Letter: Support postal workers
Posted: September 14, 2011 - 8:30pmhttp://cjonline.com/opinion/2011-09-14/letter-support-postal-workers
The U.S. Postal Service is not broke. The USPS made a $226 million profit in the first quarter of 2011.
The organization’s financial woes result from a 2006 law, the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act, requiring USPS funding 75 years of pension benefits in 10 years and prepayment of health benefits to postal workers’ retirement dates.
Postal workers and the USPS have overpaid the pension by at least $50 billion and up to $80 billion. The USPS must spend $5.5 billion each year as it aggressively prepays years ahead for the health benefits of thousands of workers.
Not one red cent of these billions of dollars is taxpayer money. Postal workers make contributions through paycheck deductions which are matched by the USPS with money from the sales of stamps.
The USPS isn’t getting credit for complying with this law. House Republicans are planning post office closures, Saturday postal delivery curtailment, and the firing of thousands of postal workers. Their bill is H.R. 2309. Kansas has 135 post offices slated for closure.
Contact Rep. Lynn Jenkins, R-Kan. Ask her to oppose H.R. 2309, demand a fair and accurate accounting of the health and pension funds belonging to postal workers, and to support our postal workers.
MICHAEL BOX,
OSAWATOMIE
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