Norcross Joins Rally To Save The Post Office In Bellmawr
BELLMAWR, NJ —Rep. Donald Norcross and Camden County Freeholder Melinda Kane joined current and retired postal workers, union leaders and local officials for a rally outside the United States Postal Service (USPS) distribution center in Bellmawr on Tuesday.
The goal of the rally was to “highlight the urgent need to protect the Postal Service,” Norcross said.
“‘To inform and connect’ — that was the intent of our Founding Fathers when they enshrined the Postal Service in our Constitution,” Norcross said. “It is a pillar of our democracy, and today it is more essential than ever, as millions of Americans rely on the Postal Service each day during this pandemic to safely receive prescription medication, Social Security benefits, paychecks, tax refunds and vote-by-mail ballots in a timely manner. With the lives and livelihoods of Americans around the nation at stake, the President’s attempts to undermine our democracy will not go unchallenged. I will work with my colleagues in the House this week to pass legislation, protecting the Postal Service from this Administration’s dangerous campaign to sabotage it and disenfranchise voters.”
“Our goal must be to make voting easier and more accessible, not to make it harder,” Kane said. “Everybody counts, and every vote matters. We need to not take resources way from the Postal Service — but increase them.”
The rally came in response to recent actions by President Donald Trump, his Administration and Postmaster General Louis DeJoy to implement sweeping new operational changes that Norcross and Kane said “degrade postal service, delay the mail and threaten to deny the ability of eligible Americans to cast their votes through the mail in the upcoming elections in a timely fashion.”
On Tuesday, DeJoy said he would suspend recent policies implemented within the U.S. Postal Service after the changes drew intense scrutiny due to the possibility of mail delays. Read more here: Postmaster General Axes Policies Blamed For Mail Delays
DeJoy, a former supply-chain CEO who took over the Postal Service in June, recently sparked nationwide outcry over delays, new service prices and cutbacks just as millions of Americans will be trying to vote by mail during the coronavirus pandemic.
The first postmaster general in nearly two decades who is not a career postal employee, DeJoy pledged to modernize the money-losing agency to make it more efficient. He eliminated most overtime for postal workers, imposed restrictions on transportation and reduced of the quantity and use of mail-processing equipment.
But the outrage really started when Trump told Fox Business News last week that he's deliberately withholding $25 billion the U.S. Postal Service has requested so it can process the expected surge of mail-in ballots.
“We show our strong support of the Postal Service. The residents of Bellmawr rely on the Postal Service,” Bellmawr Mayor Chuck Sauter said during Tuesday's rally. “They provide critical, consistent services like the delivery of medication, checks and many other important items. During the pandemic, their role is more essential than ever.”
“Our members are essential workers; they come to work day in and day out to process the mail, even working graveyard shifts,” Vince Tarducci, APWU National Business Agent, said during the rally. “Over the last couple of months, we have been on daily briefings to make sure our members come to work feeling safe. Along the way, we’ve had some bumps in the road, and the latest issue we are facing is vote-by-mail. We are front and center. We deal with billions of extra pieces of mail during the holidays — we certainly can deal with vote-by-mail, and the Congressman has been with us every single step of the way.”
“Letter carriers value their relationship with the public and take great pride in serving their community,” said National Association of Letter Carriers Legislative Liaison Doug Dash. “We thank you for taking a stand for what’s right, and we will continue to work together to fight back against any harmful cuts to the Postal Service.”
Tuesday’s rally is one of two that were scheduled to take place in Camden County this week. That rally will take place at noon Friday at a site to be named later. Read more here: Post Office Rallies In Camden County; Local Leaders Speak Out
This article originally appeared on the Cherry Hill Patch
