Unions rally against Postal Service move to end Saturday delivery

[FUZO]

TweetThe unions are pushing back hard against Postal Service plans to end Saturday mail delivery, rallying across the country Sunday and launching TV ads to bolster their case that America needs its mail six days a week. 


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[Dzone]

TweetIm surprised the union is fighting it. I figured they would be trying to get paid for working saturday without working

[GotClen]

TweetI thought the US Gov wont let them anyways.

If you ever looked deep into the US Postal and how our government mandates and dictates what they do. All the while our Gov does not give the postal system a DIME. Now thats a F ed up system.

[JsJs24]

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I thought the US Gov wont let them anyways.

If you ever looked deep into the US Postal and how our government mandates and dictates what they do. All the while our Gov does not give the postal system a DIME. Now thats a F ed up system.

I am not aware how the USPS acquires financial assistance from the government but I am certain it has to in some form. This is because the USPS is a quasi-governmental agency as you can read below along with other details such as the 11 member board of directors of which 9 are presidential appointees and Senate confirmed. No business could remain open with billions of dollars in debt increases every quarter. The USPS is one of the worst run businesses in America. I consider it a government owned and operated company regardless of what the government calls it. This is because there is no owner, no stock for someone to become the largest shareholder and for shareholders to make decisions, and most of all the fact that it is managed by a board of presidential appointed board members as I stated previously. The USPS defies all common sense business practices. Additionally, it is the Congress that decides where postal roads and post offices are built and opened. If the USPS did not receive any government assistance they could not possibly be in business at present. This year the USPS is projected to lost $11 billion. No business can manage to remain open with that large of a loss. But things will only get worse as mail continues to decline due to the internet and email, baby-boomers continue to retire in large numbers and receive large pensions and benefits, and poor business decisions. The only business that is as bad as the USPS imo is AMTRAK, which is also a government run business and has not turned a profit since the government acquired it.

The below information was taken from Wikipedia.

The Board of Governors of the United States Postal Service sets policy, procedure, and postal rates for services rendered, and has a similar role to a corporate board of directors. Of the eleven members of the Board, nine are appointed by the President and confirmed by the United States Senate (see 39 U.S.C. § 202). The nine appointed members then select the United States Postmaster General, who serves as the board's tenth member, and who oversees the day to day activities of the service as Chief Executive Officer (see 39 U.S.C. §§ 202–203). The ten-member board then nominates a Deputy Postmaster General, who acts as Chief Operating Officer, to the eleventh and last remaining open seat.
The independent Postal Regulatory Commission (formerly the Postal Rate Commission) is also controlled by appointees of the President confirmed by the Senate. It oversees postal rates and related concerns, having the authority to approve or reject USPS proposals.
The USPS is often mistaken for a government-owned corporation (e.g., Amtrak) because it operates much like a business, but as noted above, it is legally defined as an "independent establishment of the executive branch of the Government of the United States", (39 U.S.C. § 201) as it is controlled by 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. Indeed, in 2004, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in a unanimous decision that the USPS was not a government-owned corporation, and therefore could not be sued under the Sherman Antitrust Act.[71]
The U.S. Supreme Court has also upheld the USPS's statutory monopoly on access to letter boxes against a First Amendment freedom of speech challenge; it thus remains illegal in the U.S. for anyone, other than the employees and agents of the USPS, to deliver mailpieces to letter boxes marked "U.S. Mail."[72]
The Postal Service also has a Mailers' Technical Advisory Committee and local Postal Customer Councils, which are advisory and primarily involve business customers.[73]
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[JsJs24]

TweetOne more thought on the USPS. If they really don't receive tax payer money then they have to at least receive government loans perhaps by the Federal Reserve because no bank would loan money to a business that can't pay it back unless there is some guarantee from the government. Hence, the USPS would not be in business without government assistance in some form.

[Dzone]

TweetPeople around here like to say if you want the easiest job with good pay and full benefits with full pension, get on at the Post office. Ive seen a shitload of postal workers tell me they are retired and Im like "huh? Youre way too damn young to be retired"

[wutlisstrice]

Tweetnever understood this buisness,but it seems that the benifits are nice

[GotClen]

TweetOK JsJs24 I will say it again "If you ever looked deep into the US Postal system and how our government mandates and dictates what they do. All the while our Gov does not give the postal system a DIME. Now thats a F ed up system".

I know the Gov controls and approves etc. Thanks for confirming what I said. However, you still have not shown me where our government puts money into the postal system. I know it is the craziest business model every. I can't explain how there doors are open. At the same time I can't assume the gov is funneling cash to them. Now maybe just like the auto industries they continue to BAIL them out with long term loans?

Lets see if between us we can find the real answer.
gc

[GotClen]

TweetJUST FOUND THIS INFO: kinda long

he Modern Postal Service: Agency or Business?
Until adoption of the Postal Reorganization Act of 1970, the U.S. Postal Service functioned as a regular, tax-supported, agency of the federal government.

