In Letter to Chairman of the USPS Board of Governors, Hochul Calls for Cap On Salaries & Bonuses for Postmaster General and Executives, While Local Processing Facility Remains In Jeopardy
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Kathy Hochul today announced plans to introduce legislation limiting compensation for executive officers of the United States Postal Service to the same level of pay as the President’s Cabinet.
“American families all over this country are struggling to get by, the William Street Processing Center in Downtown Buffalo is in danger of shutting down, and 700 postal employees in Western New York are at risk of losing their jobs, but for some reason we are still providing the Postmaster General and other executive officers at the U.S. Postal Service with bonuses and salaries greater than that provided to the Secretary of Defense” said Congresswoman Hochul. “In these tough economic times, Western New Yorkers are making necessary sacrifices and cutting back, and they expect their public servants to do the same.”
In 2006, a law was enacted providing senior officers of the USPS with salaries up to 120% of the Vice President’s salary, as well as authorizing bonuses for these postal executives if approved by the Postal Service Board of Governors.
Congresswoman Hochul’s legislation would reinstate the longstanding policy of paying the Postmaster General and other USPS executives at the same level of pay as the President’s Cabinet ($199,700 in FY2012). Additionally, this bill would prohibit the issuance of bonuses to USPS executive officers in years that the Postal Service closes any retail or processing facility, such as the William Street Area Mail Processing Facility in Buffalo.
Hochul added, “The Postal Service cannot make the argument that they need to cuts costs and let go hard-working postal workers when their own management team continues to rake in bonuses and make more than the President’s Cabinet. The jobs of over 700 Western New Yorkers and thousands of Americans across this country are worth more than bonuses for a handful of individuals at the United States Postal Service.”
Congresswoman Hochul has already written Thurgood Marshall, Jr., Chairman of the United States Postal Service Board of Governors, urging him to limit the compensation for the Postmaster General and other members of the USPS executive management team, while processing facilities across the nation are in danger of shutting down. A copy of the letter sent to Chairman Marshall can be found here.
As the American people struggle with record-high debt, gas prices, and unemployment,
they expect their public servants to make sacrifices, just as families across our country do every
day. That is why 1 joined a majority of my colleagues in voting to cut the budget for the
legislative branch and freeze pay for Members of Congress. In that spirit, I request that the
Board of Governors limit compensation for Postal Service executive officers to Level I of the
Executive Schedule-the same salary earned by the Secretary of Defense, the Director of
National Intelligence, and other senior officials who also serve our nation. In addition, I request
that you reject any bonuses for Postal Service executive officers in a year that the USPS reduces
services through the closure of a retail or processing facility.
This is the end
Beautiful friend
This is the end
My only friend, the end
Of our elaborate plans, the end
Of everything that stands, the end
No safety or surprise, the end
I’ll never look into your eyes…again
open your eyes. donahue and the new head of the opm know there jobs and they are doing WHAT THEY ARE BEING TOLD TO DO AND SAY! the OPM is messed up on purpose!!!! DO THE MATH! over 50000 employee backup, paying out only 70% of estimated retirement benefits for at least 6 months is saving the government about 300,000,000 or more! Postal employees have and continue to be the doormat of congress!!!!!
Hooray for you cngressmwoman Hochul! We, Postal Workers need more congressmen to stand up for Postal Workers who are fighting and struggling daily trying to keep our jobs as they now presently are! Someone need to show Donahoe and his cronies who have double standards for bargaining units employees and another standard for themselves! On one hand they’re proclaiming what dire finanical hardship the Postal Service is in and on the other, they are pocketing $400, 000.00 or more for themselves, bonuses and all! What a bunch of hypocrites they are! Why is congress sitting back and letting this happen to thousands of postal workers and the commuinty as well! America need your help in keeping the postal service open, and providing universal mail servicee to the American people! First, fire Donahoe and put someone in office that care about the workers and keeping the postal service stable! Keep fighting Rep. Hochul!!
Kudos to Representative Hochul. It is totally ludicrous that the PMG makes 800K a year with perks while he advocates the ruin of the business that is making him stinking rich. It is beyond me how Washington didn’t catch on to this travesty years ago.
Bonuses in an organization that was designed as a public service should be illegal. These crooks think they’re CFO’s or CEO’s and have no doubt skimmed so much money from the USPS over the years it would shock us if we were able to find out just how much. One district leader gave himself a 60K bonus for customer service while he works out of an office with no public access. Go figure.
