Return to Article: Postal Service eyes options beyond layoffs and buyouts
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91721
Our Post Office is reducing their Saturday window hours one of the busiest days and long lines hmmm guess they dont need the $ that bad
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91632
Long lines at the Post Office are caused by the management. In our office, that is the primary area our Postmaster wants to cut. I agree when business is bad, we should go out of the way to provide great customer service. But management wants to go the other way. Easiest way to increase revenue without increasing costs is to reduce, in a gradual way, the discount offered on bulk mail down to closer to the cost of processing avoided by the Post Office. We are losing money processing the mail the way we are now, and management says raising costs on large mailers will cause an even bigger loss. Except, if they reduce the mail they send at a decrease costs, the total revenue per piece has to increase. First class mail paid at full postage will not change (might even increase if these mailers still believe it is the best way to reach customers) but the deeply discounted pieces will either reduce in volume or increase in revenue. You have to work both sides of the equation. Increase per piece revenue, increase the pieces at the higher revenue, and decrease costs.
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91501
This agency is in a leadership void. Micromanaged from DC by employees of former administration. Those former employees only respond to Congress & the President (PMG,Board of Governors, PRC). The only federal agency to be self sufficient is not going to get a lot attention. It would cost up to $7 Billion to operate the worlds largest transportation fleet, pay 700,000 employees middle class wages (with health insurance), 34,000+ retail outlets (47,000+ total facilities) & provide universal mail service to almost 150 million sites. All other costs would be paid for by agency itself (almost $80 billion taken in in 2006). Congress & the President don;t want to address the fact that the free ride is over for providing this federal service. These self serving mouthpieces want it all. Full universal mail service 6 times a week (7 days a week if you count express) at ZERO cost to the federal budget. Let's be honest. Anyone that could run a company the size of the USPS during this economic downturn would NOT BE WORKING FOR THE GOVERNMENT! They would be the salvation at GM, AIG whatever. The postal workers aren't going to solve the financial problems besetting their agency. It's just as important to remember that this is a federal agency. Stop wishing on a star for free anything from the government. Time to pay the piper.
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91495
Sirs, In terms of cost cutting,perhaps a look at the management to employee ratio and the fact that the USPS employs, at last count, "39 " vice-presidents, is warranted. I agree that trying to trim the " inefficiencies " in the workforce is neccessary but maintaining the mail standards is the raison d'etre for the Postal Service. These standards cannot be maintained without the requisite number of employees and therein lies the problem. Will the USPS maintain its own standards and requirements for the mail or will it budget itself to its own demise ?
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91489
Looking at new revenue with the same surly, slow don't bother me employees??? Better the broom the lot and start over. The key will be the upcoming union contracts that all expire in 2010 and 2011 unless work rules and medical benefits are changed the PO is doomed
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91481
Congress is asking the wrong questions to postal management in regards to the number of management positions cut. The question should be how many management employees have been "removed from employment" as the result of low mail volumes not how many positions have been cut. Because postal management cut positions and then creates one or more positions under different titles to keep the management personnel at an all time high while fighting to reduce the number of mail processing personnel that actually do the work.
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91472
Hello. Federal workers, absent postal employees, have enjoyed a minimum 2% increase per year for the past 20 years. Did Einstein say that compound interest was the greatest invention of man? Wages and benefits are a package. Postalworkers have collective bargaining. Their wage increases do not compare with federal workforce. So what is your point in singling out postal employee's health insurance subsidy?
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91468
I expect ALl of these people to help me carry mail in a snowstorm. Walk a mile in my shoes
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91467
First of all, the p.o. did not save any money cutting 3500 mgmt. positions. They merely moved them into vacant positions they had not filled the last 10 years. Letting them keep thier same salaries. As for long lines at the counters, maybe these excess clerks should be on those counters to bring in more revenue. That would also keep waiting times down thus bringing in more customers. Have more offices open later and on saturdays. Most people don't know that the majority of clerks work at night. This adds to millions of dollars each day to thier deficit. Have them process the mail starting at 6a.m saving billions each year. And lastly, if you want to get rid of workers. Offer 25,000 dollars and noooo penalty
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91465
Why dont the Postal Service just concentrate on mail delivery.
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91462
The postal service has ruined my passport photo business. I am paying them to put me out of business. Since 1998 they have put many hundreds of people out of business. Their photos are terrible. The clerks don't like to do it. They are embarrasing themselves every time they have to come from behind the counter to do this "service". They charge $15.00, no refunds. If you don't like them you pay again. And must they wear their gold chains and necklaces to work Must they show off their rolex watches. Look where they park. The cars that they own. SUV's maxed out..... The USPS should be ashamed of themselves.
