NRLCA Statement on announcement of possible 5 day delivery

[Postaltexan]

NRLCA Statement on announcement of possible 5 day delivery

WASHINGTON, DC ---

In testimony before the Senate, Postmaster General Jack Potter announced that if the USPS is not able to readjust their payment toward the pre-funding of retiree health benefits, as mandated by the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006, the Postal Service would be forced to consider cutting delivery to 5 days per week during the summer months of June, July, and August. However, the universal service obligation and 6-day delivery are upheld by Congressional language within Appropriations legislation, so a reduction in service will require action taken by the House and Senate.

It is the NRLCA's priority to help the USPS get an adjustment to their retiree health benefit obligation. In working with both the House and Senate, our legislative staff is diligently lobbying to include an 8 year fix within stimulus packages. This would readjust the payment schedule and free up billions of dollars to replace revenue lost by decreasing mail volume, largely due to the current recession. The House currently has a bill introduced, H.R. 22.

The National Office encourages all Rural Letter Carriers to contact their Representatives and Senators to let them know you are opposed to a cut in mail service and/or moving toward 5-day delivery. In the 'Useful Links' section to the left, under the 'Governmental Affairs / PAC' tab, you can find information about contacting your Members of Congress.

Testimony and Video from the 1/28/09 Senate Hearing entitled "The Impact of the Economic Crisis on the U.S. Postal Service", can be found here.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact our Legislative Department.


http://www.nrlca.org/legislative_pac/legUpdate.cfm/legID/60

[Falcon57]

P.T. wrote:

It is the NRLCA's priority to help the USPS get an adjustment to their retiree health benefit obligation. In working with both the House and Senate, our legislative staff is diligently lobbying to include an 8 year fix within stimulus packages. This would readjust the payment schedule and free up billions of dollars to replace revenue lost by decreasing mail volume, largely due to the current recession. The House currently has a bill introduced, H.R. 22.
http://www.nrlca.org/legislative_pac/legUpdate.cfm/legID/60

Hmmm.... I wonder if this means that retirees will get the shaft in their benefits?  Nice going national board!

I'm personally all for the 5 day delivery...  I think it'd work out just fine.  It won't be temporary.... once they see how much they're saving, that 6th day will never return.

By the way, does anyone know the status of the Step 4 grievance of the 2008 mail count?  Wouldn't a 'real' union not even allow this upcoming count to happen without a resolution of the previous grievance?

[tired]

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN A REG?  OR" HOW LONG WAS YOU A SUB?

[DLB IN WV]

IF ANYONE THINKS THIS IS A GOOD IDEA THEY BETTER GET THEIR HEADS ON RIGHT, IF THEY GET AWAY WITH THIS IT IS JUST THE BEGINNING OF THE END OF THE POSTAL SERVICE AS WE HAVE KNOWN IT.  THIS OPEN'S THE DOOR FOR ALL CONTRACT DELIVERY WATCH AND SEE!!!

IF THE POSTAL SERVICE WANTS TO SAVE ITSELF THEY SHOULD HAVE STARTED WITH PAY FOR PREFORMANCE BONUS'S FOR ALL THE MANAGER'S AND SAVED A BILLION DOLLAR'S THERE AND INSTEAD OF A 40% PAY INCREASE FOR THE PM GENERAL AND HUGE RAISES FOR ALL OF THE HIGHER MANAGERS IT SHOULD HAVE SHELFED THEM, BUT AS USUAL ALL THAT MANAGEMENT THINKS ABOUT IS FATTENING THEMSELVES AT THE RISK OF ALL OUR JOBS. THIS IS JUST PAR FOR THE COURSE, BUSINESS AS USUAL FOR THE POST OFFICE, THE ONE'S THAT CARRY THE LOAD GET'S THEIR THROATS CUT AND MANAGEMENT JUST KEEP'S GETTING FATTER AND FATTER.

[DLB IN WV]

AS FOR KISS MY YOU SURE LIKE THE RAISES THAT THE NRLCA GET'S YOU WHILE RIDING ON THE BACK OF DUE'S PAYING MEMBER'S, I WOULDN'T EXPECT YOU THINK ABOUT YOUR SUB IN THIS, NO IT'S ALL ABOUT YOU!

[VAX]

    Its already been the end of the postal service as urban rural routes use to know it!!   Job stinks!

