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DAILY 03-02-10 MD SU B3 BLACK
TUESDAY, MARCH 2, 2010 KLMNO S B3
THE FEDERAL WORKER
A peek at this year’s Cherry Blossom Festival
FEDERAL DIARY
Joe Davidson
Deficit hawk’s move
puts brakes on DOT workers
W
hen I was a youngster in His staffer hung up on me
Detroit, I marveled at the numerous times before I could
prowess of Jim Bunning. explain. . . . I never was able to
The lanky right-hander was an explain the important work I do
all-star pitcher with the Detroit in preventing large truck and
Tigers. Opponents had to watch bus fatalities on our nation’s
out for his good curve and his roadways.”
slippery fastball. Time magazine called
Those same characteristics Bunning one of the nation’s five
still apply, but now Bunning worst senators in 2006. That’s a
pitches for the designation many
Republicans in the Transportation staffers
Senate, representing probably agree with.
his home state of On Monday, Mike
Kentucky. This time he Reynard, the senator’s
threw a curveball that spokesman, said that
leaves federal Bunning wants the
employees confused. legislation to pass but
Now a deficit hawk, that he’s not going to
Bunning blocked give in until the money
passage of legislation is found to pay for it.
last week that would Al Cross, director of
have funded tax Sen. Jim the Institute for Rural
credits for health Bunning’s play Journalism and
coverage for those who affected 2,000 Community Issues at
MARK GAIL/WASHINGTON POST
lost their jobs, as well DOT workers. the University of
National Park Service employee Charles Jones prunes a cherry tree, its branches partially buried in remnants of last month’s snowstorms, as unemployment Kentucky School of
near the Tidal Basin in Washington in anticipation of the National Cherry Blossom Festival. Information about this year’s event, which runs benefits and federal highway and Journalism and
March 27 through April 11, and predicted peak blooming dates will be announced at a news conference Thursday at the Newseum. The annual transportation projects. Telecommunications, said
festival, which features an opening ceremony and cultural activities, commemorates Tokyo’s 1912 gift to the city of 3,000 cherry trees. His action came like a high, Bunning is “an independent
inside fastball at the heads of cuss” who is strong on
2,000 Department of principles. “This is just a cranky
Transportation workers. They old guy, getting older and
were furloughed Monday crankier.”
IN CASE YOU
FED FACES
because Bunning’s deed halted Let it be noted that even “old
MISSED IT . . . their pay. Ironically, if the cranks” can have good ideas and
furloughs continue, those that everyone agrees with
Shepherd of government’s green building initiative
employees could need the Bunning that the government
unemployment benefits and should pay for its programs. But
health coverage that also are whatever problems he has with
being held up.
Kevin Kampschroer
“My husband is not working
5
Director, Office of Federal today,” Pamela Nunley said. “He
“Do they never
myths about
High-Performance Green is a statistician for DOT. We
think of the
Buildings, General Services cannot pay our bills without his
your mail
Administration (GSA) paycheck. Why does Congress
Americanby John E. Potter
F
or 235 years, the U.S. Postal Service has delivered your mail allow this to happen? Do they
in snow, rain and dark of night. However, tough market con-
ditions are creating new challenges for our business. Mis- Best known for: Leading the never think of the American people?”
conceptions about the future of our enterprise abound; dispelling
these myths will show that we can continue to deliver the mail.
government’s green building people?” — Pamela Nunley
The Postal Service wastes in the world and includes electric, movement to create more Bunning says he is thinking of
taxpayer dollars. three-wheeled electric, hybrid elec-
1
The Postal Service, reorganized tric, ethanol, fuel-cell, biodiesel and
in 1971 as an independent agen- propane technology. More than a high-performing and the American people by fighting the way the Senate does
cy of the executive branch, oper- half-billion packages and envelopes
ates as a commercial entity. We rely that we provide free annually are re-
on the sale of postage, mail products cyclable and made of environmentally
and services for revenue. friendly materials. The quality of the
environmentally friendly federal the deficit. business, and it’s clear there are
A small annual appropriation from raw materials in our packaging, in-
Congress reimburses the USPS for cluding tape and labels, makes the
free mail for the blind and absentee- USPS the only shipping company to facilities. Kampschroer is “When 100 senators are for a many, the federal worker
ballot mailing for overseas military meet the stringent eco-design and
personnel. Otherwise, we have not re- manufacturing standards set by
ceived taxpayer funds to support McDonough Braungart Design Chem- pushing the boundaries of bill and we can’t find $10 billion shouldn’t be the fall guy.
postal operations since 1982; in fact, istry in its Cradle to Cradle program.
