USPS Offers $20,000 VER Incentive But Not To Craft

USPS News

PMG ANNOUNCES REDESIGNED POSTAL SERVICE
VOLUNTARY EARLY RETIREMENT, INCENTIVE PROGRAMS OFFERED

Postmaster General Pat Donahoe today announced a newly redesigned Postal Service, one that is better positioned for growth, reflects further alignment within the organization to achieve core business strategies and, when fully implemented, by March 2012, will eliminate almost $750 million in costs to the organization.

“Over the past 8 weeks, we have been taking a careful look at our internal structure — the way we position our people — and determining the best way to align the organization to succeed in a more competitive world,” said Donahoe. “We also have been making some tough but necessary decisions that will enable us to better meet the needs of our employees, our customers and the American public.”

Donahoe said a strong plan has been developed that will result in a leaner, less bureaucratic structure that creates greater efficiencies among managerial and administrative functions.

The announced redesign reduces administrative layers and achieves a 20 percent reduction in authorized administrative office complement and Postal Career Executive Service (PCES) positions.

Seven districts will be closing. A general announcement identifying the districts will be made March 24, after employees in those districts are notified.

Voluntary Early Retirement (VER) and financial incentive programs will be offered to eligible career non-bargaining employees in targeted groups at Headquarters, Headquarters-related Field Units, Area Offices and Customer Service District Offices (Administrative).

  • The incentive program is $20,000 and is offered on a first come, first-served basis to eligible employees who choose to leave on the May 31, 2011, effective date through a VER, optional retirement or voluntary resignation. The incentive will be paid in two equal payments of $10,000 distributed in November 2011 and November 2012.
  • To be eligible for the incentive, employees must begin the optional retirement process or submit voluntary resignation by the deadline of April 25, 2011. The same date, April 25, also is the irrevocability date for employees who accept the VER offer.
  • Disability retirements and Federal Transfers are not eligible for the incentive. Employees in a probationary status as of March 23, 2011, are not eligible.
  • Employees already in progress as of March 23, 2011, for optional retirement or voluntary resignation with a scheduled retirement or separation date on or before May 31, 2011, will be permitted to retire or separate on the scheduled date and be eligible for the incentive.
  • Further details of the VER and incentive programs will be available on the Organizational Change website.

Donahoe said employees will be given comprehensive information to help them make the best decisions about their future. “I know change can be challenging,” he said. “I thank all of our employees for their continued dedication and focus on continuing to provide high levels of customer service while the organizational redesign proceeds.”

Efforts in the coming weeks and months will help the Postal Service become a leaner, faster and smarter organization, Donahoe said. “The redesign will improve our financial situation, ensure that we are better able to compete for customers, and provide greater value and service to the American public.”

13 Responses to "USPS Offers $20,000 VER Incentive But Not To Craft"

  1. guz77…Didn’t realize spell check changed your name on my first post. After re-reading your post I realized I mis-read it. I guess when you got your retirement briefing they didn’t explain when you would get your first annuity check. I retired Dec 31, 2010 and as a FERs retiree I was told I would get my first partial check the end of Feb and it was right on time. If I had retired Jan 1, 2011, it would have been another month or the end of March. I think CSRS has a 3 day leeway. Like you I was prepared plus my wife is a nurse and not ready to retire so it was no problem for us.

  2. guzzle… The delay is not the fault of USPS. It’s OPM. All fed retirees are facing the same thing. A buddy I worked with took the $15K VER in Nov 2009 and it was Aug 2010 before he got his first full annuity. Those 30,000 who took that really backed up OPM. I retired Dec 31, 2010 and was told it would be 3 to 4 months. And I doubt it will be any better for for the management types who take the VER.

  3. why don’t they keep their money and give us civil service people our years needed to go without paying the penalty!!! there can’t be too many left who are CSRS. I only have 2 years left, and the postal service switched right after I was hired to FERS.

  4. fledgling: $20,000 is not a parting gift. Donahue is giving them back their own money that they would have earned had they stayed and did nothing. It’s all smoking mirrors.

  5. Craft will be offered something in the future. The contract needs to be ratified before Donahue can begin hiring on the lower pay scale. He can’t do everything at once. My guess would be that we will hear something closer to the end of the fiscal year. They would need to hire non-career assistants, and then give them the test so they could move up to the newer lower pay scale. There would have been no other reason to hammer this out at negotiations. Trying to reduce the workforce by the numbers that he is citing would take us into our next contract, and the new scale would have to be negotiated again. Seems like a no-brainer to me, but them I ain’t one of them high educated managemet people.

  6. craft employees get the shaft again. I know alot of employees who would take the 20,000 if it was offered to them. Management doesn’t need it.

  7. why not use the 20 grand to pay the guys who already retired I’ve been retired since feb and have yet to receive a pension check what the hell how long do we have to wait,they said they are 3 months behind on processing retirements.I got my vacation pay they owed me within 3 weeks. I put in the retirement papers in the middle of dec.so its not like they didn’t have time to get things together. I was aware it might happnen cause they’re so screwed up so i planned for it .but I bet mgt’s pension will be on time.

  8. Ha! Ha!…..what a joke?
    I’m glad that I took my disability retirement last month. L was going to try to hold off a few more months thinking that USPS higher level @#$%-heads would do the right thing and offer up a decent incentive to CRAFT people….the horses that have been pulling the load for years and years, but; low-and-behold??!!!…..they screw the working class stiffs AGAIN!!
    My suggestion to all of you short-timers and craft-people with a ways to go??….stay in as long as you can and squeeze every last cent out of that company because it is rightfully yours and those lazy fat-ass over-paid dead beats at the top can sweat out the rest of their worthless careers wondering when the axe will fall on them?!!
    The nerve of those self-righteous bastards?!!….paying incentives to those who don’t deserve it and throwing chicken-feed to the ones who do!! I am so happy to be away from the communistic regime that the U.S Postal Service has become??….it really used to be a job that you could be proud to do and one that most civilized people would respect in general?…..now???……FAHGETTAABOUTTIT!!!

  9. Just like management to give themselves a parting gift of $20K….Thought we were supposed to be cutting costs!

  10. So let me get this straight. The PMG expects mgt. personnel who are at a 6 figures annual income or better to wait 20 months for a total of 20k? Ain’t gonna happen! My own station manager just laughed when I asked him if he was going to take the offer. These people aren’t going anywhere, and why should they? I’ll believe the final tally when it is posted on this site and not anywhere else. This “incentive” just proves what alot of people have been saying on these sites, that mgt. protects their own. They made a ludicrous offer because they want to keep that 1:7 ratio that Darrell Issa has been complaining about. As I have stated before, we’re all protected by civil service laws and VA laws, and can’t be RIFted (still waiting for replies on this to prove I’m wrong). Hey Issa, are you clueless? Do you have any idea how many bosses are standing around my office with their hands in their pockets? One 6 figure guy is out doing street supervision for crimany sakes!!! 100K to make sure I have my seat belt on????? What’s it going to take to wake you up, a 1:5 or 1:4 ratio? Gimme a break, or better yet, give me that 20K in one payment and my 35 year carrier career will come to an end tomorrow.

  11. Yeah, I’m sure that most craft employees could have guessed that there would be an incentive for management employees and NOT for the people who actually do the MOST IMPORTANT jobs at the Postal Service. Yes, it is important to cut management and the only way to get them out is to porvide them with an incentive, but the people who will have to ” provide greater value and service to the American public.” still get NO INCENTIVE. What a crock.

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