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U.S.
Senator Sherrod Brown...
The Next Era of the Postal Service
January 6, 2012
This
holiday season, Ohioans received
scores of gifts—from Great Lakes beer to Cincinnati chili—but many of
the
parcels probably weren’t dropped off by their local postal carrier.
The
United States Postal Service
(USPS)—the second-largest employer in the United States and one
authorized by
the U.S. Constitution—is governed by rules that limit its financial
viability.
To address a growing deficit, more than 120 post offices and 10 mail
processing
centers in Ohio have been slated for possible closure because of
financial
challenges.
These
closures could prove costly for
middle-class families in our state, resulting in job losses and
deteriorated
service. That is why I fought for a moratorium on all postal facility
closures
until May 2012. With this additional time, Congress can modernize the
rules and
usher in the next era of the USPS.
Private
delivery companies perform an
important service. But the Post Office should be able to compete for
all the
parcel business, too. That’s why I’m fighting to pass the Postal
Service
Protection Act, legislation that would help bring the USPS back to
fiscal
solvency.
First,
it would deal with the USPS’s
fiscal challenges. This bill would address a broken pension system
which
currently costs the USPS more than $5 billion every year. Right now,
the Postal
Service must pre-fund 75 years of future retiree health care benefits
in just
10 years. With this legislation, we can address immediate fiscal
problems
facing the USPS by overhauling the USPS retiree benefit requirements.
Second,
it would allow the Post Office
to innovate. By easing current financial constraints on the agency, the
USPS
would have additional avenues to earn income—like shipping beer or
issuing a
state fishing license—that can put the Postal Service back on the road
to
fiscal health.
The
legislation would also protect a
six-day delivery—preserving Saturday delivery and maintaining current
standards
for first-class mail delivery. This is vitally important for seniors
and
patients who depend on timely delivery of life-saving prescription
medications.
With
any postal reform legislation
Congress considers, we must take into account what affect these
decisions will
have on America’s recovering economy. What would inaction mean for Ohio
families?
Postal
workers—many of them veterans,
women, and rural residents—do more than deliver holiday cards and news
from
home. They also watch out for elderly neighbors, and help build a sense
of community.
Since 1775, the USPS has kept Americans connected with one another and
the rest
of the world.
Our
state ranks eighth in the nation
for the number of USPS employees—including letter carriers and
sorters—who help
Ohioans cash checks, obtain passports, and operate small businesses. We
must
help the USPS, a self-supporting government entity, adapt to the
challenges of
the 21st century.
A
robust Post Office means that small
businesses and non-profits have reliable and affordable means to
conduct their
business. It means that the shopping centers and small businesses in
urban
areas—which, in many cases, are anchored by the presence of a post
office—can
continue to thrive. It also ensures that seniors can receive their
mail-order
prescriptions and Social Security checks without delay.
The
motto of the Post Office: “neither
snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night” dates back to antiquity.
The
Greek letter carriers likely faced unleashed dogs—though not email. Yet
I’m
confident that we can and must overcome the challenges faced by the
USPS. This
is our promise to our neighborhood postal worker, our neighbors, and
our
communities.
Sincerely,
Sherrod
Brown
U.S.
Senator
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