squirrel
Friday, September 16, 2011 11:18:10 AM
Many the financial problems with the USPS could be resolved if they tripled the rate that junk mailers spend to send all their junk mail... All I ever get is one or two bills a month, and the rest is garbage -- stop the junk mail or charge accordingly for it and you'd recover a lot of lost income... Last junk mail I got had a pre-sorted rate of 22 cents... I spend what - 45 cents for a regular letter? Either they'd stop wasting paper and sending the spam or they'd pay the higher price...
flamo
  •  flamo
  • 87.94% (Honored)
  • Operations Foreman
Friday, September 16, 2011 12:18:13 PM
I gave this proposal to my congressman's office.
1. Renegotiate the contract taking out the no lay off clause. If they don't want to reopen, no bailout money
2. Raise junk mail rates.
3. Delivery is every other day Route A is delivered MWF, same carrier delivers route B on TTS. That eleminates about 30% of carriers.
4 Special considerations for busniness mail.
5 No retirements paid till SS age (65).
6. Retirement and health paid at average private sector rates
I'm there, Old, Tired, Broke and Henpecked
squirrel
Friday, September 16, 2011 1:41:39 PM
Those seem to be very reasonable requirements -- and as for retirement and health - that should all be 'going rate' -- and none of it should be available 'early'... No lay-off clause is also problematic as you say -- if there's no work, then there's no need for the workers... They also shouldn't qualify for bailout money just because they're a so-called government entity. It is supposed to 'profit' like any other business, and should have to adhere to rules/practices that other businesses do, such as raising costs to meet expenses (junk mailers) and managing employees...
ridejocky
Friday, September 16, 2011 11:32:20 PM
As far as raising rates, that may or may not work out, it any event, it would be a short term solution. As soon as they get more revenue, they’ll just spend more. If you’re starving to death on $20K a year you’re going to starve to death on $50K.

Anyway, I would guess that bulk mail is the easy money, it goes to every mailbox on the route. You get two “real” pieces of mail a month that the USPS grosses $0.88 on, and get 100 pieces of junk mail a month that the USPS grosses $22.00 on. The mailman walks by your house every day and the infrastructure has to be maintained either way.

Were I going to compete with the USPS, I’d go after the junk first, let the USPS worry about sorting out all the birthday cards with kids scribbling grandma’s name and address on the envelope.

Ride the Zipper?
SideWinder
Saturday, September 17, 2011 8:29:37 AM
I honestly do not even need mail service, I stopped all paper bills and have them all send me email bills now and I pay ALL BILLS online. All I get now is JUNK that goes from mail box right to recycle bin, I don't even look at the junk stuff....
Bowler Roller
Sunday, September 18, 2011 6:45:21 PM
Charge UPS, Fed Ex...etc a small price per package they deliver, and give it straight to the USPS.

Nobody should ever have a no lay off clause in a contract. That's just stupid.
Every crowd has a silver lining - PT Barnum
ridejocky
Sunday, September 18, 2011 7:03:46 PM
Originally Posted by: Bowler Roller 

Charge UPS, Fed Ex...etc a small price per package they deliver, and give it straight to the USPS.

Nobody should ever have a no lay off clause in a contract. That's just stupid.



They already charge "...UPS, Fed Ex...etc..." a large price per package they deliver.

Well, if were smart, they's be making money "...UPS, Fed Ex...etc..."
Ride the Zipper?
Bowler Roller
Sunday, September 18, 2011 10:45:51 PM
I did not know that.
Every crowd has a silver lining - PT Barnum
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