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US Postal Service may cut days off their delivery

Submitted by WWAY on Thu, 01/29/2009 - 6:34pm.READ MORE: US Postal Service may cut days off their delivery
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In order to work through the economic rough patch, the US Postal Service may have to cut delivery and pick-up from 6 days a week, to 5. “I think that would be an injustice to the public because it has always been that way,” said Wilmington’s Ella Louise. Some rely on the postal service for a living. Just ask local business owner, PJ Kelly of Compass Point Developers. “It certainly would affect getting stuff out to people that we've promised in a timely manner.” A USPS spokeswoman said going to a five day work week is a last resort, and this is why. In 2006, a law was passed that says the postal service has to pay five billion dollars for the next ten years to pre-fund the cost of benefits for future retirees. That is in addition to the two billion it must pay for its current retirees. The Postmaster General asked Congress Wednesday to approve restructuring that payment to relieve the financial burden, instead of cutting a delivery day. Pat Long of Kure Beach said, “I guess we all do what we have to do during this economic strain.” A number of factors play in to the weakening USPS bottom line; declining mail volumes, last year's spike in fuel cost and the increasingly turbulent economy. It is unclear exactly how much a five day work week would save in dollars and cents, but the postal service said, "Savings would be quite tremendous". There are still many unknowns; what day of the week the USPS would stop delivering, who it will affect - residents, businesses or both, or when it would happen.

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To the part-time carrier: I

Submitted by Guest666 (not verified) on Sat, 01/31/2009 - 7:44pm.
To the part-time carrier: I can't believe that losing this job will cause you all the problems that you mention. Now is the time to start looking for another job to replace the USPS one. There is always Hardees and McDonalds. I know some of them are hiring. Start your own business, clean houses for those who don't want to, deliver auto parts, drive a school bus, visit an employment agency........you get the point.
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you are obviously not very

Submitted by Guest (not verified) on Mon, 09/12/2011 - 7:07pm.

you are obviously not very bright. a lot of families are working with 1 paycheck as it is and if they lose it guess what that will cause problems. where do you work?? because let me tell you if the post office goes under guess who also will. hmmm lets think. stamp, envelope makers, truck drivers, catalog makers and the people you probably hate the junk mail makers. no need for catalog models so good bye to them too. there is a lot more at risk then just the post office. and banks do mail out the bills after you do bill pay. so either you could mail it out yourself for 44c and it wil get then in 3 days or you can wait for the bank and if you did that transaction on friday guess when it will leave there. oh yeah monday so now wait 3 days. what a world we live in where people could care less about the american jobs.

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finding a new job

Submitted by Brownbomber2 (not verified) on Sun, 07/05/2009 - 4:32pm.
I hope you have the opportunity to do all of those things that you list for us part time people at the post office.
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Guest666 is a moron

Submitted by mailman72 (not verified) on Thu, 02/26/2009 - 10:12pm.
Hey buddy, I'm a rural carrier and I know firsthand how the USPS works. First off, how dare you're arrogant butt tell that substitute carrier and teacher "there is always Hardees and McDonalds". I'll bet if your boss came to you and said "you're no longer needed-get out" you probably would not be thinking about burger flipping. What about the fact that the USPS is the USA's second largest employer? You think the economy is bad now?? Let all those subs lose their jobs and then let's see how much worse it gets. I've bought well over a hundred dollars worth of stamps for people over the years also. The person whose mail is getting returned either has an inexperienced carrier or one with an attitude problem. Rural carriers normally do not "go postal", we are mostly bible-believing people who are scraping to get by. I'm sick of people knocking the postal service, sure there's problems just like in all companies, but most of the problems stem from the top management. Potter just got a huge raise and bonus - I got my pay cut almost 5,000 a year last year and will probably suffer another loss this year. We get paid directly from mail volume, when we count mail the volume declines so does our pay-hurting the economy more. When the mail count is over the mail volume increases magically, but our pay does not. If the USPS goes under, as some of you wish, so does 8,000,000 jobs. The USA will basically cease to exist as a first-world nation if that happens. Also, I've been a carrier for 9 years and I still make under 50K a year, that ought to make you haters happy.
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5 day week

Submitted by Brownbomber2 (not verified) on Sun, 07/05/2009 - 4:28pm.
I have 18 years as a PTF carrier and I too have paid postage for a lot of people over the years. I have had little kids want to mail something and would tell me who their friends were and I would take care of getting across town to the right route and to the friends house. Some of those kids have grown up now and are friends of mine because of the way I have treated them in the past. As for Postmaster General Potter getting a raise? How about the $800,000 bonus that he collected this year while we were going bankrupt! All of you that think the post office is so bad, some time on your day off, walk with your letter carrier and see how well you keep up without carrying any mail. Be sure to bring a good pair of comfortable shoes, because most walking routes are 8-10 miles long and there isn't much time for goofing around.
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I get the point

Submitted by Guest1957 (not verified) on Sun, 02/01/2009 - 7:08am.
You think finding a job is easy and that losing a part time job is OK. I only hope that you never have to look for a job in times like these and get turned down over and over and that you never lose a job--that is if you are working at all. I know what a lost of a part time job can mean to a family. That part time job could be what pays for food, gas, health insurance, house payment, or many more things. Until you walk in a person's shoe don't judge them!!!!
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As an RCA.........

Submitted by Illinois RCA (not verified) on Mon, 02/02/2009 - 12:00am.
I am presently a sub on a regular route and depend so much on just that 1 day a week t pay car payments, mortgage, etc. The thought of just going to work part-time at McDonalds or Hardees may sound like an easy replacement for a substitute carrier but it goes much deeper than that. Does Mickey D's or Hardees guarantee you a full time position with lifetime benefits once the "career" fry cook retires? Do they offer you $18.24/hour plus $.52/mile to start? Do they offer discounted health insurance through their strong union even though you are not a full time employee? The answer to all of these are a very emphatic "NO". Substitute carriers will be hugely impacted if USPS goes to a 5 day work week. If your solution was that easy there would be a McDonalds & Hardees on every street corner in America.
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It is true that all

Submitted by B Oba. (not verified) on Wed, 02/18/2009 - 7:29pm.
It is true that all government employees are overpaid and have unbeatable benefits. That is why everyone wants a government job. If we had to be in the real economy and not leech off the profitable portion of the market, we would have to live like everyone else.
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You answered the question

Submitted by guesty on Mon, 02/02/2009 - 10:26am.
Only in government can you get "...a full time position with lifetime benefits ..." and yet you wonder why the postal service can't make any money.
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