Help me Obi Wan Kenobi, you're our only hope

Princess Leia - Sending Message to Obi Wan using the USPS
Originally uploaded by @tak

..I have been a Postal Worker for 15 years...
that being said, I can not sit idly by and watch postal management continue to trash the United States Postal Service in the manner that they have been in recent months.
For instance, did you know that 14,000 new jobs have been created at headquarters in DC? True, although I may have to modify that number with further research. My information did come from someone in management (which, by the way inspires me to comment here that management on a local level is becoming quite disenfranchised with new operation procedures)
And yet, they continue to cut bargaining unit jobs and continue to apply pressure to management on the field to cut work hours. When I say "cut work hours" that means fewer people to do the same amount of work that more people previously did. Some of those people in the newly created jobs do nothing more than sit on a computer and monitor the activity in offices on the field. In real terms that means that when you go to the post office to mail a package, that computer that the window clerk is using is being "watched" from headquarters. I don't really have a problem with that on the surface,( being watched is part of the deal for a postal worker. We are after all handling very personal items that belong to millions of individuals. We are always being monitored on that level. The sanctity of the mail is always at stake and should be in my opinion) but if you break it down a bit and think about it logically, it makes no sense at all.
The individual sitting at their desk monitoring activity is making significantly more money than the person actually involved in the transaction. I don't even really have a problem with that except that they've put on all of these high $ jobs to monitor the lower paying jobs to see where they can cut . How on earth does that make any sense? Plus they tell us to beef up our transactions by using extra keys on the computer. Ever notice when you buy 3 books of stamps the clerk will scan each one separately instead of keying 3 and scanning just one book? They tell us to do that because it adds to our total transactions. So..... why make a rule and then figure out ways around it?
I have actually heard, with my own ears, someone from our district headquarters in Omaha say, "We aren't a service anymore, we're a business" Huh?! With business practices like these, we're sure to fail.
Which now brings me to the crux of the whole issue.
In 2006 george bush ( not only can I no longer refer to him as president, I can't even bring myself to capitalize his name. That would imply that he was an actual human being. ;-O )
signed into law the "Postal Reform Act of 2006" http://www.usps.com/postallaw/ Essentially lining up his good buddies in big business to swoop down and devour the remains of the USPS. Whatever is left after the current Postmaster proves that it can no longer be done the way it always has been. We are trying to fail!
Well, the truly sad thing about this is that the American public hasn't got a clue. They stand in line for 20 minutes to buy a book of stamps and by the time they get to the clerk they are PISSED OFF. Where are the damn stamp machines? Why are you guys so slow? How come you make so much money? ( one of my favorites) . Well, officially a 20 minute wait in line is OK with the big guys. They don't care. This has actually been discussed with the higher ups.
Gee, I wonder why they don't care? Could it be that they need the American people on their side when they humbly approach bush's big business cronies and say " help us please. we clearly can't do this right"? Did you notice that ALL of the stamp machines nationwide are gone. The one in WalMart, the one in your office, the one in the lobby of the damn Post Office? Believe me, there is a reason for that. They say that the cost of maintenance was becoming prohibitive. I don't believe it for a second. It's all part of the Design To Fail.
So, in my best Dennis Miller style I have ranted on about the topic long enough. My only advice, to anyone that cares, is to write to your Congressman, complain loudly, and PLEASE don't vote for any fat cat good old boys in your elections. We need some fresh thinking in Washington. Desperately... I'd imagine that the USPS story is just one of many that the American people are left in the dark on. It's scary to think about...


photo courtesy of-

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nicholaslopez/