Congressman Dennis Ross (R-Florida), Chairman of House Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, U.S. Postal Service, and Labor Policy has scheduled a hearing entitled, “Postal Infrastructure: How Much Can We Afford?” on Wednesday, June 15th, at 1:30 p.m. in room 2154 Rayburn House Office Building. This is the third hearing that Ross has scheduled on USPS or postal-related issues within the last 3 months. The other two hearings:
5/12/11 – “Where Have All the Letters Gone? – The Mailing Industry and Its Future”
3/2/11 – “Pushing the Envelope: The Looming Crisis at USPS
Check here for more information and live streaming: Postal Infrastructure: How Much Can We Afford? | Subcommittee on Federal Workforce
USPS run by idiots. Promoted unqualified people to handle a business with no experience in running anything – much like the current president. Bad contract by Guffey. Supervisors and managers on an ego trip rather than taking care of the mail. They are the ones with the over inflated salaries…Favortism for bad employees based on color. USPS had all the business, then gave it out to FedEX and UPS. Bad management from the top on down.The unions stealing members’ dues to support bad politicians. Unions became as bad as management. Guffey put the members into a wage freeze!!! What was his kick back for this lousey contract?
Ray, last 4 years the PO is in the black 1.5 billion. This is because of the 2006 Postal “Reform” Law. In 2005, the USPS had NO (0) debt.
Postal Service lost 2.2 billion in quarter 2. How much longer can can they continue to have monetary losses such as this. It appears the services provided have reached diminishing returns. There are some offices that need to be closed as some are 3-4 miles apart.. Why deliver mail on Sat.as most checks are direct deposit as Social Security and treasury check will be in 2013. Discontinuing Sat. mail delivery would adversely affect very few people. Got 10 years to work and things that not necessary should be discontinued for employees that have time to go.
Zister: Facts are facts! Well said
Bravo ZisterMip!!!
Dear Cliff Guffey,
I am writing this letter to inform you of how disappointed I am in you & the New Collective Bargaining Agreement.
As a disabled veteran it seems that the new CBA will destroy hopes of many disabled & non disabled veterans. You have now created an unlimited probation period for many people who fought for this country & gave us the many freedoms we all cherish. As a disabled Veteran it was very hard to go thru 90 days of probation. What will it bring now? You have now taken away the grievance process for them. But I am sure you will say: grievances can be filed and as soon as they are, the postal service will fire that veteran for some reason. How do I know this because it happened to me? I am proud to say the Local Union won me my job back. Had I been hired under your new CBA I would no longer have a job.
I hope you are proud of what you have done for the True Americans that have served this country!
Ben Sandy John
A fact as stated.
Sandy and John – I expect a ton of people to have OPINIONS that differ from mine, but I challenge either of you to present FACTS that disprove my FACTS. I try to base my opinions on the facts, not on what some blogger or talking head or union official or politician tells me.
When the PAEA (reform legislation) went into effect in 2006 the USPS’ finances were strong enough to make those annual $5.5 billion payments, which is why there was broad based support for the legislation. Of course, in 2006 Bear Stearns, Lehmann Brothers, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were also financially secure. There is no shame in admitting support for the PAEA, it was a fairly decent piece of legislation for the conditions that existed at that time. The shame lies in ignoring today’s economic reality and refusing to modify the PAEA so as to allow the USPS to meet obligations in a responsible and REASONABLE fashion. Who among us can meet a forty year financial committment in ten years’ time without going bankrupt?
Zister- very well put!! From what I’ve seen everything you’ve said is supported by fact!
As for the DB’s who doubt….. It takes as little as ten minutes to research the affects of the advertising communities with the USPS, the overpayments of the retirement contributions and moreso the lack of solvency that eliminating a day of delivery would provide.
The 2006 Transformation Act (supported by the NALC) was one of the final nails in the coffin for the USPS.
The Postal Service was founded to provide a SERVICE to our nation and communities. It has done so over the last 200+ years. In 2006, our brilliant leaders (Congress, USPS Management, (and even some labor organizations)) decided the USPS should be run as a business. It should have flexibility to “compete”. The catch to that was the ridiculous pre-funding obligation imposed upon it.
