The satellite PostOfc locations in Gas Stations (Lott, Rule: health insurance, home)

[PopsGuysRule]

Do any of you use those? Well, I use one in particular quite frequently, for my at-home contracting work. They do everything a regular post office employee does: receive, lift & sort large heavy boxes of mail for the P.O. Boxes on site, keep & balance a cash drawer plus inventory, make sure packages are secure, adding wrapping if necessary.... answer phones and questions.....everything you see them do in the regular post office... AND they are there all alone... no assistance when it's busy, no help if there are a lot of heavy boxes any given day...
So, are they USPS employees???
Do they earn the wages of the PO Employee you see at the standard US Post office??
No....
What do they earn???
The same amount the person behind the counter at the convenience store/gas station makes.
Do they get any USPS employee benefits, such as sick leave, vacation pay, retirement, 401K???
No....
They get whatever all the other convenience store/gas station employees make...
The only thing I'm not sure of is the workers' compensation; the USPS has an entirely separate system of WC (trust me, I know this); it is not even the same as other federal employees.... it would be interesting to see what would happen if one of these convenience store/NON USPS employees got injured on the job....
I would also be interested to know if most of the convenience stores are non subscribers to workers compensation insurance in Texas? (which is legal, but requires proof of financial ability to cover the costs of a claim)...
But even all that WC stuff aside....
this just TICKS ME OFF!!!!!!
Does this bother anyone else????

[sapphire]

It's a sign of the times. That's one less person that the USPS has to pay, provide benefits for, etc.

My company frowns on hiring full-time people anymore--health insurance premiums, sick pay, vacation, all of that stuff is expensive and everyone's looking for ways to cut costs.

I know you have it tough as an independent contractor, but truly, it's gotten tough everywhere.

[PopsGuysRule]

Originally Posted by sapphire

It's a sign of the times. That's one less person that the USPS has to pay, provide benefits for, etc.

My company frowns on hiring full-time people anymore--health insurance premiums, sick pay, vacation, all of that stuff is expensive and everyone's looking for ways to cut costs.

I know you have it tough as an independent contractor, but truly, it's gotten tough everywhere.

Boy oh boy, I know that.... companies have no loyalty to their employees whatsoever and they want as much as they can get for as little as they can get it for....

I DO wish these gas staton employees could all walk out, though, and say to the Post Office, if you want this cr*p done, then send one of your own employees down here to do it or pay me the same amount you pay them...
but none of us can really afford to just walk out...

although.....

I haven't checked my Lotto ticket yet tonight... ROFL!!!!!

[Deep Forest]

Originally Posted by PopsGuysRule

Do any of you use those? Well, I use one in particular quite frequently, for my at-home contracting work. They do everything a regular post office employee does: receive, lift & sort large heavy boxes of mail for the P.O. Boxes on site, keep & balance a cash drawer plus inventory, make sure packages are secure, adding wrapping if necessary.... answer phones and questions.....everything you see them do in the regular post office... AND they are there all alone... no assistance when it's busy, no help if there are a lot of heavy boxes any given day...
So, are they USPS employees???
Do they earn the wages of the PO Employee you see at the standard US Post office??
No....
What do they earn???
The same amount the person behind the counter at the convenience store/gas station makes.
Do they get any USPS employee benefits, such as sick leave, vacation pay, retirement, 401K???
No....
They get whatever all the other convenience store/gas station employees make...
The only thing I'm not sure of is the workers' compensation; the USPS has an entirely separate system of WC (trust me, I know this); it is not even the same as other federal employees.... it would be interesting to see what would happen if one of these convenience store/NON USPS employees got injured on the job....
I would also be interested to know if most of the convenience stores are non subscribers to workers compensation insurance in Texas? (which is legal, but requires proof of financial ability to cover the costs of a claim)...
But even all that WC stuff aside....
this just TICKS ME OFF!!!!!!
Does this bother anyone else????

It shouldn't bother anyone else because they're contract stations. People bid for the right to provide mail services. Pay & benefits are negotiated between the contractors and their employees and not with the Post Office. Trust me, they're making money at it or they wouldn't be doing it. If the employees feel their not being paid enough or they're over-worked they have the right to seek employment elsewhere. You do not know what gyrations the Post Office is going through because of the deteriorating economy, otherwise you wouldn't have the outlook you have.

One who knows.....

[cwh]

Originally Posted by Deep Forest

It shouldn't bother anyone else because they're contract stations. People bid for the right to provide mail services. Pay & benefits are negotiated between the contractors and their employees and not with the Post Office. Trust me, they're making money at it or they wouldn't be doing it. If the employees feel their not being paid enough or they're over-worked they have the right to seek employment elsewhere. You do not know what gyrations the Post Office is going through because of the deteriorating economy, otherwise you wouldn't have the outlook you have.

One who knows.....

Actually the post office has far more serious problems. IF it was not for junk mail, they would have a really large problem. First class volume is dropping and being replaced with junk mail. Every time they raise the price of stamps, more people start using electronic bill pay.

[Deep Forest]

Originally Posted by cwh

Actually the post office has far more serious problems. IF it was not for junk mail, they would have a really large problem. First class volume is dropping and being replaced with junk mail. Every time they raise the price of stamps, more people start using electronic bill pay.

Until they get whacked by a hacker.....

[cwh]

Originally Posted by Deep Forest

Until they get whacked by a hacker.....

It is far easier to hack your mailbox than electronic transactions...

[Deep Forest]

Originally Posted by cwh

It is far easier to hack your mailbox than electronic transactions...

Unless you've got a lock on it..(if you live in that kind of neighborhood) and it's just that easy to bust electronic transactions also...never feel completely safe on-line...if you do you're in for a let-down...

[ged_782]

My pet peeve with the Post Office has been the removal of the three closest blue drop boxes to my residence. The closest remaining box is outside a retail strip center, but it doesn't have Saturday pickup. I drove down there one day to mail some letters, and it was literally overflowing. The lid was propped wide open by all the letters that were crammed into it.

I don't like to leave anything in my home mailbox for pickup when I'm not there, because it is a curbside "dog house" box. My current workplace is the only place I've worked that doesn't have a USPS pickup box nearby. Fortunately, I found a drop box that isn't too much of a detour on my way to work.

[KY Filly]

What I want to know is exactly where are these convenience store post offices to which you are referring???? I've been making the trek all the way over to the only branch post office (since I'm still learning my way around the area) that I know of. For instance, yesterday I wanted to send my son's birthday gift and card via priority mail so needed to go to the P.O. to do it....well, it was packed and the line was out the door!! I did use the self serve kiosk, but there was a line there too. I would love to know of someplace a little closer (especially with the price of gasoline) where I could get PO services.

As far as the issues mentioned regarding the employees at the convenience store post offices; their pay and benefits etc., I've always been of the opinion that if I don't like working somewhere and don't feel as if I'm fairly compensated, I should look for another career. I know times are tough (mainly cause of the gas prices and the dominoe effect) but there are still opportunities out there if one wants to look for them. Also regarding the business owners etc. (however don't get me started on the record profits for the oil companies!!!) I really believe that there's more than meets the eye and those same biz owners are hanging on by a shoestring....their costs are escalating as well. I believe that things will turn around at some point...but it's going to take a while, especially with this being an election year. JMHO though.