U.S. Postal Service might end Saturday delivery to help close $238 billion gap

The U.S. Postal Service estimated Tuesday that it will lose $238 billion in the next decade if lawmakers, postal regulators and unions don't give the mail agency more flexibility in setting delivery schedules, price increases and labor costs.

Estimates also predict that letter carriers will deliver 150 billion pieces of mail in 2020, a drop of about 26 billion pieces from last year. Postmaster General John E. Potter plans to press lawmakers and the Postal Regulatory Commission in the coming weeks to eliminate Saturday mail deliveries and allow the mail agency to raise prices beyond the rate of inflation, if necessary.

"We intend to be around for decades and centuries to come," Potter told a meeting of regulators, congressional staffers and major mail customers Tuesday. "These are the first steps that are necessary to make sure that that occurs." (more)