Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton Will Join Coalition Leaders to Deliver More Than 150,000 Petition Signatures to the Postmaster General in Support of Postal Banking

For immediate release, December 16, 2015

Contact: Lacy Crawford Jr., lcrawford@socialsecurityworks.org

Advisory for Washington DC, Thurs. Dec. 17th 10 am

Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton Joins Coalition Leaders to Deliver More Than 150,000 Petition Signatures to the Postmaster General in Support of Postal Banking

Note to editors and photographers:

Event will feature a giant cut-out of an ATM machine.

(Washington, DC) The Campaign for Postal Banking and dozens of national consumer, labor and civic organizations will deliver more than 150,000 petition signatures to U.S. Postmaster General Megan Brennan on Thursday, December 17 at 10:00am ET. The petition calls for immediate action to establish low-cost financial services in the nation’s 30,000 U.S. Post Offices.

Right now, nearly 28 percent of U.S. households are underserved by traditional banks and are forced to turn to payday lenders, check cashers, and other financial predators, spending on average 10 percent of their income on fees and services. These services are part of an industry that rakes in $103 billion a year at the expense of the most financially vulnerable.

Who:

  • Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, District of Columbia
  • Rev. Graylan Hagler, Senior Minister, Plymouth Congregational United Church of Christ
  • Melanie Campbell, President and CEO, National Coalition on Black Civic Participation
  • Rich Fiesta, Executive Director, Alliance for Retired Americans
  • Alex Lawson, Executive Director, Social Security Works
  • Roger Hickey, Co-Director, Campaign for America’s Future

What:         Delivery of 150,000 + Signatures to U.S. Postmaster General Megan Brennan

When:        Thursday, December 17 at 10:00 a.m. (EST)

Where: U.S. Postal Service Headquarters, 475 L’Enfant Plaza, SW, Washington, DC

“The big banks have abandoned our communities and left us to predatory payday and car title lenders. But the US Postal service has the authority to provide an affordable, high quality public alternative right now,” said Liz Ryan Murray of National People’s Action, a national network of grassroots organizations representing low-income communities and communities of color. “It’s time for the Post Master General to act — our families can’t wait.”

For more information, please visit CampaignforPostalBanking.org

Participating Organizations: A Grand Alliance to Save Our Public Postal Service, Alliance for Retired Americans, Americans for Financial Reform, American Federation of Government Employees, American Postal Workers Union, Brave New Films, Campaign for America’s Future, Campaign for Postal Banking, Center for Effective Government, Center for Study of Responsive Law, Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, Commonomics USA, Communications Workers of America, Consumer Action, Daily Kos, Deluge, Democracy for America, Essential Information, Farm Aid, Hightower Lowdown, Jobs with Justice, National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, National People’s Action, People for the American Way, Progressive Democrats of America, Public Citizen, Social Security Works, United for a Fair Economy and USAction.

###