The Postal Service Has a Labor Problem

The postal service spends 80% of its budget on labor costs. They have one of the best pension and health care packages for their employees in the business. The postal workers’ labor union has done a wonderful job for their people. They have a clause in their contract that prevents them from laying off employees. The New York Times reports that UPS spends 53% on Labor and Fed Ex spends 32% of their budget on labor. So the basis of the problem is the postal service does not collect enough money to support their expenses.

What is in your mailbox?
The real problem has nothing to do with labor or expenses. The real problem is our needs for the postal service have changed. At one time we had a pony express that delivered important mail quickly. When technology changed we didn’t keep the pony riders employed. Maybe it’s time we ask ourselves the question,”Do we need the postal service to change with the times?”

80% of what I receive in my mailbox goes directly into the recycling bin without being opened. I get sale ads, letters from investment agencies, insurance companies and auto sales promotions. Most of my birthday cards and bills arrive in my email box, not my snail mail box.

Let’s go green at the post office.
So you won’t receive your favorite catalog in the mail. It’s been online for years. Maybe it’s time we consider the biggest tree saver of all times. Lets stop the delivery of useless advertisements and catalogs. How many forests would be saved from that change alone. Then let’s stop the delivery of snail mail. Park the trucks and stop billions of hours of exhaust each year. Have everyone get a post office box and check your mail yourself. That will help off set expenses with new revenue. Yes the postal service will need to build and man more local post offices. They could be paid for with the sale of the postal delivery vehicles and the savings from the removal of a large part of the postal work force.

Think of the money being saved on gas, maintenance, new vehicle purchases and the daily delivery of your mail. You could reclaim that small patch of yard that holds your mailbox.

The savings could be substantial.
Yes you would have to check your mail a few times a week. If you do your bill paying and banking on-line there isn’t much of a need to check the mail anyway. Most checks are direct deposited and many companies send their pay-stubs via email anyway. So what do we really need that must come though the postal service. They are quickly becoming an unwanted business that survives solely from tax dollars. They need to get with the times or die through lack of progress. If you are a maven of the green realm then there is nothing but upside to this option.

When was the last time you received a telegram? They had to change with progress as well.


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