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POSTAL PROBLEMS

USPS Workers Starve Themselves to Prevent Delivery Cuts

Hunger strike is a protest against Congress's plan for postal service

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by PolitixMayday

Staff Writer t

Image: AP

United States Postal Service workers claim Congress is starving the postal service of money. So, several current and former postal workers are undertaking their second hunger strike in six months to highlight the problem.

The USPS's budgetary woes, which includes $16 billion lost in the fiscal year 2012 alone, have been much-discussed in Congress. One solution that's popular on the Hill: reduce delivery days.

That, however, doesn't sit well with protesting postal workers, who claim that 80,000 jobs could be lost as a result.

But, fortunately for the postal workers, conflicting House and Senate plans to put the postal service back on fiscal track have prevented Congress from doing anything.

According to the Washington Post, the Senate would postpone five-day deliveries for two years and transfer billions of dollars from a pension fund while offering buyouts to postal workers.

The House, however, would give the postal service latitude to cut services at its own discretion, implement a governing panel to oversee the service's finances, and restrict the post office's ability to negotiate labor agreements.

Regardless, any deal would likely change the delivery schedule for mail, the Washington Post reports.

Via the Washington Post and The Hill
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Would you be happy to see the end of Saturday mail delivery?

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Comments (view in Forum)

  • Speedieg
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    The mail is just not that important any more it could be delivered every other day and probably cut the staff by 30 to 40 percent. Jobs are not charities and are not for life.
  • dances-weebles
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    the u.s. postal service is still more important, and more dependable than any other form of message service. we can't, as a culture, let it die.

    "Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night stays these courageous couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds"
  • Speedieg
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    @dances-weebles I am not advocating letting it die. Most of the mail I get is magazines and and crap. We could skip a day to save money and no one would be harmed. The postal service pays way to much money for what their employees do.
  • dances-weebles
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    @Speedieg you complain because the postal carriers are paid a living wage? i don't know about anybody else, but i receive all sorts of correspondence including letters, checks and other items from the federal gov't. royalty checks, and other payments. i don't receive any magazines at all unless my mother sends me a box of readers digests that she's collected throughout the year.
  • hwyangel
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    @Speedieg

    The UPS is not necessarily just about letters and magazines. Many people depend on USPS for life-saving medication and other important deliveries. Some of the first things that will be cut is free collection of can food for the needy, stamps that raise funds for breast cancer, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service for missing and exploited children. Some of the more rural stores will be closed limiting delivery areas (which feeds into the UN agenda for the elimination of private property and rural development). Besides the loss of more jobs.
  • Speedieg
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    @hwyangel valid points but just like the pony express vanished and was replaced we need to adapt to new technologies. Change is never easy and is often not fair.
  • View all 9 replies >
  • FollowTheMoney
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    Good question, I too would like to know. It just might explain the 16 billion loss, and give insight in to making the USPS solvent.
  • marine1
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    @FollowTheMoney Like everything else the governent gets its fingers in, it ens up being mismanaged and too costly to maintain without tax payer subsidy. Give it to the private sector and it will do fine.
  • FollowTheMoney
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    @marine1 Yes, The government is the problem. And giving the USPS to the private sector is an easy solution, but the wrong one. It's time to do the hard work and fix our government.
    Live up to our responsibility as citizens and get involved in government. Make the politicians put the needs of the country ahead of their careers. Why patch the rat hole, get rid of the rats.
  • marine1
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    @FollowTheMoney I can agree with most of what you say but goverment should be just that, goverment, it should govern the activities of the people not compete with free interprise, be postal,housing or any other entity.
  • FollowTheMoney
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    @marine1 I think the postal service is an essential service. The country would fail without it. Too important to trust to corporate entities.
  • View all 8 replies >
  • DerivePI
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    Maybe our postal workers can live off of Obama's magic beans and fairy dust until he and congress can finish up their winter vactions, and then solve our untenable debt crisis. Surfs up dude!
  • o
    woodtick57
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    i would think the communication via the USPO is too important to leave to a private firm that may, or may not stay in the business.
  • Bobolinsky
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    This is a good place for a Milton Friedman video.

    The whole video is worth the time but the part specific to the post office starts at 1:57.
  • View all 18 replies >
  • Jeff_Woehrle
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    Just print more money! That's the solution for everything in America today. No longer financially viable? No problem! The liberal solution is to ignore reality and just keep spending and borrowing.

