“…now the end is near. And so I face the final curtain.”

This is how I’ve seen it!

This is my final blog. It’s time for me to retire.

I thought it would be fun to go back and give you my top ten quotes, sort of like a rock group’s greatest hits. Here they are chronologically:

1-From 7/2013, “Congress has been sitting on Postal Reform for almost a year and we are no closer to having any indication that a meaningful bill will be passed”. In the play 1776, John Adams says, “ that one useless man is a shame, two is a law firm, and three or more is a congress.“ How true! It looks like postal reform is dead again in 2017. Some things never change.

2-From 9/2013, “The new all-in-one scanners will not fix many of the problems I’ve described and they will not go away, but the first step in fixing a problem is to admit that you have a problem.” This was not my last blog about the USPS not admitting to problems; FSS, RCA retention, low morale, unfair working conditions. They still don’t admit to having problems .The Postal Pulse doesn’t lie.

3-From 12/2013, “The problem I have is I wait to hear from the NRLCA to defend themselves and there is no response. The silence from the union is deafening; it says a lot about them.” The NRLCA’s losing streak would make the Washington Generals jealous (the Generals are the team that plays the Harlem Globetrotters all the time and have not beaten them in 22 years). A four year streak is usually impressive; not in this case.

4-From 2/2014,” So, what will the future employee look like? I see a more transient, less career-oriented worker. In a few years the economy will get back on track and jobs will be more plentiful.” Is it me or are the news reports of postal employees committing crimes on the rise? You lower the bar on the job and you lower your standards and guess what results? Too bad I can’t predict Super Bowl winners as well as predicting the USPS.

5-From 3/2014, “The current RCA test may be a good measurement of what a person has here (pointing to my head), but not a good measure of what a person has here (pointing to my heart). Does the person have the inner strength, intestinal fortitude, or just plain guts to persevere through that tough first couple of months or first year?” How many jobs outside of the military and law enforcement have those requirements? My quote is not a positive for the Postal Service; it is an indictment of postal upper management.

6-From 11/2014, “There are just not enough “business people” in the Postal Service. Successful business people in the private sector have the vision to see problems before they happen and have a plan in place to be proactive instead of reactive. Where is that same planning in the USPS? Where? Where? Where?” “Damn the torpedoes. Full speed ahead” is not a management style. FSS for example was not planned properly and prototype test results not quantified for return on investment. They just went ahead and did a major rollout. Can anyone spell boondoggle?

7-From 9/2015 regarding integrity, “We cannot complain about how we are treated by the Postal Service if our customers feel the same about us.” We must strive to put our house in order before we bring the USPS to task.” An honest day’s pay for an honest day’s work; it applies to them and it applies to us. Take a moment to think about that!

8-From 1/2016, “These are a few things that rural carriers can try. I always say that if all you can do is to throw spitballs, then throw as many as you can.” Carriers need to take their future into their own hands. They need to know the contract and to stand for their own rights at all times because no one else will.

9-From 4/2016, “When the USPS cries that they are poor and tries to hold down raises, are the rural carriers, and all the crafts for that matter, being used to subsidize the Postal Service’s losses? Why are they not being held accountable for their own failures?” See FSS, plant consolidations, etc.

10-From 6/2016, regarding the evaluated system, “The evaluated system is like that old car you had or still have. It breaks down a little too much… it gets you to work and back, but it has seen better days… It seems that the NRLCA are the only people hell-bent on putting lipstick on this pig. For all their enthusiasm, when was the last time they made any attempt to bring enhancements to the evaluated method?” According to the Ruralinfo forum reports on the study, the NRLCA have been absent in the field instead of making sure the carriers are trained correctly and following the procedures so that all the data is pertinent. Our biggest hope and the NRLCA comes up small.

Rural carriers, I have the greatest respect for you. To be able to do the job you do with all the physical and emotional obstacles put in your way is a tribute to your dedication. I hope the study goes your way so you can benefit from the job financially and that you can realize the fruits of your contributions to the US economy since you will never get the proper respect from your employer.   Good Luck and God Bless.

Lastly, I have a thank you letter.
Dear Dana, We never met but I wish we had. I really wanted to thank you for Ruralinfo and what it has meant to me (and all your other loyal subscribers). You made me a better writer. When I wrote a blog I wanted to make sure that my effort was worthy of the effort that you put into your website. Thank You for all you do.

Sincerely,

Older AND Wiser AND Retired