Postal Service woes are due to mismanagement
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Reading the articles about petty behavior in the post office compels me to write. I am a retired letter carrier who remembers when all that was required was to deliver the correct mail into the correct receptacles. Customer service was of paramount concern. Employee safety was important. The ratio of management to workers was low.
Then came the “new” and “improved” Postal Service. People who never performed the job suddenly knew how to improve the job. Absurd rules led to dumb discipline. Carriers who never were involved in any disciplinary action were written up for rule violations. The pressure mounted as the mail volume decreased. Every minute of our workday was scrutinized. A computer program decided how the mail was to be delivered and the management lemmings obeyed. Productivity plummeted, revenue declined and the pressure increased.
Moving starting times back because mail distribution failed led to carriers delivering during darkness. Business mail declined as alternative methods became essential to their survival. All of this is directly attributable to mismanagement. Carriers walking “slowly” and not crossing lawns is not the reason for poor service. Put the blame where it belongs.
Louis A. McDonald
Blasdell
Published: February 22, 2009, 12:30 am