Postmaster General John Potter
recently sent a proposal to Congress for permission to end Saturday mail
delivery. He claims that the United States Postal Service will lose $238
billion in the next 10 years,
and unlike the big banks, the USPS cannot use taxpayer money to get bailed out.
In 2009, Potter told Congress that
six-day delivery cost too much to continue, and he suggested that Tuesday mail
delivery be stopped. That upset the postal workers and businesses enough for
Congress to be willing to consider Saturday instead.
In 2006, the USPS changed its
business goals from being self-sufficient to making a profit. Potter and the
board of governors wanted to cash in like the Wall Street fat cats. Since then,
postage rates have risen three times.
Companies with mass mailings—such as credit card companies—pay as little as 15
cents per letter. Again, the working class pays more than the richest in the
country.
This proposal would eliminate
40,000 letter carrier jobs, or 8 percent of the workforce, at a time of
national high unemployment.
This is an outright attack on workers.
Congress will decide whether
postal workers get to keep their jobs or join the millions of others looking
for work. According to Potter’s proposal, cutting those jobs will only save the
company $3.3 billion the first year and increase to $5.1 billion by 2020. Those
meager savings do not equal the projected loss of $238 billion.
If Congress agrees to the elimination of Saturday mail delivery, it will only
pave the way for more drastic cuts. Ironically, Potter’s proposal includes
another “money-saving” change.
An even worse aspect of the proposal
The mainstream media gives the
second aspect of the proposal only brief mention, but it has the most potential
for hurting postal workers. In 2006, Congress passed a law requiring the postal
service to pre-fund health care retirement benefits.
Since then, the number crunchers have complained that this requirement makes
the USPS lose money every year. The change was passed to make sure no matter
what financial troubles the company experienced, retirees would be assured of
receiving their health care. Four years later, Potter expects Congress to stop
the pre-funding.
Unfortunately, even some unions
agree with this plan, though that will not stop the layoffs. The trouble is,
what happens if big business finally gets its way and the USPS is completely
privatized? Who would then be responsible for paying the retirement benefits?
As a public corporation, the new bosses would not feel responsible for past
workers, especially if it cut into their profits. But with pre-funding, that is
not an issue.
The retired workers need all the
benefits they can get, since management tries to make anyone close to
retirement age, or over 55, retire. Also, what the proposal does not mention is
how eliminating Saturday mail pick-up would affect the processing plants where
a majority of workers are employed. When mail is not picked up, such as on
holidays and Sundays, half the workforce or less is needed. How many people
from the processing plants do they expect to fire?
The postal service Web site quotes
a USA Today/Gallup poll that says a majority of Americans would be happy with
cutting Saturday service if stamp prices were stable.
Nowhere in the proposal is such a tradeoff mentioned, and Potter would never
agree to that while the postal service is still losing money.
Don’t be fooled by polls and
tricks. Write to your senators and “representatives” to stop this proposal. The
congresspersons in an election year may listen to complaints about how the post
office is run. Decisions to close local offices have been reversed in the past
when people protested.
More importantly, the unions need
to take a strong stand. It’s time for all workers to stand together and fight
against cutbacks and lost jobs!
