Rant on shipping

[aczlan]

Yep --- a clear attempt to make the USPS insolvent. We do enough damage to our own country by destroying or failing to maintain the infrastructure that our predecessors built that China can just wait us out.

Or an attempt to ensure that taxpayers don't end up footing the bill down the road when the USPS defined benefit pension system becomes insolvent (like so many have)...
It is a competitive disadvantage for sure.

Aaron Z

 

[japody]

Or an attempt to ensure that taxpayers don't end up footing the bill down the road when the USPS defined benefit pension system becomes insolvent (like so many have)...
It is a competitive disadvantage for sure.

Aaron Z

It is not a USPS defined benefit pension system. It is a pension plan defined by the OMB (Office of Management and Budget) that applies to all federal employees. Prior to 1984, it was the CSRS (Civil Service Retirement System). Afterwards, it is the FERS (Federal Employee Retirement System). The yearly payments of $5 billion/year mandated by Congress include retirement payments for people who haven't even been born yet. These yearly payments have greatly contributed to the yearly losses since 2009.

 

[japody]

Here's a little fat.

My buddy goes to korea as a contractor, 30 years ago, meets a local gal, marries her, brings her and many family members back over the years. Both go to work for uncle sam, usps!

He's a friend but also a self admitted alcoholic, hard hard core! He's on disability and lives at the dr office. His korean wife came down with emotional issues. She's either at the docs office or in the psyc. hospital constantly. Funny though. Her doc suggested she not have any emotional breakdowns during the virus.....so she hasn't. Turns it on and off like a switch.

Both a combined 150 lbs overweight, eat out 10 times a week, nice cars and house.......and both on 100% govt. disability.

FAT? But that's probably an isolated incident........?

I read govt. employees most likely to go on disability, police and fire fighters first in line.

The administration of employees that are disabled is governed by the OWCP (Office of Workmens Compensation Programs). When an employee claims a work related disability, OWCP either accepts or denies the claim. How is that FAT in the USPS?

 

[tallyho8]

A person who can not perform their duties efficiently has to work more hours to do the same job as a very efficient worker, thus he gets paid for more hours to do the same job. Years ago, a high school diploma (which is all you need to be a postal worker now) meant something, especially, that you could read and write. The way many urban schools are run now, you can graduate with the reading skills of a first grader.

Mail is now being miss-sorted, miss-delivered and misplaced by many who could not pass a 3rd grade reading test if one was given. Each of these steps cause more work to be done and more pay to be given. No, we can't give these tests to postal worker applicants as we would be accused of discrimination.

Paying people postal worker wages to do work equal to what fast food workers do is where the fat is.

Postal Employee Salary: Mail Carrier​

A mail carrier delivers letters and packages to homes and businesses in every part of the U.S., from rural areas and small towns to major metropolitan cities. Carriers travel planned routes on foot or in trucks and work six days a week in every kind of weather. (That's no longer true here)
A mail carrier's job is physical, as it requires the sorting and carrying of letters and parcels to their final destinations. A person in this position will load and unload crates of mail that can weigh up to 70 pounds.

In rural areas where there is no post office, customers may need their mail picked up to be delivered elsewhere or need other postal services fulfilled, such as the purchase of stamps or money orders. Applicants must be at least 18 years old and have a high school diploma. This post office salary ranges from $16.24 to $28.02, with an average of $18.01 per hour, according to Payscale.com.

 

[ultrarunner]

There are bonus and incentives offered in the Bay Area and dress code relaxed to no uniform required except postal approved shoes.

 

[Diggin It]

Doing the 30 day Prime trial gig. I really don't like the company, but check there for prices sometimes. Found a couple of things I needed and a few promotions that sweetened the deals. Decided to give it a whirl.

Twice now during that 30 days, I've placed orders on Wednesday or Thursday, only to be given delivery dates of the following Tuesday. Thing is, the stuff sits for three or four of those days, then ships Sunday or Monday, FedEx next day. I don't see how that makes sense. Sit on the order for several days, then ship using the highest cost method rather than shipping within a day and using a lower cost method does not compute.

These two latest orders still have not been shipped. One was placed Wednesday the 24th, the other Thursday the 25th. Both show due to be delivered tomorrow, Tuesday the 30th. And they've now broken one $15 item out of one of the orders to be in a separate shipment.

 

[Frankenkubota]

I don't know where you got this "statistic" ("I read it on line so it's gotta be true"), but that's news to me.
As far as police and firefighters go...both are occupations that require you to be in pretty good shape, it would take a much smaller injury to sideline someone than, say some office job.

i read about disability and govt employees a long time ago, prior to online. But i agree, just cause it's in print.

This fellow was writing an article on phony disability. He found a zip code in the NY city area where the incidence of disability was off the charts. That zip code was also off filled with police and fire fighters as residents....coincidence?

My neighbor was a fire fighter in a big city, went to major dangerous fires all the time. My father in law was a fire fighter in a small town, went to 2 garage fires in his entire career.

I'm gonna bet it's much worse now. Every morning I see 10 commercials for disability lawyers....they come right after the class action lawyer commercials.

It ALWAYS comes down to this.....please.....tell me 1 thing the govt does well.

 

[Jstpssng]

I perused the comments about police and firefighter disabilities, then read this article. Man wanted in roadside ambush shooting of Texas trooper is found dead
Then you wonder why they have a higher rate of "mental problems"?
To add insult to injury, if his fellow officers had brought the in alive, any bruise he might suffer before or during his capture would be examined with a magnifying glass; and more people would care what happened to him, than to Trooper Walker.

