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No more Saturday mail service.  The U.S. Postal Service announced today that they will no longer deliver letters on the weekend.

The move will save the agency a reported $2 billion.

Pending no restriction from Congress, Saturday postal delivery of letters will end, but not packages. “The American public understands the financial challenges of the Postal Service and supports these steps as a responsible and reasonable approach to improving our financial situation,” postmaster general Patrick R. Donahoe said. “The Postal Service has responsibility to take the steps necessary to return to long-term financial stability and ensure the continued affordability of the U.S. Mail.”

Coming off a $15.9 billion loss for last year’s fiscal calendar, the Postal Service opted to go forward with the decision to trim expenses. Among them is the roughly $5.5 billion a year that goes towards paying health benefits for future retirees. “It’s hard to condemn the postmaster general for moving aggressively to do what he believes he can and must do to keep the light on at the Postal Service,” said Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.), who was recently named chair of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

On the contrary, Cliff Guffey, president of the American Postal Workers Union, is against the idea. “The A.P.W.U. condemns the Postal Service’s decision to eliminate Saturday mail, which will only deepen the agency’s congressionally manufactured financial crisis.”

The A.P.W.U. represents about 220,000 workers and retirees.

According to a 2012 New York Times/CBS News poll, approximately 7 out of 10 Americans were in favor changes that would help the Postal Service begin to handle its financial deficiencies.

 

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