Denver Postal Service Union Calling For Bailout To Keep Serving Community

DENVER (CBS4) - On Tuesday morning, nearly all of Colorado's Democratic delegation will hold events to call for action to help the United States Postal Service. Employees are hoping it will bring money to add job security and improve a taxed sorting system.

"Morale is a little down in lieu of the politics involving the election and a lot of changes in the way that we're processing mail and some of our equipment being removed. Then we don't meet our dispatch times, the mail doesn't get out on time," said Bobby Rollins the Denver Metro American Postal Workers Union President.

The pandemic has hurt the USPS budget. Packages have reportedly increased while First Class Mail has hit historic lows.

"Any signs of bailout money financially sustaining us into the future would be great news for the employees of the postal service," said Rollins. "God bless them, they're all staying very diligent in doing their jobs and showing up to work."

Rollins, a retired mail sorting clerk, says at the Denver sorting facility eight of 43 pieces of equipment have been removed. He fears the facility can no longer meet needed capacity during the holidays or when ballots hit the system in mid-October.

"My prediction is that could go at the cost of other mail types," Rollins said. "People that are relying on getting their social security checks, medication, things of that nature."

There's talk of $25 billion needed from Congress to bailout the post office. Sen. Michael Bennet has signed on to a letter demanding the Postmaster General reverse course, and wants elected officials to return to Washington, D.C. to solve the problem and fund the postal service.

"Honestly this bailout money is needed to get us through the revenue loss of the pandemic and allow us to be financially solvent in the future," Rollins said.

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