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How about we calculate the deficit in the USPS budget, calculate how much of the total budget is salaries, and decrease the salary of every employee by a percentage?

There are many applicants for every USPS opening, so any workers who decide that they cannot work for the new wage would be easily replaced.

2. Lower incoming wages

3. Open the little post offices like they had up through the 40's and 50's.

4. Postmasters at these little stores would NOT be paid the high wages they get now simply for that position.

5. Shorter hours that these stores would be open, with wages adjusted according to the time they were open.

6. No Saturday delivery

I believe the operation of smaller offices would result in better efficiency and greater customer satisfaction.

"One of these people works in a place that struggles to provide day-to-day services, even with a great deal of help from the U.S. government"----wrong there--struggles to provide day to day service??? I think most believe we do ok. great deal of help from the government??---like mandates without compensation--last I knew congessional mailings were not paid for! a fringe benefit for em! usps is in trouble now because they were mandated to prefund retirements(70 years worth) in a fairly short amount of time(10 years)--(someone saw the writing on the wall--called internet)and mail volume has fallen--but we still go to every house every day

did you know usps is partnered with fedex and ups--they drop off packages every day at our office and we deliver "the last mile"--cause it aint profitable for them to drive 15 miles for one package--we are going there anyway--course you get your package delayed a day in the process(cause we are already gone when they bring em)

I might add--it's a good thing they pay well(which means less turnover)--cause they aint easy to work for!

The President had a $1.5 trillion loss.

Who deserves more pay? The answer should be obvious.

the public paid boths salaries--I knew folks on this site would justify one and demean the other

On the mail carriers: with automation(machine sorting)all the carriers in my office(7) do an hour or less sorting and loading mail in the morning(in broken ac)--the rest of the day is "street time"--the llv's (postal vehicle)have no air conditioning and 1 small window besides the door they deliver out of--against the rules to drive with the door open-must be locked up when out of site-which means after every loop they walk--its an oven inside---thank god I drive "my car" which has air and I use it--but it's still warm when the windows down all the time--this summer-I think theyve earned their money & by the way-- many were in the service--they get a few points on the test for just being in the service-rightly so

still think they are overpaid?

them grunts overseas are twenty somethings for the most part--bunch a gray hairs in my office--I'm 49--the youngest carrier

the work that many 50+ guys do around this country on a daily basis, for less compensation, would put many of your gray hairs in a grave in days to weeks

everything is relative

gov aint a business, if it was you'd probably have working AC for your office and your vehicles

what a shame

The problem, again, are the unions, over paid workers, unsustainable pensions and insurance. Combined with incompetent people at the top making decisions.

Unlike the private sector they did not get there (decision makers) based on performance or ability/intelligence.

Privatize the Mother F'Er and watch it turn around! You have to be able to get rid of stupidity.

Also, if you ever find yourself selling a gun online and have to ship it, USPS Money Orders are extremely secure and trusted by all banks. Check out the policy that GunsAmerica.com has in place.

I just mailed a camera to a guy for $16 and it showed up in 2 days.

Their current losses are directly attributable to labor costs.

As for privitization, USPS is required to deliver to EVERY address. That is not cheap to do. Unless it is done carefully, private companies would siphon off the gravy leaving many people in more remote locations without mail service.

The whining about the tough work is a joke. There would be no surplus of applicants for every job they post if the wages/benefits were not in excess of what is needed to attract quality workers. Same as in my profession so I'm not pointing fingers. Age should not determine salary, rather the value of the work provided.

Well, this is one we can't blame on Bush or Obama...I believe the Government throughout the years has hindered private industry.

A city mail carrier does have a tough job. Back in the day before dogs were to be kept in a fenced yard or on a leash many mail carriers were bit by dogs. I'm like Lex, we have RFD and if the mail carrier can't put it in the mailbox she brings it to the house and if the door is unlocked she puts it on the washer.

The internet has done a lot to cut down the usage of the post office. Why pay for a stamp when you are already paying for internet usage and can pay online?

What does Judge Judy and the Prez have to do with this?

And the arrogance-well it's immeasurable!

It doesn't take much knowledge to know the PO is a broken model. Look what has been said here.

It's not arrogance if it's basic fact. Arrogance is thinking you deserve an above market wage, especially so if you think you deserve it because of your age.

