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UNI Post & Logistics Global Union kicked off its global conference by confronting its challenges.



Union leaders from around the world came together for a forum on innovation in Washington DC to discuss how postal workers and postal unions can build a stronger future.



National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) President Fred Rolando, whose union represents US workers facing plans for draconian cuts to the postal service and a hundred thousand job cuts, said that rebuilding the US postal service could not come from slashing jobs, cutting costs and attacking collective bargaining rights.



He said post offices and other post operators must have a growth strategy aimed at boosting their revenues.



Rolando and many other speakers talked about the value of the communication networks that postal services have created and how to unlock further value from what already exists.



Some unions see the future of the postal service in electronic mail that starts as a message sent online and is printed and delivered to the recipient, so a person can send a letter from anywhere. New revenues could come from providing last mile delivery for privately owned parcel delivery companies. Other ideas include expanding postal banks and voting by mail.



Oregon Secretary of State Kate Brown, whose state was the first in the US to institute all vote-by-mail elections, said voting by mail is not only good for the postal service but also for voters. She said it increases voter access in elections because it makes it easier and less time-consuming to cast a vote.



“The best way for people to access the ballot is not through ballot box but through the US Postal Service,” she said.



Increasing the services provided by the post is the key to its survival, said Head of UNI Post & Logistics Neil Anderson.



“Why cut back service when our whole existence depends on service,” Anderson said. “We need to work together to defend the old postal world that is in a downward spiral. Fighting for innovation is as important as fighting for wages. It is important for us to find new jobs and new opportunities for our members.”



The Postal Innovations meeting was hosted by UNI, NALC, and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers. The UNI Post & Logistics Global Conference starts on Wednesday in Washington DC.