Kelly Dickey, President of the National Postal Mail Handlers Union (NPMHU) Local 322, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast and discussed how the Postal Service Reform Act of 2022 will create a more optimistic economic outlook for the U.S. Postal Service (USPS).
Passed by a vote with rare bipartisan support, the legislation will save USPS billions of dollars and reform deliveries. The USPS will no longer be required to pre-fund health benefits to its employees, which will save an estimated $27 billion over the next 10 years. The bill will also cut costs and ensure transparency by requiring USPS to create an online dashboard with data to track national delivery times.
With President Biden expected to sign the legislation soon, the bill promises USPS a much brighter future, Dickey said. It also includes Medicare integration into retirees healthcare benefits, to give retirees the option to sign up for Medicare plans, she added.
Dickey then provided an update on privatization plans being carried out under U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy. She acknowledged his decision to transport more mail via trucks than planes is good for the post office, but questioned his motives considering he has $70 million invested in trucking companies who may haul USPS freight.
Transporting more mail by trucks will also require more surface transport centers to process the mail, she explained. Dickey added that DeJoy has been subcontracting these transport centers to private companies — a move not popular with NPMHU.
Listen to the entire episode to learn more about these topics: