President's Hotline Message

January 27, 2006
Steve LeNoir, President

Greetings Fellow Postmasters and LEAGUE Members

Here at LEAGUE Headquarters frustrated Postmasters are flooding me with calls from all around the country. These are good Postmasters but they are upset for several reasons. The number one reason is not being able to fill authorized positions due to lack of hiring. We are working our employees six days a week, 10-12 hours a day. That can only go on for so long. We are encountering not only poor morale but also increased sick leave and safety issues.

Another issue is Postmasters are being micromanaged to death. The Areas blame the Districts, the Districts blame the Areas, and Postmasters are left with the work and aggravation. We are aware that many Postmasters are not being treated with dignity and respect. The same dignity and respect that we are expected to give our employees. Service is also taking a beating in a number of areas throughout the country because of hiring issues. Box sections are not up on time and there are long lines at the windows. Many carriers are out until 9:00 p.m. or even past 10:00 p.m. delivering mail and in many areas of the country Postmasters are being required to be present to open their office as well as be present when the last carrier returns.

I bring these issues up to let you know the LEAGUE is aware of what’s going on and has been actively working on these problems and more at the local and National level. While we have seen improvement in some areas, there is still much work to be done. I am asking LEAGUE leaders to stay involved with local hiring issues. If you have been, thank you. If not, please get involved. We can make a difference.

The Executive Board will be in town next week for our annual Legislative Forum. I have set up a meeting with the Executive Board and Postal Headquarters to take place on Thursday, February 2. We will be discussing these critical Postmaster issues with Postal HQ at this meeting.

It is in our common interest (Postmasters, employees, and customers) to solve these problems before it is too late and we lose our credibility with the American public.

I know we all want to be successful Postmasters. But Postal HQ, the Areas, and the Districts need to understand that we need the flexibility to effectively manage our post offices with an adequate staff. The LEAGUE has been addressing these concerns and will continue to do so.

Steve LeNoir
LEAGUE President