OFFICE OF THE MAYOR
CITY OF CHICAGO
RAHM EMANUEL
MAYOR
October 8,2014
TO THE HONORABLE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CHICAGO
Ladies and Gentlemen: I
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I transmit herewith, together with Aldermen Austin, Dowell, Harris, Graham, Thompson, and Burnett, a resolution concerning the U.S. Postal Service.
Your favorable consideration of this resolution will be appreciated.
Veryj truly yours,
Mayor
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RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The U.S. Postal Service is a vital component of our country's economic and communications infrastructure, handling and delivering 160 billion pieces of mail and generating more than 65 billion dollars in revenues annually, all without receiving a cent of taxpayer funding; and
WHEREAS, The U.S. Postal Service is the second largest employer of veterans in the country, with over 22% of its employees having served in the armed forces; and
WHEREAS, Inner city and rural communities, many of which do not have access to the Internet, remain dependent on the U.S. Postal Service for vital communications and for the shipment of goods; and
WHEREAS, Small business owners depend on the U.S. Postal Service for their livelihoods, as do many Americans, particularly seniors, for receipt of their prescription drugs; and
WHEREAS, The private mailing industry, which employs eight million Americans, generates over one trillion dollars annually, and represents approximately seven percent of the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP), heavily relies on the U.S. Postal Service's mail processing, retail, and last-mile delivery networks six days a week; and
WHEREAS, The U.S. Postal Service is the only private company or federal agency required by Congress to pre-fund future retiree health benefits for 75 years, at a cost of five-and-a-half billion dollars annually. However, these health benefit plans are not only fully funded, they carry a surplus of billions of dollars. The annual five-and-a-half billion dollar payments are therefore not needed, and the recent and pending service cuts justified by those payments are unnecessary; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED, That we, the Mayor and the members of the City Council of the City of Chicago, assembled this eighth day of October, 2014, hereby urge United States Senators Dick Durbin and Mark Kirk to offer strong support to postal reform legislation designed to secure the continuance of 6-day mail delivery, stabilize the U.S. Postal Service's finances by reforming or eliminating future retiree health financing policies, strengthen and protect the U.S. Postal Service's invaluable mail processing, retail, and last-mile delivery networks, and retain door-to-door delivery for the 30 million plus households and businesses that rely upon it; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That we call upon the City Council's Committee on Budget and Government Operations to hold a hearing for the purpose of further investigating the crucial issue of postal reform; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be presented to the President of the United States, the Vice President of the United States, the Majority Leader of the United States Senate, Senator Durbin, Senator Kirk, and the United States Postmaster General.
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