Staying Put in Western MD
 |
(05/07/07) The APWU was notified May 4 that the proposed consolidation of some mail-processing operations involving two sites 90 miles apart in western Maryland has been cancelled. “After review, it has been determined not to pursue the consolidation of certain mail processing operations at the Cumberland Main Post Office,” the Postal Service wrote to APWU President William Burrus of the proposal to consolidate some activities into the Frederick P&DF. [read more]
St. Petersburg Consolidation to Proceed
(05/03/07) The Postal Service has notified the APWU that it will implement plans to shift some mail-processing operations from the St. Petersburg (FL) Processing and Distribution Center to the Tampa P&DC. Citing declining mail volume at the St. Petersburg facility, postal management claims the move will result in “significant savings” for the USPS. [read more]
Twin Falls, Cape Cod Consolidations Stopped
(04/25/07) The APWU has been notified that the Postal Service has decided not to pursue the consolidation of some mail-processing operations at the Twin Falls (ID) Customer Service Mail Processing Center into the Boise P&DC, and has also halted the consolidation of cancellation operations at the Cape Cod (MA) P&DC. [read more]
Bloomington, Two Upstate New York
AMPs Halted; Bronx Study in Limbo
(Updated 04/17/07) The APWU received notice recently that consolidations of mail-processing operations in Watertown and Binghamton, NY, and Bloomington, IN, no longer are being considered, and that the Area Mail Processing study in the Bronx may be on hold. “After preliminary review, it has been determined that there are currently no significant opportunities to improve efficiency or service through consolidation of mail processing operations" in Watertown and Binghamton, Postal Service management wrote in April 13 and April 17 letters. “Therefore, no changes will be made at this time.” Similar language appears in a March 23 letter regarding the AMP study in Bloomington, although the review there is described as “exhaustive” rather than “preliminary.” [read more] | [APWU May/June magazine article]
USPS Abandons a Dozen AMPs
(03/01/07) The Postal Service cancelled 12 Area Mail Processing studies early this year, a direct result, APWU President William Burrus said, of the efforts of postal workers and community leaders. “They have demanded that individuals and small businesses continue to receive the postal services they deserve,” he said. “We are pleased that so many of these ill-advised studies have been abandoned.” [read more]
USPS Abandons Nine More AMP Studies
(02/12/07) The Postal Service has notified the APWU that it has cancelled nine more Area Mail Processing studies. In a statement on Feb. 9, the Postal Service told the APWU that “it has been determined that there are currently no significant opportunities to improve efficiency or service through consolidation of mail processing operations” in: Carroll, IA; Glenwood Springs, CO; Hutchinson, KS; McCook, NE; Sheridan and Wheatland, WY; Fox Valley, IL; and Bryan and McAllen, TX. [read more]
Postal Service Cancels Another AMP Study
(01/29/07) The APWU won another battle in the fight against misguided “network realignment” plans when the USPS announced the end of a study aimed at consolidating mail processing operations in Yakima (WA) with those in Pasco, 85 miles away. Saying that the proposed consolidation would not result in improved service or efficiency, the Postal Service announced on Jan. 22 that the Area Mail Processing study begun in December 2005 would not be completed. The central Washington city of Yakima will keep its mail processing operations and its postmark. [read more]
Two Consolidation Studies Scrapped
(01/18/07) The U.S. Postal Service announced in early January that it was calling off plans to move some North Carolina mail-processing operations from Kinston to Fayetteville; in Montana a week later, Sen. Max Baucus (D) announced that plans to move mail-processing from Helena, the state capital, to Great Falls also had been abandoned. [read more]
Anti-Consolidation Resolution Introduced
(01/12/07) In a demonstration of the growing level of concern over the Postal Service’s consolidation plans, U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson (R-MO) introduced a non-binding resolution on Jan. 7 seeking to ensure “a maximum degree of effective and regular postal service to all communities.” [read more]
Rate Commission Assails USPS Consolidation Plan
