Sourcewww.wsj.com
The U.S. Postal Service is again barreling toward insolvency, and on Friday it reported a $2 billion quarterly loss. “We are in a cash crisis,” Postmaster General David Steiner said. “We require urgent Congressional action to expand our borrowing authority and to address outdated constraints on the organization.” The important part for lawmakers to hear is that last part.
The USPS has been raising prices and trimming costs, but it keeps falling short in trying to make ends meet. The reality is that its business model is an anachronism in a digital world, yet Congress has refused to recognize that. As paper correspondence—letters, bills, party invites—shifted online, total mail volume fell off a cliff. Last year the USPS handled 108.7 billion pieces, down 49% from a peak of 213.1 billion in 2006. A majority of what’s left is euphemistically categorized as “marketing mail.”
At the same time, the total number of “delivery points” keeps going up. The USPS is under a mandate to reach every address in America, six days a week, a task that gets more expensive as the country’s population grows and new subdivisions are built. Last year there were 170.5 million delivery points, up from 146.2 million in 2006, or an increase of 16.6%.
Sourcewww.wsj.com
Congress gave the USPS pretty much everything they wanted the last go round, including forgiving over one hundred billion dollars they were on the hook for. Part of this was prefunding for future retirees that the USPS hadn’t paid for years. Why on earth would congress allow them to borrow more; they’re not gyro pay it back. Yes, volume is down, but the USPS keeps adding more and more managers whose jobs have little or nothing to do with mail processing or delivery. Many routes go undelivered, yet they continue to hire managers. Steiner won’t even discuss trimming the fat and acts as if cutting a day of delivery would be the end of the world. Cutting Saturday delivery and trimming management by 30% would go a long way in righting this ship.
Trump wants USPS to fail.
Hates Working people. Only cares about billionaires.
They can’t wait to carve up USPS like a Christmas Ham
Another lame duck, moron to run the place into the ground.
And don’t forget Amber McReynolds who keeps finding these
stooges.
How much money is she getting paid behind the scenes.
It’s going to get ugly.
Government Shutdown for months.
I ain’t going to work unless they pay me.
Good luck with that plan Amber!!!!
37yr Postal Employee.
Tractor Trailer Driver
City Carrier
Clerk
Supervisor
Postmaster
I never forget those 5 degree 22” of snow days as a City Carrier.
Clerks, City and Rural employees deserve 100% credit for our successes (or failures).
The USPS started digging its hole back in Jan 2013 with the arbitrator DAS Award creating 2 additional tiers on the pay scale at the bottom. $5hr less than previous new hires.
At that time, temporary employees making $23hr, lost $5hr because they were not protected in this award. I had 3 quit in my small office and go work for UPS.
UPS, FedEx and Amazon all pay more $ per hour starting wage than USPS.
You get what you pay for.
Consider a higher hiring wage, higher quality applicants, higher service, higher moral, higher productivity and performance, higher customer satisfaction, higher return/repeat customers, higher revenue.
Equals less EAS employees needed to babysit poor attendance and poor performers.
And the USPS needs to end delivery on Sunday immediately. There is absolutely no justification for Sunday deliveries. Noncareer employees are out delivering that $2 cell phone case from Amazon on Sunday, when they need to be home getting some rest and time with family.
99.9% of the employees working on Sunday go into OT due to their critical need during the remaining work week. Many end up working 7 days a week because we are so shorthanded. Jobs are posted. No one is applying.
The reduced delivery service on Sunday, should end and be moved to Sat.
We do not need full on Sat delivery and staff. We need bare bones staff on Sat to sort, scan and deliver parcels only.
To make reduced Sat delivery manageable, load leveling needs to be strictly enforced on Mondays. Spread the astronomical mail volumes we already get on Mondays, over 2-3 days.