WASHINGTON, April 25, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The following statements are in response to today’s vote by the U.S. Senate to approve S 1789, the 21st Century Postal Reform Act.
Statement of the Board of Governors of the United States Postal Service
The Board, in working with management, has spent the past two years preparing a comprehensive business plan to make the Postal Service viable so it would not become a liability to the American people. This plan was validated by outside experts. We stand behind this plan, and we are convinced it is the right approach.
Unfortunately, action by the Senate today falls far short of the Postal Service’s plan. We are disappointed that the Senate’s bill would not enable the Postal Service to return to financial viability. A strong Postal Service is important to the health of the entire mailing industry and the Postal Service’s ability to finance universal service for the American public. Given volume losses we have experienced over the past five years along with expected future trends, it is totally inappropriate in these economic times to keep unneeded facilities open. There is simply not enough mail in our system today. It is also inappropriate to delay the implementation of 5-day delivery when the vast majority of the American people support this change. Failure to act on these changes will ensure that the Postal Service’s losses will continue to mount.
We remain hopeful that Congress will ultimately produce legislation that will enable the Postal Service to return to financial viability.
Patrick R. Donahoe
Postmaster General & Chief Executive Officer of the United States Postal Service
“We appreciate the hard work of the Senate in addressing postal issues, and we believe that there are important and valuable provisions contained in the legislation. We would have preferred the Senate allow the Postal Service to move further and faster in addressing its cost reduction goals.
“Today the Postal Service incurs a daily loss of $25 million and has a debt of more than $13 billion. Based on our initial analysis of the legislation passed today, losses would continue in both the short and long term. If this bill were to become law, the Postal Service would be back before the Congress within a few years requesting additional legislative reform.
“The Postal Service does not seek to be a burden to the American taxpayer, and we believe such an outcome is entirely avoidable. The Postal Service has advanced a comprehensive five-year plan that would enable revenue generation and achieve cost reductions of $20 billion by 2015 ― restoring the Postal Service to long-term profitability. “The plan we have advanced is a fair and responsible approach for our customers, our employees and the communities we serve. We are hopeful that the legislative process will continue and that enacted legislation will put the Postal Service on a sustainable path to the future.”
The Postal Service does not receive tax dollars for operating expenses; it relies entirely on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.
A self-supporting government enterprise, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation, 151 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes. The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses, and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations. With 32,000 retail locations and the most frequently visited website in the federal government, usps.com, the Postal Service has annual revenue of more than $65 billion and delivers nearly 40 percent of the world’s mail. If it were a private sector company, the U.S. Postal Service would rank 35th in the 2011 Fortune 500. In 2011, the U.S. Postal Service was ranked number one in overall service performance, out of the top 20 wealthiest nations in the world, Oxford Strategic Consulting. Black Enterprise and Hispanic Business magazines ranked the Postal Service as a leader in workforce diversity. The Postal Service has been named the Most Trusted Government Agency for six years and the sixth Most Trusted Business in the nation by the Ponemon Institute.
Follow the Postal Service on Twitter @USPS_PR and at Facebook.com/usps
SOURCE U.S. Postal Service
What? this is my 90th instance in 90 days?
So…. im only interested in self-preservation… Im not putting you on.
Im so tired….i wont be in today.
Decertify APWU all together! If you’re tired of ever changing contracts and self preservation on the part of union officials all at the expense of its lemmings, if you’re tired of your dues money going to pay for grand displays of BS which don’t help you, if you’re tired of settling for no raises while your union fights for larger lockers in your facility, if you’re tired of junior employees bumping senior miltary veteran employees all because they are stewards that spend time not working, filing grievances for larger lockers while you are excessed to Timbuctu, if you’re tired of your union opposing an early out for you because it will drastically deplete their coffers…then the time has come to oust them! It’s either that or same ole same ole! Go to NLRB.gov to see how to decertify a union only interested in self-preservation!
Granny and me going into town…will pick up some stamps for the rest of you hillbillys and drop off your letters.
Making a new batch of shine stop by 🙂
Reply:>
We stand behind this plan, and we are convinced it is the right approach.
