01/05/2015 – Where is it? Why hasn’t it arrived? Beginning this week, these questions will be asked by millions of Americans who will wonder why their prescription drugs, their church bulletin, their paycheck, and other important correspondence haven’t been delivered. The lowering of service standards by the United States Postal Service, effective today, will cause unnecessary hardships for the public and small businesses. It also will severely damage the world’s most efficient and affordable delivery network by driving away mail volume and revenue.
Postal customers may unfairly blame their letter carrier or their local post office, but the culpability rests with Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe. The elimination of overnight delivery of first-class mail and the delay of mail throughout the country is part of the same flawed strategy that’s behind efforts to end Saturday and door-to-door deliveries, close post offices, cut back hours, and make other reductions in mail service.
The travesty is that the cuts are absolutely unnecessary – because postal operations are profitable. The Postal Service recently announced its most profitable quarter in seven years. In fiscal years 2014 and 2013, the USPS enjoyed an operating profit of $1.4 billion and more than $600 million, respectively.
As of last month, 51 senators and 160 House members had called for a one-year moratorium on the reduction in service and the closure of the mail processing centers to allow Congress time to enact postal legislation that would improve, not degrade, postal service. The Postmaster General and USPS Board of Governors should honor their request. They should stop delaying America’s mail.
– See more at: http://www.apwu.org/news/press-release/dimondstein-statement-lower-service-standards-week#sthash.ot5zy1oN.dpuf
Diamondstein sold his MVS craft down the river when he unionized HCR private drivers under the APWU. How do you represent the “interests” of contract drivers while protecting the “interests” of your MVS craft?
I thought service standards would only change when the plants close. So why is this an issue today when the plants aren’t even supposed to close until April? Worrying about something that is still a few months away? The PO has been talking about closing certain plants for the last 4-5 years, and yet they are still open….. come April those plants will still be open as well. This is nothing but a game.
SAL DO YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A COMPANY GOES UNDER THE RETIRESS TAKE THE FIRST HIT PAL LIKE YOUR RETIREMENT AND HEALTHPLAN AND ONE OTHER THING MY WIFE HAS BEEN AND STILL CARRIES MAIL TODAY AT THE AGE OF 64 AND THE PEOPLE THAT SHE HAS BROKEN IN ALL HAVE 4 YEAR COLLEGE DEGREES AND IF THAT MAKES THEM ALL WHITE TRASH SHAME ON YOU
There is a word to describe the members of the public that care about service standards. That word is “old.”
The campaign against consolidation and reduced standards is one based on nostalgia for a time when first class mail was vital and there was no alternative. I worked for that post office, it no longer exists.
The sooner we exit the old businesses the better. The faster we shrink the better. I would rather a proactive union that got ahead of the necessary changes and made sure of their equitable implementation to one that thinks only of its own self preservation. They foisted the cancer of non traditional employees on us for the sake of the dues. I’m tired of listening to the stale rhetoric while the whole enterprise goes down the tubes.
Agnes seems genuinly concerned but is seemingly naive to think the
Postal service can pick and choose it’s customer base. It is segragated
from other government agencies in that it is explicitly authorized by the
United States constitution. We are legally obligated to serve all Americans
regardless of geography. Your comments of “junk mail” being a low
revenue generator is totally false. The Postal service makes millions of
dollars on standard mail direct marketing (aka) junk mail every year
which helps since the the losses of stamp mail started declining. The
service is pursuing every efficiency option available but must wait for
approval from Congress on many of these changes. The postal service
just had their best Christmas ever with massive amounts of mail delivered
which leaves me gasping to think when they shut these targeted facilities
in April of this year how they can obtain the same success. Electronic
conversion is here to stay but isn’t it a double edged sword now with so
many people’s credit card and other personal information being breeched.
Almost makes you think…hey! I’d be better off going back to mailing my bills.
Dimondstein is showing more guts and fighting spirit than the other unions combined. Bringing the issue to the people is the best strategy, as is laying the blame for the lowering standards at the feet of the person responsible for the piss poor managing that plagues the Postal Service, Pat Donahoe. We won’t see any better with Megan Brennan, either. She is a lackey of the first order who actually designed this ridiculous direction the USPS is going in.
Congress could do something about it if they gave a collective damn, but they are not interested other than to plunder the bank with that prefunding account. A new Congress with Republican majorities in both houses is not good news, either. Speak up, customers. Complain to your legislators and demand laws be passed that prohibit the closing of 82 plants and also demand the prefunding retirement law be repealed. We as carriers and clerks do not like this standard lowering one bit, but we have no say so in how the system is structured. Management couldn’t care less about its employees, and doesn’t care about you. It’s the cold hard truth, and one that needs to be rectified quickly.
