Statement of the National League of Postmasters on Markup of the H.R. 2309, the Issa Bill
October 13, 2011
Finally, We Are Beginning to Win the Post Office Closing Battle. The rural Congressional Giant is finally awake. Thanks to all the grassroots efforts of the members of the National League of Postmasters and those of all of the members of your communities and other postmasters who have rallied to oppose the widespread closing of rural post offices, we are beginning to see results.
Just minutes ago, the House Government Reform Committee passed out H.R. 2309 with a wide variety of amendments.
Among those amendments was one that—in recognition of the importance of small rural post offices— would limit the closing of rural post offices to only 10% of all the post offices being closed. That means that, for every ten post offices that would be closed, only one of them would could be rural. Thus, if the Postal Service actually ended up closing 3600 post offices, only 360 of them could be rural post offices.
Additionally, a provision was added that would give appeal rights to the citizens of communities where stations and branches are being considered for closing.
Further, the effort to take delivery down to five days received what we think is a death blow today, as a Chaffetz amendment was adopted that would allow the Postal Service the ability to take delivery down to 5 days a week, only 12 times a year, and only if the Postal Service wanted to do that. Some of the Postal Service executives have told us that this wouldn’t be worth their effort.
The importance of today’s developments cannot be overstated. The tide in Congress is clearly changing and changing fast. The power of Congress is beginning to coalesce in a very strong, very direct, and very nonpartisan fashion against the widespread closing of small rural post offices.
Thank you everyone who has rallied to our standard. Don’t quit. Stay on course. Keep exercising your First Amendment rights, and keep the pressure on. We WILL end up winning this battle by continuing to contact our Representatives. Stay the Course..
But let us make several things clear.
First, this bill is still not acceptable to the LEAGUE and would cause great harm to the Postal Service. Despite the victory on small rural post offices, the bill requires closing a billion dollars worth of post offices in suburban and urban districts which would result in closing many distribution nodes, firing many urban carriers and the quality of delivery service would implode. That provision cannot stay without destroying the quality of our nation’s postal delivery.
Second, even with these amendments, this bill cannot pass the House. More amendments and compromises are necessary, and then there is the Senate. One thing is clear though, the hardnosed, naïve, and unrealistic desire on this Committee’s part to close huge numbers of rural post offices is gone. That is good news.
Finally, there a still a long, long, long way to go and all of you must continue to do exactly as you have been doing. You have done a wonderful job and several members of the Committee have noted how their constituents have been pounding their doors down in opposition to closing their post offices. Nice job all. Keep it up.
Statement of the National League of Postmasters on Markup of the H.R. 2309, the Issa Bill
we CAN’T LOSE our post office. It is HARD with the LACK OF JOBS here. If they shutdown the post office it will make the lack of jobs even harder for everyone!!!! Please from everyone that relays on the post office for financial or non-financial resources. DON”T SHUT IT DOWN in tucson Arizona or anywhere else.
Hey RAMBO! What the F**k happened to my last 3 days of BLACKBERRY service, did the Chinese really hack into electronic business network. HAI-NO!
Seen a lot of mangement lateral to other jobs but I STILL HAVEN’T SEEN ANY MANGEMENT LET GO! They don’t even have to give them a RIF, they could just be …” LET GO! “
Small post offices that are suburban and not trural are not being closed and many are within 5-6 mile radius of each other; some do not not have delivery and created cost of a PM and a clerk. Fraternal order of PM has only 1 desire and that is to maintain dues from PM that operate level 24office to a one room sewing room office that has 123 boxes rented near a large office that has 3 rural routes that serve customers in the area. This aint no rural office; rural offices have decreased with changing demograhics over time. Customers in Utah, Iowa, Nevada and other areas that may have some areas considered rural have access to USPS products and services via rural delivery services.
Mayberry USA is history as technological advances in communication connects the country not the USPS. Cell phones, Internet, computers, tablets, Apple I Pods.and new APPS continually being introduced has made the need for the USPS
extinct.
Whatever! I think this is all a bunch of crap. Although many EMPLOYEES of the Postal Service, Postmasters/Managers/Supervisors/Craft, are good employees, my experience with many smaller post office Postmasters is that they are often unqualified to have the job, have the easiest job in the world, and often are not even around as much as they are suppose to be. Why should the postal service be forced to carry post offices that are so far into negative revenue that there is NO WAY they will EVER contribute to the bottom line? The League of Postmasters is a joke.
Isn’t this the same PMG that just got thru asking to cut back on 6 day delivery, close offices, and layoff workers? Oh, this is just the League of Postmasters. Guess the PMG must be a scab.
“One thing is clear though, the hardnosed, naïve, and unrealistic desire on this Committee’s part to close huge numbers of rural post offices is gone. That is good news.” I have some real NEWS for you League, they is ALREADY shutting rural offices as fast as they can! over 10 this month alone in my state. Nothing has stopped, it is still full speed ahead on closures. Every District has a team in place, (on higher level details of course) to see that it happens ASAP!
Don’t drink the koolaid.
Any kind of support for any bit of Issa’s bill is NUTS! It is a DEATH BLOW to the Postal Service in any form.
These guys are NUTS!