Postage goes up, & service gets worse again. Say so long to Saturdays

[TruckDriver]

This sucks I think.

Postal Service to end Saturday mail service Aug. 1

http://money.cnn.com/2013/02/06/news/economy/postal-service-cuts/?hpt=hp_t1

The U.S. Postal Service plans to stop delivering letters and other first-class mail on Saturdays beginning Aug. 1, although packages will continue to be delivered.
It will mark the an end of an era for the agency, which started Saturday delivery in 1863.

[Old Moparz]

The USPS would have completely been fine if Congress didn't f**k it up with it's ridiculous mandates. It's no different than shoving someone down the stairs & blaming them for their broken neck because they couldn't keep their balance.  

-------------------------------------------------------------------

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/27/postal-service-financial-problems_n_1833211.html

Your failure to send your Mother a proper birthday card is the least of our problems.

For four days at the end of June, retired letter carrier Jamie Partridge and nine other current and former postal workers didn't eat. They were on a hunger strike to protest what the group saw as the biggest threat to the U.S. Postal Service's continued existence: Not e-mail's steady encroachment on snail mail's territory, not a prolonged economic downturn or the growing popularity of corporate shipping services, but government-mandated payments to pre-fund health care benefits for postal retirees -- 75 years into the future.

"To call out that Congress was starving the postal service, we were starving ourselves," Partridge says. Private-sector companies -- and even most other branches of the federal government, like, say, the Army -- aren't required to fund their health benefits so far in advance. It's an albatross of a financial burden on the Postal Service, hidden beneath the more striking headlines about shrinking mail volume -- down more than 21 percent since its 2006 peak -- and plummeting revenue. Indeed, in the first three quarters of 2012, the Postal Service lost $11.6 billion, more than twice what it lost during the same period in 2011.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

http://www.peoplesworld.org/destroying-the-postal-service-in-order-to-save-it/

Destroying the Postal Service in order to save it?

The big lie seems to be working. Most Americans now believe that the U.S. Postal Service is on the verge of a financial collapse. The explanation seems logical: email, too many post offices, unnecessary six-day delivery, overpaid and underproductive workers. Unfortunately, these are half-truths, misinformation or outright lies.

It is true that the nature of mail has changed because of the Internet but it is also true that three biggest years in volume in the 236-year history of the Postal Service were 2005, 2006 and 2007, well into the Internet era.  The bigger impact upon the Postal Service was the financial collapse of 2008.

But the root cause of the financial distress that the Postal Service is going through is overwhelmingly caused by Congressional mandates that were imposed upon the Postal Service. Congress passed the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act (PAEA), which was signed into law by President G.W. Bush on December 20, 2006. Under the guise of modernizing the Postal Service for the 21st Century, it actually doomed the Postal Service. If not for the PAEA, the Postal Service would be functioning fine, even with the impact of email and the financial collapse of 2008.

One of the provisions of the PAEA was to mandate that the Postal Service fully pre-fund future retiree health benefits for the next 75 years, and to do it within a ten-year window. This means that the Postal Service is required to send to the U.S. Treasury $5.5 billion each September 30. Remember, this is to pay for the future retirement health benefits of people who haven't even been born yet. The Postal Service is the only entity that is mandated by law to do this. No government agency, corporation or organization is required to fully pre-fund future retirees' health benefits.


-------------------------------------------------------------------

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/five-things/the-u-s-postal-service/11433/

The postal service doesn't rely on taxpayer funds.

Until 1971, mail delivery was handled by the Post Office Department, a Cabinet department in the federal government. Postal worker strikes prompted President Nixon to pass the Postal Reorganization Act in 1971, transforming it into the semi-independent agency we now know as the United States Postal Service. The USPS in its current form runs like a business, relies on postage for revenue and, for the most part, has not used taxpayer money since 1982, when postage stamps became "products" instead of forms of taxation. Taxpayer money is only used in some cases to pay for mailing voter materials to disabled and overseas Americans.

USPS spokespersons have been adamant in emphasizing that they are not requesting taxpayer funds from the federal government to make this year's payment. Rather, they say, the USPS is asking Congress to authorize access to an estimated $7 billion that they overpaid into the future retiree pension fund in previous years.

[TruckDriver]

Obamacare is going to destroy this country as we know it. Lot of people been saying that. I know 2 trucking companys closing at the end of this year because of it going into affect next year.

[Old Moparz]

Obamacare is going to destroy this country as we know it. Lot of people been saying that. I know 2 trucking companys closing at the end of this year because of it going into affect next year.

I thought this topic was about the Post Office.   

Didn't realize it was a way to underhandedly lure members into a political discussion.   

[Dino]

Obamacare is going to destroy this country as we know it. Lot of people been saying that. I know 2 trucking companys closing at the end of this year because of it going into affect next year.

I thought this topic was about the Post Office.   

Didn't realize it was a way to underhandedly lure members into a political discussion.   

I'm afraid to post about what type of seat foam to use these days just for that!   

