Does Postal Service Ever Offer Early Retirement To Rural Carriers?

As part of the U.S. Postal Service's downsizing plan, about 24,000 unionized clerks and mechanics have applied for buyouts or early retirement.

Near 24,000 unionized mail clerks and mechanics have practical for buyouts or early retirement equally the cash-strapped Postal Service downsizes for long-term financial stability, the Federal Times reports.

Three years agone, in the depths of the Great Recession, about 18,000 workers represented by the American Postal Workers Union and the National Postal Mail Handlers Spousal relationship accepted an identical offer: a $15,000 buyout plus retirement incentives for longer-term employees.

An APWU spokeswoman told the Federal Times, published by Gannett, Usa TODAY's parent, that about 23,600 workers had applied for the buyouts by Nov. 28. The borderline for full-time employees was December. 3, but part-timers have until January. iv.

A USPS spokesman said the final number of those who accepted the offer would be announced just subsequently Jan. 4.

Look for more early-outs as the USPS proceeds with plans to close or consolidate more than 200 mail service processing plants in the adjacent two years, a retired APWU president told the newspaper.

Postmaster General Pat Donahoe wants to cut the current workforce of about 528,000 to 402,000 by 2016.

So far this year, about 4,200 postmasters have accepted $20,000 incentives to get out, and almost 3,000 mail handlers took $xv,000 buyouts to retire or quit.

Terminal calendar month, the Mail service reported an almanac loss of almost $sixteen billion -- a record -- and forecast some other big deficit for 2013. Most of the operating loss resulted from congressionally mandated early payments to cover costs of hereafter retiree health benefits, something not required of individual businesses.

Twice this year, the postal service role -- an independent agency that does not receive tax money but is regulated past Congress -- defaulted on wellness prepayments for the first time e'er.