United States Postal Service, Incorporated? Action is needed to save our mail service!

author : Clint Burelson topic : privatization | United States Postal Service

by Clint Burelson

The Postal Rate Commission has scheduled hearings beginning on Thursday, June 15, 2006, regarding the United States Postal Service plans to reduce mail service nationwide in conjunction with the closing and/or consolidating of facilities across the country. The decision by Postal Rate Commissioners following the hearings will influence mail service in Olympia. Individuals, organizations, and small businesses are encouraged to write or contact the Postal Rate Commission and express their opposition to any reduction in mail service.

Nationwide Consolidation of Mail Sorting

The Postal Service, urged on by big advertising mailers like Time Warner, plans to close or consolidate mail processing facilities or mail processing functions, usually the outgoing mail, into large regional hubs spread sparsely throughout the country. In some cases, the mail will travel over 100 miles before coming back to the original town for delivery. Traffic will also increase the additional time. The Postal Service acknowledges that First Class mail will be delayed as a result of the consolidations, but argues that alleged savings justify the reduction in service.

If the Olympia example is any indication, the savings argument is false. Locally, the union has used the USPS's own documents to show that there will be little if any savings in transferring outgoing mail sorting functions to Tacoma.

Impact of Mail Service Reductions to Olympia

The Olympia Plant currently sorts the mail for all the 985 zip codes, (Aberdeen, Centralia, etc.) The USPS plan is to sort the mail in Tacoma and eventually in Seattle. For the average citizen not living near a hub, a delay in mail service could mean a delay in receiving medicine, income checks, and other important business and legal correspondence. A delay in mail service could also result in financial penalties to citizens for late property tax payments, IRS payments, credit card bills, and other payments. In addition, Washington State residents vote by mail and all ballots must be postmarked by Election Day. If the postmark is not applied in a timely manner, then ballots would be invalidated and a person's vote would not be counted.

Because of earlier cut-off times for the additional transportation to Tacoma (or eventually Seattle), State agencies, businesses and organizations that do large discounted mailings will be faced with the unpleasant choice of paying extra postage or delaying the mail if they don't meet the earlier cut-off time. As reported in a 11/4/05 article in The Olympian, Consolidated Mail, a Washington State agency, has predicted a cost of approximately $2 million if the proposal to transfer the mail goes through. This cost will ultimately be paid by everyone in the state and was not included in USPS calculations.

Large Mailers to Benefit with More Discounts

The plans to consolidate mail processing facilities originated and/or are supported by large corporate mailers because it will reduce the number of sites where they need to drop off their mail and is expected to provide additional discounts associated with contracting out postal work as an ever-increasing volume of mail processing is contracted out. This privatization of the Postal Service means that much of the work formerly performed by postal workers making a living wage is now performed by private sector workers making little more than minimum wage. The big mailers have pocketed the difference in wages and are looking for more. The loss of unions and their voice of opposition to corporate values is also a win for corporations.

In addition, as part of their business, the large advertising mailers generally do not send their mail from mail boxes and are comfortable with reducing service to those that do in order to get benefits for themselves.

Market Principles to Replace Community Principles

Consolidation is therefore a big and significant step in the direction of what Time Warner calls "deaveraging" the costs. Time Warner and other corporations want to increase the use of "market principles" in the Postal Service. Currently, "family or community principles," although diminished, still prevail somewhat. For example, citizens in every town get 6 day mail delivery and good service wherever they live. The consolidation plan will change that by reducing service to the communities that are not right near the hubs. People paying the same 39 cents for a stamp will no longer get the same service.

Corporate mailers want to see the USPS increase service and decrease rates to the high volume corporate mailers and decrease service and increase rates for the individual and small mailers. This will make it harder for individuals and non-profit organizations to conduct their business and express their views at affordable rates.

Reducing service to the public, a consequence of consolidation, is another way of putting "market principles" into what should be a public service. This strategy of reducing service to the general public is familiar for members of the community who have witnessed the seemingly deliberate short staffing of counter help at the Post Office and the signs directing customers to contract stations.

Action Needed

What we are facing here is the gradual downsizing and privatization of an essential and revered public institution. Citizen input is urgently needed. Individuals, organizations, and small businesses are encouraged to write or contact the Postal Rate Commission and express their opposition to any reduction in mail service. A sample letter could look like this:

Postal Rate Commission

901 New York Avenue, NW, Suite 200

Washington, DC 20268

Subject: Docket N2006-1 -- Mail Consolidations

Dear Commissioners,

The purpose of this letter is to urge the Postal Rate Commission to rule against the United States Postal Service request to reduce mail service through closures and consolidation of USPS facilities across the country. (Additional comments are optional)

Sincerely,

Jane Citizen

Other options to contact PRC are:

Phone: 202-789-6800

FAX: 202-789-6886

Internet: "Contact Us" form at http://www.prc.gov

More information can be found at http://www.lunewsviews.com/olympia or http://www.postalmag.com/olympia