Holiday records
PMG praises employee efforts during peak season
How do we handle this volume in the future with the cuts looming in April!!
Massive growth in packages are the future which should manufacture thought
to re-alignment of commodity growth in facilities in lieu of getting rid of them!
The Postal Service exceeded its projections during the holiday season, delivering approximately 524 million packages in December — an 18 percent increase over the previous year.
On Dec. 22 alone, USPS delivered more than 28 million packages, the most packages delivered in a single day in the organization’s history. Approximately 463 million mailpieces also were delivered that day.
“This holiday season demonstrates retailers and consumers increasingly are turning to USPS to deliver packages,” said PMG Pat Donahoe.
The Postal Service prepared for the higher demand by improving tracking and reliability for customers. USPS also delivered packages seven days a week during the season.
More than 20 million packages were delivered on the five Sundays prior to Christmas. An additional 118,000 packages were delivered Christmas Day.
“The dedication and resolve of our employees is commendable,” the PMG said.
“They adapted and delivered heavier-than-ever volumes of packages. They worked extremely hard, many of them braving harsh weather. I’m honored by the commitment they demonstrated this holiday season.”
Holiday volumes are expected to continue this month as consumers and businesses
return unwanted gifts and merchandise through USPS.
Reduction of Management/VP’s/overhead , eliminating the ridiculous prefunding requirements and more efficient operations such as was the case when it was created… before it degraded into a nepotismic bureaucratic elephant will save the constitutionally mandated public service. Certain “opportunists” only see a money making enterprise at Public Expense.
I meant to say shouldn’t be subjected to
Hey Sal good for your being retired however, most of the peoe working in the plants myself included until recently when. I transferred out to a station closer to home are NOT trailer trash. I have never lived in a trailer I own my own home and when I worked in the plant I spent the first 4 1/2 years working 6 days a week and sometimes as many as 13 days in a row but always working nearly 60 hours a work week as a PTF! WE worked hard for many years. I was there 14 years so don’t tell me that we are trash. You sir are the trash just because your retired doesn’t make us any different. I congratulate you for 40 years I only ask that we and yes I get the chance to go 40 years as well but unlike you I still show respect to my fellow coworkers old and new. Younger people should be subjected to harassment like your spewing just because they were born after you! That’s not there fault or anybody fault.
another know it all
As a retired letter carrier with over 40 years I hope the place goes under. I have had missing mails (checks to grandkids) twice in the last 2 years never arriving. Business checks to Va. and Washing ton DC arriving to proper address and zip code taking 2 weeks and a certified letter with the tracking # floating around for a month lost in the system. Your processing has always been garbage(not the local post office or carriers).As I stated even when I was still working these plants are full of “trailer park trash”.You should all lose your jobs
yeah right!
The “backbone” of the Postal Service is the processing facilities…without them Sal wouldn’t have any mail to deliver…a jockey without a horse so to speak. I have worked at a processing facility for over 20 years…we are rated consistently as #1 for our size in our area…unfortunately we are scheduled to close…through no fault of our own. Many families will be displaced…service will be disrupted…for what? There will be no savings! Thanks for “trailer park trash” comment…I am a college graduate…chose the Postal Service as a second career…I’m sure in your career you always delivered the mail “on time” to the proper address!
Sal sorry for your loss but now I am not. Not all of us who work in plants are trash. Some of us want a nice retirement one day. You must of been a miserable letter carrier.
Sal, I hate to burst your bubble because it is clear that you have already set your prejudices in concrete. However, you should know that with the push towards more and more automation, the workers in the plant do not sort (or missort) the mail. The machines do! Sure in the offices you get to sort mail piece by piece one letter at a time. In the plant, the clerks part in the sorting process is moving mail on and off the machines. That operator didn’t missort your certified letter.
I hope that next time, before you make sweeping generalizations, you make an attempt to learn something about that which you plan to condemn.
Dick!
Gee thanks . I have 30 in but I wouldn’t wish my fellow carriers lose their jobs. That is a very selfish and mean thing to think and say, no matter how tired or burned out you are. You sound like the kind of person who is mad all the time and was absolutely miserable to have to spend any time around, whether it was in pay status or not.
Since you are so hateful and wish the worst for the rest of us, I hope you lose your retirement right along with those you want to lose their jobs. The USPS is severely screwed up, but it always has been. That’s management world for you, not just the USPS. Give up your benefits if the Service is so bad – put your money where your hate spewing mouth is.