though we’re often described as “qua- Last year, we recycled more than
si-governmental,” we’re required by 200,000 tons of paper, plastics and
sustainable design techniques to to pay for it, there’s something “As American families are
law to cover our costs. other waste — the equivalent of sav-
ing 1.67 million barrels of oil, accord-
The Postal Service is ing to an online Environmental Pro-
inefficient. tection Agency calculator. There are reduce environmental impact the matter, seriously the matter, struggling in tough economic
2
Ten years ago, it took 70 em- Leadership in Energy and Environ-
ployees one hour to sort mental Design (LEED)-certified post
35,000 letters. Today, in that offices, a 2.5-acre green roof on a ma- and to increase human health with this body,” he said to an times, I am keenly disappointed
same hour, two employees process jor facility in downtown Manhattan,
that same volume of mail. Though the solar photovoltaic building systems
number of addresses in the nation and other sustainable building de-
and productivity. empty chamber Friday. “There that political games are putting a
has grown by nearly 18 million in the signs in use across the country.
past decade, the number of employ- Still, saving the environment
ees who handle the increased delivery doesn’t begin and end with the Postal
load has decreased by more than Service. That’s why we encourage our
200,000. customers to “read, respond and recy- Government service:
are going to be other bills stop to important construction
According to the U.N.-affiliated cle.” In 8,000 post offices nationwide,
Universal Postal Union, we deliver signs remind P.O. box customers to
nearly half of the world’s mail. The open their mail, take whatever action
World Economic Forum, host of the is necessary and place the waste in
Kampschroer joined GSA more
brought to this floor that are not projects around the country,”
annual summit of global power play- our recycling bins. The EPA reports
ers in Davos, Switzerland, consistent- that standard mail represents less
ly ranks the U.S. Postal Service among than 2.1 percent of the material in our than 35 years ago after
going to be paid for, and I’m Transportation Secretary Ray
the top 4 percent of more than 120 nation’s landfills. (By comparison, JIM ROBINETTE/LC CLARK PUBLISHING 2003
nations’ and territories’ postal ser- disposable diapers represent 2.2 per-
vices. cent, glass beer and soft-drink bottles graduating from Yale. At GSA, he
going to object every time they LaHood said in a statement.
But keeping operating costs down 3 percent, and yard trimmings 6.9
is the greatest testament to efficiency. percent.)
has focused on the relationship
Kevin Kampschroer joined the GSA more than 35 years ago. do it. . . . I have got too many “This means that construction
Since 2002, the Postal Service has cut
its costs by $43 billion, including by The USPS can’t compete with
$6 billion in 2009. These savings have the private sector.
come through workforce and over-
time reduction, the renegotiation of between physical space and
young grandchildren that want workers will be sent home from
more than 500 supplier contracts, the 5
The Postal Service can and
does compete. Our closest com-
petitors, UPS and FedEx, don’t
consolidation of facilities, the closing threaten our business; as two of our
human experience, which has
everyone that dramatic change is just building structures for America to be the same America job sites because federal
of administrative offices, and cuts in biggest customers, they help build it.
travel expenses and supply budgets. Our competition pays us to deliver
Despite such efforts, the Postal more than 400 million of their
resulted in a fundamental
both possible and desirable. By people to look at. We build them that I grew up in. And I’m inspectors must be furloughed.”
Service was added to the Government ground packages every year in resi-
Accountability Office’s “high-risk list” dential areas and on Saturdays. In
last July to help put it on a more sus- turn, the USPS contracts with UPS
change in the agency’s practice of
instituting small changes in the to live in, to work in, and we worried to death that that’s not LaHood’s staff did a good job
tainable financial path. The GAO as- and FedEx for air transportation to
sessment, with which we agree, accu- take advantage of their comprehen-
rately reflects the Postal Service’s fis- sive air networks.
creating federal workplaces. In
way our buildings function and intuitively understand that going to be the case.” of getting the word out to
cal condition, but the announcement Although stamp prices have in-
also noted that many of the actions creased about 33 percent over the
we’ve taken to reduce costs should past 10 years, this increase is in line
continue. with inflation. By comparison, private
2008, he was named director of
operate, we can maximize buildings can both harm you and While Bunning frets over the employees, said Antonyio
We’ve also asked Congress to elimi- carriers raised their prices by as
nate the statutory requirement that much as 60 percent between 1999 and
we deliver mail six days a week. A 2009. The Postal Service is, and has
switch to five-day delivery would help always been, a bargain.