    I really don't see this as an issue. Nothing needs to change. Everything is just fine.
  • stepped_in_it
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    HMM, since most of my mail (approx 95%) is junk mail and I can't set the spam controls on it's delivery, a reduction in services would not effect me in the slightest bit. Jeez, I joined the 21st century at least 25 years ago. Electronic mail. Get it now, no lost mail and no walk to the mailbox (even though I could use the exercise....LOL)
  • UnCommonBoston
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    This article is inaccurate. The USPS's budget proplems are caused by congress. They would be quite profitable if Congress did not force them to prepay pensions in advavce. The New York Times has written extensively about this
  • stepped_in_it
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    And Social Security is not a problem, if the Gov would stop taking it's money and pay back what it borrowed. Of course, if pigs could fly........lol
  • u
    seedtick
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    If Social Security has to be trimmed to make it viable, then the USPS pension can also be trimmed to make it viable. I have a better suggestion...trim Medicaid and illegal alien food benefits (the deal we have with Mexico) and quit giving free healthcare to illegal aliens...and don't say we don't, because we damned sure do...and furnish translators for them while we do it.
  • UnCommonBoston
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    @stepped_in_it. The Postal Service is not a government agency. It is overseen by congress. They can't take money from them, but they can force them into budgetary problems and claim they are mismanaged. Seriously, look into it -
  • stepped_in_it
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    @UnCommonBoston The United States Postal Service (USPS) is an "independent establishment of the executive branch" of the United States Government (see 39 U.S.C.§ 201) responsible for providing postal service in the United States. Within the United States, it is generally referred to as "the post office."

    The USPS is often mistaken for a government-owned corporation (e.g. Amtrak), but as noted above is legally defined as an "independent establishment of the executive branch of the Government of the United States,"[cite this quote] as it is wholly owned by the government and controlled by the Presidential appointees and the Postmaster General. As a quasi-governmental agency, it has many special privileges, including sovereign immunity, eminent domain powers, powers to negotiate postal treaties with foreign nations, and an exclusive legal right to deliver first-class and third-class mail.
    Source(s):
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USPS
  • View all 9 replies >
  • Thunderchicken
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    This just shows how out of touch the union is. The time to face reality has long passed. Now we get to deal with the consequences of not facing reality.

    If we were to go to three day a week residential and five day a week business delivery it would suit me just fine.
  • Thunderchicken
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    @dances-weebles

    The USPS is going to have to downsize to be viable. Since the `80s serious reform has been talked about and the unions have been against any reform.
  • Thunderchicken
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    @dances-weebles

