Last month, Postmaster General (PMG) DeJoy announced his plans to consolidate Destination Delivery Units (DDUs) from approximately 16,000 DDUs to 11,000 Sorting and Delivery Centers (SDCs). But there were no details provided by the US Postal Service (USPS) on how that would be accomplished.
This week, documents shared by the USPS with collective bargaining units were posted on the internet. In an August 12, 2022 letter to the National Postal Mail Handlers Union, the USPS provided a list of the new SDCs, the impacted DDUs and the target conversion dates. The first SDC in Athens, GA is scheduled to go live on September 24, 2022.
A July 29, 2022 presentation to the United Postmasters and Managers of America, provided additional information on the SDCs. The slides numbered the routes impacted at each location, as well as the additional miles and minutes added for delivery routes.
While important information, these two documents raise additional questions. Postal employees will need to report to new locations, as well as learning potential new delivery routes. New routes could also change mailers delivery sort functions as well.
Amid this uncertainty, the USPS Inspector General released a disturbing report regarding the security of the USPS wireless network. Audit Report 21-221-R22, Wireless Assessment, found that the Postal Service did not secure the wireless network as required by internal policy and standards.
The USPS wireless network includes over 50,000 notebook computers, 32,000 smartphones, and 3,700 tablets, plus 443,000 hand-held scanners. In the “management’s comments” the USPS agreed with the finding.
The two largest competitors of the USPS also haven’t had great weeks in the media. In a Business Insider article, an anonymous UPS employee recounts their dreadful working conditions – driving trucks without air conditioning in the summer heat. One day, the driver called 911 and was taken to the hospital by ambulance for heat exhaustion. The response from UPS was tepid.
FedEx relies on contractors for the FedEx Ground arm of the company. CNN Business spoke with contractors who claim that while package volumes and FedEx profits are up, they are losing money due to fuel, truck prices, and driver pay. Talks with FedEx appear to be at a standstill, and one of the largest contractors is threatening to shut down right in the middle of the holiday peak shipping season. In response, FedEx has filed suit against the contractor.
We can’t end our newsletter with all bad news. Last weekend, there was a Coaching Exhibition at the Elms mansion in Newport, RI. Coaches came into use in England for a familiar purpose – delivering mail between towns. The footmen at the rear of the coaches wore red, as they were representatives of the Crown working for the Royal Mail. The blend of function and fashion.
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