>>> WATCH THIS.
THIS GUY TOTALLY GETS IT.
I LOVE THIS.
I FEEL EXACTLY THE SAME WAY THAT
HE DOES.
>> I DONT THINK THAT HE REALLY
HAS A CLUE OF WHAT WE DO,
BECAUSE WHEN YOU PUT SOMETHING
IN A BLUE BOX, IT GETS THERE.
AND WHEN I STARTED WORKING HERE,
IVE SEEN THE MIRACLES BEHIND
THESE CALLS RIGHT HERE.
>> WHEN YOU PUT SOMETHING IN A
BLUE BOX, IT GETS THERE.
WHICH LOOKS LIKE MAGIC.
ITS NOT MAGIC, ITS BECAUSE OF
ALL THE HARD WORK THAT HAPPENS
BEHIND THOSE WALLS BY PEOPLE
LIKE HIM.
THAT MANS NAME IS MIKE BATES.
HE HAS BEEN A U.S. POSTAL WORKER
FOR NEARLY 30 YEARS, GOD BLESS
HIM.
WHAT HES TALKING ABOUT THERE IS
THE MAIL.
WHEN HE SAYS HE HAS WITNESSED
MIRACLES ON THE JOB, DID YOU
CATCH WHAT HE SAID FIRST,
THOUGH?
I DONT THINK HE REALLY HAS A
CLUE ABOUT WHAT WE DO.
THE "HE" IN THAT SENTENCE IS
THIS MAN, LOUIS DeJOY.
HE IS THE HEAD OF THE U.S.
POSTAL SERVICE, THE POSTMASTER
GENERAL APPOINTED BY DONALD
TRUMP.
HE IS STILL IN THAT JOB TODAY,
BELIEVE IT OR NOT.
IT WAS OF COURSE LOUIS DeJOY,
PARDON ME FOR SAYING SO, WHO
KIND OF BROKE THE U.S. MAIL
SYSTEM LAST YEAR IMMEDIATELY
AFTER TRUMP INSTALLED HIM IN THE
JOB.
HE INSTITUTED DRACONIAN NEW
POLICIES THAT CREATED
UNPRECEDENTED DEVASTATING
BACKLOGS IN THE MAIL ACROSS THE
WHOLE COUNTRY.
HE ORDERED MULTIMILLION DOLLAR
IRREPLACEABLE CUSTOM BUILT MAIL
SORTING MACHINES TO BE REMOVED
AND DESTROYED.
HE CUT THE NUMBER OF TRIPS THAT
MAIL CARRIERS WERE ALLOWED TO
TAKE.
HE BANNED MAIL CARRIERS FROM
TAKING EXTRA TRIPS TO DELIVER
MAIL THAT WOULD OTHERWISE BE
LATE SO, YEAH, THE MAIL GOT
LATE, REALLY LATE, ALL OVER THE
COUNTRY AT HIS ORDERS.
I KNOW YOU KNOW ALL OF THIS
BECAUSE WE HAVE ALL BEEN LIVING
THROUGH WHAT HAS FELT LIKE A
COLLAPSE OF RELIABLE MAIL
SERVICE WHEN STARTED WHEN
TRUMPS GUY, LOUIS DeJOY, TOOK
OVER.
UNFATHOMABLY, EVEN AFTER THAT
DISASTROUS START TO HIS TENURE
AS POSTMASTER GENERAL, LOUIS
DeJOY IS STILL IN CHARGE OF THE
POSTAL SERVICE TONIGHT AS I SIT
HERE.
AND SINCE HES STILL THERE, HES
STILL COMING UP WITH NEW WAYS TO
TRY TO MONKEY WRENCH THE WAY
MAIL GETS DELIVERED EVEN
FURTHER.
HES RECENTLY PROPOSED HIS OWN
10-YEAR PLAN FOR THE POSTAL
SERVICE, SOMETHING "THE
WASHINGTON POST" CALLS THE,
QUOTE, LARGEST ROLL BACK OF
CONSUMER MAIL SERVICES IN A
GENERATION.
JUST AS ONE EXAMPLE, DeJOYS
PLAN CALLS FOR ENDING THE USE OF
AIRPLANES TO MOVE FIRST CLASS
MAIL ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
TO ONLY USE TRUCKS INSTEAD,
WHICH OF COURSE WOULD
SIGNIFICANTLY SLOW DOWN THE
DELIVERY OF THE MAIL.
HE WOULD FURTHER REDUCE HOURS AT
POST OFFICES.
HE WANTS TO CLOSE A BUNCH OF
POST OFFICES, END A LOT OF
POSTAL SERVICES.
POSTAL WORKERS AND UNION LEADERS
IMMEDIATELY POINTED OUT THAT ONE
OF THE THINGS HES PROPOSING
WOULD BE TO OFFLOAD MORE MAIL
CARRYING OPERATIONS TO PRIVATE
COMPANIES, WHICH IS DESIGNED TO
HAVE A SIDE BENEFIT OF FURTHER
SLOWING DOWN MAIL DELIVERIES,
WHILE ALSO PRIVATIZING THE MAIL.
