Senators introduce cost-saving plan to keep the US Postal Service afloat

The Senate introduced a bi-partisan bill Wednesday to prevent a financial collapse of the U.S. Postal Service that includes shedding 100,000 workers, close the number of post offices and continue six-day deliveries for the next two years.

“The postal service literally will not survive unless comprehensive, legislative and administrative reforms are undertaken,” said Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.), one of the four senators that created the proposal, at a press conference. “Absent to action, the postal service will not be able to meet its payroll a year from now.”

A key provision under the proposed billl, is the Postal Service receiving a near $7 billion refund it has overpaid into the Federal Employee Retirement System and using a part of it to set up a buyout program for the 100,000 proposed staff cuts.

The Postal Service will also have the option to reduce deliver days to five days a week after two years, if they prove that other cost-saving measures that have been implemented were not enough to ensure financial viability.

Mail volume plummeted 22 percent since 2007 largely due to people switching to the Internet to communicate and pay bills, the AP reports.

"Without taking controversial steps like these, the Postal Service just isn't going to make it, and that would be terrible," Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) said. Congress would need to pass the bill, which has not yet been reviewed.

Postal unions have yet to publicly comment on the bill, although CNN reports they’ve been against past proposals that included employee layoffs.

Other cost-saving measures would include an option to negotiate with the postal union over the current healthcare system and benefits plan, overhauling the workers’ compensation program and streamlining delivery by using curbside service over door deliveries, Politico reports.