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View Full Version : Mostpost--Your comments please


melman
12-31-2010, 08:56 AM
On this article in today's Philly Inquirer. I live in a small town 18 miles west of Philly. Within three miles of my home are THREE Post Office buildings. This to me has to be part of the problem. Just a waste.

From the article. "We have extreme liquidity issues, and in spite of our best efforts to cut costs," Frey said, pausing, "we just are struggling here

Read more: http://www.philly.com/philly/business/20101231_It_Check_s_not_in_the_mail_for_Postal_Ser vice.html#ixzz19hIoF8ya
Watch sports videos
http://www.philly.com/philly/business/20101231_It_Check_s_not_in_the_mail_for_Postal_Ser vice.html

mostpost
12-31-2010, 12:00 PM
On this article in today's Philly Inquirer. I live in a small town 18 miles west of Philly. Within three miles of my home are THREE Post Office buildings. This to me has to be part of the problem. Just a waste.

From the article. "We have extreme liquidity issues, and in spite of our best efforts to cut costs," Frey said, pausing, "we just are struggling here

Read more: http://www.philly.com/philly/business/20101231_It_Check_s_not_in_the_mail_for_Postal_Ser vice.html#ixzz19hIoF8ya
Watch sports videos
http://www.philly.com/philly/business/20101231_It_Check_s_not_in_the_mail_for_Postal_Ser vice.html
Some excerpts from your link with comments.

On the table now is a plan to reduce mail deliveries to five days a week instead of six. Hundreds of thousands of postal jobs have disappeared over the last few years as part of drastic cost-cutting. And government-mandated payments toward retirees' health benefits are in jeopardy in 2011 as postal officials scrounge for money.
Five day delivery may be a necesity as much as the union does not want to give up jobs. As I mentioned in another thread, a partial solution might be to continue saturday deliveries to businesses willing to pay an annual fee.
I'm not sure what the retirees health benefits refers to.

It's hard to forget the scene at its puny, basement-level replacement at 31st and Chestnut the week before Christmas: Forlorn faces in a snaking line, being told by only two clerks that the place would close for the day in 20 minutes, whether they had been served or not.
I worked window services for many years. We would never tell anyone who was in line at closing time that they would not be served. We had a gate between the inner and outer lobbies. At closing we made sure anyone in line was inside the gate, then closed it. A supervisor or other employee would open the gate to let people out. We would not serve anyone who entered the building after closing.
You would be amazed at the number of people who would consistently come in at two minutes to five. We had one man who owned a small business in town. He owned it, but his sons ran it. He brought the mail in for the company. Always at one minute to five. I knew he could get their earlier, so one afternoon I moved the clock ahead four minutes. He came in at his usual time and got shut out. The next day I moved the clock back and we never had a problem again.
Concerning your statement that there are three Post offices within one mile of your home, that is close to true in my area also. You have to remember that, traditionally, every town had its own Post Office. Mail volume demanded it.
Consolidation of offices is on the table. But how? The Post Office isn't just the place you go to buy stamps and mail parcels. Clerks and carriers sort mail there. You need space for them to do this. You also need space to park Postal vehicles and parking for employees. And you need parking for patrons. Some of the offices in my area have no off street parking.

The post office building where I worked, Bellwood, Illinois, is for sale. The plan is to sell the building, then lease back the front portion to use for window services. Of course you need to find a buyer willing to do this. You also need to find someone willing to convert the building to his needs. The workroom floor at the Bellwood Post Office is a single room about 60 X 40 with a 20 ft. ceiling. (maybe 16 ft.) If the building is sold the clerks and carriers would be moved to the Maywood Illinois facility. They do have room for them in an used basement. But, if my memory serves, they do not have sufficient parking even now. And every carrier would have to make the two to three mile journey from Maywood to Bellwood everyday.

Greyfox
12-31-2010, 12:06 PM
We had one man who owned a small business in town. He owned it, but his sons ran it. He brought the mail in for the company. Always at one minute to five. I knew he could get their earlier, so one afternoon I moved the clock ahead four minutes. He came in at his usual time and got shut out. The next day I moved the clock back and we never had a problem again.
ryday.

