ALLISON SHELLEY/THE WASHINGTON TIMES REWARDED: Postmaster General John E. Potter received a compensation package totaling more than $800,000 for fiscal 2008.
Congress will hold a hearing next month into why Postmaster General John E. Potter has gotten a nearly 40 percent pay raise since 2006 and was awarded a six-figure incentive bonus last year, even as the U.S. Postal Service faces a multibillion-dollar shortfall that threatens a day of mail delivery. “Last year, the Postal Service took a loss of nearly $3 billion and recommended that the public take austere cuts in service to allow it to operate, including cutting a day of mail delivery and raising the price of stamps,” Rep. Stephen F. Lynch, Massachusetts Democrat, said Friday.
On Tuesday, The Washington Times reported that Mr. Potter had received nearly 40 percent in pay raises since 2006 and about $135,000 in incentive bonuses last year. For fiscal 2008, including increases to the value of his two pensions, Mr. Potter’s entire compensation package totaled more than $800,000, according to Postal Service financial records. In addition to executive compensation, members will review the Postal Service’s economic troubles and competitiveness, officials said. Rep. Jason Chaffetz of Utah, the subcommittee’s ranking Republican, said he, too, questions the timing of the big pay packages, given the Postal Service’s financial woes.
“On the surface it just doesn’t smell right,” Mr. Chaffetz said. “Rewarding people for performance is acceptable, but things kind of seem to be going in the wrong direction. I’m looking forward to that hearing.” Among other top postal officials, Deputy Postmaster Patrick Donahoe got $600,026 in total compensation, more than half of which was an increase to the value of his retirement annuities. His base salary was $238,654.
Wow….who knew?
#20, Paddy-O
ECA is mostly correct. The Post Office is independent. The government function involves the owners and oversight happens to be the Congress. It is however, not controlled by Congress the same as the Park Service or NASA are.
But you have a point. Wear a hat and no one will notice.
# 21 Mr. Fusion said, “ECA is mostly correct.”
Except, that by statute it is a gov’t agency with a police force having federal law enforcement powers.
So, yes, other than being almost completely wrong, he’s correct.
The Post Office does have their own secret police and they do have Federal Law Enforcement Power… Including WireTapping..!! They are called Postal Inspectors but, they have the Power and Love to use it…
18,
and the problem comes with the POST OFFICE being NOT the gov, but controlled by the gov.
SADLY…I can tell you some facts about where a heck of a lot of the money is going….besides the Postmaster General…and his “partners-in-crime”…..and hopefully, (after a hair raising battle for the next year or so), I will be able to tell you where another LARGE chunk of “postal $$$$” will go. On June 5th, 10 “Federal Postal Police”, 2 “DEA” and 2 “DOJ” Officers came to my home with guns drawn and a battering ram…(just in case…I guess) at 8:30 am…shortly after my boyfriend left for work. I opened the door a crack to see what the heck was going on as they were running in a squatted position down the street in front of my home. I figured maybe there was a robber or murderer hiding in the area???? Nope! Much to my surprise they pushed the door open knocking me backward and then grabbed my arm…which I had already had 3 surgeries in, and yanked me outside into my driveway and still with guns drawn, began “patting” me down. I was still in my pajamas for God sake and the neighbors were all outside watching this production! Now, I am a woman of 5’4″ approx. 170 lbs, I don’t drink or do any drugs except the they….can you see where they needed 11 men and 3 women to get me under control! They held a gun on my 30 lb Cocker Spaniel…Missy….because she was barking at them. Anyway, to make a long story short, I became extremely depressed after the surgeries upon returning to duty. My Supervisor, (I was a clerk), was allowed to harass and torment me on a daily basis….even after going to my supposed “Union Rep” AND the Postmaster. The other clerks were antagonized by this Supervisor, i.e. it was my fault they had to work harder or come in earlier. She always told them, if they complained, “you can thank ______, ‘cause she’s not pulling her weight!” They would ask me things like,”you want me to come to lunch with you and feed you with a spoon?” or my Super would sit me in a chair for 4-5 hours doing absolutely but watching the other girls do the “break down” or any other difficult jobs they didn’t like to do, just to add salt to the wounds, etc. Finally, it exploded and one of the girls went off on me in front of customers, employees, etc. I couldn’t take it anymore and was removed by a Psychologist AND Forensic Psychiatrist. It took 3 years but I did file an EEO and win! The USPS was charged with Harassment, Discrimination and Retaliation. The consequences for me…I lost my husband due to the severely depressed state I was in, I lost my home because I had to fight for over 8 months to get some sort of compensation…too little, too late, (I am still fighting 2 ½ years later for over $10,000.00 in medical bills and prescription costs for a “supposed” accepted condition)! I could not face anyone anymore. After a tremendous amount of counseling, I finally moved to a whole new area…where I was an unknown so that I could at least some day get psychologically better…though my arm is a mess, I was still under going treatment and meds for the depression…but at least I finally had hope!!!I had recently realized I was doing better and would hopefully get on with life. Well, I am hear to tell you…..don’t ever think it’s over and you can finally move on in life! Even after they sent me to 2 of their own Psychiatrists….who informed them I was not ready to return to duty…concurring with my own Psychologist AND Psychiatrist…… they came to my home in this manner! My God…..what is to become of me now? When does this POSTAL HARASSMENT stop! I feel like they are forcing you to do 1 of 3 things…. Shoot to kill and go to prison! Commit Suicide and never deal with them again! Or just get the heck off of their roles and live on $1200.00 a month from Social Security! They don’t give a rat’s butt which it is…as long as they don’t have to pay you any further $$$$ and they can get there big fat bonus’s for getting you OFF THE ROLES…no matter how much it costs! Don’t worry…. I will not bow down to their level and do what they would want me to do. Instead, I have already talked to a Civil Rights Attorney who, in the 1st 10 minutes of our meeting, found that the “Search and Seizure” was completely illegal as the WARRANT was OUT DATED! And…this Attorney already has a scheduled deposition with the SAME “Ring Leader” on a prior illegal search and seizure! Well….have I helped you realize where so much of the money goes. This happened only 2 weeks ago….I am so hurt, embarrassed and bitter all over again. The humiliation runs so deep I cannot leave my home again. It is a small town…and sadly I am trying to decide where to go, even though I know running isn’t going to make how I feel go away! I feel so violated…they held me hostage in my kitchen while they went through everything in my house! Everything! They would not let me answer the phone….they would not let me call my boyfriend or counselor or anyone …all the while knowing I am out on a Psych! Finding out later, they were holding and questioning my boyfriend at his business not even telling him they were here, tearing our home apart! I am scared to death to be home alone…. I am afraid they will come again and get trigger happy…it happens! To summarize, the Docs are furious as is the Attorney……now I just have the minor detail of coming up with $3,000.00 to get the ball rolling and you know darn well they count on me not having it, (which I don’t), so they can once again…get away with it!
NOT! Hell or high water I am not going down without a fight! Oh, by the way…the consequences for the “harassing” supervisor……They had to post, in the lobby of the Post Office a notice that read, “This facility was found guilty of Harassment, Discrimination and Retaliation”, for 60 days AND the Supervisor herself made Postmaster while the sign still hung! I have so much more to say…..so very much more that needs to be told…… Yes……it is called going Postal and it is costing millions because of ignorant selfish asses that want to step on people to get to the top! By the way….I have done nothing wrong…and they have nothing on me though they sadly got really ignorant rumors running rampant in this small town.