OPM has approved early-out. Flush deadwood fossils that have been awaiting this and making no contribution to operating or making decisions that promote cost effective efficient operations, Start with Pats gang and move down to areas, districts. Eliminate and consolidate and do not replace a 1 for 1.Cleanup the messup. Senate is a group that has created monatary chaos for the United States and are true conservative that do not want change but to maintain control using the USPS as a political coy by employing hidden persuaders to attempt to get votess.
The USPS market has diminished as the demand for postal srvices has declined as electronic messaging has replaced buying a postage stamp depositing in postal system and awaiting 2-3 days for delivery to a physical address. The need for small community now neighborhood has no service justification to remain open creating massive debt with postmaster salary from $65000.-$72000. a high salary to sell stamps and box mail. Many of the small neighborhood offices are within 5-6 radius of each other with a high level office in the town which hIGHWAY CONTRACT SERVICE PROVIDES DELIVERY OF MAIL TO BE BOXED OR DELIVERED IF OFFICE HAS 1-3 RURAL ROUTES. 6 day street delivery is totally unnecessary in this day age. The 21st century is electronic messaging and not written word messages from individuals and businesses. First class mail will continue to decrease resulting in decreasingrevenue which cannot be replaced by introducing new services. Bulk business, low revenue high distribution cost, and parcel business will not create revenue to continue postal service as it now exist. Operations must be cost effective. 6 day street delivery is a wasted expense with fuel cost and carrier workhours cost. Restructing is necessary to operate at a breakeven point. Cost must be reduced. Management staffing from headquarters to eliminating non needed small costly offices must be reduced. Craft and management unions must be dwelt with to provide input to maintain existence as revenue generation will not increase. The American public questions the reasoning to maintain 6 day delivery as it is a total wasted expense.
A real joke. Politicans would sell their soul to attempt to get votes. Subsidize and play th increasing debt post office fame.
The USPS has too much infrastructure, too many managers, too many craft employees, too much redundancy and waste, inferior technology that discourages customers from using postal services, too many brick and mortar structures and a business model conceived in the 1980’s for a pre-digital world. It all adds up to -$25M a day… bottom line.
S.1789 addresses some of these issues. It’s a start. It needs to become law and it’s mandates put into action. Then after 2 years, the workforce will have been downsized, the decisions on 5 or 6 day delivery can be made with more clarity, the issue of rural PO’s can be addressed with more evidence available. In short, the future of the USPS can be brought into greater focus and new actions by a future Congress can be made with greater certainty if we get moving on these present reforms.
IMO, the House will find a way to reconcile with the Senate on postal reform legislation sooner rather than later. This will happen because it’s an election year and doing nothing is bad politics for all those who must face the voters in less than 6 months. And make no mistake, the voters do care about their local post office.
where would the po be if they had to register, insure, and in some states inspect all their vehicles. now compact that with fed, state, and local gas taxes. so the po wants to be a private business. good luck – they are broke without those hinderances. all postal savings will come with losses. trying to replace all workers with machinery was a huge mistake at the time and at any time in the future.as a carrier i could get better percentages than any machine. unfortunately the po doesn’t care about service any more. god bless our veterans.
I have been an advocate for this bill. We need 5 day delivery. We need the money from the 2006 Postal act that had us prefunding Future retiree’s health care. We need to save the service for the long run not just your short term interest until you get yours. This is a truely bipartison bill look at the roll call vote at Thomas.loc.gov. Both Dems and Rep voted yea and nay. As for the people who say we are not supported by the taxpayers. Have you ever seen a license plate on a postal LLV , 2 ton or Van. This answer is no. Yet UPS and FED Ex both have to pay for a tag on their vehicles. Since the USPS is part of the 1% shouldn’t they have to pay their fair share in taxes. Think of the taxes to the county Government if we had to license our vehicles
“This plan was validated by outside experts.” Right. The ones you paid generously to validate it.
“It is also inappropriate to delay the implementation of 5-day delivery when the vast majority of the American people support this change.” Vast..majority…? *chirp*
Jerry-
Again: you’re missing my overriding point. Collective bargaining agreements are written not to discourage infractions – but rather to use the system so those infractions will be inevitable with the resulting grievances and payoffs. And, that’s precisely WHY we have so many in our existing environment… and, I suspect that’s why a few saavy Senators tacked the resolution eliminating collective-bargaining from the bill they just voted upon.
