This is what was discussed at a meeting of all District Managers and Plant Managers held in Chicago last week:

 

7000 to 9000 routes have to be removed in FY 09.


Two rate increases in FY 09 packages will go up 5% in January, 1st Class will go up 4.8% in May.


Base pay will be frozen.


If we stop Saturday delivery it will be a savings of 3.5 - 5.0 billion, but we can't do that by ourselfs, has to go through congress.


DPS goal will be 95% in FY09.


Mail will have to be finished in processing by 0600AM.


FSS orders have been cut, so if your district was getting 4 or five you will be getting only three now.


The volume we are working now is the same as it was in 1977.


Letters are going out this week informing clerks they are now going to be carriers.


We need to cut our compliment by 64,600 employees this FY.


Only 8,500 took the VERA, the goal was 40,000.


HQ will be reduced by 1,200 positions.


Registry jobs will not be posted as registry only jobs, they will have other duties including registry.


Pay is frozen for all executive positions.

SOURCE: http://www.lettercarriernetwork.info/

Recently, NALC and USPS agreed on MOUs on contracting out and an interim route adjustment process. As for the route adjustment process, it looks to me like a concession, and that USPS management will have an easier time making routes longer and increasing the workload on carriers. Nevertheless, I'm still waiting for an MOU or other action by NALC on workplace harassment. Now that the USPS says they're in dire financial straits, managers across the nation are using this to justify the maltreatment of postal employees.

It's happening at my post office too. At least once a week we get an angry tirade from a supervisor about how us carriers better shape up because the USPS is in big trouble. Then the supervisor goes and gives out Letters of Warning for missed MSP scans and unauthorized overtime.

As for the missed scans, one day about half the station missed the same scan. Clearly it was either collusion on the carriers' part, or a technical malfunction. Even the Area Manager, who is somewhat of an arse, said it was probably a download problem. That didn't stop our supervisor from giving 11 Letters of Warning to some of the best carriers in the station.

As for the unauthorized overtime, we've had a lot of political mail lately, and it's all thin. It's apparent the supervisor is not getting the entire piece count, and this leads to making it appear that carriers are late leaving and late returning. The supervisor says these LOWs are coming down from downtown, and he has nothing to do with it. Are you kidding me?! The LOWs are being mailed to the station from the Area Manager?

Additionally, the LOWs are not progressive discipline. Usually, a carrier will receive an Official Discussion first. But now we're getting LOWs as the first discipline.

As for the supervisor himself, he's a 204B, who according to carriers who have worked with him, was one of the worst carriers in the station - always requesting and needing help. He's also light-duty and also reportedly couldn't pass the ASP program. He explained that a manager, who I know to be pretty fair, put a "mean" Letter of Warning in his file and that's why he didn't complete the ASP program.

Whatever the reason, this guy is one mean dude. He wears a skull ring with a dollar sign on it, even when it's not Halloween. (Can someone please tell me what that means.) He's loud and obnoxious to carriers, and frequently threatening. Yesterday he was talking about how we were all going to shape up once the first person was put off the clock and walked out the door. (I think that is his goal.) Today, he said he was getting tired of us talking about him on the workroom floor and said "read between the lines," like the statement was a warning.

On a lighter side, he told a carrier that he was going to show her how to deliver mail, because she obviously wasn't doing a good enough job for him. She asked how could he do that if he was on light duty. He shut up and exited immediately.

My point is that somehow the worst of the worst employees are in many cases in supervisory positions now. It's a trend that is accelerating as the supervisory job becomes more harassing and intimidating, thereby attracting harassing and intimidating types. I'm hoping that NALC and the USPS will do something about this soon, as the workplace is becoming more and more inhumane.

The talk of layoffs is probably a scare tactic, except for maybe EAS employees.  It would be very costly to layoff craft employees--if management followed the contract.  I know that hasn't stopped them before.

