Congressman Asks Boston Postal Managers For Explanation Of Outsourcing Vehicle Maintenance Work
From the American Postal Workers Union:
Expressing concern about the outsourcing of maintenance and repair work on postal vehicles, U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA) wrote to the USPS Boston District Manager on Sept. 22, [PDF] and asked for an explanation of USPS policy.
“It is my understanding that the vehicle maintenance work is currently being contracted out at an hourly rate which exceeds that of USPS” employees, he said. In addition, Lynch said he had seen documentation indicating that some of the work failed to adhere to maintenance guidelines and risked harm to the environment.
“Also of grave concern is that these contactors have access to universally familiar USPS vehicles” and are authorized to remove them from postal premises. Lynch said he was concerned that contractors may not have been vetted to ensure that they pose no threat to homeland security.
“It is my hope that you can provide a detailed explanation of USPS motor vehicle maintenance policy and the process by which these contractors are selected,” Lynch concluded.
Rep. Lynch wrote the letter in response to complaints from Boston Metro Area Local Motor Vehicle Services Craft President Bill Weaver. In a letter to Postmaster General John E. Potter, [PDF] Weaver outlined concerns about the security of the mail, the lack of training of subcontractors, and the cost of subcontracting, as compared with assigning the maintenance and repair work to postal employees.
APWU national officers praised the activities of the members of the Boston Local and of Rep. Lynch. “We have always gotten a good turnout from Boston,” Assistant MVS Director Michael O. Foster said. “This is exactly the kind of grass-roots effort we need.
“Motor Vehicle Craft employees and local leaders have to get involved,” he said. Foster noted that Rep. Lynch authored the Mail Network Protection Act (H.R. 4236), which would require the Postal Service to bargain with postal unions before it engages in significant contracting-out. The APWU enthusiastically supports the bill and has encouraged union members to urge their congressional representatives to sign on as co-sponsors.
October 3rd, 2008 at 8:10 am
It is obvious to this Postal Service retiree that the agency is hell bent on privatization of the USPS.
They cannot manage the workforce worth a darn. Next logical step is to farm the work out and force the unions into a no win situation in that to get a contract and stop job losses unions have to subcum to bad labor tactics.
Nothing new here just a higher level of harassment.
October 3rd, 2008 at 10:07 am
You have to remember, there is two sides to USPS budgeting, hours and dollars and management can not or is not allowed to mix the too up. They can never show that by using one hour of our postal employee’s time they save two hours of contractor dollars, simple for us field employees but in possible for HQ employees to calculate. For years local and even area managers have tried to reason with HQ mangers that by hiring one employee we can save the equivalent of two contracted employees. This mental block or lack of basic reasoning will bring about the death of the postal service has this country knows it, get ready for $4 first class letter and it will be handled my low wage private employee thru multi contractors so there can be no accountability, bye, bye Postal Inspectors and OIG officers.
October 4th, 2008 at 1:22 am
This whole country is being ruined by the f$#king Bush Enron greed mentality.
October 6th, 2008 at 7:41 pm
rural carriers will be the last to get laid off since they aren’t hourly and really earn their money
October 7th, 2008 at 3:39 pm
i bees fix chit. der be no mail ifn i be pres so no need fo a po. y’all can ben ober an kiss yo azz by now
October 8th, 2008 at 2:44 am
Hey there Mr. Rascist. How are things down South?
Is it good sheet wearing weather?
October 11th, 2008 at 12:25 pm
In 10 more years there won’t be a Postal Service, thanks to the APWU, NPMHU and NALC, all political pawns of the Denocratic Party. How mush does the DNC pay those Union presidents?
November 11th, 2008 at 3:00 pm
chimp, all ive heard for the last 8 years was how Bush was going to privatize us. Didnt happen. But then we have managers that think cleaning the floors for 4 hours a week for 10 techs and then contracts out all of our work to unqualified people is a good idea. His idea of sharing the wealth I guess…Postal waste starts from the top
February 26th, 2009 at 2:09 pm
yeah thanks to the unions, the people who brought you those wages and benefits and 40 hrs a week the posy office is go belly up. wake up and smell the coffee you idiot. if you don’t want your union wages and benefits then quit and give someone else a job.
March 18th, 2009 at 4:09 pm
I am a 29 year veteran of the Buffalo VMF. Our facility was, capable of keeping up with the scheduled maint. when all hands were working to their best standards. That is to say the fleet was not allowed to deteriorate. The quality of our work was better than any contractor could replicate because they are not trained for true fleet maintainance. Since our management has specified a less complete repair and cut manpower. Those who remain are required to perform substandard repairs incomplete repairs and sometimes unsafe repairs. What was formerly an unequaled maintainance record is now barely adequate. Contractor’s are routinely allowed to accomplish services in which they are allowed to complete repairs that are very profitable{highway robbery}and ignore other important repairs that are more difficult{not profitable}. These events happen on a daily basis and there is nothing that the average knowledgeable conscientious mechanic or the union can do about it. It would seem the fleet is deteriorating at an astonishing rate with these conditions and the age of the fleet being contributing factors. Upper management sees none of this since lower level managers play with their numbers to make them fit a mold. It is the formula for a major incident and then some underling will be blamed for mistakes that are a result of managers trying to get their bonuses. Life in the trenches.