The clerks and mailhandlers are paying for the problems in the Postal
Service. One reason for the problems the Postal Service is in is poor management. You have supervisors and management that do not know what they are doing and have no interaction with employees except to berate them. In fact they also are very good at harassing employees. The Postal Servie is trying to force the senior employees to retire by given them the worst hours on the night tour. If the Postal Service wants the seniors to retire offer them an incentive not an early out. They can add 5 years to their retirement and many employees will go. Postal Service has nothing to loose won't have to pay for health insurance, night differencial sunday premium, sick leave annual leave and holiday pay. Employees can't leave with the ecconomy as it is now. They couldn't get a part time job to help during their retirement. Look into management and the bonuses and high salaries and the million dollar homes and brand new government vehicles that are spent on each year and also the the 4 star hotels they stay in when they go to a different state for meetings

I work in a office where we are short on clerks and have been for some time and there is a contractual custodian who puts around flat tubs, puts mail in the holes for carriers, scan and throws parcels and the list goes on and on. On top of this the office is filthy. With all of this going on the post office is still complaining about being in a deficit. If they stop doing stupid s _ _ _ like this maybe we might have a chance.

supervisors are very abusive, they lie and do not have respect for their employees. additionally, they take advantage of their authority. what bothers me the most is that they can work only four hours and get paid for eight. thats one of the reasons why we are going down, down, down.

Is anywhere else other than just "Cincnnati" working their PTF's 4 hours or less and that's it???

I left the Postal Service 10 years ago and went back to College. Two degrees later it was/is the best decision I've ever made. I could see the handwriting on the wall; email was taking off, and management was putting all their faith into automation. I remember the 'ol 6 and 2 warning, but they didn't figure there wasn't going to be enough mail to guarantee that!
And the union workers slow down when the volume drops off to get their guaranteed 8. Then 3996's would fly for a half foot over reference volume, yikes.
I hope all you guys and gals trying to hang on till you can retire make it...Peace

I've been a PTF for three years now. For three years I've watched carriers bleed the post office for everything that they can. Now volume is dropping drastically and all they do is go slower and slower to get their 8hrs in. John Potter makes next to nothing compared to a CEO of a private corporation that does the volume of buisness in retail, and has such a large workforce and vehicle force that the post office does. Get some integity and stop whining. If there is 6 hours worth of work, do it in 6 hours and not 8. At least that way I could still count on the post office being a viable job for me and all the other people who believe in an honest days work for years to come.

I am a RCA(Rural Carrier Associate) in Virginia, and I am facing a decline in hours worked. Our Offices have a combined 36 Rural Routes, one Aux Route, and 10 City Routes. Majority of the Rural Routes were K-Routes at the time of my hire in '05. As my position as a subsitute, when I was hired, I was guaranteed one day a week on a K-Route. K-Route are routes whose carrier is off one day during the week, every week. Well we just ended our National Mail Count on 3/14/09, and our offices lost big! We had K-Routes drop to J-Routes, (J-Route Carriers=1 day off every other week), and J-Routes drop to H-Routes (H-Routes=6 days a week, no day off). Now there are only 16 K-Routes in both offices combined. This doesn't really hurt the Regular carriers, as they lose money, but not their jobs, but it adversely affects us subs. I have been in my position for almost 4 years, waiting for someone to relieve their post so i can obtain my own Route as a Career employee. The saddest part of the delimma is, i'm 3rd in line for my own Rural route, but with the recent turn of events, I am facing that my guranteed one working day will be abolished! At our offices, we have about 12-15 subs, so you can image how the ones under me will be affected. Only hope I have is in our Union, but let's see how far I get with that!

In 2 weeks USPS kicks a money making restaurant out of the DC post office. They're giving that space to Smithsonian RENT FREE. Half a million in rent given up so we can look at stamps instead of have jobs.

