Clerk suspended for telling customers to write their Congressman about long lines at the window
TweetThe Key West Citizen reported last week that a “23-year U.S. Postal Service veteran” was given a seven day suspension for advising customers to write to their congresswoman about “long lines and delays”. APWU local President Jack Baldwin was said to have asked customers if they liked waiting in line, and suggested they contact their congresswoman, “because this is how it is going to be. We’re only allowed three people out here.”
Baldwin admits that he made the comment. The letter Baldwin received advising him of the suspension doesn’t dispute the long wait times, but says he shouldn’t have reminded customers of the problem:
Customers are well aware of the wait time they experience at the post office. Your comments to customers on Oct. 19, 2009, served no purpose but to bring attention to the wait time. Your advice to the customers that they should call their congressman again served no purpose whatsoever.
Problems in the Keys attracted attention in September after a Federal Times article noted that “The three post offices in Key West, Fla., employ 27 people. But under a schedule recently drafted by postal supervisors, 15 of them would spend at least part of their week on standby time.” The practice of having employees sit in a room on standby ended, according to a local union official, because “once people learned it was happening, those waiting in line would call the postmaster and ask whether there was anyone in the standby room who could come out and help them.”
Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen has sided with the employees in the dispute, accusing the postal service of underestimating its staffing requirements. Her spokesman said last week that “The congresswoman has on several occasions asked the post office to revise its process for conducting staffing assessments. For instance, post office personnel will travel to Key West during the slow month of August and report that there is not enough traffic at the post office to warrant additional staff. Clearly,the population in the Keys fluctuates considerably between August and December. As such, the congresswoman has called on USPS to conduct their assessments during more seasonally appropriate times.”
Ros-Lehtinen, in a statement to the Key West Citizen, defended the suspended APWU president, saying ““I have worked with Jack Baldwin for many years and he has always proven himself to be a hard-working and dedicated individual.” The Citizen says postal service officials declined to comment on the matter.
November 30th, 2009 07:14
It sounds like the wrong person was suspended. There needs to be some accountability by postal management. The idea that the customers were being reminded of the wait time is silly at best. I suppose if they hadn’t been reminded they would not have noticed. Typical USPS incompetent management.
November 30th, 2009 10:17
Will someone tell me why it is a crime to have to wait in line at the PO?Everywhere I go I wait inline, the bank. dmv, grocery store and on and on. Yet when you have to wait in line at a po its time for a federal investigation, I am sure its like most places . you get a rush all at once, and thae there are times when there is nobody there. Give it a rest
November 30th, 2009 10:43
Postal management has a bonus system (Pay for Performance) that increases their bonus based on cutting service! Managers don’t care about cutomer service,just maximizing their bonus money! Contact your congressperson!
November 30th, 2009 11:02
It is a shame that whever you go you have to wait in lines and some stores call clerks to open registers when the lines get to much but the Post Office forgets that customers have jobs and other things to do and when they have clerks that can be on the windows where they should be to bring the lines down.
A clerk cannot call for another clerk at a post office but a supervisor can but usually won’t and let the people wait.
The management of the post office is doing a disservice to the public and always has.
The compliment of clerks versus the number of people waiting in line is completely wrong and needs to be changed years ago….oh I forget the post office is losing money now I wonder why, I just get my stamps at Sams or Costco and mail my packages at UPS… no lines there.
If the post office were more customer friendly and the lines were kept to a minimum which they won’t do because it will take an act of congress and congress won’t do anything either because they don’t wait in lines they have their workers do that.
November 30th, 2009 12:07
To jsull: No it is not a crime to have to wait in line at the post office. Unfortunately when I have to run there for personal business at lunchtime and wait in line longer than my 30 minute lunch break, yes I am irritated. Especially so when I read that some clerks are sitting a a room doing nothing. They have even removed the stamp vending machines in the lobby.As far as waiting in lines elsewhere, I can go to the store after hours or on Saturday. The PO
lobby where I live is not open on Saturday.
November 30th, 2009 12:49
Retired1 is correct about the bonus system (pay for performance) that management has. They even have a goal of making sure all letter carriers come back by 5pm, if not they discipline them for not following instructions. It doesn’t matter if there is alot of mail or its the day after a holiday, you MUST be back by 5pm.
November 30th, 2009 15:42
He deserved the suspension. They should have fired him. Where the hell is his loyalty?
November 30th, 2009 16:00
His loyalty is to the American Public, not the dimwits that run the Post Office.
November 30th, 2009 19:03
the practice of doing route inspections, function 4 audits has always focused on them doing them during slow times. they dont take into consideration that during peak times you need more staffing… they simply dont care and there is NO accountability.. none..never has been.. recently in our office a driver was called in on his day off…they called him at 3 am to be there by 5.. he obliged.. upon arriving he was put on standby for 4 hours since the supv made a mistake in calling him in… so the driver was paid time and a half for sitting in the break room… did the supv have to explain this????no.. any repurcussions??? no….
December 1st, 2009 10:22
I do not care what his contrived and concocted LOW states…he IS correct that Congress oversees us, Congress SHOULD and MUST be made aware of service issues, and letting anyone know this IS NOT disloyalty, or criminal. He has a Constitutional right to voice his opines, and has a right, even on duty, to help solve service issues the way he knows how. I do it as well, sometimes DAILY, at our window…and care not if the idiots who cannot staff an office want to write a BOOK of Letters on me for it! Way to go JACK BALDWIN!
December 1st, 2009 18:10
I certainly hope that a grievance was filed. At worst should have been a low (I don’t agree with that either). Incompetent management trying to harass employees as usual.
December 1st, 2009 21:48
EVERY POSTAL WORKER IN AMERICA NEEDS TO BE ON THE PHONE AND WRITING LETTERS TO CONGRESS.
