The U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General (USPS OIG) plays a key role in maintaining the integrity and accountability of America’s postal service, its revenue and assets, and its employees. The USPS OIG achieves its mission of helping maintain confidence in the postal system and improving the Postal Service’s bottom line through independent audits and investigations. Audits of postal programs and operations help to determine whether the programs and operations are efficient and cost-effective. Investigations help prevent and detect fraud, waste, and misconduct and have a deterrent effect on postal crimes.
With $73 billion in revenue, the Postal Service is at the core of a $900 billion mailing industry that employs more than nine million people. The 800,000 employees and contractors of the Postal Service comprise the largest civilian federal workforce in the country. The employees of the Postal Service impact every American on a daily basis.
We are sponsoring this blog and related discussion forums to facilitate an ongoing dialog on relevant issues affecting the U.S. Postal Service. We intend to gather and enrich ideas from a large number of perspectives to address emerging issues and attack critical challenges facing the U.S. Postal Service. We will also use this tool to explore complex Postal issues that are sometimes misunderstood.
We invite participation from Postal Service employees and customers, other Inspectors General, as well as colleagues from international posts and their audit and investigative organizations. Our goal is to add further value to the U.S. Postal Service. We want to hear from you!
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What are some critical challenges facing the Postal Service that you would like to see us explore through this blog?
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What could the Postal Service do to improve its service to you?
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What could the Postal Service do to increase its revenues?
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Do you view the Postal Service a business or a public service, and why?
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Does anyone thought of combining the mail handler’s union and clerks’ union into just one union for function 1? Why not rewrite the contract so that it applies to both mailhandlers and clerks. This will help the managers understand and apply the contract effectively. It will be less confusion, less grievances and most of all we can maximize the use of our employees. Of course we can reduce the union stewards in our facilities who most of the time spending their time soliciting grievances instead of performing their jobs. We don’t have to deal with different Union stewards who themselves are confuse of their own contract. And the worst part, shop stewards asking for monetary settlement with their ridiculous grievances. Don’t they think they are part of the problem why Post Office is now in this situation?
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I have the same concern about international packages. We also create the labels via Endicia. Up through the end of July 2009, if our carrier individually scanned the international packages, they at least showed up as having been accepted into the mailstream. Now they no longer do, even though our carrier still has been scanning them.
This really makes us look bad, as our customers think that we never actually MAILED their packages!
Yes, I know that for $1 I could purchase “proof of mailing”… but that’s not really the point. If a barcoded label has already been created, what’s so hard / costly about just doing an acceptance scan? It makes such a big difference to the sender, and also the recipient!
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Excuse my impertinence, but I thought the USPS OIG was supposed to be an independent entity that weeded out fraud, waste and abuse, at ALL levels. Why does it seem like your office is only gunning for rank-and-file workers, who for the most part, are only where they are because of management? Why don’t we ever hear about waste at management level? Hasn’t anyone looked into the practice of detailing EAS to other offices for no other reason, it seems, than to collect per diems, that I know must range into the millions of dollars annually. Or has anyone questioned how a RIF could occur in the EAS ranks, yet no one actually lost their job (according to the NAPS website)? It seems you are just trying to fulfill the PMG’s goals of slashing the people that actually process the mail while bad managers just get moved around.
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In cambridge mass our office used to operate in one building with a postmaster and approx.6 to 7 supervisors. We now have less employees due to cuts of at least 20craft jobs over the past 19 years Ive been there,better technology, and lower mail volumes.Now we operate with 3 Managers and at least 15 supervisors and another building to pay for rent. We all heard of the RIF planned for cutting management but none has yet to be cutting any management jobs. I served and love my country and used to be proud of the USPS now however I feel we greatly lack in providing services(the whole meaning of our existance). The postal service needs to be investigated by the Audit team or any outside entity and finally all the dead weight at the top will relieve some pressure from our operating costs. We cannot keep cutting services to the public or we will lose even more$$. When will Postmaster Potter finally step up to the plate and do a RIF in management. Thankyou
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