USPS Inspector General Agreed to Independent Audit of Closure Decisions – Audit Has Been Stalled in Wake of Changes to the USPS National Consolidation Plan
Senator Calls for Immediate Resumption of Independent Review, Wants Facilities to Stay Open Until All Facts Are Known
WASHINGTON, D.C. –U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) is calling on the United States Postal Service (USPS) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) to immediately resume its stalled independent audit of the USPS’s decision to close processing centers, including those in Altoona, New Castle and Greensburg. These facilities are scheduled for consolidation this summer.
Earlier this year, the USPS OIG agreed to conduct an independent audit of the decision to consolidate processing centers in the Commonwealth. The independent audit has been stalled since USPS chose to alter its national plan for consolidating processing centers. However, recently, the USPS has decided to begin consolidations at facilities in Altoona, New Castle and Greensburg this summer.
In a letter to the USPS Inspector General, Senator Casey called for the audit to immediately resume and said these audits should be conducted prior to consolidations beginning. “The Postal Service’s decision to make significant cuts in Pennsylvania could have a tremendous impact on USPS’s customers and its employees,” Senator Casey said. “Before the USPS rushes through a process that will cost Pennsylvanians jobs and hurt the economy, the USPS OIG should complete its independent audit of these processing center consolidation decisions.”
Senator Casey has been a leader in ensuring that any reforms made to the U.S. Postal Service protect jobs in Pennsylvania. Earlier this year he called for an independent review of the numbers that USPS used to justify the closings of some processing facilities.
Senator Casey’s letter to USPS Inspector General David Williams is below:
The Honorable David C. Williams
Inspector General
Office of Inspector General
United States Postal Service
Dear Mr. Williams:
I am writing in regards to the impending consolidation of several United States Postal Service (USPS) Processing and Distribution facilities in Pennsylvania. I have been contacted by a significant number of the USPS’ customers, employees, and members of the business community who are concerned with potential impact of these consolidations.
I am aware that your office was conducting a review of the USPS’ national plan to reorganize its processing network, but that this review has been stalled by the USPS announcing changes to its plan. With the USPS now having announced consolidations in Pennsylvania, I ask that you review these proposals prior to enactment. Specifically, I have been informed by the USPS that the Altoona, New Castle, and Greensburg facilities will begin consolidations this summer, with the rest proceeding in early 2013.
With your review, I hope that we can ensure that any decisions reached by the USPS will accurately and effectively enhance their operations without harming its customers or its workforce. Your attention to this important matter is appreciated.
Sincerely,
Robert P. Casey, Jr.
United States Senator
These 3 should have been closed a decade ago!
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vote democrat to protect middle class.
I guess Southeastern, Pa with it’s over 700 employees doesn’t count as far as Casey is concerned. We are supposed to start consolidation with Philadelphia this summer.
well put! but we are wise to your phoney political statements. It’s an election year Mr BOB, and you are just concerned about your fat ass. You could have done something back in 2006. Too late my son, go fly a kite and collect your big pay.
The OIG can’t conduct an “independent audit” due to the fact they are considered headquarters personnel according to on employees on-roll reports.Here are some examplesof “independence” Read OIG audit HR-AR-11-001, Allegations of Innacurate Timekkeeping and Attendance Records in which they state” we could not determune with certainty the reasons supervisors altered employee time and attendance records.” Report RARC-WP-11-006, Strategy for a Future Mail Processing and Transportation Network recommends that with 2012 volumes, a 135 processing plants is sufficient. In 2009 at the Kingston branch of the Wilkes-Barre Pa,facility, 8 supervisors were caught clipping hours from employees through TACS on at least 75 separate instances. After speaking with the letter carriers representative, I was informed the OIG agent said it was “an honest mistake.” It doesn’t take a degree in criminology to see what’s happening here.Another point to be made is even though management’s representatives at the AMP public meeting for the Scranton facility on November 22, 2010 stated no decision has been made yet, it was learned local and district management signed off and approved the consolidation on November 4, 18 days earlier. This also was done for Lancaster ,Reading and Williamsport.The Wilkes-Barre consolidation’s public meeting in 2009 was April 7, approval was June 6, and announcement was August 27,when then District Manager Ed Burke admitted the numbers don’t matter after being presented with actual math, not the usual postal math.Follow the timelines, and follow the money.With all due respect to Senator Casey and other elected representatives standing up for the Postal Service in this country, diplomacy and trying to reason with Postal management will not stop the “optimization” of the USPS. It’s time for action including removing PMG Pat Donahoe and C.O.O. Megan Brennan, moratorium on ALL consolidations until thoroughly investigated and vetted by and outside agency,and the PAEA of 2006 must be repealed. Read Section 505 under labor disputes. Believe it or not, it the collective bargaining agreements CAN be terminated and the process is described. Once the plants are consolidated and machinery removed, there’s no going back.It’s long overdue time to fight the dismantling of the Postal Service on the same level that theses plans are being initiated.