NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF POSTAL SUPERVISORS

National Headquarters 1727 KING STREET, SUITE 400 ALEXANDRIA, VA 22314-2753 (703) 836-9660

December 7, 2011 STATEMENT OF PRESIDENT LOUIS M. ATKINS ON THE POSTAL SERVICES PROPOSAL TO ELIMINATE OVERNIGHT DELIVERY OF FIRST CLASS MAIL

National Association of Postal Supervisors President Louis M. Atkins today issued the following statement in response to the Postal Services proposal to change its service standards and eliminate overnight delivery of First Class Mail throughout the country. President Atkins said: The elimination of the current delivery standards for First Class Mail and the ultimate closure or consolidation of nearly half of the Postal Service processing facilities that comprise our nations mail processing network will tragically lead to the ultimate demise of the Postal Service as we know it today. Overnight delivery of First Class mail in local areas is a hallmark of the Postal Service. It stands for speed and superior service. First Class overnight delivery is what Americans need and expect. Fully 40% of all First Class Mail is delivered overnight through the comprehensive processing and transportation network that the Postal Service has built and maintains. But the Postal Service is going way too far in its plan to optimize the network. Yes, there is broad agreement that the Postal Service suffers from excess capacity in its processing network. That capacity needs to be reduced and savings need to be achieved. But there are ready alternatives that could reduce capacity and achieve savings instead of shuttering nearly half of the current network, eliminating overnight First Class delivery in local areas. Closing down so much of the processing network and increasing delivery times will cause irreparable harm to First-Class mail, postal revenues, and the Postal Service. It will lead to the dreaded death spiral that could destroy the Postal Service. In another dimension, purely from an employment standpoint, the Postal Services plans to close as many as 250 small, medium and large processing facilities nationally could ultimately result in the loss of over 100,000 middle-class jobs. A good amount of these jobs are held by veterans or our armed forces. Under Reduction-in-Force rules that would be employed for these drastic cuts, veterans could find themselves out of a job as Veterans preference is not applicable for job protection when a facility is closed.

We believe that there are alternatives. In the United States Senate a bill has passed the committee that oversees the Postal Service that calls for studies that would downsize facilities and weigh these changes versus the total closure of a processing facility. We believe that right-sizing a facility is a far better option that closures and consolidations as it reduces operational costs while supporting and maintaining overnight delivery of First Class Mail in local areas throughout the country. As an alternative to their current plans, the Postal Service should right-size the current network by reducing staffing and equipment at each processing facility, while closing a limited number of processing facilities. This would result in cost savings without reducing delivery standards. It would preserve overnight First Class delivery and avoid slowing down delivery of the mail. The Postal Regulatory Commission will provide an advisory opinion in response to the Postal Services service standard proposal. We will be providing alternative solutions to the Postal Regulatory Commission as it proceeds to render its best judgment for the American public. We are confident that the PRC will determine the Postal Service can achieve cost savings through alternatives that do not irreparably shut down so much of the network and eliminate timely overnight delivery of First Class Mail. For additional information contact:
James F. Killackey III Executive Vice President National Association of Postal Supervisors 1727 King St # 400 Alexandria VA 22314 703-836-9660

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