Postal Service paying fewer workers to do nothing

Washington Post ^ | August 29, 2011 | Ed O'Keefe

[Second Amendment First]

The U.S. Postal Service, expecting $7 billion in losses this year amid slumping mail volume, is still paying thousands of its workers millions of dollars each year to do nothing.

But it’s paying tens of millions of dollars less for “standby time” than it did just two years ago, according to a new report.

Long-standing labor agreements with two major postal unions prohibit the Postal Service from laying off or reassigning workers because of broken equipment or periods of low mail volume. Instead, idled employees show up for work, sit in a break room or cafeteria and do nothing.

Standby time totaled 170,666 hours in the first six months of 2011, costing the Postal Service $4.3 million, according to an audit by the Postal Service inspector general’s office. In 2009, 1.2 million hours were billed at a cost of $30.9 million.

“At a time when the Postal Service is challenged to operate more efficiently, monitoring standby time is critical to ensuring their ability to effectively manage the workforce,” the report said.

Members of the American Postal Workers Union and the National Association of Letter Carriers have been eligible for standby time payments and rarely used the option until 2009, when mail volume began to plummet and the Postal Service started to consolidate processing plants in the Northeast and the Midwest.

Audits of operations in Dallas and Detroit found that many workers incorrectly billed the Postal Service amid lax oversight of such payments.

[muawiyah]

I told you, just start shouting out ~ loudly ~ that you want service. They'll "get to you".

Maybe you could leap over the counter and help yourself.

[RetiredArmy]

Okay DUer. I do it like you dimocrats do it. Thug style. Sure. AH.

[muawiyah]

I think I saw you barging ahead of line at the automated checkout at the Safeway recently.

Just can't wait your turn eh!

Was the scanner too slow for you or something?

[GraceG]

Wow I am goign to have to move all my bills to online bill pay.

[PapaBear3625]

Yes, the person working the PO counter deals with cash and accountable stock. Meanwhile, I can buy stamps at my supermarket for the same rate that the PO sells them, so once a year or so I buy a big package of "forever" stamps at Costco, which lasts the year. Money orders could also be subcontracted to supermarkets (where the customer service desk already deals with Western Union money transfers). The main thing I need a post office clerk for is to weigh and stamp oversize envelopes and packages, and if there was a line for that which just accepted credit/debit cards, then there would be no need for a cash drawer there.

My local Staples has a UPS package drop-off counter. I'm sure they could also deal with packages for the Post Office.

[muawiyah]

The big business at the counters consists of registry, certified, pick ups, .....

It's also a really good idea to restrict access to credit card acceptance ~ there are a gazillion ways to cheat.