WREX.com – Rockford’s News LeaderLocal postal workers join national effort to support a bill

By Michael Peppers

ROCKFORD-(WREX)

Demonstrators show up at the district offices of all 435 US Representatives, including one in Rockford.

About a hundred postal workers gathered at Congressman Don Manzullo's office Tuesday afternoon to get support for House Bill 1351. Manzullo already backs it, but workers still wanted their message to get out.

House Bill 1351 would end the postal services' requirement to pay $5.5 billion a year to pre-fund it's retirement benefits. To union members, it's a better option than cutting services.

"No other private or public agency is mandated to pre fund 75 years of their future retiree health benefits," said National Association Of Letter Carriers President Kelly Pruka. 

"That $5.5 billion dollars a year for ten years is breaking the postal service. We need access to those funds."

The postal service has paid into the retirement funds since 2007, which some feel has contributed to the agency's current financial crisis.

"If it wasn't for the pre-funding that we've had to do the last four years, the post office would have been in the black," said American Postal Workers Union President Tim Pedersen. 

Money problems forced the postal service to consider closing 250 of its distribution centers, including the one in Rockford.  Cutting mail service to 5 days a week is also an option.

Drivers along Mulford Rd honked in support of the demonstrators.  Union members say it's because of the public that postal workers feel cutting services should be a last resort.

"That's what we were founded to do is provide good service to every individual in the country no matter if they live in the middle of the country or in the middle of the city," said Pedersen.

Pruka echoes Pedersen's sentiments.

"Six days a week, every house, every business, we're there," she said.  "You can ship a letter .44 cents from coast to coast. You can't do that anywhere else and we need to protect that network and that delivery service."

The postal service has paid around $22 billion in pre-retirement funds.