How to save the USPS?

[Brown Feather]

I am a 30 year veteran of the USPS, currently a Letter Carrier and before that a Mailhandler and clerk.

I have done every job in the Postal Service from the time you give me a piece of mail to what happens to it and every process it goes through until another Carrier delivers it on the other end.

Their are many misconceptions and good ideas I have seen here on this site but nobody really has a grasp of what is going on and why.

I would like to help more people understand because that is the only way to make changes to a system that for ever has been left to police itself.

I would love to answer any questions and hear what you have to say about saving our beloved Postal Service.

[elleng]

1. Tell us the misconceptions and good ideas you've seen here, please.

Welcome to DU.

[Brown Feather]

11. The biggest misconception is

People think the USPS and PMG are under the control of Congress or the president, we are not because we are only a Quasi government agency. Congress does not have control of our purse strings and the president does not appoint the PMG, Board of Governors does! We fund ourselves by the stamp, not the taxpayers.

People have raised ideas how they think universal mail delivery must be accomplished! It all leads back to even if they do not know it, capacity!!

We shut down 60% of our mail processing plants! USPS has no money to replace the machines they destroyed and building's they got rid of!

This is where the conversation needs to start! This where we need to find a solution for the most critical problem, them move forward!

[elleng]

17. Thanks.

The Board of Governors was (mostly) appointed by trump (I think,) and they selected dejoy, a 'friend' of trumps, so there was (and still is) a lot of trump influence there, I think.

When you say 'WE shut down 60% of our mail processing plants,' that was due to dejoy's orders, right?

As to $, you need $ back from the huge grab taken from you by a law.

How Congress Manufactured a Postal Crisis — And How to Fix it
An unprecedented congressional mandate threatens the Postal Service's ability to continue to provide good jobs and universal service.

'In 2006, Congress passed a law that imposed extraordinary costs on the U.S. Postal Service. The Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act (PAEA) required the USPS to create a $72 billion fund to pay for the cost of its post-retirement health care costs, 75 years into the future. This burden applies to no other federal agency or private corporation.

If the costs of this retiree health care mandate were removed from the USPS financial statements, the Post Office would have reported operating profits in each of the last six years. This extraordinary mandate created a financial “crisis” that has been used to justify harmful service cuts and even calls for postal privatization. Additional cuts in service and privatization would be devastating for millions of postal workers and customers.'

https://ips-dc.org/how-congress-manufactured-a-postal-crisis-and-how-to-fix-it/

[Brown Feather]

22. Don't bust on me!!!

Went through those plant closers under PMG Donahoe!! Right in the middle of the Obama administration, Donahoe had the power to tell President Obama and the United States congressto go fuck themselves he did!!. I fought this out in my 1st posting here! I gave the facts on Congress and that the President does not control the PMG and USPS!

If you do not believe me then look at all the plant closers from 2012 forward! I am pissed at what happened to my beloved Postal Service! I also got gutted like a fish when those fucking monsters decided what was best for us and the Postal Service!!

[jimfields33]

2. Can we at least get rid of Saturday delivery?

I believe it would help morale that workers would get a regular weekend instead of a day Sunday then another midweek.

Plus, raise the prices. 50 cents to send a letter across the country? Crazy.

Get rid of junk mail. Seems 90 percent is all it is. I go to the mailbox about twice a week at most.

Keep the retirement program. I know republicans want to keep it paid for by current workers. The only thing I’ll say is that pensions are rare. Keep them no matter what.

[moose65]

3. Actually....

It costs 55 cents to send a letter.

Many postal service workers are career employees and they do work Monday through Friday already. The workers who aren’t guaranteed 40 hours are the ones who work 6 days.

The bulk rate for so-called junk mail needs to go up, as do some rates for shipping packages.

[jimfields33]

5. Obviously it's been awhile since I bought a stamp. Lol.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

6. No, don't get rid of Saturday delivery.

Lots and lots of jobs involve working weekends and holidays. Unless you think we should also close all stores, emergency rooms, and police stations so those good people can also get a weekend off.