Bravo Ms. Hochul, you speak out the right issue, those mangement are greedy for their bonus, they don’t care about the business, they don’t know how to expand the marketing, all they know is bonus, incentive,compensation. When if the postal service collapsed, they just retire, that’s it. lol………
thank you senator. now that this is exposed maybe some more of your buddies will join you in this. its only fair. bonuses when we are losing money??? 120%??? really? really? come on…. more than the secretary of defense??? put a backpack on these morons and air drop them into downtown iran. see how long they last. thank god this is all getting exposed. i am there 33 years this situation has only gotten worse. very frustrating for the rank and file who actually touch the mail every day and dont sit behind a desk and try to think of some stupid idea that means nothing to improve service. thank you again and good luck with it.
Well, I suppose this is somewhat good, but my first thought is “too little, too late!” As our lawmakers sat around for years now, Potter and Donahoe and all their cronies were busy raping the USPS for their own gain. Now, Donahoe is trying to dismantle the Postal Service while he claims that “the mail is important!” I have to keep wondering why no one wants to approach the idea of firing Mr. Donahoe? I will tell you now that Mr. Donahoe, and all the managers/supervisors under him who want to climb up the ladder, has no qualms whatsoever about firing or getting rid of the craft workers (and every once in a while a supervisor) for claims that they were not doing THEIR jobs, whether it is true or not. But we are all suppose to sit back and watch him reap the benefits of his high-level position that he has, even though he has sorrowfully failed in the execution of his duties. Double-standard? I’ll say! And besides, at the rate Washington works, even if they did pass a law capping salaries, it wouldn’t take effect for years, so what the hell is the point? By then Donahoe will have taken care of getting rid of the USPS and will have moved on to a bigger, better job just like Potter did.
I want to thank Rep Hochul for stepping up on this issue. Sen Tester also gets my thanks for his comments recently about the pay and bonuses of postal executives. It is sad day when the people in charge say they’re doing everything they can to support employees and customer service when just the opposite is true. I, too, would vote for Rep Hochul and Sen tester as well for higher office if I could. It just irks me to see top level executives (CEO’s etc…) (this goes for outside businesses as well) taking bonuses and unrealistically high salaries when the organization, company, corporation etc… is failing to break even or produce a profit. I know that the USPS is not supposed to be about making a profit just breaking even by law. Again I thank Rep Hochul and Sen Tester for their positive insight and comments.
She’s submitting a bill? See if it passes then you can give her a high 5. Me thinks it won’t. Besides Donahue will figure a way around any thing like this. Watch and see. It’s to bad he can’t run the business as good as he side steps things. We’re talking about an agency of the government that doesn’t abide by federal laws, contracts, labor dept. regulations, OSHA regulations and the President. What makes any one think they’ll abide by this?
i read the first line and quit reading.
what a bumbling bi-ch, vote her out, dangerous B
hey Rush, where are you when you are needed, please say it again for me.
with a capital S, and would not mind a capital C as a back up.
HOW ABOUT PAY BASED ON PERFORMANCE? NOW IT SEEMS LIKE THE MORE YOU LOSE , THE MORE YOU GET!
Halleluyah! The truth is finally coming out. Why in the world should the Postal executives make more than the Secretary of Defense or other members of the Cabinet of the President of the United States. Also-who deserves a bonus?? All of us, from the lowest pay level employee to the top executives, are being paid to do a job. You do the job to the best of your ability and collect a paycheck. Bonuses are unnecessary at any time, and with the economy the way it is now, it is immoral for these top executives to receive bonuses and yet try to destroy the lives of the people who process the mail.
yea,if these postal executives plan all these cuts in service,mail processing plants
closures and they refuse to bargain in good faith with the postal unions,etc.
they also should be prohibited for paying themselves big salaries and bonuses.
they also have to bite the bullet like the rest of the postal employees.
if they already have in mind to reduce pay and benefits for postal employees.they
have to get similar cuts in pay and benefits.no excuses.
Thank you! I couldn’t have said it better myself.
So much for us begin a public service. No one else gets to put more in their retirement plan and get less out.[starting 2013] Wonder why Congress doesn’t do the same,they use all taxpayer dollars,so do police,fire, and other government employees,but we are the only one’s to take a hit on retirement and health benefits. Wonder who we pissed off ? So much for fair play.
Finally somebody realized there are a bunch of criminals running th usps…
Vera now please.
Thanks Ms Hochul! I’d vote for you. Specifically if the Po is “claiming” to lose money there can’t be money for bonuses for anyone! They should also go after the $ from PM Potter’s buyout, and the money they bought off Bill Burrass with.