No “business” could survive with a 5.6-5.8 Billion dollar annual obligation…… let alone a public service!!!
Congress has doomed the USPS and only congress can save it at this point!! Contact your constituants and ask them to save the USPS and moreso, the economy.
Can the nation afford another 430k laid off Postal Employees, and another $85B (est) hit to the economy from the effect it would have to the mailing industry?
No more hearing! Just pay our money back!
The best way to help the Post Office as well as the world, is to privatize Congress.
i totally agree with john..it is so unbelievable how the union is doing everything they can to shut us down..zister you are so stupid and cant see the domino effect to all this..none of what zister says is true
Only 2 ways to stop the bleeding: 1. Divide the 10 billion loss into 500,000 workers=$20,000 pay cut or 20% across the board pay cut(50k for the Postmaster General, 20k for management, and 10k for craft employees or 2. 20% of craft employees get a early retirement with a 20k incentive and than hire Non Career employees and pay them $20,000 less.
Zistermip………Where do I start? Sorry for the short post, but I don’t have time to try and convince someone who’s mind is obviously controled by the Union. Simply put……your counterpoints are senseless, ignorant, self serving and BUNK!
If you turn the Postal Service over to the states you will have nuts and crooks like Kaslick of Ohio and Walk over them Walker Of Wisconson. Paying Police is not the problem the problem is the loss of mail revenue. The PO need to increase revenue by increasing what they provide to the public. I mean lets start selling dry and can goods that we deliver during our mail route. We are already using the gas and every month the number of houses we deliver to increases. How many rich, disabled, or lazy people do you know who would be happy to pay a nice surcharge to have thier groceries delivered to thier front door after just making an online, mail order , or phone order. We must think out of the box. Maybe even providing Escorts( Just kidding). By the way most POs like Columbus and many others don’t even have one postal police or security gaurd, I realize were very lucky. The first thing we need to do is get rid of those bums on the postal board of governors. You know the ones that want to cancel FERS payments to those hard working employees who worked for years and now they want to pull the rug from under them. I have a novel ideal why don’t those crooked GOP, DEMs, and the rest take a pay cut and freeze.if they really Love America and want to save the country and help the PO to help the public that depend on it that would be a start and put a deep cut in our National Budget. The next thing is to get all and I mean all of our troops out of other countries. We spend billions a month in other countries. I have been raised that you must take care of your house before you can help others. Once we get our deficit back on track then we slowly can go back to being the keeper of the world.
Hey Ben and all the others who spout his version of “reality”.
1. “The USPS demand for products has declined resulting in loss of revenue which has resulted in massive debt.” WRONG! The $5.5 billion unnecessary prefunding has caused the debt. Without this unnecessary obligation the USPS would have turned a profit even through the worst recession in 80 years. The USPS has continued to down-staff in response to volume declines. Postal efficiency has never been higher.
2. “Congress has failed to close offices that are no longer essential in providing service.” Congress can’t close a post office, they can only approve a closure. The USPS is trying to close offices that are in close proximity to other offices to reduce duplication of service. The USPS is being overzealous in some office closure attempts and is experiencing strong resistance from the public and Congress, as the system was designed.
3. “Sat. route mail delivery is a total loss; a wasted expense.” WRONG. I’ve been a letter carrier for 23 years and I deliver just as much important mail on Saturdays as I do the rest of the week; medicine, checks, letters, invoices etc.
4. “The INTERNET provides instant messaging without purchasing a postage stamp and waiting 1-2 for delivery.” True, IF you can afford a $500+ computer and a monthly ISP (Internet Service Provider) charge of $20 – $80. A lot of people don’t have computers or can’t afford monthly service charges. 44 cents is a lot cheaper, universally affordable, and usually worth the extra wait time.
5. “The USPS number 1 product is bulk business or advertising mail.” So what if it is? Even though YOU may think this mail is worthless, it is important to lots of customers and especially to the senders. It makes them money or they would stop sending it. This mail does not intrude at dinner time and can be easily dropped into a recycling bin if you choose to ignore it.
6. “Sat.. mail delivery employing 192,000 vehicles and delivery personnel should be eliminated.” See #3 above.
