Of course, all the money that companies saved by cutting out pensions and retirement health benefits did not go into R&D, or lower product prices. Those dollars went into the pockets of the corporate executives, as their salaries balloned way beyond the middle class, and they got golden parachutes to assure they would never need to work again after holding those positions. The "evil Repubs" keep telling us in the 1980's how wonderful trickle down economics are, while they eliminated pensions and retirement healthcare. Now people cry about the Postal Service keeping benefits that most of us had stripped away through our collective stupidity....

Hope the postal union's happy since they campaigned for Obama, because the evil Republicans were going to do cuts to the PO, and now they are getting them anyway!

Reading comprehension is your friend jander. If a postal service retiree dies, even if he is retired for 20 years, his spouse will continue to get benefits. Don't get this confused with company sponsored life insurance that pays out if you die sometime during your employment. And all my research indicates that ALL postal employees are either on the CSRS (pre 1984 hires) or FERS (post 1984 hires) pension plans, (that's from the postal workers union website, in addition to other web sites) in addition to the Thrift Savings plan (~401K) and spousal benefits.

"spouse gets 3x's my yearly salary if I die". I need to go talk to my HR Department and demand I get this benefit. Oh wait, I need a spouse :)

There is no longer a pension for most postal employees. If you started as a civil servant, then yes, you will get a pension, but most of those employees have already retired. The current employees DO NOT get a pension. Their retirement is based on what they put ito their 401K. I work for a small, private company and my 401k is matched up to 6% and my spouse gets 3x's my yearly salary if I die. Perhaps Cpt Spaulding should search for a new job.

Whats "mean" is millions of private sector people being thrown out of work while private sector income decreased 30% in the last decade,and raising their taxes to give public employees pie in the sky raises and benefits. We have millions of people out of work,and featherbedding postal workers complain about losing overtime. Overtime that will even cost the jobs of their junior union brothers and sisters. Some people never get enough!

Postal healthcare isn't reasonable, it's pretty cushy. And it lasts for a lifetime, an expensive occurance in today's world. There is a pension, again, becoming more rare in today's world. Also there is a retirement account, similar to a 401k that the postal service matches up to, what, 5%? Not to mention the spousal benefits, ie, spouse continues to get money, if the retired postal worker dies. I have a good job and all I get of that is a match on my 401k. NO lifetime medical, no payments for my wife after I retire and expire, no pension. And I'm sorry, but if you count on overtime to pay your bills, you are living above your means. Just because the government stupidly gave money to some companies doesn't mean they should leave the spigot on for everybody else.

here we go - another group that folks don't seem to mind throwing out of a job..ahh, a mean bunch y'all are and continue to be...what happens when folks want YOUR 'group' all put out of work because everyone thinks YOUR job is too 'sweet'. (altho the postal service/carriers need to come to grips that the ride is ending. Snail mail, for the most part, is a thing of the past...change over to UPS/FedEx type of services and yep, it's gonna hurt, no help for it, the times they are a-changing)

Why don't they save time and fuel by having the garbage man deliver your mail once a week when he picks up your trash? Most of my mail is junk anyway.

I am a wife of a mail carrier and yes they may have good benefits but that doesn't matter today at this momnet. For some that rely on the 6 day work week for overtime and the extra money that comes with it this will hurt those famalies. Where is the USPS bailout?? We have bailed out the Auto Industry, Banks, and Mortgage lenders!!