The U.S. Postal Service today released its financial report for Fiscal Year 2015, covering the period from Oct. 1, 2014, through Sept. 30, 2015. Here is a statement from National Association of Letter Carriers President Fredric Rolando:
The $1.2 billion in annual operating profits reported today by the Postal Service is terrific news that augurs well for the future. The USPS’ continuing financial upswing shows that dismantling services to the public would be precisely the wrong path to take.
This is the second consecutive year with operating profits above $1 billion. Revenue earned by selling stamps has left USPS operations $2.6 billion in the black in the past two years alone, without a dime of taxpayer money. This also marks the third straight year in the black for USPS operations.
Moreover, this impressive performance is no fluke. It results from two structural factors: An improving economy is helping stabilize letter revenue, and Internet-driven online shopping is sending package revenue skyrocketing—up 11.4 percent over last year.
The timing couldn’t be better, with the holidays approaching. The Postal Service projects the delivery of 15.5 billion cards, letters and packages from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Eve—including a record 600 million packages.
The red ink you hear about has nothing to do with the mail but rather with congressional politics—the 2006 decision by a lame-duck Congress to compel the Postal Service to pre-fund future retiree health benefits. No other entity, public or private, is required to do this for even one year in advance; USPS must pre-fund 75 years’ worth of these benefits in advance. That’s the “red ink.”
Today’s good news is consistent with—and reinforces—the growing momentum to move forward with constructive reform that all stakeholders can buy into.
Now, Mr. Rolando, can you address the actual quality of the mail service since we’re overrun with poorly trained, if trained at all CCA’s who only know how to run, and are discouraged by management from learning how to return undeliverable mail, forward CFS mail, or even know a vacation hold card when they see one?
Do you realize that when these CCA’s get converted, as is the case in my office, they continue to run like hell, doing at least a route and a half every day and after running out of annual leave from leaving early every day use LWOP?
You know damn good and well what’s going to happen. Thousands of carriers will be retiring in the next couple of years, including me. Management will probably wait to do nationwide counts until us old worthless geezers leave, the runners get converted to our old routes, refuse to make them last eight hours and then swoop down and cut thousands of routes and regular positions.
We have had zero luck convincing these new carriers of their poor judgment, and we are swiftly becoming horrendously sloppy, unreliable and the public is turning against us. Plus, management is crazy over DOIS, the scanner GPS feature and harasses anybody who allows themselves to be.
You are letting the workplace issues go, and many branches feel they’ve been sold out. I’m glad I’m getting out when I am. I don’t want to be a part of what I’m afraid is going to happen.