Fighting post office cuts in Waterbury

Waterbury (WTNH) - It's not a school but a post office facing cuts that sparked a rally in Waterbury. The postal union, the city's mayor and Representative Chris Murphy all took part. 

Ordinarily because postal workers are civil servants, they are the last workers to be worried about layoffs during tough economic times.

But there's nothing ordinary about these tough economic times and Steve Drysdale knows it.

"It's a reality because I don't have the seniority other people do, so I'm [the] low man on the pole," Drysdale said. "I'd be one of the first people to go.

Cohn: "What's plan B?"

Drysdale: "Right now, there isn't."

Today, outside the grand old post office on Grand Street, Waterbury Mayor Michael Jarjura, Congressman Chris Murphy and a team of state legislators implored the postal service to stop slashing jobs here.

State wide, the postal service is cutting some 117 jobs, 20 in Waterbury.

"Why would we the, 5th largest city in the state of CT, be asked to absorb the greatest number of layoffs?" Representative Joan Hartley, of Waterbury, asked.  "It's disproportionate, it's unacceptable and that's why we are all here in force."

The biggest frustration Congressman Murphy says is the Postal Service has been less than up front when asked.

"When we originally got word from the employees of this post office, there would be about 20 job cuts. We contacted the post office and asked if that was true," he said. "They sent back an emphatic response, 'No way, there'll not be 20 job cuts in the Waterbury post office.' We faxed them the letter, they sent to the employees telling them of the cuts [and] we haven't heard back since."