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PMG, USPS Executives Play the Blame Game

PMG, USPS Executives Play the Blame Game
By Dioenis D. Perez
Long Island, NY, Branch 202 Vice President and Postmaster of Syosset

Friday, Sept. 11, 2020, a sacred day in our nation’s history, was tarnished by top management at the USPS. As revealed in court documents, management deflected blame for recent high-profile mail delays by alleging “poor judgment” by local supervisors and “workforce performance” issues.

Here is the link; read it. Click here for NAPS Headquarters’ response.

Wasn’t it enough that PMG Louis DeJoy’s testimony before Congress in August was embarrassing for all of us? Now this article comes out and blames hardworking EAS employees for delaying the mail, which is the furthest thing from the truth. I’m appalled by this claim, knowing full well we do not want to delay any mail, at any cost.

It seems the PMG takes no responsibility for anything, even when his team of executives is making excuses by blaming EAS employees for mail delays. But there is no mention of the results of timely trips leaving closeout/DOV mail behind in the afternoon, per the PMG’s policy change in July!

What strikes me as odd is the new PMG enters service during prime vacation time, in addition to a pandemic. Associate offices and mail plants—from areas to districts, local management to the craft—understand we normally are short-staffed in prime vacation time. Now, include a pandemic.

I don’t have to spell it out any further; we all understand what this means. We simply do not have the staffing, even with paying out huge sums of money to do everything timely. Of course, in some associate offices, carriers will be running late if we are to deliver the mail to every address.

Will carriers meet truck schedules? No. Anyone who’s been in the USPS for more than a few years understands this—at every level. We know in advance during prime vacation time this is not always possible, especially if offices have a severe lack of complement.

How did we overcome this previously? We never worked during a pandemic, but, during prime vacation time, we were able to hold trucks for 15 minutes or, worst case, call for another truck later. This avoided mail sitting overnight in our buildings and becoming delayed by one to three days, as it is now.

Didn’t anyone in a USPS executive position take the time or, perhaps, have the courage to explain this to the new PMG? Also, while understanding we are just days away from the most important election in our lives.

My fellow members, it appears the USPS has been politicized by outside forces, along with its long-tenured executives, who now are cowardly pointing fingers at EAS employees as an excuse, which I had never heard before.

I demand a full retraction by the executives mentioned and a full apology to every EAS employee in this nation for questioning our integrity and dedication to this service. PMG Louis DeJoy and your Executive Leadership Team: The buck starts and stops with you! Leaders take the credit and the blame; they don’t point fingers!