By Heather Niccoli, Staff Writer
WEST WINDSOR More than 30 Postal Service employees rallied outside U.S. Rep. Rush Holt’s office Tuesday afternoon to protest proposed cuts to postal services.
As cars passed by, drivers honked in support.
”Thank you for the work you do every day,” said Congressman Rush Holt in a press release handed out to the workers. “As the USPS continues to go through tough times please know that I will continue to stand with you.”
”We just want to thank the congressman for supporting our union and we want to get the truth out about the financial issues of the postal service,” said Rich Folmer, letter carrier and president of the local National Association of Letter Carriers. “We just want to deliver mail.”
Four unions were there to try to save the postal services. They were the National Association of Letter Carriers, American Postal Workers Union, National Postal Mail Handlers and National Rural Letter Carriers Association.
Workers from Branch 268, which includes Princeton, Princeton Junction, Plainsboro and Pennington, plus some people from the Trenton/Hamilton post offices, also were there to show support.
”The facts are that the postal service is not broke,” said Ray McDonald, regional administration assistant for letter carriers. “We need to get the American public educated of what the facts are. I think they are scaring people.”
”I want to save the post office. I want to save my job,” said Lori Venta, a letter carrier.
In 2006, Congress passed a law called the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act, which demands the postal service to pay a 75- year liability in just 10 years to pre-fund health care benefits for future retirees. That costs the USPS more than $5 billion a year every fall and it will have to pay Sept. 30. According to Mr. Folmer, the bill was started in 1995 and that no other government agency is required to make a payment like this.
”We are paying for people who are not even born yet. It is crazy,” Mr. Folmer said.
Ron Wasserman of Freehold, who retired from the post office after 40 years, said, “I want to send the message that this bill H.R. 1351 should be passed and that it is not going to cost the taxpayer anything.”
H.R. 1351 was introduced by Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.) and co-sponsored by 180 House members to have USPS use billions of dollars in pension overpayments and to meet its financial obligations. Obligations include the pre-fund mandate, according to a press release that was handed out at the time of the rally.
There are talks that many post offices will be shut down or consolidated and that Saturday deliveries will be eliminated. Another estimate is that would result in about 120,000 employees being laid off.
”It’s a negative fix and it’s not necessary,” Mr. McDonald said.
According to Mr. Folmer, if Saturday services go away that is about 40,000 carriers plus other jobs that will face unemployment.
