Lawmaker Hopes To Stop Closing Of Post Offices For Two Years

A rural lawmaker hopes to throw a big wrench into the Postal Service's plan to slash its delivery network. Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) wants to stop the agency from closing any rural post offices for at least two years. He has proposed an amendment to a sweeping Postal Service reform bill. After the two years, it would let officials close post offices only if another one was within 10 miles, and if they could show that senior citizens and people with disabilities would not be inconvenienced. The Postal Service wants to close more than 3,000 post offices as part of a plan to save $20 billion a year. Postal executives don't like another amendment that Tester is pushing to cut their salaries, which are higher than those of counterparts at other agencies, but lower than leaders of private-sector competitors.