Post Office Will Keep Saturday Mail Delivery After All

[Redfairen]

Source: NPR

The U.S. Postal Service has backed off a plan to halt Saturday mail delivery, saying that Congress has forced it to continue the service despite massive cost overruns.

In a statement released Wednesday, the USPS Board of Governors said that restrictive language included in the Continuing Resolution that keeps the government operating in lieu of a budget, keeps it from going ahead with the plan.

In February, the Postal Service announced that it would end regular mail delivery on Saturdays beginning on August 5 in an effort to stanch the red ink in its budget. It planned to continue package deliveries on Saturday.

The Postal Service board says Congress "has left ... no choice but to delay implementation" of the five-day-a-week plan for mail delivery.

Read more: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/04/10/176791834/post-office-will-keep-saturday-mail-delivery-after-all

[No Vested Interest]

1. Yay! nt

[PuppyBismark]

2. Why do we need Saturday mail?

FedEx and UPS charge extra for Saturday delivery and very few people use it. It would clearly save money and we can wait until Monday to get our bills and junk mail.

If we are concerned about post office jobs, it looks like feather bedding.

USPS needs to reduce costs and congress needs to let them set rates. This is a good compromise.

[mac56]

7. FedEx and UPS don't pick up in many small towns.

"Featherbedding"?! Really?!

[Nye Bevan]

3. Damn. I was looking forward to another day without my mailbox being stuffed full of junk (nt)

[groundloop]

4. USPS needs to save money or else Congress needs to get rid of that crazy requirement

Remember, the USPS is having trouble meeting that dumb ass mandate to pre-fund 75 years worth of retirement and healthcare. The R's in Congress want them to fail. If they can't do SOMETHING to cut costs (or else Congress change that stupid law) our USPS will be contracted out to the highest bidder, then we'll all suffer.

[TeamPooka]

10. Congress can fix this easily but only if we make them. GOTV 2014! nt

[tecelote]

5. USPS had an operating profit last year.

They're in the red because of government regulations imposed by the anti-regulatory Republicans.

[magellan]

6. The prefund requirement was imposed with the help of the Dems

There are many in both parties who would like to privatize as much as possible, including the USPS.

[bemildred]

8. Playing political games with the Postal Service. nt

[Orsino]

9. Of course Congress forced the continuation of Saturday delivery.

The object is union-busting, not economy.