USPS freezes PCES pay, seeks to do the same for Postmasters, EAS?
A message supposedly sent by League of Postmasters President Charley Mapa claims that postal executives have “given up” their annual pay raises, and that the USPS is seeking to re-open talks with the management associations with the aim of eliminating increases for Postmasters and EAS employees as well. According to the message, the management associations balked, and are considering legal action should the USPS pursue a pay freeze. The message is undated, but the “President’s message” it refers to was posted on the League web site on October 16:
Bill,
We have a commitment to some sort of confidentiality on this, therefore, I haven’t sent anything official out on it. If you had read my President’s message on the website, you would have seen that I talked about the rumors going around and pointed out that most of the time rumors are based on some sliver of fact.
Two weeks ago, the Assn Prezs met with Doug Tulino at HQ. He told us that the PCES emps had given up their Gen pay increases because of the horrible financial status of the Postal Service. He wanted to open pay talks again to discuss our giving up our increase. Following that meeting, I asked Naps and Napus to meet to decide our reactions. We met, predicated much of what we would do based on whether or not HQ could reopen pay talks. Naps’ attorney advised us that HQ could not; we each sent a letter to HQ telling them that they couldn’t open pay talks, however, we were as committed to help the Postal Service as anyone and we would at least listen to what they had to say. We met the following week. Most of the conversation centered around our letter. Tulino said that he didn’t agree with the letter and that he would get a response from Postal attorneys and that we might end up in court. We said “So be it”. We planned to meet the next week after talking to our boards. I had a telecon with our board that evening. To a person, they rejected giving up our general raises; Postmasters had worked too hard with the promise of that raise to ask them to give it up now. I met with Naps and Napus the next morning (last Friday) told them our board’s decision and that could feel free to share our decision with their boards. Naps met Sunday and rejected giving up the increase; Napus meets tonight (telecon) and I expect them to follow suit.
We meet again at HQ tomorrow. I expect HQ to have some sort of letter that disputes our letter and we will talk about going to court.
So, you’ve got a brief synopsis of what’s gone on. Please feel free to share as much of this as you like. Once Naps met on Sunday, pretty much the word was out and we heard from district personnel even weeks before, so someone in the Postal Service has not kept our secret. I will likely issue some sort of official statement tomorrow afternoon.
One thing that should be important to PMs and supervisors is that we are absolutely united in our efforts on this.
Thanks for your great leadership, Bill,
Charley Mapa
President
October 25th, 2008 12:39
Did the Postmater General suspend his 39% raise
October 25th, 2008 15:25
Before the USPS freezes our pay, every employee on a detail should be sent back to their job, cut all travel, cancel all relocation payments forever, it an employee really wants a promotion to another part of the country then they should pay for it theirselves and any relocation cost can be itemized on their tax return, any open position should be filled by the end of 2008 with local people, HQ, Area & Districts should be cut by 40% & combine sone Areas & Districts
October 26th, 2008 07:36
If this happens we will have only two goals we should go by. Deliver the mail and protect the finances. THAT IS IT!!!!!!!
October 26th, 2008 17:00
Dear PO’d,
Guess you guys could always DELIVER the mail. Then you might get a clue how to save money. Think outside the box. It shouldn’t be one rule or regulation for every route. That’s counter productive. In some cases it would actually save time and money to case DPS. What about money from accidents and sickness. Accidents occur when people are trying to work under extreme duress and stress. It’s one thing to come to work sick, and carry your route. It’s another to be expected to be perfect and fast enough to meet the time restraints placed by some supervisor who only has to sit in the office waiting for your return. If any of you ever actually carried the mail, you have forgotten. You definitely didn’t have to deal with DPS, and scanning MSP’s, Express’s by noon, Delivery and Signiture Conformations, Registereds, and not to mention postage due and COD’s. I once had a First Sergeant who had us release all E-4’s and below (basically the privates for you civilians) for the day. He then had us do their jobs that day. The next morning at NCO call we were able to identify all of the areas that required our attention. We knew how to do the jobs, but like everyone we forgot all that their jobs entailed. We only seemed to remember when everything had gone right. It would do for the postal Service well to recognize this and institute the same idea.
