Postal Service Outlines Five-Day Delivery Proposal
TweetWASHINGTON – The U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors today approved management’s request to move forward with its five-day delivery proposal and to file a request for an advisory opinion with the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) on March 30.
Postal Service Vice President Sam Pulcrano, who has been leading an internal five-day delivery task force, also told the Board at its meeting today that a website will be launched to provide customers with the details of the proposal. The website also will include a special section telling business mailers how to manage a change in delivery. The site can be accessed at http://www.usps.com/communications/five-daydelivery.
The five-day delivery proposal is a critical element of a larger plan, “Delivering the Future,” announced March 2. An action plan for the next decade, it presents a balanced approach needed to ensure a viable Postal Service for decades to come. The plan includes legislative and regulatory changes needed to give the Postal Service the flexibility to make necessary business decisions in a timely manner, including the prefunding of retiree health benefits, pricing and delivery frequency.
Two of the plan’s key proposals require action by the Congress: a restructuring of the payment schedule the Postal Service is required to make to prefund retiree health benefits and the elimination of existing statutory language mandating mail delivery six days a week.
Pulcrano told the Board that the five-day task force has spent the last several months seeking stakeholder input and refining the proposal to address mailer concerns. He also said extensive market research has been conducted and Postal Service findings have been consistent with most national polls that have shown that the American people would approve of a five-day delivery schedule if it would ensure a viable Postal Service well into the future.
A USA Today/Gallup poll conducted earlier in the month showed support for five-day delivery across all age groups from 58 percent in the 18-34 bracket to 73 percent among those 55 or older. An earlier Gallup poll showed that 69 percent of all Americans were agreeable to a five-day schedule if it would mean stable stamp prices and a Rasmussen poll showed 66 percent in favor if it would help the Postal Service maintain financial stability.
Pulcrano also highlighted the key elements of the proposal which will be detailed in the filing with the PRC: street delivery and blue box collections will be eliminated on Saturdays, Express Mail service will continue seven days a week, Post Offices currently open on Saturday will remain open, PO Box accessibility will continue and bulk mail and drop shipments will continue to be accepted at facilities that are currently open. If implemented, Pulcrano told the Board the estimated annual savings would be $3.1 billion.
March 24th, 2010 18:23
How many PTF’s, TE and others will be layed off. stablity should not cost jobs at any cost. Your younger workers will pay the price and like UPS and FEDEX the top heavy environment that will be left won’t be able to handle the stress. It will cost the USPS more to close that one day then it would cost to keep us open in the long run. Not to mention what happpens to the postal monopoly. The lowest bidder get the boxes one day a week. Where is managment in this how many of them will lose there jobs due to this. It will effect everyone and those of us with our heads in the ground will lose. The big picture is bleak if idea like this pass the jews turned there head when the gypsies were taken. Let history be a lesson don’t repeat past mistakes.
March 24th, 2010 18:48
I feel that upper management needs to get their head out of the clouds and really see that we are to top heavy. When I received my 2010 budget i lost 12% of my work hours but the District Operation Support received an 8% increase in their budget. I can not realy figure out how a department that does not touch a piece of mail gets an increase. With the MIARAP adjustments that have been done over the last year all routes are at the limit. I do not see how a carrier can have another increase to their routes. Upper Management has been long over due for a clean sweep and if that does not happen 5 day delivery will not make a dent in the shortfall.
March 24th, 2010 18:52
The USPS has got the input from the mailers but what about the delivery side. Sat. may be the lowest amount of deliveries, but it is not the lowest day of mail processed. Every Monday will look like the day after a holiday and Tuesday’s after a holiday will be HELL!!!!!!!!!
March 24th, 2010 19:27
FSS-DPS and now GPS-jobs gettin’ tougher.
March 24th, 2010 19:33
What is needed iis competent management. Without that all the cutting in the world is NOT going to help. Get rid of the postmaster position. It’s not needed. In the small places just put in a contract employee for minimum wage. In some rural areas the PM is the highest paid employee in the county. That’s ridiculous.
March 24th, 2010 19:48
PTF – part-time flexible
TE – transitional employee
Pretty self explanatory
March 24th, 2010 22:48
ptfs have no say in anything. anyone under 6 years get laid off. its that simple
March 24th, 2010 23:52
Hi to all my fellow usps workers, it is so true that it does not matter how many days of service they are going to cut. It will never be enough for all the homes they buy for their POs to relocate and the pay for performance. I hope that congress wil look into this matter and a whole bunch of other upper management issues. Nobody ever would of thought that working for a US government is treated like trash day after day. I pray for a miracle going to happen to bring back the joy and the happiness in our work and srevice. God bless us all.
March 25th, 2010 00:09
Hey John get you facts straight! Not everyone under 6 yrs will get laid off. I know in my particular office we have 3 disabled veterans with just about 3 yrs in the USPS. Our postmaster and union president told the three of them they the 6 yrs does not apply to them. Matter of fact they get put on top of ALL non veterenas if there should ever be a layoff/riff.
