Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsThe long, slow destruction of the U.S. Postal Service is set to continue next week
http://www.truthdig.com/eartotheground/item/usps_will_begin_plant_closures_next_week_20150101
via truthdig:
The long, slow destruction of the U.S. Postal Service is set to continue next week when 82 mail processing centers are closed and consolidated, despite calls from more than half the members of the outgoing Senate to stall the changes.
The Guardian reports:
Earlier this month, 30 senators, all but one of them Democrats, issued a letter to Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe urging USPS not to move forward with its network rationalization program until the agency has completed its analyses of potential impacts.
Already, the Postal Service has consolidated 350 mail-processing facilities and taken other steps to reduce costs since 2006. In the past three years alone, the agency closed 143 plants and eliminated about 3,800 routes, in addition to reducing hours at more than 9,700 offices and trimming its workforce by 3,000 employees.
Much of the Postal Services financial troubles in recent years stem from declines in mail volume, which have decreased by more than 27 percent since 2006. Nonetheless, some of the agencys largest expenditures are beyond its control, including a congressional mandate to prefund retiree health benefits to the tune of about $5 billion a year.
Many critics have pointed out that the steady degradation of the U.S. Postal Service is consistent with plans by business and conservative politicians to enable shipping companies to capture larger and larger shares of the money Americans spend on mail delivery.
Read more here.
InfoView thread info, including edit history
TrashPut this thread in your Trash Can (My DU » Trash Can)
BookmarkAdd this thread to your Bookmarks (My DU » Bookmarks)
7 replies, 1378 views
ShareGet links to this post and/or share on social media
AlertAlert this post for a rule violation
PowersThere are no powers you can use on this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
ReplyReply to this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
Rec (27)
ReplyReply to this post
7 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight:
NoneDon't highlight anything
5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
The long, slow destruction of the U.S. Postal Service is set to continue next week (Original Post)
marmar
Jan 2015
OP
world wide wally
(21,754 posts)1. I'm sure Benjamin Franklyn is rolling in his grave.
Along with the other founding fathers whose ideas are being perverted and abused by Republicans every day in the name of the NRA and corporate America.
NewDeal_Dem
(1,049 posts)2. I wish a plague targeting millionaires and billionaires would hit.
Jefferson23
(30,099 posts)3. Bastards never let up. K&R
randr
(12,414 posts)4. It is important to note that Bain Capital, large part of Romney's portfolio
is trying to replace our US Post Offices with mail service at their Staple's Office centers. Not to mention the incredible bounty of real estate that would come up on the auction block as POs in prime locations are closed.
Think of it as further gentrification/exploitation of our public properties.
Scuba
(53,475 posts)5. It's the largest unionized workforce in America, so the Repukes have to kill it.
xchrom
(108,903 posts)7. du rec.