October 26th, 2008 22:27
Why don’t they just fire the worthless bastards?
October 27th, 2008 07:22
The raise we are to receive is for goals made this past year, which are already delayed, but will be paid out over the entire next year, and have already been committed. I do not know anyone that can do business that way: commit now’ don’t pay later!!??? We already have craft employees that get night pay, Sunday premium, overtime, and even without that, their salary is almost what mine is. Where is the incentive? I am told that the cap has been raised. Who cares?? I may not live long enough to ever get to the top of the pay scale. I need it now, not for family benefits after I am gone….. Not no, but HELL NO to this outrage!!!
October 27th, 2008 12:02
When the PMG and the DPMG give up their 40% raises, we’ll consider negotiating. When PCES Executives reduce their travel, and meetings, we’ll consider negotiating. When District Managers and PCES wannabees stop having Budget meetings at golf resorts, we’ll consider negotiating.
October 27th, 2008 12:05
Maybe the PMG should not have 1. converted PTF clerks to regular and 2. given craft employees COLAs on top of their 1.7-1.9% pay raises. Why should managers and Postmasters give up their pay increases after working 55-60 hours per week without any comp time. Get rid of the districts and there is about 400 million in savings there.
October 27th, 2008 12:07
why doesn’t the PMG ask the President for a bailout? Oh, maybe he should wait for the messiah Obama to become President.
October 28th, 2008 09:22
If NAPS even considers surrendering my increase i will be a former memeber. Potter gets 39%, we get another wave of VPs, the USPS gives the store away to the unions in the last contract and they want me to sacrifice? This is complete and total B.S. Lets see some sacrifice from the top what ever to happened to lead by example? My wife is a craft employee and she got more of a raise last year and probably will again this year than I did. Just the shear gall of anyone asking us to postpone or give back something we worked this damn hard for is appalling!!!!!!!
October 28th, 2008 10:44
Under the current system frontline managers and supervisors already do not get step increases, cola’s,contractual increases, and overtime. They are the people who manage the operational costs. They are the employees having the tough conversations with employees about hours reduction daily. It would be very stupid for HQ to ask the field to continue to care about the budget while all the people who report to them continue to get step increases/contract increases and cola’s.
October 28th, 2008 12:19
If they would just get rid of all the “Fat Cats” we wouldn’t have anything to worry about.
Get all the people out of all those made up jobs and stop nickel and diming the clerks & carriers.
Just how many managers are doing “other” work?
If you can’t do their job, then GET OUT!
October 28th, 2008 12:20
Correction: “IF you can’t do your job, then GET OUT!
October 28th, 2008 13:16
It’s disgusting. Why even be in Management at this point? There is no honor amongst thieves and this is nothing more than theft. When you treat middle and lower management like this you trample on any respect for this business and clearly you have no integrity. When they took our COLA and OT away it was the writing on the wall. Apparently if your in management your cost of living doesn’t rise. Apparently you don’t need to be compensated or have any right to improve your lot in life. Apparently, its okay to work us 60 – 70 hours a week and pay us for 40. PCES can rake in the obscene bonus’ and perks but apparently its okay to balance the budget on the backs of middle & lower Mgmt. They do it to us because they can. What happened to integrity? They negotiate a contract and then they go back on their commitments. Its amazing that they even think we would agree to this.
October 28th, 2008 20:58
My office just went from a 20 to a 22 and I will get no pay raise for that since I am in the office. (This is the second time this has happened to me) I worked my A@@ off this past year and have been promised a 15, and now I am going to get nothing??? Potter has promoted numerous VP’s this past year. Knock them back. Get rid of them. They do not do the work, WE DO. I left my office this past week at 8 PM, with NO PAY for it. It surely has to be illegal for them to do this. ( I am getting a VOE survey this quarter just wait until I fill that out)
They even have level 21 secretaries at Headquarters. How could a secretary possibly do half the work we do?
