Volume 98

Part 2

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Postmasters Online

Volume 98 Part 2

Contents:

Editorial: Rate Hike Not Enough

1- We Are Not Just Numbers

2- We Are Better Than Machines

3- Authority Decrease/ Responsibility Increase Noted

4- Post Office Suspect in Presidential Election

5- Post Office Suspect in Presidential Election

6- International airmail hike could be up to 33 percent

7- Going Public?

8- eToys, Amazon test catalogs

9- PMRs deserve perks

10- The need to be Secure

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EDITOR:

Well, another rate hike is headed our way. The same tired comments will no doubt follow: "Again?", "Are you getting a raise?" "This is is stupid." You know the deal. Stock up on one cent stamps. Whatever you think you will need, you'll need more. Interestingly, this rate hike will cost the average US family a mere 22 cents a month.

The painful fact is that the funds raised won't be enough.

Alan Robinson has researched a masterful analysis of the Postal financial condition. It is insightful in is dissection of our monies and devasting in its final word. Mr. Robinson has tracked our finances the last four years and found some interesting accounting. Although we showed a profit in all those years (except 2000), we did so at the expense of long term financial health. Essentially, we either took out short term loans that helped balance the net, or we delayed expenditures into the next fiscal year. It's a little like pushing your power bill into next payday, only to find that your gas bill and doctor bill can't be paid. They are deferred until the following payday, which affects your mortgage.

Specifically, in FY 1999 $131 Million in worker's compensation cost were shifted. They also delayed $650 million in supplies, services and capital expenditures. These are bills that are still due. Without these shifts, we would have lost 400 million in FY 99. Instead, we have the situation today. Robinson states that these kind of measures would not be a problem if we were a growing high tech firm. We could make a short term loan payment in no time. However, we are decidedly "old world" in our approach and thus we cannot borrow without paying the piper.

At the end of FY 2000, the USPS holds $1.3 billion in short term debt than we had at the end of FY 99.Robinson believes that by the end of 2001 our debt will up to $3.8 billion. All told, in order to be at the same financial position as we were at the end of FY 98, we will need to net 5 billion by the end of FY 2002.

Robinson says these kinds of actions are pushing the Post Office to a tenuous and difficult position. Especially given our propensity to overestimate revenue, the hole could be very deep indeed. Even with the rate hike this year, we will probably ask for another rate hike in just another year.. The public palate will grow sour on our ways very soon. With the bleak financial picture, we may soon exceed our legal borrowing limits and may soon--- within 3 years - be begging for a federal bailout. Our pension liabilities alone are $30 billion.

This devasting analysis can be found at www.postcom.org/public/articles/2000articles/101000a.htm

Read it and weep……

1) We Are Not Just Numbers

This reply is in regard to Items 6 and 7 (Issue 97about death of Indiana Postmaster) Regarding the death of the Indiana Postmaster, blame needs to be directed towards the system itself. If the Service really cared about it's employees, there would be no need for unions, representatives, grievances, etc. The cold hard fact remains though that the Service sees us as numbers, not people. While there are those within the Service who suffer from hate, the phrase, "Is this the ultimate goal of the Unions and the hate-filled craft members they represent? Or is it the goal of hate-filled supervisors as well as upper management?", is inappropriate. Craft members are not "hate filled", and none of the management that I know are either. I think the appropriate term is disgust.

Why disgust? Let me give a prime example. In the installation where I work, a female employee won a EEO lawsuit about a year ago awarding her $1,000,000. The man who was found guilty by a jury of his peers, and alone has cost the Postal Service in excess of $1,000,000 was never disciplined, but instead he recently earned a PROMOTION. That's what the employees of the Postal Service are disgusted with, mismanagement.

Another example. There was a Letter Carrier who was terminated for excessive absences. He had used all of his FMLA because of an auto accident that caused serious injury, then his father (also a Letter Carrier) fell seriously ill, requiring at home care, and this Carrier had suffered an injury in the Gulf War that required periodic absences. His Postmaster refused to allow any more time off and terminated him. Through the grievance procedure, the carrier agreed to a last chance agreement that limited future unscheduled abscences to three within a six month period, for a period of 18 months. During the wintertime, his community received 9 inches of snow one evening, setting a record. The Postmaster instructed the carrier supervisor that any abscences due to the snow would be counted as AWOL, and unscheduled. Day 2 of the snow brought 3 more inches. This particular Carrier lived in a rural area, and the snow prevented him from getting to work. He had been ill one day with strepthroat earlier in the six month period, so on the third day of snow he again called his supervisor asking for admin/emergency leave. Supervisor, under the direction of this particular PM, refused and charged him AWOL. Carrier shot himself in the head minutes later.

The Service breeds people like this, both management and craft. While "Disgusted PM" is correct in saying "each of us within the USPS needs to learn to appreciate and respect one another in an attempt to prevent another such senseless tragedy", I think it should go a bit further and hold those people responsible for their actions, and not reward them.

