In response to changes to the United States Postal Service scheduled for next month, state senator Michelle Hinchey is calling for the reversal of the USPS consolidation plan, referring to it as “poorly conceived and unnecessarily expedited.”
“The United State Postal Service is one of the most essential public goods we have,” said Hinchey, “and we will not stand by while this vital service is threatened.”
Citing the potential closure of numerous local post offices as well as their conversion into sorting and delivery centers, Hinchey released the contents of a letter which she and state senator Rob Rolison have sent to postmaster general Louis DeJoy demanding a pause in the September plan until clear answers are provided as to how these changes could affect rural residents, seniors and postal workers.
Referencing the savings claimed in the plan, Hinchey asserted that rural families would suffer with fewer facilities and less staff.
The letter supported the plan advanced by the American Postal Workers Union (APWU) and the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) to conduct a study into the consequences of the changes prior to implementation.
Diana Cline of the American Postal Workers Union (APWU) mid-Hudson local, thanked the senators for their support.
Recognizing that packages had overtaken traditional mail, postmaster DeJoy has proposed a ten-year plan to transform the postal service into a profitable enterprise. Appointed during the Trump administration, the Brooklyn-born, Republican mega-donor drew drew controversy in the run-up to the 2020 election for the removal of 600-mail sorting machines and more than 700 collection boxes.
“Access to your local post office and timely service, especially for rural and upstate residents,” argued Hinchey, “means being connected to things like life-saving medications, Social Security checks, and personal and business correspondence.”
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