We have been loaded daily with more and more work and less and less help. NOW they are going to take our raises away? NO WAY !!!
October 29th, 2008 09:19
Let’s not forget the head of the Inspection Service spending over $300,000 last year in travel for himself. Just how do you spend $1,000 per day in travel almost every day of the year? And they want me to give up my NPA and freeze my wage? I have been in the PO for over 25 years. I have worked in procurement and have seen gold plated faucets and shower heads installed to the worthless blackberries that most execs don’t understand how to use, but look cool.
October 29th, 2008 14:05
NO NO NO We work too hard now with no thanks. No time to do what we have to do now.
October 30th, 2008 08:21
To Common sense (or lack of it), leave the politics out of it. If you guys couldn’t see months ago that we would not get a pay raise then you’re just ignorant of the fact that we have to pay the millions of dollars for the FSS machines that will take more carrier and clerk positions away. Northrop Grumman still have their employees servicing the machines because our ET’s don’t know how or haven’t been trained to do so. Not to mention that craft has received their $1700 – $1800 COLA’s with 6 more coming in their contracts and we get nothing. What are they going to do about that? Renegotiate?
October 30th, 2008 16:00
Let’s be honest….there are plenty of way’s to avoid non-payment of NPA’s or massive layoffs!
Front line management is scrutinized daily and are micro-micro-micro managed. Each and everyday they try diligently to implement the program or the mandate of the hour, to acheive the results that our PMG is proud of.
For the most part, we have employees craft and managment alike who come to work everyday and take great pride in what they do. And do a heck of a job, sometimes with very little resources with which to accomplish the task at hand.
What it will take, is for all of the leaders i.e. unions, Board of Govenors, NAPS, NAPUS, The League, and HQ to come together and excercise the skills that we have been taught our whole postal careers and actually brainstorm ideas and suggestions that we can present to the President that will help us overcome our adversities and challenges. For instance:
1. We could go to five day delivery, not accept any dated mailings for Monday, manage the workload with acceptable thresholds for delayed mail Mon-Fri. The transportation networks, the clerks and the working flow of the mail can remain unchanged.
2. Collect for the millions of dollars of political franked mail.
3. Repeal the ridiculous mandate for us to overfund CSRS.
4. Realign the plants and do away with tour 2 operations where feasible.
5. Combine/Consolidate small Post Offices.
6. At the risk of being cynical, put all of the cubile czars to work out in the field verses having them sit in their cubicles generating endless reports/mandates/deadlines/mandatory talks in order to justify their existence and cover their assets. In the old days we used to eat the elephant and everyone worked. I say do away with the elephants period.
The real problem with this organization is that is has been, and always will continue to be, an autocratic bureaucracy, that manages by theats, intimidation, and fear of reprisal.
One thing that we have in common with all of America whether you are a CEO, front line manager, or craft employee is the “I” syndrome. It’s all about me. We put on a good front, but when push comes to shove personal motives and agendas always take precedence!
Let’s take a novel approach and really implement the skills we all have.
October 30th, 2008 16:18
whine whine whine there is so much waste in postal management. they sit around all day waiting for 3:00 (time to go home) they should be on the street selling product. who runs a profitable business with so much waste. fair days pay for a fair days work now do some
October 30th, 2008 16:46
It took me over 7 years in an EAS position to get to the level of pay I received as a carrier (with overtime). I work harder now than I ever did as a carrier. Cut back on carrier pay 20%, clerk pay 30%, and mail handler pay by 40% and make them work. Most of the carriers in offices make as much as supervisors now.
The field does infinitely more today than they ever did in the past, with all the departments going to shared services.
The USPS is trying to drive more employees into retirement.
If EAS pays go down, the craft is sure to follow…
October 31st, 2008 10:17
We should still be able to get our expected increase and lump sum for FY 2008 as we earned it. But I can handle advance knowing of not getting one next year so I can deal with it. I worked hard for the money and it wasn’t easy and I didn’t just do it for me but the organization as well. I will continue to work to help the organization but will do no extras if no increase is expected.