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Retired postal worker Steve Bruns and USPS motor vehicle operator Tom Dodge on their hunger strike over the agency’s financial problems and a mandat...
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-- states Postal Service workers are staving off cuts by cutting out food it is a small but determined group ten former and current Postal Service workers on -- hunger strike since yesterday.
They won't meet again -- -- Thursday.
With me now is one of the strike organizers Tom -- he is a retired postal worker.
Thank you so much for joining me appreciate it which it it.
There who's that.
We also have Steve Burns bear with you as well guys thank you for joining us I appreciate it -- let me start with you.
First -- are you feeling.
Hundred sense that you.
-- that there for gone almost two days now.
It and Steve Ari are you on the strike as well.
Yes -- are you telling.
Well my energy level has -- substantially but I just have four shots of espresso so.
The -- up to what an -- of -- tank.
I know that that coffee was allowed on a hunger strike so this is this that you could have liquids -- just not having indicated.
That's correct that's solid no solid -- what is it that you guys what message would you like to get out there.
While the Postal Service -- starved for funds there have been forced to pay five point five billion dollars.
Extra -- through our retirement health care every year.
The postal services reaching a point -- soon.
The -- gonna amount to much where they -- that not going to be a recover not veolia pay that money back -- -- require taxpayer bailout actually save the Postal Service.
-- actually here.
Asking congress to stop that overpayment retirement that they stop that overpayment is already enough money in there becoming the next 22 years -- -- and another thing -- -- So even if congress can't come together and do restructuring daughter right at this point I mean if it takes -- next year that it you know pass some kind of bill to stop the -- That is pretty funny retirement right now -- the Postal Service a chance.
But you -- when people look at the post office right now and see how much money it's losing.
You you look at the balance sheet in you say that it is generating enough revenues -- To be you know number 35 on the fortune 500 list of most successful companies but the problem is the costs are so high.
That even without much revenue.
It's losing money so how do you fundamentally change the cost structure I don't think not funding your pension.
Is the answer would it make sense to cut costs.
Well that deficit that you're talking about is because of that five and a half billion dollars after -- paid into retirement every year.
If you subtract that over the last four years -- solace actually made about 611 million dollars.
But Europe but the reason why are finding this patches because the benefits are so rich down the line and now that's not -- -- all we've been taken cuts over last five years.
In the past year and -- last year.
Other costs from my health -- -- was almost exactly the same our money got paid state and federal income taxes.
We're paying a tremendous amount of of her -- benefits now sad thing without retirement benefits and stuff.
If you've funded your punch your pension at a lower level would you still make money or you can get to stop funding it all together.
Now I don't see I don't see any reason stop the -- that's not -- not the problem.
We normally put about one point six to one point seven billion dollars until our pension fund is that this this was an overpayment -- Close that if you -- what three times almost four times the amount of money -- normally put them.
This is pretty funny for next Sunday five years and only a ten year period there's not a single corporation not a single government faces an entire world -- been forced to do that's.
-- when you look at the costs of of your of the Postal Service -- I mean a lot of people point to.
Disability and the number of people that are over seventy over eighty even over ninety who are on disability from the post office.
With the idea of admit that there eventually gonna come back which seems unrealistic.
Do you think that what when people look at your cost structure and they see that -- feel like the post office wasting money what do you say to those people.
Well the number of people that you're talking a very very small percentage we have 550000.
-- Originally about ten years ago we had seven or 8000 boys we've been downsizing.
-- -- over 200000 -- yet we have more addresses and deliver more -- there's addresses we ever have before.
Com.
That's not -- the problem the problem that that the liberal it is structural problem the Postal Service and they keep cutting service and a postal services game plan is that.
Or at least story is that.
They're cutting service in response to lost to customers what's actually he's not opposite is true.
They actually cut service and then lost customers they've done that over and over again about twelve years ago they went around most of post office in the country and and reduce the number window clerks and when that's what he does create long lines and nobody likes to wait minds so -- you know we ought to wait for a long line at UPS and effects.
Yeah to that the BellSouth like some customers left and -- -- over and over again to a half years ago they took every stamp machine out every post office and a whole country.
I mean you can go into up post dollars a lobbies are open 24 hours a day and a lot of places general and mail something but you can't -- stay -- there anymore.
We got -- how -- your gentlemen thank you so much for coming on tonight and go get some more coffee and make it through the night we impression -- it.
Thanks Melissa I again thank you very much sorry here's our quest.
