Local letter carriers protest proposals

CEDAR RAPIDS - A group of local letter carriers stood on street corners, paraded around the block and approached drivers Thursday in an effort to “save America's postal service.”

The rally outside the Cedar Rapids Post Office, 615 6th Ave. SE, was one of nearly 200 cross the country on a "day of action" organized by the National Association of Letter Carriers to oppose legislation that's been proposed in the U.S. Senate.

“Depending on how the bill is passed, it could basically take apart the post office,” said Kelly Steinke, a Cedar Rapids letter carrier and congressional district liaison for the union.

The bill is intended to “improve, sustain, and transform” the financially struggling U.S. Postal Service, according to its summary. But carriers say some of the cuts it includes are too drastic.

According to the carriers union, the bill would end Saturday and door-to-door mail delivery within two years. Also, opponents say, the measure fails to address the heavy financial burden of a 2006 mandate that requires the Postal Service to pre-fund health benefits for the next 75 years of current and future employees.

“The bill would basically be in no way beneficial to the postal office or to the public,” said Shelly Wilson, who has delivered mail in Cedar Rapids for 24 years.

The Postal Service has seen a 25 percent decline in first-class mail volume since 2006, officials said in a news release. It receives no tax dollars, relying instead on postage sales, products and services for funding.

The agency's financial woes came to the forefront last summer as officials announced plans to close thousands of post offices around the country and consolidate certain mail processing centers. The Cedar Rapids mail processing center was set for closure last fall, until a five-month study found that the move wouldn't improve services.

In December, the Postal Service agreed to halt any closings or consolidations until May 15 to give Congress time to form an alternate plan.

But although the demonstrators don't support the current legislation, they agree that postal reform is needed. Joe Miller, who retired after 37 years as a carrier, said any reform should directly address the hefty cost of pre-funding health benefits.

Miller stood next to one of the office's drive-up mailboxes Thursday, passing out fliers to drivers and urging them to call their senators.

According to other letter carriers at the rally, they're working to save much more than their own jobs.

“(The Postal Service) is part of the community, especially in small towns,” said Carole Ortiz, who has been a carrier for 11 years.

Changes in the bill could delay medication deliveries and other important mail, Ortiz said.

“We deliver more than just greeting cards,” she said. “We're a lot more than that.”