As FedLine recently reported, official U.S. Postal Service statistics showed that the career employee headcount fell in almost all segments of its workforce from 2009 through 2013, with USPS headquarters being the one exception. FedLine asked the Postal Service for comment on that point on Jan. 3; the agency responded this past Friday. Here is the full statement provided by USPS spokeswoman Patricia Licata; it has also been added to the original FedLine post.
“The Postal Service reductions in career employees were equally felt across both management and craft ranks. While the specific headquarters number has increased slightly, it cannot be viewed in isolation. Efficient management is about effectively allocating resources, and throughout this period, we have eliminated, shifted, streamlined and consolidated work across various functions, including human resources, customer relations, operations and finance, and across various levels, including local, district, area and headquarters.
“For example, the centralization of HR transactional work from the local and district level to the HQ level through an HR shared service center resulted in cost savings and operational efficiencies. Additionally, we have in-sourced work once performed by contractors in the form of three call centers, which has improved our customer service. Steps have been taken within the management ranks as in the craft ranks to efficiently allocate resources and cut costs while maintaining the highest level of service and customer satisfaction.
“Based on our integrated management approach, the appropriate way to view these career reductions is to look at the headquarters, headquarters field support, inspection service, area offices, and professional administration and technical personnel in total, which has been reduced by 17% over this period. The second level of management, including postmaster/installation heads and supervisors/managers was reduced by 21% over this period. In total, the management ranks over this period had a 21% reduction, which is commensurate with overall craft reductions.”
32 Comments
Although PM says there was a reduction, have the positions been abolished or are there just Temporary people filling the positions due to retirements? If the latter, then there has been no reduction, which is the case in several POs. Many supervision positions are currently held by Temps.
The explanation didn’t explain anything. The third paragraph was gibberish. Everyone knows that HR was moved to N Carolina and is staffed by contractors. The Call Centers are a joke and also staffed by contractors. There is still no reason for HQ ranks to swell. If anything PMG Donoblow is creating new VP positions to spread the blame around.
a USPS spokeswoman talking ‘efficient management.”
….LOL….houston, we have a problem here…….
Patricia Licata makes $98,607 a year – for that kind of dough she should have added at least 3-4 more paragraphs of nonsense.
sounds like more double talk in triplicate!
…and they explained it all without using words like “synergies” and “rightsizing”! Its as clear as mud, right?
Notice that they gave specific reductions in management, such as 17% and 21% but at HQ the “number has increased slightly”. How many managers/postmasters in 17%? ..or in a ‘slightly’? No real numbers listed. In other words, they transferred 17%(or21%) to HQ and it increased the numbers at HQ only slightly.
Comparing percentages is misleading.
All LIES what the USPS has done is move people around I see it everyday, making up jobs so people can stay on the payroll with the same salary creating so much confusion for real workers that actually service the public. It’s so sad that the postal service would rather out source instead of helping career employees that are injured on the job stay on the job give them those call center jobs, most people can answer the phone and help customers
FYI-the 3 major call centers are now staffed by postal employees, there are still a few satellite offices manned by the private sector.
Staffing increase at HQ are Labor lawyers…
The people to actually do the work have decreased and the overpaid doubletalk stuffed suits increase, no surprise to anyone at USPS, that’s SOP.
The Postal service has a unique way of circumventing these jobs not abolishing them. They take the figures from employees leaving through attrition and insert them into calculations concerning reduced employment numbers. It would be wise of congress to internally investigate this to determine the validity of reductions claimed bt the service to assure this is not a convoluted misrepresentation of these strategic initiatives.
It is concerning that these eliminations have the potential to be masked with this approach or the renaming or tweaking of a said position.
So I’m lying and sticking it to you….whatcha gonna do? We are not responsible for anything we do and thats the way that goes. Now go pound salt.
and you have to love how they are always throwing around the phrase “customer service”, when in reality it’s the last thing on their mind. I can remember when it was their priority, but no longer. At least the majority of Letter Carriers still care.
I am reminded of a quote by Andrew Lang: “(S)he uses statistics the way a drunken man uses a lamp post, for support rather than for illumination.” These people are experts at twisting numbers to suite their nefarious and underhanded purposes. As Rex Stout said,” There are two kinds of statistics, the kind you look up and the kind you make up.”
Postal mgmt = liars and thieves, at all levels.
Deflect, deceive, and deny is their mantra.
Get ALL craft members who are acting as supervisors (204b) and put them back in their craft positions, and management of the post office at the station level would grind to a halt. Stop abetting in the destruction of the USPS, do what you were hired to do, or resign your craft position and become a manager. We have people waiting to do your job and become a regular instead of a PTF or RCA.
I work at the Edison Call Center and I used to be a Mailhandler
Level 4 now I work at the Call Center as a Level 6. We don’t come under the local District which is Northern NJ but are under HQ now. Still in the old PD&C building but instead of work floors more of a office area now. We are starting to see ex mail carrier filling positions now since no one in APWU wants job as all who wanted got one.
The Postal Service hates their employees almost as much as they hate their customers.
I would have to agree with the sentiment that there are MANY supervisor/PM positions that are not abolished they are filled with other supervisors/PMs temporarily. There might “appear” to be a reduction but the jobs are still actively being filled by a warm body (just not a bid position).
Of the 10 offices in our general area, only three have their PM’s. The rest are filled with temporary. Many offices running with temporary person between 1-4 years.
I have long said, close the plaza (L’Enfant), and return the PO to the black.
“We were going to hire 100 unnecessary managers, but we only hired 50, so actually we have “downsized”…………
Excuses, Excuses, EXCUSES ! ! !
I appreciate how they were able to “in-source” jobs from contractors to create work for themselves while they are “out-sourcing” window clerk jobs to Staples. Their concern for the customer knows no bounds.
What a bunch of CRAP! If any area of the USPS needs reduction it is the suits at L’enfant plaza. In our post office in Maine we barely have enough craft employees on any given day.We are bare-bones all the time and from what I have heard it is like that everywhere. Shame on those fat cats that continue to fleece the postal service and blame it on the craft employees!
Most of the supv or manager jobs are being filled by 204b. In alomst all cases the manager does nothing and that is a job that should be done away with. What is more a joke is a VMF manager. The VMF runs itself with many VMF managers are clueless of the job and barely do any work push it off to the clerks and mechanics.
Postal mgmt. is to incompetent and corrupt to even run the USPS, let alone fix it’s problems.
You could cut the L’enFant staff 50% and no customer would know the difference, no revenue would be lost and expenses (long and short term) would be saved. Everyone knows it too. I work there.
“the appropriate way to view these career reductions” really, USPS is going to print something that condescending?
As usual only their arrogance shines brightly.
How can you tell a postal supervisor is lying? There lips are moving!!
It is nothing but gibberish. This explanation offered is like everything else postal management does, going through the motions. It offers no explanation for surging upper level positions while reducing the number of productive craft employees.
This is how USPS money is being spent.
Kane has been riding high on the lie of bringing in millions of dollars for the Gross Galleries. He had as much to do with bringing in that money as you did. Curator Ganz, her stamp dealer friends, they contacted Gross, they arranged for the money and they spearheaded the whole thing. Kane is well practiced at taking credit for the work of others, learned from years at USPS.
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