LA CROSSE, Wisconsin (WXOW) - Mail carriers around the country are protesting a proposed law that they say will have a drastic effect on how mail is delivered. The Postal Carriers Union says the bill would end Saturday delivery and eventually end door to door delivery.
The bill is currently before the Senate. Supporters say it would save the U.S. Postal Service from bankruptcy.
Demonstrators say they're trying to raise awareness among the public before the bill passes. The union says the bill would also cut 150,000 jobs and delay delivery times.
Some postal workers say this could affect businesses. "America works six days a week. The businesses are open. I'm there to deliver their mail to them. I bring the news of the day. I bring the stuff they're looking for. The supplies they need. If you're home and you can call your pharmacist. You can have your prescription delivered the next day and I can deliver it for you," said postal worker, Brad Wildes.
The postal service is facing a financial crisis. But the union says that crisis is the result of a 2006 law that required the service to pre-fund pension benefits at a cost of about $5 billion a year. Without that requirement, the union says it could earn a profit each year.
The demonstration took place in downtown La Crosse in front of the building housing the offices of Congressman Ron Kind. Similar demonstrations occured across the country on Thursday.
