Sen. Carper Reacts to PRC’s Planned 6 Month Review of Postal Proposal to End Saturday Delivery
TweetWASHINGTON – Today, Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) released the following statement reacting to the Postal Regulatory Commission’s planned six month review of the US Postal Service’s proposal to end Saturday Delivery:
“I’m pleased that the Postal Regulatory Commission will be taking steps in the coming weeks to thoroughly examine the Postal Service’s proposal to eliminate Saturday delivery and hear the views of stakeholders on both sides of the issue.
“I am concerned; however, that the proposed timeline that the Commission has laid out for the completion of its work might mean that a final advisory opinion from Commissioners might not come until October or later. As I pointed out at a hearing I chaired last week, this seems to me to be an awfully long period of time, especially when you consider the fact that the 9/11 Commission came out with its report just seven months after President Bush signed the bill that created it into law. With the Postal Service at risk of running out of cash and borrowing room sometime in 2011, it is important that postal management and Congress hear from the Commission sooner rather than later on the advisability of finding savings by eliminating Saturday delivery. My understanding is that the law and Commission regulations envision the Commission being able to complete work on proposals like the Postal Service’s proposal on Saturday delivery within three months. I recognize that this is an issue that a lot of people have strong feelings about but I hope that the Commission can make its views known on a quicker timeline, particularly given the dire financial circumstances currently facing the Postal Service.”
April 30th, 2010 09:00
Senator Carper’s comparison of the PRC timeline to the 9/11 commission is fundamentally flawed. The 9/11 Commission was mandated to examine a single specific event.
The PRC’s task is to evaluate the impact of the proposed changes on an integral piece of the national infrastructure. The changes proposed by postal management would have a broad and perhaps irrevocable impact on the form and shape of the USPS. This is less about a specific change or proposal than it is about defining the model of what the postal service can and should be.
Congress and senior postal management have continually punted on their responsibilities to the American public with respect to the USPS. The review and process proposed by the PRC and Chairman Goldway will allow for a thorough evaluation of the USPS, its mission, its construction and its future. The schedule envisioned by the PRC allows for a transparent process that gives stakeholders, public interest groups and the American public to comment upon and evaluate the current proposals; as well as, hopefully, bring to the table alternatives.
April 30th, 2010 10:06
Maybe if the Postal Service cut out some of the $100,000 to $200,000 jobs they have created they would not be in this mess. As the number of mail handlers, clerks, carriers and supervisors went down the next layer of management remained the same or increased especially head quarters. The ratio of management to craft is approximately one to six. Supervisors make $72,000 and their boss, EAS-24 makes over $100,000. Some plants have one EAS-24 for six supervisors.
April 30th, 2010 15:00
Senator Carper has been provided with a copy of the “whistle blower complaint” that was submitted to president Obama. The complaint examined the relationship between the post office, the equipment manufacturer and the independent mail processor.In 2004 it was reported to the Homeland Security Committee the 28% of the mail that is processed by the independent mail processors is not delivered.These mail processors were created by the post office.In 2007 the post office intruduced 102 new mail processing machines.Each machine processes 16,000 pieces of mail per hour.Hundreds of mail processing machines were already on line,they were processing 6,000 pieces per hour.The cost of processing 1000 pieces of mail has gone down from $55 to $5.The 28% of the mail that is not monitored for delivery is magazines, circulers, and periodicals.This mail is stored.I get mail that is addressed to my mother who died in 1994.Mail processing equipment is aquired by the post office on a tax free lease.The post office provides the equipment to the independent mail processor on a tax free lease.All mail is paid for in advance.The mail that is not monitored is a tax writeoff.The independent processors are considered by the post office to be their primary customers.These companies are given discounts for processing mail that is a tax writeoff and that is not monitored for delivery.Anyone who beleives that the post office is loseing money is a fool.The post office generates at least $3 million per hour in revenue.Tax Free!Upper management is in the process of hijacking the mail processing division by transfering it to the independent mail processors.This will allow them to conceal the fact that the mail is being stored.What we have here is racketeering!
April 30th, 2010 18:02
Senator Carper has sold-out to the privateers in the mailing industry. He has become the mouthpiece of the Board of Governors and top postal management. Let the PRC do its job. President Obama is already on the record opposing 5-day deliver. So, what’s the hurry.
April 30th, 2010 19:35
it will get done when it gets done. if you want a complete and thorough job, get off their case and play senator on some other issue.
April 30th, 2010 20:19
As long as the postal services refused to provide stamp vending machines in post offices they are not serious about staying in business.. retards
April 30th, 2010 21:16
Check out the salaries that they pay to the Information Technology jobs that Contractors are filling!
100,000 is peanuts….
May 1st, 2010 09:49
Six months? That’s all? Hell, it takes six months to hire a casual employee.
May 2nd, 2010 08:29
FRB1–You hit the nail on the head. I recently came back after working on MIARAP. The TE they hired to fill my position while I was gone started his first day one week after I returned.
May 5th, 2010 20:46
That is six months in dog years.Don’t rush the USPS we work like congress, slow, very slow, very very slow.We will be reading about this in two years from now.Ha Ha ha.