(12/22/06) In a blistering criticism of the Postal Service’s Evolutionary Network Development strategy, the Postal Rate Commission concluded that the “record does not provide assurance that the proposed realignment program will meet its declared goals. In particular, the record reflects flawed or absent information on certain crucial aspects of the Postal Service's plan for realignment.” [read more]
Portland APWU Rains
on Potter’s Parade
Maine Officials Honor Union Picket
 |
(11/09/06) When the Postal Service announced a ribbon-cutting ceremony Nov. 2 to celebrate the grand opening of an $82 million mail-processing center in Scarborough, ME, it expected that distinguished guests, such as Maine’s U.S. senators, would be pleased to be guests of honor. What USPS officials didn’t expect was an APWU protest — and that became much bigger news that the event itself. [read more]
Postmaster General Gets Noisy Greeting
 |
(11/01/06) With chants of “Save Our Service” and other messages protesting USPS policies locally and nationwide, more than 100 APWU members protested Postmaster General John E. Potter’s early October visit to a downtown San Antonio hotel. “The US Post Service was created to serve all citizens and not just big special interests,” said Alex Aleman, president of the San Antonio Alamo Area Local. “It’s supposed to be based on customer service and demand, not on a computer program.” [read more]
 |
Protests of Ill-Advised Plans
Expand in Number, Size, Impact
(11/01/06) With a nationwide day of picketing representing both a crest and a continuing wave of protest, APWU locals continue to press the Postal Service for accountability in its plans to consolidate postal facilities across the country. The picketing was part of the APWU’s campaign to expose the poorly conceived — and often well-hidden — network realignment plans and the serious negative impact they would have on mail service for consumers’ and small businesses. [read more]
APWU Nationwide |
Thousands of Postal Workers
Protest Ill-Conceived USPS Plans
(10/26/06) In a nationwide day of picketing Oct. 26, APWU locals across the country protested Postal Service policies that put the demands of corporate advertising mailers ahead of the needs of individual postal customers and small businesses. The picketing was part of the APWU’s campaign to expose the poorly conceived — and often well-hidden — network realignment plans and the serious negative impact they would have on mail service for consumers’ and small businesses.
[read more]
APWU Locals Prepare
For Nationwide Day of Picketing
(10/25/06) Momentum has been building for the APWU nationwide day of picketing to be held Thursday, Oct. 26, at locations across the country. The picketing will highlight the potentially damaging effects of the Postal Service’s plans to consolidate postal facilities and expose USPS policies of catering to big mailers at the expense of individual customers and small businesses. [read more]
OIG Report Criticizes Pasadena Consolidation
(10/23/06) A report by the USPS Office of the Inspector General concluded that the cost savings projected by the Postal Service for the consolidation of a California mail processing facility “may be significantly overstated, and the service impacts are not fully described.” The report on the Area Mail Processing (AMP) plan for the Pasadena Processing and Distribution Center, dated Sept. 26, 2006, also found that “the approval process was not consistently followed, notifications to stakeholders were not issued in a timely manner, and the implementation of the AMP differed from the proposal” that postal managers had approved. [read more]
Nationwide Solidarity Display Set for Oct. 26
Day of Picketing to Expose
Ill-Advised Consolidation Plan
(10/05/06) In accordance with a resolution adopted by delegates to the union’s 18th Biennial Convention, the APWU National Executive Board has selected Oct. 26 for a nationwide day of picketing to protest ill-advised postal consolidations. The coordinated informational picketing is intended to spotlight the potentially damaging effects of the USPS consolidation plan, and to expose how Postal Service policy panders to major mailers. The Oct. 26 date was selected to give local unions the opportunity to seek support from elected officials and candidates prior to Election Day, Nov. 7. [read more] | [click here for materials]
APWU Asks U.S. Lawmakers
to
Support
Citizens’ Right
to
Be Heard on Consolidation
