By Cristen Drummond, June 29, 2016, originally published by TimeWarner Cable News.
A field hearing in Greensboro highlights the future of the U.S. Postal Service.
A Grand Alliance to Save Our Public Postal Service held the gathering at the International Civil Rights Center And Museum. The hearing in the Gate City is one of five across the U.S. held in June.
A Grand Alliance is a coalition of more than 130 local, state and national organizations that united to advocate for a great public postal service, including non-profit postal banking and other financial services.
A Grand Alliance blames USPS’s financial struggles over the years on a law passed by congress in 2006. It requires the postal service to prefund 75 years of retiree costs.
“That amounts to $5.5 billion a year that has been taken right out the postal service,” field hearing organizer, Richard Koritz said.
Another issue USPS faces according to A Grand Alliance is the threat of privatization but it aims to keep the traditional mailing system public .
“We’re fighting for the rights of the people of the United States, including small business people, including people in rural areas, including people in what have become postal deserts because of the erosion of service — to have their right to a public postal service that was enshrined in the US Constitution still prevail today.”
A suggestion by A Grand Alliance to revive the postal system is bringing back banking services.
A Grand Alliance said USPS package delivery is up. In 20-14 USPS delivered more than 155 billion pieces of mail.