It's not as though they didn't understand there would be Saturday shifts when they took the job. Plus, with the two days off, the mail would pile up enormously over those two days, making Mondays even worse than they probably already are.

[Kingofalldems]

7. It would cut jobs. No.

The rest of your post is also way off.

[newdayneeded]

21. No offense

But that's kinda what it would take to save it. Cut Saturday deliveries. my mail gets to my house around 1 pm on Saturday, most banks are closed by that time anyway. I think Saturday delivery is a carry over from the past. Yes, maybe jobs will be cut, but that's how these things work out. Of course reversing funding the pension fund for so many years out needs to stop as a first step.

I guess I shouldn't really talk, I virtually have zero need for mail. I do everything online, haven't bought a stamp in over 4 years.

[Brown Feather]

16. I am an old timer!

Hell yes, get rid of Saturday delivery!! Problem is most of my Saturdays put Monday to shame!! Saturday and Monday mail combined on Monday!??🤣🤣 Fucking give me Xanax please!

Would love to have Saturday, Sunday as apposed to SUN/ ROT! MONDAY!! Would be total hell, not joking!

[mjvpi]

4. Thanks for you perspective!

Three changes that would make the most difference to the inside workings of USPS?

Getting rid of the ridiculous pension requirements looks like one to me.
Make USPS the first example of all electric vehicles.
Legislate a requirement that the postmaster general be selected from USPS employees.

Those are my totally non qualified, but political junky segestions.

[Brown Feather]

23. You want to slaughter my pension?

[mjvpi]

47. No, no. I'm a prud supporter of unions and good benefits.

What I was talking about was a Congressional mandate that USPS have 70 years of benefits banked for each employee. Something that no other corporation is required to do.

Moreover, I was really looking for your ideas. I obviously don’t know exactly what I’m talking about and waned to learn something from someone who knows.

[moose65]

24. It's not pension requirements

It’s retiree healthcare costs. The 2006 law made them pay $5 billion a year for 10 years for retiree healthcare costs. They stopped paying that 5 billion in 2012, I think.

[Brown Feather]

26. It was a contract year!!

The Postal Service jumped on that fucking deal because they could tell the arbiters that they were broke and couldn't give us a raise😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭! We still got a raise, fuck them! I hate those bastards worse then people I have fought against!

[Kingofalldems]

8. I notice no mention of Trump henchman DeJoy.

Firing him and investigation of delay of mail would be a start.

Oh yeah, I worked there for 35 years.

[Brown Feather]

35. He needs to go!!!

Some of what he did was a good thing for us carriers, no shit! It fucked the clerks and Mailhandlers. Being a carriers now I was happy with him holding mail back.

It put the clerks and Mailhandlers in a bind but very much allowed us to get to our routes on time.

This is a huge discussion and would love to have with you because I see all 3 sides, Carrier, Clerk and Mailhandler! Don't get upset for my view as a Carrier now. I would have a different view as a clerk or Mailhandler but as a Carrier his actions made my job much easier!
.

[Kingofalldems]

37. You mean like intentionally delaying ballots?

[Brown Feather]

44. I forgot to add

We shut down so many processing plants that mail for 10's of millions of people or more were going into 1 processing plant daily,. Was at the Pontiac Metroplex, want to talk about a shithow? I got the cigars if you got the Jack!??

[Brown Feather]

38. Also to add to my reply below

It was primarily a 1 day delay of pre sort flats and DPS if the fucking plant couldn't run the letters. The way before was everything was fucked up and they just dumped it in our lap and said fix it while their hair was on fire!

If the plant can't sort the mail they just dump a big pile of shit in our lap that we have to manually sort!

Does it make any difference if you are on my route and you don't get your mail or heart medicine because it is on the dock at a certain plant or they fucked me so bad I will never get to your house that day because I spent to much time in the office trying to unfuck the shit they sent me and ran out of time??

