OIG: USPS Mid-Carolinas District Could Reduce Workhours By Eliminating 10 CSBCS
This report presents the results of our self-initiated audit reviewing the use of Carrier Sequence Barcode Sorter (CSBCS) machines (Project Number 09XG026DR000) in the Mid-Carolinas Customer Service District (district). Our objective was to evaluate the business case for continuing to use CSBCS machines located in associate offices in the district. This audit addresses financial and operational risk. See Appendix A for additional information about this audit.
Conclusion
Although a business case exists for continued use of CSBCS machines in some associate offices in the district, we concluded they can reduce 10 machines. While the district previously reduced the number of CSBCS machines by 11 during the audit, it had not yet fully evaluated moving more letter mail to the delivery barcode sorters (DBCS) in the plants. See Appendix B for a detailed analysis of this topic.
We estimate the district could reduce mail processing and maintenance workhours, and save more than $3 million as a result of eliminating 10 CSBCS machines. See Appendix C for our monetary impact calculation.
We recommend the district manager, Mid-Carolinas Customer Service District:
1. Reduce 10 carrier sequence barcode sorters at selected associate offices as well as the associated workhours.
2. Evaluate mail processing operations on a recurring basis to identify further opportunities for cost savings and greater mail processing efficiencies.
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USPS Presentation On Proposed 5-Day Delivery Operations
USPS Presentation on 5-Day Delivery Operations, Reasons, stakeholder and mailer issues at last month’s MTAC meeting
Download PDF file on presentation
USPS Update On Flats Sequencing System
USPS Update on FSS presented at the MTAC meeting last montn.
Download PDF file of the presentation
USPS To Postal Employees: Do Not Obliterate the Barcode
USPS reminds postal employees not to cross out barcode as mail moves through the system
The Intelligent Mail® barcode contains important data that is used to provide mailers — including the Census Bureau — with information, such as when the mailing entered the mailstream and undeliverable or address correction information. But technology cannot reliably produce this information if it can’t read the barcode.
That’s why the Postal Service™ is telling employees to make sure they don’t obliterate the barcode as mail moves through the system. Specifically, employees should not mark through, obliterate, or affix any labels over the Intelligent Mail barcode.
Also, the Postal Service wants to make sure that when employees mark up First-Class Mail® items, they use only clear space on the front of the envelope, being careful not to mark over any address or barcode information.
source: Postal Bulletin
USPS Revises Plan For Deployment of FSS Machines
USPS is updating its plan for deployment of its Flats Sequencing System (FSS) machines. The changes are due primarily to lower mail volume.
Under the revised plan, the Postal Service will redirect 19 of the 100 new FSS machines to new plants. Two of the 32 locations originally scheduled to receive the machines — Aliso Viejo, CA, and the Atlanta BMC, now a Network Distribution Center (Link, 8/14) — have been removed from the list. However, the revised plan increases to 42 the number of facilities receiving the high-tech sorting machines, including 12 locations that were not in the original deployment.
FSS technology automatically sorts flat mail in the order that letter carriers deliver their routes. This technology means that carriers will no longer have to case flat-size mail. Large envelopes, magazines and catalogs will arrive in walk sequence order in the same way that letter mail arrives for carriers today.
By sorting the mail in sequence order, FSS will reduce the amount of time carriers spend manually sorting mail and increase the time available to deliver mail. Improving delivery efficiencies helps the Postal Service control costs associated with the addition of nearly 1.8 million new delivery addresses each year.
Machines are already installed and operating at plants in Dulles, VA, and Columbus, OH. USPS is installing machines in Kansas City, MO, and Phoenix, AZ, that are scheduled to be operational by September 2009. The Dulles facility is sequencing flats for 41 delivery units totaling 1,238 routes.
Click here for more information on the FSS revised deployment plan.
source: USPS News link
Are Postal Workers Being Sickened by Paper Pollution?
Dear EarthTalk:
I run a sorting machine at the post office, and am worried about all the paper dust swirling around the building. I asked both management and our union if this was a health or safety problem and both said no, but I’m not sure they really know. Can you set the record straight? — J.G. Eddins, Phoenix, AZ
ANSWER
One of the drawbacks to the increasing mechanization of postal facilities is the increase in paper dust. The machines doing the grunt work loosen the dust and send it airborne, where workers can breathe it in copiously.
Contrary to what management and the union may say, paper dust can be a hazard to postal workers, causing and exacerbating respiratory problems. Sorting machines could also theoretically disperse contaminants (such as anthrax) intentionally sent through the mail into postal facilities, further adding to the risk of the job.
