Sunday, July 12, 2009
Is the Dallas Main Post Office about to close?
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Late Friday afternoon, I received a letter that supposedly went out from the American Postal Workers Union. This letter was on American Postal Workers Union letterhead, and signed by President Larry Crawford and Secretary/Treasurer Jennifer D. Fulbright. I was not able to call and verify this information at 214-631-3162. But here is the first 2/3 of the letter.
On Wednesday, July 1, 2009, at Mountain View College, the U S Postal Service held a Public Forum regarding the closing of the Main Post Office. There was only one problem, the public wasn’t there. They (the USPS) said they notified you. They said they sent out notices and posted the meeting time and place, but you chose not to come, because you just don’t care. Funny, the Mayor and the City Council didn’t know, until we notified them. The media didn’t know until we told them, so we can only deduce from all that you now know because we are telling you. We need you to SAVE OUR LOCAL POSTAL SERVICE.
The Postal Service’s plan to shift mail processing operations from the Dallas Main Post Office at 401 D/FW Turnpike to 951 Bethel RD in Coppell, TX possess a serious threat to prompt and reliable mail service for the Dallas area.
What does this mean for the citizens of Dallas? Despite USPS assurance to the contrary, mail service will suffer. Mail will be collected earlier in the day and will arrive later, maybe even after dark. And we could experience delays of several days in the time it takes to send and receive our mail Checks and medications may not reach their destination when they are needed: credit ratings could suffer because of late bill payments, and birthday cards and gifts could arrive late. Everyone doesn’t use email or the internet. Once again the southern sector of our city will suffer if the citizens are not heard from. What a shame for the 5th. largest city in the United States to lose it’s identity by losing it’s postmark.
The letter goes on to ask citizens to “ring the phones of your Mayor, your Representatives and your Postmaster.” They list several politicians and for people to call and say that the Postal Service is accepting public correspondence if postmarked by July 16th. Because of the names in the email string, I’m pretty sure this is real. It may be out there somewhere else, but I haven’t seen it yet.

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Shawn Williams publishes Dallas South Blog; his e-mail address is shawn@dallassouthblog.com.
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Comments
yykg0b Anonymous
Once again, the union (APWU) is trying to incite the public in an issue that does not have merit. The two facilities are less than 20 miles apart. The NTX facility is a newer facility with a greater capacity for mail processing and has room for expansion (if needed). When the NTX facility was built, the volume trend in Dallas and the surrounding cities was growing rapidly and the capacity of the Dallas plant to process mail was being taxed. Due to a downturn in the economy and the corresponding drop in mail volume and the increased efficiency of the automated mail processing equipment the need for two facilities so close together is not warranted. As far as a predicted degradation in service, this is another union generated lie to place fear into the hearts of the public. ZIPS 750 through 753 and portions of 754 falls within the overnight service goal of the USPS. The belief that the combining of the two facilities could cause delays in the processing and delivery of the mail is ludicrous. Want the APWU is TRULY concerned about is the potential loss of union member due to the displacement of their members to other crafts within the USPS. With the loss of members comes the loss of dues for the union, OH WELL. What may people do not realize is the APWU has a no lay off clause for any of their members that pass the 90 day probationary period. As the APWU members are displaced (excessed), they have the opportunity to move into different crafts (jobs) within the Post Office. So, the bottom line is the APWU is afraid of loosing membership dues. Their members will have the opportunity to change crafts in order to remain the part of the postal family. APWU, why don't you try telling the WHOLE truth for once instead of your version that is designed to raise the public outcry and keep money in your coughers?
3 months, 4 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Jesus Valadez Verified
Nooooo! I need it in order to ship off my textbooks late at night. :(
3 months, 4 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Colleen Walsh Verified
Coppell is really far out of the way.
3 months, 4 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
gregad1325 Anonymous
yykgob Its just like mgmt to blam everything on the union it sounds like you dont touch the mail but still make over 60,000 grand a year... if you want the truth i'll give you the truth...the postal service doesn't have any more new employees and everyone knows how to do their job,,,yet we still have all these managers sitting around trying to justify their jobs by harrasing the people who do the work...why dont you do us all a favor and quit and at the same time take the other 60,000 non mail handlers with you then maybe we wont have to close shops around the country
3 months, 4 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Shopsteward11030 Anonymous
Responding to yykg0b:
There are several errors in your comments which would lend me to think that you do not even work for the Postal Service. There is a layoff off protection clause in the contract but it is after 6 years of service not 90 days. Clerks can not specifically be excessed into the letter carrier craft. Letter carriers nationwide are going through route reviews due to the loss of mail volume. Routes are being condensed and lengthened, thereby eliminating carrier positions. That will leave an excess number of carriers that will be dealt with through attrition, which leaves no room for clerks to be placed.