(09/21/06) In a letter sent to every member of Congress, APWU President William Burrus asked legislators to support citizens’ efforts to be part of the debate about plans to realign the nation’s mail-processing network. “The Postal Service has failed to consider the concerns of the American people, denied them the information necessary to determine if the revised network will meet their needs, and excluded them from having real input in the decision-making process,” Burrus wrote. [full story]
PRC Testimony:
USPS Rate Proposal Shifts More Costs
From Major Mailers to Individual Customers
(09/14/06) Analyzing the Postal Service’s own data, APWU testimony before the Postal Rate Commission has demonstrated that proposed increases in the price of postage would expand a controversial USPS policy — shifting costs from large corporate mailers to small businesses and individual citizens. [full story]
Testimony: USPS Fails
In Effort to Get
Input on Consolidation
(09/07/06) In testimony submitted to the Postal Rate Commission on behalf of the APWU on Sept. 1, Margaret L. Yao, an expert and senior associate at AmericaSpeaks, sharply criticized the USPS for failing to adequately consult with the public on its network consolidation plan. [read more]
USPS Tries to Keep It Secret –
But the APWU Takes It Public
(09/01/06) The Postal Service was forced to acknowledge in testimony to the Postal Rate Commission (PRC) in July that nearly a year ago it had compiled a list of 139 facilities that were being considered “potential candidates” for consolidation. The USPS provided the list to the PRC on July 25. David Williams, who coordinates the Area Mail Processing program at USPS headquarters, revealed the existence of the list during cross-examination on July 19. He testified that the list of facilities was part of the Evolutionary Network Development (END) initiative, and was generated in September 2005. It identified facilities that postal headquarters wanted regional managers to consider for possible inclusion in the program, he said. [read more]
Delegates Protest Consolidation
Nationwide Deterioration
In Service Spurs Rally at Post Office
 |
(8/18/06) Nearly 3,000 blue T-shirt-clad APWU union members sent a strong and unified message to the Postal Service Thursday, as they surrounded what used to be the Philadelphia Processing and Distribution Center at a rally protesting failing service and mismanaged network realignment programs.
[read more]
APWU Convention Delegates
To Protest Decline in Service
(08/15/06) Postal workers will take to the streets of Philadelphia on Aug. 17, in a rally at the 30th Street Post Office to protest the dramatic deterioration in mail service that is the result of ill-advised postal policies that can — and should — be changed. [read more]
Postal Service Feels the |
Postal Service Drops Plans
To Consolidate Illinois Facility
(08/02/06) In a major win for the APWU and a northern Illinois community, the Postal Service has terminated its plan to move mail-sorting operations and as many as 100 jobs out of Rockford’s main post office. “This is a colossal victory for the people and the hard-working postal employees whose jobs were threatened by this consolidation plan,” said U.S. Rep. Don Manzullo (R), who had worked with community and union leaders in opposition to the proposal. [read more]
Postal Workers Warn of Service Delays
Under USPS ‘Consolidation’ Plan
Postal Service Forced to
Disclose
Plans Targeting 139 Facilities
(07/31/06) Postal workers are warning customers to expect week-long delays in mail delivery under a Postal Service plan to close parts of mail processing facilities across the nation. Last week, the USPS was forced to reveal a secret list targeting 139 sorting facilities across the nation for consolidation.... The Postal Service’s revelation coincides with the launch of a major advertising campaign by the American Postal Workers Union, representing 300,000 USPS employees. [press release]
USPS Lists 139 Facilities
As ‘Potential Candidates’ for Consolidation
(07/31/06) The Postal Service was forced to acknowledge in testimony to the Postal Rate Commission (PRC) in July that nearly a year ago it had compiled a list of 139 facilities that were being considered “potential candidates” for consolidation. Until July 25, 2006, the Postal Service had failed to provide a comprehensive list of sites under consideration. The USPS first announced the consolidation of some operations in October 2005 and has notified the APWU of only 40 facilities for consolidation “feasibility studies,” most of which are included among the 139 facilities. [read more]
Union Launches Ad Campaign
To Combat USPS Network Consolidation
