Hours after a leading Congressman urged massive job cuts at the largest civilian employer of military veterans, President Obama proposed creation of a Veterans Job Corps.
"With the bipartisan support of this Congress, we are providing new tax credits to companies that hire vets," Obama said Tuesday night during his State of the Union address. "Michelle and Jill Biden have worked with American businesses to secure a pledge of 135,000 jobs for veterans and their families. And tonight, I’m proposing a Veterans Job Corps that will help our communities hire veterans as cops and firefighters, so that America is as strong as those who defend her."
Those 135,000 jobs don't quite equal the estimated number of vets who already work for the United States Postal Service.Veterans preference has long been part of USPS's hiring practices and culture, leading to approximately one-fourth of its current employees having military experience.
Earlier Tuesday, Rep. Darrell Issa called for a radical shrinking of the Postal Service's workforce:
"There are about 660,000 workers at the post office. In the private sector there would be about 400,000 and it’s not a debate about whether we need to get to that number, it’s how we get there," the committee chairman said during a TV interview. "Do we induce retirement and find a way to trim that workforce, or do we wait for people to retire from an organization that has three full-time employees that are 98 years old, literally. Not a talking point. We have a problem at the post office that it can’t seem to shrink on its own fast enough. As a result the biggest problem is we’re paying people we don’t really need and not doing the reorganizations we should."
I don't know about Issa's numbers, but clearly USPS needs to shrink its workforce faster than it's been doing to cope with declining mail volumes. I just hope the politicians realize that one of the best ways to minimize veterans unemployment in the coming years may be to help postal workers transition to new careers.
13 comments:
Simple solution, give those that are eligible an offer to leave just like the auto companies did.
Jack; unanimously simple, a no brainer really ! Especially with OPM having a TERRIBLE track record with timely processing of annuities. Heck, if OPM figures that I can only get 40 to 70 %, with no required timeline to get my full (95 % prorated) annuity, I'm not going to leave. I cannot pay bills on that ! They have been approved to do otherwise, they just have to act.
I am all for veterans "points" and "preferences" etc., but I have also wondered why they hire officially disabled vets in jobs that require full use of all physical faculties. I have known several first hand that were hired with bad backs, bad joints, and other things severe enough to warrant discharge or disability pay from the military, who the USPS hired to deliver mail, etc, and who were later handicapped or disabled again. I never could figure that one out... It just created hardships on the other employees...
we should pass a law after serving a 4 year term in politics if you own more than two homes, three cars,and have in excess of $800,000 in cash or redeemable cd's or savings etc. and are of the age of 55 YOU MUST RETIRE FROM OFFICE!
Veterans have 120 days from discharge to apply for the postal exam and are given 5 points and disabled vets are given 10 points they are in no way guaranteed a position. If 5000 people take the test and only the 20 highest scores are hired. The postal service as a job corps is insane. Who wrote this article? Newt's and Romney's future x sister wife?
And why aren't Disable Vets, who are getting disabled pay, also working and getting FULL pay? There should be an offset of pay, like social security!
Biscuit,
Did you ever think that maybe that some of us who have a disabilty from the service it may not be physical,but from conditions like PTSD. Since I been working at the PO,I've had both Rotator Cuff repaired,but I am still able to do the job I had prior to the surgery,driving a forklift. Some of my fellow employees,not workers have tryed to get me taken off my bid,these are the same employees who while I am working they are BSing with other employees, off the workroom floor or on there cell-phones. These are the people who creat hardshipship on others. Speaking only for myself I don't work for the PO, they just pay me,I work for the people who entrust the mail to our company. I leave work everyday knowing I have done my best. Next month I'll be 70yrs old and I can do my job as good if not better than most. Does this help you figure it out.
Biscuit, are you making your own gravy or waiting for someone to make it for you?
postal non-workers are a drain on my bottom line and will always be. Some of us could care less if you was "injured" in the miliatry and now want us to "pay" you.
You don't need my help
I'm a bargaining unit employee at the P.O., and am surrounded by not only vets, but "disabled" vets. Disabled? Yet capable of showing up on time to put in a 40-hour work week, doing the same work as non-disabled persons? And the VA is reponsible for perpetuating this rip-off of the taxpayers. They qualify persons for 50% disablity, so that person can retain their job, while showing up for routine visits with the shrink (no self-interst there!). And amazingly, these disabled persons somehow jump to 100% disabled qualification just about the time they retire. This is almost as bad as the political asylum scam. I'm also a vet, and this crap makes me sick.
If you have an issue with vets the solution is simple, go and join. Just like whining on your postal job every day, if you are that misrable do us all a favor and quit. No one is forcing you to stay. Step up and stop being an oxygen thief.....there are plenty of GOOD people out there looking for a good job.
so this means when i am one of the 150,000 laid off from the usps and im a veteran i will be able to get a jo b thru obamas new veterans job corps. what a joke
WOW, just wow! There are some amazingly ignorant comments on this thread. I am just retiring from the service after 20 yrs. And I came across this thread while trying to find a job. And felt the need to put in my two cents. If you don't know what your talking about, i.e. disabled vets; Then kindly shut up. If a veteran has 10-100 disability, it doesn't mean they can't work. There are any number of things that can put them at those numbers. (Sleep apnea is an automatic 50% disability.)
And those medical or mental issues can rack those numbers up there. Is the money from their disability enough to live off of, without working... the answer is NO. So we all need to goto work, to make that extra money to feed ourself and families.
So before you start talking about how veterans with disabilities are a drain or shouldn't be working. Stop and think for a second. We can't live off of our disability checks or retirements, so we HAVE to work.
~Rusty Sailor
This thread goes to show how childish "we" are as citizens. As a veteran I am afforded certain advantages, but these advantages are not guarantee(s) by any means. As a vet am still responsible to meet job requirements just like everyone else. Question: those of you that are offered by disabled vets or vets in general; would you exhibit similar disdain toward disabled people if they weren't veterans? I should hope not. The level of ignorance and arrogance in this country is shameful. Disabilities comes in many forms, some visible, and many are not. As a person (veterans, disabled, or not) I believe in working to the best of my ability. Judge me by my work ethics not by what the laws entitle me to. I and other veterans have earned some degree of privilege but not guarantees.
@ Biscuit...when services members die in combat or otherwise, do we create hardship for you still?
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