Saturday mail delivery would become a thing of the past under a proposal by the U.S. Postal Service's Postmaster General, John Potter.
The nation's mail delivery system would also curtail overtime, continue to raise postal rates and cut its workforce by 30,000 in an effort to stem the perpetual flow of red ink. USPS chief financial officer Joseph Corbett said the situation is worse because more documents are moving electronically and through private delivery services like UPS and Federal Express.
USPS mail volume has fallen consistently in recent years and is expected to be down from last year by about 10 billion pieces in 2010. First class mail could be down as much as 37 percent by 2020, according to USPS estimates.
To meet these challenges Corbett said the Postal Service would need another increase in stamp prices and jettison Saturday mail delivery service, just as it ended twice-daily mail delivery decades ago.
As expected, the belt-tightening plan has drawn opposition from the 300,000 member National Association of Letter Carriers. NALC President Fredric V. Rolando urged Congress instead to take steps that would provide "financial breathing room" while a better plan can be developed.
"I do not believe that weakening our commitment of six-day service to the public will enhance the long-term position of the Postal Service as a critical element in our nation's economic infrastructure," Rolando said. "In view of the January report released by the postal Inspector General that showed that the USPS was overcharged by $75 billion for postal pension costs, Congress instead should take immediate steps to correct the error."
Complaints to ConsumerAffairs.com about the Postal Service have increased over the years, with many consumers frustrated with what they see as a lack of service.
"I have to go to this Post Office every Saturday since the hours changed and they no longer open at 8:00 a.m. during the week," Brenda, of Brooklyn, N.Y., told Consumer Affairs.com. "The 'call window' when you're just there to pick up a package is always closed. Everyone is standing on one line and usually just two employees working the window."
Marie, of Hollandale Beach, Fla., complained of the same problem at her post office.
"There were 100 people on line and three people working behind the counter," she told ConsumerAffairs.com. "One person behind the counter was doing passports only. I asked for the manager and she blew me off saying this was after a holiday. how can you run a Post Office with two people working the counter and two supervisors doing zippo?"
