League President weighs in on Sylvester Black
TweetSubject: Syl Black/ Clem Felchle
Dear Leaguers,
This is likely to be a hot topic tomorrow, so here it is today. This afternoon, I attended a monthly meeting between Pat Donahoe and the management associations. I appreciate these meetings because we get up to date info on what is happening in the Postal Service and then we get an opportunity to present Pat With burning issues for managers in the field. Because of the nasty situation in so many post offices, I had a larger number of issues than normal. Before I got a chance to present any issues, Ted Keating from Naps dropped a bombshell in the form of a letter from Naps calling for immediate removal of Western Area VP Syl Black and Dakotas District Manager Clem Felchle. Apparently, both managers made remarks in telecons last week as follows:
“Some managers ought to be taken out and executed.”
It seems that at least one of these men was recorded making this statement.
I have taken the issue, as have Dale and Ted, of the abusive and threatening tone of so many district managers and MPOOs in some district across the country, to Postal Headquarters.
This time it will be hard to ignore.
Charley Mapa
President
National League of Postmasters
February 12th, 2009 19:11
finally. hopefully they listen
February 12th, 2009 21:53
Here we now have all three management associations speaking with one voice that the status quo of organizational bullying of employees in the Postal Service must come to end. Broken promises, new initiatives, and the suspension of these initiatives have become an ongoing toxic game by top ranking postal officials, a ploy to temporarily appease rather than a genuine attempt to address the real problem, the organizational culture of the Postal Service.
It’s time for the USPS to shift from a paramilitary, authoritarian organization to one that is participative and respectful of its employees. Not beginning next week, but beginning right now. The postal management associations and union organizations have and continually strive to make this a reality, but it also takes a grass root effort to make it happen. Make sure your voice is heard in a coherent and peaceful manner. Be respectful to all employees, no matter what position or level in the organization, and work together to turn this ship in a new direction.
Now is the time more than ever to contact your U.S. Senators and Congressional representatives informing them of your concerns and the toxic workplace environments that top-ranking management officials in the USPS is creating for postal employees at all levels of the organization.
February 12th, 2009 22:03
You want action, only way will be get the attention of the governors of the Postal Service. And someone told me that last week one of the governors talked about stress, like senior management was sensitive to these issues.
Right. Time for the governors to clean whole top of house.
February 12th, 2009 22:19
Respectively, in response to Tom’s comment:
One of the primary action needed is to abolish the Board of Governors (BOG). The BOG is one of the central reason the postal service’s culture has “hardened” (i.e, become so autocratic, and paramilitary) over the last 20-30, especially in the last several years. In order for the radical change to occur, there must be drastic and strategic action, and the elimination of the BOG is the first step.
No matter what action the BOG takes or does not take regarding the AVP action in the Western area, the truth is John Potter and Pat Donahoe have done exactly what the BOG has expected of them. Further, there is no indication whatsoever that they have done their bidding with any reluctance.
February 13th, 2009 02:34
I agree totally with Steve Masacci. Now is the time the Senators and Congression Representatives to be contacted and informed “in detail” of our concerns and the wasteful $$$$$ being spent on such things as reports, (that we get from different people but the same report) , the wasteful $$$$$ spend on IBM-PRICE WATER HOUSE contracted out to measure of EXFC when we already have internal controls that measure that, VOE -the cost of the staff to carry out this mission is immesurable, VPP-good in one sense but still cost $$$$$$$$. Then to have something of this nature FINALLY come to light, as if it has already been happening.
It’s an insult, degrading, demoralizing and threatening for an Excutive to make such statements, when they mandate MANAGERS to treat employees with dignity and respect.
WHICH WE DO!!!!!!!!
This is the first example of a VP or District Manager being allegedly brought to the fore front on this issue.
However, I have heard stories of others from other Districts that do the same BUT the subordinates are too intimidated to push back because of reprisal.
Who know I may get some reprisal for this message.
But the times are tough for everyone and for our leaders to allude that “Some managers need to be taken out and executed”. THAT’S JUST TOO MUCH.
My Plant Manager is the best I have ever had. He knows the organization. He knows how to move mail and move it productivly. He also knows how to treat people with dignity, respect and fairly. Our scores are not the absolutely best in U.S. but they are most of the time in the top. That says alot for his guidance to his staff of Managers that respect him, his knowledge of operations and dedication, of which I might add he nor his subordinates get credit for.