The larger problem seems to be that 30% of the workforce in the postal service makes nearly 50% of the payroll and never touch the mail. The Postal Service is top heavy and needs to reduce managerial numbers. In the last ten years the postal service has eliminated 150,000 craft positions while management ranks grew by 10%!! There currently are 7 employees for every manager service wide. That is an atrocious number is needs to be brought in line. The other issue is the restraint that congress has applied to the USPS regarding pre-funding of retiree healthcare costs. This comes to about 5 billion dollars a year. Meaning last year the postal service would not have lost any money and this year the projected loss would be minimal. The reduction of workhours and the increase in performance have been excellant, but there is much to be done. It must start with congress (the house of representatives will this week pass HR 22, releaving this requirement for 3 years) and postal management must be pared down in line with the number of employees. The unions have been saving the postal service from itself for years and will continue to do so. Contact your Congressman!!!
3 months, 3 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Granny Anonymous
So this ISN'T about the mail after all. It's about the unions.
3 months, 3 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
PaleWriter Anonymous
Hmmm? I would think the City Fathers would be interested in the Tax revenue they will lose if the facility migrates AND Unions lose jobs?
Don't think me prudish when I consider the vile disregard Postal misManagement has for the livelihood of their underlings.
Nor does the USPS care for your business. If you want a stamp go to a kiosk.
Have you considered why Postal Officials intentionally backlog queues in local offices by not properly staffing window clerks to 'streamline' customers away?
There is NO shortage of window clerks.
misManagers shuffle them out of sight doing nonsense jobs to purposely make you wait in line. They then claim under-staffing knowing you'll fall for it hook, line and sinker.
Reality? The PO doesn't want (and they think they don't NEED) your business.
The Post Office cuddles up to mass mailers without any regard for the American Institution they have inherited and are caretakers of.
You have a right to get angry.
3 months, 3 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Granny Anonymous
Interesting. We're obviously in different time zones. I can't imagine standing in line at a post office: I haven't done it for years. I print out postage at home, and buy stamps online as well. The stamps are delivered to my door in a day or so.
Maybe my experience is part of what's happening throughout the system: more and more of us have no need to go to the Post Office.
3 months, 3 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Jesus Valadez Verified
I have to stand in line because of that retarded rule of "no packages over 13 ounces" in the drop boxes and well, textbooks are well over 13 ounces. I would schedule a pick-up but it takes too long.
But ya, I print out the shipping labels at home.
3 months, 3 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
tdog10 Anonymous
It seems like the bigger issue that we can all relate to is the loss of a major employer to Coppell... why isn't the Mayor all over this one?
3 months, 3 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
joe55 Anonymous
To the poster who said that all APWU members have lay-off protection after 90-days, this is simply false. Read Article 6, paragraph 2 of the contract. Six years of service are required. The postal unions are in the fight of their lives to protect the jobs of these workers. What few people realize is the elimination of Saturday delivery would result in one of the worst wave of layoffs in US government history.
3 months, 3 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
alexander troup Verified
You should know, that Post Office is the main hub for inner the city and that is a stupid change over to do....really....great roads in and out of the area for Postal route's...A/T,When the letter flies, so will the weather...
3 months, 3 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Tom Urquhart Verified
I think Dallas Main is not just an inner-city hub, but a regional one too.
I suspect this is about reducing headcount.
3 months, 3 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
dms3dallas Anonymous
Closing the Main Post Office on DFW Turnpike might not be a bad thing. They could turn the property into a great RV park with indoor parking. This might give the US Post Office a chance to reinvent itself into an efficient organization.
3 months, 3 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
spdracer Anonymous
While at the main Richardson PO several months ago, I heard that the main Dallas PO was going to be shut down. The clerks also believed that many PO workers were being transferred to distant offices to try and accelerate the attrition.
I’ve always viewed the PO as more of a community service than a for profit business. I think the PO provides some threads of connection within a community or neighborhood, particularly where the mail-person walks from home to home.
For me the PO is still the most convenient way to mail most of my packages. I also appreciate the fact that my mother can still walk to her neighborhood office and buy stamps and mail letters.
I’ve made my share of trips downtown late at night to mail a gift or pay a bill. I’ve always been surprised by the number of patrons late at night. I think the loss of the Main Post Office would be another step in the wrong direction. And I seriously doubt that even the most efficient organization could deliver mail to almost every address in the country 5 or 6 days a week and still make a profit in this economic down turn.
3 months, 3 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
LateNightLarry Anonymous
@Jesus Valadez - "I have to stand in line because of that retarded rule of "no packages over 13 ounces" in the drop boxes"
Jesus, you can blame Homeland Security for that rule, not the USPS. It actually only applies to mail that can move by air, Priority Mail, not media mail, but some clerks don't take any chances.
Personally, I don't think the rule makes a whole lot of sense, because 12 ounces of any high-powered explosive can do some serious damage to a plane. Thirteen ounces will just do a bit more.
3 months, 1 week ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Jesus Valadez Verified
Ya, I knew it has to do with Homeland but I still find it retarded. I still want to blame USPS for not having an express line where you can just drop off your item and that's that. I don't want to wait 20 minutes for something that takes 10 seconds.
3 months, 1 week ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
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