WASHINGTON – Today, Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.), chairman of the subcommittee with jurisdiction over the U.S. Postal Service, released the following reaction to the U.S. Postal Service’s most recent proposals to address its fiscal challenges:“I have been saying for some time now that the Postal Service is in a dire fiscal crisis due to the challenging economic environment and the rapid transition to electronic communication. For this reason, I introduced my comprehensive reform legislation, the Postal Operations Sustainment and Transformation (POST) Act of 2011, which would address the financial challenges facing the Postal Service and enable it to make the reforms necessary to survive – and even thrive – in the long run.
“These latest proposals from the Postal Service again underscore the seriousness of its financial predicament. I am open to considering any idea that can prevent the Postal Service from going bankrupt, and I am waiting to get the details on these two most recent proposals before determining whether or not I will support them. I am particularly interested in learning whether these proposals would be fair to employees and effective in reducing the Postal Service’s costs. Simply put, the Postal Service is on the brink of total financial collapse, and we need to do all that we can to keep that from happening. I will continue to work with my colleagues, stakeholders, and the Administration to save the Postal Service before it’s too late.”
As a 35+ year employee, I would just like a little monetary incentive to get out of this sinking ship! I didnt put up with all these years of bs to lose everything!
Maybe first congress and the senate should start paying for their benefits and putting into social security like alot of Americans and most postal workers. it was congress that got us into this mess with the pre funding and taking any profits we had in the past.
Hey John V. Burke- first you say :
“Now the Postal Service is sitting on a $72 Billion dollar over payment to the CSRS retirement fund, and they have been trying their best to get their hands on it to pay the bills, but Congress won’t let them, and I agree with that decision, because after all that money is for retirees, not to pay the bills.”
And then, regarding your “plan” to make the USPS a minimum wage job
“You will fund it with the overpayment to the CSRS retirement fund so no money will
come directly from revenues generated by the USPS. ”
So,which is it: use the overpayment to fund PO operations, or not?
I still beleive that you should give Issa and the rest of Congress that want service cuts what they want! Start with every Post Office installation in their District. Maybe the voters in their Congreeiosnal Districts will ” WISE ” them up then.
I’m a 38 yr. employee, and here’s what I think will happen. management will tell all civil service employees that they have a certain date to retire and if they don’t they will be put in a lesser retirement system. Then after most are forced to leave, whithin a year, the Post Office will tell the civil service employees that left ” oops, we will have to give you less as we can’t afford to sustain these ” generous ” payments ” Now mind you, we’ve been paying premiums for decades, but sorry, f**k you. Am I wrong. If so why?
I believe that would be ALL the middle class jobs. Corporate America doesn’t give a sh*t.
All you people that think Congress is going to help out the P.O. your dreaming. Don’t you think Congress knew what would happen to the P.O. when they imposed a 5+ billion dollar anchor around the P.O.necks back in 06? How does a service that is designed not to make a profit come up with an extra 5 billion a year? Unfortunately it will be with diminished service and on the backs of the workers. Congress is either using that money to help balance the federal budget or are in compliance with privateers to help dismantle the P.O. and sell off the money making parts and leave the rest to wither. Otherwise would there not be an outcry by politicians to give back the monies due to P.O.? As far as I know there is only one bill that even addresses the over payments by the P.O. that’s H.R. 1351 introduced by Rep. Stephen Lynch.
The P.O. is as old as our country. Our Founding Fathers knew it was essential for keeping commerce safe and affordable for every American. That’s why it is a mandate in the Constitution. As far as I know Wall street the banks and the auto industry are not yet they all received bailouts. Now something that benefits every single American plus is Constitutionally mandated is in trouble there’s a problem. I smell a rat. Make the changes necessary to bring the P.O. back to breaking even. I believe that doesn’t involve destroying it or doing it on the backs of more middle class workers. Christ, how many more middle class jobs do they want to destroy before big business is happy?
As a CSRS employee I was appalled yesterday to here a more detailed analysis of the proposed Postal Reforms.
First, they want to be in charge and invest the money in my TSP? The Postal Service reminds us employees every day that they are in debt. Why on earth would I trust them to invest the money I have put in my retirement account when they can’t even run a business? If Congress agrees to let the Postal Service run the TSP, than let those of us that have money invested in this an opportunity to transfer our money into a private firm without penalty for those of us under 59 1/2 years old.
