Ideas to fix Postal Service

By James Kanes

I ?have been reading with interest about the U.S. Postal Service's financial problems and the possibility of a five-day delivery. As a former postal employee, this does not surprise me. Through poor management and little foresight, many errors were made.

First, instead of handling letter mail and parcel post as separate entities, the Postal Service tried to combine them. Had it set up pickups from large mailers and run parcel postal routes, it could have retained the business.

The postmaster general is pretty much a political appointment. That person has little knowledge of the service and brings an agenda. Some postmasters general used their appointments to benefit themselves.

The decision by the USPS not to have its own planes like UPS and

FedEx was a huge mistake. Instead, it relied on commercial airlines.

Most former and current employees will tell you that postal management is sorely overloaded. The bonus program for management was a costly expenditure. I never have been in favor of a bonus program. Pay people for the positions they are in and issue raises based on longevity. Most bonus programs become kiss-up programs to the individuals who recommend and approve them. Many who are deserving don't get them and many who don't deserve them are rewarded.

With the birth of communication technology such as e-mail, volume was bound to fall off. So, what do we do?

Five-day delivery, no Saturday, most likely could be done with no harm to the carrier work force. The USPS has been in a hiring freeze and many letter carriers work six-day weeks, resulting in huge amounts of overtime. Sick leave and injury expense would lessen with a five-day week.

Then pare management to a reasonable level and close many small post offices to save money. Small towns could be placed on a rural route at much less expense.

These suggestions may not put the service in the black, but they would certainly reduce red ink. Mail delivery is a valuable service and it is good to have the mail brought to your door by someone you trust. That is one reason not to privatize the service. The Postal Service has the lowest rate of theft of any business. As a former union official, I can tell you that theft results in immediate firing, as it should.

To whose who disagree with me, I say: If the cow dies, there is no milk. I don't know if the USPS ever will be profitable, but we should look long and hard before destroying a service available to every American.

James R. Kane of Cedar Rapids retired from the Postal Service in 1996 after 35 years of service. He is past president of the state and local letter carriers union.