(07/26/06) The APWU is taking its grassroots campaign against USPS “network realignment” to a new level by airing radio and television ads that warn of week-long delays in mail delivery. Broadcast advertising began July 26, with radio and television commercials running in Beaumont (TX), Bloomington (IN), Cumberland (MD), St. Petersburg (FL), and Yakima (WA), cities where APWU activists have already taken steps to inform citizens about the negative effect USPS network consolidation plans will have on mail service for individual postal customers and small businesses. [read more]
Our Action Plan to Fight Consolidation
(07/01/06) The specter of excessing has loomed large in postal workers’ lives seemingly forever, and its possibility is always a source of anxiety to the rank and file. That’s why management’s concerted effort to consolidate postal services in every corner of the country could be — unless we step up to the plate to battle it — a form of institutional excessing, with the lives of thousands of postal workers and their families disrupted. [read more]
Senior Florida Congressman
Challenges St. Petersburg Consolidation
(06/26/06) U.S. Rep. Bill Young (R-FL) has asked Postmaster General John E. Potter to respond to a detailed list of questions that challenge the Postal Services’ plan to shift mail processing operations from the St. Petersburg Processing & Distribution Center to the Tampa P&DC. Young asked Potter to postpone any further decisions about the merger of operations until the USPS provides more information and community leaders have an opportunity to study it. [read more]
Iowa’s U.S. Delegation
Pushes
USPS to ‘Get Its Act Together’
(06/23/06) At the request of Iowa’s U.S. senators and Rep. Steve King (R), the USPS Inspector General’s office has agreed to conduct an audit of the Area Mail Processing study of the Sioux City Processing & Distribution Facility. King made the announcement about the audit plan last week, after he, Sen. Tom Harkin (D), and Sen. Chuck Grassley (R) met with the Postal Service IG to discuss the report, which is expected to take months. [read more]
Five Consolidations Cancelled
USPS: ‘No Significant
Opportunities
to Improve Service’
(05/24/06) The APWU has been notified that the proposed consolidation of “certain operations” at five postal facilities in the Northeast Area has been cancelled, because they present no substantial opportunities to improve efficiency or service. The five facilities are: Utica (NY) Processing & Distribution Facility, Plattsburgh (NY) Post Office, Burlington (VT) P&DF, Springfield (MA) Processing & Distribution Center, Portsmouth (NH) P&DF. [read more]
19 Congressmen Express
Concern About ‘Consolidation’
(05/04/06) At the urging of the APWU, 19 members of Congress whose constituents would be affected by USPS “network realignment” plans expressed concern about the program in a May 1, 2006, letter to U.S. Comptroller General David M. Walker. The letter urged the GAO to follow up on its 2005 report on the USPS realignment strategy, which the agency concluded, “lacks sufficient transparency and accountability, excludes stakeholder input, and lacks performance measures for results.” [read more]
 |
| Guy Cruz, Olympia Local treasurer, at a rally in April. |
Consumers, Workers, Legislators:
The People Demand to Be Heard
(05/01/06) It didn’t take long for postal consumers and workers to react — and strongly — to the long-expected postal network consolidation that began in bits and pieces last fall. Shortly after the USPS announced that it was consolidating “some operations” at about a dozen processing and distribution facilities, and conducting Area Mail Processing feasibility surveys at approximately 40 others, APWU members and members of the public began to demand answers and accountability. And the campaign to fight consolidation is being coordinated with a grass-roots effort of individual citizens, community organizations, small businesses, and elected officials on all levels. [read more]
APWU Asks District Court
To Put Consolidation On Hold
(04/25/06) The APWU filed a complaint in U.S. District Court on April 21, charging that the Postal Service violated the Postal Reorganization Act in implementing its “network realignment” plan, known as Evolutionary Network Development (END). The complaint seeks a judgment that management violated the 1970 law, as well as an injunction against future violations. [read more]
PTFs in Small Offices
(04/24/06— Question submitted to "Ask the President")
What are the union’s plan to assist with conversion of PTFs in Associate Offices?