SO THATS WHY THAT POSTAL
WORKER, MIKE BATES, WAS SAYING
THAT HIS BOSS HAS NO IDEA WHAT
HE AND HIS FELLOW MAIL CARRIERS
DO.
YOU MIGHT SEE THOSE SIGNS OVER
MR. BATES SHOULDER THERE.
WHEN HE MADE THOSE REMARKS THIS
WEEK, HE WAS AT A PROTEST, AN
INFORMATIONAL PICKET.
POSTAL WORKERS, AMONG THEM SOME
OF THE ONES WHO BLEW THE WHISTLE
ON THE SORTING MACHINES DISASTER
LAST YEAR, POSTAL WORKERS HELD A
RALLY IN DES MOINES THIS WEEK IN
IOWA TO PROTEST THESE PROPOSED
NEW CHANGES TO THE WAY THE POST
OFFICE OPERATES.
THEY STOOD OUTSIDE THE DES
MOINES POST OFFICE CHANTING
RAISE HELL, SAVE YOUR MAIL.
THEY SAY CUT BACK, WE SAY FIGHT
BACK.
THEY MADE SIGNS THAT SAY THINGS
LIKE DeJOY EQUALS DELAYS AND
STOP DeJOY, SAVE USPS.
AND IT WASNT JUST POSTAL
WORKERS WHO SHOWED UP FOR IT.
THEY HAD A LIVE STREAM WHERE
PEOPLE COULD EXPLAIN WHY IT WAS
IMPORTANT TO THEM TO KEEP
DELIVERY STANDARDS HIGH, BECAUSE
ITS THE PEOPLES SERVICE, WHY
WE ALL NEED THE MAIL ON HOME AND
ON TIME.
THIS MAN, FOR EXAMPLE, IS AN
ADVOCATE FOR RETIREES IN IOWA.
FOR PEOPLE WHO RELY ON THE MAIL
BEING DELIVERED ON TIME TO GET
YEAR, INCLUDING BEFORE THE
ELECTION TO SLOW DOWN AND SCREW
UP THE MAIL, LOUIS DeJOY IS NOW
PUSHING A TEN-YEAR PLAN TO SLOW
THE U.S. MAIL EVEN FURTHER TO
OFFER LESS SERVICES -- EXCUSE
ME, TO OFFER LESS SERVICE AND TO
CLOSE POST OFFICES ALL OVER THE
COUNTRY.
RIGHT NOW, THOUGH, ITS JUST A
PROPOSAL.
ITS ACTUALLY UP TO SOMETHING
CALLED THE POSTAL REGULATORY
COMMISSION WHETHER OR NOT
DeJOYS PLAN FORMALLY GETS
ADOPTED.
RIGHT NOW IS THE MAGIC WINDOW OF
TIME WHERE THE GENERAL PUBLIC
GETS TO TELL THE POSTAL
REGULATORY COMMISSION IF THEY
SHOULD DO THAT.
RIGHT NOW IS WHEN THE PUBLIC
GETS TO TELL THAT COMMISSION HOW
THEY FEEL ABOUT LOUIS DeJOYS
PLAN TO CUT BACK AND SLOW DOWN
THE POSTAL SERVICE EVEN MORE
THAN HE ALREADY HAS.
THE PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD IS
OPEN RIGHT NOW, BUT ITS ONLY
STAYING OPEN FOR THE NEXT MONTH.
ITS ONLY OPEN UNTIL JUNE 22nd.
AS IOWA POSTAL WORKERS RALLIED
THIS WEEK TO TRY TO LET PEOPLE
KNOW THIS IS HAPPENING AND TO
TRY TO GET PEOPLE TO PUBLIC
COMMENT AGAINST DeJOYS PLANS TO
FURTHER MESS WITH THE POST
OFFICE, THE PRESIDENT OF THE
IOWA POSTAL WORKERS UNION SAID
THIS, QUOTE, IF WE DONT GET
DeJOYS PLAN STOPPED, THE
AVALANCHE WILL BEGIN, AND
IRREVERSIBLE DAMAGE MAY BE DONE.
JOINING US IS KIMBERLY CARROLL,
THE PRESIDENT OF THE IOWA POSTAL
WORKERS UNION.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING
HERE.
I REALLY APPRECIATE YOU TAKING
THE TIME.
>> THANK YOU, RACHEL, FOR
INVITING ME BACK.
AGAIN, ANOTHER PIVOTAL MOMENT IN
POSTAL HISTORY.
>> IT FEELS LIKE IT, AND IM
INTERESTED IN THE FACT THAT YOU
AND YOUR COLLEAGUES, THE PEOPLE
WHO WERE OUT THERE IN DES MOINES
THIS WEEK TRYING TO RAISE
AWARENESS OF THIS, TRYING TO GET
NEWS COVERAGE, TRYING TO LET
PEOPLE KNOW WORSE AND FURTHER
CUTS ARE COMING, ARE ASKING FOR
PEOPLE TO GIVE PUBLIC COMMENT
AGAINST IT.
