01/26/2015 – When Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe retires at the end of the week, he’ll get a retirement package of more than $4 million.
Not bad for a “civil servant.”
But in his controversial farewell address to reporters at the National Press Club on Jan. 6, Donahoe made clear that he doesn’t think the union’s newest members deserve any postal retirement at all.
“In today’s world, does it really make sense to offer the promise of a government pension to a 22-year-old who is just entering the workforce?” he asked.
And apparently Donahoe’s views have nothing to do with the Postal Service’s manufactured “financial crisis.” He opposes government pensions on principle and wants to impose his view to the entire federal government.
“I would encourage Congress to view the Postal Service as a test bed or laboratory of change that might be applied to the rest of the federal government,” he said.
“I’d like to see the Congress encourage much more experimentation at the federal level,” Donahoe added. “The Postal Service has the kind of management that would appreciate being at the front edge of change and would make good use of opportunities.”
APWU President Mark Dimondstein denounced Donahoe’s parting shot at young workers. “Donahoe’s remarks are the height of hypocrisy,” the union president said. “Every worker should be able to look forward to a stable, secure retirement.”
According to a financial report filed by USPS December, as of Sept. 30, 2014, Donahoe’s defined-benefit pension plan totaled $4,080,932.
$4 million is not a huge amount for someone that ran an organization with the amount of employees the USPS does.
What’s Obama’s pension going to amount to?
The end of the pension and going to only a TSP is one of the worst idea for the employee and should be used only on management.
Robert Kiyosaki, writer of Rich Dad’s explains why. He calls it “the law that changed the world.” It’s called ERISA, which stands for Employer Retirement Income Security Act. Supposedly, the act was passed to protect the retirement accounts of employees. In reality, Kiyosaki declares that ERISA transferred the expense of retirement “from the employer to the employee.”
at my plant nobody cares, not workers or management. we just want to know when you are going to close the plant.
Gee, I wonder how much the Postal Service will give me, after I retire with 27 years?
I should be able to apply for at least a couple of million. If I am denied, should I file an EEO complaint?
Greed is one of a deadly sin
Too many people in power (Congress and the USPS) share Donahoe’s views that the government should not be paying pensions. They all say, “The private sector doesn’t offer pensions. We should be more like the private sector”
Shouldn’t the federal government strive to be a BETTER employee than the greedy private sector? The government should set the example of what a good employer should do. Not take the path of greatest profit, workers be damned.
First of all, “that is the worst name I ever heard”, and 2nd, I think they are using Walmart as their business model (where half the employees qualify for Food Stamps)
He ran the USPS INTO the ground by neglecting the infrastructure and he things he deserve a pension. Executives that lose money should be fired along with everyone they appointed to management positions.
Spoken by a member of management rather than a worker for sure.
My reply was meant for John from Long Island, the PMG Downthehole clone. He obviously is taking the ladder climbing approach and will step on anyone he has to. The unions have taken care of jobs for hard working employees who would have been screwed by management otherwise. The reason people like JFLI don’t like unions is because management is not able to get away with the lousy way they treat workers as everyone knows of their reputation. Screw management who got even higher salaries than those who really do the work…management with their moronic approach which has been a blatant failure…
You all sound jealous…..that’s reality people…when the person in charge leaves they get a lot of money….instead of blaming him think of the pathetic Union loving slugs that work slower than my new born..they are the ones to blame..a lot bitching goes on this site but no one leaves..if it sucks so bad leave…that’s right will never get a job without education that pays this much…5 day here we come and screw the union….
It’s a well known fact that the worst managers were the worst craft workers. I’m sure we would find your name on top of the list.
I see that Mr. Downthehole believes in hypocrisy. He doesn’t think anyone should have any retirement set up from your employer! Then why is he then collecting retirement from the government, his employer? He is not following in that what he believes in. As long as Mr. Downthehole lives the life of the rich and privileged! He says one thing then does another thing. Mr. Downthehole,give up your retirement. Practice what you say!
