USPS to cut 40k jobs

[strmrdr]

http://www.ksla.com/global/story.asp?s=9247633

 

[Linda W]

This so soooooooooooooooo sad!!!! I feel so sorry for these people and their families.


Also where we live, besides UPS, car dealerships are closing in rapid numbers.

 

[dragonfly411]

This is very sad news. More jobs lost. SO is running out of work. I don''t know what we are supposed to do at this point..... sit and wait I suppose....

 

[purrfectpear]

Not to be insensitive but if "the public won't see any decrease in service" and "it won't be noticeable", then that was dead wood anyway and should have been (and would have been if not a government job) cut long ago.

No one wants to be laid off, but my corporation has gone through several (aerospace). I can vouch for the fact that the first wave consists of people who are retired at the desk, marginal performers, or just brand new. It's when they get to the 3rd wave where you start to see people with 15 years on the job, masters degrees, that it's hard to see them go. You lose that tribal knowledge and it's hard to replace them when it's time to ramp up again.

I imagine there are people all over USPS who are thrilled at this news. If they've never had a lay off then they've never had an opportunity to cut out the slackers. It takes an act of g-d to fire someone once they've been there a while. Lay offs can be real blessings to both the corporation, and to the coworkers who've had to pick up that slack. It's no fun to have workers in your group that don't carry their weight.

 

[purselover]

Date: 11/11/2008 4:20:36 PM
Author: purrfectpear
Not to be insensitive but if ''the public won''t see any decrease in service'' and ''it won''t be noticeable'', then that was dead wood anyway and should have been (and would have been if not a government job) cut long ago.


No one wants to be laid off, but my corporation has gone through several (aerospace). I can vouch for the fact that the first wave consists of people who are retired at the desk, marginal performers, or just brand new. It''s when they get to the 3rd wave where you start to see people with 15 years on the job, masters degrees, that it''s hard to see them go. You lose that tribal knowledge and it''s hard to replace them when it''s time to ramp up again.


I imagine there are people all over USPS who are thrilled at this news. If they''ve never had a lay off then they''ve never had an opportunity to cut out the slackers. It takes an act of g-d to fire someone once they''ve been there a while. Lay offs can be real blessings to both the corporation, and to the coworkers who''ve had to pick up that slack. It''s no fun to have workers in your group that don''t carry their weight.

I see your point about layoffs being a positive opportunity to "get rid of" those who are not performing up to standard. However please don''t forget this most definitely is not always the case, plenty of hardworking individuals get laid off as well. I just started my job 3 months ago, and working at a nonprofit under going budget cuts I''m extremely worried about being laid off just b/c I''m the new girl

Just b/c I''m new doesn''t mean I wouldn''t be a loss to the company (of course I may be biased there

)

 

[Ellen]

Date: 11/11/2008 4:20:36 PM
Author: purrfectpear
Not to be insensitive but if ''the public won''t see any decrease in service'' and ''it won''t be noticeable'', then that was dead wood anyway and should have been (and would have been if not a government job) cut long ago.

No one wants to be laid off, but my corporation has gone through several (aerospace). I can vouch for the fact that the first wave consists of people who are retired at the desk, marginal performers, or just brand new. It''s when they get to the 3rd wave where you start to see people with 15 years on the job, masters degrees, that it''s hard to see them go. You lose that tribal knowledge and it''s hard to replace them when it''s time to ramp up again.

I imagine there are people all over USPS who are thrilled at this news. If they''ve never had a lay off then they''ve never had an opportunity to cut out the slackers. It takes an act of g-d to fire someone once they''ve been there a while. Lay offs can be real blessings to both the corporation, and to the coworkers who''ve had to pick up that slack. It''s no fun to have workers in your group that don''t carry their weight.

Yes.

My hubby is a mail carrier, and I can''t tell you how much dead weight he''s seen in the 27 1/2 years he''s worked there. It has been rediculous. And he''s often lamented how stupid it all was, that the PO wouldn''t be hurting near as much if they would just cut the dead weight. But, that would make sense....I could go on, but I won''t.

As for offering early outs, they are, but when you get a 2% cut for each year, and offer no monetary incentive, it''s not really appealing. (and wasn''t to my hubby, who got offered one) Especially in these times, when some are not even retiring once they could because they can''t afford it.

Having said all that, I certainly don''t want to see anyone lose their job.

 

[beebrisk]

While my heart goes out to those people who are losing their jobs, does anyone know of a more poorly run organization?

I can''t ever complain about getting my mail delivered on a daily basis by my trusty letter carrier. That service is flawless. However, has anyone else felt my pain at standing on line at a post office and actually trying to get something done?

