Many Postal Service employees report working longer hours recently, and the statistics back them up: Overtime hours have increased more than 11% this fiscal year versus the same period last year even though the workforce is smaller.
Complaints about letter carriers out delivering mail until 8 p.m. may not be isolated cases. Payroll statistics the U.S. Postal Service released yesterday indicate that overtime hours per full-time city delivery carrier have increased more than 20% over last year.
Part-time city carriers are also keeping busy, working nearly one hour of overtime for every six of straight time from October of last year through Feb. 26. (Makes you wonder why they're called "part time".) Their overtime is up 8% this year even though their straight time hours are down 8%.
The trend of declining straight-time hours -- which indicates fewer employees -- coupled with more overtime shows up in other crafts, especially mail handlers (8% more OT) and clerks (up 5%).
For all bargaining-unit employees, overtime is up 12% even though straight time is down 4%. The typical bargaining-unit employee works one hour of overtime for every 10 of straight time.
Two areas of the Postal Service not showing net workforce reductions are Headquarters and "Area/Operations Offices"; total hours are up about 3% in both cases.
7 comments:
This issue is true because management wants to show that they are good by eliminating clerk, mail handler & carrier positions. But the truth is they eliminate many positions but the work load are still the same so always short of people and ending up overtime. Some management needs to step down to cover up those overtime. Anyway most of them used to be a carrier, clerk, & mail handler before they become in management position so they have an idea how to do the job. I notice sometimes in our small plant more than 3 people will observe...observe... for what! Since I don't see any difference after those observation...what a waste of money right? 2 of those should just deliver mail to eliminate overtime.
As an RCA, we are constantely told by our Supervisor, that we are of no use or help to management if we cannot work 6 days a week under fourty! It's hard to do 40 hrs in five days due to the everyday pivots, collections and express mail we now have to do. Due to retirements, RCAs making regular we are grossly understaffed. One TRC (not RCA) has been hired in 3 yrs.
Just get to work and quit whinning. It's always somebody else that does something, do your job quit worrying about others.
"Two areas of the Postal Service not showing net workforce reductions are Headquarters and Area/Operations Offices; total hours are up about 3% in both cases". Without exception, supervisors always have the highest overtime of any workers, and rarely is there a necessity for this overtimes. Watch when your supervisors check in/check out. Its a myth they are salary, they are hourly
Don't forget the FSS debacle. A good idea - badly implememnted.
SO true! FSS is a joke! In an all rural office with LLVs, it makes no sense for us to be forced to take it to the street and not "infuse" it. We are salary, but the pencil necks higher up would rather send us to the street, essentially sorting out on the route; looks good on paper that we might hit our FIRST delivery sooner, but because we are still "sorting", our last delivery usually ends up getting delivered after the time had we been able to infuse it inside.
Bottom line... Once again, LOOKS good on paper
FSS "could" be a Godsend if it was implemented correctly.Sorted in the office (quicker) not in a truck-cramping my back and hips into a pretzel,and after 4:30 no light,except stop by stop sort in the truck! DUH! Forced OT too-trying to beat the dark, which doubles delivery time and increases accidents.How about changing plant times to an hour earlier for one-no that would be to simple!
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