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Postal workers didn't deliver, but still got paid
The Grand Rapids Press ^ | 9/17/07 | Theresa D. Mcclellan

Posted on 09/18/2007 2:41:52 PM PDT by MichiganMan

GRAND RAPIDS -- If not rain nor snow nor dark of night, what did prompt reports last winter that mail went undelivered on the Northwest Side of Grand Rapids?

The Postal Service isn't saying, even though nearly half of the 59 letter carriers from the postal station at 1625 Walker Ave. NW faced suspensions ranging from two days to nine months.

The last of the suspensions of 29 workers ended in August. But officials refused to reveal details. In fact, with the help of their unions and arbitration, all of the workers received back pay for their time off, said Jim Mruk, spokesman for the Postal Service Great Lakes Region in Chicago.

No one was fired, and no criminal charges were brought, he said.

(Excerpt) Read more at mlive.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Government; US: Michigan
KEYWORDS: grandrapids; union; usmail; usps
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Some might welcome the relief from bulk mail, but the fact remains that the Post Office was paid by a business owner to deliver the items and the lazy workers chose bulk mail to neglect because it wouldn't be as readily noticed.
1 posted on 09/18/2007 2:41:56 PM PDT by MichiganMan
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To: MichiganMan

No one was fired, and no criminal charges were brought, he said....

they are government...no one would expect anything different...

as for suspensions...they probably were suspended with pay...the govt. way!!!


2 posted on 09/18/2007 2:45:45 PM PDT by nyyankeefan
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To: nyyankeefan

Post “Newman” photo here...


3 posted on 09/18/2007 2:47:42 PM PDT by DanielRedfoot (Contrarianism is Creativity for the Untalented)
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To: DanielRedfoot

Yep. Just like they’re planning to “suspend” government services if our leaders can’t make a budget plan work by Oct. 1.

Gov’t workers will be paid. People will complain that they can’t get their license plates renewed, and they’ll say- ok, go ahead, jack up the income tax already so I can have my gov’t services back.

And then Granholm gets what she wants. Makes me crazy.


4 posted on 09/18/2007 2:51:36 PM PDT by mombyprofession
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To: nyyankeefan
...they probably were suspended with pay...

From the article:

...with the help of their unions and arbitration, all of the workers received back pay for their time off...

5 posted on 09/18/2007 3:03:53 PM PDT by DuncanWaring (The Lord uses the good ones; the bad ones use the Lord.)
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To: mombyprofession
Actually I can tell you that the government workers won't get paid in the event of of a shutdown. They've had several mandatory layoff days within the past few years during which they didn't get paid.

Its fun to hate the state workers, but they're not the ones making the budget decisions, and they're the ones that don't get paid when stuff like this happens.

6 posted on 09/18/2007 3:04:25 PM PDT by MichiganMan (Last year, this consumer spent over $150 on native Linux games. Who wants my business next year?)
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To: MichiganMan

That’s one heck of a union


7 posted on 09/18/2007 3:05:10 PM PDT by NonValueAdded (Fred Dalton Thompson for President)
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To: Larry Lucido; MotleyGirl70; Cagey; Mr. Brightside
Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket
8 posted on 09/18/2007 3:16:46 PM PDT by lesser_satan (FRED THOMPSON '08)
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To: MichiganMan

Our National Department of Health Care will look much like the Postal Serivice if Hitlery has her way.


9 posted on 09/18/2007 3:18:10 PM PDT by capydick (Suit Up. Enter the Arena. Play the Game. Play Your Sport)
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To: MichiganMan
The full article gives some additional details, such as, some of the undelivered mail was from the USPS asking people to shovel their walks. The carriers decided to withhold delivery to apartments since the recipients don't shovel the walks. Practical, but very unprofessional.

I suspect there is much more to this story. Not delivering mail is a biggie; that will get you canned in a heartbeat. The other thing odd is the number of carriers involved. This wasn't just a Neuman here and there, this was 50% of that office. The USPS is keeping quiet, and understandably so. If they have a large group of derelict carriers that looks bad. If they have a management team that bollixed things up so badly that arbitrators ruled against them entirely that looks bad. It would seem that the only thing the USPS can do now is keep quiet and wait.

Lastly, anyone who thinks this kind stuff doesn't go on at UPS, FEDEX and all kinds of other union shops needs to hustle on down to the clue store with money in hand.

