On Jan. 10, several Vermont-based catalogers will meet with Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Sen. Jim Jeffords (I-VT) to voice their concerns about the need to reform the U.S. Postal Service.
The meeting, to be held at the offices of Gardener’s Supply Co. in Burlington, VT, is a joint effort of the New England Mail Order Association (NEMOA) and the Vermont/New Hampshire Direct Marketing Group.
The grass roots movement in Vermont mirrors one that started this past spring in Maine. Formed by Chris Bradley, president of bedding cataloger Cuddledown of Maine, the Maine Postal Reform Committee (MPRC) met with Rep. Tom Allen (D-ME), part of the House Committee on Government Reform, in April. The MPRC explained to Allen how many people member companies employed and presented case studies of how postal hikes have hurt businesses and could even lead to greater unemployment. Then in May, the group met with Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME).
At September’s NEMOA fall meeting in Portsmouth, NH, Bradley urged attendees to create their own legislative advocacy groups if they wanted to see changes happen.