Postal Service memos detail ‘difficult’ changes, including slower mail delivery

roadwarrior

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/07/14/postal-service-trump-dejoy-delay-mail/

imrs.php

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/p...ices-cut-service-ahead-of-election-2020-07-29

link

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https://www.fr24news.com/a/2020/07/...he-event-of-a-slowdown-in-their-delivery.html

postmaster-general-carriers-leave-mail-delays-routes-usps-postal-service-2020-7.jpg


https://www.npr.org/2020/07/29/8947...ould-delay-mail-and-deliveries-advocates-warn

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https://www.postaltimes.com/postalnews/new-postmaster-general-is-an-expert-job-killer/

:no: I feel for the lifelong postal workers dealing with enough issues and now getting caught up in the crossfire with this crap. I've been seeing the regular mail being throttled the last few weeks. Everyone on my block and surrounding areas have been getting the same sporadic letter deliveries. Almost a week with no regular mail sometimes. I've never seen this happen before. Another thing that was really odd and hysterical at the same time. I watched the mail woman park her vehicle on the corner and walk up and down the blocks. She would take a few packages out at a time and walk, make the delivery and go back to the parked vehicle for a few more. She handed me mine and just smiled. She was just going along with the slow down game plan.
 
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The only government agency that has been 5 star, consistently, over the years, in superior performance! And now here comes government, with their, "If it ain't broke, fix it till it is", game plan! :no: (jmho)
 
I guess I could say what is happening being my wife and I are both 32 year and 20 year USPS carriers but I'll just say no carriers are sitting around in my city doing nothing and slowing down. We are in fact being asked to work faster, not slower as they are trying to eliminate all overtime. I'd get into the details but it's not as sexy as what's being reported. So far they are trying out a couple of new ways to get carriers on the street faster which means in my area there is a cut off time for the clerks to throw packages then we head to the street and the clerks then start throwing packages again for the next day to be delivered. There is also being a test in 384 sites nation wide where the carriers come in and take the mail directly to the street and sorting first class flats on the street then coming back when they're done with the route and casing bulk mail for the next day.(which also means packages keep getting thrown while the carriers are out and they will be delivered the next day. Also some carriers are just out in those areas only delivering packages which is exactly what RW was witnessing. Simple fact right now is we don't have much first class letter mail right now other then bills because many businesses are closed. Our bulk mail is at a all time low because businesses were closed and no sense in putting out mailers. The simple fact is other then packages and bills we don't have a ton of letters to deliver. That's why people aren't getting mail on certain days. We are though delivering record amounts of packages for the summer time. Christmas level almost daily. Also many cities are having trouble with deliveries because many carriers are out with covid or are taking leave because of covid(we currently at my station of 40 carriers have 2 carriers out with the virus). So in some of those cities where covid rate is exploding less people are at work and some routes may not get delivered because there is not enough carriers to cover the job. Also UPS, FED-EX and Amazon are running behind as well for some of the same issues, plus overwhelming numbers of package deliveries due to covid. are swamping the systems Those are some of the facts. Now as for the new postmaster general he is what he is and the less I say they less trouble I can get into, plus we can't talk politics here.. Glad I can retire if needed as I have enough time in. My wife and I live this job everyday. I don't like the ideas and changes but I do know what is happening in real time and we are in no way being directed to slow down. Exactly the opposite is being asked of us carriers that I can tell you for a fact but these are new ways of delivering and the bugs are going to take more then the two weeks that they have been implemented in to begin to work themselves out or prove to be a complete mistake(which I think they are).
 
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Thanks for explaining the current situation CG. It sounds like they are only making an already stressful work situation worse on the people showing up. That's par for the course even with my job. The more dedicated, reliable the worker, the more crap runs downhill and lands on their backs. I wish you and the wife all the best along with all the other tireless workers trying to pick up the slack. Most of all be safe out there in all of this madness.
 
Thanks for explaining the current situation CG. It sounds like they are only making an already stressful work situation worse on the people showing up. That's par for the course even with my job. The more dedicated, reliable the worker, the more crap runs downhill and lands on their backs. I wish you and the wife all the best along with all the other tireless workers trying to pick up the slack. Most of all be safe out there in all of this madness.
Thanks. I'm a pessimist by nature, but this new PG is going to try like hell to privatize us, bust our union, and make us look unreliable before the upcoming election. Besides between he and his wife they have about $400,000 in to UPS which is of course publicly traded.
 
