Works In Progress - June 2006 - Members of Congress Criticize Postal Service for Lack of Openness and Fairness in Consolidation Process

In a letter dated, May 1, 2006, 19 members of Congress, including Brian Baird and Adam Smith expressed serious concerns about the way in which the Postal Service is proceeding in its consolidation plans and asked the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to determine if the USPS consolidation plans are in line with previous GAO recommendations regarding the consolidation process. The members of Congress join other top Senators and House members who have made previous similar requests to the GAO.

The letter from the 19 members of Congress stated,

"Although GAO recommended that USPS improve its efforts to keep stakeholders informed, our communities affected by current plans to consolidate mail processing plants have told us that they have not been adequately informed about the Postal Service's plans, the extent to which the Postal Service proposed to analyze plant performance and make realignment decisions, or the potential impacts on these communities.

Previous GAO Report Criticized USPS for Lack of Openness and Fairness

In April of 2005, the GAO after studying the USPS consolidation process, issued a report: U.S. Postal Service: The Service's Strategy for Realigning its Mail Processing Infrastructure Lacks Clarity, Criteria, and Accountability, which as the title implies, severely criticized the Postal Service for its lack of openness and fairness in handling consolidations.

In response to the GAO investigation in 2005, Patrick R. Donahue, the Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President of the Postal Service wrote to the GAO in a letter dated 3/18/05:

"The decision to consider an AMP consolidation begins at the local management level, with input from and concern for the views, needs and wishes of stakeholders on the local business community, mailers, employees and their union representatives, and local elected officials."

However, despite Donahue's statement, reports from the consolidated offices indicate that recent decisions to consider an AMP consolidation did not begin at the local management level and the decision did not begin with input from local stakeholders. Community members in various parts of the country have similarly expressed the view that they were not adequately informed of the USPS consolidation plans for the local mail facility and the "needs and wishes" of community members were not even solicited, much less considered.

USPS Secretive About Consolidations Plans to Avoid Community Resistance

The GAO previously reported the USPS explanation as to why it did not want to be open with the community when conducting consolidations. The April 2005 GAO report stated:

"The Service has stated that it is reluctant to publicly disclose information on its realignment strategy because it believes that it will meet with resistance from employees, communities, and government representatives if it tells them what it is planning on doing too far in advance."

The community resistance to unwarranted consolidations is a normal and healthy reaction to the reduction in mail service associated with the way the USPS is currently handling consolidations. USPS consolidations should improve service, not reduce service.

Make Your Views Known to the Postal Rate Commission

The USPS is currently seeking an advisory opinion from the Postal Rate Commission (PRC) to see if their plans to reduce service as part of the consolidation process violate the law, which requires prompt service to all communities. Many consolidations across the country are on hold pending the outcome of this case. Individuals and organizations are encouraged to request that the PRC decide against the Postal Service and any reduction in service by contacting the PRC at:

Postal Rate Commission

901 New York Avenue, NW, Suite 200

Washington, DC 20268

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

Or Fax 202-789-6886

For more information contact: Clint Burelson - clintburelson@comcast.net or 360-970-2965

Previous press releases from the Olympia Local regarding consolidation can be found at http://www.lunewsviews.com/olympia and at http://www.postalmag.com/olympia.