The New York Times
It’s D-Day for the Post Office

July 30, 2012 -- New York Times op-ed columnist Joe Nocera wrote on July 31 about the role the congressional pre-funding mandate plays in causing the Postal Service's red ink. "It is a little startling when you first hear about the prefunding requirement," he wrote. "It seems to make no sense, and, as many have noted, it is something that is demanded of no other company or government agency. So why does it exist? It turns out to be one of those things that only Congress could cook up."

NALC President Fredric Rolando was quoted about the so-called "default" in a July 31 Associated Press story that was carried by numerous news outlets:

Fredric Rolando, president of the National Association of Letter Carriers, notes that the onerous health payment for future retirees — something not required of any other government agency or private business — is to blame for much of the post office’s red ink. He faults Congress for mandating the payments in 2006, saying they force the post office every year into a “panic mode that absorbs energy and resources” rather than focusing on longer-term innovation.

“The word ‘default’ sounds ominous, but in reality this is a default on the part of Congress,” Rolando said.

On July 30, NALC Chief of Staff Jim Sauber was interviewed for, and quoted briefly by, American Public Media's "Marketplace" program for a story about the "default."