Saturday mail deliveries are on the budget-cut table...

[Nords]

Postal Service, With $10 Billion Loss, Needs Help, CEO Says - Businessweek

This has been getting only minor media attention, but it's about to go bigger.

The U.S. Postal Service may lose $10 billion in the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, more than an earlier $9 billion loss estimate, as mail volume drops 2 percent from last year, Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe said in testimony for a Senate hearing today.
The loss will leave the Washington-based service unable to make required payments to the federal government and puts it at risk of default as it reaches its $15 billion borrowing limit, Donahoe said in testimony prepared for the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing.
The Postal Service, which Donahoe said may lose $9 billion next year, is asking Congress to let it break union contracts to fire workers, loosen a requirement to pay now for future retirees’ health benefits costs and end mail delivery on Saturdays.

I'm a tad cynical about the "breaking union contracts to save the USPS" theme, but I can easily believe that our mail carrier is going to start getting both Saturdays & Sundays off.

I wonder how much it'd cost UPS or FedEx or DHL to take over.

 

[W2R]

Almost all that I get in the mail is advertising, or paper copies of bills that are auto-payed. So, personally I wouldn't miss Saturday delivery at all. The USPS is in the process of cratering (IMO) so it probably won't matter much one way or another, in 5-10 years.

 

[ChadR]

Well, if by breaking the contracts they mean obtaining the ability to fire/lay people off then it makes sense to me. If mail volumes are continuing to drop and automation continues to increase they need to be able to lay people off...

 

[Wheel]

Rather than giving them Saturday and Sunday off, how about, say Wednesday? To me that makes more sense so there aren't 2 full days with no mail delivery.

 

[FUEGO]

I would be ok with once a week delivery if they could stop losing my mail. My perception is that they are generally unreliable for delivering something without tracking on it. I guess like a third world mail service.

 

[MichaelB]

Considering the USPS is a business run with constant meddling by all 535 elected officials in DC and subject to civil service employment rules, I'd say it's doing a good job. I'd prefer wednesday over saturday off but that's just because I have a weekly magazine that's supposed to be delivered on saturday - although it rarely is.

The USPS has had difficulties improving productivity at the same pace of US business overall.

 

[braumeister]

because I have a weekly magazine that's supposed to be delivered on saturday - although it rarely is.

That's my biggest beef, too. Specifically, The Economist.
The best thing I've done in a while is to get my iPad 2. Now I can download the entire magazine on Thursday evening (when it's actually mailed) and read it on a screen that is at least as good as the printed copy.

 

[Dawg52]

The P.O. on my side of town will be closing soon. Not a big deal to me but some people are raising hell. I buy my stamps at the grocery store and put any out going mail in my box on the street. Rarely have a need to go in their office. As for as eliminating Saturday's delivery, that is fine with me. Like most, it's mainly junk mail anyway. Wouldn't surprise me to see them go to a 4 day week someday.

 

[73ss454]

I'll take 2X's a week, no need for more than that. Most everything I get is on line anyway.

 

[MichaelB]

That's my biggest beef, too. Specifically, The Economist.
The best thing I've done in a while is to get my iPad 2. Now I can download the entire magazine on Thursday evening (when it's actually mailed) and read it on a screen that is at least as good as the printed copy.

Right. I've read recently it can be also be downloaded and viewed on Kindle but needs an application, which I really need to look into soon. If I don't read it during the weekend I almost never have time during the week.

 

[ziggy29]

Rather than giving them Saturday and Sunday off, how about, say Wednesday? To me that makes more sense so there aren't 2 full days with no mail delivery.

+1 -- though in reality I'm OK with no mail delivery on Saturday. I would like to see post offices remain open on Saturday, though -- that's often the only time we poor working stiffs can get there to conduct our business.

 

[Texas Proud]

Rather than giving them Saturday and Sunday off, how about, say Wednesday? To me that makes more sense so there aren't 2 full days with no mail delivery.

I see others agree with you... but I am for Saturday...

There is nothing that I get that requires me to do anything that day when it comes to mail... and if there were, Sat is not a working day for all businesses so it does not make sense to deliver on Sat and skip Wed...

 

[Texas Proud]

Postal Service, With $10 Billion Loss, Needs Help, CEO Says - Businessweek

This has been getting only minor media attention, but it's about to go bigger.


I'm a tad cynical about the "breaking union contracts to save the USPS" theme, but I can easily believe that our mail carrier is going to start getting both Saturdays & Sundays off.

I wonder how much it'd cost UPS or FedEx or DHL to take over.

They had something on a show this weekend and the biggest cost for the post office is their workers... the pay and benefits are not in line with 'the market'... they showed some small post office is somewhere North Dakota that probably should be shut down as it is a money loser...

Then some congress critter said 'the total cost of the small post offices are small when compared to the cost of the employees'... so having the ability to adjust salaries and benefits to the market is probably the best solution to the long term problem....

Anybody know the benefit structure Since it is still 'gvmt', it is probably good... just wondering how good and has it changed over the years...

 

[Rustward]

I would suggest putting half the zip codes on Monday, Wednesday, Friday delivery and the other half on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday delivery. I can see where this might have some negative impact on some businesses, but they could probably adapt to it. For this to work it would require reducing the number of carriers, though, which might be difficult.

 

[fwest]

I think Saturdays suspension would be nice.......fully enjoy the weekend without the chance of being ruined by reminders of the ratrace of the rest of the week.

