Statement by Mark Dimondstein President, American Postal Workers Union on White House Postal Task Force on the Postal Service Report

Statement by Mark Dimondstein President, American Postal Workers Union on White House Postal Task Force on the Postal Service Report

Tuesday, December 4, 2018

Emily Harris

202-842-4250

eharris@apwu.org

If the White House Task Force on the Postal Service’s report was assigned a ZIP Code it would be 00000. This poorly conceived report makes many of its recommendations based on myth and misinformation that instead of improving mail services, would deliver higher prices and less service for the public.

The facts are: The public Postal Service serves each and every person. According to recent surveys by Gallup and the Pew Research Center, it enjoys the highest level of satisfaction and trust of any government service or agency. The United States has the lowest postage rates in the industrialized world. USPS doesn’t take a penny in tax dollars and under the universal service mandate delivers to 157 million addresses six days a week at affordable prices.

This report calls for slashing universal service. Recommendations would slow down service, reduce delivery days and privatize large portions of the public Postal Service. Most of the report’s recommendations, if implemented, would hurt business and individuals alike.

No institution is better suited for the ecommerce revolution than the USPS. This is why some on Wall Street and their enablers on this task force want to position the Postal Service for sale to private interests. The recommendations of the task force are not in the public interest. Our union will continue to strongly advocate for a robust public Postal Service and the rights of the hundreds of thousands of dedicated public servants who move the mail every day.