You are also confusing civil law with quasi-corporate structuring: it is an apples/oranges arguement and doesn’t not apply in this debate.
A part of my job is specifically to “keep an eye” on my workplace without regard for who may make a mistake – or their job title- and it’s my solid reputation for fair-dealing and ethical behavior that has secured my position. I am “watched” just as closely as I observe others, and I invite this. BTW: union contracts have absolutely NO authority when it comes to personal retaliation for “whistleblowing” – this is a federal law that applies to all governmental employees, barring only the military… and even they have a system of recourse.
If more employees in both governmental service and the private sector would simply stand up for what used to be considered “the right thing to do,” we probably wouldn’t even be sharing these thoughts in this forum today. Can we at least agree upon this point?
PEACE.
PMG. And postal governors jackasses!!!!’n
gregory
The only flaws I see are in your view. Shortstaffing is no reason to break the contract. According to your thinking, say the janitor calls in sick ,then your supervisor could tell you to clean the toilets and he/she would take the accountable work .My guess is you would not be ok with that.I also wonder if your little regard for contract spills over into your personal life. Would you be ok with your mortgage or car loan payment being doubled because the bank said they were losing money. I very seriously doubt it, you would be screaming they can’t do that because you have a contract.I stand by my comment about doing your own job. when I am at work and focused on my job I can’t be watching others and getting my work done,maybe your job is different. And one more thing,, without that collective bargaining you probably would have been fired in retaliation for getting your supervisor suspended.As far as my ethics go I come to work each day and do MY job to the best of my ability.I try to give my customers the best service I can. If I expect management to follow a contract that I also have live by and that is somehow unethical, well someone with your apparent disregard for contracts probably won’t get it. But maybe it,s your values you should check before judging mine.
Can i just say fuck the Board of Governors of the United States Postal Service and Fuck Dohole and last but not least fuck Issa and the House of Fools.
“Letter-Carrier Jerry”:
Your analysis is flawed on several levels. First, my focus upon wages was in response to a poster who called themself a “wage-slave,” and anyone who claims they are a slave -even euphemistically- that are earning over $25/hr is the one who is out-of-touch, and not I. As far as the “petty grievances” are concerned : it IS petty when management is hit with a greivance for “crossing crafts” by doing work that cannot be accomplished due to 1.understaffing from cutbacks they are forced to accept; or 2. employees who work the system to avoid such duties [knowing fully-well they can file yet another greivance if disciplined]. With the result being a hefty settlement paid to workers who sat home that day doing NOTHING. THESE are the types of petty grievances to which I refer. Another example: just last week a custodian in my station had a 3rd-party greivance filed by Maintenance because he used a paintbrush to touchup a scuffed wall.. even his brush was CONFISCATED. So, for a few meager brushstrokes, some jerk at the P&DC will have $75 added to his paycheck.
How INSANE is a system that prevents an employee from positively contributing to his workplace without negative ramifications? And, THE CAUSE? A collective-bargaining agreement that is skewed to such an extreme that it hobbles lower-management at every turn, instead rewarding employees for work not done – or, not allowing them to do work they are capable of accomplishing. Ever wonder WHY contracts always end up in lengthy artbitration [including your own current NALC agreement]? Because -invariably- someone gets the short end of the stick, and for the past decade or so it’s been the USPS as a whole.
Further: your comment regarding my ability to accomplish my own work is petulant in the extreme. You may be content to wear blinders as you go about your day… I am not. I’m an old-fashioned Accountable Clerk, and I take my job very seriously. You see: I hold EVERYBODY in my station accountable, from the Manager on down… including the suspension of a Supervisor for misconduct… and I did it WITHOUT union representation of any kind; in two incidents carrying the complaints beyond my district/Area all the way to the OIG. So, don’t try to tell me how to do my job effectively. I don’t collect my paycheck to make friends – I do it to make a DIFFERENCE. A POSITIVE difference. Try it yourself if you have the ethics to do so.
There is no doubt that the entire Board of Governors seek to destroy the USPS in order to “save” it. They need to resign, immediately! Also the mandate to prefund benefits 75 years into the future needs to be repealed. And any legislation that calls for post office/processing center closures or reductions in service need to be repealed. Only then can the American people have a good look at what we need to do to improve the USPS.
