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Motion of the Council of Allegheny County expressing the sense of Council that the United States Postal Service should remain a strong and universal service for the people of the United States, and should receive appropriations necessary to offset revenues lost due to the COVID-19 emergency and ensure the continuation of its current service levels.
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Whereas, pursuant to the Postal Reorganization Act of 1970, Pub.L. 91-375, 39 U.S.C. §101(a), the United States Postal Service ("USPS") is designated as ‘‘a basic and fundamental service provided to the people by the Government of the United States, authorized by the Constitution, created by Act of Congress, and supported by the people’’; and
Whereas, pursuant to that same statute, "[t]he Postal Service shall have as its basic function the obligation to provide postal services to bind the Nation together through the personal, educational, literary, and business correspondence of the people. It shall provide prompt, reliable, and efficient services to patrons in all areas and shall render postal services to all communities. The costs of establishing and maintaining the Postal Service shall not be apportioned to impair the overall value of such service to the people."; and
Whereas, the United States Postal Service maintains a universal network that connects all rural, suburban, and urban communities in the United States; and
Whereas, the USPS carries necessary correspondence and goods to each community, including prescriptions and critical medications, notices of legal proceedings, and other official notifications; and
Whereas, the United States Postal Service has also served a vitally important function throughout the course of numerous "stay at home" orders in force throughout the nation, by delivering goods and obviating the need for individuals to procure them in public settings; and
Whereas, the United States Postal Service uniquely serves ‘‘the last mile’’, with 160 million delivery points within the United States, and delivery to every business and residential customer not fewer than 6 days per week; and
Whereas, the USPS helps small businesses stay connected with their customers no matter where they live; and
Whereas, the USPS also serves as a vital link between Americans serving in foreign countries and their official and family connections in the United States, as the Military Postal Service provides service in 67 countries and Diplomatic Mail service is provided in 113 countries, with 678 land-based and 389 onboard-ship Military Post Offices and 140 Diplomatic Post Offices; and
Whereas, in 2019, the USPS handled 142.6 billion pieces of mail, accounting for approximately 48% of the world's total mail volume; and
Whereas, more than 630,000 employees work for the United States Postal Service, including more than 97,000 military veterans, to carry out this mission; and Whereas the United States Postal Service is at the center of the mailing industry, which generates $1,600,000,000,000 annually and employs approximately 7,300,000 individuals in the United States; and
Whereas, every two weeks, the USPS pays approximately $2 million in wages and benefits to its employees; and
Whereas, under normal conditions, the USPS receives $0 derived from tax revenues to support its operations;
The Council of the County of Allegheny therefore hereby moves as follows:
1. That the United States Postal Service:
A. Should not close post offices or facilities, especially in areas that would otherwise lack access to the services these facilities provide;
B. Should not reduce its standards of service, or prevent individuals and businesses in every community from receiving their mail expediently and predictably;
C. Should not unduly or excessively raise the prices of its products or services in such a way as to jeopardize the affordability and accessibility of such products and services in each community across the nation; and
D. Should maintain prompt, reliable, and efficient services to all patrons affordably, as required under the law and by the people of the United States; and
2. That the Congress of the United States should appropriate funds to offset lost revenues of the United States Postal Service during the COVID-19 emergency and should take all appropriate measures to ensure the United States Postal Service continues and maintains its services, and remains an accessible, independent establishment of the Federal Government.