APWU & NALC Article 6.B - NPMHU Article 6.3

4.  Before implementation of reassignment under this
Article or, if necessary, layoff and reduction in force of
excess employees within the installation, the Employer
will, to the fullest extent possible, separate all casuals
within the craft and minimize the amount of overtime
work and part-time flexible hours in the positions
or group of positions covered by the seniority unit
as defined in this Agreement or as agreed to by the parties.
In addition, the Employer shall solicit volunteers
from among employees in the same craft within the
installation to terminate their employment with the
Employer.

Employees who elect to terminate their employment
will receive a lump sum severance payment in the
amount provided by Part 435 of the Employee and
Labor Relations Manual, will receive benefit coverage
to the extent provided by such Manual, and, if eligible,
will be given the early retirement benefits provided by
Section 8336(d)(2) of Title 5, United States Code and
the regulations implementing that statute.

5.  No less than 20 days prior to effecting a layoff, the
Employer will post a list of all vacancies in other seniority
units and crafts at the same or lower level which
exist within the installation and within the commuting
area of the losing installation. Employees in an affected
seniority unit may, within 10 days after the posting,
request a reassignment under this Article to a posted
vacancy. Qualified employees will be assigned to such
vacancies on the basis of seniority. If a senior non-preference
eligible employee within the seniority unit indicates
no interest in available reassignment, then such
employee becomes exposed to layoff. A preference eligible
employee within the seniority unit shall be
required to accept such a reassignment to a vacancy in
the same level at the installation, or, if none exists at the
installation, to a vacancy in the same level at an installation
within the commuting area of the losing installation.

If the reassignment is to a different craft, the employee’s
seniority in the new craft shall be established in accordance
with the applicable seniority provisions of the new craft.

#### End of Message ####

The following (unverified) information was posted in PostalMag.com's Letter Carriers forum.

(Message #23575 from "tsunami" at http://www.quicktopic.com/8/H/MUENvGE8Pc7Qx)

### Start of Message ###

This is what just came out of an area meeting:
Cut staffing in the District Marketing offices by 10 – 15%. The plan has been finalized and submitted to NAPS and we will hear the official announcement in 2-3 weeks. We are supposed to let the clerks know about the upcoming reductions.

Lot more details about cuts to clerks, HQ, Area level positions and carrier routes. It is going to be ugly.
59,000 positions to be eliminated in FY 09

Anybody with less than 5 years in USPS will gone next year.

NPA is up in the air.

All our functions may go to Finance and incorporated into new positions, and we may have to bid on them.
Reductions at HQ – down 15%
Reductions at Area Level – Down 20%
Reductions at District Level – Down 10 – 15%

Postal Service has borrowed to the maximum against debt ceiling already for FY 09 and we are endanger of not making payroll.

Eliminate all T-2 position in plant that BT between 6:30 am and 12:30 pm. Only Maintenance personnel will work those hours.

All stamps will be distributed via Priority Mail to reduce the amount through the Registry. A spot inspection of the Denver Registry section found 3 clerks sleeping. USPS is the majority user of Registered Mail.
7 out of 9 VPs of Area voted yes to keep Marketing

PCES pay if frozen for FY 08. They will get no pay increase. No word about our pay being frozen.

BME added functions.

Mailing Standards Specialist will be responsible for negative balances, inactive accounts, late postage statements. We will also be responsible for BRM and Postage Due accounts. There is no early warning system for BRM or postage due. There will be an early warning for PI accounts. 60 days before they become inactive, we will be warned.

Article 7 will be invoked meaning that clerks can be converted to carriers.

All travel will be curtailed to only critical travel.

All meetings must be done on Meeting Place. Meetings must be shortened.

Areas and Districts will be compressed.

BMC may be totally outsourced.

A rumor is circulating that there is no MERLIN training being conducted in Norman for MPEs.

There will be a reduction of 14,500 carrier routes nationwide.

They are studying the possibility of working the clerks 4 ten-hours days instead of 5 eight-hour days.

Eliminating all Pool Clerks

Reduction of 4,000 EAS positions nationwide

Once again, Marketing has been given a 6-month reprieve.
Eliminate 1st Pass DPS on Saturday night. 10 – 15 of the work is done on Sunday. They are looking at eliminating Sunday work.

In FY 2009 Sox Compliance may become BMEs only job. Although there was some talk about BMEU Proficiency being added to the NPA of Finance.

