13.11.10

Rain, Sleet, & Snow Cannot Stop U.S. Mail: What About Big Labor?

By John W. Lillpop

Imagine an enterprise with a business plan aimed at containing losses, rather than building profits. That could apply to any business beholden to greedy labor unions, including the U.S. postal office.

As reported at CNN.com:

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The U.S. Postal Service more than doubled its losses in fiscal year 2010, despite cutting billions of dollars in expenses and trimming its staff.

The Postal Service said its net loss totaled $8.5 billion in the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30. That compares to a loss of $3.8 billion the prior year
Chief Financial Officer Joe Corbett said the losses were worsening despite cuts that generated cost savings of $9 billion over the past two years. Those savings came primarily from the elimination of 105,000 full-time positions -- "more than any other organization, anywhere," Corbett said.

As more communications go electronic, mail volume keeps dropping. The Postal Service delivered 170.6 billion pieces in its 2010 fiscal year, compared to 176.7 billion pieces the prior year. That decline cost the service around $1 billion in lost revenue.

"We will continue our relentless efforts to innovate and improve efficiency," Corbett said. "However, the need for changes to legislation, regulations and labor contracts has never been more obvious."

Having destroyed the U.S. automobile industry, Big Labor is once again working against the best interests of the working members it is supposed to serve.

Perhaps Labor Unions should be held accountable under anti-trust law?