IF WE USE NO TAX DOLLARS AS THE UNIONS AND MANAGEMENT WOULD LIKE US TO BELIEVE BECUASE WE USE SEFL FUNDING REVENUES WHY ARE WE STILL IN BUSINESS? HAVEN ‘T WE BORROWED MONEY THAT WE WILL PROBABLY NEVER PAY BACK? DIDN’T WE USE FEDERAL MONEY TO KEEP GOING? THE MONEY WE LOST IS TAXPAYER MONEYISN’T IT? LIES LIES LIES!
in reply to Gregory. first I have not seen one complaint about wages. while I agree we make a decent wage it is well below what ups pays and well above what walmart pays. If you think you are overpaid,then you can probably get a lower paying position at walmart. As far as the union being a big part of the problem, well they can only file if the contract has been broken. A contract both mngmt. and the union agreed to but mngmt refuses to follow. as an example, in the city I work they are filing on sick pay time and again because mngmt practice is to deny ALL sick leave and a grievance must be filed for each one. We are also fighting to get vacation pay. our vac. schedule is still not done as of April 26 because mnmgt refuses to follow agreed upon procedures. They(mnmgt) told us we would be AWOL and possibly fired if we took certain week on vac. calender which would result in many more grievances.And according to you these are petty the unions fault,give me a break. Finally you claim you are not mnmgt but seem to spend a lot of time watching your coworkers,I don’t know how you can do that and get your own work done. One final observation,maybe a PETTY grievance is one not involving or affecting YOU. So I think mayb you need to get a grip and lay blame where it belongs, at the feet of management.
Where are the early out’s?
OK here’s a plan cut Tuesday or wednesday delivery, and keep Sat. Tuesday is the way to go uless Mon holiday, then cut Wed of that week. If we’re in such dire straits, kill Sunday pay altogether, but night pay has to be paid, because of the way it affects human life!
Yeah, Donahoe, all you care about is your check and I hope they cut it to 1/3. Your ideas and the PRC, are totally stupid, and finally someone sees that. I already know your house cronies, for privatization, we mess this up, but guess what, anything that happens will be better than you and the PRC killing more service. How about fixing the postal windows, and having people do certain things, like a light duty just selling stamps etc. I mean the waste at most plants of people faking injuries and staying on light duty 25 years, are you kidding me. I’m in Automation every night for 27 years, sometimes 1 break and no lunch to run a machine by myself. I hope you get what you deserve!
All this ‘stuff’ from the same folks who messed over it in the first place !
To USPS – Develop a plan that finds 8 hours worth of work for management
Some of you just keep dishing out the same old Union spew. You need to step back a minute and look at the big picture instead of blindly repeating the Union mantra.
The mindless “wage slave” and others replying above [whose wages, BTW, are well above the national standard] that are harping about diminishing service need to take off their rose-colored glasses and realise just ONE simple fact: if drastic measures are not enacted -and immediately- there will be aboslutely NO service to be rendered. PERIOD. These chronic complainers are nothing more than union sycophants, programmed to follow their own greedy leadership – a leadership who ALSO bear a large measure of responsibility for the current economic state of our agency. For decades, our unions have filed hundreds of thousands of petty greivances that -in countless cases- paid workers for doing NOTHING, including instances while they sat at home watching their big-screen TV’s, or driving around in their new cars, or cruising the nearest lakes in their boats…. all of which were pruchased through their “slave wages.”
GET A GRIP PEOPLE! I you want to continue enjoying the bountiful fruits of your labors… you’d also better be prepared to prune the orchard to allow for new growth. Otherwise ALL of the trees will die from blight and neglect
FInal thought: I am NOT a member of management, nor would I care to be. I’m simply a rank-and-file employee who still believes in an “honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay”… but, daily I see others around who somehow think they are entitled to everything their governent can offer, yet offer little in return. It’s just about time we ALL returned to the honest work ethic that once made our nation great.
5 day delivery makes sense considering the price of gas. If gas was a dollar a gallon, then 6 day delivery would make sense.
