{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://norton.house.gov//media-center/press-releases/norton-to-speak-at-postal-worker-rally-to-stop-mail-processing-center", "Norton to Speak at Postal Worker Rally to Stop Mail-Processing Center Closures, Tomorrow", "2014-11-13", "2014", "2014-11", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 The Office of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) announced that Norton will be speaking at a rally entitled \u201cStop Delaying America\u2019s Mail\u201d tomorrow, Friday, November 14, at 9:30 a.m. in front of the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) Headquarters, 475 L'Enfant Plaza.\u00a0 As part of a national day of action in 148 locations, 48 states and the District of Columbia, and ahead of a public meeting of the Postal Board of Governors, Norton will be calling on the USPS to halt the closure of 82 mail processing facilities, and to improve their mail standards so as to revitalize both customer satisfaction and revenue.\u00a0 Last month, Norton sent a letter to USPS Postmaster General Patrick R. Donahoe that asks him to reconsider the decision to consolidate more than 80 mail-processing centers, which will delay First-Class and other mail delivery, and which was made without public input.\u00a0 A recent USPS Inspector General report said the decision to consolidate several mail-processing centers across the United States should have included comment from the public, as required by law, but USPS moved forward without notice to the public.\u00a0\n\u201cThe USPS cannot continue shuttering the doors of its mail-processing centers without input from the public,\u201d Norton said.\u00a0 \u201cI am fully aware that the Congress is a villain in this piece and that significant savings are expected.\u00a0 However, it is foolish and counterproductive to try to fix the Postal Service at the expense of customers and workers.\u00a0 USPS should maintain the current standard for First-Class mail and seek public input before making changes that impact the lives of millions of Americans.\u201d\nIn July, a USPS Inspector General report ranked the District of Columbia as the worst in the nation for late mail delivery, with more than two-thirds of residents and businesses receiving mail after 5:00 p.m.\u00a0 In response, she held a Postal Service Roundtable in August to seek solutions in the District.\u00a0 Among the recommendations were quarterly Postmaster meetings with ANCs; setting up an automated phone system for residents who want only routine information, such as operating hours, freeing up customer service representatives to handle substantive issues; creating the role of Postal Ombudsman to focus on recurring customer reports in order to detect patterns of service problems; and getting State Department assistance in processing passports using post office personnel.\nNorton has also written USPS previously regarding the need to eliminate late deliveries in the District and nationally, following the killing of Tyson Barnette, a USPS letter carrier killed while delivering mail at night in Prince George\u2019s County, Maryland.\u00a0 USPS itself has set a goal of having 95 percent of its city carriers complete mail deliveries before 5:00 p.m.\u00a0\nUSPS also failed to conduct any feasibility studies to determine the impact of the consolidations on the 95 mail facilities that will be taking over the operations of the consolidated mail-processing centers or on consumers.\u00a0 Besides increases in mail delivery times for First-Class mail, Norton cited new risks to letter carriers who will be delivering mail after dark and delays of medications and vote-by-mail ballots.\u00a0\nCongress requires the USPS, unlike any other federal agency or private organization, to prefund future retiree health benefits.\u00a0 This mandate has caused major problems in the USPS\u2019 ability to fund critical on-the-ground services.\u00a0 Norton and other", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://norton.house.gov//media-center/press-releases/norton-to-speak-at-postal-worker-rally-to-stop-mail-processing-center"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8690408430993557, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}