A D V E R T I S E M E N T
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
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The March 8 Valley Times Soapbox by postal employee and National Association of Letter Carrier member Peter Shapiro raised concerns over contracted mail delivery and suggested America’s universal mail service could be threatened. Nothing could be further from the truth. In reality, contracted mail delivery has always been part of the overall delivery process. It is not new and individuals under contract to deliver mail do it just as well as our unionized employees.
Along with USPS employees, our contractors’ dedication to excellence is helping us continue to improve the level of service we provide to our customers. Contractors already deliver mail in several communities in the metropolitan area, elsewhere in the state and throughout the nation. They are required to provide the same service – and do it just as well – as unionized USPS employees.
Contract mail delivery is being raised as an issue by the union now because the Postal Service is offering more contracts for residential delivery, primarily in new housing developments. Only new developments are being considered for contract delivery in the Portland area; no delivery routes currently handled by postal employees are being converted.
The decision to consider contracts is driven by cost and efficiency – and the Postal Service’s contract with the NALC union expressly allows the use of contractors to deliver mail. As long as the mail service provided to our customers is the same or better, the Postal Service will make a decision based upon the best value. This helps us maintain postage rates that continue to be among the lowest in the world, without receiving a single tax dollar for our operations.
Contrary to Mr. Shapiro’s assertion, contracts do not always go to the “lowest bidder.” Contracts are awarded to those who demonstrate they can provide the expected high level of service. Also, contractors must pass a thorough screening process, ensuring that the privacy and security of the mail – so important to our customers – are maintained.
We are proud of the people who work for us, be they career or contract. They are all dedicated to providing quality customer service. As always, if a customer ever experiences a problem with mail delivery, we want to hear about it, just call 1-800-ASK-USPS or visit your local Post Office.
The accomplishments of the U.S. Postal Service over the past two centuries provide a foundation for our continued success in offering universal service across this great nation. Contractors have played an important role in that proud tradition and will continue to do so in the future.
How much could we save if we contracted out Supervisors and Postmasters. This is not a knock on supervisors, but with all the computer programs that are required by the USPS for the supervisor to use to manage mail delivery, supervisors are now basically glorified clerks. They spend the majority of there time entering data into computers and using the results to manage. While this is a good thing, how much should a glorified clerk be paid?
(email verified)
Thu, Mar 15, 2007 at 09:54 PM
The Contractor must pass screenings. We all know that the Contractor is not the one that actualy does the work.
Soon you will have felons,illegal aliens and everyday riffraff with no loyalty to our government delivering your mail.
When I joined the Postal Service 23 years ago,I was a young veteran of the US Army. The salary and benefits paid by the USPS helped me achieve the American Dream. My oldest son went to college. Low paid contract employees cannot achieve that dream. Contact your senators, say NO!! to this ridiculous idea. Remember all our returning war veterans, The USPS has always hired veterans. TO HELL WITH THE REPUBLICANS!!
(email verified)
Thu, Mar 15, 2007 at 11:41 PM
The Postmaster's comment that "contracted mail delivery has always been part of the overall delivery process" is transparently false.
Contracting out has only been appropriate is isolated and extreme circumstances, such as delivery to camps at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. Private contractors have not been utilized to deliver to residential areas, nor should they.
It's time for the USPS to contract out Postmasters, and every other layer of postal employee that doesn't touch the mail. Years of institutionalized mismanagement has caused the USPS to squander the monopoly it has been granted. Here's an example of the waste:
USPS employs
- acting supervisors
- supervisors
- managers
- area managers
- Postmasters
- POOMS
- District managers
- Area Wide managers
- Area Vice Presidents
...and they recount the same mail several times a day. The delivery portion of a letter carrier's job is in some ways similar to the delivery worker driving a bread route, or a soda route... loading the truck and following an established pattern of delivery. The big difference is those workers do not have to face the daily micro management and in your face management of some pencil pusher with a tie. As a matter of fact, they work relatively unsupervised - just as a letter carrier should. Instead USPS employs an army of lazy postal managers who try to justify their existence by trying to squeeze five minutes more productivity out of a stone.
Letter carriers are already tracked by a computerized system (DOIS) as well as scanned bar codes along the route and on some classes of mail (Managed Service Points or Delivery Confirmation); how can any company justify paying for supervisors to duplicate and triplicate work already performed by computers?
Even private industry does not contract out their CORE duties. It's the administrative work, such as Human Resource work, that can be farmed out.