All of you postal people are out of touch! This is a business and when businesses lose revenue you have to make cuts and try to build your business from other sources. This is in your parcel delivery and your priority mail. Promote more packages by lowering your price more and you will see more profits! Get rid of unnecessary overhead! This is getting rid of building that you rent, combine your distribution facilities downsize your employment and get rid of waste(people who are on lite duty). These are some ways to help the rest of the people to survive working in the post office, otherwise in a few more years there won’t be a Post Office!! THIS IS THE TRUTH WAKE UP AND SMELL THE FLOWERS!!!!!!
the American people want their postal service the way it used to be, not the way it is, or will be.
Donahoe is just pissed because this legislation would cap his salary and that of his cronies. Get rid of this fat piece of crap. Donahoe has to go.
The Board of Governors/PMG plan says that they do not want to create “liabilities on the American public”, yet they forget that Postal workers are also a part of the American public. And who will recover their debts and bankruptcies they leave behind? The PMG also forgets that there are American businesses that rely on saturday delivery and the drop off convenience of small post offices. They claim that people need their medicines on the one hand for some groups yet imply they don’t need them on saturday. There are other solutions to help solve the problem…..such as the overpay to retirement health fiasco, and top heavy bureaucrats with their accompanying suppressive rules…. that they never want to talk about. Just like the PMG and the Board of Governors and Congress, The USPS was never here to make a profit anyway. It was to serve the public …and in my book, is by far the best of the four in doing just that! Had it been left alone from bureaucratic involvement in the first place, it would have been fine.
This bill slashes donahoes salary, yeah I would be surprised if he didn’t whine, this I am not surprised by, he not only whines but has no idea what to do. Since when does slashing service increase profits? Po needs outside ceo to take over. Good job senate!
The Public supports 5 day delivery???? NO WAY!!!! I come in contact with many many people on a day to day basis. They DO NOT support 5 day delivery. This is nothing but a lie and nothing more than a LIE!!!!!
how many of these people promoting this changes have investments an alternative mailing already. Why in the true nature of the debt revieled?
I have a suggestion on how to save some money Mr. Postmaster General. How about they fire your sorry ass and all the other sorry asses who have nothing to do with getting the mail out.
Its sad when the people have to suffer service cuts , when in reality the PO can make a profit with one small change , Leadership at the top must step down, they must be truthful and open about their plan to dis mantle the post office so it can be sold off to political cronies. The backbone off this great county is its people, and its time for WE THE PEOPLE to stand strong against what many consider a plan to profit off the hard work off all postal workers since its inception.. Congress give back the overpayments to FERS and CSRS and we can start anew era of serving the public the way it should be done. As for Mr PMG , please announce your resignation ASAP so we can move on!!!
Lies Lies Lies, Twenty four years with the OlePo and this has got to be the worst. Upper level hands out nothing but BS. Donaho needs to go and all His merry men ….
The BOG are just more nitwits like PMG Fatso.
The fact is congress has been taxing postal users since 1976 to subsidize government pension for the military. CSRS, and FERS. It has been a hidden tax that overburdens the USPS for all federal workers, and federal worker healthcare. The cash cow is nearly dead. Make the one percent that own 72 % of all assets and pay only 40% taxes, to pay their fair share. Cut the bs , and stop screwing the 99 %.
The Postal Board of Governors and the PMG are just playing politics, they know this bill is going to the House of Reps with a GOP majority and they are trying to influence them.
The Postal SERVICE is a SERVICE.
To DIMINISH your SERVICE and your SERVICE OUTLETS makes you less desirable and available to your CUSTOMERS, leading to less use by the general public and MAILERS.
The Postal SERVICE is being led by GENUINE BONEHEADS with an agenda: PRIVATIZATION and dismantlement for CORPORATE PIRATES.to take over.
The five year plan would destroy the “service” they so proudly state in their statements. It is not fair to customers to cut service while not also cutting prices paid for the diminished service provided. Seems the postal service and the board of governors believe if you provide less service you will gain something. This is stupid, any company that starts down this path will be no more as its customers find alternative means. Just because ups and fedex charge extra to deliver on saturdays, doesn’t meant he postal service should do the same. Also, I have not heard nor have any of my family friends or neighbors been asked if they would be okay with eliminating a day of delivery. So where is this statement coming from? Seems it was pulled out of thin air.