10 posted on 09/18/2007 3:55:26 PM PDT by 70times7 (Serving Free Republic's warped and obscure humor needs since 1999)
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To: MichiganMan
I have been in the back rooms of several post offices because of redesign work. The level of mistrust in the USPS is amazing. Overhead were two covered bridges. One bridge was for inspectors to look for workers sleeping or otherwise not doing their job. The other bridge was for inspectors looking for workers opening and stealing mail. The truly bizarre thing to learn was each inspector could only report on only the violation he was charged to watch. A napping inspector could not report on theft.
11 posted on 09/18/2007 5:56:37 PM PDT by LoneRangerMassachusetts (The only good Mullah is a dead Mullah. The only good Mosque is the one that used to be there.)
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To: MichiganMan
I guess I'll throw my USPS in rant here:

At least once a month we don't get mail. The following day, we will get a a letter from the postmaster saying that we didn't get mail because there was a vehicle too close to our mail box. Honestly, there are times that a car is over ten feet away from the box.

If the letter carrier has to get out of her vehicle, she won't deliver. It is more work to send us the form letter than to deliver the mail.

12 posted on 09/18/2007 6:14:31 PM PDT by Half Vast Conspiracy (I made a prank call...pretended I was a mime.)
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To: 70times7
I suspect there is much more to this story.

So do I. I have seen a lot of USPS disciplinary action, and I've never heard of a 9 month suspension. The standard progressive discipline is Letter of Warning, 3 day suspension (no pay), 7 day suspension (no pay) 14 day suspension (no pay) then fired. I'm thinking they had some pretty new supervisor who told them it was OK, then avoided discipline themselves claiming they weren't trained. USPS does fire carriers for not delivering the mail, even if it is standard mail, but most carriers value their job enough to stop if they get the Letter of Warning (scary, I know...).

It's getting tough to get people willing to tell other people what to do (we call that supervising), and lots of places are running with only acting supervisors with an occasional stop by a higher level manager. You can't just close down a station because no one wants to supervise there, so sometimes you take what you can get for the time being while trying to develop someone from somewhere else to do the job. Hiring supervisors from outside the USPS doesn't work out that well either (it's tried occasionally) because the government regulations on the Postal Service require doing things that don't make sense in the real world. The Unions had a hand in that too ;-)

13 posted on 09/18/2007 6:20:15 PM PDT by Kay Ludlow (Free market, but cautious about what I support with my dollars)
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To: Half Vast Conspiracy
There are safety concerns and postal and union regulations that place restrictions on what a driver is and is not allowed to do. I am not certain, but I suspect that although unlikely, if something happened while the carrier was out of the vehicle delivering your mail they could be subject to discipline and/or termination.

Perhaps you could explain why you persist in parking too close to your mailbox when you know it causes a problem for your carrier. I have a book I read to my kids called "What if Everybody Did?" I'm sure you get the idea. Are you special, or is it just more convenient to rag on the carrier because your vehicles wander aimlessly outside of your building? The least amount of work would be to park your vehicles correctly, as you are asked to do, what, about once per month?

14 posted on 09/19/2007 11:43:08 AM PDT by 70times7 (Serving Free Republic's warped and obscure humor needs since 1999)
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To: 70times7
Perhaps you could explain why you persist in parking too close to your mailbox when you know it causes a problem for your carrier.

You HAVE to be kidding. Seriously. It is not even a matter of her having to get off of her fat ass...she could still maneuver her truck to the mailbox (she just won't) AND we aren't that close to the mailbox anyway AND we pull a bit forward at the request of our elderly neighbor across the street to give here room to pull out AND the USPS doesnt' decide how to "properly park my car" in front of MY house AND you are a rude jackass.

15 posted on 09/19/2007 12:14:14 PM PDT by Half Vast Conspiracy (I made a prank call...pretended I was a mime.)
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To: LoneRangerMassachusetts

We have thos same suveillance bridges at our large facility and the inspectors can only bust in case of theft or violence.
People not in performance of their duties is totally outside the inspector’s jurisdiction.Thats up to the employee’s immediate supervisor to admiinster disciplinary action.


16 posted on 09/19/2007 12:20:38 PM PDT by Riverman94610
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To: Kay Ludlow

I am fortunate to have an excellent supervisor.She respects us enough as adults to leave us alone as long as we are moving the mail.
She WILL show no mercy to anyone who takes advantage of her.Most of us are smart enough,however,to do what we are supposed to do and not have to worry about being treated like a child with someone micromanaging your every move.


17 posted on 09/19/2007 12:24:02 PM PDT by Riverman94610
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To: 70times7
I have a book I read to my kids called "What if Everybody Did?"

...written by Emanuel Kant.

18 posted on 09/19/2007 12:30:09 PM PDT by HIDEK6
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To: Half Vast Conspiracy

LOL! AND you are Half Vast at that!


19 posted on 09/19/2007 2:22:54 PM PDT by 70times7 (Serving Free Republic's warped and obscure humor needs since 1999)
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To: 70times7

AND a dumb Vast for that matter. Too bad you are not a smart vast.


20 posted on 09/19/2007 2:24:49 PM PDT by 70times7 (Serving Free Republic's warped and obscure humor needs since 1999)
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