Postal Workers launch ‘Return to Sender’ campaign

USPS tells customers to abandon neighborhood post offices, go to Staples

Management at the United States Postal Service has launched a new offensive – one that clearly reveals the sinister goals of its no-bid deal with Staples.

In the fall of 2013, the Postal Service and Staples implemented a pilot program that established knock-off post offices in 82 Staples stores. The postal counters are staffed with low-wage Staples employees rather than highly trained USPS employees.

The deal privatizes the retail operations of the public Postal Service by transferring living-wage, union jobs to low-wage jobs and compromises the safety and security of the mail.

In July, after the American Postal Workers Union (APWU) launched a “Don’t Buy Staples” campaign, the USPS and Staples discontinued the trial, but replaced it with a modified version of the program, which it plans to expand to all 1,500 U.S. Staples stores.

Unbelievably, the USPS is now using postal funds to mail ads for 20 percent discounts on USPS shipping services at Staples stores.

The intent is clear: to incentivize customers to abandon their neighborhood post offices in favor of the private office-supply retailer.

“Next, management will almost certainly conduct a study and discover that traffic is down in post offices,” APWU President Mark wrote in an email. And they will say that justifies reducing service hours and work hours or closing the offices completely.”

RETURN TO SENDER

APWU postal workers and customers are being encouraged to respond by returning the ad to sender.

Here’s what you can do:

• Post a picture of yourself with the ad or with a note card where you’ve written, #ReturnToSender on Facebook or Twitter.
• Ask your family and friends to do the same. And ask them to take their office supply business elsewhere until Staples gets out of the postal business.
• If you receive a coupon in the mail, cross out the address and barcode, write “Return to Sender,” and drop it in the mail.

SAMPLE TWEETS

Having a hard time getting your ire down to 140 characters? Here are some sample tweets:

• @USPS subsidizes postal privatization in ad for @Staples. #ReturntoSender @apwunational tinyurl.com/ojz3gj3.

• @USPS advertises for @Staples, its partner in postal privatization. #ReturntoSender @apwunational tinyurl.com/ojz3gj3.

• New @USPS ad sends its customers to @Staples! I say #ReturntoSender @apwunational tinyurl.com/ojz3gj3.

For more information, visit www.StopStaples.com.