The Postal Service launched a new Web site today to sell its vision for 5-day mail delivery (which lawmakers may be slowly warming to). Many of you probably know the highlights already: USPS thinks 5-day will save $3 billion per year, post offices and other facilities will remain open on Saturdays, etc.
One thing that’s not posted yet, which I know is of great interest to the Postal Regulatory Commission, the Government Accountability Office, and other analysts: An official estimate of how much mail volume will suffer from switching to 5-day.
As I said on Monday, I’m skeptical of the most dire claims — but mail volume will undoubtedly take a hit. How much? USPS isn’t saying yet — not until March 30, at least, when a detailed study on 5-day is expected to go online.
10 Comments
What does the reduction to five day delivery do to the number of Rural Carrier Associates that are on call to substitute for the regular carrier when they are sick, have a vehicle brake-down, want to go on vacation or need sick-leave? Also add the fact of who is going to want to sit on a waiting list for the next full-time position vacancy? There will be no list of potential replacements. Where do you get them from then?
I’m thinking this is gong to have an impact on the economy from impeding the flow of information and goods. I order something on weds now and have it on sat., not Monday. Online businesses such as Amazon will still offer USPS but you’ll have to wait a lot longer so customers may choose to pay the extra for UPS or FedEx.
I have mixed feelings about totally privatizing mail delivery but all things must come to an end when they can be replaced by private businesses that have kept up with technology. Nothing like the profit motive to produce good service. Email has been part of the picture for years and yet the USPS just went it’s merry way not planning for the inevitable impact. Maybe it’s time has come to an end.
UPS and Fed Ex both deliver 5 days and 95% of other countries only deliver 5days. Wake up folks-USPS is losing billions of dollars and I don’t want the price of postage to sky rocket nor do I want to use tax payers money to bail out a sinking ship. 3-5 days delivery is just fine with lots of folks considering that most of the mail is ad or what is referred to as “junk” mail. Yes, the postal unions officials are against reducing days to keep their membership high but I have spoken to several carriers who agree that eliminating a day or two is the way to go for long term health of the postal service.
From what I understand, no one is going to get “let go”. RCAs will still be employed. It will be their choice to quit. However, if the post office isn’t giving them hours to work, many will be forced to find a paying job elsewhere. Then, when a full time rural carrier wants, or needs, a day off, there will be no one there to run that route. The full time carriers can say goodbye to their vacation time. Sounds like a good idea to anyone?
P.S. I’m a Rural Carrier Associate.
i think 5 day delivery is a very bad idea
THE ONLY REASON PEOPLE ARE WARMING UP TO 5 DAY IS BECAUSE THEY ARENT THE ONES WHO WILL LOSE THIER HOMES BY IT. LETS CONSIDER PEOPLE COMPLAINING ABOUT THE DIFFERENT TIMES THAT THE MAIL COMES HENCE IF NO MAIL GOES OUT SAT. AND MONDAY IS A HOLIDAY AND ITS NOVEMBER DECEMBER AND JANUARY WOW THINK OF ALL THE CHRISTMAS GIFTS DELAYED. PERHAPS THE USPS SHOULD NOT SPEND MILLIONS ON TRACKING SYSTEM FOR ALL USPS VEHICLES INSTEAD! ESPECIALLY WHEN THE SCANNERS A CARRIER HAS ON THEM CAN JUST HAVE THE GPS ACTIVATED. THEN THE GOVERNMENT CAN PAY FOR ALL THE FAMILIES THAT WILL LOSE THIER HOMES AND HAVE TO LIVE ON WELFARE AND FOODSTAMPS WITHOUT THAT 6TH DAY FOR THE RCA(TEMPS) TO WORK. WE WON’T EVEN DISCUSS THE FACT THAT THERE ARE WAY TOO MANY MANAGEMENT PEOPLE AND STILL UNRETIRED PEOPLE WORKING MAKING WAY MORE MONEY THAN IS REASONABLE.
There are unretired people who are in their 70s well on their way to 80 years old. They won’t retire because they are making so much money with USPS, not to mention the other sources of income they have (Social Security and PERF). The postal service seems to purposely hold themselves back from technology that would make a huge difference in operating costs. Why? My local office is still using dial-up! That tells you how much in the dark ages they are, for a huge corporation. Also, if they left notices for packages instead of carrying them to doors one carrier could handle more mail and the postal service would stay on 6 days. There will be too many problems with 5 days that will be laid on the carrier to figure out. If they go to 5 days, why not 4? or just 1? I mean really?? The postal service will drive their carriers with a whip to make them work more for less and deny that there is a need for 6 days.
I am a 30 year Veteran under (CSRS) Civil Services Retirement Services. The postal service is the only company who funds its Health Benefits Six (6) years in advance costing 36 Billion this is controlled by our Government, our government can repeal this ruling by allowing the Postal Service to fund yearly this will cost the postal service only 6 billion a year. Allowing the postal service the funding to offer the Veteran carriers under CSRS a early out package to (retire early) keeping the 6 day week. It is Less expensive to keep the FERS ( Federal Employee Retirement System) and TE (Temporary Employee) it’s common knowledge that the FERS are not Eligible for retirement until the age of 62 adding a addition 10 years per employee. The Postal service need to be creative in finding other methods of revenues. Example: Less Management, we have 20 manager in our office alone, with only 18 clerks. Just a thought. We can also have Post Masters take on more than one office.
Working with Priority mail, I see daily the medicines for both human and pets coming through the system. I am also seeing more and more labeled “Cancer Treatment – RUSH”. But what the hey – let’s go to 5 days – that tumor, or that cough, or that sore isn’t going to get THAT much worse over the weekend.
Also, Since Potter made the grand statement that management wages would be frozen, no one has bothered to point out that the bonuses that they can award themselves (with the right numbers) were not mentioned.
As a former postal employee – they could save money by making all routes either rural boxes or cluster boxes and also standardize mail size to reduce extra handling. They would not have to go to 5 days after these modifications.