USPS workers rally nationwide

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) - Postal workers across the country rallied Tuesday to draw attention to legislation they believe will solve the U.S. Postal Service's financial problems.

Western Massachusetts union members rallied outside Congressman Richard Neal's office in Springfield and Congressman John Olver's office in Holyoke.

It's been widely reported that the Postal Service is in financial trouble. But members of the five postal unions and worker groups say the public has been mislead; the postal service is not broke and that the real problem stems from an unrealistic law passed in 2006. Now they want to set the record straight- the financial crisis was caused by a Congressional mandate that's tying up their assets.

"The losses are from a 2006 law, the Postal Enhancement and Accountability Act, that requires the Postal Service- and only the Postal Service- to pre-fund future retiree health care costs seventy-five years in advance," explained Michael Harazmus of the National Association of Letter Carriers.

The unions say it was Congress that created the problem, so Congress needs to fix it by passing House Bill 1351. Union reps cited two recent independent, non-partisan studies by the Office of the Inspector General and the Postal Regulatory Commission that show the postal service overfunded its two pension funds by $57 billion. House Bill 1351 would transfer the surplus to the future retirement account, instead of reducing services or closing post offices to meet that need.

"You're going to have a lot of people left high and dry," said Dan Kuralt, President of the Postal Workers Union Local 497. "They're going to be collecting unemployment, it's going to impact their family [if stations are shut down.] It's just the same as anyone else that loses their job, you know, you want a job. You don't want to be unemployed."

The unions want the public to know is that the U.S. Postal Service is NOT taxpayer funded, even by a dime. They say this bill would give the agency more leeway to raise postal rates, because it's stamps and postage- not taxpayer dollars- that keep it going.