Maybe it''s just my experience because I live in NYC where being cranky is almost a career in itself, but the service is terrible and the attitudes are worse. It also seems to be completely disorganized and functioning in the technological dark ages.

Perhaps it''s time that the USPS got it''s act together in more ways than one.

Again, I feel terrible for those who will soon be out of work. They are just unfortunate enough to be working for what appears to be a wildly mis-managed organization.

 

[Ellen]

Date: 11/11/2008 5:14:33 PM
Author: beebrisk
While my heart goes out to those people who are losing their jobs, does anyone know of a more poorly run organization?

I can''t ever complain about getting my mail delivered on a daily basis by my trusty letter carrier. That service is flawless. However, has anyone else felt my pain at standing on line at a post office and actually trying to get something done?

Maybe it''s just my experience because I live in NYC where being cranky is almost a career in itself, but the service is terrible and the attitudes are worse. It also seems to be completely disorganized and functioning in the technological dark ages.

Perhaps it''s time that the USPS got it''s act together in more ways than one.

Again, I feel terrible for those who will soon be out of work. They are just unfortunate enough to be working for what appears to be a wildly mis-managed organization.

It''s not. It would take too long to elaborate, and some of it I just plain couldn''t post. But I can tell you now, things will only get worse, not better. It''s been taking a dive for years.

 

[strmrdr]

Here is what a friend of mine had to say about it:
"the major USPS unions have a ''no lay-off'' clause in their contracts for anyone with over three year''s service. Those with less than three years are history, and in addition to the normal 4% per year workforce retirement, there is currently a VER (Voluntary Early Retirement) offer on the table right now for those employees with over 25 yrs service or over 60 yrs old. No incentive packge is offered, though. VER retirees would take a 2%/yr penalty in their retirement check to go earlier than a ''Standard'' retirement. In other words, if you normally wouldn''t be eligible to take a Standard retirement for another seven years, you''d take a 14% hit and you also would not have the the service time you would at retirement so your retirement would be an additional 2%/yr or another 14%. I don''t know about you, but a 28% cut in retirement benefits is a lot to me..."

 

[Ellen]

Date: 11/11/2008 5:54:06 PM
Author: strmrdr
Here is what a friend of mine had to say about it:
''the major USPS unions have a ''no lay-off'' clause in their contracts for anyone with over three year''s service. Those with less than three years are history, and in addition to the normal 4% per year workforce retirement, there is currently a VER (Voluntary Early Retirement) offer on the table right now for those employees with over 25 yrs service or over 60 yrs old. No incentive packge is offered, though. VER retirees would take a 2%/yr penalty in their retirement check to go earlier than a ''Standard'' retirement. In other words, if you normally wouldn''t be eligible to take a Standard retirement for another seven years, you''d take a 14% hit and you also would not have the the service time you would at retirement so your retirement would be an additional 2%/yr or another 14%. I don''t know about you, but a 28% cut in retirement benefits is a lot to me...''

Does he work for the PO?

The highlighted part is what I posted. I don''t get your second part. You''re hit with a 2% deduction for every year early, because no, you don''t have the required time in. Hubby hasn''t ever heard of this "double hit", it doesn''t make sense to us...It''s one and the same thing to us. Each year early is 2% deduction.

And they don''t even get the offer til they''re close to retiring. This is the first time hubby has had the offer. He''s got just under 2 1/2 years left.

 

[strmrdr]

Yes he works for the PO.
23 years

 

[Ellen]

Well, it may be true. If so maybe hubby's never heard of it because he's not ever totally delved into it, it's not an option. But that just doesn't make sense, who would ever take a hit like that??

 

[Ellen]

Hubby says that probably applies to FERS, Federal Employee Retirement Service. Hubby is Civil Service, they switched not long after he started working there. That "may" splain it.

 

[strmrdr]

Date: 11/11/2008 7:05:15 PM
Author: Ellen
Hubby says that probably applies to FERS, Federal Employee Retirement Service. Hubby is Civil Service, they switched not long after he started working there. That ''may'' splain it.

ah ok that could explain it.
I asked him and he said he is pretty sure that''s how they told him it would work.
No one is taking it they are waiting for a better offer.

 

[Ellen]

Date: 11/11/2008 7:26:21 PM
Author: strmrdr

Date: 11/11/2008 7:05:15 PM
Author: Ellen
Hubby says that probably applies to FERS, Federal Employee Retirement Service. Hubby is Civil Service, they switched not long after he started working there. That 'may' splain it.

ah ok that could explain it.
I asked him and he said he is pretty sure that's how they told him it would work.
No one is taking it they are waiting for a better offer.

Ha. They got a long wait ahead of them.

I don't mean any disrespect, it just won't happen imo.

