The bill would also provide retirement incentives for cutting some of the agency's 547,000 positions and would restructure benefit programs, including stretching out and reducing payments for the health benefits of future retirees over a 40-year period.
But the strategy could be dangerous one since it could leave the chains on weak footing, especially since their shares are already receiving help from hopes pegged on restructuring benefits.
Lehman Brothers said it sees a continuation of demand strength from both consumer and storage business segments into the second quarter with restructuring benefits "as strong catalysts for near-term upside" to estimates.
John Lewis could have to restructure staff benefits in order to pay for the "national living wage", the managing director of the department store chain has warned.
£140m has so far been wasted introducing Universal Credit, the government's plan to restructure the benefits system and save money, according to Parliament's Public Accounts Committee.
The Chrysler employees have filed a lawsuit against Daimler and Cerberus Capital Management, which restructured workers' benefits in a way that eliminated the federal pension guarantee.
True, the Republican governor and the Democratic Legislature have reached deals on slashing spending, rolling back and restructuring pension benefits and requiring state employees to pay more for their health care.
Among the reforms that require it are ending Saturday mail delivery, consolidating rural offices and regional sorting facilities, restructuring employee benefits, even raising stamp prices by a single penny.
The Postal Service is the only federal agency that pre-finances its future retiree health obligations, though the bill would restructure the benefit plan by stretching out the payments over 40 years.
Some experts hope that the union, once it is in charge of health coverage, will eventually restructure its benefit package to give retirees an incentive to economize on care.
