Congress has a plan to reform the Postal Service's burdensome retiree funding, and experts have lots of ideas on how to run the agency competitively The U.S. Postal Service, long beset by financial woes, has recently felt the pinch even more acutely. On Aug. 5, the agency reported a $2.4 billion loss for its most recent quarter, a gush of red ink that is expected to total some $7.1 billion for the fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30. The Government Accountability Office recently placed the Postal Service on its "high risk" list as "an organization vulnerable to fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement," needing broad reforms.
Aggravating matters is that even when the U.S. economy turns around and mail volume rebounds, deep structural problems make it likely that the Postal Service won't benefit much. That's because even though the recession has curtailed second-class business mailings—the so-called junk mail Americans toss daily—much of the trouble stems from the agency's inability to change as mail has decreased, industry analysts say.
"The Postal Service needs to get out a blank sheet of paper and think about a new business model," says Steve Goodrich, president of the Center for Organizational Excellence, a consulting firm in Washington, D.C.
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Close the entire damn thing and turn it over the FedEx and UPS!
ReplyDeleteThe retirees are going to get screwed again.
ReplyDeleteAnd some people think the same government that runs the USPS should be in charge of healthcare???
ReplyDeleteThe bozo's writing post office reforms are the exact same ones writing the health care bill. Wake up people if they can't make the postal system work why oh why do you think they can make a health care system work?
ReplyDeleteSad thing is the postal workers have recently had to take a pay cut just to keep their jobs. They have horrible health care insurance and they fight you every time you have a medical claim. The long time employees are the ones who take the hit more than anyone else. How would you feel if you had worked for them for more than 20 years and now they cut your pay and make you work every Saturday. The system is very screwed up. They need to fire the management at the top and revamp the whole darn thing. Then when you see the managers at the branches get a freaking bonus after you have been the one out there busting your hump for less money, it doesn't do much for the employees. It's crap.
ReplyDeleteThe USPS is in trouble because of the increased and increasing usage of email to transmit things which previously had to be sent via snailmail...when the amount of mail being processed decreased the postal service then needed to downsize accordingly.
ReplyDeleteYou can't blame Obama for this one.
If they want to take over something take over the power companies who are screwing us every month.
ReplyDeleteanonymous 12:56, believe me, they're trying very hard to take over the power industry. Why do you think you're seeing all the Beat The Peak ads everywhere. If the power companies don't lower their demand, the government plans on stepping in and competing.
ReplyDeleteI received a letter from an attorney today Aug 10th that was mailed and post marked July 14th, from Baltimore. The attorney called on July 17th to see if I had received it and I said no...they mailed a second copy the same day which got here in a timely fashion. This is their new revenue enhancement program. Lose the first copy requiring additional postage to be used....
ReplyDeleteWe need a Postman right about now.
ReplyDeleteThey have a great business model - increase prices and reduce service. Yassirrebob, that'll get people clamoring for your service instead of going to folks like UPS & FedEx who are easier, cheaper and even deliver items to the intended address instead of wherever the driver feels in the mood - like our Postal Service does regularly. Yet these clowns want better retirement, health care and other benefits. if they're so good they should go work for an employer that will give them what they're worth. That would probably start turning things around.
ReplyDeleteCheck this out:
ReplyDeleteThe Postal Systems woes are deep rooted. Consider a Postmaster that only needs to show up 4 hours per day and get paid for 8. That requires her/him to bring in another clerk to take over the Postmaster duties and then pay that person $ 27.00 per hour to complete the day. Think this is bunk, just look and see what a part time Postal Employee makes that has been on the job for 5 to 7 years. Not bad making about $35,000 per year for a part Time Position.
The Post Office has approximately 32,000 Post Offices Nationwide. Cant afford to do that, they need to get streamlined like UPS and FedEX. You dont see them with a Terminal in every town. Just simply cant be profitable doing that.
The system is broken and needs to have drastic changes made immediately in order to survive.
Wow Anonymous 11;18, I make no where near that hourly or yearly! Im getting screwed!
ReplyDelete11:18....That is a big misconception. The 4 hour rule isn't a design so that the postmaster can just bounce at lunchtime and goof off the rest of the day. First, they have a labor budget just like every other company so they can't bring a clerk in every single day and come anywhere near meeting their budget hours. Also, the job requires the postmaster to leave the office to do route inspections, personally handle priority deliveries, and travel to other offices for any number of reasons. Its not simple a guy who "show(s) up 4 hours per day and get paid for 8".
ReplyDeleteRob S