BOTTOM LINE = The people that don’t touch the mail (like the report makers, power point makers, data graph makers, and all the others that email out emails after emails about all sorts of subjects that do not have revelance to moving the mail, need to go or be placed in plants to implement their emails and see first hand just what it’s like to be a Plant Manager / Manager / SDO.
February 14th, 2009 00:09
I agree with Steve Musacco – the BOG needs to go. They authorized an $847,000+ retirement package for Jack Potter plus interest and then they want the lower level supervisors and managers to find ways to cut expenditures – including “Furloughs”? If others had been offered the same type of retirement packages, they would have gotten the voluntary retirements they wanted. I know I could retire tomorrow on such a sum.
I have always said that the Postal Service preaches participative management, while practicing autocratic (because I said so) management. I know that any time there are changes in SOP’s, it is the craft employees who work with the managers to make it work – not the Ivory tower creators. The house cleaning does need to begin at the top of the organization and sift down.
February 14th, 2009 11:11
It is time for a change! Now we can see we need an investigation into the practices of the USPS. When a highe level official can make a statement such as Mr. Black and nothing done! Come on! We have too much of this going on. The pressure they are putting on lower level managers and the waistfull spending has got to stop. The USPS can spend millions on checking things just to nail their managers, and the upper managers, like Mr. Black get to sit back and do what ever they want. The term IT ROLLS DOWN HILL is proven daily, when upper managment makes stupid decissions and the lower level managers get beat up and kicked. Oh then we get squat for an NPA for our hard work the past 12 months. Mrs. Swift is right on the fact that the Ivory Towers make the rules and we are going to follow them come Hell or High water. We cannot make our own decissions, working with the craft to best perform our job. Guess who does it day in and day out, the craft. Most of these employees are very intelligent and want to see the USPS succeed. One thing the transformation plan talked about was change. Well we need a change!!!!! At the top!
maybe Mr. Black will just go ahead and retire, take his bonus and incentive plan and slip out the back door. That is what most of them do, didn’t the last AVP from the western area do that??
February 15th, 2009 20:48
were going to miss the leadership of a mountain dew drinking, do nothing, it’s everybody’s fault but mine, fat bastard like clem. the worlds full of them.i just have to say ” ssssssssssseeeee yyaaa! later
February 19th, 2009 22:05
Where did they come from and why have we allowed them to take control of our organization? We have lost our organizational integrity and empathy. We are under the control of contemptible leaders. We were challenged to be the model employer and some where in our journey we left our course and began endorsing (or ignoring) the obvious. We are disabled by the bullies, the entitled, the greedy, the repugnant, and the silent observers that do nothing, say nothing, and take what they can get. We virtually destroyed the only agency (USPIS) with integrity for a bigger agency just learning what they are suppose to do (OIG)…… wonder why? If you believe in karma, you can expect a really big crop from the seeds planted by the officers, executives, the industrial opportunist as well as the silent observers and it will be as painful as it has been for the told and untold victims of their abuse; direct or indirect. This is an in your face example of abuse of authority and another example of selective enforcement!
February 20th, 2009 17:31
No wonder the post office is in the position it is, half of the managers couldn’t manage themselves in the bath room. Its about time some of the lower level managers and supervisors stopped rolling over to these Jack Asses.
February 28th, 2009 14:27
What are the results of the OIG investigation?
March 3rd, 2009 16:25
Yes, I agree that these twits should lose their jobs for their comments, but will it happen? It will happen just about as fast as it has happened to the first line supervisors and managers who have abused and bullied the clerks and carriers. At least it was just an idle comment and not a direct threat like putting someone off the clock without pay for months at a time and never even telling them what for. It wasn’t like having them in your face day after day, threatening to fire you and issuing frivolous discipline because their little machine says you should be going faster, while it doesn’t give you any time credit for the 10 minute meeting you just had, doesn’t give you any time credit for accountables, parcels, and full coverages, and doesn’t give you any time credit for hail storms, 6′ deep snow falls or 110 degree heat with 100% humidity. And what about those last route checks where they falsified the numbers? You guys get your drawers in a wad over a ‘little comment’? Try coming back to the trenches, boyz – you wouldn’t last a week.
April 20th, 2009 08:15
When is something going to come out regarding action against Black? Or is it going to be buried as a prime example of double standards?