US Postal Service workers look to government for bailout, projected to run out of money soon

DETROIT (FOX 2) - Projections for the US Postal Service are not good - analysts say it could run out of money by September.

Postal employees are fearful the US Government won't step in to help, and USPS could eventually be privately owned.  Around the country Tuesday USPS employees, union members held demonstrations to save the postal service - this one downtown.  

"The postal service today is having a very difficult time making ends meet," said Keith Combs, president of Local 295.

Combs says that countrywide the letter load is down more than 30 percent, compared to last year. The already struggling operation was made worse by COVID-19 leaving the Detroit branches hit hard.

"We had two deaths in this particular building (alone,)" Combs said.

Purchasing PPE, paying out sick time during the pandemic, and USPS healthcare policies took a costly toll. 

"The post office does not get one dime from federal government," Combs said. "Absolutely not one dime comes from the federal government."

But it's looking to the government for a bailout with $25 billion rolled into a pandemic funding package held up in by lawmakers in DC.

"We move so fast with the banks, they said the banks were too big to fail," said Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit). "Well I am telling you the postal service is too big, too critical, too important to fail." 

Tlaib was there in solidarity Tuesday, fielding calls a lot recently as postal workers are looking to policy makers for help. 

"The postal service is so critical," she said. "It’s not just about mail, its medication, it’s our ballots, they really are the backbone of so many communities that are the most vulnerable." 

They are planning on another caravan type demonstration sometime in the next month.