Parker, Florida Post Office Moving Letter Carriers To Another Facility
PARKER — Letter carriers will stop working out of the Parker Post Office location sometime in March, postal officials confirmed Thursday.
The president of the American Postal Workers Union 1414, Dee Carr, said the Parker facility, officially referred to as the Eastside Station, will lose its letter carriers to the Sherman Avenue location in March. He also claimed the postal service had been trying to keep the move quiet.
“They don’t want the public to be upset,” Carr said. “The only thing that will be left there is the retail.”
Joseph Breckenridge, a spokesman with the postal service, confirmed postal carriers will be moved to the Sherman Avenue facility. He said postal customers will be able to drop off mail, buy stamps and other mailing items at the Parker facility, but added there has been no decision to close the Parker facility and moving postal carriers would not disrupt delivery of the mail. He denied there was an attempt to keep the transfer quiet.
Full Story: News Herald
Video: Philadelphia Mail Carriers Drinking On the Job – Part 2
Three Philadelphia mail carriers are off the job and there’s a major shake-up in a city post office where they worked. It’s a direct result of a Fox 29 Investigation.
Fox 29 Investigates: Drinking Postmen : MyFoxPHILLY.com
OIG: USPS Northern Virginia District Used More Workhours Than Necessary To Deliver Mail
Filed under: letter carriers, oig, postal, postal news, usps
Highlights from the USPS OIG Audit Report – City Delivery Efficiency Review – Northern Virginia District
Background
Delivery operations are the Postal Service’s largest operational function, accounting for approximately 45 percent of salary expenses and workhours. Despite an annual increase of approximately 1 million delivery points, delivery operations used 36.5 million fewer workhours in fiscal year (FY) 2009, because of effective growth management, increased use of automation, standardization of best practices, and improved productivity. Although delivery operations used fewer workhours, workhour reduction has not kept pace with declining mail volume. Nationally, city delivery mail volume declined by 3.9 percent in FY 2010. During this same period, mail volume declined in the Capital Metro Area by 2.4 percent, while workhours declined by 2.8 percent. The Northern Virginia District mail volume declined by 2.7 percent in FY 2010, while workhours declined by 3.2 percent
Audit
The U.S. Postal Service is delivering fewer pieces of mail to a growing number of addresses as new households and businesses are added to the delivery network each year. The Postal Service must achieve unprecedented levels of efficiency to accommodate this new growth while facing financial losses from declining mail volumes and rising costs.
The Northern Virginia District was not operating at peak efficiency and could reduce city delivery operating costs. Our benchmarking comparison determined the Northern Virginia District used approximately 16 minutes more per day than the national average for each carrier route, compared to the standard for that route. This equated to more than 103,000 workhours annually. The measurement for this factor, called percent to standard,2 was 123.24 – about 17 percentage points above the national average of 105.95 percent.
Although numerous factors were involved, our review of 20 randomly selected delivery units confirmed these inefficiencies and determined Northern Virginia District management did not always (1) provide sufficient review and oversight of unit offices’ operating efficiencies and (2) coordinate with the mail processing facility to ensure mail was timely received and in a condition that promoted operating efficiency. Eliminating time-wasting practices and increasing focus on efficiency could allow management to reduce workhours.
Some examples include ensuring that:
• Management provides sufficient oversight of morning and afternoon office operations.
• Vehicle inspection process is efficient.
• Carriers are timely and correctly clocking into afternoon (p.m.) office time.
• Units receive the proper mix from the processing facility per the integrated operating plan (IOP).3
• Carriers spend less time waiting for mail.
• Clerks and carriers do not unnecessarily re-handle unshelved mail transport containers to identify and retrieve delivery point sequence4 (DPS) mail.
Consequently, the Northern Virginia District used more workhours than necessary to deliver the mail. Adjusting its operations would increase the Northern Virginia District’s overall efficiency by reducing 103,160 workhours, resulting in savings of more than $3.2 million annually or about $32 million over 10 years. See Appendix C for additional information about this issue.
We recommend the district manager, Northern Virginia District:
1. Reduce the Northern Virginia District’s workhours by 103,160 to achieve an associated economic impact of about $32 million over 10 years.
2. Require processing facility managers and delivery managers to coordinate, review, and update all integrated operating plans to ensure mail arrives timely and in the condition necessary to promote office efficiency.
Management’s Comments
Management agreed with the findings, recommendations, and opportunities to capture monetary impact.
