43 Senators Call on PMG To Extend Moratorium On Post Office Closures

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Press Release from the office of Senator Joe Manchin

Manchin Urges Postal Service to Extend Moratorium Preventing Post Office Closures
Without action, the moratorium ends on May 15

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) today joined a bipartisan group of 43 Senators in a letter urging the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to extend its current moratorium on post office closures until after a postal reform bill is signed into law. The current moratorium is scheduled to expire on May 15.

“Communities across West Virginia and the nation are facing great uncertainty about the future of their post offices,” Senator Manchin said. “Right now there are 3,700 post offices that could face closure nationwide when the current moratorium expires, including 150 in West Virginia. In our rural areas, these post offices are more than just places to send and receive mail – they are truly the lifelines of their communities and the only way a town is able to stay connected. I will continue doing everything in my power to ensure that the Postal Service does not balance its books on the backs of our rural communities.”

In April, the Senate passed the 21st Century Postal Service Act to address the massive deficit facing the USPS. Senator Manchin did not support the bill because it did not do enough to prevent the closure of 3,700 postal facilities nationwide or to protect 35,000 jobs at mail processing facilities across the country that could also close. Senator Manchin offered an amendment that would have prohibited any of these facilities from closing for two years, but the amendment failed 43-53.

The 21st Century Postal Service Act did include a provision offered by Senators Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), and co-sponsored by Senator Manchin, that would prohibit rural post offices from closing for a period of one year.

“While the Postal Service reform bill that passed the Senate is by no means perfect, it does offer some measure of protection to our rural post offices – guaranteeing that they will be able to stay open for at least one year — and that’s better than nothing,” Senator Manchin said. “We need to provide some assurance that our postal facilities won’t be forced to close their doors before the Postal Service reform bill is signed into law.”

Background: 

  • The Postal Service is currently facing a shortfall of $20 billion.
  • Closing 3,700 post offices – including 150 in West Virginia – would only save the Postal Service $200 million, which is 1 percent of what is needed to get their finances in order and is about the same amount of money we spend in one day in Afghanistan.
  • Senator Manchin has urged the Postal Service to achieve savings in ways that will not affect services on the front lines, including eliminating excess rental space, cutting executive compensation, and reducing advertising expenditures on luxuries like sponsorship of a NASCAR team and a Tour de France team.
  • While the Senate passed the Postal Service reform bill in April, action is still being awaited in the House of Representatives.

The letter to Postmaster General Donahue is attached.

Sen. Manchin Letter to USPS on Extending PO Moratorium

A map illustrating the 150 West Virginia post offices that could face closure is attached.

Map of West Virginia Post Office Closures 5-2-2012

7 thoughts on “43 Senators Call on PMG To Extend Moratorium On Post Office Closures”

  1. While you and I are worrying about whether we’ll retire or whether the APWU will be able to save our jobs, the following might interest you about something you have paid for with your union dues that you will be unable to enjoy like our union officers do:

    APWU Officers Qualified Retirement Plan is a 401k plan which has $55,398,175 net assets as of end of year, which is drastically more than the average for all Company 401k Plans. The plan has been in effect since 7/1/1971, and is a Multiple-Employer.

    Participants
    The APWU Officers Qualified Retirement Plan’s 401k plan has 119 active participants , which is slightly more than the average for all Company 401k Plans. The APWU Officers Qualified Retirement Plan 401k plan has 102 retired or separated participants receiving benefits, which is drastically more than the average for all Company 401k Plans.

    So contact APWU today for a piece of their pie! You stewards should also contact them! Wonder why nothing is posted bout this on APWU.org. You didn’t know about this? You should ask bout it at the next union meeting. You should ask…and keep paying dem dues bruthas n sistas sos we can continue raking in the dough.

  2. Its amazing to me that a Congressman Darrell Issa is more powerful than 62 senators…(1789) and 229 Congressman(Hr1351)…man that guy spits in their presence…he must be one bad dude the rest of congress must have NO BALLS

  3. WE WILL NOT GIVE ANYTHING TO YOU RICH ENTITLED SPOILED GUVMINT EMPLOYEES.

  5. the house is not going to act, so just keep going along until you go bankrupt is that the idea here?

  7. keep draining money from the USPS while offering no solutions to the issues. Eliminate walking routes except for business, go to evaluated routes for city carriers, cut management 30%, allow 25% part time two tier workforce.

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