So "the prez makes $400 k a year & judge judy made 43 million last year--somethings wrong with that picture--bet you have no qualms with that."

Ok, what qualms are we supposed to have with that?

aint responding to the right wing rhetoric-this went down just as expected :(

-but frank -I will say you twisted my meaning--the gray haired comments were an attempt to justify it being a tough job-city carriers anyway- -they earn their money

if you don't think so-try it--prove me wrong---walk 10 miles a day 5 days in a row--mid day in 100 degree heat--(they do it for 48 weeks a year I think-though its not always 100 degrees)--forget the mail-I think you might break a sweat without it-it should change your ideologic mind---but--- I don't think thats possible,-----arrogance is just that--arrogance<----- movin on

Genius: Postal Service, Which Lost $5.2 Billion Last Quarter, Stuck With 682 Million Unsold, Mispriced Simpsons Stamps

Flinger, many others have stated similar positions to what I have. Please deal with the issue, not one individual you do not like.

BTW, I go 3 miles every morning, half of it jogging, and then put in a full day of work. I have 2 acquaintances who work for the PO, in the city, and they can not keep up with me. And manual labor should be paid accordingly, not above market rates. As pointed out above, a 20 something without an education can do the job easily enough.

Not wanting to further any hostilities with you. I have the same opinion about my profession-education. The wages are above market equilibrium or we would not have such an abundance of applicants for every position opening. I am consistent with my beliefs. And I refuse to be a member of our union. And I think education is starting to show signs of realizing change must happen, and maybe competition for the government's monopoly is a solution that holds promise.

Thank you.

Maybe what you perceive as arrogance on my part is actually a lack of ignorance. I'm sure others are noticing how your rebuttal keeps shifting ground. Maybe you're as much as an idealogue as me?

This is even true if the employer is the government or a quasi government organization. It may just take longer because they are not playing with their own money.

Postal Worker’s Vacation Causes Halt In Mail Delivery For Some In Jersey City

JERSEY CITY, N.J. (CBSNewYork) – The unofficial motto of the U.S. Postal Service reads: Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.

But that motto says nothing about what happens when a mail carrier goes on vacation.

Residents of a Jersey City apartment building said when their letter carrier took a week off, so did their mail delivery.

“There’s actually more than one letter that I was expecting that I am yet to receive,” Matt Gottlieb told CBS 2?s Christine Sloan.

Gottlieb and the other residents of the 60-unit building had their mail delivery temporarily halted because the post office could not find a key to the building and the substitute letter carrier could not get into the building.

“I think it’s ridiculous because they’re supposed to be doing their job,” Gottlieb said.

The post office said the substitute carrier notified a manager on Saturday that the key to the building was missing.

“We apologize for the interruption of mail delivery we’re still looking into the problem,” U.S. Postal Service spokesman George Flood told Sloan.

But for the residents of the building, there won’t be any quick answers.

“Unfortunately, the carrier that was delivering mail last week is on vacation so we haven’t been able to determine the exact number of days that mail delivery was interrupted,” Flood told Sloan.

The post office said employees have to make every effort to deliver the mail.

Residents finally started getting mail after the building superintendent delivered the key to the post office after finding out they had lost it.

“Somebody should have done something about it it’s not an excuse there is no excuse,” Jersey City resident Susanne De La Cruz told Sloan.

The post office is waiting for the substitute letter carrier to come back from vacation to figure out just what happened.

I've seen union jobs that pay a good living wage while a non-union contractor pays real low wages to do the same job.Not enough for their workers to make a decent living at. The owners do pretty good for themselves.

Ball players getting 15 million a year is fine but the person who works everyday for 60 or 70 thousand a year gets busted on.

Its this simple if you work a skilled job and can't make enough to support your family then you are either underpaid or living a larger lifestyle than you should.Dont bust on the ones who have a better paying job.

I contend that almost every 20 year old could deliver the mail and would do so very well for much less than carriers are currently making.

When you buy a bow (or a car) do you pay more just because someone asks for it, or do you shop around? I think the PO should be able to shop around for labor.

Not to pile on, but it is not the responsibility of society to pay a "fair" wage to every worker. It is the responsibiliity and obligation of every worker to develop, retain and sharpen their skills so as to be able to earn a fair wage. By interfering with the market signals on what type of skills society places a premium on, as unions do, we prevent each worker and society from reaching their/our full potential by creating incentives to accept the status quo as opposed to advancing their worth to society.