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Second, the Postal Service wants to combine the CSRS and FERS retirement systems. This proposal is a complete slap in the face for the 30+ years I have dedicated to the Postal Service. As a CSRS employee the Postal Service has not been matching my TSP contributions like they have been for the FERS employees. Is the Postal Service going to go back and match all the contributions I have made? Plus… interest for the money I could have been making on the matched contributions?
Again, I am reminded every day at work that we are in a financial crisis. My pay location was two million dollars over budget as of the 1st of May. The 4 supervisors that were running the pay location before May are still running our operation today and we are now close to 3 million over budget. Obviously, these 4 supervisors are incapable of running the operation and should have been removed, yet they are still there making the same mistakes. If the Postal Service is concerned about money why aren’t they doing anything??????
It seems to me that the craft employees are taking the fall for the mistakes of management. I’d like to see Congress really do an honest investigation into the management of the Postal Service. If these people were running my business they would have been fired a long time ago.
Sen. Carper should change his name to Sen. CRAPER because he’s full of shi- (crap). The Postal MIS-management first started with Stonewall Runyun, then Fat Jack Potter, and now Fathead Donohoe who looks like Cal Worthington without his dog spot! Nice video clips with all the hand movement. Try slowing down and dealing with the facts. POSTAL MANAGEMENT (nor Craft employees) MIS-MANAGED the USPS. Now they want to MIS-MANAGE our RETIREMENT FUNDS. Are you kidding me?
Congress needs to take back the Postal Service and keep it as a Federal Employer which was the only Federal Department that showed a PROFIT before they gave it up under the Postal Reorganization Act. Congress has allowed the USPS DIPSHITS to ruin the Postal Service.
The Senators and Congress should talk with the Postal Workers in an open Forum to see what is really going on with the Postal Service behind closed doors.
The DoJ would have a field day prosecuting these mis-fits of Corporate America. I wouldn’t let Fat Jack or Fathead Donohoe run my kool-aid stand.
Privatization will only create minimum wage paying jobs with at-will employee’s with no benefits. Try paying your bills on minimum wage. We are going back to the days of indentured servitude.
How do you like the USPS’s RIP Program? If we like you and your the laziest ass in the post office, you stay. But if we don’t like you and you rock the boat with Union grievances and EEO’s, whether or not your a great worker, you OUT.
It’s time to kick OUT the fat cats!
DARRELL ISSA NEEDS TO GIVE UP SOME OF HIS BENEFITS AND PERKS. I AM SURE HE WILL NOT BE DOING THAT ANYTIME SOON, WILL YOU ISSA?
AS FOR CARPER, I CAN NOT WAIT FOR THE REST OF THE FIRST STATE TO WAKE UP AND TOSS YOU OUT OF OFFICE. I AM SURE YOUR NOT WILLING TO GIVE UP ANY OF YOUR BENEFITS EITHER ARE YOU OR REDUCE YOUR STAFF?
USPS SHOULD NOT BE PAYING SO MUCH IN PRE-FUNDING TO OFF SET WHAT CONGRESS AND THE OTHER AREAS OF THE GOVERNMENT (THAT GET TAX DOLLARS) ARE NOT PAYING. USPS DOES NOT GET TAX DOLLARS AND SHOULD NOT BE YOUR FOCUS!!!! BALANCE THE DARN BUDGET AND STOPPING GIVING YOURSELF BENEFITS AND RAISES ON OUR BACKS!!!!
When Americans start to realize that all the FREE on line payments they are doing now are going to cost more money maybe they You will then realize what a deal you had with the USPS. Stop letting your bank, credit card, mortagage, and utlity companies force you into getting your bills via email or paying on line. IF THE USPS GOES PRIVATE YOU WILL BE PAYING THE SAME PRICE YOUR PAYING AT THE GAS PUMP (way over priced) SO, Speak up and tell them and Congress “BACK OFF”.
IF your not willing to defend our contract and tell congress back off; BEND OVER AND DON’T COME CRYING WHEN IT DOESN’T FEEL SO GOOD!!!!!!!!!!!
I propose a mass 5 day blue flu epidemic. I don’t believe any employee action will change the end result, but at least for one week supervisors and managers will earn part of their pay.
If the PMG can get athuorization from congress to ignore contracts and do as they please, what makes anyone think that a monetary incentive would even be considered? Management has all the cards and employees have NONE. What are you going to do, strike? Of course you will. NOT.
“Trixie”- There is no such thing as “five years”…service time credit such as what you
suggest cannot be done unless Congress changes CURRENT LAW…good luck with that.
