In the free market, there are competitors who punish wastefull and inefficient companies, either forcing them to straighten up, or driving them out of business.

Like GM and Chrysler?

Govt services are by definition a monopoly. As such, any inefficiency introduced by union work rules is covered by raising taxes. The leech, once attached, cannot be removed until the patient is dead.

MarkTheGreat on October 1, 2009 at 9:10 AM

The Postal
Service doesn’t get it’s money from taxes. All of it’s revenue comes from sales of postage.

The hardest part of the day was to find a place where physical work or any work at all needed to be done. One of my favorite work areas, which I volunteered to work often, was the loading dock. I would work in the van and fill up about a quarter of it, and in the busy pace of the dock, I would fill the van up to the ceiling with mail bags and crash. The van would be filled up and off to SFO it would go.

When the crew at the airport unloaded the van I woke up and when they got to where I was zonked out I help them finish off loading the van and ride back to the center with the driver (who did nothing but drive the truck 40 miles a night) and punch out for the day.

In the free market, there are competitors who punish wastefull and inefficient companies, either forcing them to straighten up, or driving them out of business.

Govt services are by definition a monopoly. As such, any inefficiency introduced by union work rules is covered by raising taxes. The leech, once attached, cannot be removed until the patient is dead.

Top that, Post Office!

First off, let me call bullsh*t on this story. The post office is current reassigning window and office clerks to anywhere within 500 miles of their current work location or preparing to lay them off. The standby workers are all mail processing clerks (people who run the processing machines, sort packages, etc.), not letter carriers as Ed’s picture would have you believe.

postaldog on September 30, 2009 at 6:56 PM

There have been several layoffs in our district and all have been clerks.

Key West Reader on September 30, 2009 at 6:13 PM

Sorry to hear that KWR. I have a feeling that is going to happen to a lot of us…I keep my fingers crossed for my husband’s job.

yoda on September 30, 2009 at 7:58 PM

Ditto that to KWR, and to all the good people who do not deserve the trials of unemployment. Stay strong.

Key West Reader on September 30, 2009 at 6:13 PM

Sorry to hear that KWR. I have a feeling that is going to happen to a lot of us…I keep my fingers crossed for my husband’s job.

At any rate, the employees had to maintain a degree of accuracy to keep their positions or else be retrained. To me, the level of stress to do that job well must be high.

Lots of loafers.

Why do many Americans not want the government to take over health care? Is it because we’re stingy? Is it because we don’t give a damn about those who struggle to pay for health care and/or insurance? Is it because……

Again, my friend who delivers mail is experiencing opposite of this article.

Her route has been lengthened. She has to work much harder.

That’s the job.

AnninCA on September 30, 2009 at 6:50 PM

Is there any subject on the planet or event throughout the history of time that you do not have a personal experience to share with us?

My God. It’s Cliff Claven. Has to be. C’mon, show us the beet-abaga. Tell us you don’t have any connection to the moon landings. I dare you.

I don’t have problem with talking about stupid, incompetent management within the post office, but at least I’m qualified to do so.

Get your facts straight Ed.

Again, my friend who delivers mail is experiencing opposite of this article.

Her route has been lengthened. She has to work much harder.

That’s the job.

AnninCA on September 30, 2009 at 6:50 PM

You are right. This is happening with the carriers in my area too. The excess staff is at the mail handling facilities and plants. Most offices are short staffed on clerks and carriers are stretched thin. I don’t know about administrative facilities. We aren’t near one.

The unions need to be outlawed altogether.

MikeA on September 30, 2009 at 6:40 PM

Agreed. It was a total mistake to allow civil servants at ALL levels of government service to organize. If/when the conservatives ever get any power back they need to eliminate this rule as fast as possible.

Her route has been lengthened. She has to work much harder.

That’s the job.

darwin-t on September 30, 2009 at 4:23 PM

When I came to DC to work for the Government nearly thirty years ago, I was told that the US had the best postal system in the world, with the exception of the UK. Competition and an aging workforce with maxed-out pay-step increases has changed that. I suspect the unions are behind any hesitancy to provide retirement incentives. Buyouts in the late 90s made significant reductions elsewhere in the Federal government. They should do the same for the Postal Service.

I think most people have a sense of pride in the work they do, which is why I can believe that enforced standing down would meet with objections. Smart workers know that it’s a bad sign in the long run. So even though my visits to a post office tend to be more or less unpleasant, I’m disinclined to rush to judgment against them. I blame the union officials, and I certainly blame the leadership.