Norton to Speak at Postal Worker Rally to Stop Mail-Processing Center Closures, Tomorrow

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Office of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) announced that Norton will be speaking at a rally entitled "Stop Delaying America's Mail" tomorrow, Friday, November 14, at 9:30 a.m. in front of the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) Headquarters, 475 L'Enfant Plaza. As part of a national day of action in 148 locations, 48 states and the District of Columbia, and ahead of a public meeting of the Postal Board of Governors, Norton will be calling on the USPS to halt the closure of 82 mail processing facilities, and to improve their mail standards so as to revitalize both customer satisfaction and revenue. Last month, Norton sent a letter to USPS Postmaster General Patrick R. Donahoe that asks him to reconsider the decision to consolidate more than 80 mail-processing centers, which will delay First-Class and other mail delivery, and which was made without public input. A recent USPS Inspector General report said the decision to consolidate several mail-processing centers across the United States should have included comment from the public, as required by law, but USPS moved forward without notice to the public.

"The USPS cannot continue shuttering the doors of its mail-processing centers without input from the public," Norton said. "I am fully aware that the Congress is a villain in this piece and that significant savings are expected. However, it is foolish and counterproductive to try to fix the Postal Service at the expense of customers and workers. USPS should maintain the current standard for First-Class mail and seek public input before making changes that impact the lives of millions of Americans."

In July, a USPS Inspector General report ranked the District of Columbia as the worst in the nation for late mail delivery, with more than two-thirds of residents and businesses receiving mail after 5:00 p.m. In response, she held a Postal Service Roundtable in August to seek solutions in the District. Among the recommendations were quarterly Postmaster meetings with ANCs; setting up an automated phone system for residents who want only routine information, such as operating hours, freeing up customer service representatives to handle substantive issues; creating the role of Postal Ombudsman to focus on recurring customer reports in order to detect patterns of service problems; and getting State Department assistance in processing passports using post office personnel.

Norton has also written USPS previously regarding the need to eliminate late deliveries in the District and nationally, following the killing of Tyson Barnette, a USPS letter carrier killed while delivering mail at night in Prince George's County, Maryland. USPS itself has set a goal of having 95 percent of its city carriers complete mail deliveries before 5:00 p.m.

USPS also failed to conduct any feasibility studies to determine the impact of the consolidations on the 95 mail facilities that will be taking over the operations of the consolidated mail-processing centers or on consumers. Besides increases in mail delivery times for First-Class mail, Norton cited new risks to letter carriers who will be delivering mail after dark and delays of medications and vote-by-mail ballots.

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