By Ernesto P. Cintado, Hialeah OIC
Promenade Postal Store started receiving FSS processed mail earlier this year. These machines will sort flat mail into delivery point sequence (DPS), just like letter mail. This new processing method has resulted in considerable changes in delivery operations and how our carriers perform their duties.
The Postal Service is facing increased competition and declining mail volume. We have to become more efficient and reduce our operational costs if we are to keep the mail affordable and of value to business mailers and the American public. Developing more efficient systems like the FSS is one way to do that. It also means we have to change how we’ve worked in the past.
At Promenade we have reconfigured the workfloor, including some equipment removal. The carrier case cells were reduced since less work in the office is now required. The greatest advantage to FSS is that there will no longer be flats to breakdown and sort. This provides a great deal of savings for the function four operation which at Promenade would typically handle eight to nine wire cages daily. Our clerks can now concentrate on exceeding customer expectation in retail and in quicker box mail up time.
Because there is less mail to case manually, carriers use less office time, which means there is more street time. As a result, we will need to conduct route evaluations and likely will adjust routes to include more deliveries. We don’t know what the impact will be until we conduct the evaluations, but it is possible that the number of routes could be reduced. Attrition may cover any reduction in positions. Any changes will be in full compliance with National Collective Bargaining Agreements.
Change can be difficult. New technology and new equipment have changed all of our jobs over the past several years. But change is necessary for the Postal Service to remain viable and ensure that we all have a job in the future.
The Postal Service is facing increased competition and declining mail volume. We have to become more efficient and reduce our operational costs if we are to keep the mail affordable and of value to business mailers and the American public. Developing more efficient systems like the FSS is one way to do that. It also means we have to change how we’ve worked in the past.
At Promenade we have reconfigured the workfloor, including some equipment removal. The carrier case cells were reduced since less work in the office is now required. The greatest advantage to FSS is that there will no longer be flats to breakdown and sort. This provides a great deal of savings for the function four operation which at Promenade would typically handle eight to nine wire cages daily. Our clerks can now concentrate on exceeding customer expectation in retail and in quicker box mail up time.
Because there is less mail to case manually, carriers use less office time, which means there is more street time. As a result, we will need to conduct route evaluations and likely will adjust routes to include more deliveries. We don’t know what the impact will be until we conduct the evaluations, but it is possible that the number of routes could be reduced. Attrition may cover any reduction in positions. Any changes will be in full compliance with National Collective Bargaining Agreements.
Change can be difficult. New technology and new equipment have changed all of our jobs over the past several years. But change is necessary for the Postal Service to remain viable and ensure that we all have a job in the future.
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