USPS Proposal to Cut 120,000 Jobs Will Affect Thousands of Black Postal Workers

Postal service proposed elimination of 120,000 jobs will have an adverse effect on black postal workers if Congressional approval received.

The U.S. Postal Service is proposing massive jobs cuts to the tune of 120,000 and pulling out of its health care plan. You know what that means if Congress signs off on that proposal -- job losses for thousands of blacks. How many white postal carriers have you seen lately? Or even when you do go to the post office, how many white clerks do you come in contact with? Not many. The majority are black.

The financially strapped U.S. Postal Service is proposing to cut its workforce by 20 percent and to withdraw from the federal health and retirement plans because it believes it could provide benefits at a lower cost.

The layoffs would be achieved in part by breaking labor agreements, a proposal that drew swift fire from postal unions. The plan would require congressional approval but, if successful, could be precedent-setting, with possible ripple effects throughout government. It would also deliver a major blow to the nation’s labor movement. Source

The Republicans are proposing cuts to entitlement programs, which will also have an adverse effect on blacks, Latinos and the poor. We know the postal service has engaged in wasteful spending for decades, but should fixing the problem be at the expense of the middle class, particularly the black community?