NEWS

WIRES

OTHER

NALC Responds to the Senate Postal Proposal, 21st Century Postal Service Act: Supports Comprehensive Reform but Opposes the end of Saturday Delivery and the Phase-out of Door Delivery

WASHINGTON, Nov. 2, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Statement by Fredric V. Rolando, President of the National Association of Letter Carriers:

Although the National Association of Letter Carriers acknowledges a number of positive provisions in the bipartisan postal reform bill unveiled today by Senators Lieberman, Collins, Carper and Brown, we are very disappointed with the overall thrust of the legislation. It seems to embrace the view that we must drastically downsize the Postal Service in order to save it.

<font size="2" face="Arial">(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110406/DC78673LOGO )</font>

While NALC fully supports comprehensive postal reform and is working on practical alternatives, the Senate bill could end Saturday delivery in two years and would phase out most door-to-door delivery by 2015. This would negatively affect tens of millions of Americans - particularly senior citizens, rural residents and small-business owners - who depend on the Postal Service's commitment to high-quality service.

We acknowledge the need to reinvent the U.S. Postal Service for the 21st century, but we urge postal management and our country's leaders to do it in a way that preserves jobs and encourages growth at a time when the economy is struggling. Saturday delivery is essential to the Postal Service's ability to profit from the rising number of deliveries of items ordered online by consumers.

Slashing service and inconveniencing customers will only drive more business away and will do serious damage to the $1.3 trillion mailing industry and its 7.5 million private-sector workers.

<font size="2" face="Arial"> </font>

SOURCE National Association of Letter Carriers