A previous post, "
Is 5-Day Delivery Inevitable?", laid out a potential schedule for when the Postal Service could implement a switch to 5-day delivery. As the Postal Service's filing with the Postal Regulatory Commission is coming in the matter of weeks, this post takes a second look at likely implementation schedules for stakeholders to think about. This post lists four potential schedules:
- a fast track schedule;
- a standard track;
- a slow track due to longer PRC review than the USPS anticipates;
- a slow track due to longer time to get Congressional action.
Fast Track Schedule - assumes a short PRC review and Congress acting either just before the 2010 election or in the lame duck session.
- March, 2010 - The USPS files a service change request with the Postal Regulatory Commission.
- September 2010 - PRC issues report on the Postal Service's proposed changes
- October 2010 - November 2010 - Congress holds hearings on the Postal Service's proposal and the PRC report.
- December 2010 - Congress passes a law allowing the Postal Service to offer 5-day a week delivery.
- May 2011 or June 2011 - Implementation of 5 day a week service.
Standard Track Schedule - assumes an average time for the PRC review
- March, 2010 - The USPS files a service change request with the Postal Regulatory Commission.
- November 2010 - PRC issues report on the Postal Service's proposed changes
- December 2010 - Congress holds hearings on the Postal Service's proposal and the PRC report.
- December 2010 - Congress passes a law allowing the Postal Service to offer 5-day a week delivery.
- May 2011 or June 2011 - Implementation of 5 day a week service.
Slow Track Schedule due to longer PRC review - assumes that the PRC review takes longer than the review of station and branch closings
- March, 2010 - The USPS files a service change request with the Postal Regulatory Commission.
- March 2011 - PRC issues report on the Postal Service's proposed changes
- April 2011 - Congress holds hearings on the Postal Service's proposal and the PRC report.
- Between April and September 2011 - Congress passes a law allowing the Postal Service to offer 5-day a week delivery.
- Between September 2011 or February 2012 - Implementation of 5 day a week service.
Slow Track Schedule due to longer Congressional deliberations - assumes that Congress does not act before the end of any lame duck sessions in 2010.
- March, 2010 - The USPS files a service change request with the Postal Regulatory Commission.
- December 2010 - PRC issues report on the Postal Service's proposed changes
- February 2011 - Congress holds hearings on the Postal Service's proposal and the PRC report.
- Between March and September 2011 - Congress passes a law allowing the Postal Service to offer 5-day a week delivery.
- Between September 2011 or February 2012 - Implementation of 5 day a week service.
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28 comments:
Monday would be like the current Tuesday after a Monday holiday! On those Tuesdays, I work close to a 12 hour day if not more than 12 hours. The Tuesday after a Monday holiday in five day delivery would have me working a 15 to 16 hour day. Every Monday would be a 12 to 13 hour day for me! As a rural carrier, I am opposed to 5 day a week delivery and I really hope congress takes the side of the carriers and opposes 5 day a week delivery! Cutting service is not the way to save the postal service! It is a self inflicted wound!
Oh please, Monday would only be first clast mail cutting back 3rd class mail til Tuesdays and advo would be held til Wednesdays. Tuesday after a Monday holiday everything would be pushed back further. As a Carrier I am sick of working 30 years on Saturdays, missing out of family stuff or working 6 days a week. As for you working a 15 to 16 hour day all I can say is your slow pick up the pace, try taking your Dps to the street and work 2 bundles.
I am a full time USPS employee. Work a lot of overtime. Need more able body employees who can work. Too many POS who dont work and push's on those who do.
I would hate to see five day delivery occur. I think it would take the Postal service futher in debt. They would loose business on the non scheduled work day. A better solution would be to increase service. The Post Office could provide limited service on Sunday as a way of growing business. This is something that is not currently being offored. Building the bussiness is the answer, not reducing it.
They want to save money, yet they still implemented GPS in our trucks...not for anything useful other than to write us up if we idle 11 minutes instead of our 10 minute break...that IS the waste...the waste is having 2 supervisors sitting in my office on a Saturday, which is in a business park, and the window isnt even open..
Has anyone else noticed that UPS was working on Martin Luther King Day and President's Day? Saturday full day delvery is USPS's competitive edge. The entire Postal system is based on six day delivery. Five day delivery is not just "Saturdays off". If you want Saturdays off, take annual. If your office is fixed N/S days, change it to rotating next local negotiation. If you don't want to work six days a week, take your name off the OTDL. If you're being forced to work six days a week, grieve it. We all knew there was a six day service week when we were hired, we need to keep it to ensure our pensions are there for us when we retire.
