NALC and Three Other Postal Unions Form Alliance to Preserve America’s Postal Service

Declaration promises joint efforts

National Association of Letter Carriers

Declaring that “the U.S. Postal Service is under unprecedented attack,” the four postal unions have formed an alliance to fight back to preserve America’s postal service for the benefit of the public.

“A congressionally manufactured financial crisis drains the USPS of vital resources,” the union presidents wrote in a proclamation (PDF). “Six-day delivery is under constant threat of elimination. The reduction of service standards and the elimination of half of the nation’s mail processing centers have slowed service and wiped out tens of thousands of good jobs. Post offices in cities and small towns are being sold or closed or having their hours cut back.

“Corporate privatizers seek to gain control over larger segments of postal operations—and to get their hands on the Postal Service’s $65 billion of annual revenue. The postmaster general’s policies of subcontracting and degrading service are fueling the privatization drive,” the proclamation declared.

“We stand with the people of our country in defense of their right to a universal postal service operated in the public interest.”

The goal of the alliance is to enlist public support in preserving the national treasure that is the U.S. Postal Service. The USPS is based in the Constitution, provides Americans with the world’s most affordable delivery network, and is operationally profitable without using a dime of taxpayer money.

The proclamation was signed by National Association of Letter Carriers President Fredric Rolando, American Postal Workers Union President Mark Dimondstein, National Postal Mail Handlers Union John Hegarty and National Rural Letter Carriers’ Association President Jeanette Dwyer.

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Letter Carriers:

I just wanted to take the opportunity to introduce myself as the new director of the Legislative and Political Affairs Department at the NALC. For nearly 10 years, I have been part of the labor movement fighting for workers on and off of Capitol Hill and I am excited to join you to continue the fight.

I do not have to tell you that the current legislative environment on Capitol Hill is difficult at best for the nation’s letter carriers, but please know that your legislative team at the NALC stands ready to assist you in continuing to educate members of Congress and their staff members on the evolution of the Postal Service.

The misperception on Capitol Hill that the Postal Service is seriously wounded and cannot be saved perpetuates bad proposals instead of ones that will promote the work that you do every day to provide a vital public service to this country, work that supports a strong economy. I am here to fight for common-sense reform that benefits letter carriers instead of degrading your rights and standard of living.

Together, we will change this perception and the conversation in Congress. We will remind our representatives how integral the nation’s postal employees are in supporting the changing needs of businesses and households.

To support our current efforts on Capitol Hill, we have updated our talking points on S. 1486 for you to use when contacting your House and Senate representatives’ offices. (Click here to download the PDF.) Please feel free to contact the Legislative Department with any questions or concerns.

In Solidarity,

Kori Blalock Keller