### End of Message ###

After carrying my route today, I got back to the post office about 3:40 PM. That's about twenty minutes early, since my end time is 4:00 PM. The station manager, a person I don't think has ever carried mail, asked me why I was back so early. I was puzzled, since I'm thinking the goal is to get back as soon as possible. I told her that I could leave and come back later. She thought for a second and declined my offer. But she explained to me about the current policy that all carriers should clock in with no more than five minutes left before the end tour. I explained to her that this is nothing new for me, that I got in trouble with the last supervisor for coming back early. I told her I get in more trouble coming back a few minutes early than people who come back several hours late. The problem (if you call it that) is that I don't want the overtime, and I finish my route in a timely manner so I can go home. But the dumba$$ postal management doesn't know what to do with someone who comes back early, as the rest come back late. I'm often the only one who doesn't use any overtime.

I told my plight to a fellow carrier, one whom I consider one of the best carriers I have ever known in my life. He told me that he was actually given a Pre-D (pre-disciplinary interview) for coming back early. It was his day off, he finished his route, and he came back a little early to make sure he didn't go into penalty time. The dumba$$ supervisor actually gave this stellar carrier a Pre-D!!!!! How's that for stupidity?

So this afternoon the station manager calls me into the office. She says she remembers someone telling me I'm good at something, but can't remember what it is. I'm looking around her office, and it looked like a hurricane had hit it. I'm assuming she wants some help, so I answer the question by telling her I used to be a 204B. She says no, that's not what she heard. I tell her I'm pretty good with the Internet. No, that's not it either, she says. I tell her I'm also good with the computer. Nope, that's not it either. Then she remembers. She tells me that she heard I was good at hanging things. Well, that's a new one for me. Eventually she told me she heard I was good at hanging bulletins on the bulletin board, and she had a lot of them, judging by the mess in her office. Bizarro is the word.

We recently got a new "enforcer" supervisor. He's a 204B, I believe light-duty, and from what I've heard he can't get promoted to full-time supervisor because he can't even pass the initial, qualifying ASP supervisor test. I also heard he was one of the worst carriers at his station. In fact, one of our carriers who's not known for being that great, said they used to send HIM to help the 204B! The 204B started off on his first morning by telling carriers they can't report to the clock area to clock in until five minutes before the start time. He's new, but he's telling carriers that have worked at my post office for 20 or 30 years or more they can't be on their own workroom floor. It's not like carriers are reporting too early - maybe 15 minutes early so to give a little leeway as to not be late in case of traffic etc. For decades, we've stood around the clock waiting to clock in. Can't anymore. Now we have to wait in the parking lot or the small break room.

The unsatisfactory supervisor has continued his antics, including giving Pre-Ds and Letters of Warnings for one missed scan and for going over DOIS time one time. He's been there a week and already he's got several EEOs in the process of going against him. Plus, he's blatantly violating the contract by giving discipline based on DOIS alone. I think he should get a Letter of Warning for failure to follow instructions.

Anyway, all the carriers at my post office are raw from the abusive managers that are paraded through our station. And we're not going to take it anymore. We're going to file our EEOs and grievances until this unsatisfactory supervisor is gone and we get someone who is somewhere close to being professional. I cannot tell you how disappointed I am with the Dallas management team. There are still a few good ones left, but most are not qualified, are unprofessional and just plain mean people. Back when I started in 1990 there were many good supervisors. They had been hand-picked once they proved themselves as carriers and showed some leadership qualities. Today, the ASP system picks people based on demographics, not proven managerial abilities. Now, we have a bunch of unqualifed people supervising in Dallas, and the work environment has never been worse to my knowledge. The sorry supervisors band together and watch each other's backs, forming an impromptu coalition against competent managers and upper management. Bizarro is the word, and the Postal Service in Dallas should be ashamed of the way they are treating people. This is the 21st century, yet they're using late 19th century intimidation and coercion management techniques. Until the USPS resolves this problem, the workplace in Dallas, and I'm sure in other cities, will continue to be marked by inefficiencies, incompetence, and confrontation.