US Postal Service out of money Oct 1st

[ALS]

USPS May Be Unable to Make Payroll in October and Retiree Health Plan Costs, Unions' Letter to White House Says
July 19, 2009

On July 14, unions representing United States Postal Service (USPS) workers wrote the White House with "extreme urgency" asking for a meeting to address lack of funding for both employee payroll in October and health benefits for retired employees.

The letter, which the FederalTimes.com blog provided a scanned copy late last week, says:

"[USPS] top executives are now saying that the USPS will default on a $5.4 billion payment to prefund future retiree health benefits on September 30, 2009. And its government affairs representative are now telling Congressional staff that the Postal Service may not be able to make payroll in October and will be forced to issue IOUs instead."

The letter was co-signed by the presidents of the American Postal Workers Union, National Rural Letter Carriers' Association, National Association of Letter Carriers and National Postal Mailhandlers Union, and sent to White House Deputy Chief of Staff, Jim Messina.

Postal Service story

 

[PandaBear]

It would be nice if they can just switch back to 5 days delivery (no sat) or every other day. I think there is no need for such urgent mail services and if you do, there are other means that are more cost effective.

Let's face it, most of the stuff we get are junk anyways.

 

[Cutehumor]

Grikes! My dad retired from the USPS back in 1992. First I heard of this!

 

[Mr Nice]

3 days a week will be just fine for 99% of the USA.

Mon, Wed and Sat delivery.

Start the layoffs at the Postal Service.

 

[Solo2driver]

So we can send billions to private companies, but our own government-run organization is out of luck? Bummer. I started using USPS for all of my business shipments to try to help support it; as long as service continues, that would be great.

 

[PandaBear]

Originally Posted By: LT4 Vette
3 days a week will be just fine for 99% of the USA.

Mon, Wed and Sat delivery.

Start the layoffs at the Postal Service.


I'd say with electronic billing, once a week would be sufficient.

Hey, if you can do with only 1 garbage collection a week, why can't you do with 1 junk mail and garbage delivery a week?

 

[Mr Nice]

75% of my snail mail is unwanted and unnecessary retail store flyers and junk mail.
Look at the [censored] they want to spend your Tax dollars on.

http://www.justnews.com/slideshow/slideshows/18919066/detail.html

 

[Turk]

Originally Posted By: LT4 Vette
3 days a week will be just fine for 99% of the USA.

Mon, Wed and Sat delivery.

Start the layoffs at the Postal Service.

 

[BuickGN]

Good to see Obama has fixed everything like promised.

 

[brianl703]

Originally Posted By: PandaBear

Hey, if you can do with only 1 garbage collection a week, why can't you do with 1 junk mail and garbage delivery a week?


Most of the private trash collection companies in this area collect twice a week.

 

[brianl703]

I don't think this was the "change" most were expecting.

 

[Brett Miller]

Don't worry Barney Frank will come to the rescue.

 

[brianl703]

That's pronounced Baahney Fwank isn't it?

 

[Geonerd]

Originally Posted By: LT4 Vette
3 days a week will be just fine for 99% of the USA.

Mon, Wed and Sat delivery.

Start the layoffs at the Postal Service.


Union contracts make this option impossible. The same union over-reach is responsible for the un-fundable pensions and wildly elevated pay scale. While I respect the "Neither rain, nor sleet, nor snow" work performed, most employees are (IMO!) rather overpaid for the relatively unskilled work they are doing. As I understand it, the overall situation is strikingly similar to that the US auto industry is suffering through.

Unions have done great good in the past, but all too often they over-step and become parasitic, often killing the host in the end.

 

[Vilan]

Their cheque is in the mail.

 

[ViragoBry]

As far as my household is concerned, they could stop delivery altogether and I'd be fine with it. I'm tired of my box being stuffed full of grocery ads and other tree-killing material. The post office isn't so far from my house that I can't drop materials off there. Actually, I prefer to since mail theft has become so prevalent. It's no longer safe to put your utility check in your own mailbox. What I can't pay online, I drop off.

 

[Pablo]

This thread is full of fine ideas. NOT!

"It would be nice if they can just switch back to 5 days delivery (no sat) or every other day."

"3 days a week will be just fine for 99% of the USA.

Mon, Wed and Sat delivery."

"..they could stop delivery altogether and I'd be fine with it"

I'll be the first to say combining unions and government has produced evil spawn known as the USPS. (and many other scary things). BUTTTTTTT - daily and Saturday delivery is the ONLY good thing about the USPS (well flat rate Priority Mail is sweet too). If they kill daily delivery off (they can't) it would be like chopping both legs off.

 

[GROUCHO MARX]

More junk mail is the solution.

 

[oilyriser]

[political]

 

[JHZR2]

UPS charges what to mail a letter even just a few blocks, ground? $4? $5?

I suppose there is a basis for that cost structure. Surely the USPS does more volume than a UPS, but still, again, I imagine there is a basis.

I thought for a while the USPS pulled a profit, no?

UPS has a union, overpaid people, huge vacation times, etc., but no gripe about that... why? their cost structure allows for it. We feel that we deserve to have the US mail. Is that so? Didnt it put itself into its own setup as a quasi-government entity? I know they pay a lot less for health insurance premiums than I do as a gov't worker.

I think they should just rebaseline their costs the way that UPS does. Sorry, that is reality... If people can't afford to use the mail system, well, what can they do? The man will come after them when he wants his money anyhow...