“wolfgang”- Yeah, that’s a REAL BRIGHT MOVE. I understand your frustration, but YOUR COMMENT is not smart…start channeling your anger towards your Congressmen by telephone or letter mail.
“John V. Burke”- There is no such thing as the multi-year “service credit” that you suggest…once again, THE CIVIL SERVICE LAW would have to be changed by Congressional Act…something which would NEVER HAPPEN in this current climate. The House Committee that oversees the Post Office, chaired by DARRELL ISSA, has in fact introduced a LAW TO END FERS FOR NEW EMPLOYEES and to drastically reduce ALL FEDERAL EMPLOYMENT.
Postal employees ABSOLUTELY MUST EDUCATE THEMSELVES QUICKLY about all the LAWS AND RULES THAT APPLY TO THEM…
Our EMPLOYER is working HAND IN HAND WITH A POLITICAL PARTY THAT IS INTENT ON DESTROYING THE POSTAL SERVICE AS WE KNOW IT.
They are BOTH asking for LEGISLATION that would SCRAP OUR CURRENT CONTRACTS and allow the USPS to take away our FEHB, FERS AND CSRS benefits that WE ARE PAYING FOR IN OUR PAYCHECKS.
YOU PEOPLE HAVE TO WAKE UP.
YOU HAVE TO LISTEN TO WHAT THEY ARE SAYING.
THEY ARE ASKING FOR THE AUTHORITY TO TAKE AWAY EVERYTHING
THAT MATTERS TO YOU….AND MAYBE JUST FIRE YOU WITHOUT CAUSE.
The only way to get 5 years is to have Congress pass a law. That wont happen
Sen. Carper needs to do a study to see if these measures are FAIR to employees! Are you kidding? TAKE AWAY my benefits and I will become a MASS MURDERER!!
John Burke you seem to have a good plan. Now to get it to the right people. Give us 5 years that $20k & you will see a mass exodus. It’s a one time once in a lifetime shot take it now because the next action will be RIF is how the USPS could present it as.
John V. Burke , you’re talking common sense and we don’t do that in this country anymore. What are you, sane?
Again, the “fiscal crisis” exists entirely because of 2006 Postal “Reform”. The USPS had no debt in 2005 and while they would be losing money this year, they wouldn’t be anywhere near broke without the pre-payment law.
You could solve the whole problem of fiscal stability for the company and restructure the employee compliment all at the same time by simply offering an incentive to all Civil Service employees. These employees are the highest paid and have been around the longest. Most of them are veterans and are protected by law. These loyal civil servants have worked hard all their life and are at the brink of retiring, but due to the recession/depression nearly everyone is defering that decision and wanting to work 3-5 more years; so these people are clearly not going anywhere and if you try to force them out after all these years of sacrafice for their country and their government, there will be hell to pay at the polls. So in fairness, offering an incentive is the only fair way to go. Now the Postal Service is sitting on a $72 Billion dollar over payment to the CSRS retirement fund, and they have been trying their best to get their hands on it to pay the bills, but Congress won’t let them, and I agree with that decision, because after all that money is for retirees, not to pay the bills. Also, the Postal Service is made up of about 565,000 employees, with 90,000 Civil Service. I propose that you offer an incentive of five years to Civil Service employees, to be used anyway they want to use it, either on their years in service, or age, or a combination to fit their own needs. Next offer $20,000 to go with it to be made in two installments over a two year period of $10,000, with the first installment to be given immediately upon retirement, and the next payment due one year from that initial date. Next, cut the delivery of mail down to five days, Mon thru Fri. Next, once Civil Service is gone, you implement the new hiring program of three year probabation for the new catagory of employee, progressing into full time only after a three year period, and at the discression of the hiring authority. You will start these new employess at $10.95 per hour with limited benefits but including health insurance benefits, and one to two weeks vacation for first three years. This will cut by at least half if not more, the cost of doing business payroll wise by getting rid of your most highly paid employees. You will fund it with the overpayment to the CSRS retirement fund so no money will come directly from revenues generated by the USPS. You will save gas, wear and tear on trucks, less manpower and man hours, less legal expenses on grievances and EEO’s and lawsuits, and within the first year alone the program will not only pay for itself, but will totally reverse the employee structure and monitary structure of the business. Part time emplyees and schedule restructure (10 hour, 4 day weeks), would add to more savings if implemented properly. The USPS is a money maker, it has been a victim of too many big shots at the top too content with the status quo, hoping to make their money and get out without really doing anything constructive to earn it. We need a fair and innovative way to restructure, I believe this is it.