Threatened rural post offices get a reprieve

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The U.S. postal service a new strategy that could leave the nation of the smallest post offices announced.

The financially struggling US postal service wanted Wednesday clog you concern over extensive cuts, revealed that they will try to keep thousands of rural post offices with shorter hours open.

Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe said at a press conference news from his plan to up to 3,700 low post offices close at some point after 15 may secure the post Agency was. Relying on strong community resistance, said Donahoe the Agency will carve full time employees now but maintain a part time post office presence in rural areas, access to retail lobbies and post office boxes.

Within the framework of the new strategy, not a post office would be closed. But more than 13,000 rural mail facilities could see reduced operations between two and six hours.

Swiss Post intends to seek regulatory approval and Community contribution, a process which could take several months. The new strategy was then implemented two years and completed by September 2014, saving estimated $ 1.5 billion annually.

"We have listened to our customers in rural America and we have heard you loud and clear - they want to keep open their post office," Donahoe said. "We believe that today's announcement will serve the needs of our customers and enable us to help reach the postal service back long-term financial stability real savings."

Under the new plan communities that keep open the possibility of their field post offices would be given but hours reduced. Another option would be to close a post office in a field and at the same time close to an open full time. Communities could also opt for alternatives, including the preparation of a village post office in the postal services in libraries, government offices or local stores such as Wal-Mart, Walgreens, and Office Depot to be offered.

"At the end of the day, we non-rural post offices is closed until we get a contribution from the community," said Megan Brennan, COO of the postal service. "We believe that very few post offices will be closed in the next few years."

The latest move comes as the post this summer to pass a broad push for Congress legislation that would allow the agency undertakes to make progress on his billions cost reduction plan, that contain an end Saturday mail delivery.

Worrying in rural communities about proposed cuts a main obstacle to the cost-cutting effort, with residents in the vast and remote areas fears about their ability to timely message delivery of prescription drugs, newspapers and other services to express brought. That triggered the wrath of the rural state legislators in particular in an election year.

Due to rural opposition, the Senate this month passed a Bill, sometimes impose a one-year moratorium on formwork rural post offices and then create additional restrictions, a movement that the postal service who condemned as "totally inappropriate" because it open unneeded facilities.

In the House, the indecision between rural legislators helps stall a separate Bill that would allow far more aggressive postal cuts.

Most of the 3,700 post offices, which had been in the year under review for possible closure in rural areas with low volumes of business, with more than 3,000 only with two hours per day, even though they are open longer. Swiss Post operates more than 31,000 outlets throughout the country.

The post agency said that it expected more money from the new plan, especially through eradication Postmaster, the work contract protection don't have full time and replaced with part-time workers to save them. It plans buy-outs for the nation offer more than 21,000 Postmaster, pointed out that more than 80 percent of their postage costs in rural areas in connection with the work are.

The post has was dealing with losses such as first-class mail volume drops and more people go to the Internet to send messages, and pay bills. The Agency has a record $14.1 billion loss by the end this year forecast; without changes, it said, will exceed $21 billion by 2016 annual losses.

It urges legislation Congress also passed up to the early summer. If the House does not soon, say postal officials, they face a cash crunch, in August and September, when the Agency more than $11 billion in the US Treasury to previous use for the health of future pensioners will have to pay. Already health obligation to pay the post Agency against its $15 billion debt forces $13 billion ceiling, which run by default on the payments in debt.

Associated press contributed to this report.