[DLB IN WV]

TO VAX: WE ALL HAVE TO CHANGE WITH THE TIMES,  I KNOW ITS NOT THE PLACE IT WAS TO WORK I'VE BEEN AT THIS JOB FOR ALMOST 25 YEARS, IT WAS A GREAT PLACE TO WORK BACK THAN AND IT STILL WAS TILL ABOUT 10 YEARS AGO THAN IT STARTED DOWNHILL FAST AND NOW IT'S LIKE A RUN AWAY TRAIN BUT WE CAN'T BLAME THAT ON THE UNION, WE LOST ALL OF THE MANAGER'S THAT RESPECTED THEIR CARRIER'S AND THE JOB THAT WE DID NOW ALL WE HAVE TO WORK FOR IS A BUNCH OF PEOPLE THAT HAVE NO IDEA HOW THE PO OPERATES OR HOW TO TREAT THEIR EMPLOYEE'S SO THEY WILL WANT TO DO A GOOD JOB. IT ALL COME'S DOWN TO THE DOLLAR MANAGEMENT WANT'S TO KEEP IT ALL FOR BONUS'S

[WestVirginia Carrier]

If its not our unions fault then why aren't the other unions doing more work for less pay?? A city carrier told me last week that a casual carries part of his route to keep him out of overtime during these low volume times.

[idontlikerocks]

i am in favor of this also.  we should have eliminated saturday delivery years ago.  i don't think that this will have much effect on revenue, but could reduce our costs significantly.   a financially viable post office will be to the benefit of all employees now and in our retirement years.  it is unfortunate that the unions will not see this clearly, instead they will pander to their membership to "write your congressman."

[gjtrisa]

Have you read any of the reports that are saying the nondelivery day will be Tuesday or Thursday?  The USPS has never said it would be Saturday.


-----Original Message-----
From: idontlikerocks (via Nabble) - No Reply <[hidden email]>
Subject: Re: NRLCA Statement on announcement of possible 5 day delivery

i am in favor of this also.  we should have eliminated saturday delivery years ago.  i don't think that this will have much effect on revenue, but could reduce our costs significantly.   a financially viable post office will be to the benefit of all employees now and in our retirement years.  it is unfortunate that the unions will not see this clearly, instead they will pander to their membership to "write your congressman."

---

Carnations mean admiration, Tulips mean love - what do Roses mean? Find out now!

[scrwd]

businesses will not allow the loss of a weekday if it happens it will be a saturday like in canada and we cant close on a day that ups and fedex run full service  its overdue  those of you who are against it how do you feel about usps "borrowing" against our retirement  do you want to lose a day now or your retirement later  

[Joerr2]

To any of you that think this 5 day deal is overdue or should be done, you have to be able to look past the tip of your own nose.  As a regular, and with the guarantees we currently have, the recession and the mail count will most likely effect me less than it might others.  RCA's, without your regular getting a day off, you will only get to work when the reg is sick or on vacation.  Do you expect the USPS to maintain working you on that 1 or 2 day a week you think you are guaranteed?  Look at an office that has 6 rural routes...  if we go to 5 day, effectively every route will be a "K" route, working 5 days per week.  That leaves no 6th day for you to work.  USPS would also like to cut employee strength and costs, so the next step for that office would be to keep the top 2 seniority subs, release the other 4, and put the 2 kept in as PTF positions, or more likely, keep one as a PTF.

Regulars, there goes your right to take your leave as you wish.  Without your own sub, you will have to schedule your leave as the City carriers do, by seniority!  That August trip you want to take before the kids go back to school.....sorry, the "Old Guy" had his bid in first!

I could live with the 5 day week if it happens, but I don't want it to happen.  I like my freedom, and I'm not going to give it up easily.  When I had to drop to a "J" route, I took LWOP every other Saturday so that I wouldn't lose that sub I spent sso much time training and working with.  It took money out of my pocket, yes, but he didn't quit, and leave me at the mercy of management.  keep in mind, that once they have reduced subs to a minimum, butchered us through another mailcount without mail, who's next?  That would be Regs with less than three years as career employee status.......

Right now, the anxiety level of our RCA's has got to be extreme.  We don't need to make it worse on them by not FIGHTING to keep them.  I will take what comes, because at this point I can... but I am not going to do it at the expense of a young struggling family that just wants to keep employed.  I fight not only for myself, but also for those that by being there, allow me the freedoms I currently enjoy.

