An estimated 800 people rallied outside the downtown post office Sunday afternoon to protest Postmaster General Patrick Dona­hoe’s plans to end Saturday mail delivery.

The rally was part of a coordinated national effort to draw attention to the impending cut in delivery services, which is scheduled to begin in August.

"It’s the wrong turn for us to take," said Terry Kao­lulo, president of the Hawaii Association of Letter Carriers. "We cannot allow them to start chipping away at delivery service."

Donahoe last month proposed that the financially strapped postal service eliminate Saturday as a way of saving an estimated $2 billion per year.

However, while the postal service is not directly funded by tax dollars, Congress still effectively sets its standards for delivery.

Congress traditionally includes in its legislation funding the federal government each year a provision that requires a six-day delivery schedule. The House and Senate approved this year’s continuing resolution, effectively maintaining the existing schedule.

The legislation awaits approval by President Barack Obama.

While a February Gallup poll found that 63 percent of Americans support eliminating Saturday delivery, letter carriers at the rally said the problems that would arise from such an action would not be worth the savings.

"It’s going to hurt a lot of people, especially small businesses, the elderly and people in rural communities," Kao­lulo said. "It would lead to delays that would hurt everyone, especially us in Hawaii being 2,500 miles from the mainland."

Opponents of the cost-cutting measure say 80,000 middle-class workers would be affected by dropping Saturday delivery. Kao­lulo said she expects 1 in 6 local carriers would lose their job.

Kaolulo said the postal service needs to be reformed if it is to survive. However, she said, cutting service cannot be part of the solution.

"For years we’ve been cutting and cutting and cutting," she said. "What we need to do is generate revenue. We need the freedom to compete."