The issue is not about what's good for USPS management, it's about what's good for the American public. If the public wanted private industry to handle their documents, they would utilize the services of UPS, Fed EX etc.
Clearly, the American public seeks trusted Federal workers to enter their property daily, with the sensitive documents sent through the US Mail.
(email verified)
Thu, Mar 15, 2007 at 11:45 PM
Gee, the postmaster sent this in while on the Post Office clock. How'd he find the time during his busy work schedule?
(email verified)
Fri, Mar 16, 2007 at 12:55 AM
Contracting Out on deliveries that are located in City/rural boundries is plain bad business. The bottom line affliction as of late of the Postal Service will result in little if any future savings and distrust in the Postal Service. Thats something that we all lose on. How would residents feel when they ask a letter carrier why do you pass this development and deliver before and after you get here?
Residents see the carrier in government issued uniform and ask us why someone in plain clothes deliver our mail. Most of the people in the mentioned developement would obviously think they do not have the rights of their neighbors because they have to pay the same for their neighbors service while they receive less. If Postal Management can remember Service and not Pay for Performance bonuses on their monthly checks, the Postal Service will go far.
At my station when Contracts are up for renegotiation, their mail piles up because the Postal Service does not want to negotiate with Contractors fairly. Postmaster's and managers attempt to case their mail (Funniest Thing a Carrier could see at work) and this leads to bad service and misdelivey. The last time this happenned took more than a month to resolve.
The Oregon Postmaster Mr. Lee, claims a savings of a little over 33K. I would like to audit those numbers becuase the savings are far fetched. When you consider higher gas prices, vehicle maintence, paying replacement contractors when they have to pay someone else to deliver these contract routes, vehicle replacements, insurance, etc., this money goes into the contract of the contractors and is much higher than the mis-estimate of Postmaster Lee.
Not only to mention if they contractors don't show up for work ,the Postmaster must have city/rural carriers case/deliver the contract routes.
The Letter Carrier Union has given the Postal Service an alternative and restructured the Letter Carrier organization, saving the Postal Service billions of dollars in overtime and Health benefits with their new contract proposal. I know that the new numbers from the NALC (Letter Carrier Union) proposal were not used with the Oregon Postmasters Mr. Lee's assesment. If the proposed NALC numbers were used, you would see a much closer comparison with the Proposed Contracting Out/City delivery.
Postmaster Lee, please do not deceive the residents you are responsible for. The Letter Carriers have been a vital reason for the total success of the Postal Service and have made the Postal Service the number one trusted government agency along with the other Postal crafts employees. Not contractors. This is something you, your bosses, Board of Postal Governors, forgot long ago and need to remember now.
(email verified)
Fri, Mar 16, 2007 at 06:01 AM
Contracting out routes have the highest turnover rate of any employee in the Postal Service. How can you keep a high level of service when you are constantly changing contract employees? You Can't!
(email verified)
Fri, Mar 16, 2007 at 07:47 AM
That's a bunch of bull. Up here in the N.W, the contractors don't deliver PARCELS (there go the customers to UPS), they don't deliver EXPRESS MAIL, (there go the customers to FEDEX) HOW ABOUT CERTIFIED LETTERS?, nope! INSURED ITEMS, nope!
Will they look after our ELDERS? nope! will they join
the N.A.L.C. FOOD DRIVE?, NOPE!
Will they be bonded and licensed?,probably not! Will they have auto insurance(business)?,nope! (they won't be able to afford it)
In short what are they good for outside of ruining the reputation of the postal SERVICE??? If you can figure
that out let us know!
P.S. This will be what the POSTAL SERVICE will be like after they privatize us.
(email verified)
Fri, Mar 16, 2007 at 10:06 AM
Just heard that they have started to switch actual
territory that has been delivered by city carriers
to contractors! Man are those cutomers in for a rude awakening!!!
But it's o.k. because the postmaster will be able to make his numbers and get his bonus. (that is what this is all about) As for the Beaverton postmaster, I bet that his house has a regular letter carrier and not a contractor. Hey just had an idea! We should REQUIRE THAT ALL POSTMASTERS, IF THEY CONTRACT OUT CITY LETTER CARRIER WORK, SHOULD LIVE ON THE CONTRACTORS ROUTE!!!
After all I'm sure the home value will go up with contractors delivering the mail. We all like to stand in line at the post office to pick up the mail that shoul have been delivered.
