Message from Bob Rapoza, NAPUS National President

12.14.11  -  NAPUS Leaders

This is a follow up to the message I sent yesterday relating to the 5-month moratorium on Post Office closings.

"The U.S. Postal Service, in response to a request made by multiple U.S. Senators, has agreed to delay the closing or consolidation of any post office or mail processing facility until May 15, 2012. The Postal Service will continue all necessary steps required for the review of these facilities during the interim period, including public input meetings. The Postal Service hopes this period will help facilitate the enactment of comprehensive postal legislation. Given the Postal Service’s financial situation and the loss of mail volume, the Postal Service must continue to take all steps necessary to reduce costs and increase revenue.” (USPS Press Release, December 13, 2011)

Please note that the Senate-USPS agreement covers all closures/consolidations of post offices/mail processing facilities, through May 15. If you know of, or hear that post offices or AMP’s are scheduled to close/consolidate prior to May 15, let NAPUS HQ's know ASAP. Keep in mind that during the moratorium the USPS may continue to review postal facilities and conduct community meetings.

You should be proud that NAPUS played a key role in promoting this moratorium and we want to monitor it closely. As you may recall, on November 3, I sent a letter to key members of the Senate Homeland Security & Government Affairs Committee, requesting consideration of important issues that could impact Postmasters, including post office closings. In my letter, I urged the Committee to include in the pending postal legislation (S. 1789) a provision to place a moratorium on post office closings and consolidations, until such time as retail service standards could be fully implemented. The NAPUS-promoted amendment was added to S. 1789 during the November 9 committee "mark-up" of the bill. This past Monday (December 12), Senator Sanders convened a meeting with the union and management organization Presidents, immediately prior to a meeting arranged by Senator Durbin with the PMG and the Chairman of the Board of Governor. The Durbin meeting included the Senators who signed onto a letter asking that the Appropriations Committee derail USPS cost-cutting strategies that would undermine service. At the Sanders meeting, I provided constructive input that I believe was used at the Durbin meeting with USPS leadership, resulting in the moratorium.

Robert J. Rapoza, National President
National Association of Postmasters of the United States