I have been a casual for about 2 years now and since I been here its been so many rumors I mean we are all human and the econ is mess up all we can do is pray and keep going on about are day some one come up to me evert day and aske me hey have they said any thing about letting u casuals go all I say is hey if they let us go every thing happen for a reason maybe its somethin out there btter for me I mean when I first came in my time was from 8am to 5 15pm and now since they shut the 2nd shift down I come in at 4pm to 1 15am I mean its hard but that's they only way I can pay my bills and I'm only 19 years old ....I'VE SEEN A LOT OFF MY FRIEND GO A LOT OF CASUALS BUT ALL WE CAN DO IS PRAY ...

I read the comment on retirements , and want to put forth
lets say a hypothetical situation:

a. Small Office, with 2 routes one auxillary
b. enter a hire, orignally hired after 2 year hiring freeze
and told he would not get many hours, decides to go for unemployment
but then due to series of unfortunate events for co workers
he ends up with more hours, first becoming a PTF, than
working up to FTR
c. Series of changes , Old Post master retires,
new PM comes aboard
d. Carrier works for another 6 years, but mangement
style is changed from non comfrontational , orignally
told he is asset to PO, but with new mangement
constantly harrassed , until relations between labor
and managment becomes stressed
e. New mangement makes decisions not on common sense
but more on perception of threats and itimidations
d. Now comes the retirement issue, of 2 retirements
of fellow carriers, for a 2 route, one aux office
e. Injury of fellow remaining carrier, tying up
office, for owcp matters.
f. Due to district numbers, upper management makes
decision of now no hire, leaving carrier as only
carrier for 20 hours of routes a day.
g. eventually allowed one day off for consultation with union
on situation, allowed 10 minutes to fax situation
and eventually gets a hire approved.
h. no new listing results in more months on duty without
help
i. use of duel casual hired, and no time off for carrier
because of duels responsibilty to other office.
j. finally gets help in office with hire of one ptf
but duel casual falls at home and is no longer in office working.
k. both ptf and carrier have weddings, by this time another
ptf hired but limited hours, told can not attend weddings
due to staffing shortage.
l. New casual allowed after fight about weddings
m. Confrontations continue with management about
removal of injured carrier, training of ptf's,
resulting in removal of casual.
n. FTR carrier dies after removal of casual.
o. mangement carrys mail day of funeral even
with 2 ptr in office, refuses to lower flag in honor
of carrier, offers to help with insurnace matters to widow.
p. investigation on behalf of union by postal inspection office
overtime hours of last month reported only, told he was
adequately staffed, and not much rougher than most post offices.
PM is reported to feel as a friend of carrier.
question: is this scenario likely in event of sudden retirments
and no hiring policy to handled finacial situation in mangement
of Postal office and cut backs?
And is management held responsible for carrier becoming only
carrier with 2 routes and one aux?
o. eventually route adjustments are made and now small office
is cut back , 3 routes magically become 2, and thus
nessitating only hire of 2 ptf's, and not 3rd.
p. does the scenario play out on a larger field in bigger
offices with forced layoffs and early retirements and no hiring.
q. questions abound, the carrier widow is told he is not
member of his own union, postal inevestigation is false,
about hours and routes, and policy has been enforced,
protection of managment resulted.
r. responsibillty of reality verses management in the
twilight zone, falls to whom in this situation,
the postal inspectors office for not investigating properly,
so it results are in unions favor for hiring on retirement,
or on union for admitting no calls made from small office,
or on mangement for notice of retirements, and no hire?
s. this senseless case is actually reality not twilight zone.
t. this matter of lay offs, retirements, is complicated
in our day and age of financial insanity, but at what cost
mangement saved how much money from lack of hire,
'and of course carrier did not retire, he expired.
u. I agree with the statement about upper management
is where cut backs need to take place, small offices
do not need to be understaffed, but staffed at a normal ratio
in order to help small towns survive.
It is only the lack of common sense that has died.

Seriously, the US Postal Service should start firing the abusive Supervisors in the San Diego. One Supervisor from Tour 1 has been brought to court for harassment of a female employee. The complainant was awarded $1 Million together with 3 of her co-workers. She sued the female MDO and this abusive Supervisor. What is amazing is that they are still employed by the Post Office. With the economic crisis and fear of massive lay-offs left and right, shouldn't the Post Office think twice and fire these people. You guys will be suprised how many complaints were filed against them at the union office and EEO. Please Mr. Postmaster General, look at this case and fire them.

