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• Sounds like Mr Issa isn't completely aware of the variations in postal routes that would preclude his "less than a full day's work" comment. But then of course, Mr Issa would never put in less than a full day's work every day, would he?

  Michelle Z Posted Thursday, April 15, 2010 10:28 AM

• That's OK. Obama had no executive experience at all, and look where he is today. He is not interested in people's background, only how they will fit into his administration's socialist agenda.

  Doug Dash Posted Thursday, April 15, 2010 12:13 PM

• I find it amusing when Darrell Issa goes from the federal government has 1/3 too many workers to the routes are less than a full days work. It doesn't mean the same thing. I'm sure Rep. Issa has actually carried that route. I'm sure we're going to get the overpayment we made into the CSRS retirees fund. I'm actually only sure the little guys (read workers) are going to get screwed. You Reps should either carry a route to PROVE your statement or resign for failing to represent your constituents.

  Pat Costello Posted Thursday, April 15, 2010 12:18 PM

• the postal service overspends every single penny they get their hands on. They are like kids in a candy store. Can you even imagine what the post office would do with the money if it didnt have to prefund retirement health. Those imepts would spend that money before Oct 2. the second day of the fiscal year, and then whine to congress when the payment would be due. They have consistantly embezzeled , overpaid, over spent, wasted, palm greased ever since they were in existance. It is a safe haven for all who retired to force them to pre pay. If they dont it would not be there when it is time to pay. Just like congress they can take money by mistake, try to get it back,

  Psycho Posted Thursday, April 15, 2010 12:36 PM

• I agree whole heartedly with Rep. Darrell Issa and the fact the the (entire) Federal work force is over staffed by at least one third (including) the USPS! He is also concerned that no Postal Service Employee be given a route thats less then a "full" days work! But of course, has Rep Issa ever done a City Carriers route for a day be it a park and loop or mounted? If he is concerned about the so called "sniff test" he might want to see the redundancy of excess Management/Supervisor positions that are kept even with the reduction of hourly Craft workers. Sniff Test, WOW, someone just broke wind!

  Heywood Joblome Posted Thursday, April 15, 2010 2:34 PM

• Generally postal devlivery routes are less than a full days work. If so the carrier will be used to help on other routes or the route will staffed be part time workers. The vision of a Postal carrier having time to relax somewhere is just not accurate. There is sofware that tracks this and makes sure it is not happening.

  At what point will the focus be turned towards management that is overstaffed by people who is most cases have zero education and are highly overpaid. That same Postal worker who many people percieve as not having a full days work is supervised by a direct supervisor, who has a supervisor, then they all have a postmaster or plant manager, who is supervised by an area manager, who is supervised by a district manager. Then all this managers of course have to work with oss and Iss managers who tell all the managers stuff that they really should already know. Then of course you need maintainence managers, all of who have managers and on and on. All of these these people make well over 70,000, plus bonuses every year no matter what their performance is. Recently the Postal service is lossing billons of dollars, and bonus are still being handed out.

  John Posted Thursday, April 15, 2010 2:53 PM

• The usps is not over staffed. Mr ISSA just likes to harrass civil servants.

  The usps does need to get its PO's out of the old town centers and into the malls. Be open when people can get to them. Teach the staff how to act toward customers. etc.

  Charge junk mail enough to pay the bills.

  Wise Old Owl Posted Thursday, April 15, 2010 3:25 PM

• Bend over guys..............here it comes............we are at fault the postal service is where it is........bend over and spread it wide..........

  denise Posted Thursday, April 15, 2010 4:11 PM

• More B.S. from a "Congressional" member. Just once in my lifetime I would really like to hear something based on actual physical facts. He(Issa)has no clue what a route with the Postal Service is....absolutely no clue. Republican? Figures...Dems ain't doing any better though....

  J.B. Posted Thursday, April 15, 2010 5:36 PM

• If we are overstaffed why can't we get incidental leave? We have been told we are short to many carriers. I am trying to get off for my daughter's college graduation but can't get it. I guess all you politicians can talk about that on the golf course Saturday May 1st while I miss my daughter's graduation.

  Jimmy Crack Corn Posted Thursday, April 15, 2010 5:46 PM

• Another outsider trying to fix the Post Office. Maybe Mr. IZZa's letter carrier fits his idea but he needs to drag his butt outta his comfy office and just go with a Carrier with a walking route for a week and then a mounted route for a week. or an apt route. It seems we (Letter Carriers) always seem to be the problem. Well Mr. Izza we ARE the face of the postal service. We ARE the people out in any weather. We ARE the sounding board when someones mail is missing or a package is damaged. I am sick of Postal managers telling us we need to do more then after we leave the office they sit on their hands for 5-6 hours figuring out who they want to pressure tomorrow. Mr. Izza please note that the working crafts of the Postal Service have decreased by 23% over the past year where as the management has increased. If we have less craft staff and less mail volume then why do we need MORE management??? Give the 75 billion back, reduce management by 50% and get OFF the backs of the people who actually touch and move the mail!!!!!!!!

