Saturday Mail Delivery to End August 1
By: CNN
Updated: February 6, 2013
The U.S. Postal Service plans to stop delivering letters and other first-class mail on Saturdays beginning Aug. 1, although packages will continue to be delivered.
Tired of waiting for Congress to help, the Postal Service later Wednesday is expected to unveil a series of more drastic cuts they plan to pursue that will save them billions of dollars, a spokesperson for the service confirmed.
It's unclear at the moment how the Postal Service has the authority to quit delivering letters on Saturdays. Previously, they've said they need Congress to change current law to do so.
However, two sources confirmed for CNN that the plan includes an end to Saturday mail service except for package delivery, which has seen growth in the past few years.
The Postal Service has been borrowing billions of dollars from taxpayers to make up for shortfalls caused by a 2006 congressional mandate, under which it has to pre-fund healthcare benefits for future retirees. Technological advances have also led to a decline in first-class mail, which most consumers use to stay in touch and pay bills.
The situation turned particularly dire last year -- the agency twice defaulted on payments totaling $11 billion, and it exhausted a $15 billion line of credit from the U.S. Treasury.
In the past year, the Postal Service has cut hours at thousands of post offices -- some are open for only two hours a day. It has also merged some of its plants, which led to a 28,000 drop in its workforce through retirements and departures by employees who couldn't relocate or take up other postal jobs.
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