(email verified)
Fri, Mar 16, 2007 at 10:18 AM
I am a rural mail carrier in Nebraska. Quite detatched from the situation being discussed, but infinately aware that CDS, Contract Delivery Service, is coming soon to a post office near you. Keep one very important detail in mind, our customers on the route are not the same customers referred to by postmaster Lee. Whenever management discusses pleasing customers, they are referring to the big mailers and not grandma Jones down the block. Our customers, the individuals and businesses we deliver to daily, are the ones who suffer the poor service. Not because of anything mail carriers are doing, but because of consolidation of services, CONTRACTED services, CONTRACTED competitors, like DHL, Fed-EX, Speedy, and UPS. Does anyone believe those CONTRACTED companies treat our products as their own? Not a chance. We hear stories all the time here, from the competitor's own drivers, about trayed and tubbed mail, and parcels, riding for weeks at a time because drivers can't get to USPS delivery offices when they are open, due to reduced service hours implemented by some of these "enlightened" managers. They have taken what was once the most respected, most trusted federal workers and dragged our good name through the mud for what amounts to a pittance in postal finance, and for what purpose? How many postal managers will be going to the Olympics this time around? How many new expense accounts will be opened for Sleazy sexual predators to "entertain" "their" customers? So now they want to contract house to house delivery. Yeah, sounds like a real plan to me! Have you noticed how many of these comments went unsigned? Don't think I won't be made to pay for this!
(email verified)
Fri, Mar 16, 2007 at 11:53 AM
I'am not sure how you approach a new employee and ask them if he/she is a contract employee or a casual? They are not issued a uniform to wear unless someone has given them something to wear. I think that it is a shame that a veteran letter carrier who has valuable experience, caring about the customers he has delivered to for years, has to be paranoid that some day, they will eventually be replaced with lower paid individuals who most likely, won't have that concern of making certain that the mail will be delivered correctly. Having a sense of pride of doing your route efficiently and with timeliness has gone out the window. It seems that money is the name of the game, no matter how much managers had to sell their soul to look good, is now what the American public has to accept. How many times have I had a customer tell me "I haven't received my bank/credit card statement or utility bill,check/s package,etc. Even though most of us are billed the same time every month, it is the TRUST that customers put in the person who delivers their mail evey day that they will receive their mail in the timely manner they have been accustomed to. So like everything else in this society, products that once were considered a good value, i.e., groceries, fast food, have shrunk and this, sadly, is how the USPS SERVICE is being perceived.
(email verified)
Fri, Mar 16, 2007 at 01:34 PM
lets take a look at this. first it was give rural carriers all new territory because they are cheaper then city carriers. Now lets contract out new terrotory because it is cheaper.then rural carriers,Where will it end? Can we get volunters from each neighborhood to deliever the mail that would be cheap. After over 30 years in the USPS I can't count the number of faled programs they have tired. How to stop it? It is up to the USPS patron to stop it. You deserve the same service and protection everyone else gets . Our patrons are not second class citizens. Demand from you congressman that this be stopped now before it ruins the USPS as we know it.
(email verified)
Fri, Mar 16, 2007 at 08:55 PM
What a joke! Ask this same PM when his job is contracted out in a year or two
(email verified)
Sat, Mar 17, 2007 at 03:06 AM
Lack of safety of mail and Identity theft will go sky high, this is a slap in face of all Carriers.
(email verified)
Sat, Mar 17, 2007 at 08:52 AM
This is a sad state of affairs, contracting out mail delivery to the LOWEST bidder. Budget driven decisions usually sacrifice quality. Just remember that you get what you pay for.
(email verified)
Sat, Mar 17, 2007 at 09:10 AM
I have been a carrier for over 26 years and have taken pride in the work I've done, in spite of the endless service-cutting programs/instructions given by postal management. Their only concern is in achieving 'the
numbers' so they can pad their pockets through their "Pay for Performance Program". They used to get a Bonus Check at Christmas time, but it is now given to them in their monthly paychecks.
My concern, along with my co-workers, is in getting the right mail to the right customer as expediously as possible.
Supervisors and Managers are not leaders anymore -- they are upper management puppets. They have no say in how their unit is staffed, nor run.
For instance, my station does not have enough clerks to work the mail - the PO abolished clerk positions to save money --yet the work still needs to be done, so rural carriers are mandated to help. They work in the box section, on the dock, in distribution and they even carry city routes. Some are working in 4 different crafts. There really isn't a savings, because the PO is still having to pay to get the work done. Then grievances are filed and management ends up paying for the cross-craft violations, thereby paying twice for the same work. But upper management only sees the station's 'numbers' and not the money paid out on contract violations, so they are happy in their ignorance. They look good 'on paper' only.
