Oakland Mailman Ron Jones was among several letter carriers who testified against the plan to switch from a six-day-a-week delivery schedule to five days.
“The customers on my route, I’m going to bring out all their parcels, their medications, unemployment checks. It’s very critical that I’m there, we’re there to deliver the mail on Saturday.”
Grady Hesters also testified. He runs a small mail-order catalog business in Auburn with 26 employees. Hesters says although he hopes the Postal Service doesn’t switch to a five-day schedule, it would be a lot better than raising postage rates again.
“We much prefer to keep the Saturday delivery and we hope they can find other ways to save. But if we have to choose, we would have to choose the savings over the Saturday delivery.”
U-S Postal Service officials say they have to do something soon. They’re running out of money quickly…nearly $12 billion in the past three-years. Steve Massey is the vice-president of Finance and Planning for the agency.
“More and more people are communicating via electronic media, paying bills online. So that’s had a significant impact on the volume of mail. And it’s resulting in a business model that just doesn’t work anymore.”
The commission will host several more hearings throughout the county then make a recommendation to Congress…which may end up voting on the issue by the end of summer.