Letter Carriers' Union President William H. Young Says Frequent Postage Increases...

Letter Carriers' Union President William H. Young Says Frequent Postage
Increases Can Be Avoided

WASHINGTON, May 11 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The head of the National
Association of Letter Carriers (AFL-CIO) said today that frequent postage rate
increases like the one today that boosted a first-class stamp to 44 cents -
while necessary for the U.S. Postal Service to function effectively this year
- can and should be avoided in the future.

"Six-day, universal mail delivery in the United States remains the best postal
bargain in the world," said NALC President William H. Young. "Despite the
economic climate, letter carriers and other postal employees are working hard
to maintain top-rate service for all Americans while adjusting to the many
technological changes in the communications field."

But Young said the rate hike should not have been needed, at least not at this
time.

"Future postage rate increases could be delayed or even avoided on a regular
basis if Congress would act to rescind some of the onerous financial shackles
imposed on the Postal Service by the previous administration," Young said.

Young said Congress should pass and send to President Obama legislation (H.R.
22) to correct the payment schedule for pre-funding retiree health benefits of
postal employees which currently costs USPS more than $5.5 billion a year.
The legislation would save the Postal Service an average of $3.5 billion a
year by adjusting the pre-funding schedule, and allow those funds to be used
for day-to-day postal operations.

No other government agency or major corporation has such an onerous and
unnecessary retiree health benefit funding obligation.

In addition, Young said Congress needs to rescind the requirement that the
Postal Service - unlike any other government entity - pay retiree benefits
for employees covered by the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) for
the years they served in the U.S. military. That change alone would save the
Postal Service billions of dollars yearly.

The 300,000-member NALC represents active and retired city delivery letter
carriers in all 50 states and U.S. jurisdictions employed by the U.S. Postal
Service.

SOURCE National Association of Letter Carriers

Drew Von Bergen of the National Association of Letter Carriers,
+1-202-662-2489, vonbergen@nalc.org