Postal Workers Union Protests USPS Plan To Close Centers

WISCONSINREPORT.COM (11/14/2014) [WORKFORCE-Updated] United States Postal workers are protesting at 150 locations as part of a National Day of Action to send a message to the Postmaster General and the USPS Board of Governors. The Union claims scheduled closings of distribution centers will cause job loss and slow down mail processing.

Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe and the USPS Board of Governors, the board that oversees the U.S. Postal Service, are poised to make cuts in service to the American people. The American Postal Workers Union, AFL-CIO, believes the expected cuts will be so severe that they would forever damage the U.S. Postal Service.

On Jan. 5, the USPS is slated to lower “service standards”. The changes may virtually eliminate overnight delivery, including first-class mail from one address to another within the same city or town. The Union says all mail (medicine, online purchases, local newspapers, newsletters of religious organizations, bill payments, letters and invitations) throughout the country would be delayed if USPS plans go ahead as outlined.

LATEST DEVELOPMENT: APWU President Mark Dimondstein is happy to learn that Patrick Donahoe is Stepping Down as Postmaster General of the United States.

“Today’s announcement that Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe is stepping down is welcome news,” APWU President Dimondstein said. “Over the summer, delegates to the American Postal Workers Union national convention voted unanimously for his resignation.”

“We hope that the next Postmaster General will reverse Donahoe’s policies of lowering standards, reducing hours, outsourcing work and diminishing a great American institution”, Dimondstein continued.

“We call on USPS’ Board of Governors to immediately freeze Donahoe’s policies and to do no more harm,” Dimondstein said.

Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe will retire Feb. 1, 2014 after leading the agency for four years. His retirement announcement came as the agency reported a $569 million revenue increase in the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30 but reported an overall loss for the year of $5.5 billion. He made the announcement Friday, November 14, 2014 at a meeting of the Board of Postal Governors.

The board named Postal Service veteran Megan Brennan as the new postmaster general. Brennan rose from a letter carrier in Pennsylvania in 1986 and now will be the first female postmaster general of the United States Postal Service.

Prior to being named Postmaster General Megan J. Brennan had worked her way up to being named Chief Operating Officer and executive vice president in December 2010. In that position, Brennan lead the continuous improvement of the entire postal network operation as well as the allocations of people and resources. She reported to the Postmaster General.

As COO Brennan had responsibility for the day-to-day activities of 491,000 career employees working in more than 31,000 facilities supported by a fleet of over 200,000 vehicles. She was responsible for Post Offices, delivery and retail operations, facilities and the mail processing network.

Reporting to Brennan in her role as COO were the vice presidents of Delivery and Post Office Operations, Facilities, Network Operations, Retail Channel Operations and the seven vice presidents of Area Operations.

Brennan is now scheduled to become USPS Postmaster General February 1, 2015 the official date of retirement from that office by current Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe.

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