United Parcel Service Vows to Kill Bill Over Single-Piece Parcels

National Association of Postmasters of the U.S.

Ben Franklin would not have signed the U.S. Constitution had he known that it bestowed United Parcel Service with veto authority. Just to make sure such a power was not snuck in, NAPUS scoured the document and its 26 Amendments; we found no UPS veto power. Yet, this week UPS warned Congressional postal reform advocates that it would use its imagined authority to kill H.R. 22, unless a provision that protects rural and residential communities is stripped from the bill. USPS data reveals that residential and rural parcel customers would suffer a 40% rate increase if Congress kowtows to the UPS threat.

Over the decade-long tortuous history of postal reform, UPS has periodically employed bullying tactics to prevent postal legislation from reaching the House floor.

Ask former House Government Reform Chairman Dan Burton (R-IN) and former Postal Subcommittee Chairman John McHugh (R-NY). It was hoped that this year, UPS would be mollified by generous accommodations imparted by Chairmen Tom Davis and Susan Collins, and others. Sadly, these postal reform heroes may have misjudged UPS motives and notorious lobbying tactics. Last week, as reform advanced, UPS retreated to its dusty old legislative playbook and threatened to derail legislation that does not meet its narrow anti-postal goals. Apparently, providing residential and rural postal customers with protection against discriminatory parcel rates, and safeguarding universal parcel post is incompatible with UPS’ corporate philosophy.

more from NAPUS

White House, Mailer and UPS Demands Threaten Postal Reform 

National Association of Postal Supervisors

     Postal reform’s fragile footing in the Congress edged perilously closer to failure this week, due to White House, mailer and UPS pressures that threaten the viability of a final postal overhaul bill.  Administration and mailer insistence on the inclusion of the Senate-passed ratemaking exigency language, along with UPS threats to oppose any bill that doesn’t open-up competition on single-piece parcels, have dramatically complicated the outlook for postal reform, with relatively little time remaining in the session.    
 
      These developments cast increasing doubt whether a final postal reform bill can earn the support of the Postal Supervisors and other postal employee groups, should House and Senate leaders bend to the demands of the White House, mailers and UPS.  Assessing the situation, National Association of Postal Supervisors President Ted Keating said, “We always have supported sensible postal reform that assures the long-term viability of the Postal Service, but we will never support reform simply for the sake of reform.  NAPS members should remain on alert to help defeat any short-sighted postal measure that could arise.”            
 
     Conference talks between House and Senate delegations have still not officially begun, but discussions over past weeks between the Administration and the “Postal Big Four” Congressional leaders – Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), Senator Tom Carper (D-DE), Representative Tom Davis (R-VA) and Representative Henry Waxman (D-CA) — have attempted largely to shape a final bill. 

more from NAPS: White House, Mailer and UPS Demands Threaten Postal Reform (doc)