Post Office announces it will no longer continue Saturday service
Wisconsin News-- The U.S. Postal Service will announce today that it will stop delivering mail on Saturdays – but it will continue delivering packages six days a week.
The U.S. Postal Service will announce today that it will stop delivering mail on Saturdays – but it will continue delivering packages six days a week.
The AP obtained materials for a news conference set for later today – and they said regular Saturday deliveries would end in August. The Postal Service says it wants to get people and businesses ready for the change by announcing it now. It did not say how it could make the move without the approval of Congress. The Postal Service is bleeding red ink as more of us use the Internet to pay bills and send e-mails. Officials say the end of Saturday delivery would save an estimated two-billion dollars a year.
Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe is expected to say that 7-of-10 Americans support ending Saturday delivery as a way for his agency to cut costs. Last year’s losses were due mainly to a requirement to put billions aside to cover future health benefits for retirees. The Postal Service is the only federal agency which has the requirement, and postal unions say the financial problems would disappear by ending the mandate. Congress failed to take up the matter before adjourning in the last session.
Meanwhile, the Postal Service is undergoing a major restructuring of its operations. Mail processing facilities in Wausau, Eau Claire, La Crosse, Portage, and Kenosha are among those scheduled to close. It could happen after April, but officials have not given specific closing dates.
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