Honestly, especially in the case of the civil service guys, which they really want out of there, I don't see why they don't give them a monetary incentive. They'd still come out way ahead.... But then, the PO has never been known for its common sense, or it's generosity.

 

[strmrdr]

Date: 11/11/2008 7:37:06 PM
Author: Ellen
Ha. They got a long wait ahead of them.

I don''t mean any disrespect, it just won''t happen imo.


Honestly, especially in the case of the civil service guys, which they really want out of there, I don''t see why they don''t give them a monetary incentive. They''d still come out way ahead.... But then, the PO has never been known for its common sense, or it''s generosity.

no clue, but it wouldn''t shock me going by some of the stories I have heard from friends.

 

[Ellen]

Date: 11/11/2008 7:49:48 PM
Author: strmrdr

no clue, but it wouldn''t shock me going by some of the stories I have heard from friends.

I''m sure you''ve heard correctly, and I could write a book. In fact, in the last few years I''ve been really bummed that I didn''t keep track of everything all these years. I really could have written a book.

 

[Dancing Fire]

Date: 11/11/2008 5:54:06 PM
Author: strmrdr
Here is what a friend of mine had to say about it:
''the major USPS unions have a ''no lay-off'' clause in their contracts for anyone with over three year''s service. Those with less than three years are history, and in addition to the normal 4% per year workforce retirement, there is currently a VER (Voluntary Early Retirement) offer on the table right now for those employees with over 25 yrs service or over 60 yrs old. No incentive packge is offered, though. VER retirees would take a 2%/yr penalty in their retirement check to go earlier than a ''Standard'' retirement. In other words, if you normally wouldn''t be eligible to take a Standard retirement for another seven years, you''d take a 14% hit and you also would not have the the service time you would at retirement so your retirement would be an additional 2%/yr or another 14%. I don''t know about you, but a 28% cut in retirement benefits is a lot to me...''

my BIL is retiring from the USPS this Dec. he been working there for like 19 yrs. he said...they offer him early retirement with no penalties. i know a lot friends working for the PO lucky for them they been there many years.

 

[Ellen]

Date: 11/11/2008 10:32:27 PM
Author: Dancing Fire
my BIL is retiring from the USPS this Dec. he been working there for like 19 yrs. he said...they offer him early retirement with no penalties. i know a lot friends working for the PO lucky for them they been there many years.

DF, are you/he sure? Because that's like, impossible to believe. I'm not calling you/him a liar, it's just that one has to have 30 years in and be at least 55 years of age to qualify for full benifits.

I'd have him check that out thoroughly...

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Date: 11/11/2008 4:20:36 PM
Author: purrfectpear


I imagine there are people all over USPS who are thrilled at this news. If they''ve never had a lay off then they''ve never had an opportunity to cut out the slackers. It takes an act of g-d to fire someone once they''ve been there a while. Lay offs can be real blessings to both the corporation, and to the coworkers who''ve had to pick up that slack. It''s no fun to have workers in your group that don''t carry their weight.

40,000 slackers?

 

[Allisonfaye]

I didn''t read the entire thread but I am guessing it won''t be targeted to the slackers. Too bad.

 

[Dancing Fire]

Date: 11/12/2008 8:37:34 AM
Author: Ellen

Date: 11/11/2008 10:32:27 PM
Author: Dancing Fire
my BIL is retiring from the USPS this Dec. he been working there for like 19 yrs. he said...they offer him early retirement with no penalties. i know a lot friends working for the PO lucky for them they been there many years.

DF, are you/he sure? Because that''s like, impossible to believe. I''m not calling you/him a liar, it''s just that one has to have 30 years in and be at least 55 years of age to qualify for full benifits.

I''d have him check that out thoroughly...

yeah, he said...he''s been thinking it over and thought it was worth retiring in his case. he''s a veteran but i don''t know if that had anything to do with his decision.

 

[Ellen]

Date: 11/12/2008 7:47:03 PM
Author: Dancing Fire
yeah, he said...he''s been thinking it over and thought it was worth retiring in his case. he''s a veteran but i don''t know if that had anything to do with his decision.

Hubby said yes, that would make a difference as far as penalties (I had no idea!). I don''t blame him, I wish my hubby was outta there like yesterday.

 

[Dancing Fire]

Date: 11/12/2008 7:54:42 PM
Author: Ellen

Date: 11/12/2008 7:47:03 PM
Author: Dancing Fire
yeah, he said...he''s been thinking it over and thought it was worth retiring in his case. he''s a veteran but i don''t know if that had anything to do with his decision.

Hubby said yes, that would make a difference as far as penalties (I had no idea!). I don''t blame him, I wish my hubby was outta there like yesterday.

my BIL is only 54 or 55 yrs old.