Would Postal Service Survive Elimination of Most Door-to-Door Delivery?
ST. PAUL, Minn. – The National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) says a bill awaiting a vote in the U.S. House would all but guarantee a future collapse of the U.S. Postal Service (USPS).
Mike Zagaros is president of NALC Branch 9, based in the Twin Cities. He says HR 2309 would end delivery service to the doorsteps of 90 percent of American homes, eliminate Saturday mail delivery, and result in massive delays through downsizing.
"It would change delivery standards, close processing plants and post offices, and change the very operations of the Postal Service. In essence, it would destroy the Postal Service."
Zagaros says small businesses also would feel the impact, because the bill also calls for using a "cluster box" system in lieu of door-to-door mailbox delivery service.
"Businesses want to get mail delivered on Saturday, but HR 2309 would not only eliminate Saturday delivery, it would eliminate door-to-door delivery for millions of American people."
According to Zagaros, the bill also does nothing to fix the largest budget issue at the USPS, which is the 75-year obligation to pay for the health benefits of retirees. The fund, he says, already contains $45 billion, and making the Postal Service continue to add to it just keeps adding to its debt.
"That is why the Postal Service has lost over 90 percent of the money that they have lost. And this is a requirement that no other company, no other government agency, has to do. They're asking people to pay right now, out of revenue from stamps, for people who have not even been born yet."
Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif., Dist. 49) says the legislation would provide a viable path forward to make the Postal Service more efficient, protect its workforce and ultimately return it to profitability.
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