DPMG SAYS CHANGE IS NEEDED TO MEET THE CHALLENGE
Matching workhours to workload and adjusting carrier routes to reduce the need for pivoting are among the topics discussed by DPMG and COO Pat Donahoe in his latest Field Updates video.
With mail volumes continuing to decline, Donahoe says now is the time for people to step up and make the changes necessary to prepare for the future. This includes making sure offices receiving mail processed by flats sequencing system equipment are prepared to function efficiently in this new environment, and to make and stabilize route adjustments.
Total mail volume this year is expected to drop to 175 billion pieces, as compared to a high of 213 billion pieces in 2006, according to Donahoe.
To increase delivery efficiency, Donahoe says USPS will continue to reduce the number of routes and move forward with other operational changes to help reduce costs.
Source: USPS News LinkAnother story from USPS:
PACIFIC AREA USING LSS FOR STAFF REPOSITIONINGThe Pacific Area is using employee repositioning to reduce costs with its Lean Six Sigma (LSS) “Just Do It” initiative.
“The current economy made us eliminate unnecessary workhours and inefficiencies,” said Drew Aliperto, manager, Operations Support, Pacific Area. “Repositioning employees so that schedules match our workload is a great example of our LSS effort.”
Aliperto credits “Just Do It” and the efforts of district and area Human Resources, Communications and Operations teams for the following achievements:
- By the end of May, 40 percent of its Tour 2 mail processing employees had been repositioned to meet changing volume demands by transferring them to Tours 1 and 3.
- The Area has reduced mail processing workhours by 4.1 million, or 17.3 percent compared to the same period last year — a cost savings of more than $66 million, with projected savings of more than $108 million in fiscal year 2009.
- Overtime for the four-week period ending week 37 was 1.07 percent.
What’s next for the Pacific Area’s initiative? “We’re re-training affected employees for vacant positions in their own crafts or in other crafts,” said In-Plant Support Manager Larry Belair, adding that using employees in a more efficient manner will help the Pacific Area close the budget gap.
The Pacific Area recently developed specialized training on using the Mail Processing Employee Scheduler, the Mail Processing Staffing Opportunity Model, the Run Plan Generator and overtime control techniques. Area staff then visited each district to train managers, supervisors and support staff how to use these efficiency tools. The Operations managers are now using them as part of their own LSS projects to reduce under-utilized mail processing equipment and to schedule staff to adjusted workloads.
source: USPS News Link
They’ve taken away collection cans. They’ve cut window hours. Removed stamp kosiaks. Removed local Post Offices. They’ve weakened the forwarding system. Why would the American public care if we servive now.Yet management continues to grow, while craft employees take severe cuts.
Who are the foxes in the hen house who want to see the Post Office destroyed. They must be people who have enough money, or are being fed from the outside to do all the right things to see that we fail. Those people will florish with our failure. The rest of management are being played as suckers, and will starve to death like the craft employees.
Drop First Class Postage to a 10 cent metered envelope; people will start using the mail boxes again and collection mail will skyrocket. Try it as an experiment for 30 days; get our revenue back up this is rediculous. All you college boys need to take a reality check; I”m not management but I got 30 years with Postal Service and some common sense. Increasing prices won’t work people. Try decreasing prices and see what happens to your volume and revenues.
donahoe is an idoit……. he will break the post office
How dare you!
In case number C8C-4B-C 12990, decided March 16, 1982, Arbitrator Gerald Cohen pointed out that the contract does not add to management’s right, but takes away certain management rights away which would exist if the agreement was absent. Absence of the contract, local management would have complete flexibility in assigning jobs, even regardless of craft, seniority, or other considerations. However, this will never work if you have union representative that are inept cowards trying to learn through your hardship caused by management.
Usps sales came to my office today to talk about customer connect. As a final statement she said her boss told her it cost the PO 100grand to put a carrier on the street not including vehicle. I should’ve asked what does it cost the PO to put you in your chair. Her suggestion that the carrier isn’t doing enough to help the PO pissed me off. Mailhandlers, clerks and other crafts aren’t constantly asked to do more, yet carriers are constantly asked for more. Midlevel mgnt is way heavy also. Cut the deadweight, get rid of light/limited duty. Mandatory retirement at 65 for all employees and allow carriers to leave at 50 with no penalty. Walk in the carrier shoes for one month and see if they’re doing enough.
moving employes from tour 2 to 1 and 3 is a bad move,it cost the postal service more.Employes are less productive,call in sick more often on these shifts,plus the night deferential pay is more.The reason for the lower overtime recently is mostly because of the drop in mail volume and the demand of superviors to stop using unnecessary overtime.
OMG more computer, untested, beta level programs with no checks and balances in place until the obvious flaws start popping out over the next several years. In the meantime, unless the local management came into the Postal Service from Microsoft or Apple, the only employees who know how to create “work-arounds” as the system “bugs” will be the video gamers!! At least they will be better self-trained than the army of expert solitaire players out there.
go slow for more dough.
We will need 16 more Senior Vice Presidents for our Lean Mean Fighting Machine Initiative.
Management accountablity at all levels should be the SOP for the Postal Service. The amount of grievances that are paid out in any facility/district should be evaluated for what it is. Managers who continue to feel that union contracts are mere suggestions to follow if they are convient should no longer be a manager.
Great just what we need, more programs,them more reports so I guess that means more supervisors
Peters Principle at work in the Postal Service.
lean six sigma initiative???
That is in other words, tour compression from potter.
Lean management initiative is the one the postal service need.
mail volume is keep declining but the upper management like in plant support,safety coordinator,FMLA specialist etc who makes more than $80000/yr are the one has to be compressed and eliminated.
it is your turn!
I HAVE INVENTED A PROGRAM CALLED “MANAGEMENT INEFFICIENCY SCHEDULER” BUT, WHEN I PUT IN THE NAMES AND STATS OF ALL MANAGERS, THE COMPUTERS CONCLUSION WAS….FIRE THEM ALL !!!! CASE CLOSED…
I can’t thank you enough for turning the organization into something right out of an Orwell book
Pat, while you’re trying to downsize and reach optimum efficiencies of scale you’re creating new buzzwords and ever-increasing layers of management to “monitor” your plans. When are you going to admit and plan for a substantial reduction in management positions, which is the real change the service is going to need in order to survive. If you were to get out of your ivory tower and see what concerns most Americans about the postal service you will see that it can be summed up in two words, “Service stinks!”
Most of upper management doesn’t have a clue as to what goes on. either on the street or in the office.
But if it looks good on paper, well it MUST work, right?
They have all their repositioning and reorganizing plans, but they can’t seem to downsize over-bloated salary and management positions.
They eliminate tours and move people around, and keep adjusting routes, but eventually they won’t be able to do that anymore. Then what will they do?
Typical lousy postal management!
The right hand doesn’t know what the left is doing…
Donahoe has been preaching pivot time for years.and the man doesn’t have a clue of what go”s on ;on the street!!!!!!!!!!!!!!