[macattack33]

You make me want to cry!!  Wow, there is actually somebody out there that cares about us subs!  
THANK YOU!  THANK YOU!  THANK YOU!!

[idontlikerocks]

our country has become one that is filled with individuals who do not want to be responsible for their own actions.  this has either filtered up into our leadership ranks or filtered down from them, i am not sure which it is.   the nations student loan program has had problems for many years because those students  who have borrowed our money often decide to declare bankruptcy as soon as they finish their education.  to them it is simply a matter of starting with a "clean slate."  many families and individuals have borrowed large sums through credit cards in order to afford the lifestyles that they feel entitled to; computers and cell phones and big screen t.v.s and cable are all in great desire.  some of these people borrow from one card to pay another until their own personal ponzi scheme crashes;  then they will often declare bankrupcy and let the rest of us pay for their treasures.  our own government and many governments around the world have loaded up on trillions of dollars of debt so that their populaces can enjoy now what they cannot pay for now.  the U.S. government currently wants to borrow another 900 billion dollars to give to poorly run businesses whose demise was apparantly no fault of their own.  

the postal service is a business much the same as any other business.  we get money coming in and we have money going out.  most of the money going out goes to people.  right now and probably for years to come there is an imbalance between how much money is coming in and how much is going out.  it may be that it was nobodies fault that this information superhighway has and is having a great affect on our revenues.  if it is the fault of some individual or group i doubt that any and all of our finger-pointing will help change the path we are now upon.

what we need to do is take responsibility for our organization.  we need to take responsibility for this problem that we now face.  something has to be cut.  i am going to repeat this for emphasis,  something has to be cut.  it doesn't help that we have 4 unions which think it would just be hunky dorey if somebody else is cut but not them.  it doesn't help that we have carriers screaming that they might not have a sub when they want it.  it doesn't help that people whine "if they would just cut management...."  

most of the money the post office spends is spent on the people who work for it.  any solution that is put forward is going to have an affect on employees.  it is true that there will be subs who may have to find jobs elsewhere if we go to a five day delivery.  some regulars may find it more difficult to take a vacation when they want to.  the most responsible solution i believe is either A> we all take a pay cut or B> we eliminate saturday delivery.   unless, of course, we can find somebody to borrow the money from.....................

[misskristy]

I was a sub for 7 years,  I always worked 2 or 3 jobs. The last 4 years i worked nights as a janitor and work 2 to 3 days at the post office. I raised 3 kids by myself and bought a house.  We have 5 subs at our office  NOT 1 of them works a second job.....Now I have step kids who want to borrow 20,000....I Guess being a reguler i will go get the second job and let subs work ???   GET REAL I PUT IN MY TIME>

[guest]

The first thing I would do is eliminate all bonuses. None.
Businesses will look for other options if USPS doesn't deliver one workday out of the week. Think you're losing revenue now? Just wait if you cut a day businesses are open. And a lot of them are open on Saturdays now too.
What if Congress decides we must deliver mail 6 days a week, that we can't afford not to? Will Congress abolish USPS as its own entity and reabsorb us back into a government agency?
With so many people losing their jobs it wouldn't look so good to send the subs packing.
2010 is just around the corner and you'd better believe management will try everything possible to save money. It wouldn't surprise me if every union contract goes to arbitration. And you know how that works!

[guest]

"most of the money the post office spends is spent on the people who work for it"

As it should be...The USPS is a SERVICE, employees are the ones who provide the SERVICE.

And just so ya know...bankruptcy doesn't touch student loans!

[Matrix]

USPS should have never let UPS and FEDEX take away our parcel business. This thing has been coming for years. The businesses that are gonna make it are the ones who have stayed current with tecnology and who have looked to outside consulting sources to design, manage and oversee their business. USPS needs to get current with technology, tracking, etc. It is so outdated and now the inevitable is on the horizon. They are such bleeding deacons though that they refuse to acknowledge they dont know what they are doing. PRIDE comoth before the fall. The Post Office thinks that just because you can print your own postage, order stamps, etc thats enough. Yet look at the lines at your station. People waiting FOREVER to mail a package. They should have built dozens of small package facilities. Packages only, and or Personnel to go out and collect metered pre paid parcels.  The system is antiquated and until it is brought up to date it will inevitably fail. Thats how things work.........it just is.