Postal union seeks 'good faith' in contract talks

WASHINGTON — Union leaders are calling on the Postal Service to disavow a proposal to slash up to 120,000 jobs.

The National Association of Letter Carriers says the plan is “an outrageous show of bad faith.” The comments came at the start of negotiations for a new labor contract for employees at the agency's second largest union.

The Postal Service announced the job-cutting plan last week, saying drastic action was needed. The agency faces a second year of losses totaling $8 billion or more.

It also wants to pull its workers out of retirement and health benefits plans covering federal employees and set up its own benefit systems. It's asking Congress to override contracts with no-layoff provisions. The agency also wants to shed 100,000 jobs through attrition.