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91455
First, Fed Up, the USPS does not receive any tax dollars. Second, Wise Old Owl, the management of the USPS doesn't treat their employees with respect...it is very difficult to be all perky and happy when you are treated like garbage every day at work. Lastly, the management of the USPS needs to be cut in half -- at least. People who are so far removed from the situation are the ones handing down the mandates...without a clue.
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91451
I'm glad I quit the PO 2 days after I started.
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91448
It seems like the main problem is that hte USPS does not want to service their patrons. From reading the posted comments, it seems like customers want better hours, more clerks working to eliminate waiting times, etc... USPS's policy seems to be do what they want to do regardless of their custom base. A business can not suceed if they alienate their customers.
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91442
Most people work basically the same hours at the post office - and sometimes longer hours. It makes it quite difficult to get to a facility on time to mail packages, buy stamps (which I also collect), etc. Even businesses who have all day to get their packages out wait until almost closing time to go to the post office. I suggest the post office be open the same hours as a shopping mall: 10 am through 9 pm. It could be staffed by fulltime workers and parttime workers so that no one is forced to work more than eight hours a day (plus meal time). Schedules could overlap so that the busiest time of day (seems to be after 4 pm) could be fully staffed allowing the line to move much quicker. By using this type of a schedule, having window service closed on Saturday might not be an inconvenience for many, if not most, of us. For my mail route, Saturday delivery is done by a parttimer who only works on Saturday and sometimes "covers" for a regular who is out sick or on vacation. Many people may now be using UPS or FedEx as they have stated in other posts; these facilities also are only open the "normal" working hours and no Saturdays. If the post office really wants to be competitive, they have to go the "extra mile" for servicing their customers. Relying on gimmicks that have nothing to do with stamps to raise extra revenue is a waste of time and money. Another area of contention: bulk mailers. They get rates as low as 3 cents per piece (I've seen that on some of the "junk" mail that I receive). That is ridiculous !!!! Start raising their rates.
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91440
You have got to be kidding me. Did I read this right (Truth is, it does not want to change where it needs it the most, that is from the bottom up instead of from the top down.) The bottom up ? I think the people at the bottom have been hit with cuts way to much. Its time to look at the top!!! That is where the money is wasted.
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91439
Postal employees do not pay as much for health care because their wages are less than other Fed employees!
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91438
Management at the USPS wastes billions of dollars. They continue to violate the same contratual issues over and over, after they lose it the first time. In addition, they cut the craft employees, but not managers. As they downsize the craft, they should downsize managers as well. Plus, eliminating the hige discounts to mailers would help, as well as sub contracting out work.
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91437
All the HQ people seem to be too large to actually carry mail, so they come into our stations with clipboards and pencils.
They watch us work while they micromanage us. They even took a tiny piece of my route away, and gave it to another carrier. Now both of us have park on the same streets and deliver mail to adjoining homes. I even requested to keep those addresses and work a little bit harder, but they would rather have both of us deliver in one neighborhood!
Brilliant!
PS I can't wait to retire!!!
PPS They disrespect us all morning, and the public expects us to be so happy and chipper! We're worried about being screwed by our supervisors when we get back to the station.
Mr/Ms Public please understand, the usps sucks, especially to work for. You can't just quit when you only have 5 or so years left!!!
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91436
Just like any government agency, there are good POs and there are less than good POs. I believe most postal employees try to do their best. I think it would be a mistake to try and create more products and more services. In reallity, the Postal Service does a good job of distributing hard copy information and other such similar stuff. I can't offer solutions for their budget, because I don't know the details. However, I do think if they concentrate on what they do best, I believe they can come up with a way to do it effectively and feasibly.
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91427
I agree with WR Lamm. I cannot believe that the Postal Service continues to subsidize employee health insurance premiums more than the Federal Government does for its employees. Any fully private organization with a $7 billion shortfall would have cut back on this already, and the Postal Service, being quasi-private, should have done this already. At a maximum, the Postal Service should pay the same percentage of employee health insurance premiums as the Federal Government pays for federal employees.
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91426
If the USPS wants employees to retire make a realistic offer. Penalties should be eliminate for retiring early. People are not going to retire when they are penalized for retiring.
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91419
About 20 years ago, the postal service tried to sell mail-related items (eg, t-shirts, post/greeting cards, pins, calendars, etc), and Congress told them they couldn't do it because it competed unfairly with private industry that sold those same items after a couple of businesses complained. As far as I could see, expect for the greeting cards (which were completely different from those sold in [Hallmark] stores), they were only doing what any entrepreneural business would do to raise money.
And - Anyone that says they'll use UPS and/or FedEx just to save a little time has too much money to throw around.
