{"id":2912,"date":"2011-09-26T15:55:42","date_gmt":"2011-09-26T20:55:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/postalemployeenetwork.com\/news\/?p=2912"},"modified":"2011-09-26T15:55:42","modified_gmt":"2011-09-26T20:55:42","slug":"doomsday-scenario","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/postalemployeenetwork.com\/news\/2011\/09\/26\/doomsday-scenario\/","title":{"rendered":"Doomsday Scenario"},"content":{"rendered":"

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I do not believe that postal employees appreciate the serious circumstances confronting their future employment. The final outcome of the current legislative struggle will determine the number of postal employees, where they will work and future wages and benefits. Over the past 41 years postal employment has been on auto pilot with no lay off protection, ever improving wages and a benefit package that guaranteed health insurance, protection against injury and a decent retirement. It has been assumed that these conditions were directly associated with being hired as a postal employee and there was an entitlement that postal employees were different than those at Wal-Mart and McDonalds.<\/p>\n

Some employees who associated with the union believed that more could be achieved through more aggressive and effective union leadership and the only thing separating their employment from being ideal was an incompetent management and\/or union officials who did not care. Others rode the backs of the union as free riders with the belief that they had special entitlements and as author Frederic Douglas wrote, “They could get rain without thunder and lightning.”<\/p>\n

This is to inform that those days are past when a postal employee could show up, extend an acceptable effort, complain and receive compensation and benefits that are the envy of nonprofessional employment. If you are a non-activist who pays union dues with the expectation that “you have done your part” or a free rider who assumes that the gravy train has existed this long and you expect it to continue at least until your retirement, you are in for a rude awakening. You can no longer put your head in the sand believing that change will not affect you. It has worked so far so why change.<\/p>\n

There is enough blame to go around but the simple fact is that the Postal Service cannot exist another year without Congressional intervention and all of the finger pointing and placing blame will not change the inevitable without relief. For all the geniuses who know the solution with no authority to change events, you will have plenty of time to share your negative opinions as former employees because you will no longer be employed, at least in that terrible job that you complained about for so many years.<\/p>\n

Until recently, it was not a given that there was an intent to continue a government mail service but it is now apparent that after the dust clears there will be a United States Postal Service. Based on the conflicting solutions being offered by Republicans and Democrats in Congress and the President, there will be a legislative solution to the USPS\u2019 financial difficulties and depending upon the solution approved, the Postal Service as you have experienced over your career will be changed and those changes will affect you directly.<\/p>\n

Depending upon the solutions selected from those being offered by the competing political factions you can expect:<\/p>\n