VOLUNTARY EARLY RETIREMENT
The Postal Service has released additional details on the voluntary early retirement (VER) offer recently authorized by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) for USPS employees in clerk, mail handler, supervisor of distribution operations, and supervisor of customer services positions.
The offer is open to employees in positions that meet the OPM conditions and who are at least 50 years of age with 20 years of creditable federal service or any age with 25 years of creditable federal service.
VER Group 1 includes clerks, mail handlers and initial level supervisors of mail processing and customer service. The group has 72,000 eligible employees. The application deadline was Sept. 30. USPS has approved the applications of 3,685 employees, whose retirement date is Dec. 31, 2008.
VER Group 2 includes headquarters and headquarters-related employees, as well as rural and letters carriers. This group has 67,000 eligible employees. The applications deadline was Nov. 21. USPS has approved the applications of 4,049 employees, and their retirement date is Feb. 28, 2009.
Finally, VER Group 3 consists of field EAS and Postmasters — 17,000 eligible employees. The application deadline for this group is Feb. 9, 2009. Their retirement date is March 31, 2009.
Source: USPS
Things are going so badly now, that all I need them to do is let me go. If I could get my retirement started now, I would take the reduced amount, and get the hell out.
Welcome to Pottersville, Its A Wonderful Life. Why don’t you offer Fers employees incentive to leave. We cant touch our thrift, without penality, because most of us are under the age of 56, we cant get a Social Security supplement for the same reason. You are offering us 1000 a month average. Lets do some deductions, tax, health care, surviveship bennifits, that should leave us with a total of 350 to 400 a month to pay bills and live on, wait thats this year, with expected rise in health care cost next year might be 250-300 a month, wait what about the following year 150-200, lets look 5 years down the line, oh I get it we will be paying the Postal service 200 a month to cover health care, total five years from now -200. Of course we all can refiance our homes with CountryWide and since we work for you, Mr. Potter, perhaps we can get some points shaved off the loan, you would put in the good word for us won’t you? P.S.: Have u ever told Senate, Congress or the American People while it is true that mail volume is decreasing, more then a great part of our upcoming 6 billion dollar loss is equipment purchases, DPS Flat Sorters and service contracts.
INCENTIVES – NO WAY USPS is driving those eligible retirement out the door. Senior clerks are reassigned to evening and night shifts after their job are eliminated. New employees are hired off the street and given window jobs with no bidding required. Senior carriers have their routes over extended with each route inspection. Unassigned regular junior carriers are used as clerks. After years of service, senior employees are now finding ourselves working longer hours on the street, less desirable hours inside andh no appreciation for our years of service. The only incentive we are offered is an open door. VERA
Why VERA ?…..Job abolishments, Tour changes, Frustrated supervisors, Increasing numbers of Light and Limited employees unable to perform the job but assigned to the unit. Union officals whose primary interst is the next convention or affair they are attending, Safety first now means Machinery first. and Managemnt who tell employees their ONLY concern should be if their paycheck is correct. What price do you place on peace of mind ?
postalbenefitguy:
The information that you gave about the FERS Suppliment is incorrect. If you take the VERA before you have reached your Minimum Retirement Age which is between 55 & 57 you won`t receive the suppliment until you have reached that age. In your example you say that someone who takes the VERA and is 54 years old would miss out on 8 years of checks is 100% wrong. If that persons MRA is age 56 they will receive the suppliment at age 56 and it will end at 62 when they are eligible to apply for SSI, so they aren`t missing out on anything its just that you cannot receive the suppliment until you have reached your minimum retirement age. Hope this clears thing up for you and anyone else who is misinformed.
The USPS has hinted about layoffs. Before any incentives are offered they will probably layoff any career employee with less than the six years required for protection. With these route inspections you will have a great number of unassigned regulars. We have 4 unassigned regs in my office. Thanks COR!
“Common sense says”
But we are talking about the Post Office… so doesn’t that throw Common Sense out the window?
If the scenario you describe above happens… please don’t be standing in front of the door when it’s time for me to leave!!!
The USPS is in need of dropping 30000+ more employees. Common sense says that there will be another offer, but with some incentives. With so many people in debt or having lost money in the market, the USPS will need to make the incentives substantial, maybe half a year’s pay and 3-4 years of seniority added to your credit. If they do that then they’ll get some takers.
Someone would have to be out of their mind to take a VER and be penalized for it. I’ve worked too long (31 years) to have to take a penalty to leave. If the PO wants me to go… make it worth my while and I am out the door. Otherwise I will be here for another 2 ½ more years!!!
all of you letter carriers that have 50 plus years please retire so i can become a regular it sux being a sub for 2 plus years
Group 1 + Group 2 = 139,000
Total Group 1 + Group 2 that accepted the VER = 7,734
That’s about 5.6%
Wasn’t the stated goal something like 40,000 or 60,000?
Isn’t the current total of all USPS employee’s between 700,000 and 800,000?
If so, then the 7,734 so far would be around 1% of the total work force.
Hummmmm, is this the same David Rash that used to carry mail in Arvada Colorado?????
Hey, cOnFuSeD,
Do your math, they only have a few months like the rest of the employees
hey te that means temporary employee not career part time or full time position. low pay short time . that is why they need to eliminate positions. so they can bring in people who make ten dollars less an hour and no benefits.
Group 1 and 2 get 3 months to get there act together but group 3 gets a year. How does that work?
I hope one of the approved Group 2 letter carriers was from a Post Office where I had an interview today!