    The only reason they're still in business is because congress mandates and protects them. Just look at UPS and FedEx. If they could deliver mail, the USPS would have folded already. Like the rest of the federal government the USPS too big for the service they provide.
  • View all 7 replies >
  • martydotcom
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    Postman starving themselves? Based upon the physical condition of my local delivery man a good move. He must be approaching 300lbs.
    UPS, Fed, Ex etc; work just fine delivering that which won't fit into an Email. The post office is a vestigial organ like an appendix, no longer needed
  • lawnmowrman
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    The people that live in my world need the postal service. No postal service = no electricity, no water, no gas, no telephone. We can't afford to blow money on a green dot card to pay bills with the cost of everything being so high.
  • martydotcom
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    @lawnmowrman I don't know Stockbridge Ga, but I'm sure you can arrange for EFT (that's electronic funds transfer) to a checking account and writing a check is not an impossibility.. Worst case scenario I'm am sure the Fed Ex or UPS will come up with an affordable (real not subsidized by the gov) cost of 3 dor 4 day deliver of your envelope. If you capable of writing a post, your capable of having funds deposited to you account and paid them utilities via direct EFT. You'll be able to a credit card which you can use freely and then pay it off from the bank.
    I can't conceive that you're on the internet, living in the progressive red state in Ga and don't have access to a bank. Please explain
  • stepped_in_it
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    @martydotcom Marty....the "locals" in my area are still stuck in the 19th century. They still run to the 'lectric company and phone company...etc to pay there bills in cash. You'll never get it through their heads the cost of gas, time....etc makes this not a wise choice. They have no trust in the banks or automatic deposit/withdrawals. Sometimes, when I left L.A. 20 years ago, I feel I stepped way back in time....shouldn't have done 88 MPH coming across on I-40 in my Delorean.... LOL
  • martydotcom
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    @stepped_in_it Not much different here 1st town across the draw bridge from where I live is Lake Worth FL. You can pay water and electric bills at an office on the main drag. End of month the inevitable traffic jam. Some have advanced into current technology enough to use the drive thru window, but most feel a need to park and confront the clerk face to face.
  • lawnmowrman
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    @martydotcom Living amongst poor folk is an interesting way of life. Most of the people here in what we affectionately call "The Hood," have no bank accounts and no credit cards. We pay our bills by money order and deliver our payments via postal mail. We pay $0.60 for a stamp to avoid the sixteen mile walk to the post office where stamps only cost $0.45. I suppose that most participants at politix.com dismiss the possibility that the dirt poor are amongst them here at politix. The people in my world work daily, so their children won't go to bed hungry. The recession has hit us very hard. My income sometimes goes as high as $100 per week. It's just enough to feed myself and pay the utility bills. I cannot afford to pay $5 to deposit money on a green dot card to pay bills. No banker with an ounce of sense would give someone like me or the others that live here a credit card or a checking account. I remember applying for a checking account just a few short years ago. The bank rep looked at me and said "Mr. Hall, As near as I can tell you don't exist." We rely on the postal service. We need the postal service.
  • View all 9 replies >
  • DomesticG
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    I hate it for the workers, but the times they are a-changin'...and if the USPS is losing money, something has to change with it.
  • Post Removed by Moderators
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    FollowTheMoney
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    @Coolvoter Yeah, some thing gotta give. As with all things government, congress is the problem. And we elect congress. Congress serves them selves. So, what's the root of the problem with the USPS then? I say we are. We need to fix congress, Then congress can fix the USPS.
  • FollowTheMoney
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    @Coolvoter Yes, your right. But my point is that Government is broken, therefor all it controls is broken. We need the USPS as a core service that can't be controlled or manipulated by the corporate machine.

    We, the responsible, need to start owning up to our responsibilities and duties as citizens, Grab our politicians by the short hair and shake the piss out of them and make them work for the country rather then strictly for them selves.

    Why splint a broken finger when the arm is falling off.
  • View all 7 replies >
  • u
    idiot
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    welcome to the 99%ers world.
    they outsourced our jobs, deregulated wallstreet. now they are taxeing the postal service out of existance. Does anyone else see the problem?
  • o
    Sharpshooter
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    When you have an issue with service from USPS they are more than happy to tell you that USPS is NOT Taxpayer Supported BUT when they WANT something there they are hands out looking for MONEY.

    Note to USPS.... those dollars you are looking for come from taxpayers...

    If you concentrated on providing quality customer service like your competition (FedEx and UPS) you wouldn't be losing market share and asking ME for more money for overpaid rude incompetents who think they're entitled to a job.
  • KHatfull
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    Perfectly stated. I can't count how many times I've gotten the "not taxpayer supported" song and dance from the lifers at my local PO. Priority mail is the only thing I'd miss.
  • jessejaymes
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    I haven't been in a Post Office in the past 30 years where the workers were NOT obese, rude, uninformed and pretty much disgusting to deal with while they eat, drink and hold up the lines. I don't have much sympathy for them.
  • dances-weebles
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    i have never in my life been in a post office where the postal service employees act as you have indicated. they are always well qualified, and well trained and are the epitome of politeness and helpfulness. very few people can even pass the examinations required to become a postal service employee.
  • jessejaymes
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    @dances-weebles Right. Next time you're in Los Angeles give me a call and we'll do a tour of the Area Post offices. I promise you 500 lb women who are exactly as I describe. Money back guarantee.
  • dances-weebles
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    @jessejaymes have it your way. if you are having these problems, however, a simple call or letter to the post master general will settle the problem. you'll see new faces in your local post offices within a day.
  • Dan_Tien
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    @dances-weebles Not only have I experienced similar actions from employees in post offices, including being totally ignored as if I were a ghost, my family has had running problems with a mail carrier who drives past our mail box even though the flag is up only sit for long periods at the end of the road. Complaining to the local postmaster about the misdelivered mail, neglect and rudeness from the carrier earned the snarky reply, "Home delivery is a courtesy, SIR".
  • dances-weebles
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    @Dan_Tien the only complaint that i've ever had about any carrier is that they always seem to deliver more bills than they do money to pay them. that just doesn't seem fair to me.
  • View all 10 replies >
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