The U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General intends to award a firm fixed price contract to a Supplier who possesses specific subject matter expertise in employee benefits. The purpose of this contract is to conduct benchmarking studies to compare the Postal service’s leave and paid holiday program to leave programs offered by major private sector companies.
The Postal Service offers its employees a leave program similar to what other federal entities offer their employees and observe the same number of federal holidays as these entities. Annual leave, sick leave and paid holidays procedures are also outlined in the collective bargaining agreements. It costs the Postal Service $5 billion annually to provide paid time off for its employees. This analysis will inform the Postal Service whether there is an opportunity to reduce leave costs.
Our objective is to identify opportunities for the Postal Service to reduce its leave benefits costs. Based on research and analysis results, the supplier will also produce a report with findings and recommendations that will show how the Postal Service could benefit by adopting the identified best practices to reduce the costs associated with the leave program. The USPS OIG intends to use these results and other information in an audit report showing the results of this and other efforts.
source: Federal Business Opportunities
Project Title: Leave Benefits and Paid Holidays
Agency: United States Postal Service OIG
Cut Back On Expensive Administrative Salaries And Lavish Spending First.How Much Is The IG Yearly Salary ?
Bill
I am with holding comment until the report is finalized. The results may surprise if the study is done properly. The problem with any OIG report is that they are ignored by all entities that matter, namely Congress and the idiotic BOG with their toady Donahoe.
When I started in 68 wages sucked, the only way they could get anyone to work was the benefits. Wages now are decent but benefits suck compared to most county and state jobs. obama’s great recession has dropped wages and benefits for the private sector (sorry, you fools voted for him) and now he wants your benefits. Once he has yours the rest of fed govt will fall. He is your boy, you wanted him, just receiving what you asked for.
The OIG’s mission is to root out waste, fraud and abuse. The first thing they should do in that vein is eliminate their own dept. because they don’t add any value to the organization. They go rooting around,looking for some non-existent problem, then stir up some non-existent controversy, just so they can justify their jobs. It’s pathetic nonsense and a false, bogus problem they are cooking up. If paid leave is such a problem(it’s not), USPS s/b ordering a study, not OIG. Since when did OIG become the HR Dept of the Postal Service? Way overstepping their authority – trying to shape policy and benefits for the Postal Service and undercut collective bargaining. Nothing but a group of shit stirrers, looking for a mission to justify their jobs. Management rejects many of their recommendations out of hand because most of these OIG types are outsider who don’t have a clue about the bargaining history or how the P.O. really operates. These guys are off the reservation. Congress needs to sit on them – this one is pathetic and clearly anti-union. Wages and benefits are supposed to be negotiated in collective bargaining. If Rolando and Guffey were smart, they should file a law suit claiming OIG is interferring in collective bargaining. I don’t remember OIG being given a seat at the bargaining table or a signatory to the Agreement last time I checked. They s/b out there catching thieves, and those taking kickbacks or embezzlers. I have no problem w/ that. Not this “lets attack the benefits” crap. Where do they get off on pulling this?
“get real says:
Perhaps they should look at EAS….try getting in touch with any DISTRICT employee after NOON ON FRIDAYS…just ain’t going to happen…..they show up, drink coffee, shoot the sh-t, then bug out for the weekend…….”
I’m a clerk that works at a District Office. This is so true.
Let’s start my cutting the IG’s Leave program. And then the Exec’s leave program. LEAD BY EXAMPLE.
This is the new management philosophy : less is more, and you should be grateful for anything at all. The cues were there all along. First they screwed over the EAS. Took away their COLA unilaterally because they could years ago. Took away convention leave from Postmasters altogether. The POST Plan has turned them into glorified station managers – they have no real autonomy and are micromanaged to death by higher ups who make them do dozens of tracking reports so they can play “gothcha”. Tony Vegliante reduced the amount of annual leave employees earned after so many years a couple of years ago. Why is this new effort a surprise?
It’s all done under an elaborate ruse – hire an “expert” HR consultant to study the situation and recommend what the client wanted all along. The “benchmarking” study is a fancy way of saying we are going to i.d. stingy practices in the private sector and then hold it up as the new, “fair” yardstick to justify reduced leave benefits. It also gives Elephant Plaza cover – hey guys, this is what the experts told us/ recommended. Hey, this is what they do in the private sector, so it can’t be wrong. We are just identifying “opportunities” as they say above. Opportunities to screw you some more, out of paid leave. “You don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows.” Just another assault on employee benefits, all gussied up in happy talk and probably reams of data.
They want a workforce with no sick days,vacation when mgt. wants U to take it,no retirement pension,no health plan.WAIT,WAIT THEY HAVE IT AND THEY CALL IT CCA(CITY CARRIER ASSOC.).NOW THEY WANT TO DO IT WITH ALL THE P.O.WE R LIKE THE TITANIC THE CAPTAIN and his CREW R JUST STARING INTO SPACE AS THE P.O. SINKS!
privatization 100%, problems solved.
OK, so far they are taking away the health benefits, regular full time work schedules, the pensions, the holidays, and the leave program. They are also cutting pay. It’s not hard to figure out who is the “major private sector companies” they want to emulate; It’s WalMart.
” when bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall, one by one”
Edmund Burke
Perhaps they should look at EAS….try getting in touch with any DISTRICT employee after NOON ON FRIDAYS…just ain’t going to happen…..they show up, drink coffee, shoot the sh-t, then bug out for the weekend…….
What a real fuck story this is going to turn out to be.
What? back tomorrow from another of many recesses before ending the year with the see you next year recess? Boy must be nice.
note: Another PG employees video.
This is crazy – the post office just wants to get rid of all the benefits, health insurance, leave coverage, and then go private and hire new workers and pay them little with no benefits – I have 14 months till a full FERS retirement, what are the odds I’ll make it and my benefits will still be there, no very good! So is the PO going to offer anything to get rid of us old timers? And why waste the money on a study – they know exactly what they are doing next!
USPS/Congross to do list coming soon
Shift Health care cost more on the backs of employees.
Redo Retirement system shifting cost more on the backs of the employees
Redo leave benefits to a bare bones all leave without pay type program
Shift over to a do more with less, where we pay less and give less type model.
Wages? LOL!
Layoff clause GONE!
kick the public to a 5 day curb service only.
Use new model to layoff hundreds of thousands,hopefully old timer employees.
Put up new hire signs, opportunities for all, no English needed.
Just give me the same benefits that Congress gets. How about that?
WTF? This ain’t WalSucks? Lets purpose an study of 6 weeks after 20 years, 7 weeks after 25 years, cap-off at 8 weeks after 30 years.
And a purpose reduce/end to The Office Where Idiots Gather, AKA OIG.
Start with Congress. They’re always on leave and costing our country too much for so little work done.
The postal service employees are the only employees in the federal sector that does not have locality pay. Give us a break. Look elsewhere
Why have a report done, we all know what it will say. No AL or SL or health benefits or paid holidays off EXCEPT for PCES AND EAS. Have a disposable unprofessional workforce with a high turnover ratio that work long enough to keep the bonuses coming in. Wake up Postal Workers, get involved, know the facts and fight for your livelihood because with the stroke of a pen it could all disapear