Senator Bennet: USPS ‘Time-Out’ Provides More Time to Evaluate Effects of Potential Post Office Closures

From the Office of Sen. Michael F. Bennet (D-CO):

Announcement Comes on Heels of Several Bennet Efforts to Ensure USPS Reform Recognizes Impact on Rural Communities

November 16, 2011

Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet today announced that the USPS has issued a temporary “time-out” on post office closings that will provide more time for the Agency to examine potential effects of these closings on local communities and help Coloradans avoid frustrating and needless holiday season service interruptions.

This month, USPS issued a notice to all Area Vice Presidents, directing them to temporarily suspend all Delivery Unit Optimization (DUO) implementations and post office closings beginning November 19, 2011 through January 2, 2012. While districts may proceed with the post office discontinuance process, the physical closing of a post office or the physical relocation of routes will be temporarily suspended during this window.

“Although we are not out of the woods yet and reforms to place the Postal Service on a more secure financial trajectory are absolutely needed, this temporary ‘time-out’ ensure that the USPS can step back and more closely evaluate the potential effects of post office closures on local communities,” said Bennet. “We have worked hard to communicate the important role post offices play in rural communities, and we hope the USPS uses this time-out to take a closer look at the potential effects of these closures on Colorado communities.”

This announcement comes on the heels of several Bennet efforts to ensure USPS reform takes into account potential impacts on rural communities.

Earlier this month, Bennet and Senator Mark Udall wrote a letter to Senate committee leaders urging them to consider western states and rural communities when exploring potential reforms to the U.S. Postal Service. In the letter, the Senators outlined priorities for reform that encourage innovation, take creative approaches to existing assets and maintain the competitive edge.

In June, Bennet and Udall sent a letter to the U.S. Postmaster General expressing concern over USPS location closures and consolidations that could make it more difficult for Coloradans to send letters and mail packages.

In September, they sent a letter to Ruth Goldway, chairwoman of the Postal Regulatory Commission, urging the Postal Regulatory Commission to carefully consider the effects of possible postal service closures on rural areas and small towns in Colorado and across the country.

2 thoughts on “Senator Bennet: USPS ‘Time-Out’ Provides More Time to Evaluate Effects of Potential Post Office Closures

  1. Yes, this is the future if the USPS is privatized. You won’t know who is delivering your mail or packages.

  2. I thought i just throw this out there.

    My nephew works for UPS as a driver, he said he was pulling in $33 an hour before he fell backward on his back with a heavy package on top him.

    He’s still in rehab still trying to get back to work…been going on 2 years now.

    What i wanted to share was about this one.

    Something was being shipped to me by UPS months ago. I hear the UPS truck stop out front, it was dark an around seven thirty, i had given up hope that it was coming this day

    I go out to the truck lites on in the back with the sound of things being toss around, i say its a small box your looking for if that helps. I could see he was running behind? This young man pops up saying something about them putting it on the truck as he keeps looking for it.

    I can see he cant find it, so i tell him no problem. Next day it comes.

    Well yesterday im out front and i see this UPS truck driving up and down the streets, it finally comes to a stop across my street music blaring the song (I Wanna Be Sedated) an out pops that kid with his box heading down the side alley leaving the truck door wide open and music playing.

    I keep an eye out cause these days people will take any advantage, but i thought so this is the furture?

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