Not sure what 'the country as we know it' means as it means something totally different to different people, but I'm pretty sure we will survive.   

[41husk]

Are you realy surprised?

[Old Moparz]

Obamacare is going to destroy this country as we know it. Lot of people been saying that. I know 2 trucking companys closing at the end of this year because of it going into affect next year.

I thought this topic was about the Post Office.   

Didn't realize it was a way to underhandedly lure members into a political discussion.   

I'm afraid to post about what type of seat foam to use these days just for that!   

Not sure what 'the country as we know it' means as it means something totally different to different people, but I'm pretty sure we will survive.   

"As we know it" proves that striking fear into the population works.   

http://blip.tv/free-speech-tv/culture-of-fear-5908896

Culture of Fear

This documentary describes the high costs of living in a fear-ridden environment where realism has become rarer than doors without deadbolts.Why do we have so many fears these days? Are we living in exceptionally dangerous times? To watch the news, you'd certainly think so, but Glassner demonstrates that it is our perception of danger that has increased, not the actual level of risk. The Culture of Fear is an expose of the people and organizations that manipulate our perceptions and profit from our fears: politicians who win elections by heightening concerns about crime and drug use even as rates for both are declining; advocacy groups that raise money by exaggerating the prevalence of particular diseases; TV news magazines that monger a new scare every week to garner ratings.

[Ponch ®]

i don't think anyone is really going to miss mail on Saturday that much.

And yes, the USPS is a clusterf*ck. Which is why I laugh every time someone brings up some goofy elaborate government conspiracy - the government can't deliver the freaking mail!

[Troy]

They are still delivering "important" mail - just not bulk and First Class. I heard someone on the radio this morning wondering if it would really affect anyone (other than business and postal workers) if they cut delivery to only three days a week. Seriously, the only reason I check my mail more than once per week is because I get so much junk mail that it ends up all mashed into my tiny little mailbox if I wait too long.

Troy

[Tilar]

One of the provisions of the PAEA was to mandate that the Postal Service fully pre-fund future retiree health benefits for the next 75 years, and to do it within a ten-year window. This means that the Postal Service is required to send to the U.S. Treasury $5.5 billion each September 30. Remember, this is to pay for the future retirement health benefits of people who haven't even been born yet. The Postal Service is the only entity that is mandated by law to do this. No government agency, corporation or organization is required to fully pre-fund future retirees' health benefits.

Exactly why the USPS is going belly up.

Obamacare is going to destroy this country as we know it. Lot of people been saying that. I know 2 trucking companys closing at the end of this year because of it going into affect next year.

I thought this topic was about the Post Office.   

Didn't realize it was a way to underhandedly lure members into a political discussion.   

BUT

but government-mandated payments to pre-fund health care benefits for postal retirees -- 75 years into the future.

You started it.     

[stripedelete]

i don't think anyone is really going to miss mail on Saturday that much.

Maybe,,,,, NetFlix.  Sellsellsell..

[bull]

I'm surprised they didn't do this years ago. I doubt most people use snail mail for bills anymore so the demand is really not there for Saturday service. Other than that I bet there's little demand for junk mail deliveries on Saturday, or at all.

I have to wonder if the PO would save money if unsolicited mail was eliminated? They could probably get by delivering 3 days a week if it weren't for all the junk mail they have to handle. Even the tree-huggers happy if that went away, and making them happy is not easy.

[NHCharger]

Several years ago we built a small postal contract office which is privately run. Has one full time employee, two part timers. My boss said their annual operating budget is $165k. Same size post office run by the government $600k. Can't believe that's all due to funding pensions.

[XH29N0G]

I doubt most people use snail mail for bills anymore so the demand is really not there for Saturday service. Other than that I bet there's little demand for junk mail deliveries on Saturday, or at all.

I use snail mail for bills when I find that there is a service fee for using the internet to pay.   

[polywideblock]

you should be thankful that you've had delivery on sat for this long, we've never had it. Aust. post has been only 5 days a week for ever

[bull]

I doubt most people use snail mail for bills anymore so the demand is really not there for Saturday service. Other than that I bet there's little demand for junk mail deliveries on Saturday, or at all.

I use snail mail for bills when I find that there is a service fee for using the internet to pay.   

If I'm being charged a fee I haven't been able to find one, but I pay my bills through the utility company websites rather than through the bank. My mortgage company takes half the house payment through an automatic withdrawal every two weeks which is good because it equates to an extra payment or payment and a half each year - shaves years off the term. I know the bank charges fees if you pay bills through them so I didn't go that route. The one snail mail bill I pay uses a third-party online billing service which charges a fee, so I don't use it.

[Todd Wilson]

The post office is a joke as far as deliverying the mail. PIss poor service is all they deliver..............I work for a bulk mail/print shop part time and see some of most stupid things ever come out of the post office.Rules and regs. Its no wonder they are in trouble.

Also why are they funding health care for retired workers.............why dont they get on medicare like the rest of the world.................


