Postmaster General: Mail days may need to be cut

[Adsos Letter]

Source: WASHINGTON (AP) - Massive deficits could force the post office to cut out one day of mail delivery, the postmaster general told Congress on Wednesday, in asking lawmakers to lift the requirement that the agency deliver mail six days a week.
If the change happens, that doesn't necessarily mean an end to Saturday mail delivery. Previous post office studies have looked at the possibility of skipping some other day when mail flow is light, such as Tuesday.

Faced with dwindling mail volume and rising costs, the post office was $2.8 billion in the red last year. "If current trends continue, we could experience a net loss of $6 billion or more this fiscal year," Potter said in testimony for a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs subcommittee.

Total mail volume was 202 billion items last year, over 9 billion less than the year before, the largest single volume drop in history.

And, despite annual rate increases, Potter said 2009 could be the first year since 1946 that the actual amount of money collected by the post office declines.

"It is possible that the cost of six-day delivery may simply prove to be unaffordable," Potter said. "I reluctantly request that Congress remove the annual appropriation bill rider, first added in 1983, that requires the Postal Service to deliver mail six days each week."

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D960C7KG0&show_article=1

[nadinbrzezinski]

1. Hubby is a postal worker

and we fear layoffs, they are doing what they can to avoid that, but we truly fear that

As is they are doing things already to restructure the force and I told hubby... it will be you guys who will see the recovery first, (with increased volume), as they saw the leading edge of this with decreased volume

And it is bad

[peacetalksforall]

2. I would push for an investigation on the cost of the outsourcing that has already taken place.

They have been privatizing parts of the Post Office and if we parallel it to certain industries, it was done for three major reasons - give money to friends who get to set up new businesses - bust the pay and worker rights - and implement the illusion that Republicans reduced the size of government.

DO YOU KNOW THAT if a new building is constructed with multiple postal addresses of a certain minimum - the mail for that building is delivered by private companies - while the post office workers deliver to the old addresses all around the new building. What kind of costs are reduced by having parallel transportation cost to the block? Show us privatization saved money.

Don't let Congress act without pointed and tough hearings. Tell them to come ready and prepared.

Perhaps there are savings with privatization. But, prove it. We know what happened to Wall Street and the banks.

They want to cut service - show us the numbers. Don't let them pretend that it's all government. What is their budget and breakdown for government employees and what are the savings if they dumped the private companies.

[live love laugh]

3. Private companies don't deliver the mail. That's simply untrue. nt

[peacetalksforall]

4. I checked my source - it's still on, the people delivering are paid less than PO employees, there

are stories about poor performance, one of the new buidings is nearly across the street from a post office. I have a reason for believing this person. Sorry to refute your claim.

[Mendocino]

6. Contract Delivery Service

Independent contractors, the Blackwater of the Post Office.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

5. As a retired postal worker, the solution is to subsidize the postal service.

The postal service is unable to compete with the private firms because those firms don't have to deal with the money losing services. The aren't about to deliver a post card from New York to Aunt Matilda in Horseturd, Texas for the cost of postage.

The Postal Service should be a "service" rather than a profit making venture as demanded by the government. Much as the police, fire department, etc.