US Postal Union Peeved at Staples for Threatening Jobs

[Joe User]

I already realize that.  What exactly are you expecting here?  If you want to make me care, you're about twenty years too late.

 

Well, that's pretty sad.

[adrynalyne]

This.

 

I can't think of the last time I dealt with a Postal Worker (For work or personal) that actually cared...

 

And the things they think are acceptable are just appalling...

 

I'm glad they seemingly care about their jobs when someone else offers to do it cheaper and better, but they never cared about that when they had no fear for this job...

 

Oh, and for a little example.  (I actually got this call today).

 

On 10/24/13, I sent a collection letter to a company located approximately 15 minutes drive from our office.  Today they called me because it arrived...

 

I could have WALKED it there sooner...

Seems unlikely that a letter took 3 months to arrive...on any delivery service.

 

Did you see it post marked or just take their word for it?

Well, that's pretty sad.

Typical American attitude, and its not exactly uncommon.

[spaceelf]

Typical American attitude, and its not exactly uncommon.

I generally believe that if services fail, alternatives would take their place and in many cases already exist.  I just really don't see the point of getting all upset about a theoretical problem that may not even impact people the way some assume It will.

 

I'm sure my not caring about the POTS offends you guys terribly.

[M_Lyons10]

Seems unlikely that a letter took 3 months to arrive...on any delivery service.

 

Did you see it post marked or just take their word for it?

Typical American attitude, and its not exactly uncommon.

It was a very upstanding customer.  I have no doubt they were being truthful.  It was on an account that has since been made current, so they had no reason to call other than to make sure there wasn't an issue with our billing (Given the date of the letter, they assumed it was in error).

 

Never doubt the inefficiencies of a service that is proped up by an inefficient government and has little to no expectations placed on it.  LOL

 

In another example from my personal life...  In November I had what was believed to be Asbestos Tile in my Kitchen.  I had to get this tested.  I mailed this sample to a lab only a couple of hours away outside of Philadelphia.  This took almost 3 weeks to arrive...  I ended up sending another sample assuming it had been lost in the mail...

[+Warwagon MVC]

 

God forbid she has to walk 5 more feet! :laugh:

[rafter109]

The only people that seem to be really up in arms over all of this is the APWU. The APWU, like all unions, are operated as a for-profit business and their primary goal is to increase their revenue through union dues. This deal is a direct threat to their business model as it would not be APWU members staffing the counters, but instead Staples employees. The APWU insists that somehow allowing non-union employees to handle the mail will result in a major safety issue. Lets just let the facts speak about this, currently Staples is partnered with UPS and Staples employees handle UPS packages. I don't seem to recall any major safety issues, at least no more than what occurred with UPS employees (Teamsters). Prior to this deal, only APWU members handled USPS packages and the list of safety issues resulting from packages they have handled is far to long to catalog. I am not saying that Staples employees are somehow more qualified to handle the packages but it stands to reason that the APWU may want to pull the log from its own eye before it points out the splinters in someone elses.

[+LogicalApex MVC]

It was a very upstanding customer.  I have no doubt they were being truthful.  It was on an account that has since been made current, so they had no reason to call other than to make sure there wasn't an issue with our billing (Given the date of the letter, they assumed it was in error).

 

Never doubt the inefficiencies of a service that is proped up by an inefficient government and has little to no expectations placed on it.  LOL

 

In another example from my personal life...  In November I had what was believed to be Asbestos Tile in my Kitchen.  I had to get this tested.  I mailed this sample to a lab only a couple of hours away outside of Philadelphia.  This took almost 3 weeks to arrive...  I ended up sending another sample assuming it had been lost in the mail...

Mess happens. Sometimes it can be the post office in your area being less than upstanding, but generally speaking I have had great service from them here in Philadelphia.

 

I regularly (as in a couple times a month) mail letters and packages as far away from me as California and Oregon and they are delivered within 3 days. Sometimes sooner.

 

I also worked as a temp at USPS during the holiday season in 2003 and I worked as a regular employee for UPS at a sorting facility outside of Philadelphia in 2006 for a summer. The level of efficiency at the Post Office runs circles around UPS. UPS could never handle the volume that the Post Office does.

 

That being said, the holiday season is pretty tough along with the mail carts also posing an issue at times. I remember finding a Christmas card envelope that had fallen off a cart onto the floor of the unloading dock where I worked at USPS. I picked it up and got it back into the stream so that person ended up getting it, but I noticed it in the middle of January. I'm sure they weren't happy getting a Christmas card super late and covered in the tire marks of mail carts, but it happens. When you're moving thousands of pieces per hour it is very easy for one to get lost. Even Amazon occasionally delivers the wrong item...

 

They do have their bad apples though... Like the postal scandal we had in Philadelphia where they threw mail in the trash or locked it in trailers undelivered because they needed to meet mail quotas, but claimed there wasn't sufficient staff... That was pretty messed up.

[M_Lyons10]

Mess happens. Sometimes it can be the post office in your area being less than upstanding, but generally speaking I have had great service from them here in Philadelphia.

 

I regularly (as in a couple times a month) mail letters and packages as far away from me as California and Oregon and they are delivered within 3 days. Sometimes sooner.

 

I also worked as a temp at USPS during the holiday season in 2003 and I worked as a regular employee for UPS at a sorting facility outside of Philadelphia in 2006 for a summer. The level of efficiency at the Post Office runs circles around UPS. UPS could never handle the volume that the Post Office does.

 

That being said, the holiday season is pretty tough along with the mail carts also posing an issue at times. I remember finding a Christmas card envelope that had fallen off a cart onto the floor of the unloading dock where I worked at USPS. I picked it up and got it back into the stream so that person ended up getting it, but I noticed it in the middle of January. I'm sure they weren't happy getting a Christmas card super late and covered in the tire marks of mail carts, but it happens. When you're moving thousands of pieces per hour it is very easy for one to get lost. Even Amazon occasionally delivers the wrong item...

 

They do have their bad apples though... Like the postal scandal we had in Philadelphia where they threw mail in the trash or locked it in trailers undelivered because they needed to meet mail quotas, but claimed there wasn't sufficient staff... That was pretty messed up.

Agreed.  I've had much worse experiences with the UPS...  But with that said, nobody complains as much as the USPS (And in my opinion, they're treated quite well).

 

In my dealings with the post office, I have had a mail carrier that for years refused to deliver packages (Insisting I was not home).  I was unable to get this resolved, as the post office took her side, agreeing that I must just not be home EVER...

 

I had a postal worker use a sharpy and write all over my wooden mail box and post.

 

I've had the postal worker throw my mail into the woods (I live in the country).

 

I've been refused my mail when I've had to come in to the post office to get it.  Claiming it was locked up (It's a small post office where everything is visible and no cage exists.  I could understand this if they had somewhere to lock something up...).

 

I've had a postal worker demand that the mail box be moved 4 times.  Each time they told me precisely where they wanted it, then she claimed it was wrong.

 

So, while I agree with you that there are some bad apples in the USPS bunch, they're also impossible to get rid of.

[Dane]

My post office is ran by rejects.

We get others people mail constantly. Despite several notes on the inside of the mailbox. Talking to the post master. Several times. Despite calling the post office regional numbers. And finally writing out us congressman.

Still have issues. They've lost stuff in the mail. Something sent priority mail that's a half an hour drive took over a week.

Option C is not why the post office is having issues. The post office is having issues because it's ran by morons. I'd work at the post office for how well they pay but they are not hiring.