RALLY & ACTION: 10:30 AM SAT, NOV 1 at Downtown Berkeley

Post Office, 2000 Allston Way.

The Sale of Our Post Offices – A Quick Review

• After a moratorium of sorts on the sale of historic Post Offices for almost a year…

o The Bronx Post Office was sold in September, 2014
o The Somerville, MA Post Office was sold in early October
o The Richmond, VA Post Office was put up for sale
o On 10/24/14 the USPS said the Berkeley Post Office is “under contract” to be sold.

• The Postal Service accepted, then reneged on, a proposal to have Berkeley be the custodian of artwork in our Post Office – demanding they themselves play that role.
• The Postal Service has refused to recognize that there would be any “adverse impact” due to the sale, as required by law.
• Despite the Zoning Overlay passing, we now know USPS is getting ready to sell our Post Office w/o regard to the people’s desires and its artistic, historic and civic value.

Many people have worked diligently for 2 years writing politicians, meeting, holding rallies & concerts, passing out 1000’s of flyers, occupying the steps and Staples, initiating a zoning overlay and working to pass Measure R .

AND THEY STILL DON’T GET THE MESSAGE!
THIS IS OUR PUBLIC POST OFFICE AND WE DON’T WANT IT SOLD

Not only do the privatizers want to sell off Post Offices, they want to destroy the Postal Service. Here is Mark Dimonstein, President of the American Postal Workers Union, explaining what new cuts in postal service about to be imposed on everyone will mean. This is a malicious, pre-planned feeback loop: as services degrade, there is less support and use, leading to further cuts. Instead, the Post Office should be expanding it services and going after new customers, such as those who would benefit from Postal Banking.

More information about the rally and subsequent actions here and here.A timeline of the Berkeley Post Office defense against a sale.

We Demand

That the USPS stop sales proceedings on the People’s Property at 2000 Allston Way and delist the property;
That negotiations with Berkeley to find suitable uses for the currently unused space inside begin immediately;
That more Postal Workers be hired so that waiting times at 2000 Allston Way are significantly reduced and that US mail delivery does not happen late into the evening;
That the postal counter at Staples in Berkeley be closed.