Washington Post claims USPS will layoff thousands of postmasters and supervisors - postalnews blog
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Washington Post claims USPS will layoff thousands of postmasters and supervisors

Although postal officials haven’t publicly used the word, the Washington Post reports today that the US Postal Service expects to layoff “many”, perhaps thousands, of postmasters and supervisors if it doesn’t get enough of them to take early retirement. The story says the USPS expects the early retirement offer to be accepted by about 3,000 employees. The remainder of the 7,500 in staffing reductions would come by way of layoffs, the paper claims. The story contradicts what the Post says it was told by the PMG in January, when he said reductions would be made by attrition.

Once buyout decisions aimed at administrative staff are final in April, the agency plans to eliminate the jobs of thousands of postmasters and supervisors, many through layoffs, officials said.

“Nobody did anything wrong, but we’re a victim of the economy and past legislation,” said Anthony Vegliante, the Postal Service’s chief human resources officer and executive vice president…

Vegliante said he expects about 3,000 administrators to take the buyouts… Layoffs will then be used to help reach the 7,500 goal, he said, though he would not commit to a number.

via U.S. Postal Service announces sweeping job cuts, district office closures – The Washington Post.

This entry was posted on Friday, March 25th, 2011 at 6:48 am and is filed under postal, Washington Post. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

  • Ha

    Brilliant!!! How can Postmasters be layed off? Are we talking small offices? Wouldn’t there be a need to close these offices first if that is what is being proposed? Large offices? Who is going to run the show? The rumors and misconstrued info from The Washington Past makes me chuckle reading there garbage.

  • csrs employee

    we waited for this since january, what a joke

  • M. Jamison

    While it may be beyond the Post’s space limitations to give a coherent explanation of the RIF process, it is certainly not beyond their abilities to understand that process and write stories that accurately reflect the existence of administrative procedures that make “layoffs” highly unlikely.
    The word layoff has a certain connotation and emotionally charged meaning and to craft a story that deliberately misrepresents the application of that word is deceptive and disingenuous. Given the clear editorial position of the Post it would appear they have crossed a line of journalistic ethics and are reporting with purpose and agenda in the style of Fox News.
    With respect to the announcements from L’Enfant Plaza, they are sound and fury signifying nothing. While the packaging and public relations may speak of transformational changes it would seem there is little underlying substance. Nothing in the proposed changes portends a change in managerial style or focus. While cutting a bloated administrative presence is welcome there doesn’t seem to be any substantive change in operational focus or approach.

  • Dudley Do Right

    The Washington Post doesn’t lnow what its talking about because the VER was not offered to Postmasters! It was offered to those in the District offices that were being eliminated and no one else!

  • greg

    stop talking about it just do it

  • Alwaysinshape

    It would seem to me that the reporting of the Post is reasonably accurate considering the information being provided them by the USPS.
    The rumor was floated six months ago that there would be no incentives whatsoever. I would imagine that the people that retired this past six months resent the fact that they could have possibly made $20,000.
    Now the PO is stating that after April 25th they will proceed with layoffs. I doubt that.
    My guess is they will see how many they can seperate with this buyout and then will offer something substantial to the remaining Civil Service people. We are a group that needs to go away.
    Wait and see. Should be interesting…..

  • David Boudria

    Instead of using GPS to track carriers and hiring people to time clerks and mail handlers they should realize upper management is top heavy. All management does is try to make you do more for less while they sit on their butts and watch your every delivery from a computer. Shame on them for taking this long to cut the deadwood.

  • t. vraniak

    Let’s get it straight. We have not lost money for the last 5 years. The front forwarding of employee retirement fees is what is costing us and that was Congressionally mandated. We are not traded on the stock market and therefore, we are not mandated by SOX, except by Congressional mandate, therefore costs for Sox requirements should be funded by Congress. The mandate by Congress for the OIG, which was directly funded by the USPS until two yrs ago right up front, then currently through the back door, is another expense burden that should be paid back to the USPS. Why should we be paying for a Congressionally mandated additional Federal law enforcement agency? The Federal government owes the USPS somewhere between $50 to $75 billion dollars in excess paid employee benefits. So, let’s get this straight, the American public and employees must suffer for the damage and mistakes created by Congress and Senior Management. Factor back all the billions of dollars taken away from this institution, report the total facts and you will see that this institution of the people is and has been taken advantage of by the people entrusted to protect it. The present condition of the USPS and loss of jobs,and closing of offices is not the fault of the employees, or the public, but Congress and our senior leadership.

  • brian

    Alwaysinshape- the USPS hasn’t stated “that after April 25th they will proceed with layoffs.” That’s the date when they will send out General RIF notices if necessary. That’s something that’s been done many times before, and hasn’t resulted in layoffs. I’m not saying that there won’t be layoffs, but so far the only place that’s been stated is in the Post- it’s not in any of the official announcements or press releases from the USPS. Also- the USPS doesn’t have any desire (or need) to get rid of CSRS employees. The goal is to get rid of excess employees, regardless of whether they’re CSRS or FERS. There could be more incentives, but it’s highly unlikely they’d be any better than $20K, and they would be targeted to operations where there are too many employees.

  • Park and Loop

    With one supervisor per twenty workers, the USPS can shed a lot more than 7,500 managerial positions.

  • another postal person

    it is about time they cut the people who do very little..

  • pary wary

    Park and loop –

    Carriers taking 8 hours to deliver 5 hours of mail…the USPS can shed many more craft as well….I can’t wait for the FSS machines to take full effect

  • pm

    i think the ones making the statements about postmasters doing very little, have never been in management themselves to see what actually has to be done daily.

