The following are excerpts from the June 2008 USPS Network Plan relative to employee impact. Again, these are only excerpts, you must read the plan in its entirety to fully understand the excerpts in their proper context. However, it is obvious that the USPS workforce is in for substantial changes:
"...By measuring local mail processing equipment performance against national
benchmarks, Machine Performance Scorecards give local managers a
convenient metric against which to analyze machine and operator performance..."
"...the Postal Service is evaluating the relocation of various mail
processing operations..."
"...assuming the removal of existing
equipment in Bulk Mail Centers, the availability of BMC floorspace for other
operations may affect surrounding Processing & Distribution Centers. If Flats
Sequencing Systems and bundle sortation equipment are deployed to BMCs, the
P&DCs will experience a reduction in flat and bundle processing..."
"...Should the implementation of the Network Plan
make it necessary to apply these processes, all Postal Service career employee
personnel actions will follow a general sequential escalation of impact and will
comply with applicable rules and regulations, including Veterans’ Preference
laws..."
"...d. Voluntary Early Retirement Provisions
Under these provisions, the Postal Service requests authority from the
Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to offer eligible impacted
employees opportunities to apply for voluntary early retirement. It is the
Postal Service’s policy to request such voluntary early retirement authority
from OPM even for impacted employees covered by collective bargaining
agreements that do not contain voluntary early retirement provisions..."
"...Qualified employees who are involuntarily separated due to organizational
changes, and who are not eligible to apply for discontinued service retirement or
optional retirement, receive severance pay..."
"...The Area Mail Processing consolidations and proposed Bulk Mail Center network
reconfiguration will involve numerous site-specific employee impact
determinations which cannot be quantified until the changes proposed for
particular facilities have been identified and thoroughly analyzed. The Postal
Service considers that, for purposes of its Network Plan, it has sufficient flexibility
with which to make the workforce changes that may be necessary. To the extent
that implementation of the plan requires the accomplishment of workforce
reductions more expeditiously than can be achieved through attrition..."
Source: The above information is taken from the USPS POSTAL ACCOUNTABILITY AND ENHANCEMENT ACT § 302 NETWORK PLAN, June 2008 as found in the public domain on the world wide web from the APWU union website. NOTE: We would like to thank President Burrus of the APWU for his continued informative articles in keeping us all informed of relative postal related issues. Keep up the good work Mr. Burrus. Your union members should be proud to to have elected such a dedicated President. Job well done!
.
. An excellent resource for preparing for your postal retirement is 
. This book Guides you through the maze of Social Security and Medicare in an easy to understand format. We also recommend 
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