Fight to Save Saturday Service Approaches Important Milestone
June 3, 2010
Postal employees and customers are approaching an important milestone in the fight to save Saturday service, as a House resolution supporting six-day mail delivery continues to gain momentum.
Close to 200 U.S. Representatives have signed on to co-sponsor House Resolution 173, which says “the U.S. Postal Service should take all appropriate measures to ensure the continuation of its six-day mail delivery service.” A total of 218 votes are needed to adopt the “sense of the House resolution,” which was introduced in February 2009 by Rep. Sam Graves (R-MO).
Although adoption of the measure would not create new law, it would send a strong signal that lawmakers oppose the elimination of Saturday delivery. The USPS is seeking authority to reduce the number of delivery days from six to five, and has launched an aggressive public-relations campaign to achieve that goal. The APWU vehemently opposes the elimination of Saturday delivery, which President William Burrus has said “would lead to the demise of the Postal Service.”
The 2010 federal appropriations bill requires the Postal Service to maintain six-day delivery; before the USPS could abolish Saturday delivery, the requirement would have to be eliminated from the 2011 appropriations bill.
“I urge APWU members to contact their U.S. representatives and ask them to Save Saturday Service,”Burrus said. “If they are already co-sponsors of H. Res. 173, thank them. If they have not yet signed on, please encourage them to do so.”
[More Saving Saturday Service news]