WASHINGTON, DC — Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) has confirmed that there are no current plans to shut down any D.C. post offices. Norton contacted the U.S. Postal Service after being informed that District residents had heard that two post offices would close in December.

“I have insisted that every community in the District have easy access to postal services, and have strongly opposed the closing of neighborhood post offices here with success so far,” Norton said. “I will continue closely following this process to ensure that there are no surprises for District residents.”

Norton said in July that, based on past investigations, it is unlikely that all of the 19 D.C. postal facilities being reviewed by the Postal Service for closure, most of which are located in federal buildings (including five in the Capitol and House office buildings), will close. In 2009, the Postal Service conducted a similar review that included 13 locations in D.C., but none were closed. The Postal Service’s branch office problems have grown more severe, but Norton’s view is that if there must be closings, neighborhood post offices should be spared over those located in federal buildings.

Last month, Norton’s amendment was one of the only Democratic amendments adopted in the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform markup of a major Republican Postal Service bill, H.R. 2309, the Postal Reform Act. The Norton amendment, adopted by voice vote, was a victory for collective bargaining and for her plea for continued collective bargaining as the best way to downsize the Postal Service, considering that collective bargaining has already succeeded in downsizing the workforce by 100,000 employees over the past four years, for a total of $12 billion in savings.

source: From the Office Of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton