Next Washington Debacle: The Broke Postal Service

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in 2000, 2001 postal employees paid in 15 percent more to their retirment funds under the budget reonciliation act of 1997, this was to balance the budget deficit, only, they were thanked by the President and congress for their ' sacrifice' , then in 2003 congress was informed by USPS of overpayments to fers and csrs, fers some 15 billion and csrs some 104 billion ( see postal comments to the fedral trade commison, august 6, 2007) then the 3rd retirement fund was set up, by congress by law, the paea ,which gave bonuses to the top 12 exec , for being underpaid , or hiring good help according to congress, which means the top pmg got a 72 thousand a year bonuse, then got to retire with 5. 5 million dollars, while craft postal workes were told they did not deserve their pay, health benifits or retirements since they had balacned the budget. micromanagment and non repplacement of workers who had retired began to place, go to www.postalmag.com/joygoldberguspsstress.pdf or to the awpu 3800, first area tricounty local, library , stress in the workplace, how the ongoing violation of the guiding principles of the usps are creating a hostile work environment , then go to www.billburasjournal.org- misc ( its best to type in the words in search to find links) then go to ALEC/Koch cabal the priviitization of the USPS for Ups and Fedex. then go to www.savethepostoffice.com

val nostdahl of ND 2:31PM July 22, 2012

About the Postal Service
I am 63 and have worked for the USPS 8 years only. After 25 years I retired from a management position in a midwestern heavy industrial company.
Now, after seeing the USPS from the inside my horse sense, education and past work experience tells me, and now you, that a FOR PROFIT company which is a shirt-tail arm of the Federal Government and therefor subject to governmental regulation is by it's very business relationship an anomaly at the least and restrictive to the point of rediculous at it's extreme.
The company I retired from funded it's employee pension fund at 70% and as I recall the PBGC (Public Benefit Guarantee Corporation) was the watch dog that required corporations to fund pensions at a mimimum percentage. I am no expert on this subject but I recall reading that 40% was the mimimum required. The PBCG may not hold sway over federal companies like the USPS but their purpose is the same, protection of currant and future employee pension dollars. Forcing the USPS to fund at 100% is not even handed or necessary as is proven by private For Profit companies every day.
Private companies use the difference in percentage dollars to reinvest in plant and equipment, technology and research and development for their future.
I don't hold a PHD in economics from Havard but it is easy to see that leveling the playing field for the USPS is a no brainer.
Congress, get a clue will you? Seriously, do the right thing.

Dan of WI 9:55AM June 27, 2012

Here is a way that could generate tons of money for usps..
Let me first explain the pain/problem..
Pain or Problem : Every day, I am sick and tired of getting junk physical mails/coupons in my USPS box. I have to open every mail and make sure I trash it properly, to avoid identity theft..and much much more...
Pain for Biz: How to reach right segment, with right message?
How can USPS solve this problem?
USPS has the data for every customer and they could build a system for asking people to enter their choice for getting or blocking mails. This could be as simple as putting a web site. The data that you collect from this process is worth several millions. The data could be sold to biz for targeted customers and consumers would not mind paying few dollars every months to get what they want.
The above data can be aggregated into location, state, culture etc and used for targeting the appropriate customer. Later on this data combined with consumer's online behavior and mobile based location data to get more and more targeted data.

nandan lexman of IL 5:16PM February 01, 2012

As one postal worker recently told me, the USPS is so corrupt it is "like the mafia." In our particular situation while trying to resolve the problem of suspended mail service which was imposed by a Postmaster who told us ("I can do what I want. I'm the Postmaster.") we have witnessed that corruption first-hand and at all levels within the postal service. I don't know anyone who is crying for the postal service. They are responsible for their own undoing; it's hardly Congress's fault.

Kristen A of MA 10:23AM December 09, 2011

I see no mention of the Million Dollar homes the Postal supervisors recieved when they were transfered from one area to another. The story, along with pictures, was run on the National News during the last "economic crisis" the Post Office was experiencing. Only ran on the news for a couple days. The newscaster said the Supervisors were aparently facing a financial loss while selling their old homes. The PO (should be PU) was buying homes costing several times the previous homes value in areas like Florida and California and presenting them to the displaced Supervisors.

Schwartz of GA 7:51AM October 26, 2011

Paper mail is a business for a bygone age, like milk delivery, film development, and full service gas stations.
It's main purpose is to transport unwanted paper advertisements and stuff them in boxes near people's homes.
It's a business that makes no sense in the 21st century and it won't be missed.

Argo of TX 6:17PM October 09, 2011

We can not let USPS die; apart from a national pride, it is essential when disiater strikes, like internet shut down, power outage etc.
Elinate direct deposits of paychecks and RMDs and brokerage dividends or insurance payments etc
Eliminate subsidies and discounts for non-profits and religious outfits
Eliminate discounts for junk mail.
Let USPS alsp provide low cost e-mail service for low income, no income and seniors.
Ensure that job offers are in writing in addition to e-mail offers.
Keep snail mail running in areas of high risk to reliable communication.
USPS has proven to be the most reliable government service ever. Keep it running.

jedimaster of CA 1:07AM September 21, 2011

From my own experience middle-level management at Postal facilites is the problem - not retirees' pensions. No matter WHAT the Postmaster General or upper-level managers promise or claim is "in the works" - managers and supervisors in the facilities will screw it up.
Automated sorting machines? How 'automated' is the process when it takes 19 people (@ over $15/hr)to sort 30,000 mail pieces per hour while an OCR (Optical Character Reader) machine can do 100,000 pieces per hour using only 3 people - and the OCR sits unused because managers have to "justify" the paychecks of those other 16 people?
How 'automated' is the USPS when its mail sorting technology requires 8 hours for a mail piece to move from INTAKE to OUTPUT - while FedEx (using barcoded pieces) can do the same job in 1 hour?
Why does it take a 'Priority Mail' envelope 1 day from a NYC pick-up to an LA delivery - while taking 4 DAYS to cross Manhattan?
Why do Postal supervisors insist on shredding over-sized mail pieces (like Harvard Univ acceptance letters) in sorting machines designed to only handle smaller pieces?
Why do Postal supervisors threaten the jobs (and often the lives) of any employee (in their department) who has the audacity to submit a suggestion for a change which promises to improve customer service via improvements in technology and time-management?
In NYC's Morgan Station one tech was electrocuted by a 400 volt 3-phase line after a supervisor told him the power was OFF.
Another was hospitalized after he fell 30ft down a conveyor-belt shaft - after being ordered to "kick loose" a mail sack caught in the rollers.
A mechanic developed a way to cut millions in maintenance costs by inserting a $0.45 Teflon shim in a key component. Management threatened to charge HIM to cost of installing the shims in machines all across the USA (thousands of $$).
From what I'd learned too many businesses (run by people with relatives in Postal management) have far too much reliance on Postal contracting for Postal managers to dare improve operations by reducing THEIR reliance on these same businesses - much like the US 'Military-Industrial Complex' Pres. Eisenhower warned us of.
The same nepotism and fixed-bid contracting which infects US military contracting is responsible for the mess the USPS is in. The ONLY reason the public is hearing the awful truth is because everybody is ratting out everybody else in this era of cost-cutting and they can no longer hide behide the facade of a tax-dependent Govt body - like the 'Dept Of Defense'.

LtP of NY 2:10PM September 20, 2011

UPS and Fedex don't want anything to do with residential delivery. The Post Office contracts with those two companies to deliver many of their packages to residential customers. WHy? We do it better and cheaper, since we already go to every address in the US, our costs for delivering packages are lower.

jack armstrong of OH 2:54PM September 19, 2011