USPS estimates 7,400 employees may take buyout offers
By Amanda Palleschi
July 6, 2012 - GovExec.com
Thousands of postmasters and full-time mail handlers have taken the first
step toward accepting buyout and early retirement offers from the U.S. Postal
Service, as the agency attempts to reduce its ranks through attrition to restore
it to solvency.
According to USPS spokesman Mark Saunders, as many as 7,400 postmasters and
full-time mail carriers signed up for the offers by the July 2 deadline. While
these employees can still change their minds, USPS estimates between 3,800 and
4,200 postmasters will take the $20,000 buyout incentive available to them, and
2,800 to 3,200 full-time mail handlers are expected to take a $15,000
buyout.
USPS previously announced plans to whittle down its workforce to help
generate about $500 million in savings, mostly through attrition and through the
separation incentives it has offered to its 21,000 postmasters and its 43,000
full-time mail handlers.
Full-time career employees who take the buyout will receive half their
payment at the end of 2012 and the other half in 2013. USPS officials have said
the agency will work with employees who take buyouts and are interested in other
opportunities within the Postal Service. There are no plans for layoffs.
The agency also is offering part-time retirement programs to early retirees,
a plan the American Postal Workers Union recently criticized. The union claims
that reducing hours and switching career postmasters to noncareer, postmaster
relief positions violates
the terms of a collective bargaining agreement.
USPS plans to reduce hours at approximately 13,000 rural post offices.
Postmasters at those locations would switch to part-time work, with moderated or
no benefits as noncareer postmaster reliefs. USPS disputes that this change
would violate the collective bargaining agreement.
The Postal Regulatory Commission will hold a special meeting July 11 to
consider USPSf plan for adjusting its retail network and hours. It previously
requested additional details on the data used to develop the plan. Jeffrey Day,
a manager at agencyfs office of delivery and operations will testify. The
commission recently denied a motion
from APWU requesting an emergency order halting plans to reduce hours.
gThe potential harm to the Postal Service from a preliminary injunction
outweighs the potential harm to mailers from not issuing a preliminary
injunction,h the commissionfs ruling stated.
By Amanda Palleschi
July 6, 2012
http://www.govexec.com/pay-benefits/2012/07/usps-estimates-7400-employees-may-take-buyout-offers/56662/