Photos by Madeline Pado
Postal workers rallied near the Downtown campus Tuesday in support of a federal bill that would lower a portion of the U.S. Postal Service’s budget.
20 to 30 local postal workers gathered in Civic Space Park across the street from the Walter Cronkite School and University Center at 4 p.m. while volunteers stood in Taylor Mall collecting signatures for a petition. The rally was in support of HR 1351, which would reduce or eliminate the postal service’s yearly payment to its employee retirement fund.
The rally in Phoenix was part of a nationwide event to support the bill. It took place near the Downtown campus to send a “thank you” message to Congressman Ed Pastor, who co-sponsored the bill and whose office is located in UCENT, said Rudy Santos, 57, president of the Arizona Mail Handlers Union. It was also adjacent to the historic U.S. Federal Post Office.
“This bill is good for the country, good for taxpayers and good for Americans,” Santos said.
Currently, the postal service is required to put $5.5 billion a year toward its retirement fund and is projected to lose $9 billion this year. HR 1351 would either eliminate or lower that requirement and use surplus retirement funds in its place.
Santos said the postal service employs fewer people than it did when the current contract was signed in 2006, so paying the same amount for its retirement fund is an unnecessary burden. HR 1351 would amend the amount until 2016, when new legislation would set up a new contract.
Kevin Roberts, 52, said he thought the bill would fix the debt-ridden postal service’s budget.
“This would be immensely profitable for the post office’s budget, since we wouldn’t have to pay that $5.5 billion,” he said.
Lisa Dolsey, 47, said the postal service’s budget deficit gives the organization a bad reputation, and that this bill could fix the problem.
“We see the same story in the news, month in and month out, about how we’re broke,” she said. “Congress needs to act.”
Contact the reporter at john.l.fitzpatrick@asu.edu