 

[Oaktree]

A mail carrier delivers letters and packages to homes and businesses in every part of the U.S., from rural areas and small towns to major metropolitan cities. Carriers travel planned routes on foot or in trucks and work six days a week in every kind of weather. (That's no longer true here)
A mail carrier's job is physical, as it requires the sorting and carrying of letters and parcels to their final destinations. A person in this position will load and unload crates of mail that can weigh up to 70 pounds.

In rural areas where there is no post office, customers may need their mail picked up to be delivered elsewhere or need other postal services fulfilled, such as the purchase of stamps or money orders. Applicants must be at least 18 years old and have a high school diploma. This post office salary ranges from $16.24 to $28.02, with an average of $18.01 per hour, according to Payscale.com.

In my almost 71 years, I have never seen the mail not delivered due to weather or any other reason. Indeed, I've found the USPS to be more responsive to complaints than at any time in the past, mis-deliveries are likewise no more common than any other time.

As far as salary goes, while that's pretty good money, ISTR postal workers getting over $20/hr 30 years ago, so clearly the wages haven't kept up with inflation.

There are bonus and incentives offered in the Bay Area and dress code relaxed to no uniform required except postal approved shoes.

Why shoes?
As far as uniforms go, all I've ever dealt with were rural carriers, and don't recall them ever wearing a uniform.

It ALWAYS comes down to this.....please.....tell me 1 thing the govt does well.

Never said the gov't does anything particularly well, but the USPS even with its shortcomings does a pretty impressive job. I see most of the complaints here more the exception than the rule.

 

[goeduck]

Not a rant, but the neighbor had a package delivered in a beat up personal vehicle today. I assume it was some sort of overflow delivery. The vehicle was bashed in on the passenger side from A pillar to C pillar, had spray paint on the back end and the doors did not close properly.

 

[Citydude]

Our mail person in our South Dakota area drives what looks to be a rode hard 1990's Buick. It does have a dinky yellow caution light on the top that doesn't work.

 

[japody]

In my almost 71 years, I have never seen the mail not delivered due to weather or any other reason. Indeed, I've found the USPS to be more responsive to complaints than at any time in the past, mis-deliveries are likewise no more common than any other time.

As far as salary goes, while that's pretty good money, ISTR postal workers getting over $20/hr 30 years ago, so clearly the wages haven't kept up with inflation.


Why shoes?
As far as uniforms go, all I've ever dealt with were rural carriers, and don't recall them ever wearing a uniform.


Never said the gov't does anything particularly well, but the USPS even with its shortcomings does a pretty impressive job. I see most of the complaints here more the exception than the rule.

It's all in their respective contracts. City carriers have uniform allowances and are required to wear them. Rural carriers do not have allowances so no uniforms.

 

[japody]

Our mail person in our South Dakota area drives what looks to be a rode hard 1990's Buick. It does have a dinky yellow caution light on the top that doesn't work.

Rural carriers that provide their own vehicles must use a vehicle that is safe to use and able to handle the volume adequately. Other than that they can use a "rode hard 1990's Buick".

 

[Frankenkubota]

I don't know where you got this "statistic" ("I read it on line so it's gotta be true"), but that's news to me.
As far as police and firefighters go...both are occupations that require you to be in pretty good shape, it would take a much smaller injury to sideline someone than, say some office job.

i read about disability and govt employees a long time ago, prior to online. But i agree, just cause it's in print.

This fellow was writing an article on phony disability. He found a zip code in the NY city area where the incidence of disability was off the charts. That zip code was also off filled with police and fire fighters as residents....coincidence?

My neighbor was a fire fighter in a big city, went to major dangerous fires all the time. My father in law was a fire fighter in a small town, went to 2 garage fires in his entire career.

I'm gonna bet it's much worse now. Every morning I see 10 commercials for disability lawyers....they come right after the class action lawyer commercials.

It ALWAYS comes down to this.....please.....tell me 1 thing the govt does well.

 

[ultrarunner]

The only time mail was suspended is when letter carrier attacked by dogs...

Mail stopped being delivered for several days until dog problem addressed.

On a side note postal service contracting back in the day required fleet manufacturers to provide parts as long as vehicles remained in service...

This meant parts for Model A Fords were available for many years...

Not sure if this still applies today...

 

[Diggin It]

UPS and FedEx are both due in the next couple of hours. Wouldn't be a hoot if .....

 

[Diggin It]

Well, not quite at the same time, but within minutes. They must have passed each other on this road.

 

[RjCorazza]

UPS and FedEx are both due in the next couple of hours. Wouldn't be a hoot if .....

You should watch the YouTube video of a FedEx driver getting chased into a UPS truck by a wild turkey.

 

[two_bit_score]

i read about disability and govt employees a long time ago, prior to online. But i agree, just cause it's in print.

This fellow was writing an article on phony disability. He found a zip code in the NY city area where the incidence of disability was off the charts. That zip code was also off filled with police and fire fighters as residents....coincidence?

My neighbor was a fire fighter in a big city, went to major dangerous fires all the time. My father in law was a fire fighter in a small town, went to 2 garage fires in his entire career.

I'm gonna bet it's much worse now. Every morning I see 10 commercials for disability lawyers....they come right after the class action lawyer commercials.

It ALWAYS comes down to this.....please.....tell me 1 thing the govt does well.

NASA, any branch of the Military, National Weather Service, for starters On a national level. In Texas our Department of Public Safety does one heck of a good job. Even our Department of Motor Vehicles is pretty well run and focused on public service. Our highways are maintained well by the Texas Department of Transportation considering the number of miles of highways we have.
Government is an easy whipping post for inefficiency but there are things they get right. I’m not an advocate for big government but there is a huge amount of things done right everyday. That might drastically change over the next 4 years.

 

[Frankenkubota]

I'm not going to argue but i will say i dealt with NASA for years and years.

Now look at space ex....