By Benjamin Bullard
The Cullman Times
CULLMAN —
Amid concerns that Congressional legislation could severely affect jobs with the U.S. Postal service, local postal workers plan to hold a rally Tuesday to present a representative of Congressman Robert Aderholt's office with a petition urging members of the U.S. House of Representatives to support a bill that would free up prepaid money held in a postal employees' retirement fund.
According to its supporters, the bill — House Bill 1351 — would allow the postal service to apply billions of dollars in pension overpayments to meet the postal service's standing financial obligations. The excess retirement payments stem from legislation passed in 2006 that requires the postal service to pre-fund health care benefits for future retirees — a mandate the petition's supporters contend imposes a burden borne by no other government agency.
Advocates also argue that the change would cost taxpayers nothing, since the postal service is a cost-recovery operation that pays its own way through the sale of stamps and postage fees.
Temporary postmaster of the Cullman post office Mike Culpepper said Friday the turmoil over the current legislation nationwide had not distracted local postal workers on the job.
"There's been no talk internally here, what you see is just what's already been said on the news," said Culpepper.
A representative of Congressman Aderholt's Cullman office confirmed Friday that a member of the Aderholt camp would be on hand at Tuesday's rally to accept locally-collected petitions calling for the bill's approval.
* Read more in the Saturday, Sept. 24, 2011, print of e-edition of The Cullman Times.
