USPS use of overtime declined from 172.9 million hours in 2021 to 117.8 million in 2024 but that was less than the targeted reduction and the amount can be further reduced through greater management attention, an inspector general report has said.
The Delivering for America plan “indicates that Postal Service management is expected to capture workhour reductions, including overtime, due to mail volume declines” but the total hours cumulatively were 11 percent above the DFA target for that period, including 5 percent above in 2024.
In a follow-up to its prior work on the use of regular time-and-a-half overtime and “penalty” overtime (doubled hourly pay under conditions specified in union contracts), the IG said that “opportunities continue to exist to improve the management of unauthorized overtime in the Time and Attendance Collection System and further reduce overtime hours.”