[FSogol]

9. Here's mine

1. Get rid of their pre-funding retirement requirement. No other business or govt agency has to do that.
2. Fire the entire board and put a new board in place.
3. New Postmaster General
4. Affirm that they are a govt service, not a business.
5. Hire more workers.
6. Stop selling postal properties. Why pay rent in a shopping center when you own buildings.

[Kingofalldems]

12. Excellent.

[Brown Feather]

29. Good points!

How many carriers should we hire?
Also you know we are not funded by Congress, correct?
Most all postal properties are rented.

Tell me how you would staff the carriers, clerks and Mailhandlers? How do we staff the DBCS's, the mule driver's, forklift operators? How do you staff a carrier office that has call ins and 80 hrs of routes to cover!!

Do you understand how many times we just cut entire routes!? We leave everything from junk mail to heart medication because nobody to case, breakdown or deliver the mail!

Now please enlighten me after 30 years of service in all crafts that I just don't understand and you will explain.

[KentuckyWoman]

10. Why won't raise the postage help?

I'm not talking a lot. Maybe not boxes since Fed Ex and UPS they need to compete. But why is it $0.55 for me to mail a letter but mass junk mailers pay a fraction of that?

Also, the US government. We want to oversee and control what they do but we don't want taxpayers to pay any it. That makes no sense. Either fully fund or get out of their business? Which do you think is better?

[FSogol]

13. They're not a business. They're a govt service. The price is low so anyone can afford to use it.

Raising bulk mail prices will mean less bulk mail and less money.

[msongs]

18. (bulk junk) usps is the world's biggest trash management system nt

[KentuckyWoman]

19. If there is no taxpayer money in it, then they aren't a government service

I'd rather see us add taxpayer money to make them a government service. We'll keep the user fees low for individuals. At that point we can raise the user fees on bulk mail.

At the moment they are treated like a business but expected to behave like a government service. That isn't working.

[Brown Feather]

27. Junk mail Is the winner!

Nobody wants their shit but it pays the bills!! I get junk mail for apartments and house that haven't existed in 30 plus years!?

One big action that would lift the weight off the entire Postal Service would be to require every 3rd class mailer to purchase an up to date Postal roster of all routes!!

Listen my friends, this is really big!! The time saved is incalculable for this one action!

[MineralMan]

14. Because I am administering an estate and trust,

I have been sending a lot of overnight material. Sadly, the USPS takes two days, and charges $26.00 to do that. So, I'm using FedEx overnight, guaranteed by Noon. Everything gets there on time, and it costs less. A lot depends on reliable, on-time delivery sometimes. I used to use USPS Express mail, but no longer. I simply can't. Priority Mail is even worse. I had one Priority Mail package that took 10 days to arrive at its destination. That is simply ridiculous.

I have always supported the USPS, and still use it for ordinary mail, which now takes at least one day longer to arrive than before Trump was in office. I am hopeful that things will return to normal and Express mail is actually an overnight service. I don't mind if ordinary mail takes a day longer all that much. I do mind about Express Mail. "1 to 2 days" is not overnight delivery.

I want the USPS to return to being our most reliable mail delivery system. It is not that at this time.

[Brown Feather]

30. I made a point about us destroying our processing capabilities

See what I am saying!? This just pisses me off!!

[msongs]

15. I pay full freight for shipping while heavily discounted amazon boxes clog the system nt

[mjvpi]

48. YYYEEEESSSS. We subsidize Amazon

Amazon is now bringing delivery in house. In two years, they will be doing UPS style shipping services that will seriously effect all the other competitors

[meadowlander]

20. Recognise that it is a public good, not a business

and fund it as such.

The USPS exists to correct a market failure (the non-profitability of providing mail and parcel delivery to remote addresses while people who live at those addresses still need to be able to receive deliveries of medicine, etc.). As such, the expectation that it is going to be a money-maker or even that it will consistently break even, sets the USPS up to fail.