  Ron Page Posted Thursday, April 15, 2010 6:25 PM

• Issa was born in Cleveland, Ohio, the grandson of Lebanese immigrants. His net worth is approximately $251 million, making him the wealthiest member of Congress.[2]

  
  Guess he is one for privitization of the Postal Service

  Bob Posted Thursday, April 15, 2010 6:43 PM

• Let's ask the public on election day who they think is overstaffed, the Congress, or the Post Office? Let's also ask who puts in a hard days work destroying our country, our gimme socialist politicians, or Postal workers? Seems I remember the Readers Digest polls year after year voting the Post Office as the most bang for your buck government agency. And whose salary was frozen and who voted themselves raises?

  proletariat Posted Thursday, April 15, 2010 7:30 PM

• if potter has thousands of less routes to manage,his job is not a full route anymore.what does he pivot every day with the rest of postal supervisors.

  mook Posted Thursday, April 15, 2010 8:23 PM

• I know of one carrier at my office who is through with his route in 3 hours and then parks his truck under a big oak tree and listens to the radio for the rest of the day until it's time to go back to the office until it's time to go back to the office. but when he's being counted, it takes all day and then some.

  stephen ct Posted Thursday, April 15, 2010 8:39 PM

• Ok, he's right we are over staffed by managers, pooms, supervisors, postamsters and vice-presdients etc that do nothing, nada, rien except taking a paycheck every 2 weeks.

  T from MA Posted Thursday, April 15, 2010 9:07 PM

• This coming from a man who serves in a body called congress that works a half a day on monday and a half day on friday. Wow. I wish I could work Tuesday thru Thursday with only half days monday and friday. That would make the weekends really enjoyable.

  Tim Posted Thursday, April 15, 2010 10:42 PM

• These people wants to break the US Postal System and the service we give to the public. Now all these dot.coms that are appearing that sell stamps, etc. Ever wonder who are behind these private businesses that are taking away the US Postal Sevice functions? These politicians want to privatize the US Postal system and give it to their buddies.

  abe Posted Friday, April 16, 2010 3:33 AM

• Sirs, Mr Isska is correct but only in one specific area. Management and alleged administration has grown enormously in the last 20 years. It appears that every manager wants as many employees that he or she can get, working for them. This, in private business, is called empire building or job importance protection.

  Mark Comerford Posted Friday, April 16, 2010 8:07 AM

• Just My Opinion!
  pay for performance was set up for the upper managers to get large increases and a bonus. They could set goals that were easy to maxout. The Supervisors at the plant where I worked received a 5% increase and the favored ones 8%. If you reached top scale with the increase the extra was paid out as a bonus. Some managers received cash awards. Another name for a bonus! The craft have been receiving a 1% or 1 ½% increases. The line supervisor and the postmasters along with the craft do all the work. They have too many managers to answer too. In some plants there is a Manager for every six supervisors and one manager for every five of those managers. Then there is a plant manager over them.

  Supervisors Top scale $72,000 X 60 = $4,320,000

  Manager Distribution Top scale $ 104,400 X 10 = $1,044,000

  SR. Manager Dist. Top Scale $109,600 X 2 = $ 219,200

  Plant Manager 1 x 125,000

  Total = $ 5,708,200

  This does not include the thirty maintenance supervisors or their managers. There are about forty other managers working there.
  Headquarters is hiring many high paying people from outside the Post office as they cut the craft and supervisors, postmasters. This isn’t the NFL or NBA but they did hire someone and pay them an $85,000 singing bonus and an $85,000 retention bonus. On top of this you have the postmaster general Jack Potter getting a huge increase a few years ago and a great retirement Package. He could not get a bonus so he gets it when he retires.

  John D Posted Friday, April 16, 2010 9:29 AM

• too many workers! yes! in management!! routes under eight hours! are you kidding me!!.......this is the typical pro-management lop-sided inaccurate view!!

  bill Posted Friday, April 16, 2010 9:53 AM

• We are not 1/3 overstaffed in craft. We are 2/3 overstaffed in management! That's where the waste of money goes, to all these idiots that can't make an educated decision. They come up with some of the most idiotic small "changes" and claim they really did something to help out. Give me a break, if this were school, they would be sent back to come up with a better solution to the problem. From the ideas I've heard from Potter and his crew, they all deserve a big fat F on their report card! Demote them and let them really "earn their living"

  clerk/not carrier Posted Friday, April 16, 2010 10:09 AM

• Sniff test? Mr. Issa and his colleagues should take a whiff of the stench oozing from the capitol, and DO SOMETHING about it!

  Something's rotten on the Hill Posted Friday, April 16, 2010 11:27 AM

• Sniff Test? Sounds like Congressman Issa better check his own drawers. Smells like he has a "pant full"! I know he and his fellow Congressmen know what s a full days work is. Between "Happy Hours" and their strict 30 minute lunch schedule, there is so little time to do their staffers. Talk about GALL!

  Heywood Joblome Posted Friday, April 16, 2010 12:39 PM

• This man needs to clean his own glass house first. I am sure he gets way more perks than any Postal worker. Afterall, we are forced to put up with the mismanagement of the EAS folks, daily.

  Postal Posted Friday, April 16, 2010 1:48 PM

• What Congress and Mr. Issa need to look at is the money being spent to pay the nonbargaining unit employees. This includes 204b assignments, floor supervisors, and management on up. Not only do they get paid decent salaries and benefits, they also get paid bonuses as they do in the corporate world. These bonuses alone will have an impact on the financial position of the USPS. Let's be real and investigate the Postal Service the right way. Honest, fair, and through the eyes of someone who wants to find a way to help the USPS survive and keep people employed. We already have enough unemployment in this country.

  KP Posted Friday, April 16, 2010 1:52 PM

• You can't ask PO employees to actually be on the job 40 hours they have a union and working is something the union is opposed to

  dan ketter Posted Friday, April 16, 2010 10:37 PM

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