[President Burrus' Response]
Members of Congress Ask GAO
To Address Consolidation Concerns
(04/11/06) Echoing union criticisms of the USPS network consolidation plan, four key members of Congress expressed “concerns about the way the USPS is carrying out” the program, in a letter to the Government Accountability Office. “While we recognize the USPS may need to consolidate its facilities…,” the March 27 letter said, “... we are not convinced that USPS is following the recommendations made” in GAO’s 2005 report on consolidation. The 2005 study concluded that the USPS “strategy for realigning its mail-processing infrastructure lacks clarity, criteria, and accountability.” [read more]
Five Consolidation Studies Put ‘On Hold’
(04/06/06) The APWU has been notified that five Area Mail Processing (AMP) feasibility studies “have been placed on hold” indefinitely. An April 3 USPS notice to APWU President William Burrus indicated that the facilities involved are two in Illinois (Carbondale and Centralia), two in New Mexico (Las Cruces and Alamogordo), and one in Arkansas (Batesville). “We have not been informed whether these decisions are the result of community resistance or technical issues involving appropriate management review and approval for the studies,” Burrus said. [read more]
Postal Rate Commission Rejects
USPS Proposal for Expedited Schedule
(03/28/06) The Postal Rate Commission (PRC) has rejected a USPS motion for expedited Rate Commission review of the Evolutionary Network Development (END) plan for consolidation of postal facilities. The ruling is a victory for the APWU, which opposed the fast-track timetable, and for citizens whose postal services will be negatively affected by changes to the USPS network. [read more]
Union Asks Legislators to Support
Public Input on USPS Consolidation
(03/27/06)The APWU has asked key legislators to support language in the Senate version of postal reform legislation that would require the Postal Service to consider community input when contemplating consolidation of postal operations. The language, offered by Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA), was adopted by the Senate when it approved the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act on Feb. 9, 2006. [read more]
National Executive Board Acts
To Fight Network Consolidation
Dues Assessment to Help Pay for Ad Campaign
(03/10/06) Vowing to do “everything in our power to thwart the Postal Service’s network realignment plan,” the union’s National Executive Board has voted to approve a $5 dues assessment. Spread out over two pay periods, the assessment will help pay for an advertising campaign designed to make the public more aware of the expected negative changes. “The plan was created without any input from the American people whose mail service will deteriorate,” said APWU President William Burrus. [read more]
Network Realignment Update
Public Supports Workers’ Efforts
To Preserve Service, Postmarks, Jobs
(03/01/06) Postal Service announcements of plans to consolidate “some operations” at mail processing facilities around the country have generated mostly unfavorable reactions from elected officials and consumers alarmed by the prospects of deteriorated customer service, the demise of historical postmarks, and the dislocation of citizens important to local economies. As part of an effort to get the Postal Service to reconsider plans to relocate major functions of local facilities, these same displeased officials and consumers — aided by APWU members — have been seeking the support of state and federal officials. [read more]
USPS Briefs APWU
On Plans to Realign Network
(02/15/06) The Postal Service provided a long-awaited outline of the Evolutionary Network Development (END) program in a meeting with APWU officers Feb. 14, 2006, the same day it submitted the plan to the Postal Rate Commission (PRC) for evaluation. The USPS is required by law to seek an advisory opinion from the PRC when it proposes to make changes in service that are national in scope. Under the Collective Bargaining Agreement, the Postal Service is also required to notify the union when a major relocation of employees is planned “due to the implementation of national postal mail networks.” [read more]
USPS ‘Network Realignment’ Update
Public Supports Workers’ Efforts
To
Preserve Service, Postmarks, Jobs
(01/25/06) From Waterbury to Waco, from western Pennsylvania to Pacific Palisades, public officials, consumers, and local businesses are expressing alarm at wide-ranging plans to consolidate “some operations” at postal facilities around the country. [read more]
The APWU and USPS Consolidation Plans
(01/18/06— Question submitted to "Ask the President") Why was the national APWU caught off guard by the USPS consolidation plans? The only time I know of that the APWU protested management’s refusal to provide the consolidation plan was during the first year of the contract extension. Why was there no follow-up? Why wasn’t legal action taken or a grievance filed? What is the national doing in regard to all the Area Mail Processing (AMP) studies? Grassroots efforts are fine, but what is the national union doing?