 

[DangerMouse]

I could live with once a week delivery. I changed my postal address to a PO Box and as I have to make an effort to go and get it I find I go as infrequently as I can before getting a notice in my box telling me I have too much mail.

Saturday delivery is a thing of the past. So much of our method of delivery has changed to online or via email that one has to start questioning the relevance of the old day model of the Post Office. Personally I am not sure what they could do to find their niche.

 

[scrabbler1]

I agree with Ziggy (#11) and Texas Proud (#12) for the reasons they stated.

 

[pimpmyretirement]

Delivery once a week would be fine by me. I doubt I check my mail that often as it is, and the only reason I check so frequently is the box fills with junk.

Other than forms mandated by the government (W2's, license plate renewal, etc.), everything that actually needs my attention is automated and online.

 

[Aiming_4_55]

I vote for delivery Mon, Wed, Fri while keeping the Post Offices as is. Even a slight delay of hours, staying open until 7pm a few days would be nice.

Or, even a more expensive stamp to business for Mon - Sat delivery.

 

[rescueme]

I agree with Ziggy (#11) and Texas Proud (#12) for the reasons they stated.

Same here.

While most of us can/have used "electronic processing" for most/all of our required payments, DW's employer still gets many, many paper checks via snail mail, Monday through Friday.

I guess those are the folks that are keeping the PO afloat .

For personal mail? They could deliver once per week to my home, but I doubt if it would work for a lot of business folks.

IMHO, maybe the solution could be two tiered - one for personal an one for commercial business delivery; again, that would impact those that run a "home business", but in that case would probably be better off with a PO box anyway.

 

[skyvue]

I agree with several others that say once a week would be ok for me. In fact even though my mail is delivered 6 days a week, I only open my mailbox once and retrieve the mail once per week. There is literally nothing in there that I can about except on an occaisional bill from the insurance company or the one magazine I get. Everything else is junk mail or a statement to an account that is auto-paid online.

 

[Texas Proud]

One thing to remember.... most larger companies do NOT get mail delivered to them....

When I worked in a mail room way back when... we would send over a person in a van to pick up the mail... the first time was the manager who picked it up on his way to work... we then picked it up twice more when we had mail runs...


A lockbox operation that I saw had pickups every two hours, around the clock from what I was told... the main post office has people sorting etc. so they would just stop by and pick up what was in their bag...

So, big business can handle the change, it is the delivery to 'us' that is the big cost...

I wonder what it costs in old neighborhoods... my mom's old hood had 'at the door' mail delivery... the mail carrier would park at the end of the block and have to walk to every house and put the mail in the box...

We have 'individual at the curb' delivery... this is faster since they can do it in the truck and just drive around...

But it does not compare to the 'block at the curb' delivery where they just have a big block of boxes like at an apartment...

I bet if they converted everybody to the new block at the curb it would cut down on the number of carriers they would need... as long as they could get rid of them...

 

[Texas Proud]

Looks like the benefits are the same as other federal employees...

Postal Retirement Benefits
The APWU and other federal unions have worked with Congress for many decades to ensure retirement income security for employees who spend their careers in government service.
Today, most postal employees are eligible to participate in one of two federal retirement benefit programs:
The Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS), which provides benefits for most workers hired before 1984.
The Federal Employee Retirement System (FERS), which covers all workers hired after 1984.
Though FERS pays a smaller monthly benefit than CSRS, FERS retirees also receive Social Security and Thrift Savings Plan payments.
Whichever plan you are enrolled in, your retirement benefits are administered by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM).


They also listed the salary at around $52K for a level 5 grade 0... not sure if that is the 'normal' rate for a postal worker... or their starting salary... but it does seem like a lot compared to other jobs with the skill level needed for the job...

IOW, the average teacher makes less than that where I live.... but then again that is not a full year job either...

 

[meierlde]

+1 -- though in reality I'm OK with no mail delivery on Saturday. I would like to see post offices remain open on Saturday, though -- that's often the only time we poor working stiffs can get there to conduct our business.

Other than picking up packages, everything else can be done at any private mailbox outfit and for shipping you then have a choice of who to ship with. If you get a private mailbox you can even pick up packages there. (in addition you can recieve UPS and FedEx there) Of course one way the post office could improve security and reduce costs is to put in the lockable cluster mailboxes in older districts in stead of the either rural mail boxes or the door to door delivery. Given the number of times mail gets stolen a lockable mailbox is an advantage, and if the postman had one place to visit per block it would reduce the time needed.

 

[beowulf]

As a kid in the '50s, I loved twice a day mail delivery. I had one of the "1001 Things you Can Get For Free" books and I papered the companies in it with postcards. Nothing was more fun than getting all those catalogs, samples and other stuff in the mail. In addition, I was a shortwave radio listener and sent away for lots of QSL cards - pieces of cardboard verifying that I heard a transmitted signal.

But times have changed and I see little reason for Saturday deliveries. I do however, agree with keeping the larger post offices open as many working people can only get to them on Saturdays. If they are closed, then the only option for packages will be FedEx as UPS is closed on Saturdays. More money lost for the USPS. You could still use automated mailing stations, but not every post office has them and they are out of order much of the time. Plus, they have strict size limits (small).

We pay 95% of our bills electronically for free, even those where the credit union ends up having to mail a check to the biller. I can't remember the last time I actually mailed a letter written on paper. My stamp purchases have gone from several hundred a year to probably less than 50 - mostly for birthday, other celebratory and get well cards. Everything evolves and it's time for the USPS to be part of that evolution.