“There’s no federal safety standard on it, so it’s a real problem,” reports Bob Williamson, president of the San Francisco chapter of the American Postal Workers Union (APWU). “We’ve had people who have developed occupational asthma from breathing the fine dust.” Other reported problems include bronchitis, allergic reactions, migraines, bacterial infections, conjunctivitis and sore throats.
In the Fall of 2008, more than 450 current and former postal employees, many in the Chicago area, signed a petition to occupational health officials and postal unions blaming health problems on paper dust fibers inside post offices. Some are seeking health benefits to pay for related medical treatment.
“I do believe that my life is going to be shortened,” Delphine Howard, a former manager at two local post offices, told Chicago’s ABC7 News. “I started having severe bronchitis attacks, severe asthma attacks, and severe chest pains.” She worked for the postal service from 1987 until 2005 when her doctor diagnosed her with “a medical condition that is affected by unclean air, dust particles and residue in volumes in her present employment areas.” Several other Chicago area postal workers complained of similar symptoms as a result of ongoing exposure to postal dust.
The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) studied the issue in 1998 and found no direct link between health and postal dust, but did discover that sorting machines could send potentially carcinogenic volatile organic compounds (such as ink) and other irritants like dust mites into the air. The USPS told ABC7 News it had “only received two direct complaints of respiratory problems in the last several years.”
Diligent cleaning of the machines can help keep the problem in check. “Vacuum and wipe down the machines every day rather than resorting to the quicker method of blowing the dust off the machines and into the air,” says the APWU’s Williamson, adding that workers can also wear masks to minimize breathing in of postal dust and any contaminants in the air with it. He also recommends that post offices rotate their workers around to different duties to avoid perpetual exposure to potentially harmful or aggravating activities. Besides dealing with paper dust, mail sorters frequently suffer from muscular-skeletal problems associated with repetitive motion strain.
source: The Daily Green
Related links:
The Latest Developments in USPS Technological Or Mechanization
APWU Clerk Division Officers met with the Postal Service regarding “implementation of technological or mechanization changes” that affect jobs. The parties discussed several ongoing and new developments.
FSS Program
As many of you are already aware, the Flat Sequencing Sorter is the latest Postal Service automation program. Designed to facilitate delivery-point sequencing (DPS) of flat mail, it will have a significant impact on the craft and the number of jobs for career employees. FSS deployment is scheduled for later this year.
But like everything else, this program has been impacted by the decline in mail volume. As a result, the number of zones (ZIP codes) expected to be included in Phase 1 has been increased by about 50 percent. The nearly 15 percent decline in volume will also affect the deployment of Phase I FSS machines.
We are awaiting more information on this program and the specific changes to the schedules for implementation.
DBCS (Phase 7)
A pilot test has begun on the next-generation Delivery Bar Code Sorter. The Postal Service projects that this machine has the operational capacity to sort more than 50,000 pieces per hour, twice what the current DBCS can do.
Although the deployment is scheduled for late this year or early next year, mail volume and the economic situation may impact DBCS placement as well.
LMS Technology
The Enterprise Learning Management System (LMS) will consolidate several of the electronic systems that deliver and track USPS training programs. The resultant single technology will automate and standardize the administration of these systems.
LMS deployment is scheduled to begin in June, and we anticipate that this will have a significant impact on the current number of Training Technician positions. We will pass along information that is specific to the impacted areas as it becomes available.
Tour 2 Impact on Mail Processing
The APWU is pursuing several disputes over the Postal Service’s nationwide program to eliminate or drastically reduce Tour 2 assignments and employees. One Step 4 dispute (HQTG200820) focuses on management’s violation of Article 17.5.B.4, which requires joint discussions on new initiatives during the development stage, and obligates the USPS to bargain in good faith.
In addition to filing local grievances regarding excessing and prior notification under Article 12, as well as abolishments, reversions, and repostings under Article 37,we should also be diligent in ensuring that no violations of Article 7.2, which covers cross-craft assignments, are taking place. For instance, Mail Handlers clearly should not be performing Clerk Craft work. And supervisors are prohibited from performing our work under Article 1.6.
source: APWU
ASFM-100 Work Awarded Back to Clerk Craft at Trenton P&DC
Effective May 28, 2008, US District Court Judge Joel A. Pisano issued his decision regarding enforcement of the American Postal Workers Union/United States Postal Service pre-arbitration Settlement Agreement, dated October 28, 2005, for AFSM staffing at the Trenton P&DC.
