Congresswoman Lee Defends Saturday Delivery for United States Postal Service
Contact: Carrie Adams (202) 225-2661
Washington, D.C. — Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-Oakland) issued the following statement in response to the United States Postal Service announcement that they plan on ending Saturday delivery:
“I’m concerned by the United States Postal Service’s announcement that they will be ending Saturday delivery. The jobs lost by this proposal would be devastating to communities. Ending Saturday mail service would immediately cut jobs for as much as one sixth of the USPS work force, and as our economy recovers from the Recession, it is especially important that we keep these quality jobs intact.”
“These job losses would also disproportionally impact communities of color. For years, being a letter carrier has been a critical pathway into the middle class for African Americans, including my grandfather, who was a proud USPS letter carrier for thirty five years.”
Congresswoman Lee has been a long supporter of Congressional reforms for the Post Office and was a co-sponsor of The United States Postal Service Pension Obligation Recalculation and Restoration Act of 2001, which would relieve the Postal Service of its burden to pre-fund pensions for seventy-five years in the future, which is a contributing factor to the current financial hardship.
“I will keep fighting to keep Saturday delivery as well as continue to urge Congress to transition into real common-sense reforms that can help the Postal Service move forward and grow its business instead of cutting jobs and services. We need smart solutions so we can not only keep the jobs we have, but create new ones.”
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