Iowans who sort and carry the mail are speaking out against the idea of “privatizing” the U-S Postal Service. Lance Coles of the American Postal Workers Union’s local in Des Moines says they’re concerned about their jobs, and warns rural routes and small town post offices would be the first casualties. He says the cream of the crop mail would be delivered in the big cities where profit can be made, while it would be cost-prohibitive to deliver in small towns and rural areas.Coles predicts consolidation, with closures or reduced “window hours” in each small town post office.Coles says that’d make it more inconvenient to mail things in rural Iowa. He says people want to be able to go to the post office when they want during different hours.Postal workers plan to picket in Des Moines Sunday afternoon on the issue.About three thousand Iowa postal workers belong to the union.