us save more than $3 billion a year It’s no secret that the Postal Service
the new Office of Federal
environmental, economic and they can heal you.” future, Mike Johnsen worries Johnson, president of the
while still devoting appropriate re- has been losing money since 2007. about today. The U.S. American Federation of
sources to delivering the mail. What are not well known are the fi-
nancial demands of the Postal Reform High-Performance Green
societal benefits.” he said. — From the Partnership for
Mail is not reliable. Act of 2006 — demands not faced by
government he works for is not Government Employees local
3
Independent quarterly sur- the private sector. Though the USPS
veys conducted by IBM con- is self-supporting, its finances are Buildings, where he coordinates Quote: “People are beginning to
Public Service
firm that the Postal Service has tied to the federal budget because
achieved record reliability levels. In postal employees participate in feder- on the case protecting the public, that covers DOT workers. But the
the last quarter of 2009, on-time over- al retirement plans. In 2006, Con-
night delivery of single-piece first- gress required that the USPS prefund
the federal government’s efforts understand that sustainability is
class mail was at 96 percent for the 80 percent of future postal retiree because Bunning’s legislative news was a surprise.
fifth straight quarter, an agency best. health benefits. This will cost more
We’re not only punctual, we’re than $5 billion a year through 2016. to build more sustainable and more than just conserving water
For more on Kevin Kampschroer, visit
trusted and secure. According to the No other federal agency or private
Federal Trade Commission, as little as company carries such a heavy burden.
maneuver stops civil servants “No one saw it coming,”
2 percent of identity crimes occur Without the prefunding require- energy-efficient facilities. or cutting carbon emissions — it
http://washingtonpost.com/fedpage
through the mail. Theft of a wallet or ment, the Postal Service would have
purse is responsible for 5 percent — been better able to weather the recent from doing their work. Johnsen Johnson said. “We are all caught
meaning your documents are safer in recession. In 2008, prefunding con-
the mail then they are in your pocket. tributed to a loss of $2.8 billion. With-
out it, we would have been $2.8 bil- Biggest challenge: “Convincing
is also about how that relates to
Send your nominations for Fed Faces
tried to tell that to Bunning’s off guard.”
The USPS is not lion in the black.
environmentally friendly. Though we operate in a difficult human performance. We’re not
to Fedfaces@washpost.com.
4
There’s no way around it: De- legislative and economic environ-
office, but a staff member there He hopes his members will be
livering mail uses fossil fuels, ment, we are prepared to forge ahead.
and mail often produces paper On March 2, we are releasing our plan
waste. Still, the Postal Service is for future financial viability and
greener than you think. As long as greater business flexibility — a plan apparently didn’t want to hear it. back at work by Wednesday or
consumers and businesses use physi- that will keep the Postal Service thriv-
cal mail, we’re committed to finding ing for years to come.
ways to process it responsibly. “I’ve tried to contact Sen. Thursday. But who can know
Our fleet of 44,000 alternative-fuel- John E. Potter is postmaster general of the
capable vehicles is one of the largest United States.
Bunning’s office several times, what the Senate will do next?
Q. How long did it take you to get hired by the federal govern-
and I finally found an office in “It’s unfortunate that
USPS myths: True? Lexington,” said Johnsen, who, something like this happens,
In Sunday’s Outlook ment? Or, if you’re applying, how long has it taken for you to like other employees, makes it that federal employees are put in
section, Postmaster clear that he is not speaking for this situation of unnecessary
General John E. Potter
get a response to your application? What would be your rec-
his agency. “When I got through, stress because of political
outlined “five myths” about
ommendation for changing the federal hiring process?
I informed the staffer I wanted wrangling. We’re here to do a job
the U.S. Postal Service. Are
Send your reply to federaleye@washingtonpost.com. Include your full name, home town and agency,
to leave a message to the senator for the American people.”
you a postal worker? Is about what I do with the Federal federaldiary@washpost.com
Potter right? Send replies to
and we’ll publish your response on this page.
Motor Carrier Safety
federaleye@washingtonpost. Administration, so he has an Staff writer Ed O’Keefe contributed to
com. Include your name and You tell us Are you retiring? idea of the impact of his actions. this report.
home town. Also, USPS Know a federal worker who deserves special recognition because he or she is retiring after at least 30
proposals, A3. years of service or because of something particularly noteworthy? Let us know. Send details to
federalworker@washpost.com. Please include day and evening phone numbers, e-mail addresses and a
a71 One senator’s dissent holds up a key bill with
photograph. jobless aid, transportation funding. A13
Online benefits calculators
This site has calculators allowing participants in the
401(k)-style retirement savings program to project future
a71 Federal retirement: www.opm.gov/retire/tools/ account balances based on differing investment levels
calculators/ballpark/menu.asp and rates of return, to determine loan payments if they
This calculator projects retirement benefits under federal borrow against their accounts and to see how an account
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— Eric Yoder
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