Oh, you nefarious type. I'd a never thunk that about ya. :lol: :lol:

melman
12-31-2010, 12:47 PM
Mostpost---Slight correction. What I said was three post office buildings within THREE miles of my house. Not one mile as you stated. I believe the business model for the Postal Service is just going to have to change. I would say that about 95% of the mail I receive goes directly into the trash can. The article mentioned the dropping volume in first class mail. I would expect this to get even worse. I DO understand your points but something is going to have to be done. In my area there is plenty of room for customer and employee parking, at one location. Keep that one open and shut the other two? In the future I could see four day a week delivery and five days open at the post office building. It seems to me that time has passed the post office by. At one time I would get mail that I had to sort and look at and act on. This is no longer the case. Almost all my bills and bill paying are via the internet. Same with my banking. Mostpost I am NOT knocking government workers here. Just think that the whole concept of mail service needs to be rethougt.

Greyfox
12-31-2010, 12:56 PM
In the future I could see four day a week delivery ...

For starters 5 day delivery would be a huge step and more palatable to most people than trying to sell the 4 day idea.

mostpost
12-31-2010, 01:30 PM
Mostpost---Slight correction. What I said was three post office buildings within THREE miles of my house. Not one mile as you stated. I believe the business model for the Postal Service is just going to have to change. I would say that about 95% of the mail I receive goes directly into the trash can. The article mentioned the dropping volume in first class mail. I would expect this to get even worse. I DO understand your points but something is going to have to be done. In my area there is plenty of room for customer and employee parking, at one location. Keep that one open and shut the other two? In the future I could see four day a week delivery and five days open at the post office building. It seems to me that time has passed the post office by. At one time I would get mail that I had to sort and look at and act on. This is no longer the case. Almost all my bills and bill paying are via the internet. Same with my banking. Mostpost I am NOT knocking government workers here. Just think that the whole concept of mail service needs to be rethougt.
My bad on the three mile/one mile thing.

There is no doubt that the old USPS model is not working and that it will just get worse in the future. I pay all my bills on line (Except my Rent) . I have direct deposit for my pension, Social Security and other annuity checks. Except for Xmas cards, I never send letters to anyone. I use e-mail.
Still, there is a place for mail service. Not everyone has a computer. I just looked it up. According to Wiki Answers 76% of Americans 18 and over own a computer. 24% do not. Also according to Wiki Answers there are around 226M adults over18 in the USA. Thus, there are still over 54M people without internet access.
There is also third class mail, which has remained fairly constant. Do companies want to switch their advertising to the internet where it takes a click of the mouse to delete it unseen or send it through the mail where, at least, you have to carry it from the mailbox to the garbage can.

melman
12-31-2010, 01:44 PM
Mostpost---You make fair points. I am NOT saying we need to do away with the USPS. Not everyone has now or will have in the future the use of the internet for bill paying. However something has GOT to change. I really think that companies who continue to use the mails for there advertising are going to have to rethink that idea. I am sure that I am not the only one who just throws in the trash without looking at the junk mail.

Greyfox---I agree. Five day a week delivery to start. I believe people would soon get used to it. Then move to four day a week delievery.

bigmack
12-31-2010, 01:56 PM
Letters have decreased 30% in the last few years.

Raw numbers here:
http://www.usps.com/strategicplanning/futurepostalservice.htm

http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u70/macktime/usps.png

Overpayments to the pension fund. How is that possible?

ArlJim78
12-31-2010, 02:01 PM
95% is about what I discard directly from my mailbox. a near total waste of resources.

mostpost
12-31-2010, 03:35 PM
Letters have decreased 30% in the last few years.

Raw numbers here:
http://www.usps.com/strategicplanning/futurepostalservice.htm

http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u70/macktime/usps.png

Overpayments to the pension fund. How is that possible?
It is explained here.
http://www.postalreporternews.net/2010/06/23/usps-oig-fixing-csrs-overpayment-and-pre-funding-requirements-would-fully-fund-pension-and-retiree-health-benefits/
There are two factors.
One: When funding was changed from being based on 1971 salaries to being based on current salaries, USPS was charged $75B by OPM to make up the difference. This was to be paid over a period of years at $5.5B per year. OPM misinterpreted this as the intent of Congress in the 1974 legislation. Even when this was clarified in 2003, OPM continued to require the payment.
Two: OPM requires USPS to fund its pension fund at 100%, even though all other federal departments fund their plans at 41%. Again this is because of OPM's incorrect interpretation of the intent of Congress. Also again this interpretation has been corrected yet the problem persists.
From the report:
Accordingly, the annual costs and premiums for the health care liability could be financed out of the interest earnings and surplus. Another option for the Postal Service could be to use the $75 billion overcharge to pledge to the retiree health fund instead of making annual payments. This could be done with the agreement of the OPM and the U.S. Treasury.
A more detailed analysis can be found here:
http://www.uspsoig.gov/foia_files/CI-MA-10-001.pdf