November 13, 2019
Page 9
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O PINION
MCS Still in
Business
Martin
Cleaning
Service
Carpet & Upholstery
Cleaning
Residential &
Commercial Services
Minimum Service CHG.
$50.00
A small distance/travel
charge may be applied
CARPET CLEANING
2 Cleaning Areas or more
$30.00 each Area
Pre-Spray Traffic Areas
(Includes: 1 small Hallway)
1 Cleaning Area (only)
$50.00
Includes Pre-Spray Traffic Area
and Hallway
Honor Veterans and Protect the Postal Service
I’m a veteran
from a family of
veterans
K eith c ombS
If you’re looking
for a way to hon-
or veterans, here’s
one: Protect the
U.S. Postal Service.
I’m a veteran
from a family of
veterans. After serving in the Ma-
rine Corps, I got a good-paying
postal job that put me on a solid
path to financial security. Now I
lead the Detroit Area Local for the
American Postal Workers Union.
Our 1,500 members include many
veterans, some of whom I served
with myself.
Across the country, nearly
113,000 veterans now serve as
postal workers. With former mil-
itary members accounting for over
18 percent of our workforce, the
Postal Service employs vets at
three times their share of the na-
tional workforce.
Why? For one thing, military
values like hard work, showing up
on time and taking pride in your
work set you up perfectly for post-
al jobs.
For another, USPS gives vet-
erans like myself preferential hir-
by
ing treatment. Disabled vets, like
many I work with in Detroit, get
special consideration too. And
once they get here, they get gen-
erous medical leave and
benefits, including wounded
warriors leave, among other
hard-earned benefits won by
our union.
Unfortunately, these se-
cure jobs for veterans are
now under attack.
A White House report
has called for selling off
In particular, they want to elim-
inate our collective bargaining
rights, which would jeopardize all
those benefits we’ve won for vet-
erans and other employees. They
also want to cut delivery days,
close local post offices and raise
prices, which would hurt custom-
ers.
This cost-cutting could also
threaten another valuable benefit
for service members: Deeply dis-
counted shipping rates on pack-
ages they get overseas. Currently,
This cost-cutting could
also threaten another
valuable benefit for
service members: Deeply
discounted shipping rates
on packages they get
overseas.
the public mail service to private,
for-profit corporations. And a
Trump administration task force
has called for slashing postal jobs
and services for customers.
shipping to U.S. military bases in
other countries costs the same as
a domestic shipment, and USPS
offers cost-free packing supplies
to the folks who send these care
packages.
Instead of slashing and burning
the USPS, we need to be expand-
ing and strengthening it.
One idea is to let post offices
expand into low-cost financial
services. Veterans are four times
more likely than the national av-
erage to use payday lenders for
short-term loans, which typically
charge exorbitant interest rates.
But if post offices could of-
fer affordable and reliable check
cashing, ATM, bill payment, and
money transfer services, we could
generate all kinds of new revenue
— while protecting vets and their
communities from predatory lend-
ers.
From discounting care packag-
es to employing disabled veterans,
our Postal Service plays an im-
portant part in the lives of our ser-
vice members. USPS does good
by Americans who’ve dedicated a
portion of their lives to armed ser-
vice and by the millions of Ameri-
cans who rely on them.
I hope you’ll join me in ap-
plauding these veterans — and
the postal service. Let’s build the
USPS up, not tear it down.
Keith Combs is a 30-year post-
al worker and president of the
Detroit District Area Local of the
American Postal Workers Union.
This op-ed was distributed by Oth-
erWords.org.
Stairs (12-16 stairs - With
Other Services) : $30.00
Heavily Soiled Area:
$10.00 each area
(Requiring Pre-Spray)
Area/Oriental Rug Cleaning
Regular Area Rugs
$25.00 Minimum
Wool Oriental Rugs
$40.00 Minimum
UPHOLSTERY
CLEANING
Sofa: $70.00
Loveseat: $50.00
Sectional: $110 - $140
Chair or Recliner:
$25.00 - $50.00
Throw Pillows (With
Other Services) : $5.00
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SERVICES
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