Judge Pisano stated, “The Settlement Agreement provides for the clerk craft to have primary jurisdiction over the positions on the AFSM-100 machines and that, in the event work requires less than six employees to staff the machines, the remaining positions on the machines will be staffed by clerk craft only. Thereby, if there is a ‘reduction in work [,]’ then clerks only operate the machines. Although the Settlement Agreement does not define ‘reduction in work [.]’ the terms of the Agreement do not limit the method by which the reduction in work may occur. That is, the Agreement sets forth a staffing procedure invoked by a ‘reduction in work’ irrespective of how that reduction in work takes place.
In this instance, the modifications to the AFSM-100 resulted in a ‘reduction in work.’ The addition of the AI and ATHS automated features caused ‘a reduction of the AFSM[-]100 operating crew, [a] decrease[] in operation run times, and efficiencies in the preparation activities.’ (Lewis Aff. II Ex. B). As a result, the ‘reduction in work’ caused by enhancements to the AFSM-100 machine trigger the Settlement Agreement’s staffing reduction procedure.
Thus, pursuant to the Settlement Agreement, the clerks maintain jurisdiction over the stations in the AFSM-100 machines in the Trenton facility, irrespective of the
enhancements. Accordingly, the Court holds that there is no dispute of material fact that the Settlement Agreement covers the dispute of which Trenton Metro now complains-whether clerks or mail handlers have jurisdiction to operate the AFSM-100 machines-and is ‘sufficiently specific as to be capable of implementation.’ Consolidation Coal, supra, 666 F.2d at 810. The Court further holds that the Settlement Agreement is entitled to enforcement.
Pursuant and in accordance with the Judge’s order, the APWU expects immediate staffing of the three FSM 100 machines with the clerk craft.
The APWU will monitor USPS compliance with the Judge’s order and pursue appropriate pay remedies for all work performed by the Mail Handler craft on the AFSM 100’s commencing today.
Bill Lewis, President, APWU Trenton Metro Area Local
Postal Service High-Speed Sorters Get Smarter, Faster
Board of Governors Approve Funding for New Technology
WASHINGTON, DC — In a move to enhance mail sorting technology to better serve customers, the Postal Service Board of Governors today approved funding to purchase technology to postmark letters faster and sort them smarter. The 550 Advanced Facer Canceller System (AFCS) machines will replace existing sorters operating on 1980’s technology.
Today’s AFCS machine locates a stamp’s phosphorescent ink and uses it to position the letter for postmarking on the upper right corner of the envelope. It then sends the letter to one of seven bins for additional sorting. The new AFCS will be 15 percent faster, apply barcodes, and process broader-sized letters before sorting them to one of 12 destination bins. The additional bins will reduce downstream processing needs for about 20 percent of the mail. The new equipment, which is more energy efficient, will be deployed between May 2010 and July 2011.
During its meeting today, the Board also approved funding to purchase 400 computer systems to replace existing National Directory Support System (NDSS) and the Integrated Data System (IDS). The Postal Service’s 13,000 automated sorting machines process 212 billion letters, large envelopes (flats) and packages annually. Key to these operations is providing information to the machines to enable proper mail sorting and retrieving information from the machines about their operations.
The NDSS contains the nation’s 148 million addresses and downloads ZIP Code directories to more than 13,000 letter, flat and parcel sorting machines weekly. On a daily basis, the NDSS generates and downloads more than 25,000 programs to sort mail in the order of delivery.
The IDS collects and distributes operational and management data to help the Postal Service achieve optimum machine performance. It also provides valuable mail sorting information that is shared with business customers.
These nationally deployed systems provide critical data used to manage automated mail processing operations. They also keep the Postal Service competitive by providing essential data used to support a variety of programs that generate revenue and reduce operating costs. Deployment of the new IDS-NDSS computer systems begins in January 2009 and will be completed in July 2009.
Also at today’s meeting, the Board approved a new 10-year lease for the Bethpage, NY, Logistics and Distribution Center. The 409,054-square foot facility plays a major mail processing role for the New York City metropolitan area. The new lease will run from March 6, 2009, through March 5, 2019.
In other action, the Board today honored former Board chairman James C. Miller III for his three years of service as chairman. The Board also established the honorary title of chairman pro tempore for the immediate past chairman. Mr. Miller will be first to hold this honorary title. Miller was succeeded as chairman by Alan Kessler in January and Carolyn Gallagher was elected vice chairman at that time.
New Video On USPS Flats Sequencing System
USPS Flats Sequencing System (FSS) Video
[video]http://youtube.com/v/KBA3Q9i0qVE[/video]