Stop The American Postal Workers Union from Closing Postal Contracts!

We the undersigned, are attempting to bring attention to and ask that you please stop the malicious campaign by the American Postal Workers Union to eliminate all private contract post offices, merely because they are non-union.

Under the terms of the 2010-2015 Collective Bargaining Agreement, that was ratified last May, the USPS assigned to the American Postal Workers Union (AFL-CIO) the right to close or seize control of twenty specified contract postal facilities. The union was also given the same power over all other existing contract facilities. The APWU is now exercising this authority to terminate private contracts in an effort to fill these positions with union members. The Union is deliberately putting all contractors and their employees out of work; for nothing more than to obtain a trivial increase in their union dues. This is being done at a time when the Postal Service is already under a great deal of financial duress. Clearly the union views, even its marginal goals, as having a greater import than the finances of the United States Postal Service.

           The Postal Contract Station in Temple, TX, began operations in 1950’s. My family has held the contract to operate this post office since 1992. As of last week, we were informed that our contract was to be terminated and our facility closed on March 30th.  The annual revenue our contract generates is 1.2 million dollars; of this we receive $220,000. The bulk of this money goes to paying our operating costs which include; rent of our building, salaries, health insurance, liability insurance, utilities, maintenance, supplies and leases on our equipment. The motivation behind the union’s action against contract post offices is the fact we operate at a fraction of the cost of a union post office. We can perform the same work cheaper and with the same standard of service, if not better, as union post offices. We represent a viable alternative business model to that of the union post office, so to protect their lavish salaries and benefits they seek to put all private contractors and their employees out of work. I feel that this arrangement with the union was deliberately kept secret by Postal officials in Washington D.C. because no one in our district or local offices had any idea this was coming. We were in the process of negotiating a new contract with our contract supervisors, in order to transition to the new computer system, when the order came down that we were to be terminated. I have also spoken with several of the other contractors listed in the union agreement and neither they nor their supervisors have any knowledge of the union agreement, so I assume the plan is to eliminate us one at a time.

The absurdity of all this is that it will benefit no one, the union is doing nothing but create a logistical nightmare because the postal service has no plans or the funds to fill the gap in service left by our closure. Our local Postmaster will be faced with the arduous task of how to accommodate the postal demands of a city of 50,000 people with one antiquated facility, which is in an inconvenient location and soon to be grossly understaffed. He must also deal with the 2,000 Post Office Boxes that will no longer exist and the frustrated and angry box holders who hold a either a six month or one year lease. Another brilliant aspect of this whole ordeal is our contract; (which states to be for an indefinite length of time), contains a termination clause that the USPS can invoke at anytime without cause and walk away. This will force us to incur all costs related to; our leases, contracts, equipment and the vacating of our facility. Apparently after twenty years of faithful service, we are not even afforded a fraction of the respect that the Postal Service bestows upon the union.

Thank You,

          Brent Martin

          Manager (for now) Temple Contract Station LLC

          254-217-3105