What should become of the USPS?

[The Bug House]

In light of the continuing dire fiscal situation the US Postal Service is facing ($8.5 BILLION loss for FY 2010, despite cutting expenses by $9 billion over the last 2 years, on top of substantial annual losses since 2006)

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_POSTAL_FINANCES?SITE=KTVK&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

Drastic changes seem inevitable. I thought this would be a good place for a poll regarding the subject. If you have time, read the article, it does not paint a pretty picture.

[wtnhunt]

Honestly don't know the answer but do think they need some deep cuts and I don't have time to read your article link at this point. Don't think the federal government(congress) has any place any determining where they cut, congress has quite enough other problems they have already created that need dealt with.

Jmo fwiw but think those in positions where greed to excess has become so prevalent that some probably do need axed or at the very least renegotiated terms. Unfortunately there are probably way too many positions in the usps where for the work they do the people are overpaid, realistic pay cuts may be necessary. In saying that I don't in any way mean to offend anyone, but it is pretty obvious that things are not going to get better so long as they continue to have higher operating costs in labor than what they are making in profits. Kind of similar to some other industries we have seen recently failing where labor costs were driven a bit too high.

[Ravin R10 man]

I'd cut half the post offices in the U.S. we have one in nearly every small town, dont see why they could not combine 4 into 1..that should have been done 10 years ago

[texastrophies]

Need to get rid of the unions. They had their place in time, a long time ago. At this point all they do is drive up cost.:hammer1:

[ruttinbuc]

Waste starts from the top. Needs a total reorganization.

[Tominator]

None of your options work for me. #1 is the closest, but that would probably necessitate an amendment to The Constitution.

Don't know the answer, but from what I've experienced at the post office is a lot of people, but not a lot getting done, and what is getting done is getting done in a surly fashion. USPS workers don't seem to be a happy lot.

What's the average postal worker get paid? I try not to begrudge anyone their salary, but I know my uncle got paid more than my dad for walking a route everyday. Taking a walk, delivering mail for 36K a year? Really?

[stevebeilgard]

the usps is, perhaps, the best and most efficient of all the government services. the problem is, it sucks. let free enterprise like ups, fedex and all the new upstarts coming, fill the bill. i'm for a 99% reduction in ALL goverment "services". private enterprise will do anything better, and cost less. simple as that.

anyone care to give me an exception where the goverment runs anything better than private enterprise?

[Tominator]

anyone care to give me an exception where the goverment runs anything better than private enterprise?

FDA

[Strut10]

anyone care to give me an exception where the goverment runs anything better than private enterprise?

It sure ain't the delivery business!!!

UPS (which is also union and everybody thinks we're overpaid) is currently turning $3/4 billion to $1 1/2 billion with a B profit each quarter.

Guess we've figured out something the gubbmint hasn't.

[stevebeilgard]

FDA

like our military, the fda must be controlled by the goverment. but, it's just as inneficeint cost wise as any other goverment agency. and sure, our military is exceptional in all aspects except cost. there is horrendous waste in our military of dollars, equipment, and about everything else. i have personally driven brand new no miles trucks to the bombing range and seen then blown up. when i asked why we don't take the old trucks out there, it's becuase the motor pool would have nothing to do.

good lord.

[gone_postal]

I have worked for the USPS for 31 yrs. as a window clerk in small Post Offices through out our rural area.

Just a few observations and thoughts on this matter.

USPS has to prefund it's retirees health care fund to the tune of 5.5 BILLION dollars a year!! ( That is part of the huge loss they keep mentioning). It was mandated by Congress many years ago....though it was not a problem back in the day, it is much harder to come up with the money now with declining mail volumes and people turning to the internet to do their business. The recession hit us very hard. There have been many changes since that has happened, and not many of them good! There is a hiring freeze, so many offices are short staffed in our area......I run a small office as they will not hire Postmaster to fill the small offices anymore.......so as you can imagine moral is pretty low and we are all wondering if we will have a job in the future. I predict you will see 5 day delivery as they are pushing it very hard and think this new Congress is going to work to make the BIG changes USPS wants. We will also in time see smaller offices close and you will probably be going to Wal Mart/Target to buy stamps and mail packages and be waited on by someone with no knowledge of postal procedures!! We already partner with UPS/FEDEX in the small parcel delivery and it wouldn't surprise me to see this as a major merger someday. The Post Office has been very good to me and my family and has provided us with benefits we could not afford otherwise, mainly health insurance.

