Word: postings
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1960-1969
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...process, it may be mangled, misdirected or destroyed. And, pace Herodotus, snow, rain, heat, gloom of night and archaic facilities continually slow, if they do not entirely stay, the U.S. mail's appointed rounds. Last week the Administration advanced a sensible if quixotic proposal to make the Post Office an efficient public service. "There is no Democratic or Republican way of delivering the mail," Nixon said, "there is only the right...
...element of the Nixon proposal is the elimination of congressional control over the Post Office. The Nixon reform would establish an independent Government agency called the U.S. Postal Service to be run by a nine-man board of directors, seven of whom would be appointed by the President, subject to Senate confirmation. The office of Postmaster General, a Cabinet-rank post, would be abolished...
Basket Case. Among the most fervent foes of reform are the postal workers' unions, which are among the most powerful lobbyists in Washington. Five hundred thousand strong, the postal workers represent a massive voting bloc. They do not relish the idea of Congress relinquishing control of the Post Office because they would lose their political leverage when looking for pay raises. Congress has, in fact, raised the postal workers' salaries until they compare favorably with wages in industry. In many close House districts, re-election may depend on how much of the postal workers' voting bloc...
There does not seem much left to sacrifice. As it is now constituted, the Post Office is the Government's basket case. There is a 23% average turnover in personnel every year; 85% of all employees are in the five lowest pay grades. Operations are guided by a vast hodgepodge of rules and regulations that fill a 9½lb. volume. The accumulated need for facilities and equipment exceeds $5 billion; yet the proposed construction of any major postal facility usually takes eight to ten years to win congressional approval...
...Nixon proposal stands little chance of success. The Senate and House are strongly against it. In all likelihood, effective reform of the Post Office may not occur until the point -perhaps not too distant-at which mail service becomes so flagrantly bad that public wrath outweighs the political advantages of an antediluvian, public-be-damned system...