Waxman asks postmaster general about mailbox removals

Responding to an “unprecedented number of complaints” from constituents, U.S. Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Los Angeles) this week wrote to Postmaster General John E. Potter for an explanation about why so many mailboxes had been removed in the L.A. area.

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2 Responses to "Waxman asks postmaster general about mailbox removals"

  1. One thing to keep in mind…. The so called “data collection” as it relates to the mailbox collection statistics…. If I recall correctly from my days at the PO (glad to be gone!) The key factor was the stamped mail that was deposited, not the metered mail. In essence collection boxes are for stamped mail, not metered mail. Typically just the opposite occurs… nearby businesses stuff collection boxes with metered mail that they are required to deposit at the licensing post office of their meter.

    Metered mail is not supposed to be deposited in a collection box (other than an incidental handful). I believe it is still the case that metered holders as part of their agreement for the meter license are required to bring their mail to the licensing post office for deposit; NOT collection boxes.

    So… all those collection boxes that are located in front of offices are in reality there for the business’s convenience NOT the general public. So, why are they there if the USPS requires metered mail to be brought to the post office?

    On one hand I can agree that the need for collection boxes has diminished but… If there are going to be collection boxes out there don’t just put them in front of a company who, in violation of their meter agreement, stuff the collection boxes that are meant for “mom ‘n pop” stamped mail.

    Perhaps Waxman might be well advised to examine this aspect in order to get some neighborhood collection boxes back.

  2. Some of the things the post office is doing are ridiculous. They are taking out mailboxes that don’t receive a lot of mail. They say it is costing them money to have them there. This is not true. Most of the blue boxes also double as “relay” boxes for the carrier. The carrier has to put mail in them to deliver that day for the “on foot” carriers. When they put mail in the box, they take out the “raw” mail (or outgoing mail) and scan the box so the post office knows what time they were at that box that day. They are required to tap them at a certain time of day. It doesn’t cost the post office any more for this convenience because the carrier is their everyday to get the mail anyway. They only cost is for the guys who get paid to remove a blue box and replace it with a green one. They are more concerning with scanning blue boxes and mail than they are about actually delivering the mail and treating customers in a friendly & understanding way.

    The elderly people who cannot get to the post office to mail their bills, etc. rely on those boxes for convenience. In a time when we want to project a positive to our customers, we instead are pissing them off, forcing them to seek other ways to pay their bills, etc. Carriers are being told that if they talk to their customers it must be taken as a lunch and not to give directions to people if asked. (This projects a negative to the community) The post office wants us to promote them but does not want us to get paid for it.

    Our managers and post masters are so afraid of losing their jobs, they are doing whatever the higher ups tell them to do and refuse to use common sense when dealing with any issues. They nothing more than puppets and some of those puppets are also on power trips. Unfortunately, that is what is going to send us to our demise.

    Also if mail count is down, why have management positions increased? When we take a cut in salary and hours, why aren’t managers salaries cut accordingly (for the good of the post office)? I read that between pay periods 8 & 9, the following changes occurred in the post office:

    PM/SUPV – decreased by 156 (a lot of these took the retirement because they didn’t want to put up with the baloney anymore.
    CLERKS – decreased by 474
    CITY/RURAL – decreased by 215
    TE’ s- increased by 112 Why do they need TE’s. Why don’t they utilize the CITY/RURAL they decreased. TE’s are paid more money than I make as an RCA of 13 years. I’ve been saving them lots of money…… I still pay my own benefits even though I’ve worked over 40 hours continuously for 11 of those 13 years. I didn’t receive any sick or leave time until my regular was out for more than 90 days, (1-1/2 of those 13 years) and they are willing to pay someone who makes more than me overtime. I am the lowest paid in the place. My pay is cut in half after I pay for medical benefits on my own (with nothing being contributed by the postal service for medical or retirement) and taxes haven’t even been taken out yet!
    HQ-FLD/HQS – increased by 353 (why do we need an increase here?) They think we are making a lot of money. Why not reduce their salaries to match ours and that would save the post office quite a bit of change.

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