Where I suspect it's going is either full automation (e.g. drones deliver your mail at some point becomes more cost-effective) or some kind of crowd-sourced Uber Eats style option where full-time union employees are replaced with last mile gig workers.

[moose65]

25. Yes!

It needs to be framed that way. No one ever says that fire departments lose money or police departments lose money. That would be ridiculous.

Public services don’t make money - they COST money.

[Brown Feather]

32. The postsl service is capable of making

Money while doing a service! The problem we have is and I have seen this over and over again! Person X can't tie their own shoes or wipe their own ass! The Postal Service can't fire them so they make them a supervisor to get their fingers out of the soup!!

That person is then telling me how to do my job and I have 30 years experience and they have 6 months to a year!!??

We need to fire the shit out of management and employees! Don't see that happening so unless something else radical happens you are stuck with what you got!

[Kingofalldems]

33. As an NALC member I find your post appalling.

NALC--National Association of Letter Carriers

[Brown Feather]

39. I am a member🤣🤣🤣

What do you find appalling? The fact that I told the truth as it is on on ground as a carrier or tied in the clerks and Mailhandler side as well??

[Kingofalldems]

40. You can't fire people because you don't like them.

Has to be for cause. And again the first paragraph is baloney.

[Brown Feather]

43. I said nothing about liking them!! Some I actually adore!

Congress can totally reorganize the Postal Service. The people in charge from top to bottom have to go!!

[Kingofalldems]

36. First paragraph is baloney.

Worked there 35 yrs. and never saw any such thing.

[Brown Feather]

42. Let's see?

I worked at the Kalamazoo P&DC, Saginaw P&DC, The METROPLEX P&DC IN Pontiac and now am a carrier in the East Side of Saginaw!

Could it be possibly you only know your own little world of the USPS or are not a member at all? In 3 P&DC''S, 3 ANNEXES and a carrier station you are the only person who would disagree!😘

[Brown Feather]

31. You sent a warm chill up my leg!

Nothing personal!! You are correct in your idea because if someone fucks with your bank account it is a felony! I if They fuck with your USPS bank account it is the same as taking mail out of your mailbox, not your box, Uncle Sam's Box!! 😉😉

[MyNameGoesHere]

34. Be bold like FDR

Try overstepping authority and take it to the courts. Desperate times call for bold moves.
Fire the whole fucking board and that idiot, do a government takeover. National emergency.

[crickets]

41. This thread topic is a great idea, Brown Feather.

My only thoughts for input have been covered by others, but I am learning a lot from reading along. Thanks for starting this, and for passing on some much needed information from an insider's perspective.

[Brown Feather]

45. WOW!!

Thank you so much! You really warmed my heart today and I am very grateful for that.

[Demovictory9]

46. kick

[SmartVoter22]

49. Buy special edition stamps and start writing letters

and print some home made cards on your computers & tablets.
Send some original ideas to friends and family.
Hell, why not spend a few bucks, every week, and do something special?

Everyone likes getting mail, from friends and family.

And this helps the kid's learn to write, create graphic arts and let those they care about....that they care about them

to do this, we must support the USPS, and those carriers are just like you.
They send letters to family and friends.

I bought some 50th Anniversary Moon Landing stamps, the JFK stamps and Woodstock 50th Anniversary stamp with first day of issue envelope for my sister in law...because she & my brother went to Woodstock! It's one of her prized possessions now.

Check out the new stamps here:
19th Amendment- Women's Right to Vote is new
Two new Important Person stamps
A cool brush rabbit
Scooby Doo
Earth Day
Alabama (state, not the band)
HipHop
Little Mo ( for the really old tennis players)
and Love....all 55¢ Forever stamps

https://store.usps.com/store/results/forever-55-cents/_/N-911mei?_requestid=714361