Postal workers to march in Detroit

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Save Saturday service! Postal workers to march in Detroit against proposal to end six-day delivery

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More than 3,000 members of the American Postal Workers Union are expected to march from Cobo Center to Campus Martius in downtown Detroit today in an act of protest against management proposals to end Saturday mail delivery.

The United States Postal Service in March filed a five-day delivery plan with the Postal Regulatory Commission and earlier this month reported a $3.5 billion third-quarter loss that officials say justifies their plans.

Cutting Saturday service would also require the approval of Congress, which would need to remove a six-day delivery requirement from its annual appropriations bill.

"Ten years ago, the average household received five pieces of mail every day," the USPS argued in its five-day proposal. "Today, it receives four pieces and by 2020, that number will fall to three. Reducing street delivery to five days will help rebalance postal operations with the needs of today’s customers. It also will save more than $3 billion a year, including reductions in energy use and carbon emissions."

But the workers union argues reduced service would hurt consumers and employees alike.

"Ending Saturday mail service would slow service, drive away business and lead to the demise of the world's most efficient, affordable and trusted postal system," APWU President William Burris said in a released statement.

Instead, the union argues the USPS could return to profitability if Congress would repeal a requirement forcing it to "pre-fund" the cost of future retiree health care costs. Last year, lawmakers allowed the USPS to defer $4 billion of its annual $5.5 billion payment until 2017, and officials are seeking a similar solution this year, according to AOL's Daily Finance site.