“If we do that, it means lower costs – career people leave, more non-careers come in.  Much of that will be attrition, but I don’t know if we can do that fast enough.”-Patrick Donahoe, Postmaster General

The U.S. Postal Service is being forced to lay off so many postal workers that it’s asking Congress to cancel current Union contracts.   220,000 postal workers will be laid off by 2014.

The reality of the situation is forcing the many different unions, involved with the Postal Service, to scramble to negotiations, not to save those jobs, but to soften the impact on those who will keep their jobs.

Those unions are the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC), the National Postal Mail Handlers Union (NPMHU), and the American Postal Workers’ Union (APWU).

Not only does the USPS want to get rid of 220,000 employees, but they want to shut down as many as 3,700 post offices, close at least 300 processing facilities, and consolidate as many as 20,000 delivery routes.

All that will affect those people who’re “lucky” enough to still have their jobs.  If the negotiations with the unions fails, then it’s on to arbitration.  USPS workers can not legally go on strike, because they are considered Federal employees.

One reason the USPS is short on money, is because the U.S. Congress essentially stole $75 billion from the Postal Service.  Congress said it was to cover the Postal Service’s portion of the Federal Employees Retirement System.  The Postmaster General was able to prove that Congress overcharged the USPS.  The U.S. Congress refused to refund the money.

Another reason is that Congress has refused to raise Postal rates to reflect the increased cost of operation.  It’s almost as if the U.S. Congress wants the USPS to fail!

The United States Postal Service does not make money off taxpayers, they are solely funded by the postage they charge (prices are controlled by Congress, not the USPS), and other products they sell.  The cuts being made to the USPS will have no affect on U.S. government debt.