THIS IS A SYSTEMIC PROBLEM AND EMPLOYEES ARE BEING HARASSED AND DISCIPLINED FOR TELLING THE TRUTH!!
UNBELIEVABLE THAT THERE IS NO ACCOUNTABILITY FOR MANAGEMENTS MISMANAGEMENT!!!!!
December 11th, 2009 01:10
I think gene is in management. When Postal employees want to see improvements in customer service it is because they have seen the level of service go down the tube. Management wants it’s retail employees to up-sale (offer that customer with the flat rate box Express – sell insurance, confirmation – Priority mail – NOT FIRST CLASS! DON’T EVER OFFER PARCEL POST OR GOD FORBID: “MEDIA MAIL.” I was forced to become a clerk for the last 8 years after being a Letter Carrier and a Special Delivery messenger for 24 years. I accepted the buyout because I got sick of the games and the continued erosion of customer service. The long lines are why people go to FedX and UPS. They’re FEDUP(S).
December 12th, 2009 16:35
To specialdmsngr. I am glad you were able to retire because you were sick of the games. At least you had that option. I have 30 years to work still. What good does it to bring a negative attitude to the public? They seem to think we are bad enough without our own people telling them we are worthless. You don’t see lines at the UPS because they don’t deal with JOE Public everyday. Why do you think they bring their packages to us to deliver? Because they loose money catering to the public, they only want to cater to the businesses. We are still the best buy around, and I am proud of the service we give. We need people to understand that we are trying our best and smile and help them through those long lines, not give them grief while they are here. Stand up and be proud to be an employee of the UNITED STATES POSTAL SYSTEM.
December 12th, 2009 18:26
Go to lettercarriernetwork.info to see what Pat Donahoe (Deputy PM General) has to say about ‘Wait Time in Line’. The video is a “Field Update” and is located on the NEWS AND VIEWS page under Santa sitting on the chimney.
December 22nd, 2009 15:56
To 204-B Enough kissing up already! He isn’t ashamed of working for the U. S. P. S. What he IS ashamed of is the level of service that management forces upon its customers. Management cries, “Better service for the customers!”, but by there own scheduling make it completely impossible to perform this miracle. You need to quit trying to impress and help make this a reality!
December 26th, 2009 07:26
This problem is getting worse not just in the Associate Offices (local Post Office) but at the processing plants as well. USPS management is attempting to implement this practice to show that there is a need for less employees regardless of the state of service is should be providing for the customer. The ironic part of this process is the USPS is constantaly trying to become a “business” when in fact it is a “service organization”. The people in “high” places seem to lose track of that fact and lose track of where they come from and how the Postal Service should be striving to provide the best customer service possible. They just don’t care…
December 29th, 2009 20:31
help
December 29th, 2009 20:44
Let me finish…
Move the line, like it was your own business.. When we over staff we lose money, salary & benies account for 80% of our revenue…..Instead of writing your congress person learn a little about business…our business.
Get on the SL abusers and IOD people or maybe just continue to blame management……….easy enough.
Wal Mart will open another register at $7.50 an hour…..
Must be great managers over there…….APPLY
January 1st, 2010 06:28
love ace’s comment-
perhaps that 10 minute break should have been 10 minutes that you took instead of the 15 and same for your counterpart-
perhaps that personal conversation you had with the customer you served prior shouldn’t have happened
move the lines yourself or go get a different job for $7.50
January 7th, 2010 21:31
Many customers don’t know who to call make a dif
the congressmen is best answer.the postmaster often
can’t get much done due to incentive pay!
They get performance pay to reduce customer service !
Inspectors get paid to investigate management then do nothing
of managements waste and abuse ! Where is checks and balance ?
January 11th, 2010 11:51
ace, let explain something to you. in business 101 they do not teach mngt. to ignore customers for their own personal gain (a bonus). we are in business to serve the public. the post office is not a true business. it is a govt. owned monopoly. we are the only people who can sell a stamp. we are the only people who go door to door every day 365. they have been trying to do this for over 100 yrs. and still can’t get it right. maybe you should go work for gieco, there a cave man can do it.
January 12th, 2010 09:49
Fed up please wake up….You reference the very thing we are trying to protect, stamp sales and monopolized delivery. If we continue to lose money we run the risk of losing many more jobs. My point that you missed, 8 hours work for 8 hours pay….get motivated and serve our customers with a smile, on time delivery instead of extending breaks, lunch, etc. Management NPA, bonuses, was negotiated nationally as a result of managers losing COLA’s and overtime wages, know your facts. Business 101 !
January 22nd, 2010 00:52
Sounds like I’ll be in the miniority here but…in my opinion the employee was wrong to discuss postal operations with customers. Especially by asking if they “liked waiting in line”? All that can do is fire up a customer because the answer is obvious. If a customer would have asked the question of who they could contact, Sure, go ahead and answer them, but there’s no need to express your personal opinions or PO business to the customers. We are all hired and paid a professional salary and we should all be profession when dealing with the public. If you can’t do that, quit and go to Burger King and do it your way. If you don’t have something good to say, keep your mouth shut. And no, I’m not in management. I just feel that employees undermining the organization is detrimental and should not be tolerated.
January 25th, 2010 19:39
Nicely said rfryery………thank you !
February 26th, 2010 01:09
1 week, 2 weeks, Fired. It’s just a paid vacation.
March 9th, 2010 01:19
We have customers waiting in line 30-40 minutes. It would be a simple managemnt analysis to determine the number of customers each hour on particulars days: ie Lunch, 1st or 3rd of the month and staff according to the flow of customers. This would go a long way in helping both sides of the issue.