February, 2013 Newsletter– No Closures! No Cuts! No Delay of the Mail!
—National Day of Action — Save America’s Postal Service
“Catch the Spirit of 1970!”
Sunday, March 17th, 2013
**Communities and Postal Workers United supports the NALC March 24th day of action to Save Six-Day Delivery
As many in Congress, the postal unions, and the public have complained, the move to five day (and possibly four or three day mail delivery) illegally usurps Congressional authority which has mandated 6-day delivery every year since 1983. The $2 billion projected savings (closer to $1 billion according to the Postal Regulatory Commission) does not account for revenue lost as big mailers leave the system or for overtime incurred on heavier Mondays. Nor does the projected savings come close to making up the $5.5 billion per year lost to pre-funding retiree health benefits 75 years in advance, a Congressional mandate imposed in 2006. This mandate, draining the postal treasury and creating a phony financial crisis, allows Donahoe to claim insolvency and the need for slashing services.
To cut back on Saturday labor costs, the USPS will undoubtedly use the cheaper, new City Carrier Assistants, (many of them former Transitional Employees who took a 25% wage cut in the newly arbitrated union contract). The CCAs, however, will be delivering on unfamiliar routes, misdelivering and returning many parcels. Those customers most hurt by this new Saturday arrangement will be the most vulnerable populations — the disabled veteran who depends on timely delivery of prescription drugs, the farmer who depends on delivery of perishable products, the elderly who depend on news from family, the homeowner who depends on timely delivery of a mortgage payment, the consumer who depends on delivery of a credit card payment, the small business that depends on timely delivery of supplies, product and advertising, the medical facility that depends on lab samples through the mail, the community newspaper that depends on timely delivery of the news.
Youre so cool! I dont suppose Ive read anything like this before. So good to find any individual with some unique ideas on this subject. realy thanks for starting this up. this website is one thing that’s needed on the web, someone with somewhat originality. useful job for bringing something new to the internet!
Keep cutting service and you can have Saturday’s and Wednesday’s off. You don’t get it. You want Saturday off so bad you are willing to let the service be privatized to get them. Fix the pre-funding. No company has to fund 75 years of health benefits and do it in 10. We have a PMG who testifies that the savings is just an estimate, doesn’t include the business we will lose, or the overtime it will cost every Monday. Many people don’t have internet and depend on the postal service six days a week. We are a non-profit that is required to deliver every address six days a week. We need congeress that created this artificial mess to fix it.
Rick, are you serious???? Waitng for checks to buy food??????? Where do they cash these checks when most banks are closed on saturdays. Maybe if you did some reading(if you know how to read) medications and packages will be delivered on saturdays. And one last question, why would they be coming to the post office looking for these things if they know its going to be delivered, since we still deliver on saturday. Try to get your story right.
As a clerk at a postal facility I can personally attest to customers coming to the post office many times on a saturday looking for things such as heart medication, diabetes medication, checks from family members so that they can eat that day or feed their children… If this is a common occurence in one post office then imagine how often it happens nationwide! Saturdays can mean life or death to some people.
This information is bogus. 90% of mail is bulk and what you say people are waiting for which sounds like Saturday is the only day they would get these things which is laughable. The facts are Saturday is the easiest delivery day of the week. Package services are what people are looking for not mail. They don’t get bills in the mail like they use to because they pay on line. Just about everyone I have spoken to pays and does finances on line. There are a small % of people who get bills in the mail. First of all if you get a bill on Saturday you have 30 days to pay it. They won’t be paying it Saturday because there are many carriers delivering mail up until 9:00 pm in the country. I think this country has gotten out of control. They are working people harder and longer. These poor mail workers need time to recover. Having weekends off would be like a normal jog for them. This is the right thing to do. Now as for your CCA comment I understand there are miss deliveries every day and in some cases these miss deliveries are severe by new employees coming on board and by experienced employees as well. Employees bring back items of mail today so that will never change until they fix how routes are being pivoted and delivered. Do away with pivots as this has increased overtime and wasting money. CCA can work weekends and help out during the week and give back the job Regular which these employees have worked hard for and keep them on one route. Evaluate the routes and redo them so they make sense and become more efficient. Give service to the customers by getting all carriers off the street by 4:30 PM and come up with a better plan to have all mail processed and ready for when carriers arrive. Longer street times is not safer its more dangerous. There should be no Saturday delivery because 90% of mail is bulk rate nonsense mail. Most business are closed, banks close early and small business is not going to bank to cash checks until Monday which would not clear anyway on Saturday. Finally I don’t like seeing my carriers show up delivering mail on our street at 7, 8 , 9 PM its a disgrace and wrong. All these people who want Saturday delivery probably have Saturday off as it is, or get out early and never have to work late. These carriers have no family life and what is more important family life or bulk mail? I know jobs would be lost but they are going to be lost anyway. The numbers change every day so both side are not telling the truth. The truth is if your not careful and you don’t bend you will be the next Hostess.
So I guess you’re assuming that you can’t have timely delivery of goods and services on a Mon-Fri operating schedule? I see no facts in this article other than assumptions and scare tactics from a group that has self-serving agendas. WE WANT WEEKENDS OFF!!