POSTAL WORKERS PROTEST PROPOSAL; PICKETS RESIST PRIVATIZATION

Members of the local Postal Workers Union were on picket lines in Cape Girardeau and Jackson Monday to express their fears concerning privatization of the mail service.

A number of postal workers believe that mail service in the region would suffer as a result of what they believe is the federal government's attempt to turn the U.S. Postal Service over to private companies.

The picketing follows an announcement in April that the Postal Service was considering turning its proposed operation of Priority Mail Network over to one of its competitors.

Postmaster General Marvin T. Runyon has made no secret about contracting Priority Mail, the Postal Service's two-day parcel delivery proposal to a commercial firm, said Phil Birk, president of Local 4088 here.

"This is just one more step into privatizing the postal services," said Birk.

In 1993, the Postal Service attempted to turn 35,000 mail-sorting jobs over to the private sector.

Cape Girardeau and Jackson were among many cities nationwide where postal workers conducted informational pickets Monday. Monday marked the 25th anniversary of the U.S. Postal Service, which replaced the U.S. Post Office Department.

The former post office department was an executive branch department. Since Congress passed a law that took the post office off the federal tax roll, the Postal Service has been an independent government corporation headed by a postmaster and a nine-member board of directors.

"The Postal Service is a national institution," said Charles Holland of Oran, a worker in the distribution center here. "Right now you can mail a letter from Oran to Alaska for 32 cents."

That rate is second only to Canada, said Holland. "There's no way of telling what it would cost if the service was privatized ... or, when it would be delivered."

On-time delivery of first-class mail in Cape Girardeau is above the national average.

"When the letter carriers met here recently, it was announced that area mail was running bout 94 percent on time," said Holland. "That's better than the national figure, which shows about 90 percent on-time delivery.

"We don't want the Postal Service to be privatized," said Birk. "We think it would ruin service for our customers. We want the public to be aware of any threats to their mail service."

Mail delivery is the bread-and-butter of the U.S. Postal Service, said Mike Keefe, Cape Girardeau postmaster.

Keefe said he understands that members of the Postal Workers Union are concerned.

"I don't disapprove of the picket at all," said Keefe. "I think the public needs to be aware that some mail changes are coming."

The union is the second postal group to conduct an informational picket in the past month. The National Association of Letter Carriers conducted a similar picket throughout the nation last month but not in Cape Girardeau County.

Keefe doesn't believe a move is under way to privatize the entire mail service.

"I don't think the public would stand for it," said Keefe. "They would go to their congressmen."

In fact, said Keefe, Runyon has emphasized that he will do everything he can to keep the post office doing what it originally set out to do -- deliver the mail.

Postal officials are striving to make the Postal Service more efficient, said Keefe. "This may involve contracting private companies for some jobs, but not jobs directly involved with the mail."

Picketers also point to a bill in Congress that would allow "others" to use U.S. mailboxes. "If passed, any business could put their literature into the nation's mailboxes," said Birk.

Keefe is not in favor of that part of the bill.

"That would let anyone and everybody use our mailboxes," said Keefe. Currently, no one but the Postal Service can use the mailboxes.

Rep. John McHugh, R-N.Y., introduced the postal reform legislation that would change some aspects of the Postal Service, including how rates are set, non-control of mailboxes and quicker means of putting a product on the market quickly, instead of having a 10-month wait, allowing the competition a bid edge.

Last week the president of the Newspaper Association of America cautioned Congress to consider all the implications before moving forward with a postal reform bill.

"To those who are urging Congress to rush to judgment and undertake a rapid radical reform of our nation's postal system, we say wait a minute, the association president, John Sturm said. "Congress should examine all of the facts and understand the full implications of proposed reforms before moving forward."

Sturm said NAA was concerned with increasing costs, poor productivity and unreliable service in the postal system.