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“USPS Could Privatize As Early As 2020”? Really? (No.)

Politics, postal, postal reform 26 Comments

Fortune features an article with the rather sensational headline “USPS Could Privatize As Early As 2020”. It’s a definite eye-catcher, but most people who have been dealing with the USPS for any length of time will probably react with more of an eye-roll.

Here’s the gist of Fortune’s reasoning leading to a 2020 privatization:

The United States Postal Service shipped more than 13 billion pieces of mail and packages this holiday season. But now that gift-giving has abated, the agency, which falls under President Trump’s jurisdiction, is facing another deadline: find a new Postmaster General by January 2020.

The new leadership will be handpicked and approved by the Postal Service’s Board of Governors: a group of five men (mostly with investment banking and private banking experience), three of whom were appointed by Trump, along with the current Postmaster General and her deputy.

Once the new leadership is in place, the board will also be tasked by the Trump administration with creating a package of large, structural changes intended to help the ailing Postal Service. Those changes will likely include privatizing and selling pieces of the public service off, according to the American Postal Workers Union (APWU), which represents more than 200,000 current and retired postal employees.

And all of that is true.

But it glosses over some pretty significant facts:

  • The USPS doesn’t belong to the Postmaster General, the Board of Governors, or even Donald Trump. Trump can “task” all he wants- but he and his underlings can’t sell what they don’t own. The USPS was established by an Act of Congress. The new PMG and BOG may very well push for privatization- but they don’t have the legal authority to make it happen.
  • Bottom line- privatizing the USPS would require a new Act of Congress. That means that the same House of Representatives that just impeached Trump would have to approve the elimination of a couple hundred thousand union jobs with decent wages and benefits in every state and every House district in the country.

Not likely.

Read the full Fortune article: USPS Could Privatize As Early As 2020 | Fortune

NAPS: Is It Really Pay for Performance?

contract negotiations, NAPS, postal 1 Comment

Is It Really Pay for Performance?
By Chuck Mulidore
NAPS Secretary/Treasurer

As a result of the fact-finding report issued April 30, 2019, in response to the unilateral imposition of the 2016-2019 pay package by the USPS, NAPS has declined to be involved in developing 2020 NPA goals. Traditionally, the USPS has rejected most of NAPS’ recommendations for improvements to the NPA goals. The agency simply uses NAPS to help justify implementing the NPA system, claiming that “NAPS was involved in the process”—almost as an endorsement of the process by NAPS. Continue reading →

Arizona Delegation Members Cite Tucson Mail Delays, Urge Updated Data Before Considering Additional Consolidation

plant consolidations, Politics, postal

WASHINGTON – Arizona Senators Kyrsten Sinema and Martha McSally, alongside Representatives Tom O’Halleran (AZ-01), Ann Kirkpatrick (AZ-02), Raul Grijalva (AZ-03), Paul Gosar (AZ-04), Andy Biggs (AZ-05), Ruben Gallego (AZ-07), and Greg Stanton (AZ-09) wrote to Congressional leaders about mail delivery delays in Arizona due to the partial consolidation of the Tucson processing center. Continue reading →

NAPS Files Lawsuit Against U.S. Postal Service Over Pay and Representation of 49,000 Management Personnel

contract negotiations, NAPS, postal, postmasters 6 Comments

From NAPS:

On Friday, July 26, 2019, the National Association of Postal Supervisors filed a complaint in federal district court seeking declaratory and injunctive relief against the U.S. Postal Service for its failure to pay its supervisors, managers, and other professional and administrative employees in accordance with federal law, which, among other things, requires compensation comparable to the private sector and requires an adequate differential in pay between supervisors and the clerks and carriers they supervise. Continue reading →

Williams, Taub and McHugh Discuss Next Steps for Postal Reform at PostalVision Event

postal, postal reform

The closing panel session at the recent PostalVision 2020 event, held at The Ritz Carlton Pentagon City, featured renowned postal, regulatory and legislative leaders discussing what worked and did not work with the last comprehensive postal reform legislation enacted in 2006 and thoughts on what still needs changing to ensure the Postal Service’s success in the future.

The panel was moderated by PostalVision founder John Callan and included Sec. John McHugh, Hon. David Williams, Vice Chair, U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors and Hon. Robert Taub, Chairman of the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC).

Source: Williams, Taub and McHugh Discuss Next Steps for Postal Reform at PostalVision Event | PostalVision 2020