March 25th, 2010 09:12
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March 25th, 2010 09:24
TOO BAD USPS MUST SUFFER SERVICE LOSSES AS A RESULT OF RIDICULOUS CONGRESSIONAL ACTION. WHEN THE REORGANIZATION BILL PASSED IN 1970 IT LEFT POSTAL WORKERS UNDER CIVIL SERVICE STATUS. CIVIL SERVICE STATUS SHOULD MEAN PAYMENTS OF RETIREE BENFITS BE THE BURDEN OF THAT COMMISSION. AS FAR AS FIVE DAY DELIVERY IS CONCERNED, DON’T BE ASSURED IT WILL MEAN SATURDAYS OFF. COULD BE TUESDAY, THE LIGHTEST MAIL DAY. I AM SURE PRESIDENT OBAMA WOULD NOT WANT HIS ADMINISTRATION TO BE THE ONE IN HISTORY TO REDUCE MAIL SERVICES.
March 25th, 2010 12:37
Easy fix, offer all CSRS employees an early buy out. I know several jobs that would open, my job is one of them.
March 25th, 2010 20:43
I have been with the postal service since 97′ and have been a carrier since 01′. I like my job and I looked forward to doing it everyday like most of us. Lately though, things have gotten out of hand. I show up everyday now with the feeling management is out to get us. Lord help us if we leave a “sleeper” or even worse, call in sick. The work load that has been put on the carrier these days have been overwhelming, to say the least.. What will it be like for the people that are left to pick up the pieces if jobs are lost?
March 26th, 2010 00:27
the statement that stamp prices will be stable is not true. the post office can and will raise prices at the rate of inflation regardless of how many days of the week mail is deliveried. 1.cut managemaent postions by stream linning their work. 2. stop door delivery. yes it will cut carrier jobs but cutting a few jobs and keeping sat. delivery is better than cutting 50,000 or so jobs with no saturday delivery. 3. stop the prefunding requirement. no other company (private or government) has to prepay for their retirees.
March 26th, 2010 18:23
This ‘plan’ presented is a new low for postal management. According to PMG Potters testimony on March 18, 40,000 Rural carrier Associate and 13,000 TE positions will be eliminated. What he failed to mention is that the plan also requires 25,000 career City Letter Carrier positions will be lost. Management feels that this can be accomplished through attrition, which I doubt will happen. If only 20,000 career carriers leave, then 5,000 career PTF’s would be laid off. I have little doubt that Article 6 will not be invoked (no lay-offs over six years of service, everyone else is fair game) if management is successful in getting five day delivery. 90,000+ job losses are unacceptable. NO TO FIVE- Keep Six Alive
March 26th, 2010 18:43
Cutting delivery service will only serve to diminish “SERVICE” … WHO? would think that lessening service would increase or STABILIZE IT??? WOW!! you need a task force for this??? Yes, i understand that we are loosing volume and changes need to be made-but should they be made by cutting service to the very heart and soul of what created this business- DELIVERY!!!!!!!!DELIVERY!!!!!!!DELIVERY!!!!!!! I say lets have our own TASK FORCE that investigates wasteful management that sits on thier ass after they push us out the workroom door THEY even get wastefull bonuses for this! I bet we could save BILLIONS by cutting this fat, But they don’t want to hear that-instead they just cut the DELIVERY!! IF Congress allows 5 day delivery to pass they might as well turn out the lights too.
don’t forget to pick up your check,get your parcel, send your friend a card, get your movie,get your prescription in the mail on SATURDAY- OH sorry Just Wait Til’ Monday or Tuesday- Cuz’ WE DELIVER FOR YOU
March 26th, 2010 19:02
The Postal Service may well save 3 billion dollars by going to a five day delivery plan, but will lose many more millions by lost business. Many businesses around the country (who now use the Postal Service) will switch to other companies who provide 6 or 7 day services to insure that important mailings sent out at the end of the week reach their destinations on time or by Monday. I can already here a familiar refrain through out America, “don’t send those items through the Post office late in the week-send them by another company-after all, they must get there early next week”. It seems to me that the five day delivery plan is penney wise and pound foolish!
March 28th, 2010 09:58
10/4 frank. I’m sitting on my 500 stop mounted route ’til I see some cash in my hand.
March 28th, 2010 14:01
The postal service’s business is supposed to be the delivery of mail (parcels, etc., included).
You know the organization is completly broken when, to save money, you do less of what you are in business to do.
Carriers, clerks, and distribution did not cause the crisis that the organization is in. It was bad administrative and supervisory decisions that were implemented to protect the positions of those that had the least to do with the business of…delivering the mail!
March 28th, 2010 19:18
well everyone makes the points but is anyone going to stand and let the government know the problem lies in management and not carriers. sittin around talking about it is not going to open their eyes
March 29th, 2010 08:33
Opinionated makes an excellent point. What CAN we do about these mis-steps?
-go to NALC.org and sign up as an e-Activist (anybody can sign up, but if you’re a member you get more detailed information)
-Write letters to your Senators and Congressional Representatives explaining to them what a cut in service will do to you, your family, your patrons and ask for their support in protecting the USPS from their own management! If they are already in support, Thank them.
-Pass info along to friends and relatives- get them involved.
-Give to COLCPE- this is the NALC’s political action campaign. It’s your job security fund.
-Donate your time to the NALC’s Carrier Corps- ten hours working on campaigns, knocking on doors, making calls, stuffing envelopes, etc
NO TO FIVE- Keep Six Alive