RESULTS OF THESE PLANS WAS
CLEAR.
"THIS WILL SLOW MAIL
PROCESSING."
THE STORY IS NOW GETTING BIGGER
BY THE HOUR.
BUT I HAVE TO TELL YOU, THIS
PART OF THE STORY ABOUT WHAT THE
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION IS DOING TO
THE POST OFFICE ON PURPOSE IN
ADVANCE OF THE ELECTION WHEN
WE’RE ALL ABOUT TO START VOTING
BY MAIL, THIS WHOLE PART OF THE
STORY ALL STARTED WITH ONE
PERSON.
THE FIRST PERSON WHO ALERTED THE
WHOLE COUNTRY THAT THIS KIND OF
THING WAS HAPPENING IS A WOMAN
NAMED KIMBERLY CARROLL.
SHE’S PRESIDENT OF THE IOWA
POSTAL WORKERS UNION.
SHE’S A LONG-TIME POSTAL CLERK
FROM THE GREAT CITY OF WATERLOO,
IOWA.
AND SHE DID AN INTERVIEW WITH
NPR THIS WEEK IN WHICH SHE
SURPRISED HER INTERVIEWER BY
SAYING SOMETHING THAT HAD NOT
BEEN REPORTED ANYWHERE ELSE.
"MAIL IS BEGINNING TO PILE UP IN
OUR OFFICES AND WE’RE SEEING
EQUIPMENT BEING REMOVED."
THE NEWS WAS SUCH A SURPRISE
THAT THE NPR INTERVIEWER WAS
SORT OF CAUGHT OFF GUARD BY WHAT
MS. CARROLL SAID, ASKED HER TO
EXPLAIN.
SHE EXPLAINED THAT SORTING
MACHINES WERE BEING REMOVED AT
HER OWN FACILITY IN WATERLOO AND
AT POSTAL FACILITIES ACROSS
IOWA.
AND SHE MADE IT CLEAR THAT THIS
WAS NOT ABOUT TRYING TO HELP
SAVE MONEY, THIS WAS NOT GROWING
TO SAVE MONEY.
"I DON’T SEE THIS AS A
COST-SAVING MEASURE.
I SEE THIS AS A WAY TO UNDERMINE
THE PUBLIC CONFIDENCE IN THE
MAIL SERVICE."
WELL, JOINING US NOW IS KIMBERLY
KAROL, PRESIDENT OF THE IOWA
POSTAL WORKERS UNION AND A
POSTAL CLERK IN WATERLOO, IOWA.
MS. KAROL, THANKS FOR YOUR WORK
AT THE POSTAL SERVICE, YOUR WORK
IN THE UNION, AND THANKS FOR
HELPING ALERT THE COUNTRY THAT
THIS WAS GOING ON.
WE DIDN’T KNOW BEFORE YOU SAID
IT.
>> WELL, I APPRECIATE THAT YOU
HAVE TAKEN UP THE STORY AND MADE
THE PUBLIC AWARE OF WHAT’S
HAPPENING.
SO THANK YOU.
>> WELL, YOU KNOW, IT WOULD BE A
LOT EASIER FOR US TO REPORT ON
THESE SORT OF MAJOR AND
CONSEQUENTIAL CHANGES AT THE
POST OFFICE IF THEY WERE
ANNOUNCING THAT THEY WERE DOING
THESE THINGS.
MAJOR POLICY CHANGES AT THE POST
OFFICE, PARTICULARLY ONES THAT
ARE GOING TO AFFECT WHEN AND
WHETHER PEOPLE GET THEIR MAIL,
SEEM LIKE THE SORT OF THING THAT
WE WOULD PREVIOUSLY HAVE THE
POST OFFICE HAVE PUT OUT FOR
PUBLIC DEBATE, PUT THEM OUT FOR
PUBLIC COMMENT.
BUT THIS STUFF WITH THE SORTING
MACHINES, SOME OF THE OTHER
THINGS THEY’VE DONE IN TERMS OF
OVERTIME RULES AND GIVING
PEOPLE -- GIVING POSTAL WORKERS
DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS ABOUT HOW
TO HANDLE MAIL AND WHEN NOT TO
BOTHER TO DELIVER IT, THIS HAS
ALL JUST BEEN STUFF THAT WE
FOUND OUT FROM YOU GUYS.
THEY HAVEN’T BEEN MAKING PUBLIC
ANNOUNCE
ANNOUNCEMENTS ABOUT THESE
THINGS.
AT LEAST THAT’S HOW IT SEEMS
FROM THE OUTSIDE.
OR IS THERE A PART OF THIS
THAT -- A PUBLICFACING PART OF
THIS THAT WE’VE JUST BEEN
MISSING?
>> NO.
I THINK THAT IT WAS A DELIBERATE
ACT TO AVOID PUBLIC COMMENT.
BECAUSE IN THE PAST THEY HAVE
TRIED SIMILAR TYPES OF CHANGES
WHERE THEY WERE CLOSING POST
OFFICES OR CLOSING PLANTS.
THAT HAPPENED NOT TOO VERY LONG
AGO.
AND THE PUBLIC RALLIED BEHIND
THE POSTAL SERVICE AND STOPPED
THAT.
