Postmasters receive buyout offers from U.S. Postal Service

United States Postal Service officials have confirmed that they are offering retirement bonuses of up to $10,000 to an estimated 3,097 postmasters who operate rural post offices.

These postmasters have until Aug. 18 to accept this payment and must leave the U.S. Postal Service payroll effective Sept. 30.

The payouts were reported July 1 by the Federal Times newspaper and confirmed by U.S. Postal Service spokeswoman Darlene Casey.

She described the payouts as the “incentive” that was promised by USPS officials in May 2012 when they announced a major initiative to reduce the window service at many small post offices.

Since the program was announced, Casey said, 9,166 post offices have had retail operating hours adjusted.

To date, a total of 3,009 offices offer six-hour window service, 4,900 offices have four-hour service, and 1,257 offices have two-hour service.

The plan was devised after members of Congress voiced strong objections to a cost-cutting plan that called for shuttering many small rural post offices.