Some have asked if I have ran my count numbers... Yes I have and I am down 3 hours and I am mad as hell. Everyone is mad as hell.. and with good reason. Some have also asked my feelings on the mail count... So, remember you asked for it, so here it goes....

I do believe there is manipulation of mail flow going on. I do believe they work overtime to purge the mail the week before a mail count begins. I do believe that they offer the mailers some type of incentive to slow down the mailings during a mail count period. I do believe they hide and shuffle bulk mail during the count period. I also believe they will let the mail flow the week after count ends without a worry in their minds. Why do I believe all of this?? Because we have and will let them. Ever heard of BOHICA? Bend Over Here It Comes Again... We invite them to the BOHICA fest time and time again.

We have continued to have a death grip on the evaluated system no matter what they do... And, in return they continue to manipulate mail counts.

Every time our standards have been reduced, we speed up. We end up running ourselves back to the same level of under time we had before the standards were changed. Every time something is brought up about going hourly, those that still feel the “incentive” in this system jump up and defend it. We are like hamsters on a wheel. Running after who knows what... That glorious hour or two that we get to leave early?? I keep hearing lets get the standards fixed.. We can repair this.... Oh really, as a good friend of mine likes to say “How we looking now?” Don't forget, we have FSS on the horizon. If you think that wont reduce our evaluations, you better take some time and read up on that...

Last I heard approx. ½ of our craft was running under evaluation, and 1/2 were running over. Does this not just jump out and bite you on the butt?? Half of our craft is killing themselves to get done while the other half is taking that glorious hour or two they get when they are done under evaluation. This system no longer works for approx. ½ of the craft the way it was intended. The evaluated system has always been based on the incentive it provided. It created efficiency.. It worked for both sides... The USPS and the rural carriers. And, again, I say, “How we looking now?” Is it still working for you? Even after this massacre of a mail count?

Some say hourly will not solve all of our problems... Some say we will be micromanaged like the city carriers are... NEWS FLASH!!!!! We are being micromanaged now... Anyone ever heard of RDOIS?? If you haven't go to work tomorrow and ask your postmaster... He will know exactly what you are talking about and probably has been tracking you through it on his computer. Ever heard of ERMS? Ask your PM about that too.. Ever had them push you to go faster? Ever had them tell you that you weren't working to standards? Ever had them harass you over 2080? Ever heard the words “thats included?”

  We have allowed all of this to happen by not even considering that the evaluated system no longer works for us. We have allowed ourselves to end up with manipulated mail counts time and time again.

  Are you mad about this mail count?? Are you mad because your mail volume suddenly disappeared??
NEWS FLASH!! You haven't seen anything yet until you get counted in a May mail count under FSS.... You think this mail count is a massacre.. We will need gallons of vasoline for that one.

Do you think quitting the union is the answer? Go ahead... And the next time you don't like a contract that is presented, guess what?, you will have no say.. Some say lets go to the media, or even Congress... Sounds like an idea, but what exactly are you going to tell them? The USPS manipulates the mail flow during a mail count... The very first question any of them are going to ask is what proof do you have.... Does anyone out there have solid substantiated proof that the USPS is manipulating mail flow? If you do, send it to me and I will contact Congress and the media... We can all say we know they do it. But without some kind of proof, anyone we go to will laugh us out of the building.

If we really want to make a change, we, meaning ordinary rural carriers will have to start something to make a change at the ground level. Ordinary rural carriers, like myself and all of you have two very important rights in this association. One, you get to vote on contracts like we did when they offered us the extension... Yea, we ended up with about the same thing, but there was a little improvement that came out of us voting that thing down. Two, you get to vote on the delegates from your state that you send to represent you at the National convention. These two things are basically the only power ordinary rural carriers have. So, what can we do to change things?

We change the delegates we send to the national convention.. Plain and simple...

I hear time and time again how we keep electing the same old delegates who vote in the same old people over and over again. Let me ask you this.... Did you vote on your delegates last year? Did you even know what they stood for when you voted? I see time and time again a blurb in my state paper that says vote for me.... but nothing that tells me why I should vote for them. Guess what, I don't vote for them. If I don't know how they feel about important issues in this craft, then they don't get my vote.

So, my point is, for those of you that are tired of all the same old crap, the same old people, are you ready to do something about it? Are you ready to do something more than just gripe on a message board? Are you ready to step up to the plate? The first thing we need to do is get people to vote for their delegates in the first place. The 2nd thing we need to do is get the word out about the delegates in your state. If we don't get carriers start voting we may as well get used to the BOHICA fests. Over and over again.

 Myself and a few others are working on something to help us do just this. It will require collaboration from many people. It will require carriers from every state. If people do not step up for this, a few of us cannot do it... It will not be possible. And the same old song will continue to play.

For those of you who want to hear that same old song over and over in your head every day, do nothing. Keep griping while doing nothing... We will keep checking back to see how thats working for ya..... But for those of you out there that want to do something but don't know where to turn.... Stay tuned. We are working on a plan and will provide more details in the future...

Think about it... Its time to make a commitment to something.. It is time to do something. I will spend my free time trying to make this thing work if you will step up to help me.. Stay tuned...

AND

  Never doubt that a small, group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has..