I would go further than this is just an economic argument, but a moral one as well. We have an obligation to not just ourselves and our families to reach our full potential, but to society as well. Too often in modern times, IMO, we have this reversed. We too often talk about social safety nets and spend too little time discussing why each worker as a member of society has an obligation to do their part.

I agree that its good to better yourself and earn a great life style, but to bellyache about someone making too much money on a 40 or 50 hour week blows my mind.Why try and take money from their pocket.

If the Post Office pays a good wage to the employees then good for them.To cut them off and pay low wages for the same job all you did is help kill the economy by having low earners to pay less taxes and not spending money in stores to buy their wants and needs.

Like I said earlier,I'm for cutting wasteful spending not a living wage.How would you like losing your job to someone making 8 bucks an hour less while those above you keep their wages or even pocket more?

No one is bellyaching. But let's be clear, when we pay people more than the value of their labor, they are taking money from everyone else's pockets.

You do not need a college degree to earn a good wage. There are many technical skills needed and they pay well. As said many times above, anyone can deliver and sort mail. They should be paid accordingly and quit expecting others to pay their inflated wages. Why should we have to lower our standard of living. Let me give to the charities of my choice.

I really think that there is more to the job than grabbing a sack full of mail and dumping it at you door. I figure the employees have had safety training,equipment training,and learn other SKILLS to make sure the job is done right.

Just what do you think their wage should be? Lets see a dollar figure and then we can compare it to the wages of other simalar jobs.

The second would be to change the way mail is handled. I'm no expert, but it seems terribly idiotic that if I mail my buddy three blocks away a Christmas card, it takes a hundred mile plus round trip journey to Little Rock, only to be delivered three blocks away. Call me crazy, but I would think that has to add quite a lot to the cost of carrying that letter. There has to be a simpler, smarter way.

Walmart pays better than fast food so lets cut the wages there too.

Maybe your on to something.If we cut wages enough maybe Nike will start making shoes here again.

I bet those who work at factories are glad they don't work at a Federal job. Their production job building cars and stuff is safety and equipment training also.

I can see it now. Heres your neighbors mail. Would you like fries with that?

WW also has it right. Private sector companies making a profit (or not) get to decide how much to pay their employees. They have to live with the results or go out of business. The PO is doing terrible so changes have to be made. Increase revenue (probably not going to happen), decrease costs or both. If what the employees are being paid (payroll is the largest component of the PO's cost structure-including benefits) then they have to be cut. If faced with the same bottom line, a private sector company would either cut or go out of business. Why should the PO be any different?

If the PO were run as efficiently as Wal-Mart, then it would make a lot of profits for our government that could be plowed back into the Treasury-like the Federal Reserve does. That would reduce our tax burden. Do postal employees have more rights to the money they are getting than the average families they are confiscating it from?

been trying to find zip code info myself for decades now, that's quite a fancy tool there fella......that darn usps might could save trillions using that new fangled gizmo

When he's not available, his replacements suck!

A few years ago he was promoted to supervisor and hated it.

At my end, service went to hell in a hand basket.

But then he quit the supervisor job and came back as our regular guy and our service became great again.

But my word, when he had a day off, things went in the toilet. One day our mail didn't get delivered until well after dark!

I saw him a few days later and mentioned that to him. He explained there was a temp delivering mail that day and if temps got criticized or told they needed to improve, they'd just quit.

PRIVATIZE and guys like him would get paid more and the crappy employees would be former employees.

But the organization itself should go private.

Yeah... except you're forgetting that the USPS is billions in debt. That's how unions work. Suck the host dry and move on to the next!

This will be coming just like carrying cash, we all will be the 600# person restrained to their bed or special made chair, will have no other choice in shooting a x-gun, won't be able to do anything that is physically assertive. ( just had to insert the last part in about the x-gun :). I'll have another donut on this one.

I pretty much agree with this. The postal employees that I know personally are likable people who try to do a good job.

"Just Amazon the PO,"

Who do you think delivers for Amazon?

The real problem is first class mail. I would be in favor of privatizing as long as they were required to deliver to every address just like the PO is now. The problem with that is that in many places the distances and volume of mail do not add up to a profit.

The PO needs to be run by private/employee own, Fed cannot run a profitable business it is not in their DNA.

The PO needs to be an email service and save a lot of trees that go to the garbage.