The USPS responds to the story floating around about postal workers using taxpayers money to gamble. The website “In the Capital” which ran the story from the Washington Examiner’s made the following correction:
Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this article incorrectly implied that the irresponsible spending of the USPS was on the taxpayers dime. The Postal Service is not funded by tax payers, but rather by revenues from postal sales. We apologize for the previously incorrect information.
In the comments section of the story is a response from a USPS public relations representative states:
The U.S. Postal Service takes all allegations of misconduct very seriously. Claims are thoroughly investigated and action is taken to ensure compliance with Postal Service policies as well as applicable federal and state laws.
The more than 500,000 men and women working for the Postal Service are hard-working, responsible and exceptional employees. The allegations regarding the individuals referenced in the Examiner article do not fairly represent the Postal Service nor the actions of its employees.
The Postal Service is in the process of implementing more stringent controls including enhanced monitoring, oversight and approval requirements to ensure compliance.
The Postal Service does not receive tax dollars for operating expenses. Revenue is generated solely from the sale of Postal Service products and services.
It should be noted that the personal credit card charges referred to in the article are the obligations of the employees and not paid by the Postal Service.
It is inaccurate to report that Postal employees spent thousands of taxpayer dollars using their credit cards.
Thank you,
Toni DeLancey
Corporate Communications
US Postal Service
see story: Politics News: US Postal Workers Used Tax Payer Money to Gamble and Shop | InTheCapital.
Very well said postal/navy veteran.
Allow ME to “set the record straight” on the postal subterfuge vis-a-vis postal “employees”. This story reminds me of the continued war on unions. Each and every person cited in the story being referenced were MANAGEMENT personnel. And while yes, postal management are employed by the USPS, the phrase “postal employees using taxpayer money to gamble” implies that rank and file union members are to be cast in the same lot. They are NOT.
This is along the same disingenuous line that postal labor accounts for 80% of the budget, when postal management salaries not only are included in that 80% figure; they make up the lion’s share of the wages paid. But in the Republican vernacular that “unions are destroying the postal service”, facts like that don’t fit the narrative.
It may seem like splitting hairs to some, but these repeated attacks on labor seek to undermine just how valuable our union workers are in protecting the sanctity of the public’s mail service. It is a critical point that intentionally gets misrepresented and lost in the debate. If the public really thinks their private valuables will be completely safe handled by a potential future army of minimum wage postal workers, it will be because stories like these are allowed to run unchallenged. As Paul Harvey used to say, now you know the rest of the story.
Susie is correct!! The USPS has always been the CASH COW for Congress!!! The Healthcare fund now has 50 BILLION DOLLARS in it and if Congress hadn’t “cooked the books” we would be in good shape! The DOD is in worse shape than we are, but you don’t hear about anyone going after them!!
Jimmie
Give me a break! The postal service has been bailing out Congress for years. The phony baloney prefunding bs goes right into the treasury budget.
Yeah, and if my grandmother had, well you know, she would be my grandfather. Most of us prefer to deal in reality rather than Chicken Little sky-is-falling myths put out by politicians with an agenda to fool the gullible rubes. Try a taste of reality for a change – you might like it.
give me a break!!! if and when the PO recieves a bail out from congress, isnt that taxpayers $$$$$