Breaking Contract ?
Soon After the United States Post Office agreed to terms with the APWU (the union representing all USPS clerks, the Post Master General has asked Congress to allow him to break all of the union's contracts. These collective bargaining aggreements currently protect employees (belonging to the union or not) from layoffs. They also have established wages and benefits. Everything in these contracts have been agreed upon by the union and the Post Master General.
Even though the Post Office has overpaid into funding benefits of over $40 billion, and overpaid as high as $142 billion. Congress has not relaxed on a bill that forces the USPS to prepay 75 years of retirement in a ten year period which has costs the USPS $5.5 billion per year.
The Post Office would have showed a 1st quarter profit of $226 million this year if we were not forced to pay the $5.5 billion.
In 2005 and other years the post office has come under congressional scrutiny for being too competitive with its monopoly and has been asked to keep rates low and to act in a way that is non competitive and act more as a non profiting government service. In contrast if the public wanted to mail a letter using Fed Ex in 2005, the rates were already at a minimum of $3.62 and there was no public outcry or congressional pressure to set prices or curb profits for Fed Ex.
We, the Post Office Employees are asking its members and the public to ask congress to allow the Post Office to be competitve and support the U.S. Postal Sevice and its employees. We provide a service that is unmatched by any other government run or private letter delivery service in the world.
When Congress and talking heads talk about the Post Office being better if it were privitized and personnell and services reduced, what do you think would happen to your mail services. Would a private company deliver to 144 million access points 5 or 6 times every week for less than $1 per envelope ? Would corporations be happier if their subsidized standard rates went up 10 fold ? Or had even forced to pay 1st class postage as the general public has to ?
Our jobs are being threatened and its time to stick up for the outstanding company that is....
The United States Postal Service
Sincerely, Concerned Postal Worker
The Post Office is poorly managed, managers and supervisors seem to have their hands tied in implementing or suggesting ways of saving money. Or that's what it seems when I ask them. For years the public and congress have asked the Postal Service to restrict rate increases. Meanwhile Fex Ex is killing its customers with no option but superhigh rates. Fed Ex cannot and would not ever deliver to 140 million points 6 days a week for less than a few bucks a letter. Yet nobody questions their efficiency, oh - that's right, if you charge someone 5 bucks to deliver a letter, you have a better chance to make a profit, versus 15 cents.
