POCATELLO, Idaho -- Postal service employees rallied in Pocatello onTuesday, asking local people to help in a nationwide effort to save post offices in danger of being closed down.

The postal workers asked people to sign a petition to support H.R. 1351, a bill they say could save post offices nationwide from getting shut down.

The U.S. Postal Service is losing money fast, and hundreds of post offices across the country are on the chopping block.

Both the Bannock Station post office in Old Town and Pocatello's mail distribution center are on the list for possible closure.

Members of the National Association of Letter Carriers say closing down post offices is counterproductive and will cause more problems in the long run.

"We would lose revenue for the postal service, and I think that people would be disenchanted with the inconvenience of it all,” Idaho NALC President John Paige said.

Postal workers have a plan they say will save jobs and prevent closures.

They want everyone to sign a petition asking Congress to let the USPS dip into an existing postal service fund.

"I feel the postal service is an important part of America because it has been here a long time. My father worked for the postal service and I've been involved with postal people my whole life,” Jill Watkins said after signing the petition.

Paige says there is a lot of money left in the account.

“There's like $50 billion -$125 billion overpaid into that fund,” Paige said.

But supporters said it's no bailout.

"It's not a bailout because it's their own money,” Watkins said.

In a political climate in favor of making cuts just about everywhere, the postal workers hope these petitions can influence Congress.

"We'll take them to Congressman Simpson's office, and let him know these people really want to save the postal service, they don't want it to go away,” Paige said.