This message is for Alan Robinson the writer of this blog. When are you going to write a blog or article on how to cut management positions ? It would not be a bad idea to research this subject..... I never see anyone write about what the real problem is. Too many management paychecks. I never see top management say we need to cut management positions. We see the top dogs saying they have exhausted all their efforts to cut costs ( definately not the truth), did you see last month UPS (a company with less employees) is cutting 1800 management jobs. I do not see the postal service cutting mangement jobs. When will we see management take a big hit ??? As long as potter is in the drivers seat we will probably never see this.
I am a rural carrier. The only savings on my route would be the 12 miles I travel 5 minutes personal, 5 minutes withdrawal and my dismounts otherwise the volume will still be there. It will be spread over 5 days instead of 6. Makes no sense. The PO's estimate of the savings is way off.
Steve C
When I first started reading Alan's blog, I thought "ok, another slash worker salary/benefits proponent". Since then, my attitude has changed to "neutral". In my opinion, Alan doesn't embrace either the pro-management or pro-union views. I don't agree with everything he writes, but I agree with some of it. I'm APWU, by the way.
Again this is amazing, the USPS would reduce service to save the business. OOPS they forgot the USPS is a service to the American People and service should be increased. These supposed managers are moving the services away from the post office and slowly parting it out, how about opening the window longer, providing better service, a complaint department that is postal workers and how about cutting the many protective layers of managers they have. These managers are a joke and all should be replaced. It appears their job is to disassemble the profitable areas and let the rest of the American People suffer the consequences. Let's get real and let's get someone that gives a dam about the American People. I sure hope congress puts a end to all of this.
Oh great, another "expert" commentary from someone who has never worked in any capacity for the USPS.
Guy is a consultant; the modern form of con artists.
The only folks that cry about going to 5 day delivery are the losers that want to work every day off they get !
IF and that is a big IF 5 day delivery happens, the "smaller" holidays will disappear. No more MLK, Presidents, or Columbus. A lot of banks already don't close on "small" holidays, and the PS will follow suit in order to keep business customers happy with 5 day delivery.
I've been a rural carrier for years, and this is at least 20 years over due. The only people that check there mailbox on a Saturday are those over 75 years of age with nothing else to do. Everybody else knows only junk or bills will be in the box, so why ruin their weekend. The majority of carriers work a lot of hours on Monday, and get off early the rest of the week. Learn to manage your time and spread the work out. This is a no brainer, thats why congress will probably screw it up and we'll end up delivering 7 days a week and twice on fridays.
"try taking your Dps to the street and work 2 bundles."
I made the first comment on here and here is what I have to say to the second comment!
I have one of the most dangerous rural routes in Texas! If you know where Southfork Ranch is, then you know where my route is! On the average Tuesday after a Monday holiday, I get close to 20 feet of flats, 5 feet of letters, and 9 or 10 trays of DPS. I am still using my own vehicle, too. DPS to the street is not only a safety issue for me, but also is NOT an option for me! I am not a slow carrier, either! I'm only 30 years old, but my route is very, very heavy. On an average Monday, I'll get 15 feet of flats, 3 to 4 feet of letters, and 8 trays of DPS letters. Since the supervisor doesn't come around and tell us what to cutback, I take everything per PO-603! I'm also a state delegate for my local! I've been delivering mail for a little over 4 years, but I know my job very well and I don't believe in cutting back mail! I don't see an incentive for me to cut back mail! I can't wait for those 12 hour days every Monday and the 15 to 16 hour days every Tuesday after a Monday holiday when/ if 5 day delivery is implemented! They aren't going to manage the workload any better at 5 days than they do now!
I also don't understand how all of our Post Offices have kept their level ratings??? If we have lost so much business and so many customers, tell me how a Level 21 can still be at the same Level 21 it was say 10 years ago. Seems to me the Postal Service needs to reevaluate and bring these offices down to the levels that they should be!! Look to see how much money they could cut there.
Please cut Saturday delivery so we will have Saturday and Sunday off with rest of the American public. Please do something before we all sit home. Long Live America.
Don't be morons! Its business 101. You have to have enough income/sales to support the work force/business! The Post Office doesn't have that anymore due to the electronic age. They're losing money every month. Think about it.... My kids who are the "new generation" use electronics for everything. We are in an "instant info" era. People 40 and over are really the only ones that use the mail for communication. What do you think will happen when that generation is dead and gone....? It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that out! Just wait until our children have their own kids in 15 years. Do you really think that they'll be using the Post Office for anything more than parcel delivery??!! The Post Office has to do what they think is in the best interest of keeping the Post Office around for another 20 plus years. They don't care about individuals. They're looking at the big picture in terms of some longevity.... if that's even possible... For all of you that still think that change isn't coming, you must still be using a rotary phone!