  • kav

    they won’t be layed off,hand their a$$ a pouch, & tell to start EARNING their $$$$! most of em can hardly walk round work room floor tho!hahaha!

  • oh yeah

    this would be a change. imagine actually getting rid of the people that makes the most and contributes the least to the actual delivery and processing of the mail. WOW!! maybe now the supervisors and postmasters will have somthing to do ,when they have to manage two or three offices. instead of playing inspecter gagit trying to catch employees taking a 31 or 32 minute lunch or heaven help us a 11-12 minute break!! carma sucks doesn’t it!!

  • Ralf

    Postmasters in cities are absolutely worthless. Supervisors who are team players are vital. Area and district are “THE” most clueless people in the USPS, not to mention the billions wasted in the Inspection Service by overpaid security guards.

  • CUBBUC

    Methinks that City Letter Carriers with CSRS retirements should relax. That group includes myself. Show Up, Do Your Route, Go Home.

    NALC WILL BEGIN BARGAINING MID TO LATE SUMMER…

    Give it another 6 months or so…OUR TIME WILL COME!

    Until then…PAY DEBTS….Just My Opinion…(I will have 34 years as a City Carrier in June 2011)

    HANG IN THERE!

  • Hooppeas

    USPS needs management, left unchecked the lunatics would control the asylum. One supervisor on the floor per shift, not Six. Always checking where and when encourages the most efficient employees to work in slow motion and relaxes the slackers. The ultimate question should not be how much money we are losing, but what we a taking in!

  • Poon

    pary wary…You are a tool. I’m in a FSS environment.I was averaging 42 hrs a week before FSS…now I get 60!!!Keep up the good work and keep padding my paycheck!!!

  • dav murr

    POON…such a great thinking person…hope you’ve been saving that OT that has padded that check…your APWU has created that new job that the Postal service will invest in to help get rid of you…that new ASSISTANT job…cant wait till they get on board…we wont need all you slouching full timers any longer….these new ASSISTANTs want jobs and will be there to out work you…POON hang on to your money now…just like DPS…you’ll be gone too, the way of the buggy whip with these FSS…100 of by JUNE…see ya…bring on the era of the ASSISTANT!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • Rose

    I am strongly not against management..I just think alot of them are not earning their pay!! which I feel is too “Damn Much”!!! $98,000-104,000$ being paid to 1 SMDO and 1 MDO on the same tour!!! go figure….I dont feel a $55,000 employee should have show a $ 104,000 job employee how to construct his establishment( dued to favoritism)

  • Kathy

    DOES ANYONE KNOW OF ANYONE GETTING THEIR LETTERS YESTERDAY? THE 25TH WAS SUPPOSE TO BE THE BIG DAY!!! ALSO I THINK THE SMALL OFFICES THAT ONLY HAVE ONE CARRIER OR NO CARRIES AT ALL SHOULD BE CONVERTED TO CLERK POSITIONS. POSTMASTERS IN THESE SMALL TOWNS ARE STUPID AND COULD SAVE POSTAL SERVICE LOT’S OF MONEY.

  • Kathy

    I ALSO KNOW OF A POSTMASTER AT A LEVEL 11 OFFICE NO CARRIER JUST WAITS ON A FEW PEOPLE TO COME IN AND SHE MAKES OVER 50,000 A YEAR! REVENUE FOR THIS OFFICE MIGHT BE 20,000 ! HOW DOES THAT SOUND FOR A POSTMASTERS JOB?????????
    THE POST OFFICE SURE DOES WASTE MONEY.

  • Poon

    dav murr…First off, I’m a carrier. Second, yes I invested rather well, the O/T is just icing on the cake. Third, while FSS has been reducing the clerk craft hours greatly, it’s has not done the same. With all the collation of third bundles, my office hours has stayed the same while my street time has increased.Fourth dav, you are here’s hoping you get riffed!!

  • Lori

    Employees who have over the amount of time alloted for retirement who decide to stay longer should be mandated to retire which will save the postal service high dollar for these individuals plus insurance benefits. Also regulate city carriers who take advantage of the hourly rate by abusing their lunch hours and going into overtime. Make City delivery salary instead of hourly. Why pay an carrier to do a double shift. Do their route and send them home, instead of making them go out to help the ones that are milking their routes to make more money and soaking the postal service dry. Also get rid of employees who pick and choose of what part of their responsibilities they feel like doing on a day to day work week. The Postal Service does not need people like that who choose not to do they’re share of the work. It’s a waste of time and money for postal service, especially when postmasters let it slide because they themselves have no back bone to rid of worthless employees.

    • brian

      So I guess it’s safe to assume that you are not “over the amount of time alloted for retirement” as you put it?

  • Sf carrier

    I think usps should eliminate more postmaster positions because it’s very easy job or just demote them. That’s good no lay off. But Some supervisors should be demoted, since they used to be a carrier, clerk & mail handler before they become a supervisor so they have an idea to do the job well as carrier, clerk or mail handler.

  • Poing

    Gee Lori, so many ideas… Too bad you haven’t thought them all out. Sounds like you’re still wet behind the ears. One day your turn will come around, then you can be judged by a newbie too! Here’s a clue: not all routes are created equal. IE; a large apartment requires more time than a business due to nixies/turnover. Automation does a poor job of pulling nixies, and carriers must do this work. Or are you a stuffer? (just jam it all in the box regardless).