USPS set to close 2,000 branches.

[brown_trousers]

Good point! as much as they try and claim they are self sufficient, they are not even close to it.

and all those loans made out to the USPS are goverment backed loans, so guess what happens when they default on those loans, it will be the taxpayers paying off those loans.

in my opinion the USPS should be either completely shut down or they should be completely seperated from from government to run their business like the rest of the competition.

 

[bluehdmc]

What's your definition of subsidized? If UPS didn't have to pay property tax on all of our buildings, wouldn't people scream that they are being subsidized? If UPS didn't have to pay any parking tickets in the city, wouldn't people scream that they are being subsidized? If UPS didn't have to pay any taxes on profits they made, wouldn't people scream that they are being subsidized?
Well, the USPS has all of these advantages and more. They don't pay property tax, they don't pay income taxes, they don't get parking tickets by the police. (I'm talking common parking tickets). So just that alone is millions upon millions of subsidies. Add on top of that, when they need to they can borrow at very favorable interest rates that they wouldn't qualify for if they were a typical business.

How many govt. entities/agencies get FREE postal privileges???
I think members of congress get free postal privilegs (called franking?) Does UPS or BrandEx give free shipping to govt agencies?
At $.50 cents a letter the postal service is a bargain. So while they may be "subsidized" because they pay no property tax, lots of govt mail get sent free.
(If I recall when I was in the ARMY you just put "DOD something" in the area a stamp would go for official mail.)

 

[Catatonic]

How many govt. entities/agencies get FREE postal privileges???
1) I think members of congress get free postal privilegs (called franking?)
2) Does UPS or BrandEx give free shipping to govt agencies?

1) US Government pays the USPS somewhere in the neighborhood of $65 M / yr for Franking privileges. Not free.
2) No ... that I have ever heard of.

 

[brown_trousers]

How many govt. entities/agencies get FREE postal privileges???
I think members of congress get free postal privilegs (called franking?) Does UPS or BrandEx give free shipping to govt agencies?
At $.50 cents a letter the postal service is a bargain. So while they may be "subsidized" because they pay no property tax, lots of govt mail get sent free.
(If I recall when I was in the ARMY you just put "DOD something" in the area a stamp would go for official mail.)

they're susidized because we tax payers are the ones who will end up paying for their billion+ deficit. Not to mention at USPS's foundation is an infastructure that was paid for by tax dollars.

a little free mail here and there does not make up for that. Im sure UPS would give free mail to those people if they could pay no property tax, no parking tickets, and recieve a free infastructure paid for by tax dollars

 

[bluehdmc]

The postal service is also "losing" billions because they are making "forward" payments for pension liabilities. Like every other (it seems), pension plan the USPS pension is in the "red". I think they are the only ones being forced to pay extra upfront to fund it, they have asked for those payments to be reduced.
The USPS services every address in the US for the same $.50 for a 1st class letter, UPS, BrandEx, and the others charge extra for certain services. I really feel if the USPS went the way of REA or the dodo bird (such as if they were privatized) the costs would go up and the services would certainly decline.

 

['Lord Brown's bidding']

I have been told the main reason the USPS loses money has to do with "pre-paying their pension funds", something most companies with pensions-ours included-do not have to do. It was said it is a myth that the the operations alone of the post office that cause it to bleed red ink, that without the unusual pension situation they would be quite in the black. However, due to certain government controls they are not allowed to alter this arrangement at present, and are looking for other cost-cutting methods. My pop, who is a letter carrier (and my primary reason for working at UPS), corroborated this.

 

['Lord Brown's bidding']

bluehdmc, I posted my post before I had noticed yours. but that's it.

 

[brown_trousers]

I have been told the main reason the USPS loses money has to do with "pre-paying their pension funds", something most companies with pensions-ours included-do not have to do. It was said it is a myth that the the operations alone of the post office that cause it to bleed red ink, that without the unusual pension situation they would be quite in the black. However, due to certain government controls they are not allowed to alter this arrangement at present, and are looking for other cost-cutting methods. My pop, who is a letter carrier (and my primary reason for working at UPS), corroborated this.

Havent they been under this pension regulation for a long time? It seems like any responsible management would have already accounted for this in their business plan.

 

['Lord Brown's bidding']

When so things are stacked against you, it is probably rough, or even impossible to overcome them all, especially when you cannot make the ultimate decisions. Take working in Saturdays. They've been proposing to do away with Saturdays for close to a decade now. Congress is the reason they aren't able to do a step that would go a lonnnng way to helping with their issue, even BEFORE rate increases and the like. And so it goes with rate increases, adjusting the pension payments, etc.

 

[moreluck]

Just a tad unsustainable.

(CNS News) – The U.S. Postal Service has been losing an average of $42,335,766 per day in fiscal 2012.

On Thursday, the service reported a third quarter (April 1-June 30) net loss of $5.2 billion, bringing its fiscal year-to-date net loss to $11.6 billion.

There were 274 days in the first three quarters of fiscal 2012. Thus the Postal Service has lost, on average, $42,335,766 per day in this fiscal year.
​

 

[rocket man]

well if we take over the post office ,ill take the first letter route id do 500 houses of mail the the t150 stops with over 70s and all the other things we deliver. ups in working on europe with the company tnt they bought .and tnt is like the first company in 400 years to deliver the royal mail. it can be done ups is proving it every day//

 

[Brownslave688]

Yeah but it's only because they have to prefund their retirees healthcare lol. Oh wait that's only half of the losses thru 3 quarters. 42 million a day you know it's a pretty simple solution cut costs and raise prices but congress wont let them do either one.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

Yeah but it's only because they have to prefund their retirees healthcare lol. Oh wait that's only half of the losses thru 3 quarters. 42 million a day you know it's a pretty simple solution cut costs and raise prices but congress wont let them do either one.

Are you saying they should be allowed to operate like any other major corporation, with the ability to raise prices and close/consolidate as needed?

 

[working up a sweat]

Maybe because UPS workers are twice as productive as USPS workers. A private sector company worker has to make an effort to continue to make their company profitable to get a check and benefits to stay in business. A government entity worker has to has breathe air to get a check and benefits. Profit beats government job entitlement 99% of the time.

 

[CanonPowerlifter]

this is crazy. i live in los angeles and there is 3 post offices in my neighborhood alone. this is going to suck big time

 

[gostillerz]

I hope they don't close them. All that means is I'd get 180 stops instead of 140 that are supposed to be done in the same amount of time.

 

[Anonymous 10]

I hope they don't close them. All that means is I'd get 180 stops instead of 140 that are supposed to be done in the same amount of time.

You can never have enough work I hope ups gets it all.

 

[gostillerz]

You can never have enough work I hope ups gets it all.

I'm working from 8 to 8 already as the bottom seniority reg/temp. I have enough work. They can get all the volume they want, but they aren't going to add routes. They're still cutting them here. A 120 stop day is now a 160.

 

[packageguy]

U.S. Postal Service set to close 2,000 post offices


Here comes the mail.

 

[packageguy]

You can never have enough work I hope ups gets it all.

I think we get all the work back by the end 2013..........