WASHINGTON, Dec. 7 – The U.S. Postal Service announced today that it rescheduled a meeting on the future of a processing plant at White River Junction, Vt., from Dec. 15 to Jan. 4.

The public meeting now is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Jan. 4 at the American Legion in White River Junction.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said, “I am very appreciative that the Postal Service has rescheduled this very important public meeting and moved the location from New Hampshire to Vermont. To my mind, holding this meeting in the midst of the holiday season in Lebanon, N.H., would have been inconvenient for postal employees as well as other Vermonters interested in this issue.”

Sanders reiterated his opposition to Postal Service plans to slash 100,000 jobs, possibly including the loss of 245 jobs at the White River Junction facility.

“At a time when we desperately need to create decent-paying jobs in this country it makes no sense to me to be cutting 100,000 jobs,” Sanders said. “It also would be a step backward for our economy if we slow mail service, shut down rural post offices and end Saturday mail delivery,” the senator added.

“Clearly we need changes in the post office so that it becomes a robust institution in the digital world, but I believe we can make those changes without slashing jobs,” Sanders said.

Sanders said the Postal Service should hold off on drastic cuts until Congress has a chance to consider reforms. He has sponsored a bill that would eliminate unprecedented and onerous accounting requirements that make the Postal Service set aside retiree benefits far in advance. His legislation also would allow the Postal Service to generate new sources of income by expanding into areas that they are currently prohibited from doing.