My son who is 24 just got a job with USPS & has been with them for about 2 months. He came home yesterday & said it's hard work with no A/C in the trucks & was like 103 deg. He works as a rural carrier for now but wants to be a city carrier.
At times he uses the USPS truck & other times his own car. From what he tells me they work very hard trying to keep up with all of the packages they get these days & actually he is going into work today on a Sunday.
My carrier who's name is Jeff told me to tell my son that it's going to be very hard work & demanding but it will get better. No slow down in my neck or the woods.
 
we don't talk sex politics and religion here at wit so I won't post how I feel about administrative changes de-stabilizing USPS 3 months out on an election

- when the USPS " news " hit that mail was " delayed " it was difficult to parse the truth-

I have always found your voice a clear, honest, self-reflective and succinct voice; about watches, life, USPS and personal short comings ( addictive watch buying and other pleasures of the flesh & mind )

Well take care of your health, diet,exercise, and peace of mind. Stay strong and persevere...looks like we're all headed for the " promised land "

-thanks for the inside skinny...I feel " better " knowing the truth ...rather than drinking the cool-aid of the daily fog of propaganda
 
I guess I could say what is happening being my wife and I are both 32 year and 20 year USPS carriers but I'll just say no carriers are sitting around in my city doing nothing and slowing down. We are in fact being asked to work faster, not slower as they are trying to eliminate all overtime. I'd get into the details but it's not as sexy as what's being reported. So far they are trying out a couple of new ways to get carriers on the street faster which means in my area there is a cut off time for the clerks to throw packages then we head to the street and the clerks then start throwing packages again for the next day to be delivered. There is also being a test in 384 sites nation wide where the carriers come in and take the mail directly to the street and sorting first class flats on the street then coming back when they're done with the route and casing bulk mail for the next day.(which also means packages keep getting thrown while the carriers are out and they will be delivered the next day. Also some carriers are just out in those areas only delivering packages which is exactly what RW was witnessing. Simple fact right now is we don't have much first class letter mail right now other then bills because many businesses are closed. Our bulk mail is at a all time low because businesses were closed and no sense in putting out mailers. The simple fact is other then packages and bills we don't have a ton of letters to deliver. That's why people aren't getting mail on certain days. We are though delivering record amounts of packages for the summer time. Christmas level almost daily. Also many cities are having trouble with deliveries because many carriers are out with covid or are taking leave because of covid(we currently at my station of 40 carriers have 2 carriers out with the virus). So in some of those cities where covid rate is exploding less people are at work and some routes may not get delivered because there is not enough carriers to cover the job. Also UPS, FED-EX and Amazon are running behind as well for some of the same issues, plus overwhelming numbers of package deliveries due to covid. are swamping the systems Those are some of the facts. Now as for the new postmaster general he is what he is and the less I say they less trouble I can get into, plus we can't talk politics here.. Glad I can retire if needed as I have enough time in. My wife and I live this job everyday. I don't like the ideas and changes but I do know what is happening in real time and we are in no way being directed to slow down. Exactly the opposite is being asked of us carriers that I can tell you for a fact but these are new ways of delivering and the bugs are going to take more then the two weeks that they have been implemented in to begin to work themselves out or prove to be a complete mistake(which I think they are).
:hat:
 
Nothing suspicious as a new mega donor to a certain person and who has more then 30 million in investments in competitors, taking a job that pays peanuts to his worth, just four months before an election during the worst pandemic in a 100 years, not just shutting down machines that can process 35,000 pieces of mail, but dismantling them making them extremely expensive to get back online if needed(they will be). Nope nothing weird going on, just a good guy trying to do a good job. If people like the USPS and like getting things less expensively please call your senators and tell them to get with the House and save the USPS. Mitch has a bill sitting waiting for postal aid and reform that would change the dynamics but of course he refuses. Trust me when USPS is gone nothing will stop the competitors from price gouging and shipping will be more expensive especially to hard to get to areas all across the country. The USPS is rated as the highest rated government agency at 91% favorable by the public. Hate to say but people are the only ones who can push congress to do the right thing.
 
It's sad CG. I'm all in! Whatever helps the USPS and their long standing tradition of taking care of the most important thing that seems to always be taken for granite. USPS package delivery is more vital than ever delivering medications and other life lines to the public.

Back in Time
Transportation in America's Postal System
By Rickie Longfellow

In early colonial times, letter writers sent their correspondence by friends, merchants and Native Americans via foot or horseback. Most of this correspondence, however, was between the colonists and family members back home in England. In 1633, the first official notice of a postal service in the colonies appeared.