The custodian, instead of performing his duties, is also being used in the clerk and mailhandler crafts.
The point I'm trying to make is we certainly don't need to save money by selling territory to outside contractors, who will end up hiring any ol' Joe Smo with low pay, no benefits, no incentive, etc. The mishandling/theft of mail will outweigh any SMALL savings that could be seen.
What we need is BIG savings and that could be accomplished with less supervisors, managers, POOMS, postmasters, etc. -- they are each making over $70,000 a year and never touch mail and only perform non-
productive work. We do not need them! There are 4-5 of them in every station in Dallas -- that would be a savings of at least $280,000 per station in Dallas. We have 26 stations (not counting the Associate Offices) --so we're talking about an approximate $7 million savings per year in Dallas alone. The senior clerk and senior carrier in each station could run the operation and their main interest would be SERVICE, not a Pay for Performance Bonus.
(email verified)
Sat, Mar 17, 2007 at 09:57 AM
Private contractors is another step in the Wal-martization of America. The current administration supports keeping "your" wages and benefits at the lowest possible level for as long as possible. None of the current pay and benefits for postal carriers were given to them without their union, National Association of Letter Carriers, fighting for compensation through contract negociations and binding arbitration. Now, the USPS believes they can undermine our jobs by contracting out their services. We work for you, the customer! Only the public can make a difference now. We need to wake up America to this government-led plan to erode another of our longest lasting institutions. Do you want your bills, checks, packages delivered by someone from a temporary help agency? Customers use the Postal Service because of the integrity of it's employees is above suspicion. Let your letter carrier know that you appreciate him/her and that you would never support replacing your letter carrier with a contractor. Thanks for supporting us....
(email verified)
Sat, Mar 17, 2007 at 10:31 AM
Here in Vermont it is the worst I have seen in 28 years!
Service is bad because management does not care, and
morale is terrible! Short staffing of carriers and daily
contract violations are the norm! The one contractor that is being used here, told a city carrier that the
customers will not be getting their mail on Saturdays,
because he has weekends off. I say contract out all
level 15 and below management jobs!!! That would be a
good start!!
(email verified)
Sat, Mar 17, 2007 at 08:50 PM
The Postal Service has been apart of patriotism in this country for years. This proud aspect of our nation is being compromised due to years of dissension between Union and Management. Management feels as if this is a sneaky manipulative victory against the Carriers, and is another step closer to pushing the Union out of the picture which has been a big personal goal of Management for years. Also upper Management has demanded better numbers from lower management, year after year. It comes a time where no matter how much stress and strong arm you implement you can't get blood out of a turnip. Once again Management is failing to remember that "trash in, is trash out". Please don't allow this Contracted Delivery to trash up our Nation's love for the trusted uniformed U.S. Letter Carrier. This is one more step closer to an overhaul that none of us will gain from.
(email verified)
Sun, Mar 18, 2007 at 08:08 AM
Here is a great example of Union fear mongering. These union members can't see how their job can be done at a lower cost and done better then the private industry can do it. Lets take FED EX as an example. They changed the delivery expectations we had and raised the bar forever. Yet, at the time these same union thugs decried them. Why? Because they would have to be more accountable as it was proved their job could be done better and cheaper. The Postal Service was forced to enhance their service. As far as safety from fraud, the unionists have their own house to keep clean. It is well known that fraud rings operate within the Postal Service (employees who steal our mail which is used for identity theft). I never send anything through the mail service I absolutely don't have to. In my job I have had to help countless numbers of people who are fraud victims (much of it attributed to our mail system). When you have a problem who would you rather deal with, a public service employee or with a private company? I have never been able to bring any accountability to a public service employee. That is not the case when dealing with a private company. While you still have to work within a bureaucracy, the abilty to get to somone who not only cares, but can/will do something (in some cases getting rid of a bad employee if needed) is far greater.
I do recognize there are many committed public employees. My father worked 30 years for the dept of labor. He was proud of his work as well as frustrated at the lack of accountability public employees had. He was a Roosevelt Democrat to his dying day. He would cringe at the state of public employees were he alive today.
(email verified)
Sun, Mar 18, 2007 at 11:50 AM
They gave this contract to a supervisors kid!
