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Should our USPS have greater say in its day to day operations ?

Should our USPS have greater automony

  • Total voters
    6
  • Poll closed .
E

earthworm

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Our United States Postal Service now has loses in the billions of dollars while our Congressmen apparently do nothing.
Its finally proposed that hundreds of outlets be closed in in order to save millions.
Welcome to the 21st century, USPS ! These post offices are a holdover from the 18th century and should have been closed decades ago ! But they have to (according to Newsmax) ask Congress....and what does Congress do ?
If I were running the USPS, I'd eliminate junk mail by charging the same rate as "first class". .
Mail itself is becoming obsolete.
 
It's a monument of ineptitude when one public institution has to get permission/information/advice from another public institution.

Like a moron consulting with a retard.
 
earthworm said:
Our United States Postal Service now has loses in the billions of dollars while our Congressmen apparently do nothing.
Its finally proposed that hundreds of outlets be closed in in order to save millions.
Welcome to the 21st century, USPS ! These post offices are a holdover from the 18th century and should have been closed decades ago ! But they have to (according to Newsmax) ask Congress....and what does Congress do ?
If I were running the USPS, I'd eliminate junk mail by charging the same rate as "first class". .
Mail itself is becoming obsolete.
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Also making FedEx, UPS, etc service lower profit areas like the USPS has to would also help even the playing field. I really like the concept of advertising mailers being upgraded to first class mail.
 
The post office has done fine for decades and decades...it was amazing how much mail they delivered with little problems years ago...christmas mail was phenomenal....just they fact that people got all those cards and packages....the post office ran into problems with the age of technology...there just isnt the mail volume there was period....paying bills online and email and cell phones that do it all...The post office ran in the black for decades...considering the magnatude of what they did...they did a great job
 
I wonder how many more good paying jobs this will cost us.
 
Polotick said:
Also making FedEx, UPS, etc service lower profit areas like the USPS has to would also help even the playing field. I really like the concept of advertising mailers being upgraded to first class mail.
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More government intervention. That'll fix everything! :rofl
 
The post office doesn't exist to be profitable. Official government and business communication is done by mail, and thus everyone needs to have access. When you essentially have fixed costs per route, its impossible to avoid taking losses when the overall volume of mail drops. At some point we may completely go electronic, but until that day we have no choice to but to keep the post office running, even at a loss.
 
Polotick said:
I wonder how many more good paying jobs this will cost us.
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If the government wasn't killing good paying jobs in the private sector, it wouldn't be an issue.
 
rathi said:
The post office doesn't exist to be profitable. Official government and business communication is done by mail, and thus everyone needs to have access. When you essentially have fixed costs per route, its impossible to avoid taking losses when the overall volume of mail drops. At some point we may completely go electronic, but until that day we have no choice to but to keep the post office running, even at a loss.
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It doesn't exist to be a bottomless money pit, either.
 
apdst said:
More government intervention. That'll fix everything! :rofl
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I would deeply appreciate it if you would stop responding to my posts. I find your tone offensive and your one-liners annoying.
 
rathi said:
The post office doesn't exist to be profitable. Official government and business communication is done by mail, and thus everyone needs to have access. When you essentially have fixed costs per route, its impossible to avoid taking losses when the overall volume of mail drops. At some point we may completely go electronic, but until that day we have no choice to but to keep the post office running, even at a loss.
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Exactly this isnt an inefficiency issue its basically a lack of business issue...I read mail is 20% of what it was at peak...so closing post offices makes sense..so does ending saturday deliveries....
 
I would be ok with the post office scaling back its mail service to a few times per week in less profitable areas. The most useful functions for something like the post office is in the "official mail" category, like college transcripts and what not. The purpose of the post office is to establish communications in all areas of the US. However, with modern innovations like the telephone system, other carriers, and the internet, this could be scaled back somewhat.

However, if a rural route (like where I live) did not get mail every day, but two or three times per week, I doubt people would be harmed (other communications are still possible). High priority stuff like medicine tends to go ups or fedex anyway. Plus you could service a larger area with the same number of carriers.

Also, a higher price should be charged for junk mail, perhaps wherever the most profitable point between supply and demand is.
 
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Most of the USPS problems come from a requirement that they prefund their pensions-something no other employers has to do. The USPS actually breaks even or makes money off of delivering mail It is having to write a 5 billion dollar check each year

the USPS has massive problems though. The Unions cause much of it. in any given district, 20-40% of the work force can be on some sort of modified duty-be it limited duty (work related injury or impairment) or light duty (non work related injury or impairment)

another problem is the wage scales. People can almost never find equivalent paying work outside the postal service. that causes issues too.

In 1991 GHWB signed a law that changed the nature of suits against the USPS by their employees on discrimination claims (which are rampant-most are bogus but many have at least some grounds of dispute). Prior to GHWB-any such suits-which had to first include an administrative investigation and final decision before bringing a suit in federal court-were tried before a district federal judge. Bush allowed (this was caused by a change in the laws governing "sovereign immunity") these matters to be heard by a jury which escalated the costs tremendously
 
TurtleDude said:
Most of the USPS problems come from a requirement that they prefund their pensions-something no other employers has to do. The USPS actually breaks even or makes money off of delivering mail It is having to write a 5 billion dollar check each year

the USPS has massive problems though. The Unions cause much of it. in any given district, 20-40% of the work force can be on some sort of modified duty-be it limited duty (work related injury or impairment) or light duty (non work related injury or impairment)

another problem is the wage scales. People can almost never find equivalent paying work outside the postal service. that causes issues too.

