Postal unions are less open to USPS plans to privatize or outsource mail processing as part of its realignment.
At the hearing, John Hegarty, the president of the National Postal Mail Handlers Union criticized a recently issued request for proposal to outsource work from bulk mail centers. He said it does not make sense to give away mail volume to the private sector when nearby postal plants are suffering from declining mail volume.
Hegarty also cautioned against making structural changes in the face of conditions that could be temporary.
American Postal Workers Union president William Burrus said the Postal Services plans lack transparency.
GAO said in its testimony that the USPS has taken steps improve communication with its stakeholders as it consolidates its AMP operations by modifying its communication plan to improve public notification and engagement, increasing transparency by clarifying its processes for addressing public comments, and making additional information available online.
Still, Burrus said the USPS has couched aspects of its realignment plan in "politically-correct rhetoric and business jargon," for example, by glossing over changes in daily delivery times and failing to consider them as degradations in service.
The APWU recently sent a message to its some 300,000 members cautioning them to take a prudent approach to whether they would accept early retirement offers from the USPS, citing economic uncertainties and changes to the Postal Service that are still playing out.