"Disgusted Craft Employee"

2)We Are Better Than Machines

A postmaster said to me the other day, "We treat our machines better than we do our craft employees. We work the machines for six hours then shut them down and service them. We work our craft employees eight hours and

then give them more work to do."

@If something goes without saying, LET IT!@

http://home.talkcity.com/homepopup.html?url=/deckdr/kgamy/interest.htm

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3 - Authority Decrease/ Responsibility Increase Noted

In the last 5 years I went from a level 15 postmaster, to a level 16 supervisor, to a level 18 postmaster

to a (gasp) level 13 postmaster. In between I learned a lot, especially about myself. Another thing I learned, is if you aren't at the top pay level and you take a downgrade, you aren't at the top level of your new lower level either. I was at the top of the 13, 15, the 16 and within $600 of the 18, but now I'm $500 back of the 13. The US Postal Service, in my opinion was at its grand peak 15 years ago when I first became a level 13 postmaster. Back then the postmaster had not only the responsibility of running his/her office, they also had the authority to make decisions to achieve success. Over the years our authority has been taken away, while responsibility for our office has increased. Its been funny (sadly funny) to watch the collective morale of my fellow EAS employees sink over the last few years. My MPOO right now doesn't understand it. His answer is always the same. Wait and it will get better. Maybe so, but some of us like me. can't wait any longer. The job is no longer enjoyable, the stress intolerable and my very personality was assaulted by MPOO's, delivery analysts and other upper management types because I approached employees with respect and (horror of horrors) admiration for doing a hard job, day after day. I was "too nice" to the people I needed to work hard to get the mail delivered. I have to say that my employees have always treated me better than my superiors. We just were never able to magically make the numbers that those above us said we should. I will conclude my rambling by saying that my underlying philosophy has always been, I don't care which way the prevailing whims of upper management are blowing, I will just do my best, treat people the way I want to be treated and be honest. When I retire I will be able to think of the people I worked with and remember the respect and admiration in their eyes. That is the only award, or 'big bucks' I need. I won't worry about impossible goals, unrealistic budgets, or paying lip service to insecure, egotistical managers, irresponsible union reps or the occasional bad employee. In the end I'm satisfied with what I've accomplished and I know how hard I've worked to accomplish it. Even if I had to go back to a level 13 to preserve what little is left of my sanity.

An Iowa postmaster

4- Post Office Seeks to connect Postal Employees with Computers

Many of us have seen the proposal to offer computers and online access to Postal employees. My friend Rick at Postal Employees Network offers the following summary:

"...the offer by USPS asks for, or demands, for ALL

postal employees:

1. Computers for all postal employees.

2. Internet access for all postal employees.

3. Said access must provide VPN, virtual private network, access to the USPS intranet BLUE in addition to all other WWW access. (this is normal internet access as you have now)

4. Both internet access and the new computer must be affordable by all postal employees...hopefully, as USPS says, in the $12.00 per month range based on a three year, 36 month, contract.

5. USPS will not pay for the computer or access. The company that is awarded said contract must offer payment options to the employee directly.

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5 - Post Office Suspect in Presidential Election

Fraudulent absentee ballots cast in Florida

Two absentee ballots requested but never received by a Pensacola voter in Miami were discovered by election officials with fraudulent signatures, prompting an investigation by state attorneys.

Todd Vinson, a 28-year-old law clerk registered to vote in Pensacola, requested an absentee ballot from the Escambia County Elections Supervisor on Oct. 10 to be sent to his residence in Miami. When he did not receive the ballot after two weeks, he requested another on Oct. 24, according to a Pensacola News Journal report. That ballot also never reached its proper destination. Vinson contacted his father, U.S. District Judge Roger Vinson, the Thursday before the election, telling him about the mysterious, no-show ballots.

The judge immediately contacted Escambia County Elections Supervisor Bonnie Jones, informing her of the situation. After reviewing absentee ballots returned to elections officials, Jones' office found a ballot with Todd Vinson's name on it. The signature on the ballot, however, did not match the signature on his voter registration card. Additionally, the address listed on the ballot for the witness was not valid. All absentee voters must fill out their ballots in the presence of a witness, who writes in his or her address and signs the form.

"It was clearly forged,'' Vinson told the News Journal. "Somebody definitely got hold of it and sent it back in. The question is where did they get it, and my speculation was that it happened somewhere in the post office. It made it down here to Miami, but it never made it to me.''

Then, one day after the cliffhanger vote took place, Escambia County elections officials found what may be the second ballot intended for Vinson. It, too, had been forged and was handed over to state prosecutors.

A key issue in Vinson's case is how the ballots were redirected. Vinson suggests the U.S. Postal Service was involved. Should investigators suspect as much, federal law enforcement may be asked to take over the probe. One station manager in the U.S. Postal Service, who wishes to remain anonymous, told WND that postal workers received an intranet memo Wednesday morning from the postmaster general stating that absentee ballots were to be separated from other first-class mail to ensure they received "special handling." Upon asking for clarification from his supervisor, the source was told not to question the memo as it came from "the top." The postal worker explained his belief that setting the ballots aside may lead to a hold-up of absentee ballots, which could result in the ballots not being counted if they are not received before state deadlines.

