WASHINGTON — Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Vista, renewed his efforts on Monday to reform the Postal Service, urging drastic cuts to labor costs and stricter retirement guidelines.
“We expect 200,000 people nearing retirement age or currently over the retirement age to be retired,” Issa said Issa in a one-hour press conference in Washington.
In an effort to drum up support for the legislation, Issa, the powerful chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, said that this type of drastic measure was needed to “eliminate an $8.5 billion loss this year going to $10 billion and beyond.”
Issa’s legislation is designed to change the laws that govern the way the Postal Service works — from its financial management to its work force. However, Issa used the conference to concentrate on the problems with the organization’s retirement.
But critics like the American Postal Workers Union believe Issa is making a bad situation worse.
“The postal service is struggling,” said Sally Davidow, spokeswoman for the American Postal Workers Union, “but getting rid of 200,000 workers isn’t the answer.”
Davidow said that the ultimate results of passing the bill would be privatizing the Postal Service and ending services to many areas.
“It is going to cause the U.S. postal service to slash services dramatically,” said Sally Davidow, spokeswoman for the American Postal Workers Union.
Issa rejects that, saying that that he is acting for, not against the Postal Service.
“You probably don’t know, but our whole goal in fact is to make sure the Postal Service survives and offers more not less service,” Issa said.
The bill passed the House Oversight subcommittee last month and is currently awaiting a vote by the full panel.