How could unemployment rate drop, if lay off is continuously going? The “market” has fallen and with this, many companies around the country are starting to collapse, which results to lay off employees. We aren't out of the woods yet, but we have the tools to get us there. On the other hand, the payday loans that are about to be made to the nation from the stimulus package, there is more good news on the horizon. Retail sales have stopped falling, and in fact, retail spending has risen. I think so many layoffs and the drop in economic activity had more to do with consumer panic, than anything. This is good news for the economy.

There are so many solutions, that are so simple. Allot of which are common sense. Closing Saturdays since that is also the lowest days of revenue, and the elimination of paying employees. Make all routes managed routes, like with the rural carriers. That would give more incentive for all carriers to get the job done. Go to 4 - 10's, with it being straight pay, only overtime after 10hrs. And that will save the T-6 positions. Have one postmaster for every 3 to 4 offices, pending on the size of the offices and consolidating smaller offices into 1 location. Downsize the number of supervisors to the minimal amount and have a floating supervisor to cover several offices when someone calls in sick etc. With giving more responsibility to supervisors and postmasters, you will find that only the more competent are up for the challenge.
The unions need to work more with management in eliminating the walk and talk in the offices and see that everyone is earning there pay, how many carriers do you know that work maybe 6 hrs total and "milk" it up too 8 to 10 hrs. Don't get me wrong, I have survived on overtime for the entire 14 yrs here at the postal service. But I also know that I can't go anywhere else without a degree (or maybe even with a degree) and make $25.00 hr. The real world out there beyond the postal service is hard, and we have it very easy, so I would rather give of myself too keep my job, then go out into that other job market. We all may need to understand that overtime is a privilege, and we need to learn to live within our means. At least we would still have a paycheck.
One last thing is the process to remove the slackers in the postal service needs too be easier.

Now here this all dvd casuals strap up the ax is finally coming down hope you are one of the 14 good luck

i would gladly take a reasonable paycut until things got stable again.
but the po needs to hold a lot of these carriers, sup, and so called managers. i see carriers everyday falsifying there 96's and asking for more time to finish their routes than they actually need. i see waste, fraud and abuse in my post office everyday. too many supervisors, and they're letting carriers become 204b's (trng sup) while another carrier gets paid overtime to do the 204b's route everyday. it's sickening how they pick their supervisors and managers, they really don't know much and they're not helpful at all. management "is" the problem and has alway been the problem no doubt.

I worked for the Post Office for over 20 years. If you think that approved fmla for a chronic condition is safe, think again. I have fmla approval for a chronic condition and for my childs condition,since birth. Postal management went out of their way to target me. Not only that, they altered my clock rings in order to take away overtime that I had worked. This is fraud. The postmaster,in a state capital admitted in e-mails that this is "stealing, plain and simple." I still have never been compensated for this. Management targeted the clock rings of women over the age of 40. Management, and the postmaster, managed to generate ,falsly,a way to fire me. The management responsible for fraudulently altering clock rings still have their jobs. Wow

after 38 yrs. and having my route re-adjusted to managements whims without route evaluations in at least 20 years or since DPS when i decided to start driving again and have had my route changed more times then some supervisors have years on the job!!!!

where does the s___t stop ???

how about starting with the brass with all their vacation homes and can't get us toilet paper or paper towels !!!!!!!!

This strikes me as a total battle of lobbyists. Whether the postal service has to lay people off depends on government funding and regulations, and government funding & regulations depend on how money money big mail donates to the people in power. Business as usual in Washington.