Why is anyone here surprised at that statement?
He is typical of the attitude of postal management. Postal management thinks they are the backbone of the USPS rather than those who handle the mail. Were it not for the APWU, there would be no such thing as career postal employees and America’s mail would have been handled by a high turnover of minimum wage employees. Hail to APWU! Donahue is a disgraceful traitor to the rest of us who worked all of our lives and were forced to leave and not allowed to finish after years of dedicated service with a bare retirement cut to the bone.
This Bozo has downsized the Postal Service by hundreds of thousands of lower level employees while maintaining executive numbers. If the number of executives had been reduced to match the number of lower level employees that have been down sized, we wouldn’t need a Postmaster General; a Postmaster Colonel or even a Postmaster Major would do. It’s time Elephant Plaza, Area Offices, and District Offices felt some the pain of downsizing, consolidations, RIF, excessing and disruption of lives that the rest of us are experiencing. How many managers managing other managers do we really need? Megan, are you going to do anything about this obvious discrepancy in right sizing the Postal Service? Donahoe seemed to think Lean Six Sigma meant cutting lower level jobs while maintaining his sycophants telling him how wonderful a job he was doing.
Hate to tell you, but Megan is cut from the same mold, both from Lancaster a losing District that drug Harrisburg under the rug when they merged about 8 years ago. At least Pat was a nice person, her not so much.
No one deserves benefits after a lifetime of labor. What a guy?
If such a position was adapted by Congress, I believe that you will see a tremendous decrease in the number of individuals seeking government employment.
I just can’t fathom a “leader” saying what he has.The USPSET has now turned into a lackluster business due to poor leadership and decisions. The workforce has done, blood, sweat, and tears to maintain the good name that our current leadership has destroyed. The USPS was once a institution of high respect, there have been movies made years ago on just how much clout the Postal Service carried, and the millions of past and present workers that took their jobs very seriously, to ensure the Postal Service retained that respect. And now look, we have younger people, payed less, with their cell phones, and no respect for the USPS, cause they use text, email, and social media which is totally unprotected or secure, so they don’t see the value of what the Postal Service stood for, hard work, good pay, for a service that effected all, especially during the holidays.So the cell phone rules, and if they loose that, almost cardiac arrest.But the new USPS hired them with no promise of a future or security, so why would they care how well they do, just like our retiring with a huge pension and benefits former “leader” is going to enjoy, why should the new work force have that to look forward to? Because that’s what any dedicated, hard working, ambitious person dreams of. I wish you good luck, and thanks for a job poorly done, we could not have done it without YOU! With a prayer a hope our new PM has heart, and brings our Postal Service back to some level of dignity and respect.I would not want her job and task at hand, but if she shows “employees, benefits, dedication, pay and thank you’s”, are priority one, I’m behind her. We all hope!
Yeah – What a nice guy – how would he like his 22 year son or daughter to start working at USPS with no chance at benefits? He’s walking away with 4 million – I guess what happens to the future employees is no concern to him!!!!!!!!!!!
I am shocked, shocked, to read all the negative comments about our beloved PMG. What a bunch of ingrates! This man has done so much to build up the USPS into the great institution it is today. Honestly, where would we be today without him?
Think of all the personal sacrifices he has made during his tenure. He could have easily chosen to stay in his post for an extra year or two and bump up his retirement to 5 or 6 million. And I bet he was regular in attendance and banked all his sick leave.
Farewell, Dear Leader!!! Speaking for the rank and file among us (whom I hope to supervise soon), we will miss you.
p.s. I have all your standup talks on DVD, I watch them every day, but I can’t seem to get the hand movements quite right.
A 4 MILLION DOLLAR ! package to ruin the Ole PO . Thirty years this Man has been By FAR THE WORST
And can you believe he thinks postal management is on the cutting edge? Damn, I’d hate to see his definition of bad postal management.