The General Court of Massachusetts designated Richard Fairbanks' tavern in Boston as the official site of mail delivery going to or coming from overseas, a practice long used by England. In 1673, New York's Governor Francis Lovelace set up a monthly horseback post between New York and Boston. Old Boston Post Road is part of today's Route 1. In 1683, William Penn established Pennsylvania's first post office, while in the south private messengers, often slaves, delivered and picked up mail.

Around 1691 Thomas Neale of England received a 21-year grant from the British Crown for a postal service in the colonies. Neale never came to America. This did not prove to be a lucrative move for him-he died in debt after assigning his postal interest over to fellow Englishmen Andrew Hamilton and R. West. In 1707, the British government bought the rights to the North American postal service from West and the widow of Hamilton. John Hamilton, the widow's son, was appointed Deputy Postmaster General of America. In 1761, John Foxcroft of New York served as

By 1800, the Post Office Department had purchased a number of stagecoaches for mail transport. Roads, which became known as post roads, were in better condition because of the mail coaches. Steamboats were used for mail carrying where no roads existed. In the 1830s, trains transported some mail (4.5 miles in 35 minutes) in the East, but Americans were migrating and tracks would take decades to span to newly settled areas. By the 1850s, the population began to flow into the newly acquired Louisiana, Oregon and California territories. Wagon trains transported some of the mail, but were often targets of ambushes and other tragedies. After the 1848 gold rush, the Post Office Department awarded a contract to the Pacific Mail Steamship Company to transport mail to California. During this time some mail was carried by the military between Fort Leavenworth and Santa Fe. The Overland Mail Company stage line of John Butterfield was also awarded a contract. The stages used the 2,800 mile southern route between Tipton, Missouri and San Francisco, California, specified as a 24-day run but often taking months. Californians felt their isolation from lack of regular mail so a better idea was needed.

In 1860, the Pony Express was the brainchild of William H. Russell who had failed repeatedly in getting postal backing to carry mail. His ad in the newspapers seeking riders read: "Wanted. Young, skinny, wiry fellows not over 18. Must be expert riders willing to risk death daily. Orphans preferred." Later the ad was rewritten to be less restrictive. St. Joseph was the starting point for the direct 2,000-mile route to the West. Except for a few settlements and military forts, the route beyond St. Joseph was a vast unknown land inhabited by Natives. Russell, with two partners, built relay stations every 5 to 20 miles, with fresh horses. There was an estimated 150 to 190 relay stations. On an average day a rider could cover 100 miles. Riders were paid from $50 to $100 per month, ranging in age from 11 to the mid-40s, weighing less than 125 pounds. The horses were changed every 10 to 15 miles at the relay stations with riders averaging about 10 miles per hour. The cost of mail-a whopping $5.00 per one-half ounce at first and then later the price was reduced to $1.00 per one-half ounce.

The fastest piece of mail in the history of the Pony Express was President Abraham Lincoln's inaugural address. It was carried to California in 7 days and 17 hours. Although the Pony Express existed for only one and a half years it proved that the Central Route to California was usable year round. On October 24, 1861, the transcontinental telegraph line was completed and the Pony Express, suffering from financial difficulties, was sold to Wells Fargo, and became a legend.

Did your ancestor ride for the Pony Express? To see a list of names of the 228 riders go to: http://www.ponyexpress.org/riders.htm

The first airmail was transported in 1870 by letters in free balloons. It is difficult to think of balloons as a form of transportation, however, on September 23, 1870, more than 500 pounds of mail was sent aloft. It is unknown to date if this mail has reached its destination. In 1911, demonstrations of airplane mail service were made in India, England and the United States.

Although the Wright Brothers successfully flew in 1903, for only 12 minutes, it wasn't until near the end of World War I that planes with motors were used. On May 15, 1918, The United States Post Office inaugurated airmail service from the Polo Grounds, Washington, D.C, thus establishing the Air Mail Service of the U.S. Post Office Department. By this time mail was also being transported via ground as it is today.

Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds has left a fascinating history of transportation.

Postal Quiz:
  1. What does RFD mean?
  2. When did postage stamps become available?
  3. When were public mailboxes first used?
Answers:
  1. Rural Free Delivery
  2. In 1847. Mailers could buy stamps or let the recipient of the letter pay at the other end. Many people refused the letters because they did not have the money to pay, so prepaid mail became mandatory in 1855.
  3. In 1858, the first mail collection boxes began to appear in larger cities.
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