In response to recommendation one, management agreed to reduce city carrier office hours. Management’s action plan includes reducing carrier inefficiencies in the office by implementing and monitoring standard operating procedures (SOPs); increasing operational audits for compliance with established best practices; providing additional training for supervisors on managing office time; flexing carrier start times for tours; and improving on-time mail arrival profiles. Management plans to implement action by February 2011.
Managing Morning and Afternoon Office Operations
Supervisors did not provide sufficient oversight of morning operations. Specifically, the vehicle inspection process was not always efficient. Our observations disclosed that delivery units lost several minutes per day because of carriers searching for vehicles before inspection. Five of the 20 delivery units lost time because parking spaces were unassigned.
In four other delivery units, carriers waited in line to get vehicle keys. Postal Service policy states employees should park vehicles near the dock in assigned spaces identified by individual route numbers. In addition, policy states employees should conduct vehicle inspections promptly after clocking in for the morning. The policy also requires vehicle keys to be located adjacent to time-recording equipment (see Illustration 1).
In addition, supervisors did not always effectively manage afternoon office time at 11 of the 20 delivery units observed. Some carriers spent 10 minutes or more in the office after returning from their routes. Postal Service policy allows a standard 5 minutes for carriers to perform afternoon office duties. We also observed some carriers not clocking directly to “office time” upon returning to the unit in the afternoon, resulting in much of this additional office time” being included in street operations time.
Adjusting its operations would increase the Northern Virginia District’s overall efficiency by reducing approximately 103,160 workhours, resulting in savings of more than $3.2 million annually or about $32 million over 10 years.
USPS OIG Audit Report – City Delivery Efficiency Review – Northern Virginia District
Video: Postal Carrier Runs On the Job
Here is a video of the article I posted yesterday about “Postal Carrier Runs On the Job”
Texas Letter Carrier Recognized By Business Group
HOUSTON, TX, December 9, 2010 /Stanford Who’s Who/ — Stanford Who’s Who welcomes David Cortez to the ranks of leading professionals as a result of his phenomenal work in the Postal Services Industry. As a Mail Carrier for the United States Postal Service for the past 16 plus years, Mr. Cortez has consistently demonstrated the vision, dedication and diligence necessary to be considered among the best.
David is responsible for delivery mail as well as providing customer service at the post office. He is a member of the Postal Union #381. During his educational career, Mr. Cortez earned an Associate’s degree in Science from San Jacinto College in 1984. In the time away from his busy schedule, David greatly enjoys chess, basketball, baseball and football.
About Stanford Who’s Who
Stanford Who’s Who empowers executives, professionals and entrepreneurs around the world. Our mission is to recognize successful individuals in multiple industries by providing a forum for networking, consulting, exposure and credibility to broadening one’s future success. Realizing the power of forming business and professional relationships, we have created numerous resources that our members use for a multitude of reasons. With access to thousands of professional biographies of individuals in over 100 different industries, our members utilize our database to recruit others, to announce their career accomplishments, and for lasting, valuable relationships that extend beyond our membership program.
This press release was prepared and written by Michael Fairlie.
Florida Letter Carrier Featured On “This American Life”
“In the prologue of this weekend’s “This American Life” radio show, host Ira Glass talks to Paul Gereffi, a letter carrier from Ft. Lauderdale Branch 2550, who helped save the life of a stabbing victim who saw Gereffi’s mail truck and flagged him down. Because of Gereffi’s intervention, he was later named the 2008 Eastern Region Hero of the Year.”
An NALC member was featured on the November 19th episode of National Public Radio’s “This American Life” in a segment entitled “Neighborhood watch.”
The episode highlights the interactions of people in various neighborhoods across the county and how these interactions among members of a particular neighborhood, or lack thereof, make them unique.
The efforts of Fort Lauderdale letter carrier Paul Gereffi, the 2008 NALC Eastern Region Hero of the Year, demonstrate the important role letter carriers have in neighborhoods across the country. Letter carriers continue to be the eyes and ears for communities throughout America; they keep their fingers on the pulse of America, six days a week.
As show host Ira Glass notes, “It’s so common for carriers to stumble onto something during their route – to perform a good deed – that these incidents are a regular feature of the letter carrier association’s monthly magazine.”
Letter carriers do not stand idle but step in and offer their assistance – often risking their own lives – for the good of their communities.
