Postal Service Plight

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What the US Postal Service needs to close there 7 billion dollar lose is a "Financial Czar and Lobbyists" not Potter to deal with Congress and make the tough decisions on how to make money just like the car companies. If they can do it why can't the postal service.

Charles Smith of NY 6:18PM September 22, 2009

Since I was just excessed or layoff for the postal service here in NY and their are no other job prospects especially for the 55 and older generation let me put in my 2 cents. since 2 cents is what the dollar is worth and their are no job prospects. I was the lowest paid worker as a casual, no benefits or paid days off. I worked 6 days a week but could not get the union. So they got rid of me first along with all casuals and 10's of thousands of others but that's OK give Potter an executive bonus when they are losing 7 billion.
There was an excellent editorial written in NY Newsday Aug.16,2009 detailing how to help the postal service and fast since these things need Congressional approval and they will not meet or address these issues. Good Luck to them and I will keep looking for a job.
5 day work week
Relieve the service of its annual obligation of 5.4 billion to pre fund health care for future retirees. Get rid of that now it is ridiculous
The postal service can't lay off workers, it can't renegotiate labor agreements, it can't hire to lowest cost workers but it can lose 7 billion Brillent
New lines of business. Become a boutique. Selling boxes and tape does not cut it.
Priority Mail flat rate box is good. What about selling cellphones, insurance, pictures and gift cards. Expand your horizens.
I should go in front of Congress and sell this since no one else will so just lose 7 billion.

Charles Smith of NY 5:56PM September 22, 2009

What an amazing amount of nonsense by non-Postal civilians! USPS workers, even after 27 years' service, make median income, period. "The Big Boys and Girls"? We are the second largest employer after Walmart. Are you joking? 6-day delivery, folks, is a relatively new mandate. Look it up. Last, another Europhile rump-swab. Paris as role model. I guarantee you two things: their service costs way more and is way less efficient than ours. Would you still be whining oui, oui if I took another 2 weeks vacation, like Parisians are "entitled" to? And by the way, we have 43 plus million address changes a year, as much as the entire population of Canada. Like to see surly, snotty Pierre deal with that.

Ronnie of MA 5:28PM September 22, 2009

The vast majority of my bulk rate goes directly into the recycling bin. Its time to get rid of giving out discounts to deliver trash mail. I won't miss Saturday delivery either. If its something I need, I'll probably pay for premium service thru whoever gives the best service USPS, UPS, FEDEX or bicycle courier.

JS of NY 5:17PM September 22, 2009

So long as the Post Office keep raising the rates, it is becoming more and more necessary for organizations to think of other ways of communicating with their members, ie EMAIL. Every time the Post Office raises the rates, the service gets poorer and poorer. I'm just amazed to know that in Paris there are two mail deliveries a day, and our Post Master wants to reduce service to five days a week. Actions like that are going to force even the most hesitant of us to use ebanking. Granted, 44cents today is equal to 4.4cents in 1950, so maybe it isn't too bad a deal

Frank Gentsch of TX 4:12PM September 22, 2009

I think Potter needs to be replaced. He is sitting all high and mighty with his big bonuses, which by the way , how is he getting such big bonuses when the postal service is so far in the RED as he says? He isn't worried about how going to 5 day delivery will affect the TRC's and RCA's , they won't have jobs and if they are like me (An RCA) they need that money to help out with bills and take care of their families. I am a Des. 79 RCA and I carry an Aux. route full time.. one week I carry it 6 days the other week I carry it 5 days and work that Saturday on a regular route.. and that is how I make my living and it is much needed to remain 6 days a week. I say investigate Potter and all he stands for, something has to be going on for him to keep getting huge bonuses while the rest of us have to struggle after the ridiculous mail counts and getting rid of this and that because we are so called in the RED.. sounds fishy to me.

Maillady1 of LA 2:51PM September 22, 2009

I don't know about everywhere, but our mail volume has, at the least, tripled since April. We are now back to fairly normal flats volume. Still a little short on letters. Our district says we are lying about our numbers because mail volume is dropping. I can't imagine squeezing this mail into a 5 day week when our last incoming truck arrives just before 7a.m. and we have to be done by 5p.m. to meet the only outgoing truck.
We are overburdened with management that has no idea of the actual workings of the system. Undesireables are moved to management if they are unable to perform in craft positions. Our duties are increasing. We are bombarded with worthless info each day, in the form of safety and performance talks that have nothing to do with our jobs. Then they want to know why it's taking us longer to do the job. Service is a thing of the past.
The postal service needs to deal with the massive belly fat and stop cutting off it's legs. Get rid of the part-timers and move nonessential lower management into craft positions. Make it reasonably possible to lay off or fire employees who can't perform to minimal standards. And make these standards reasonable enough to allow the return or good service!
Make rates conform to the cost of handling. A massive mailing may bring a large amount of cash to USPS. But, the considering handling costs of the few cents per hundred pieces vs the costfor getting these pieces to their destination can't be profitable. E.g. A full coverage of flyers usually adds 1/2 hour to my route. The revenue from these few hundred pieces is no where near this 1/2 hrs pay. Plus, the cost of getting it to my route.
Big changes must be made to a top heavy business with little knowlege of what it's legs are doing. We are in trouble. We won't get out of it if we proceed as usual.

Kris of SD 7:22AM September 22, 2009

If my CEO came to me and stated that we will be 12 to 15 billion dollars in the red he would be gone. I work at the Post Office and the fact that we are loosing business comes right down to customer service. Headquarters may think that we are giving great customer service, now they have never stood in the lines at the stamp windows. It is just another case of the osterach with it's head stuck in the sand.

Jeffrey Thomas of MA 3:59AM September 22, 2009

Congress needs to investigate Potter

Gene Miller of MN 10:44PM September 21, 2009

Everyone has the answer to the postal problems. The problem is congress will not let the post office run the post office. Congress need to let the post office run like a business and offer other services. The economy like every business is partly to blame for finical mess the post office is in. Closing offices is not the answer this will only drive away customers. Like it or not the post office is a vital part of the American society.Congress has spent billions of tax payer money on wall street and the auto makers. Congress has also spent billions on wars(called conflicts)by the way we have not won a war since WWII. If congress can waste all this money then they can surely help the USPS.

Vinnie of LA 8:01PM September 21, 2009