Service revisions proposed by the U.S. Postal Service may affect students and local residents who order and receive packages.

The USPS announced March 2 proposed revisions to the Postal Service including eliminating services, closing post offices on Saturdays and raising rates. The rate changes may go into effect as soon as 2011.

Karen Mazurkiewicz, USPS spokeswoman for western New York, said the Postal Service will be submitting an official proposal to the Postal Regulatory Commission later this month. After hearings, the proposal will be submitted to Congress, which will decide if legislation should be passed.

Mazurkiewicz said one of the biggest factors in drafting the proposal was the downturn in the economy over the past few years.

“The thing that probably most customers don’t understand is that we’re not tax-funded,” she said. “The money we bring in through the sale of postage is the money that we can spend to deliver service to the customers. It’s like trying to balance a checkbook.”

Karen Serbonich, manager of mail services at Ithaca College, said the mail center and post office at Phillip’s Hall would also eliminate Saturday processing if Congress passes the proposal. Currently, the campus post office processes packages on Saturdays but is closed for package pickup or drop-off. Employees at the mail center and post office at Phillip’s Hall are employed by the college, which is paid by the USPS for their services.  

“We will still offer the same services and products as the USPS does,” Serbonich said. “The tricky part is making sure that we are just as, if not more, accessible and convenient for students.”

Mazurkiewicz said cutting Saturday delivery is a reasonable decision for post offices if they want to keep their rates low.

“It’s one option to keep the Postal Service viable and to keep rates reasonable,” Mazurkiewicz said. “To not have to go to a system where we are dependent on tax dollars, we think it is one of several reasonable actions that we could take.”

In addition to eliminating Saturday delivery, the postmaster general proposed a release from the obligation to pay between $5.6 and $5.8 billion for future retirees of the Postal Service; more flexibility with post offices, such as moving mail sorting to more localized locations; expanding giving licenses to other establishments to sell postage; and allowing prices to be modified if necessary.

In 2006, Congress passed a law requiring the Postal Service to pay $2 billion toward current retirees’ benefits. Every year, the USPS is mandated to pay between $5.6 and $5.8 billion for future retirees’ benefits through 2017, Mazurkiewicz said. Because of the downturn in the economy since that time, the USPS has struggled with that annual payment.

Sally Davidow, spokesperson for the American Postal Workers Union, said the union opposes the proposal. Because the Postal Service has to pay more than $5 billion to fund future retiree health care benefits, it has put stress on the Postal Service and has led to these proposed revisions, she said.

“We feel the changes are not justified and not necessary,” Davidow said. “We believe that it is that obligation that has pushed the Postal Service over the edge.”

Davidow said if the $5.8 billion for future retirees was lowered, the proposed changes wouldn’t be necessary.

Mazurkiewicz said the post offices would still remain open for customers to mail packages and buy stamps, she said.  

“We haven’t really seen a plan that brings it down to a local level as far as how many positions we would still need or how many we wouldn’t,” Mazurkiewicz said.  

Mazurkiewicz said no one can predict exactly how long it will take Congress to begin discussing the proposal, but said as soon as it is approved, the Postal Service could implement the changes within six months.

“I know some elected officials are very hesitant to change the status quo,” she said.  “It is the status quo that is a real threat to the viability of the Postal Service. It’s not going to work in the long run.”

Junior Alicia Caswell works at the Phillip’s Hall post office and said if the revisions were passed and Saturday delivery is eliminated, it would be a significant inconvenience not only as a student but as a post office worker.

“As a student, I know I would want my package as soon as possible,” Caswell said. “When our students order things, they expect them to be here on time, and we do our best to get them in and out.”

Caswell said a problem she foresees is that students would be irritated that they could not receive packages when they had originally thought they would. Eliminating complete service would greatly impact students, Caswell said.

“It would be frustrating, but, for the most part, students understand that we can only do so much with the standards that we have and rules we have to adhere to,” Caswell said.