COALITION OF 156 BUSINESS, NON PROFIT ORGS, TWO POSTAL UNIONS AND THE POSTMASTERS ASSOC. ENDORSE COLLINS’ POSTAL REFORM LEGISLATION

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- A coalition of 156 business and nonprofit organizations have endorsed Senator Collins' postal reform legislation, which will be formally introduced in the U.S. Senate on Thursday, May 20th. Senator Collins, who chairs the Governmental Affairs Committee which oversees the US Postal Service, will be joined by Senator Tom Carper (D-DE) in introducing this legislation, which represents the most major overhaul of the Postal Service since 1970. In addition to the coalition of 156 organizations, the National Association of Rural Letter Carriers and the National Association of Letter Carriers have also endorsed the efforts of Senators Collins and Carper.

Senators Collins and Carper are working to preserve the Postal Service, which is threatened by substantial debt, to keep it financially viable so that millions of jobs can be preserved and Americans can continue to rely on universal postal services.

In a letter to the Senators, members of the business coalition, known as the "Coalition for a 21st Century Postal Service" wrote, " You recognized that in order to protect American jobs and to keep the U.S. Postal Service—a cornerstone of the US economy for over 200 years—healthy, viable and affordable well into the future, Congress should act now to pass postal reform legislation."

The group further wrote, "The Coalition for a 21st Century Postal Service" commends you on your hard work in bringing this crucial debate to the forefront. Your leadership will make it possible for the first postal reform bill to pass the Senate in over 30 years."

The Coalition for a 21st Century Postal Service includes members such as the American Cancer Society, Children International, National Wildlife Federation, International Paper, Printing Industries of America and dozens of publishing, direct marketing and retail organization. Senator Collins recently held a series of hearings to examine how best to reform the Postal Service, which faces approximately $90 billion in unfounded liabilities and other obligations, according to the General Accounting Office.

During a recent hearing at the Governmental Affairs Committee, Senator Collins said, "So much depends on the Postal Service's continued viability. The Postal Service itself has more than 730,000 career employees and is the 7th largest employer in Maine. Less well known is the fact that it is also the linchpin of a $900 billion mailing industry that employs nine million Americans in fields as diverse as direct mailing, printing, catalog production, paper manufacturing and financial services. The health of the Postal Service is essential to thousands of companies and the millions that they employ."

Postal reform is one of Senator Collins' legislative priorities, and she is working with Senate leadership to bring the bill before the full Senate as quickly as possible.