Wow, only $4,080,932 on your way out the door. We were lucky to have you for those brief few years. In that short time look at what you have accomplished. Just about the worst hatchet job I’ve seen in 30 years. I would say Asta la Vista don’t let the door hit you on the way out and stop drinking the Darrel Issa cool aid.
“In today’s world, does it really make sense to offer the promise of a government pension to a 22-year-old who is just entering the workforce?” – Pat Donahoe
Easy for him to say. He’s got his pension, his golden parachute and all of his deferred bonuses.
Donahoe also said that most young people do not want to have a single employee for their entire career. Not true. People would kill for a secure, single employer, career with decent wages and benefits. It is not that they don’t WANT a single employee. It is that it is highly unlikely, in today’s profit driven world, that a single employer career is possible. As the former Circuit City workers.
Donohoe is either out of touch or genuinely despises his workforce. He speaks like a true Republican, who wants it all for his fat ass greedy self and fuck everybody else.
If the “climate” suggests that a 22 year old doesn’t expect retirement benefits, it’s because corporate America is doing all it can to wipe out career positions outside management circles. This is a blatant attempt to return to the late 1800’s Industrial Age, where workers are nothing but economic slaves, and if these companies could, they’d undo every single thing unions fought for in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. These demands were not the kind of equally corrupt crap some certain unions have become today. It was a fight for fair pay, reasonable working conditions and hours, job security, pensions and 40 hour weeks or overtime for those who worked past 40.
Plus, vacation time and weekends were awarded eventually. Industry found that when the common man had a little money to spend, they enjoyed the sales and profits. What so many industrialists fail to understand is that if workers don’t spend because they don’t have money, then the companies themselves fail.
Donahoe is a mean spirited creep who wants the USPS to fail. Brennan will be no better. At least the APWU speaks out. More than I can say for the NALC.
Republican??? The PO unions gave the dems and Obie tons of money and votes. What have they done for you? How are they better than the GOP? They are worse as they took your votes and millions and laugh at you going down into the sewer.
man, more than 4 millions retirement benefit, no wonder so many people willing to lick up for just want to get in mgmt. system.
How does one go from the Postmaster general to the union president??
Maybe Diamond was the only asked to comment on the topic before the story was listed?
Sour grapes to the postmaster and copper pinhead!
We need more like Dimondstein. Why didn’t Rolando come out against Donahoe’s parting shot. Oh that’s right Rolando is keeping quiet so he can have a seat at the table. Then kick us under it.
This guy has been a clown since he first took over the position of Post Master. Does this really surprise anybody??
Sounds like something this idiot would say!
For what this idiot did to the Postal Service
he should be in jail with no retirement!!
What would one expect? The idea of getting out of the FEHB has been floated and moving to a USPS Health Plan has been met favorably by some of the postal unions. The idea of a non-government retirement system and/or the modification of FERS is out there, now. Postal privatization is mandated by the trade agreements of the signatory countries and Germany and Britain are two countries that have gone private. Nixon set the stage for privatization with the elimination of the Postal Department and the USPS has been moving towards privatization ever since. The Republican majorities in the House and Senate and the Neo-liberal President Obama just might work out a compromise that will fully privatize the USPS in the next two years. This is a reality that is difficult to accept – but one that we might all be forced to accept.
Any postal union leader who thinks it’s a good idea to take postal employees out of FEHB and allow the incompetent management of the USPS to start a USPS only system and run it into the ground as they no doubt would do should be recalled and removed from their position.Are you listening,Rolando,Hagerty? And the Post Office Department becoming the Postal Service was a good thing and has been profitable and self sustaining despite mismanagement.
Typical. Why should we expect anything more from Donawhore!
What a nice guy
Screw you. Just leave already. I bet when he was 22 yrs old he was all for the benefits.
Guess who he might lobby for ? [R]
You can’t serve both God and money
I’ am with you all the way Donahoe if you leave your retirement package of $4 Million behind.
And Rolando remains silent!! WTF