News & information
Today the U. S. Postal Service released it long-term strategic business plan, which many in Congress have been demanding for years.
There are many positive elements in the USPS Delivering for America Plan, including: its adoption of a credible growth strategy (worth $24 billion in revenues over 10 years) focused on helping millions of small- and medium-sized companies reach all Americans, particularly those in rural and under-served communities with direct mail and e-commerce services; its commitment to maintaining 6- and 7-day delivery; its plans to invest $40 billion in new vehicles, improved post offices, technology improvements, and infrastructure upgrades; its openness to expanding services provided by the Postal Service’s unmatched retail network; its embrace of the electrification of its delivery vehicle fleet; and its recognition that improving the work experience of postal employees and reducing turnover are essential to improving the quality of service.
We have obvious concerns with certain operational elements of the plan, but we look forward to engaging the Postal Service in productive discussions regarding any changes to ensure that our members’ contractual rights and career interests are protected and that we achieve timely and reliable service to the American people. We will also engage in the Postal Regulatory Commission’s (PRC) legally mandated review process for any proposed service changes.
The business plan provides a good starting point for discussion going forward and should satisfy those who wanted to see such a plan before moving forward with legislation. We believe that we can work with the USPS and PRC to further strengthen this plan to better serve the American people and look forward to the additional perspectives that will be provided by three recently nominated Governors.
We urge Congress to work together in a bi-partisan manner to expeditiously adopt postal reform legislation based on the recent discussion draft developed by Rep. Carolyn Maloney, chairwoman of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform. Key provisions of this legislation include Medicare integration on a prospective basis and a repeal of the onerous retiree health care pre-funding mandate, both of which are a part of the Postal Service’s plan. We hope these essential elements will attract bipartisan support and we urge the Committee and the entire Congress to act in that spirit.
At the same time, we look forward to working with the Biden Administration and will urge it to take administrative actions to strengthen the Postal Service, one of America’s greatest national treasures, for decades to come.
In separate news today, the Postal Service also announced that it will be joining NALC and the other postal unions in a Joint Task Force to investigate and address the deplorable service, mail delays, and non-delivery of routes in certain locations around the country. NALC will prioritize this joint effort to make the changes necessary to restore timely service to our customers in these areas.