GOT A HALT TO CLOSING PLANTS AND
POST OFFICES IN ORDER TO PROTECT
THE SERVICE STANDARDS AND WHAT
WE DO FOR THE PUBLIC.
SO I THINK IT WAS DELIBERATE TO
MAKE SURE THAT THE PUBLIC DIDN’T
HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO COMMENT.
AND GET THEM TO STOP WHAT THEY
WERE DOING.
>> NOW THAT WE DO KNOW WHAT
THEY’RE DOING AND PEOPLE ARE
STARTING TO FEEL THE PAIN IN
TERMS OF SLOWED AND MORE ERRATIC
SERVICE, WHAT SORT OF PUBLIC
FEEDBACK DO YOU THINK WOULD MAKE
A DIFFERENCE?
WE COVERED A STORY AT THE TOP OF
THE HOUR ABOUT PEOPLE BEING VERY
MAD ABOUT CURBSIDE MAILBOXES,
ABOUT POSTAL COLLECTION BOXES
BEING TAKEN OFF THE STREETS IN
MONTANA.
THAT SEEMS TO HAVE LED TO A HALT
ON THAT PRACTICE AROUND THE
COUNTRY AFTER SOME OUTRAGE WAS
EXPRESSED ABOUT IT TODAY.
WHAT DO YOU THINK THEY WILL
RESPOND TO IN TERMS OF THESE
THINGS THEY’RE DOING TO SLOW
DOWN THE MAIL?
>> WELL, I THINK THE PUBLIC
NEEDS TO BE COMMUNICATING
DIRECTLY WITH THE POST OFFICE
AND ALSO THEY NEED TO BE HITTING
THEIR SENATORS TO BE TAKING
ACTION TO TAKE AWAY THE
JUSTIFICATION FOR ALL OF THIS.
BECAUSE LET’S FACE IT, THE
REASON THAT THEY ARE GIVING FOR
ALL OF THIS IS A COST-SAVING
MEASURE BECAUSE OF THE FINANCIAL
SITUATION THAT THE POSTAL
SERVICE FINDS ITSELF IN.
IT’S IMPORTANT THAT THE PUBLIC
UNDERSTANDS THAT IF WE WERE TO
GET THE COVID FINANCE, THE COVID
RELIEF THAT THAT WOULD TAKE AWAY
THE JUSTIFICATION THAT DEJOY AND
THE POSTAL SERVICE HAS FOR
TAKING THESE DRASTIC ACTIONS SO
IMMEDIATELY.RITICAL FOR THE
PUBLIC TO BE PUTTING PRESSURE ON
THE SENATE TO PROVIDE US WITH
RELIEF AND THEN MAKE SURE THAT
THE PRESIDENT DOESN’T VETO THAT.
UNFORTUNATELY, WE HAVE BEEN A
PART OF ALL OF THE RELIEF
CONVERSATION BECAUSE WE’VE
CONTINUED TO PROVIDE SERVICES TO
THE PUBLIC.
BUT IN EACH AND EVERY TIME THAT
HAS COME UP FOR RATIFICATION WE
HAVE BEEN ESSENTIALLY LINE ITEM
VETOED BEFORE IT ACTUALLY GOT TO
THE PRESIDENT.
SO IT’S IMPORTANT THAT WE
CONTINUE TO PUT THAT KIND OF
PRESSURE.
AND WHAT HAPPENED IN MONTANA IS
VERY ENCOURAGING TO ME BECAUSE
THAT IS SHOWING THAT THE
PRESSURE DOES WORK.
SO I’M ENERGIZED BY ALL OF THAT.
>> ME TOO.
THAT IS -- IT’S THE FIRST
ENCOURAGING -- I FEEL LIKE I’VE
BEEN KIND OF DESPONDENT SEEING A
LOT OF SMALL D DEMOCRACY STUFF
GETTING UNDERMINED AND FEELING
LIKE THERE WASN’T MUCH ANYBODY
COULD DO TO STOP IT BECAUSE IT
FELT SORT OF EXTRALEGAL OR
OUTSIDE THE SYSTEM.
I THINK YOU’RE RIGHT, IT IS
ENCOURAGING TO SEE WHAT HAPPENED
TODAY IN MONTANA.
I WILL ALSO TELL YOU THAT IT
MAKES A HUGE DIFFERENCE THAT YOU
AS A POSTAL CLERK WERE ABLE TO
TELL US ABOUT THEM TAKING THAT
SORTING MACHINE OUT OF YOUR
OFFICE IN WATERLOO, IOWA AND TO
LET US KNOW THAT WAS HAPPENING
IN OTHER AOFFICES AROUND IOWA.
THAT IS WHAT BROKE OPEN THE
STORY SO WE KNEW THAT SOME OF
THESE UNANNOUNCED CHANGES WERE
HAPPENING AT A VERY SERIOUS
LEVEL ALL OVER THE COUNTRY, AND
WE WOULDN’T HAVE KNOWN THAT
WITHOUT YOU.
SO KIMBERLY KAROL, PRESIDENT OF
THE IOWA POSTAL WORKERS UNION,