WASHINGTON – The head of the 310,000-member National Association of Letter Carriers (AFL-CIO) today praised action of the U.S. Senate in passing legislation to reform postal laws for the first time in over 35 years.

The vote on S. 662, the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act, occurred under a unanimous consent request by Senate Republican leader Bill Frist. The House last July had passed similar legislation by 410-20 vote. The legislation now goes to a House-Senate Conference Committee to resolve differences.

“I am very pleased that the Senate has now joined the House in approving much overdue postal reform legislation,” said NALC President William H. Young. “This is an important step – one that hopefully will lead to speedy action by the House-Senate Conference to attain final language for the President’s signature.”

“The NALC will work with the conferees so the legislation enacted into law not only will protect the collective bargaining rights of the men and women we represent, but also will ensure efficient, universal mail delivery to all Americans for decades to come, coupled with marketing and pricing flexibility to enable the Postal Service to compete successfully in the Internet Age.”

Young praised Senate Government Affairs Chair Susan Collins (R-ME) and Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE) for their diligence in pressing for a floor vote.

“Senators Collins and Carper are champions to all Americans who rely on the U.S. mail everyday and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future,” Young said.