Todd

[Fred]

you should be thankful that you've had delivery on sat for this long, we've never had it. Aust. post has been only 5 days a week for ever

You beat me to it polywideblock. But I'll add that I've always been happy with the service. Oh, and they make an exception and deliver on Saturday's over the Christmas period. (In Victoria at any rate).

[polywideblock]

yea 2 weeks before Xmas they do sat I'd forgot about that

[Fred]

Besides which..........no news is good news. The less they deliver, the better!  
And if they're bills........why don't they just deliver them to Bill's place and leave me alone.

[polywideblock]

 

[bakerhillpins]

Seriously, the only reason I check my mail more than once per week is because I get so much junk mail that it ends up all mashed into my tiny little mailbox if I wait too long.

Ain't that the truth.  

The big lie seems to be working. Most Americans now believe that the U.S. Postal Service is on the verge of a financial collapse. The explanation seems logical: email, too many post offices, unnecessary six-day delivery, overpaid and underproductive workers. Unfortunately, these are half-truths, misinformation or outright lies.

I can't comment on the other "half truths" but I can tell you from first hand expirence there are posts office locations that I can't find any logical reason for. Example, the post office just down the road from me. It's #2 in our town of 1800 people. Not sure why we have 2 in our rural NH town. Don't have that much going on. It's less that a quarter the size of the main office on the town green. Heck its 2 miles away from the other one. The town south of us has the exact same situation though they have a bigger population and a much larger main post office. The second one is also 2 miles away from the first.    

[Ram07]

We never had Postal Service on a Saturday.

[Troy]

The "too many offices" complaint has been around for a while. I believe it is the result of two major factors (if I can remember this stuff correctly). First, there is a mandate that the Post Office has to be accessible. That means people need to be able to walk in to do things that aren't possible with normal mail delivery (sending large packages, etc.). This means you're likely to see tiny offices inside cities where the population doesn't typically drive a vehicle. The second has to do with the union - as large Postal facilities become more efficient they need fewer workers but they can't reduce the work force so they move the employees to smaller branches.

And all that junk mail is what keeps stamp prices from going through the roof. It's the primary source of revenue the last time I checked. Yes, you'd think some "save the planet" group would have boycotted long ago (if they weren't such hypocrites, er, I mean, if they weren't so busy with other important things).

Troy

[RallyeMike]

The real failure of the US PO and those governing it is that they took so long to make significant-enough changes. The mandates related to pensions and health care are one thing, but the mail volume (and related revenue) drop has been trending and totally predictable for 10+ years. It is completely inexcusable that they are making reactive changes in the red instead of having made proactive changes and staying in the black.

[Todd Wilson]

All they have to offer is service and over the years its dried up.  We used to have small post offices in various places of business's around town here. Basically a small pickup window of sorts. Those have been gone for a while.  We used to have mail boxes at various locations and those are gone.   We used to have vending machines inside the post office for after hours purchasing of stamps and they took those out. WHY? There are lots of people that cannot make it to the post office to mail things and used these machines all the time. Now that they are going to 5 days a week when is anyone gonna be able to go to the post office to conduct business? People working during the day will not be able to do it. They relied on saturdays to take care of things.  Anytime at my post office you go in during lunch hour times  the place is packed with 30 people standing in like and maybe 1-2 postal workers taking care of things as the others are at lunch. If McDonalds operated lunch rush like the PO does they would be in trouble too.

I work at a bulk mail shop part time.   One  situation we had was if we UPS's a bag of bulk mail to a town it was going to we could get a cut  on postage. Instead of letting the USPS take care of all the movement of this bulk mail job we saved money by UPS's the bag of mail to the town and then let the USPS deliver to the places in town. So we put out bulk mail on the brown truck and it goes to the towns post office.  Instead of the post office delivering the mail  they load it up on one of their trucks and haul it hundreds of miles to the big city post office so the mail can be run thru their metering machines. Then they loaded it back up on their truck and haul it back to the small town. This took several extra days to happen before the mail got delivered.

They just changed regulations again starting first part of january on putting sticky tabs on folded pieces of mail to keep them shut. The shop had to spend 20 grand for a new machine because it uses different style of stickers now.

I could go on and on but theres no need...................


Todd

[Troy]

They aren't closing offices on Saturday - just not delivering.

There will be no changes to post offices that are currently open on Saturday and mail will continue to be delivered to PO boxes.

Troy

[Ponch ®]

i don't think anyone is really going to miss mail on Saturday that much.

Maybe,,,,, NetFlix.  Sellsellsell..

Netflix = streaming.

I have to wonder if the PO would save money if unsolicited mail was eliminated? They could probably get by delivering 3 days a week if it weren't for all the junk mail they have to handle. Even the tree-huggers happy if that went away, and making them happy is not easy.

All that unsolicited/junk mail is probably what keeps the USPS (barely) alive. It's not like they deliver it for free, and it if it relied strictly on bills and personal letters, it would likely disappear.