I can't speak for everyone or every office because obviously the same rules do not apply to everyone. Offices, according to these and other "comments" do as "they" please or either interpret the "rules" differently. My office? 41 rural and city routes..5 day would be hard physically on us, wouldn't be worth the damn day off. Been a carrier for almost 20 years and the Post Office has not one damn clue about "evenflow" of the mail...curtail? Used to , but numerous "management" changes change that every other year. Presently, we can't leave a damn thing. Take first class only on Monday? Bulk/Standard on Tuesday? Red Plum on Wednesday? You are obviously a city carrier and must "know" day to day what you will be receiving. I have NEVER found that to be true either. The savings will be miniscule to what they "say" they need and more job losses will occur. You really want Saturday off..(family my butt you all want a beer and football or some other "sports"), take annual, retire, or quit....
As a rural carrier I certainly don't favor the idea of working Tuesday after a Monday holiday if we went to five-day delivery! The USPS needs to start cutting from the top and stop being 'penny wise and pound foolish'! With the mantra of "every piece, every day" they spend more money paying supervisors mileage to bring out mail that comes after we leave, or even paying second trips - what on earth are they thinking?! I hope Congress sees these comments to realize that upper management is NOT being as fiscally responsible as they claim, and backs the crafts by retaining six-day delivery SERVICE to the American citizens!
I am a city carrier and have worked for the usps for 11 years and i have been in the rural craft and the clerk craft we would all like to be with our familys on saturdays but we know when we was hired we are a six day a week operation and saturdays off would just mean overtime on mondays. I agree with some of the others they need to start at the top we have people in managment that don't know their butt from a hole in the ground. all they worry about is whether their numbers look good and their reports are done on time they need to worry about CUSTOMER SERVICE. our customers is what makes us have a job in the first place.
This is in response to Anonymous: Potter and Friends really seem to want 5 day deliver to happen, they've been asking Congress for for a long time. Notice that they haven't given up even though the majority of congressmen keep rejecting it (the only reason the USPS needs congressional approval is because of the $100M they get from Congress for overseas ballots and mail for the blind; that's chump change compared what they project to save from dropping Saturdays, so if need be they'll gladly tell Congress, "no thanks!" and then be able to do as they wish).
Whether the $3B figure is correct or not, its absolutely what they're hanging their hat on, but I suspect that they have a few things to add to it. The workforce contracts are expiring next year; expect an increase in the number of years needed before immunity from layoffs, and some wording on increasing the use of TEs. Then look for a serious early out offer which will actually move some people. Finally, if needed, expect layoffs.
Also, Anonymous makes a good point: it's amazing that with the big drop in volume that a Level 21 office 10 years ago is still a Level 21 office. The only way that makes sense is by comparison to all other offices where volume has also dropped equally.
Finally, I agree with Anonymous. Workflow is poorly managed now, it'll be even worse with 5 days.
I hope that our Congressional representatives remember the way they have been treated by Potter and his minions. All of you who have been ignored in your requests for transparency in the entire AMP process must demand answers for their insolence when they are testifying in committee. Dozens of mail processing plants will have been shuttered, displacing thousands of workers and drastically affecting local economies in hardest-hit areas of our country. Yet this is going un-reported for the most part. Make them answer for the contempt they have for Congress and the flagrant way they play fast and loose with US Code.
it doesn't make any difference to me. I'm always sick on weekends anyway.
I have been a USPS craft employee for over 33 years. I support the 5 day workweek concept. 75% of the people in my office are divorced due in large part to the six day workweek. I raised 3 kids and missed all of their Saturday activities because of the six day workweek. It's time to get in sync with normal people. I'm retiring soon, to late for me. Let the younger Postal Workers have time to enjoy and appreciate their families.
Seriously all you carriers that don't want Saturdays off just want to milk the system for overtime. I have witnessed it happens for years with my husband being a rural carrier. City carrier you take way too much time to deliver you milk it to get the OT. Everyday I see a city carrier hiding his truck before going to check out!!!! It is either eliminate a day or elimate your job.....
We are all forgetting about one thing I jave been a PTF city carrier for four years now. I depend on the regulars day off to get my hours for the week if all of the regulars have the same day off not only myself but how many carriers are going to be out of jobs the country thinks the unemployment rate is high now what happens if we go to a 5 day work week how many PTF carriers arnt going to have jobs across the country I can only guess that it would be houndred of thousands. I can only hope and pray that we keep a 6day work week so I can provide for my family not to many people are talking about all of the jobs will be lost
The problem is management. They need to be more strategic. Carriers are physically being worn out. You can't work 10-15 hour days with no days off. Hiring more PTF's or TE's would be more cost effective and better for moral. But management hasn't a clue how to add. The 5 day delivery would ensure rest for carriers that have had their days off cancelled for the last 12 months because management won't allow anyone to be hired to replace those who have retired or quit. Good grief. It doesn't take someone with a very high IQ to figure the math up or to see the safety issues that surround offices with a worn out work force.
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