According to the laws under which it now operates, the U.S. Postal Service is a semi-independent federal agency, mandated to be revenue-neutral. That is, it is supposed to break even, not make a profit.

In 1982, U.S. postage stamps became "postal products," rather than a form of taxation. Since then, The bulk of the cost of operating the postal system has been paid for by customers through the sale of "postal products" and services rather than taxes.

Each class of mail is also expected to cover its share of the costs, a requirement that causes the percentage rate adjustments to vary in different classes of mail, according the costs associated with the processing and delivery characteristics of each class.

According to the costs of operations, U.S. Postal Service rates are set by the Postal Regulatory Commission according to the recommendations of the Postal Board of Governors.

Look, the USPS is an Agency!
The USPS is created as a government agency under Title 39, Section 101.1 of the United States Code which states, in part:

(a) The United States Postal Service shall be operated as a basic and fundamental service provided to the people by the Government of the United States, authorized by the Constitution, created by Act of Congress, and supported by the people. The Postal Service shall have as its basic function the obligation to provide postal services to bind the Nation together through the personal, educational, literary, and business correspondence of the people. It shall provide prompt, reliable, and efficient services to patrons in all areas and shall render postal services to all communities. The costs of establishing and maintaining the Postal Service shall not be apportioned to impair the overall value of such service to the people.

Under paragraph (d) of Title 39, Section 101.1, "Postal rates shall be established to apportion the costs of all postal operations to all users of the mail on a fair and equitable basis."

No, the USPS is a Business!
the Postal Service takes on some several very non-governmental attributes via the powers granted to it under Title 39, Section 401, which include:

power to sue (and be sued) under its own name;

power to adopt, amend and repeal its own regulations;

power to "enter into and perform contracts, execute instruments, and determine the character of, and necessity for, its expenditures";

power to buy, sell and lease private property; and,

power to build, operate, lease and maintain buildings and facilities.

All of which are typical functions and powers of a private business. However, unlike other private businesses, the Postal Service is exempt from paying federal taxes. USPS can borrow money at discounted rates, and can condemn and acquire private property under governmental rights of eminent domain.

The USPS does get some taxpayer support. Around $96 million is budgeted annually by Congress for the "Postal Service Fund." These funds are used to compensate USPS for postage-free mailing for all legally blind persons and for mail-in election ballots sent from US citizens living overseas. A portion of the funds also pays USPS for providing address information to state and local child support enforcement agencies.

Under federal law, only the Postal Service can handle or charge postage for handling letters. Despite this virtual monopoly worth some $45 billion a year, the law merely requires the Postal Service to remain "revenue-neutral," neither making a profit or suffering a loss.

[Dzone]

TweetNotice how slow postal workers move when you go to the post office to mail a package? We had a postman once who walked so slow, it was like he was in slow motion. One day, he had a fill in postman. I asked him why our guy walks so damn slow. He said "If we finish our route too soon, we might get stuck having to do some work at the post office, so we try to go slow" ...LOL...What a deal.

[JsJs24]

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JUST FOUND THIS INFO: kinda long


The USPS does get some taxpayer support. Around $96 million is budgeted annually by Congress for the "Postal Service Fund." These funds are used to compensate USPS for postage-free mailing for all legally blind persons and for mail-in election ballots sent from US citizens living overseas. A portion of the funds also pays USPS for providing address information to state and local child support enforcement agencies.

I was not attempting to prove you wrong or argue with you. Sorry if you took it that way. I was merely stating my thoughts on the USPS. My only point, which was reinforced by your research in this post (nice find by the way), is that the post office has some form of government assistance. Federal loans are the same thing as tax payer funded assistance in this case because the post office can't pay them back in full, thus leading to an increased national debt with interest accruing which is paid for by taxes and other revenue from the government, all of which is taken from the citizens in some form. I would like to see the USPS try to fund their operations with loans from HSBC, BOA, etc.

Definition of a private company by wikipedia:
A privately held company or close corporation is a business company owned either by non-governmental organizations or by a relatively small number of shareholders or company members which does not offer or trade its company stock (shares) to the general public on the stock market exchanges, but rather the company's stock is offered, owned and traded or exchanged privately. More ambiguous terms for a privately held company are unquoted company and unlisted company.


I agree with you 100% that it is a strange business model and very confusing how they operate. Thanks for bringing the topic up for discussion. I hadn't ever given much thought to the post office's operations. What I have always known from personal dealings is that Fed Ex and UPS have far better customer service and reliability, which is why they get my business over the USPS.

Interesting fact, Fed Ex and UPS carry most of USPS first class, express, and priority mail on their aircraft. It's interesting that those two companies can operate a fleet of hundreds of aircraft and still turn nice profits, while the USPS loses billions each year.

[sofargone561]

Tweetthis is bullshit they raise all the prices for anything usps related then they want Saturdays off? there job is easy as shit its one step up above the god damn DMV and there hours are great and they need Saturdays off? Blow me, i work every Friday Saturday and Sunday i usually work about 50 hours a week and i work till 12am everyday i say they should be forced to ship mail on sundays instead