The National Association of Postal Supervisors welcomed the news that the Obama administration’s FY 2012 budget proposal addresses some of the concerns of the financially struggling Postal Service. President Louis Atkins noted that the budget proposal addresses the requirement that the Postal Service pre-fund future postal retiree’s health benefits but does so with a much more reasonable payment plan.

Atkins believes that, “A viable Postal Service is critical to the entire infrastructure of commerce in the United States. A resolve that would place the Postal Service on sounder financial footing is something that all parties should endorse”.

“Our organization will be working closely with the leadership in the Congress to bring about legislation that will work for both the Postal Service and the American people,” Atkins added. NAPS has been in the forefront of providing information to the Congress about the necessity of maintaining six-day delivery and is heartened that the Obama administration saw fit to include this provision in the language of their proposed budget for FY 2012.

NAPS believes that the Postal Service cannot return to prosperity without the assistance of the Congress and support for the Administration’s budget proposals, or other alternatives that would relieve the budgetary problems. Without that assistance the Postal Service is left to do the only thing that it can do, cut service, eliminate jobs and close post offices.

At a time when the country is trying to get people back to work, it is also a good time for the Congress to help revamp the Postal Service in order to maintain the middle-class jobs that the Postal Service currently provides to its’ employees. This is not a time to be reducing public service jobs that are vital to both the commerce of the country and its’ citizens.

The Postal Service is also the largest employer of veterans in the country.  At a time that many veterans are returning from active duty, the Postal Service should be an employer of choice for our returning veterans in need of a job. But, due to the budgetary problems, the Postal Service is not hiring and many positions that need to be filled remain vacant resulting in excessive overtime in some areas.