CBS Atlanta 46Postal unions plan rallies across the nation

In the midst of a financial crisis, local postal unions are planning a rally for Tuesday in protest of potential job cuts and post office closures.

Four postal unions across the state of Georgia plan to rally from 4 to 5:30 p.m.  They are pushing for legislators and citizens to support H.R. 1351, a bill, Ben Jackson, President of the National Association of Letter Carriers, Atlanta Branch 73, said could save thousands of jobs locally.

"What that bill does is it will keep the postal service from having to close facilities, lay off 120,000 people, and it won't cause the post office to have to lose delivery days," Jackson said.

"It's tough," Jackson said. "I'm getting calls constantly from employees hearing the doom and gloom in the news, and the post office putting out different press releases.  It's stressful, you know.  I find myself at times being a counselor, trying to get them to call their congressman, write letters be very active in the process."

Jackson said the bill could free up more than $5 billion in funds, freed up from overpayments in postal workers' pensions.

Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe said the Postal Service faces a potential $8 billion deficit this year as mail volume declines, Mr. Donahoe said the agency will consider closing 3,653 of its 31,871 post offices. Particularly in rural areas, that could leave a town without a post office - but not necessarily without the Postal Service, he said.

Smaller post offices have already been consolidated into larger ones. Jackson said, this bill would also allow post offices to keep services going on Saturdays.

"This is our future, when you are talking about going from a 5 day delivery to a 6 day delivery you are talking about losing jobs here, there is that person that needs that sixth day.  And if they are going to eliminate that, it's going to eliminate someone's job."

For a full list of rallies in Georgia, click here.

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