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91416
With future decreases in the use of the traditional mail system and the increasing use of electronic mailing and services, USPS will continue to operate in the red and be propped up by tax dollars until the Postal Worker's Union re-negotiates with management to reduce benefits. If the Union will not negotiate, they will jeopardize the whole USPS to privatization. But the majority of the the Union leadership are eligible to retire, so if USPS does privatize, they will just retire with their guaranteed pensions and leave the younger workerforce to fend for themselves!
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91415
The problem with the Postal Service (USPS) is rooted in its entrenched culture as much as any other factor. At the present, USPS blames the economy, the internet, and congressional interference for its woes, but even in the best of times USPS does not maximize its bottom-line focus because it is anally entrenched in micro-management and stiffling the innovative spirit and creativeness of its employees at all levels (management and craft). Truth is, it does not want to change where it needs it the most, that is from the bottom up instead of from the top down. Managers responsible for creating vision and leading the organization forward are more interested in managing their own careers in the existing stultifying culture than effecting any meaningful internal change.
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91412
Sorry, but the Postal Service is going the way of the Pony Express. Technology has evolved and unfortunately, the USPS has not adapted. I can't remember the last time I ever used a stamp or mailed a letter or received one (other than junk mail). Banking is done online, email, Facebook for family and friends, and text messaging. When I want to mail a package or receive something, UPS is the better alternative.
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91410
Concur with all the comments about their customer service. It's awful...I can never get to the post office before they close. Couple of months ago, my city carrier didn't want to have to carry a package that I was expecting and put a note in my mail box (in the city) that I'd have to pick it up at the post office. I had to take annual leave and go home early, just so I could pick the parcel up....even after calling the Postmaster.
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91409
Why not send every Postal employee a brief memo requesting their thoughts and ideas as how to initiate cost savings and increase revenue. If it's a joint effort by both management and the unions, it may provide big divends.
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91402
First: see that your sullen employees start treating customers with a little respect.
Second: keep your offices open with convenient hours for the public.
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91398
I was encouraged by the post office to stop using their services. My postal carrier either left outgoing mail in my mailbox or dropped it in the street. The supervisor didn't believe me when I reported it. As a result, I now pay all of my bills electronically. Thank you, USPS for forcing me into the electronic age.
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91396
Why doesn't the postal servive start a national lottery. We have numerous state and multistate lotteries but could have a national one and tickets could be purchased at any post office.
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91395
Customer service at most post offices is terrible. Lines are long and clerks of limited help. Offices are poorly organized to facilitate quick service. I would rather spend the extra money to send by UPS or FedEX where I can just drop a prepaid package off than wait in line forever at the post office. They need to drop and go to just a 5 day delivery immediately. Keeping it at 6 days is jusat throwing money away.
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91392
The Postal Service shot themselves in the foot long ago by not offering customer friendly operating hours. It drove the average customer to other services that are open in the evening and on weekends.
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91390
How about postal employees increasing there share of contributions to their mailhandlers health insurance...they contribute less than half of other federal agency employees
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91387
The biggest problem with the postal service is not the products offered. Expanding the offerings is not going to help. They need to figure out how to get people in and out. Its a pain just going to the post office just to get stamps. I avoid the post office as much as possible. Even if their rates are cheaper. My time is more valuable.
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91384
They are looking for new ways to make revenue. They are trying to upsell. I had to mail a DVD yesterday and they offered to send it overnight insured for 25 bucks. I said no thanks, send it the cheapest way possible. Upsell on shipping, gotta love it.
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91382
why doesn't the usps charge for RFD?
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91380
Great, just what we need, a host of more services from the Post Office so that the lines get even longer. Can customer service possibly be any worse? It is bad enough now when they ask you if you want to buy everything under the sun when you only want to mail one package. Now add, "Would you like to buy a Hallmark card? What kind would you like? Would you like a stamp with that?" Turn the Post Office over to the private sector and both speed and customer service will improve dramatically.
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91379
What's wrong with continuing to subsidize a failed company at the rate of over $5 billion per year? Folks at the highest levels never get anything: NSPS, Postal Service, strategy in Iraq, etc. What does it take to open people's eyes?
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91375
For starters, a 5 day delivery will be of essence. And yes, there are other opportunities which could assist a hopefully smooth transition of USPS during the next decades. Selling greeting cards is not one of them, but rather a sign of desperation.
The task of transformation is not easy. USPS is expected to perform like a business, but at the same time USPS is plagued with regulations, which would cause most businesses to fail.
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91367
USPS would greatly benefit from more local control over route structure. Local carriers could provide more efficient lines of travel. Remote administrators do not efficiently construct route maps and lose carrier "ownership" as well. Progressive management ideas of the past as "EI" really work. We are back-stepping...let's move forward!
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