For well over a year, Postal employees and their unions realized that their jobs were at risk as the Postal Service's financial situation worsened. Recently the Postal Service proposed cutting 220,000 full time jobs in a major re-envisioning of the Postal Service. There is little that Postal Unions can do through lobbying Congress, the Postal Regulatory Commission or in negotiations with the Postal Service to stop that.
Just yesterday, the APWU repeated its support for H.R. 1351 allow the USPS to use the billions of dollars in pension overpayments to meet its financial obligations. As their post on the web notes, Representative Issa is blocking consideration of this bill in the Government Reform and Oversight Committee. Given the potential impact of H.R. 1351 on the budget, the prospect of a similar legislative bill getting the 60 vote necessary for passage in the Senate seem equally unlikely.
The prospects of stopping the Postal Servie's new network in Congress appears limited, as Congressman Dennis Ross has indicated support for the Postal Service's actions in an interview with the Government Executive. "The rightsizing and pension changes suggested are dramatic and are encouraging," he said. "I remain hopeful that any USPS transformation will serve as a model for other government agencies in how to adapt to the 21st century."
What is most telling in Congressman Ross's quote is how he wants the USPS transformation to "serve as a model for other government agencies in how to adapt to the 21st century." He looks at the Postal Service not as a quasi-government, quasi-business entity, but just another govenment entitiy.
The APWU and other unions are facing a fight for their existence, and more importantly a fight for the jobs of their members. This is a worthy fight and should be fought with vigor.
However, to win this fight Postal Unions have to realize that the battlefield has changed and they need to find a way to press the interests of their members in a venue outside of Washington. Continuing to fight for their members with the tools that they have will lead to little more than frustration as long as the Postal Service is controlled by Congress and cannot fully use the talents of its employees and its physical and intellectual property assets to serve Postal Service customers.
The problem facing the Postal Service is money. There is none coming from the Federal Government, and PAEA prevents the Postal Service from raising rates, on products that are now or will soon be costing more than the revenue that they generate, or to ensure that single-piece mail prices today generate sufficient revenue to cover not only the cost of delivering the mail today but also cover the Postal Service will need to provide severance and early retirement incentives to employees let go as single-piece mail volume declines.
Even though the Postal Service is still losing money, it is clear that a properly run Postal Service should be a profitable organization even as it pays wages competitive with what UPS and FedEx pay their employees and contractors. No other Postal adminstration in the developed world faces financial financila losses like the Postal Service even though they all are experiencing the same pressure from web and mobile communications competition. It is also clear that the Postal Service has significant assets locked up in excess real estate that could be used to provide the capital needed for major modernization efforts.
So where do the Unions fight?
They take their fight to Wall Street. The APWU should hire Goldman Sachs; the NALC, Morgan Stanley. It is time for the unions to put together a plan for joint private sector, employee-ownership of the Postal Service. It is only by taking this bold step that Postal Unions would take their fight onto a field that gives them an advantage and more importantly a real possibility that their members would find that in the next ten years they have more than just fewer jobs, lower pay, and fewer benefits to look forward to.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
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16 comments:
Congress needs a new plan. Stop the prefunding nonsense now!
Excellent posting Mr. Robinson. I would add the Postal Unions need to run a Marathon with their opponents already a mile down the road. The Postal Unions need to get together and energize & mobilize their "grass roots" level into a personal lobbying campaign. With members in every office in the Nation, combined with their friends, relatives, and retirees; there exist the capabilities to address Elected Representatives, and the media to educate (or reeducate) the general public about the required "prefundings" that no other entity is required to make. I am fearful that the National Levels of the Postal Unions are nothing more than over paid bureaucrats with double pensions who have no other vested interest than appearing with occasional sound bites to be doing something or caring, when they really only want to protect themselves and not upset Congress personally in that regard.
I hope I am wrong, but am fearful I am right!
Suggesting that employee organizations and other interested parties simply give in to Issa and Ross is poor advice.
This Blog's advice and grasp of the issues chronically falls short. The writer is entitled his viewpoint but his analysis is consistently flawed.
and mr. robinson thinks that a democratic controlled senate will vote to allow the postal service to renege on the "no layoff" contract they just signed a few months ago with the APWU? i think not. i would suggest donahoe and company try a little honesty in their actions. they did bargain in good faith right?
too many employees? huh? the post office is hiring new pse's like their is no tomorrow. i think what they mean is too many clerks on the old pay scale. if the mail handlers and carriers are smart their union officials should give no ground and go to arbitration in the latest contract talks.
I'm a clerk and can see the decline in volume. Today is Tuesday, and we hardly had any mail for the employees to work. We need to start with five day delivery. It makes the most sense.