Click the link to hear some of Paul’s story as portrayed on “This American Life.”
source: NALC Activist Alert
Postal Worker Fired After Customer’s Racist Rant And Assault?
Filed under: letter carriers, postal, postal news, usps, videos
Postal customer in Hingham, Mass. goes on racist rant after a Black letter carrier refused to take back a certified letter she had signed. The Postal customer later slapped the letter carrier. The letter carrier had secretly videotaped the entire episode on his cell phone and uploaded it to Youtube.
This woman is outrageous — I am still waiting for US Postal Inspection Service to investigate this matter. it has been a year since postmaster fired me for this racist lady, and Hingham court let her go free, no trial.
PART 1
PART 2
Texas Letter Carrier Sues Homeowner Over Dog Attack
A U.S. Postal Service worker has filed suit against the homeowner who allegedly allowed her dog to attack the letter carrier. Kelly Tillerson claims she was attacked by a dog as she was delivering mail….
Because of the incident, Tillerson experienced physical pain, suffering and mental anguish and lost earnings, according to the complaint … In addition, she incurred medical costs and suffered physical impairment and disfigurement, the suit states. Tillerson is alleging the homeowners negligently failed to keep a proper lookout for her safety, failed to maintain control of their dog, failed to exercise ordinary care and failed to keep a proper distance from her. In her complaint, Tillerson is seeking an unspecified judgment, plus interest at the legal rate, pre- and post-judgment interest, costs and other relief the court deems just.
Full story: Southeast Texeas Record
Michigan Letter Carriers Protest Pressure To Work Faster
About 370 postal workers petition [Senator Carl] Levin about ‘hostile work environment.
Postal employees say the pressure to deliver mail and return to the office by 5 p.m. is mounting and the “unwritten rule” is creating a hostile work environment.
About 370 letter carriers in seven cities signed petitions asking U.S. Sen. Carl Levin, D-Detroit, to investigate local and regional demands to finish routes earlier or face discipline.
“Many employees are slowly witnessing a resurgence of the conditions of 1991 with the pressure being put on the employees,” says the petition signed by workers in Royal Oak, Troy, Madison Heights, Birmingham, Southfield, Farmington and Novi.
In November 1991, a fired letter carrier from Oak Park went on a shooting rampage at the Royal Oak Post Office, killing four employees and wounding four others before turning the rifle on himself. A Congressional investigation led by Levin documented patterns of harassment and intimidation by management in Royal Oak.
Work conditions improved in the wake of the shooting with better screening of job applicants, procedures to report and investigate threats, and faster resolution of arbitration hearings.
However, new issues have surfaced, according to union stewards David DeGroat, a Farmington Hills letter carrier, and Charlie Withers, a Berkley letter carrier.
full story from Daily Tribune
Letter Carrier Heroes of the Year
Filed under: letter carriers, NALC, postal, postal news, press releases, usps
WASHINGTON, Oct. 1 – James Dupont had just finished delivering mail on his rural Arkansas route when he saw a truck and car collide head-on. The veteran letter carrier pulled the driver from the truck and, as the vehicle caught on fire, saved a passenger engulfed in flames. He then managed to bend open the door of the burning car to rescue that driver – injuring himself in the process.
Dupont and seven other letter carrier heroes will be honored at a special event Thursday, Oct. 7 starting at 11:30 a.m. at the Hyatt Regency Hotel on Capitol Hill, 400 New Jersey Avenue NW, Washington, DC.
The others: an Ohio carrier who one morning rescued a resident from a house fire and that afternoon aided a 12-year-old boy who had crashed his bicycle into a van. A Utah carrier saved a resident suffering a heart attack after noticing the man’s dog barking urgently; a New Jersey carrier rescued a homeowner from a fire; two Michigan carriers saved an elderly woman after becoming worried about her whereabouts; a retired Kansas carrier has helped feed 35,000 families across the state; and Seattle carriers built housing for Katrina victims in Louisiana.
The 2010 Heroes of the Year represent the efforts of thousands of letter carriers who not only deliver the mail to 150 million households six days a week, but often assist or save residents in situations involving accidents, fires, crimes or health crises.
We can provide more information, including how to reach these letter carriers.
The NALC represents letter carriers across the country. Its 300,000 members make it the largest of the four unions representing United States Postal Service employees. Founded by Civil War veterans in 1889, the NALC is among the country’s oldest labor unions.
SOURCE National Association of Letter Carriers