Firm contracted to make Postal Service trucks plans to do it at a non-union facility

Firm contracted to make Postal¹ Service trucks plans to do it at a non-union facility

Transcript²

The U.S. Postal Service has big plans to replace its aging fleet of 165,000 gasoline-burning delivery vehicles. And some are pushing for the electric trucks to be built by union labor³ in Wisconsin.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

The U.S. Postal Service needs new trucks and lots of them. Like many car buyers, it's facing a decision over whether to stay with traditional gas-powered vehicles or switch to electric ones. Congress and labor unions are among those pressuring the Postal Service on how to move forward. Chuck Quirmbach of member station WUWM reports.

CHUCK QUIRMBACH, BYLINE⁴: The Postal Service delivers to 163 million addresses, using nearly 200,000 vehicles. Those boxy-looking red, white and blue small trucks and vans comprise the federal government's largest civilian⁵ fleet. But Postal Service executive Victoria Stephen says most of the vehicles have been on the road since the 1990s.

VICTORIA STEPHEN: And they lack basic safety features and ergonomic features, including air conditioning, airbags, anti-lock brakes.

QUIRMBACH: So last year, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, a controversial Trump⁶ appointee, signed off on a deal worth up to $6 billion with the Wisconsin-based Oshkosh Corporation, a longtime maker⁷ of military vehicles. The company will build up to 165,000 new delivery vans over the next decade. The Biden administration wants most to be electric. And the Postal Service has agreed for 20% of the first 50,000 to be battery powered. It says it can't afford more because of the higher sticker price and cost-of-charging infrastructure⁸. But that isn't going over well for some in Congress.

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CAROLYN MALONEY: It's clear that the post office needs to go back to the drawing board.

QUIRMBACH: That's House Oversight⁹ Committee chairwoman Carolyn Maloney at a congressional hearing last week. At that hearing, government analysts¹⁰ raised questions about the Postal Service's gas price and vehicle maintenance calculations. Maloney wants it to conduct a new environmental impact study and cost estimate and possibly negotiate a better purchase price on electric vehicles. But some congressional Republicans are defending the Postal Service's go-slow approach. James Comer represents Western Kentucky, where he says, like many nonurban communities, there's a lack of charging stations.

JAMES COMER: We just don't believe that those rural areas are ready and have the infrastructure for the postal fleet to be electrified¹¹.

QUIRMBACH: The postal deal is also controversial because Oshkosh Corporation plans to build the vehicles at what may be a nonunion facility the company is developing in South Carolina instead of at Oshkosh's longtime unionized plant in Wisconsin.

At a recent rally outside Oshkosh's corporate¹² headquarters, Wisconsin AFL-CIO president Stephanie Bloomingdale led the chanting.

STEPHANIE BLOOMINGDALE: Make it here.

UNIDENTIFIED PEOPLE: Make it here.

BLOOMINGDALE: Make it here.

UNIDENTIFIED PEOPLE: Make it here.

BLOOMINGDALE: And make it union.

UNIDENTIFIED PEOPLE: Make it union.

QUIRMBACH: Robert Lynk heads the United Auto¹³ Workers local at the Wisconsin plant and says the Postal Service chose Oshkosh because of its skilled union employees.

ROBERT LYNK: Our good workmanship, quality of work, over 84 years being unionized here - and going to keep fighting until we get some of it done.

QUIRMBACH: The fight over postal vehicles has also become an issue in Wisconsin's high-profile Senate election this year, where Republican incumbent¹⁴ Ron Johnson defends the company's plans to build the postal vehicles, gas or electric, outside his home state.

For NPR News, I'm Chuck Quirmbach in Milwaukee.

(SOUNDBITE OF YUTAKA HIRASAKA'S "AFTERWARDS")

1 postal   

adj.邮政的，邮局的

参考例句：

• A postal network now covers the whole country.邮路遍及全国。
• Remember to use postal code.勿忘使用邮政编码。

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

4 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

5 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

6 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

7 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

8 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

9 oversight   

n.勘漏，失察，疏忽

参考例句：

• I consider this a gross oversight on your part.我把这件事看作是你的一大疏忽。
• Your essay was not marked through an oversight on my part.由于我的疏忽你的文章没有打分。

10 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

11 electrified   

v.使电气化( electrify的过去式和过去分词 )；使兴奋

参考例句：

• The railway line was electrified in the 1950s. 这条铁路线在20世纪50年代就实现了电气化。
• The national railway system has nearly all been electrified. 全国的铁路系统几乎全部实现了电气化。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

13 auto   

n.(=automobile)(口语)汽车

参考例句：

• Don't park your auto here.别把你的汽车停在这儿。
• The auto industry has brought many people to Detroit.汽车工业把许多人吸引到了底特律。

14 incumbent   

adj.成为责任的，有义务的；现任的，在职的

参考例句：

• He defeated the incumbent governor by a large plurality.他以压倒多数票击败了现任州长。
• It is incumbent upon you to warn them.你有责任警告他们。