Vacca is A/District Manager, Atlanta

Effective February 22, Salvatore Vacca will be detailed as District Manager of the Atlanta District.

In this position, Vacca will oversee the administrative responsibilities and the mail processing and delivery operations for metropolitan Atlanta.  The Atlanta District is comprised of more than 12,000 employees at 335 facilities, serving a geographic region of 18,000 square miles, 2.7 million deliveries, and five million customers.

“Sal’s outstanding leadership, communication skills, and operational knowledge have been a significant asset to our South Florida team,” said District Manager Jeffrey A. Becker.  “Through his leadership, Fort Lauderdale attained record levels in service.  I ask all employees to join me in wishing Sal continued success in his postal career.”

Validation of USPS Business Plan

USPS has released an important update to its business plan for returning to profitability and long-term financial stability. While fundamentally consistent with the approach advanced by the Postal Service over the past year, the update incorporates important refinements of financial projections and recommended legislative reforms.

At its core, the plan requires the reduction of annual costs by at least $20 billion by 2015, rising to more than $22 billion by 2016. This cost reduction is necessary given projected declines in First-Class Mail volume, which already has dropped by 25 percent since 2006. However, the Postal Service can achieve only a portion of these reductions under current business model constraints; legislative changes are needed to achieve the full $20 billion in cost reductions.

In the absence of legislative reform that quickly enables meaningful operational changes and cost reductions, the Postal Service could incur annual losses as great as $18.2 billion by 2015, and accumulate a total debt of $92 billion by 2016. 

The comprehensive 5-year plan provides an achievable roadmap to long-term financial stability and independence from taxpayer support. It also provides for full repayment of $12.9 billion in debt USPS currently owes the U.S. Treasury.

A central tenet of the plan is that success is not dependent upon achieving a mix or subset of reforms. The scale  of the financial challenge requires that all the major elements be pursued concurrently and fully executed within a short window of opportunity.

Among the major legislative reforms recommended, the most significant include enabling the Postal Service to provide employee health benefits independent of federal programs ($7.1 billion annual cost reduction), and transitioning to a national five-day delivery schedule ($2.7 billion annual cost reduction).

The Postal Service also is aggressively pursuing the realignment of its mail processing, retail and delivery operations, which is expected to yield more than $8.1 billion in annual cost reduction. Additionally, the Postal Service is seeking other significant cost reductions and is continuing efforts to grow or retain revenues within its current business model.

The plan has been independently reviewed and analyzed by Evercore Partners, one of the nation’s leading independent investment banks and a prominent financial advisor on major corporate restructurings. Evercore Partners played an important role in analyzing Postal Service models and assumptions and validating the approach taken by management to develop the plan. The plan also reflects prior business model analysis from McKinsey & Company and revenue projections from the Boston Consulting Group.

Are you looking to broaden your postal horizons?  The West Palm Beach In Plant Support Department is offering not one, but two, opportunities to learn more about that functional area.  Both Ad Hoc Operations Support Specialist positions (not to exceed two years) are open to all qualified career employees within the South Florida District.  The following Ad-Hoc positions are being posted February 11-24, 2012:

       EAS-20    Non-Scheduled Days:  Sunday/Monday    Hours:  0200-1100

       EAS-18    Non-Scheduled Days:  Saturday/Sunday  Hours:  0400-1300

 REQUIREMENTS:

1.       Knowledge of postal operations, including mail processing, delivery, facilities, equipment, and operational staffing functions.

2.       Ability to prepare and maintain an operating budget.

3.       Ability to analyze data to determine requirements for new or modified facilities, equipment, and operational staffing.

4.       Ability to analyze quality improvement and operational performance data and prepare test sampling plans.

5.       Ability to implement, monitor, and evaluate quality and operational improvement programs and procedures to ensure they meet established specifications.

6.       Ability to communicate orally and in writing at a level sufficient to work with customers, contractors, and major mailers and to prepare information related to operational programs.

Interested employees must submit their eCareer profile, along with a summary of accomplishments addressing the above requirements, to Manager, In Plant Support, PO Box 16425, West Palm Beach FL  33416-6425.   This information must be received by COB Saturday, February 25. 

Any questions should be directed to the In Plant Support Department at (561) 697-2012.

USPS Offers '2nd Ounce Free'

Roll Tide! USPS Salutes Alabama National Football Championship

To celebrate the University of Alabama’s National Football Championship, the U.S. Postal Service’s Alabama District is accepting orders for limited-edition collectible commemorative envelopes at $10 each and double-matted artwork —suitable for framing —at $25 each. Supplies are limited so order quickly with the attached form.  Call 205-521-0957 for more information.

The Latest on S. 1789 Postal Reform

On Thursday, January 26, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid announced that the Senate would take up the “Stock Act,” which bans insider trading by Members of Congress, rather than postal reform legislation during the week of January 30.

There is some uncertainty about scheduling Senate consideration of S. 1789, although the Senate Leadership, Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Chairman Joseph Lieberman, and Ranking GOP Member Susan Collins would like to begin consideration during the week of February 6.  

            S. 1789 would change the laws that govern postal operations.  Major provisions of the bill would:

§         Transfer more than $11 billion in surplus retirement contributions from the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund (CSRDF) to the Postal Service Fund

§         Change the payments that USPS is required to make to the USPS Retiree Health Benefits Fund (PSRHBF)

§         Permit the USPS to reduce mail delivery from six days per week to five

§         Authorize the USPS to offer employees credit for additional years of service as an incentive to retire

§         Reduce payments to most federal workers receiving benefits under the Federal Employees’ Compensation Act (FECA) and reform the administration of that act. In addition, other provisions of S. 1789 would aim to help the USPS reduce its costs and increase its revenues.

There are some “speed bumps” associated with the bill:

§         The Committee has yet to file its report on the bill. 

§         The Congressional Budget Office calculated a significant cost associated with bill.

§         Several controversial provisions are generating strong opposition.

Feindt is New Southwest Area Vice President

A familiar face has returned to the South … make that Southwest.

Jo Ann Feindt is our new Vice President, Southwest Area Operations, following the retirement of Linda J. Welch in December 2011.

Many readers will remember Feindt as a South Floridian who progressed through the managerial ranks locally for most of her 32-year career. Her outstanding leadership contributed to record level service performance.  Throughout the years, she has continued to value, recognize, and thank employees for their contributions to the success of the organization.

In 1979, Feindt began as a Fort Lauderdale distribution clerk, and then served in a variety of positions, including Supervisor, Delivery and Collections; Manager, Quality Control; Manager, Operations Services; and Manager, In Plant Support. Feindt also served as Plant Manager, South Florida Processing and Distribution Center and Senior Plant Manager, South Florida District.  She was South Florida District Manager prior to her promotion to Area Vice President, Area Operations in the Great Lakes Area in 2003.

As AVP, Feindt is the senior postal official responsible for mail processing and distribution, delivery, retail and administrative operations in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, parts of Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Texas.