(email verified)
Sun, Mar 18, 2007 at 01:30 PM
I think the bottom line to all of these concerns, would be to let some of the "craft" employees run one of the stations or branches as if it was their own company. I am sure after a couple of weeks, they would want to sell the business. Many of the above readers feel that management is overpaid and under utilized. I am a Postmaster and believe me with the errors my rural carriers and clerks make, my pay scale has been held at the bottom. If your employees do not do well, neither do you. Many Postal employees have become entitlement employees saying they care about the job they do, but yet if someone comes along and does a more efficient job with less errors, they criticize them. Another important point: When the offices are shorthanded, the Postmasters and supervisors have to assist. Ask a craft employee to assist with a delivery issue that is not theirs....Maybe if we only had one union instead of several, some of that childishness would go away. In the workforce currently, most employees should be grateful that tehy have a very well paying job and they did not need a college education to acquire it.
(email verified)
Mon, Mar 19, 2007 at 04:32 AM
In response to "Manager-in the-Middle" above, the fact that current postal employees "should be grateful that they have a very well paying job" is largely due to the efforts of the several postal unions and the general productivty and dedication of most postal employees since the creation of the US Postal Service in 1971. That said, putting aside USPS and union relations, Postmaster John Lee's assertions about "Contractors play important role in USPS" is not altogether accurate.
Mr. Lee is correct that contractors have been with the "Post Office" ever since its inception. In fact, without contractors the current USPS would cease to function: The mail is flown by contractors (airlines), moved by long-haul truckers from BMC's to various processing centers, and further trucked by HCR's from plants to retail / delivery units and associate offices, etc. There are innumerable contract retail sales units.
However, to suggest that these "contractors" to deliver mail at newly constructed apartment complexes and housing developments are on par with current postal employees is both partially misleading and to some degree wholly deceptive. Regardless of the fact that they MAY be bonded, insured and required to submit to background investigations, they are NOT postal employees. Consequently, they are not held to the same delivery service standards as city and rural letter carriers. And, should they fail their obligations they will not be subject to any disciplinary sanctions. They may at worst forfeit their surety bond and lose their contract. They're no more liable to criminal penalties than postal employees. As for quality of service - you be the judge. The old maxim, you get what you pay for!
They are subject to no immediate scrutiny nor supervision. Whether you get a good contractor or a bad contractor to deliver your mail is about as subjective as whether you get a good newspaper delivery boy or not. Good Luck!
(email verified)
Tue, Mar 20, 2007 at 03:02 AM
Manager in the middle,when was the last time you heard of a supervisor ever disciplined for costing the post offce $ when the contract was violated? In my thiry years...NEVER!But I have seen Millions given away because the boss didn't have the integrity to admit he was wrong.
Do you realize fewer carriers are delivering more mail people while mangement supervises fewer people with the same number of bosses..look it up !
Yea The postmaster is he really needed?If all the carriers didn't come to work tommorow and all the postmasters stayed home also, who would america notice was not at work?
I say lay off half the overpayed unaccountable Pms like the one above and the pOST OFFICE WOULD BE BETTER OFF!
MEDIA MAILMAN
(email verified)
Tue, Mar 20, 2007 at 08:11 AM
For all those interested, check out LancasterOnline.com:news and The Aspen Times - Aspen, CO (3/5/07) to see how well contractors deliver mail and what kind of penalty they receive. Also, check out the BLOG in the Beaverton Valley Times 3/16/07.
"True Blue Union"
(email verified)
Tue, Mar 20, 2007 at 11:30 AM
I have also been a contractor for 14 yrs. on a box delivery route that serves almost 700 customers. To say that I don't give as excellent service as a rural carrier employee is absurd. I have gone to work sick, injured, w/o a day off, and have missed many a school function for my children to insure that MY customers continue to get excellent service. My vehicle is always clean as is my own attire. I can spout off the conditions of vehicles and attire of certain rural carriers in my area that are appalling, & certainly don't reflect favoribly on the USPS. My contract states that I must do this. Rural carriers have a union to protect their own self indulgences and negligence. Just because I don't belong to a union & am self employed does not give ANYONE the right to say that I and thousands of others like me will give lesser service. Not only do I consider the people on my route USPS customers...I consider them MY customers. I'm also not afraid to sign my real name...are you?!!!
(email verified)
Wed, Mar 28, 2007 at 11:40 AM
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Re: Contractors
Contract carriers are exempt from stifling work rules that apply to city carriers. That helps make them more efficient.
"HCR050"
(email verified)
Thu, Mar 15, 2007 at 04:49 PM