[President Burrus' response]
Consumers, Workers Get Glimpse Of Future Plans
Some Operations Consolidated
As ‘Network Realignment’ Begins
(01/03/06) To the consternation of the American public and APWU members, the Postal Service began making announcements late last year that it was consolidating “some operations” at approximately a dozen processing and distribution facilities, and conducting Area Mail Processing feasibility surveys at others.
The AMP studies are likely to result in additional instances of consolidation, and the APWU, at all levels, continues to press the Postal Service for details on its plans. [read more]
Realignment Plans Spark Controversies
Consumers, Postal Workers
Express Concerns About 'Consolidation'
(01/03/06) Postal Service announcements of plans to consolidate “some operations” at mail processing facilities around the country have generated interest in the press, as well as among elected officials and consumers. The reviews are almost universally unfavorable. The deterioration of customer service, the demise of historical postmarks, and the dislocation of citizens important to local economies are issues that seem to resonate with the media, legislators, and the public. [read more]
Stop the Presses!
USPS Kills Favorable Story About
Facility Targeted for Consolidation
(12/22/05) Why would the Postal Service decided against publishing an internally prepared story about one of its most productive facilities? According to Clint Burelson, president of the APWU local that includes employees of the extremely efficient Tumwater (WA) plant, there’s a very good reason: The plant is part of a consolidation plan and the good publicity might too easily result in, well, bad publicity. So the USPS-publication’s Tumwater tale has been put on hold. [read more]
Olympian Effort May Be Model
For Combatting Consolidation
(12/22/05) Activities by the Olympia (WA) Local in response to a plan to move the city’s mail processing to Tacoma (a much larger city 30 miles away) may prove to be a model for other APWU locals fighting consolidation. The Olympia local has taken its message to the public – and loudly – and has challenged each claim the Postal Service has made. [read more]
Postal Operations Identified
For Consolidation or Study
(11/22/05) The APWU has received notification from the USPS that some operations at the facilities listed would be consolidated, or that the facilities would be the subject of AMP (Area Mail Processing) studies. [read more]
Consolidation of USPS Network Begins
(11/21/05) Recently, the union received notification from the USPS of the planned consolidation of “some operations” at 10 offices one week, followed by a dozen more several weeks later. “The APWU will respond with all available resources,” APWU President William Burrus said in a Nov. 17 Update to local and state presidents. “A group of resident officers has been empanelled to coordinate the APWU response, including activating and updating APWU plans that were developed and distributed to local and state presidents in 2003.”
[read more]
Consolidation Begins in Bits and Pieces
(11/17/05) The long-expected USPS network consolidation has begun in bits and pieces, with individual offices now being notified of changes to their mail processing operations. Over the past several weeks the union has received notification from the USPS of the planned consolidation of “some operations” at 10 offices one week, followed by a dozen more the following week. [read more]
Locals Threatened with Consolidation
Are Urged to Act to Protect Jobs, Service
(10/25/05) APWU President William Burrus has written to 17 local presidents, notifying them of USPS plans to consolidate some mail processing operations in facilities represented by their locals, and providing them with material to help protect jobs and service in their communities. [read more]
GAO Criticizes USPS Network Consolidation Strategy
(05/18/05) The U.S. Postal Service plan for consolidating its mail processing and distribution network lacks “clarity, criteria, and accountability,” a recent report by the Government Accountability Office concluded.
The agency’s study, conducted at the request of members of the House Government Reform Committee, also found that the USPS has failed to clearly communicate its network realignment plans to the mailing industry, employee groups, and Congress. [read more]
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