I know this is a format for regular and career workers but is there any concern for casuals that pick up most of the slack and looked upon for most of the grunt work what is our future like in the p.o. I need an answer not a rumor

1st of all, I would like to know how much money John Potter and those immediately under him make. Maybe a pay-cut should be in place for certain areas. Not that I believe employees shouldn't be entitled to fair compensation for the amount of work they do.
2nd Cutting out Saturday delivery only temporarily solves the Postal Services money issues, WHILE creating more problems for the U.S. Government. By cutting out Saturday delivery you would be laying off thousands of workers that would be entitled to unemployment benefits. Our economy is already struggling, do you think more jobless people is really going to help our situation.
3rd Hold people accountable for getting their job done. I am an RCA in a small office with only four rural routes. We have two PTF's and a Postmaster. We all manage to get our jobs done in a timely fashion without many problems.(with exception to the occasional hair-brained rules, that never work but you have to follow.) However, the same can not be said about all offices. For example, on one particular Saturday we received a second delivery of mail to our office from the Distribution facility. On this second truck was one Postcom containing the outgoing mail that had been sent from our office the evening before. (all of which had been properly tagged) This is where money is being wasted, sending people out to do a job that wasn't necessary or should have already been done by someone else. Our distribution facility is also sending out express mail after our carriers have left on their routes, making it necessary to pay someone else to go out to deliver them. Make the mail-handlers, clerks, and carriers accountable in being able to complete their tasks in a timely, efficient, and correct manner.
4th if rural routes have an evaluated time, so should city routes. I have seen and heard of city carriers taking their time just to make more money. An evaluated system for city routes could help save money. All routes, city and rural need a better evaluation system than the ones presently used.
5th Management is not all to blame. Sure there are some people in management that are useless. Some management jobs should be cut. Supervisor positions should be reduced, there are no need to have as many supervisors as some offices do. Postmasters, however, are often under-appreciated. Their jobs are often difficult, trying to keep peace between their employees is hard enough. Many postmasters do more than one task in their office, often they are found running the retail window, breaking down and sorting the mail, and counting stocks and cash drawers. Also, a postmaster's pay is based on a performance evaluation, which factors in revenue, sick leave and annual leave used within the office, grievances and a number of other factors. Most Postmasters work really hard and deserve every bit of the pay they receive.
6th A better evaluation is needed for the amount of EMA carriers receive. Now it is based on a quarterly evaluation. Most complaints I hear is how when gas prices go down we are making too much. That is not true though, you also have to think of how long it took us to get those raises after gas prices rose. EMA should be evaluated monthly in order to make carriers happier as well as making an attempt to save some money.
7th If everyone would quit complaining about their job and do it to their best ability, more work could be done in the same amount of time. I can not begin to tell you how many times I have seen a person complain for 5minutes or longer about rule changes or about the work in general. If they would just get to work and stop wasting their time and do the work the Postal Service would become more efficient.

If the post office were to eliminate Saturday delivery, they would have to do route adjustments. Can you get your route done in 8 hours every day during a week that there is a holiday? No. They would do away with T-6's, but they would surely have to create new routes.
As far as not being able to work your SDO... Too bad! get a part time job somewhere else if you don't enjoy having a day off to spend with your family!

My wife is new (less than 1 year) with the Postal Service. She has trained as a clerk in addition to dispatching the mail. She is a PTF (Part-Time Flexible. She schedule can put her starting work as early as four a.m. and working for stwo to four hours, being sent home and haveing to show up again in the afternoon for another two hours. She is able to be worked anywhere from two to eight hours in a twelve hour period, is guaranteed only 12 hours a week and has only Sunday off. For a part time job, the wages are good, but the job is already taking its toll on her health.

I've been carrying mail for 30 years. I have 2 years to go. The management is horrible. I know i'm getting old, but I deserve to be treated with respect. I'm a middle aged woman and the 30 year olds that run the office hate older women. They don't like hearing me talk. I got a letter for mis-deliveing a piece of mail. They are supposed to give me a chance to correct my error. PDI one day next day letter. I had quadruple bypass in August and I never got one minute of aux help even after a holiday. I work trough my lunch most day cause of the bad weather. I can not afford to get fired. I have 2 years to go. They treat me like sh+*. People are so mean to the older worker. I'm not as fast as I was when I was 24, but for goodness sake, I'm not 84!! I can only hope they get old someday. When my Dad was dying, I had used my vacation time to go back and forth to the hospital and help my Mom. When he died my boss denied me bereavment until he was forced to by the union to let me use sick. He wasted alot of resources because it is in our contract we can use sick leave for a parent's death. 3 days. I hate him I think he is unfit and he should be lay off. He wastes so much money it is a sin.