DO YOU THINK THAT STRONG PUBLIC
COMMENT AGAINST THIS PROPOSAL
COULD ACTUALLY STOP IT?
>> WELL, I DONT THINK WEVE
EVER HAD AN OPPORTUNITY WHERE
THE PUBLIC HAS BEEN ABLE TO MAKE
COMMENT IN PREVIOUS CHANGES.
AND THATS WHY WE REALLY WANT TO
TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE
SURE THAT THE PUBLIC UNDERSTANDS
WHATS HAPPENING AND THEY TAKE
ACTION AND LET THE POSTAL
REGULATORY COMMISSION KNOW THAT
THIS IS NOT THE DIRECTION THAT
WE WANT TO TAKE.
THERE ISNT ONE RIGHT WAY OR ONE
WAY.
WE NEED TO FIND THE RIGHT WAY.
AND IF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE SPEAK
OUT AND SAY THAT THIS IS NOT
WHAT THEY WANT IN THE POSTAL
SERVICE, THAT THEYRE NOT
WILLING TO SETTLE FOR ADEQUATE
SERVICE, THEY WANT EXCEPTIONAL
SERVICE -- AND THEY DESERVE
EXCEPTIONAL SERVICE -- WE WILL
FIND A DIFFERENT WAY.
>> IT SEEMS TO ME LIKE IF
THERES ONE THING THAT YOU
WANTED TO TELL A RANDOMLY
ASSEMBLED GROUP OF AMERICANS
THAT YOU COULD GAFRNT WOULD MAKE
MOST OF THEM MAD, WOULD BE THAT
YOURE GOING TO CLOSE A BUNCH OF
POST OFFICES.
I THINK EVERYWHERE IN THE
COUNTRY, INCLUDING VERY RURAL
PARTS OF THE COUNTRY, THE
PROSPECT OF A LOCAL POST OFFICE
THATS BEEN THERE FOREVER IS
GOING TO SHUT DOWN GETS PEOPLES
BLOOD BOILING PRETTY QUICKLY.
THAT PROPOSAL PLUS THE PROPOSAL
TO SLOW DOWN FIRST-CLASS MAIL,
PLUS THE PROPOSAL TO JUST STOP
OFFERING SOME EXISTING MAIL
SERVICES, IT DOES SEEM LIKE THIS
IS DESIGNED TO HIT THE PUBLICS
HOT BUTTONS HERE IN TERMS OF THE
KINDS OF THINGS THAT WOULD MOST
AGGRAVATE US.
I WONDER IF THE PLAN HERE IS
TO -- IF THE IDEA HERE WAS THAT
AMERICANS WOULDNT KNOW THIS WAS
HAPPENING.
IT JUST SEEMS LIKE THERES SUCH
INFLAMMATORY PROPOSALS.
>> WELL, I THINK THATS EXACTLY
WHAT THE PLAN WAS.
EVEN IN HEARINGS WITH REGARD TO
THE SERVICE STANDARD CHANGES
THAT WERE CONDUCTED BY THE
POSTAL SERVICE, THEY ADMITTED TO
NOT TALKING TO CUSTOMERS, AND
THEY SAID THEY WERENT GOING TO
GET PUBLIC COMMENT.
SO I THINK THAT WAS PART OF
EXACTLY THE PLAN, WAS TO MAKE
SURE THAT THIS WENT THROUGH,
THAT THE LAW GOT CHANGED, AND
THE POSTAL SERVICE WOULD MAKE
ALL THESE SERVICE CHANGES, AND
THE CUSTOMER WOULD BE JUST LEFT
TO COMPLAIN.
WERE WANTING THEM TO TAKE
POSITIVE, PROACTIVE ACTION AND
TELL THEM THAT THEYRE NOT
WILLING TO SETTLE FOR THIS
SLOWDOWN.
AND IF NECESSARY, THEY NEED TO
REACH OUT TO THEIR CONGRESSMEN
AND SENATORS BECAUSE WE AS
AMERICAN PEOPLE SHOULD BE ABLE
TO INFLUENCE THE SERVICE THAT IS
BEING PROVIDED TO US AS
AMERICANS.
AND THE ONLY WAY TO DO THAT IS
IF WE RALLY TOGETHER ONCE AGAIN
AND PUT PRESSURE ON THE PEOPLE
WHO ARE MAKING DECISIONS FOR US
AND SAY, LOOK, THIS IS WHAT WE
WANT.
THIS IS WHAT WE DESERVE.
AND THE TIME TO DO THAT IS NOW,
BEFORE THE LAW IS CHANGED,
BEFORE THE RULES ARE CHANGED.
>> AGAIN, THAT PUBLIC COMMENT
PERIOD WITH THE POSTAL
REGULATORY COMMISSION CLOSES IN
A MONTH, CLOSES ON JUNE 22nd,
WHICH MEANS PUBLIC COMMENT NEEDS
TO GO IN NOW IN ORDER TO
POTENTIALLY AFFECT THAT.
KIMBERLY KAROL, PRESIDENT OF THE
IOWA POSTAL WORKERS UNION, IT IS