The End of Saturday Service? BPR Looks at the Fate of the USPS

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Credit cascade hiker / Flickr

A mailbox at the top of the Cascade mountain range, a spot the postal service likely doesn't deliver to. This week the US Postmaster General, Patrick Donahoe, announced his intention to discontinue Saturday service.

On Wednesday the Postmaster General of the United States Patrick Donahoe announced the end of Saturday delivery — or so it seemed. It turns out the USPS needs congressional approval to cut service.

According to Steve Hutkins, who runs the blog Save the Post Office, the Postmaster's announcement amounts to the proverbial "trial balloon." Postal unions reacted strongly, as did lawmakers and members of the public.

Donahoe's announcement identified August 2013 as the target date for service reduction. Steve Hutkins joined Callie Crossley to go over the details and the likelihood of weekend service vanishing forever. 

GUEST:

• Steve Hutkins, associate professor at NYU's Gallatin School, and author of the blog Save our Post Office.