Okla-homey
11/11/2008, 06:50 AM
:eek:
Postal Service eyes layoffs due to economic times
By ELISE CASTELLI, Federal Times
October 03, 2008
The U.S. Postal Service could lay off employees as it faces toughening economic times.
According to American Postal Workers Union president William Burrus, Postmaster General John Potter told union leaders that as many as 16,000 employees who lack the six years of continuous service necessary to insulate them from layoffs are at risk of losing their jobs.
“It is being considered,” said Greg Frey, a Postal Service spokesman. “At this point in time there is nothing that is imminent.”
The Postal Service will consider the results of three rounds of voluntary early retirement offers and changes to noncareer positions, among other efforts, to bring the work force in line with the workload, before it resorts to layoffs among career employees, he said.
The Postal Service’s economic woes are front and center in its latest five-year strategic plan, released last week. Though the Postal Service’s Vision 2013 report makes no mention of layoffs, it does discuss the negative impact of higher energy costs, higher paper costs and higher Internet usage. The largest share of the mail is advertising, which is a discretionary expense for businesses, and is sensitive to economic pressures, the report said.
“Even when the economy improves, it is not certain that mail volume growth will reach previous levels,” the report said. “There is no assurance that revenue will be sufficient to continue to fund the fixed costs of universal service obligations.”
Automation, self-service options and Web-based services will factor heavily in the fundamental changes the service will make to its business model in order to survive a 21st century market. It will also operate more like a business, tailoring services to local demands and reducing paperwork burdens on customers.
Employee attitudes and abilities will also have to change. Employees will have to “have a broader set of skills and perform multiple assignments over the course of a day and a career,” the report said.
Postal Service eyes layoffs due to economic times
By ELISE CASTELLI, Federal Times
October 03, 2008
The U.S. Postal Service could lay off employees as it faces toughening economic times.
According to American Postal Workers Union president William Burrus, Postmaster General John Potter told union leaders that as many as 16,000 employees who lack the six years of continuous service necessary to insulate them from layoffs are at risk of losing their jobs.
“It is being considered,” said Greg Frey, a Postal Service spokesman. “At this point in time there is nothing that is imminent.”
The Postal Service will consider the results of three rounds of voluntary early retirement offers and changes to noncareer positions, among other efforts, to bring the work force in line with the workload, before it resorts to layoffs among career employees, he said.
The Postal Service’s economic woes are front and center in its latest five-year strategic plan, released last week. Though the Postal Service’s Vision 2013 report makes no mention of layoffs, it does discuss the negative impact of higher energy costs, higher paper costs and higher Internet usage. The largest share of the mail is advertising, which is a discretionary expense for businesses, and is sensitive to economic pressures, the report said.
“Even when the economy improves, it is not certain that mail volume growth will reach previous levels,” the report said. “There is no assurance that revenue will be sufficient to continue to fund the fixed costs of universal service obligations.”
Automation, self-service options and Web-based services will factor heavily in the fundamental changes the service will make to its business model in order to survive a 21st century market. It will also operate more like a business, tailoring services to local demands and reducing paperwork burdens on customers.
Employee attitudes and abilities will also have to change. Employees will have to “have a broader set of skills and perform multiple assignments over the course of a day and a career,” the report said.