The mail is a-changing.
Personal mail. Business mail. Commerce mail. Nothing's the same as it used to be. And it probably won't be the same in the future.
Tomorrow, Postmaster General Jack Potter will host a conference to address the issue of the changing volume and revenue. He will reveal some numbers and give an action plan.
What do you think he'll say?
Comment here.
13 comments:
He will probly mention cost issues.
What's important is what is being done with the money we are bringin' in. Supply = demand.
Just like the rest of the world.
Investigators oughta be in all business' for honesty of who is spending what where.Like big bucks going to hotels/conferences etc.
Unnecessary spending.
Some supplies we DON'T need
& some we do. Basic necessities.
Volume continues to fall in advertising and first class mail, but new areas of revenue have been generated by leads from carriers, postmasters, and other employees. Also, the priority mail flat rate boxes are doing well. He should mention the great job all the worker bees are doing, and recommit to worker safety issues, which has suffered with the decline of mail.
I'm sure he'll recommend doing away with delivery on Saturday, which, quite frankly, worries me. I work in a rural Level 15 office, and our Saturday mail is as heavy as our Monday mail. If we don't deliver on Saturday, Mondays are going to be a nightmare!! My carriers will have a hard time on Mondays delivering double the mail and trying to get back in time to meet the outgoing mail cutoff time!
He will talk about cutting back on the number of Area offices. Drastic measures to reduce spending must be done before Congress will consider reducing the delivery days from 6 to 5. We should do all we can internally before we look for an "easy fix" such as going to 5 day delivery. After all, UPS cut their Area like offices from 8 to 3!
Of course he will talk about our deficit and how we are continue to make adjustments and generate revenue. He has to push the 5 day delivery and the overall savings. How about closing post offices that don't generate enough revenue to cover the operational costs or closing an office that is close to another office and split the hours of operation. We have people that are doing a great job for this organization and the ones that are sitting back enjoying the ride need to go away.
I'm sure he will talk about 5 day delivery and flexibility to offer other products and for setting prices. Probably he will reiterate what we have already done to cut expenses. Since Congress doesn't seem likely to tackle the 5-day deliver or other issues that need their approval anytime soon, we are going to have to focus on what we CAN do within our legal restraints. More non-delivery and non-revenue generating operations can be reduced along with the multiple reports that are printed and filed. It's time to motivate every employee to take responsiblity for their jobs and USPS' future and to "think outside the box." I also think the most important thing to convince Congress to do is repeal or adjust our pre-funding of the retiree health benefits to put it in line with GAO and the Inspector General's recent findings that we have already overfunded the account.
What most failed to hear was the part about the contract negotiations that are coming up. How much are we, the craft workers, going to lose in these negotiations? I think we are in for a big, not so pleasant, surprise.
What he will say: We're going to cut 39million hrs. and offer "more" early retirement programs, encourage Congress to allow the Postal Service to change from a (6) day delivery week to a (5) day delivery week, maybe try to talk every Employee into voluntarily taking a LWOP day from their normal weekly schedule (yeah! that'll float like a lead balloon) AND I wonder... WILL he hint about a "lesser" negotiation w/APWU So that the rest of us will get NO COLA's or Annual raises??
Remember GM.....the unions will be asked to sit this round out and allow for layoff clauses, wage freezes (if not wage reductions), and continued degradation of benefits. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. If the unions won't back off and allow these changes, you will continue to see route adjustments, continued excessing, and when people quit...those jobs will not be filled. You will see more part time employees, casuals, and TE begin to fill the rolls. Upper management has shown it’s unwillingness to cut their staffs….so it will be born on the craft employees. Sure the unions will fight for the lost benefits and such, but mean while the rank and file will bare the brunt of these changes. Those affected will be the junior ranking craft employees while retirement eligible employees remain on staff….just to retire a couple of years from now when their cushy jobs become harder with added work loads as the ranks thin out.
What COLA'S and Annual raises??? I am a Postmaster in a level 13 (almost 15)office. Postmaster's do not get COLA's. We do not get a raise unless we have a perfect year in which we do not have a PMR quit because they get a job with more hours. Three hours on Saturday and whenever I take Annual leave that works around their schedule or doctor appt. If they do away with Saturday delivery, soon they will do away with the Post Office open on Saturday, due to lack of sales. Then instead of an 1 1/2 hour closure for lunch it will be 2-3 hour lunch so they won't need a full time Postmaster.
What he should say is that He, along with "ALL" the top executives will take a pay cut of 5% and "NO BONUS" and they will not get "FREE" health care until some of the red ink goes down. If the Postmasters do not get raises then I do not think they should be getting raises and bonuses.
I agree that PCES employees should not be getting free health benefits. And if craft and lower level EAS employees are going to have to accept more losses in benefits, pay, etc. then the higher level management will also have to bear an equal percentage of cuts. I'm sure postmasters will lose more of their convention time since they have no rights to arbitration. I think craft employees will soon lose the right to arbitration, too. While I don't think it's fair for employees to recieve raises simply based on length of employment (bad employees get the same raise as good employees) the merit system of doling out raises hasn't been fair either. There will probably never be a system that's perfect but I think whatever system they use should apply to all employees alike - craft, EAS, PCES, etc, whether that is COLAs, percentage- based, annual, performance-based, whatever.
It's about time we eliminate more of the jobs at the upper level. All they do is sit around and think of additional work for craft employees and postmasters to do. Put them on the street delivering the mail and save on overtime. It's the craft and postmasters carrying the load for this organization. Too many chiefs and not enough indians.
Oh I agree, tooooooo many chiefs and not enough Indians for sure. Start at the top and work down NOT start at the bottom and work up BECAUSE they NEVER get to the TOP. Starting at the bottom will NEVER cut cost enough BUT starting at the top will.
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