Postal workers don’t usually draw attention, but that is exactly what ten mail carriers in Washington D.C. are doing with a hunger strike. The strike, which started yesterday, is in protest of budget cuts, post office closures and changes in the pension system for postal employees. It will last for four days. In addition to protesting at the nation’s capital, there are plans for strikes in other major cities including New York and Chicago, according to Reuters.
Democratic Rep. Dennis Kucinich led a rally in front of the Capitol building on Monday. “I will continue to fight any efforts to weaken the Postal Service, including any efforts to privatize essential services,” Kucinich said to the crowd. “There are ways to generate revenue without cutting jobs, essential services and closing vital post office branches in communities that rely on them.”
The agency has lost over 3 billion dollars in 2012 and has offered buyouts to reduce expenses. The carriers think there is another way to fix this issue without taking away jobs and place the blame in one direction. “Congress created the problem, Congress can fix it,” Jamie Partridge, a carrier from Oregon, said to Reuters.