In 1991 GHWB signed a law that changed the nature of suits against the USPS by their employees on discrimination claims (which are rampant-most are bogus but many have at least some grounds of dispute). Prior to GHWB-any such suits-which had to first include an administrative investigation and final decision before bringing a suit in federal court-were tried before a district federal judge. Bush allowed (this was caused by a change in the laws governing "sovereign immunity") these matters to be heard by a jury which escalated the costs tremendously
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Here we go...of course its the workers fault...<eyeroll>
 
A lot of USPS employees are outrageously overpaid for what they do, not to mention their poor hours and service.
I know not everyone experiences this but they should scale back home delivery and expand P.O. Box service, leaving package delivery to Fed Ex and UPS.
 
Harry Guerrilla said:
A lot of USPS employees are outrageously overpaid for what they do, not to mention their poor hours and service.
I know not everyone experiences this but they should scale back home delivery and expand P.O. Box service, leaving package delivery to Fed Ex and UPS.
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Eliminating package service would only compound the issue. Fex Ex, etc do not service low profit areas.
 
Polotick said:
Eliminating package service would only compound the issue. Fex Ex, etc do not service low profit areas.
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They pretty much service everywhere.
If there are those remote, unserviced areas, USPS could pick up the slack but at home delivery is dumb and wasteful for common mail.
 
Harry Guerrilla said:
A lot of USPS employees are outrageously overpaid for what they do, not to mention their poor hours and service.
I know not everyone experiences this but they should scale back home delivery and expand P.O. Box service, leaving package delivery to Fed Ex and UPS.
Click to expand...

amazing...

Carriers Your mail carrier makes between $41,167 and $53,853 if he works full-time. Part-time carriers are paid an hourly rate between $20.58 and $21.49. Mail carriers also get additional compensation from overtime and night-shift different...

Thats outrageously overpaid ? for working in all kinds of weather...and delivering your mail in a timely fashion everyday....Harry just what do you think everyone should get paid ? I mean this is all getting beyond ridiculous...
 
lpast said:
amazing...

Carriers Your mail carrier makes between $41,167 and $53,853 if he works full-time. Part-time carriers are paid an hourly rate between $20.58 and $21.49. Mail carriers also get additional compensation from overtime and night-shift different...

Thats outrageously overpaid ? for working in all kinds of weather...and delivering your mail in a timely fashion everyday....Harry just what do you think everyone should get paid ? I mean this is all getting beyond ridiculous...
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Yes it is.
I would not pay letter carriers $20 an hour, it wouldn't even be offered.
$11-15 is a good starting point per hour.

The only mail that get delivered to me is junk mail, I use a P.O. Box.
 
lpast said:
amazing...

Carriers Your mail carrier makes between $41,167 and $53,853 if he works full-time. Part-time carriers are paid an hourly rate between $20.58 and $21.49. Mail carriers also get additional compensation from overtime and night-shift different...

Thats outrageously overpaid ? for working in all kinds of weather...and delivering your mail in a timely fashion everyday....Harry just what do you think everyone should get paid ? I mean this is all getting beyond ridiculous...
Click to expand...

several faults with your yappings

1) overtime. and your numbers are a bit low depending on the steps. and once you hit the EAS levels the pay really goes up but the average pay and benefit for unionized employees is 63K a year

2) what do comparable UPS/FEDEX workers make?


Post Office Pay Scales. The PS Full Time Annual Rates by Step and Grade.
 
Harry Guerrilla said:
Yes it is.
I would not pay letter carriers $20 an hour, it wouldn't even be offered.
$11-15 is a good starting point per hour.

The only mail that get delivered to me is junk mail, I use a P.O. Box.
Click to expand...


Im glad my attitude has changed...listening to some of you on this forum has assured I will vote democrat...your hating on labor and you intense desire to deny ALL working class a decent living I find appalling....listening to you and few others on here harry everyone is OVERPAID but of course you
 
lpast said:
Im glad my attitude has changed...listening to some of you on this forum has assured I will vote democrat...your hating on labor and you intense desire to deny ALL working class a decent living I find appalling....listening to you and few others on here harry everyone is OVERPAID but of course you
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What are you talking about?
There is no reason to pay them that much, that is really an above market wage for the "work" they do.

Yes I want to deny myself a decent living. :roll:
 
lpast said:
Im glad my attitude has changed...listening to some of you on this forum has assured I will vote democrat...your hating on labor and you intense desire to deny ALL working class a decent living I find appalling....listening to you and few others on here harry everyone is OVERPAID but of course you
Click to expand...


Harry no one can survive in NYC without living like a dog on 20 bucks an hour...you need to realize there are different areas of the country with hugely varying cost of livings....you may be able to survive like a human being in South Dakota...
 
lpast said:
Harry no one can survive in NYC without living like a dog on 20 bucks an hour...you need to realize there are different areas of the country with hugely varying cost of livings....you may be able to survive like a human being in South Dakota...
Click to expand...

Then adjust wages for the local area, but paying a flat rate all over the country is a bit ridiculous.
The starting wage for mail workers is much greater than the starting wage for production (factory) employees and cops in my area.

That's a bit screwed up.
 
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