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Norton to Host D.C. Postal Service Roundtable Tomorrow Night

August 5, 2014

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) will host a D.C. Postal Service Roundtable tomorrow, Wednesday, August 6, at One Judiciary Square from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. to discuss issues of concern to District of Columbia residents about postal service in the city. The Postmaster of the District of Columbia, Gerald A. Roane, Cynthia Goodwin of the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC), John Marcotte of the American Postal Workers Union (APWU), ANC 3F Chairman Adam Tope, and Brennan Dorn and Gail Broeckel, two other District residents who will share experiences with local postal service in their respective communities, will participate in the roundtable. Norton's office used social media and community outreach to crowd-source local postal service issues from residents in the District. Among the complaints District residents have raised are customer service, after-dark mail delivery, lost and stolen mail, letter carrier safety, and responsiveness to customers' concerns. Norton said, "We see the roundtable as a problem-solving session to help improve postal service here in the District of Columbia."

WHAT: D.C. Postal Service Roundtable

WHO: Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC)

D.C. Postmaster Gerald A. Roane

Cynthia Goodwin, National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC)

John Marcotte, American Postal Workers Union (APWU)

Adam Tope, ANC 3F Chairman

Brennan Dorn and Gail Broeckel, District residents

WHERE: One Judiciary Square, Old Council Chambers
441 Fourth Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20001

WHEN: TOMORROW, Wednesday, August 6, 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Last year, Norton wrote to United States Postal Service (USPS) Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe after the death of USPS letter carrier Tyson Barnette to request that further efforts be made to ensure the safety of letter carriers at night. In February of this year, Norton joined Representative Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and other members of the Maryland congressional delegation in a letter to Donahue urging USPS to immediately devise a plan to protect worker safety in inclement weather and the evenings, and to ensure that no homes or businesses experience multiple-day delays.

Congress requires the USPS, unlike any other federal agency or private organization, to prefund future retiree health benefits. This mandate has caused major problems in the USPS' ability to fund critical on-the-ground services. Norton and other congressional Democrats have offered several suggestions for relaxing the prefunding to allow more postal revenue to go to operations.