Staring at $10 billion in year-to-year losses, the Postal Service is warning it will not be able to pay about $5.5 billion in retirement and health-care costs as required by law when its fiscal year ends next week.
What to do?
On Wednesday, a Republican supported plan that would end Saturday mail deliveries, sell ad space at post offices and on mail trucks, and phasing out most residential to-the-door deliveries in four years requiring customers with mailboxes at their front door to use curbside boxes was discussed in a Congressional sub-committee. The White House supports cutting Saturday service.
According to the Washington Post, Democrats expressed concern that a "control board" could elect to lay off thousands of workers at a time of increased unemployment.
Protests are being planned next Tuesday in support of a Congressional bill, HB 1351.
This article appears in Sep 22-28, 2011.