(EDITOR: I received my own Election scare. Wilson Wyoming is my Post Office and the , ahem, part time home of VP Nominee Dick Cheney. The Secret Service visited my office Friday because the Secretary thinks some of his mail is missing. Fortunately, we deliver his mail daily to a third party who then sends it via FedEx to Texas. I was able to discuss the difference between the Sanctity of the seal with the Post Office and the lack of overriding legal authority with FedEx. We continue to do our job.

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6) International airmail hike could be up to 33 percent

Get ready for some new airmail stamps. The United States Postal Service is planning a hefty increase in the price of sending letters overseas. The new rates are likely to become effective in January and would require a number of new stamps to fit the higher prices.

The cost of sending a ½-ounce letter to all countries but Canada and Mexico would jump to 80¢ from 60¢ under a proposal the agency placed in the Federal Register on Sept. 26. Letters to Canada and Mexico would increase to a flat 60¢ each, and the agency would drop the cheaper half-ounce rate it now has for those countries.

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7 - Going Public?

The German government plans to sell 25% 33% of Deutsche Post to the public Nov. 20. It could raise $4.5 billion to $7.5 billion. Besides mail delivery, Deutsche Post operates financial services and logistics businesses.

Taking the USPS private would be a huge prize. The post office is estimated to be worth about $100 billion, although Reisner warned that the valuation would drop if the company was limited to letter delivery. "If we don't allow it to change ... that valuation is not going to be the same in the future," he said

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8- eToys, Amazon test catalogs

Mailboxes already overflowing with gift catalogs are going to get even more stuffed as cash-strapped e-tailers look beyond flashy TV commercials and other mainstream media to try to capture new customers, increase sales, and steal Christmas back from the Grinch this year.

ETOYS IS DISTRIBUTING its first catalog in newspapers in major wired markets this Sunday. The newspaper insert will be immediately followed by a direct mailing to existing and prospective customers of the online toy retailer, says Janine Bousquette, chief marketing officer at eToys. The glossy, 36-page catalog features pages devoted to age appropriate toys, favorite brands, sections on software, videos and books, a Barbie section and a primer on how to shop online for Web neophytes.

E-tail giant Amazon.com also plans its first holiday catalog mailing to homes this season, according to a company spokesperson. In addition women's sports apparel site Lucy.com will send out its second catalog to about 500,000 customers later this month. "We really belive the catalog reaches a customer we can't reach with the Net," says Vicki Reed, Lucy.com's vice president of marketing.

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9- PMRs deserve perks

HELLO

Would appreciate any info on the PMR issues. I have been a PMR in a Level 15 office for 8 years. I can say I'm very

satifisied with my pay, but really would like the benefits the Postal Office offers to other employees. I work any where from 35 to 40 hours per week, six days per week. So I do feel we as PMR's do deserve the perks that other employees get. I have also OIC'ed in my office for over a year, while my Postmaster ran another office. I do love my job. I was referred to you by Rick Owens. Hope you can help. Thanking you for your time. You can e-mail me at krakaucoin@cox-internet.com.

Rachel Aucoin

PMR

Baldwin, La

(EDITOR: A chance at career status for PMRs is one of the issues on the table right now. Stay tuned for more.)

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10. - The need to be Secure

Since becoming a Postmaster 5 years ago in a small level 11 then upgraded to 13 office I have seen the need for and fought to have greater security in all small, one person offices. I have sent resolutions through NAPUS and talked with the Inspection Service about installing security cameras in all these offices. Far too many of our smaller offices are being robbed and the lives of the Postmaster and or PMRs are at risk. For the minimal cost of around $500 per office these folks would have a little peace of mind knowing that if they were threatened, that would be caught on tape and the perpitrators caught. As it is now, if someone comes into one of these stand alone offices and commits a crime, the chances of them being caught are slim. No one is around to witness the crime.Linda Kirksey, a Postal Inspector was at one of our NAPUS confrences and I was very impressed with her talk. Well to make a long story short I talked with her and she was very helpfull in getting a program rolling. We even started getting a few systems in Arkansas. Now the budget fiasco, I say that because there is plenty of money if the DC people would forgo their 6 figure bonuses for 2 years, gues what? No more securty systems. I guess they are waiting for a Postmaster or PMR to get killed before they wake up and smell the roses. I for one would gladly give up my BIG EVA ($200), check this year to have one in my office. Not so much for me but for the sweet little old lady that is my PMR. EVA is another topic, but I will not bore you with my thpoughts on it now. How do other Postmasters feel about this security issue. I would be happy to hear your thoughts. email me at ctice@missconet.com.

Thanks again for listening. Chuck

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There you have it. I am sure you have an opinion on this subject. Send your comments to rupzip@cs.com

Any other news, tips, opinions or questions can be sent to the same address.

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