Congress only sees a cash cow every year on sept30, 5.5 billion to steal every year to give to their own projects. I do agree we are over managed to the brink of destruction. But guess what the workers will have to leave before they do, that's the real problem with this organization. Believe me the PSE's are a blessing compared to the old workforce. we have 40 year employees, who don't do anything, but won't leave. They are working for nothing, except they are away from home. I say force all CSRS people out fast, or let them stay forever with a penalty they won't like!
"a properly run Postal Service should be a profitable organization even as it pays wages competitive with what UPS and FedEx pay their employees "...............WHAT??? Neither Issa or Ross are interested in paying Postal employees anywhere near what UPS pays is workers. That's why they want to break the contracts. Who ever the writer is, I guess he has bought their anti-union crap, hook, line and sinker without question............
Age discrimination all dressed up by the USPS.
Hiring PSEs and claiming they need to do a massive layoff.
I don't know any 40 year employees as anonymous states . . . but we certainly have many that are qualified to retire in 7-10 years.
It appears the USPS wishes to force them out so they have to take the penalty (less $$ USPS has to pay out). Its age discrimination!
With this economy who could afford such a cut in retirement. I hope all those that wish to stay, stand their ground and retire when they plan to retire.
I've worked for the Postal service for over 33 years. I was hired as a ptf clerk / carrier in 1978 and primarily carried mail until 1984 when I made regular and then carried my route for another 10 years. While carrying mail I was the local union president.
In 1994 I was promoted to supervisor customer service / delivery and have seen quite a change in not only mail volumes but employee personalities, all employees. There's no side of the argument free from blame for this mess. Management has no control over employees anymore since the shootings in the 80's. This has changed the workers mentality from I'm happy to have a job and good benefits to be happy I'm at work, just pay me. Management is not as top heavy as it may seem it's just more managers and Postmasters now are not coming from good workers. They're a buddy or someone who made their numbers in another office by exagerating figures. So there's no blameless people except the few who come to work daily and give a good days work for the pay. The answer in my opinion is to change from several unions to one that covers Postal employees not carriers or clerks, but in my opinion this would also do away with the union positions and every one is taking care of their own. Establish evaluated routes for city carriers and watch those same carriers working after 1700 go home at 1500 and in doing so lower the need for supervisors and managers in average to large offices. The reports and paperwork I do daily is primarily due to the city carrier craft. My office with evaluated city routes could run without my position saving over $70,000 just in my office alone. That's not counting the money saved by overtime and penalty overtime paid to carriers. I feel the powers at be are not serious about savings because the money is out there we're just too busy ensuring jobs that are not needed. Again just my opinion.
Thank you for that load of tea party bull.
The post office wants the no lay off clause out. So why aren't they laying the ones they can lay off. Example/ all TE's. Then there is and are plenty of employees with less than 6yrs. So what's up? There is a big cut right there. Hey everyone I am all for everyone and there jobs. But seniority has always been a factor. I resent the fact that someone could even say get rid of the older employees. I have worked hard my last 28 yrs at the post office. I was once a ptf. Worked hard then and now 28yrs later, I am still working hard for what I have worked for. Soon all the younger employees will have there 28yrs in like me. What will you be saying then.???? You will eating your own degrading statements. Good luck.
I have 30 yrs govt service, 26 postal and 4 USAF. I'm also an injured on duty employee and a disabled veteran. I would love to be working and worked hard when I was in the office. No one can complain about my performance. I know we're called "sick, lame and lazy" and unfortunately, there are quite a few out there who bilk the system, just like uninjured employees bilk the system. (I noticed quite a few who went back to full duty as soon as NRP started! Can you say FAKERS?) Do a REAL study and get rid of the ones that are falsifying and let the rest of us work. Wanna save money? Stop spending millions on NRP which was worthless and take a hard look at the "good ole' boy" system.
If you're going to force me out, at least give me the benefit of a letter that would let me go to another government agency like R.I.F.d employees get. They are ICTAP eligible which makes them non-competitive for the positions. I have lots of transferable skills. HELP me get off the rolls if you really want me gone!
@Dennis G: Well said, sir! I don't know why the top echelon won't listen to the rank and file and take our suggestions into consideration.
I do agree that the prefunding requirement. Should be waived , but even if that happens we still lose 3 BILLION dollars a year ! Where is that money going to come from ??? Be realistic people... The mail is never coming back and we are slowly going out of business.
Mail volume is down? I am sick and tired of hearing this comment..... BS! There never has been and never will be a shortage of 'junk mail' to be sent ever, and always will be there. As far as First Class and Periodicals you may have a point. Charge the junk mailers what is fair and not kickbacked charges, and the Post Office will thrive long into the future. Stop the Prefunding. Cut out the overpaid carrier babysitters who do nothing but read a menu on what to order for lunch. Let the carriers carry the operation like they have since the Pony Express, we are the post office, everyone else is dead weight.........
put undercover agents within all areas of post office to find out what they really do behide closed doors.lie, cheat, steal,falsified info from top to bottom of mgt.
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