Most customers I see everyday are 40 yrs. old and up, the young people just have no use for the Post Office. Hand written letters are few and far between sadly. I see high school students come in and ask me to help them fill out an envelope and don't even know where on it the stamp belongs!! Do they not teach them this in school anymore?? Things are changing and the Post office has to change too. I t's a new generation coming up and we have to adapt and accept it as best we can. I am fortunate as I am at the close of my postal career. The employees in the future will be working for much lower wages and no benefits either. No more cushy jobs at the Post Office. I am betting service will suffer along with it. In the meantime I thank God everyday for this job which I love and am waiting like everyone else for the big changes ahead in the postal world!!

[gone_postal]

I'd cut half the post offices in the U.S. we have one in nearly every small town, dont see why they could not combine 4 into 1..that should have been done 10 years ago

I have worked for the USPS for 31 yrs. as a window clerk in small Post Offices through out our rural area.

Just a few observations and thoughts on this matter :

USPS has to prefund it's retirees health care fund to the tune of 5.5 BILLION dollars a year!! ( That is part of the huge loss they keep mentioning). It was mandated by Congress many years ago....though it was not a problem back in the day, it is much harder to come up with the money now with declining mail volumes and people turning to the internet to do their business. The recession hit us very hard. There have been many changes since that has happened, and not many of them good! There is a hiring freeze, so many offices are short staffed in our area......I run a small office as they will not hire Postmasters to fill the small offices anymore.......so as you can imagine morale is pretty low and we are all wondering if we will have a job in the future. I predict you will see 5 day delivery as they are pushing it VERY hard and think this new Congress is going to work to make the BIG changes USPS wants. We will also in time see smaller offices close and you will probably be going to Wal Mart/Target to buy stamps and mail packages and be waited on by someone with no knowledge of postal procedures!! We already partner with UPS/FEDEX in the small parcel delivery and it wouldn't surprise me to see this as a major merger someday. The Post Office has been very good to me and my family and has provided us with benefits we otherwise couldn't afford, mainly health insurance.

Most customers I see everyday are 40 yrs. old and up, the young people just have no use for the Post Office. Hand written letters are few and far between now. I see high school students come in and ask me to help them fill out an envelope and don't even know where on it the stamp belongs!! Do they not teach this in school anymore?? Things are changing and the Post Office has to change too. It's a new generation coming up and we have to adapt and accept it as best we can. I am fortunate as I am at the close of my postal career. The employees in the future will be working for MUCH lower wages, part time work and no benefits either. The cushy jobs will be long gone. I am betting service will suffer along with it. In the meantime I thank God everyday for this job which I love and am waiting like everyone else (nervously) for the big changes ahead in the postal world! Support your local post office!

Edited November 20, 2010 by gone_postal

[redkneck]

I feel for ANYBODY losing their job..... I sincerely do. But, the post office has way too many PO's IMHO and just like our little town of 250 folks, I wouldn't doubt the gov't spent close to 1/2 million building the new PO, when all that mail could have been brought out of a larger hub.

I don't have the answer, but some changes are coming fast for the USPS, and I don't think we should just keep pushing $ into the hole.

[Strut10]

I feel for ANYBODY losing their job..... I sincerely do. But, the post office has way too many PO's IMHO and just like our little town of 250 folks, I wouldn't doubt the gov't spent close to 1/2 million building the new PO, when all that mail could have been brought out of a larger hub.

I don't have the answer, but some changes are coming fast for the USPS, and I don't think we should just keep pushing $ into the hole.

I hear ya.

Within 8 miles of here, there are 2 P.O.'s in towns of less than 100 people. One of those sits between two P.O.'s that are in towns of 350 people or less and are 3 miles apart. Now there's gov't effieciency fer ya.

[The Bug House]

Great responses so far....

..........What's the average postal worker get paid? I try not to begrudge anyone their salary, but I know my uncle got paid more than my dad for walking a route everyday. Taking a walk, delivering mail for 36K a year? Really?

Actually, I would think 36K annually is on target for a letter carrier, however, I know a P.O. custodian that makes $11 an hour more than another friend that is an ICU nurse. Small town P.O. he probably spends as much time making coffee as he does working. That is a great example of the potential damage a Union can cause. Of course this isn't reflective of every P.O.

the usps is, perhaps, the best and most efficient of all the government services. the problem is, it sucks. let free enterprise like ups, fedex and all the new upstarts coming, fill the bill. i'm for a 99% reduction in ALL goverment "services". private enterprise will do anything better, and cost less. simple as that.

I've been reading how some states are leasing toll roads to private companies and generating more of a profit than ever before. Very little incentive for government agencies to be efficient in situations like these.

anyone care to give me an exception where the goverment runs anything better than private enterprise?

NASA

I feel for ANYBODY losing their job..... I sincerely do.........................

