(KMAland) – ‘Tis the season for heavy mail, and the Missouri Postal Workers Union is warning that USPS is being proposed cuts could disrupt service and undermine trust.

In fiscal year 2024, USPS reported a loss of $9.5 billion – an increase of $3 billion from the previous year. In response, the Postal Service has reduced transportation costs and consolidated operations, which could result in significant mail delays.

Sharon Curtis, President of the Missouri Postal Workers Unionsaid their biggest concern is for residents of rural areas.

“Rural America is being hurt the most — and they are the ones who rely on the mail the most. In these small areas there is no Fed-Ex or UPS because these companies take the mail to the post office because it’s not profitable for them,” she explained.

According to the Missouri Census Data Center, about 37% of Missouri’s population, or about 2.3 million people, live in rural areas.

A report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office found little difference in on-time USPS delivery rates between urban and rural areas, suggesting that rural residents may not face significant delays compared to urban areas. Curtis believes the Postal Service’s goal of creating “super hubs” where all the trucks arrive, sort the mail and then transport it to small towns won’t work logistically.

“The problem with that is it’s too far from one city to the next to even put it there the next day,” she said.

A 2020 survey found that 91% of Americans had a positive opinion of the Postal Service during the pandemic. However, people continue to worry about mail delays.