7. “The USPS spends more money daily than it takes in; it must stabilize to maintain or justify its present existence.” WRONG! See #1 above.
Ben, you are right about one thing. Congress isn’t doing its job. Two independent audits have proven the USPS has overpaid into its retirement accounts by $50-$75 billion. Congress needs to give this money back to the USPS, and then finances would cease to be a problem. Ben, suppose you had overpaid your mortgage by $500,000. Now suppose you were being forced to pay $50,000 per year into your retirement fund. You wouldn’t be able to pay all your bills each year because of this unreasonable and unnecessary burden even though you make enough money to pay your bills based on the standard of living you’ve set for yourself within your income level. Let’s say you keep asking the mortgage company for your $500,000 overpayment to be paid back to you so you can satisfy your retirement payment obligation, but they keep ignoring you. THAT IS WHAT THE USPS IS EXPERIENCING AT THE HANDS OF CONGRESS!!!
I hope this clears things up for Ben and others who see his version of “reality”.
How many stupid meetings will these congressman have with these dysfuncitional management individuals to realize they are a BUNCH of assholes running the usps,or its probally obvious they also are a bunch of FOOLS…
Give me no penalties an 15k and I will gladly walk away from this mess.
Congress has failed its job in dealing with USPS AS EVIDENTLY some lack economic knowledge regarding supply and demand. The USPS demand for products has declined resulting in loss of revenue which has resulted in massive debt. Congress has failed to close offices that are no longer essential in providing service. Sat. route mail delivery is a total loss; a wasted expense. The American public no longer uses the mail to be connected. The INTERNET provides instant messaging without purchasing a postage stamp and waiting 1-2 for delivery. The younger generation are products of advance technology and use electronic devices in communicating. The written word via mail is past history. E marketing will diminish the USPS number 1 product in time. The USPS number 1 product is bulk business or advertising mail.
Automation must be maximized:’: the number of employees must be reduced. AN early out for craft employees starting at age 50 with 25 years with no reduction
would be save money in the long run. If there is a need for any employees TE should be employed same basis as presently used.
Sat.. mail delivery employing 192,000 vehicles and delivery personnel should be eliminated. RCA, PTFs should be used as an area labor force within a 25 mile radius and not just work at 1 office.
Economics must be used in decision making process and not politics. The USPS spends more money daily than it takes in; it must stabilize to maintain or justify its present existence.
How much is it costing the tax payer to hold these endless hearings? Is this what you want your tax dollars spent on? The PO employes a large group of veterans, disabled veterans, has about 500,000 employees toatal. Could our economy absorb 500,000 more unempoyed workers? It made a profit up to 2007, the year AFTER congress impemented the PAEA of 2006! It’s still the least expensive service to the American People! Does take any tax dollars! The Customers don’t even pay a tax on the services! Don’t we have more pressing issues in our country than trying fix something that Congress Broke? Which raises the question- Why would Congress try to dissmantle one of only two government agencies that they can steal money from? ( with the exception of SSA, Medicare). CONGRESS, LEAVE IT ALONE and PAY BACK WHAT YOU OWE ($142 Billion) and it will be just fine.
Why are politicians allowed to WASTE so much of out tax dollars!!!
Hope they mention more bonus cash for the managers.
enjoy ur dictator ship Ross….u only have a few months left before getting voted out in 2012
got a job lined up with some anti post office entrepenurs to privitize and make ur self a buck
Your are probably the worse I have seen, along with Issa…..and Walker…../
by the way…have u found ur way around the capital yet? Or are ur aides still leading u by the hand…..
what a joke….
and I am a repub.and am sorely embarassed by the likes of u and Issa…. lets look in your closet….maybe ur another Wiener…..
/working for the postal service for 34 years i seen the mail volume drop, drop
and its going to drop more. there a need for a redoing of the postal service, from federal control to state control. Just take all the post offices and put them under control of the state, the states will get money from sales of stamps. The federal
would keep the distrubition center for interstate transportation of mail between states. All those federal works would become state workers, saving alot. The security for all those PO would be the states police problem. All thoses postal
police and PI and alot of PCES managers can go away saving alot.