+1

[The Bug House]

I have worked for the USPS for 31 yrs. as a window clerk in small Post Offices through out our rural area.

Just a few observations and thoughts on this matter :

USPS has to prefund it's retirees health care fund to the tune of 5.5 BILLION dollars a year!! ( That is part of the huge loss they keep mentioning). It was mandated by Congress many years ago....though it was not a problem back in the day, it is much harder to come up with the money now with declining mail volumes and people turning to the internet to do their business. The recession hit us very hard. There have been many changes since that has happened, and not many of them good! There is a hiring freeze, so many offices are short staffed in our area......I run a small office as they will not hire Postmasters to fill the small offices anymore.......so as you can imagine morale is pretty low and we are all wondering if we will have a job in the future. I predict you will see 5 day delivery as they are pushing it VERY hard and think this new Congress is going to work to make the BIG changes USPS wants. We will also in time see smaller offices close and you will probably be going to Wal Mart/Target to buy stamps and mail packages and be waited on by someone with no knowledge of postal procedures!! We already partner with UPS/FEDEX in the small parcel delivery and it wouldn't surprise me to see this as a major merger someday. The Post Office has been very good to me and my family and has provided us with benefits we otherwise couldn't afford, mainly health insurance.

Most customers I see everyday are 40 yrs. old and up, the young people just have no use for the Post Office. Hand written letters are few and far between now. I see high school students come in and ask me to help them fill out an envelope and don't even know where on it the stamp belongs!! Do they not teach this in school anymore?? Things are changing and the Post Office has to change too. It's a new generation coming up and we have to adapt and accept it as best we can. I am fortunate as I am at the close of my postal career. The employees in the future will be working for MUCH lower wages, part time work and no benefits either. The cushy jobs will be long gone. I am betting service will suffer along with it. In the meantime I thank God everyday for this job which I love and am waiting like everyone else (nervously) for the big changes ahead in the postal world! Support your local post office!

>

Thaks for the fantastic insight, and I wish you and your coworkers the best of luck. I have a question about purchasing stamps, perhaps you may be able to explain a bit. Years ago, when I was single and worked 3rd shift, I was often up to all hours and often running errands on my time off. There was 2 or 3 P.O.'s that installed new, digital stamp vending machines and they had 24 hour access. I would've thought that those would be all over the place (Retail outlets ect.) but I don't see them at all anywhere now. Any thoughts?

[Newarcher]

I'm against the USPS for one reason...their employees are RUDE RUDE RUDE and simply don't give a darn.

If your package is fragile....who cares, I'll throw it like the rest.

If I don't greet my customers (oh wait they aren't customers, their captives)...who cares?

If I see the line is out the door and myself and my co-worker can't keep up...who cares, it is break time and I am shutting down my line.

If we're busy, I won't speed up my efforts......who cares, I'm union.

Never before have I seen a group of people who universally just don't give a dang as the USPS workers. I am sure that our friends here who work for the USPS are exceptions and care a lot and work hard. No doubt.

But the bottom line is this....if I treated my customers like the average USPS worker I encounter teats me, I would be fired.

New

[Strut10]

Actually, I would think 36K annually is on target for a letter carrier,

Base starting rate for a full-time carrier is in the $42K/yr range. Progression bumps it into the $49K/yr area by the 3rd year.

This is base. O-T not included.

[The Bug House]

Base starting rate for a full-time carrier is in the $42K/yr range. Progression bumps it into the $49K/yr area by the 3rd year.

This is base. O-T not included.

>

Are they all union?

[PotashRLS]

Their service is terrible. The employees seem to just not care anymore.

We have had to cancel and recut payment checks many times this year. We even had certified mail fail to deliver twice. NOT GOOD!!!

[elkoholic]

The need for postal service has evidently come to an end, or, maybe there is a need to downsize and restructure the rates. Fully 90+% of the mail we receive is "junk mail" which is allowed to flow through the system at a ridiculously low rate. The postal service also needs to reevaluate it's hiring practices. Several decades ago I took the civil service exam for a post office position and at the time I was told that being a healthy white male with (at that time) no military service there was zero chance of being hired. True to form, I was not hired although I had the highest score, but strangely enough the 18 year old son of the post master managed to get hired. There is no wonder there is an overall poor performance from postal employees. There are exceptions, but most postal employees are not the best qualified for the job. I do not think someone "taking a walk, delivering mail" is overpaid at 30-40K per year, as I am sure it is not as simple as it sounds, and that is barely a living wage these days. If they (the postal service) can't make it financially, after restructuring, then let's not subsidize them. The taxpayers subsidize too many businesses and subsidies make for inefficiently run, poorly managed companies manned by disinterested individuals.