Author: Archive

The U.S. Postal Service is staring at a $2 billion deficit this year, yet the postmaster general has told its top managers they could see performance bonuses of up to 25 percent of their salaries. “This year our productivity is up,” Postmaster General John Potter said in a July 3 letter to 900 senior executives. “By pulling together, we can minimize our loss and earn additional pay for the performance achieved.” The USPS was criticized this year when it paid out $197 million in bonuses, or incentives, as the Postal Service calls them, despite a $199 million deficit for last year. But this would be the first time the agency, a self-supporting government monopoly, would be granting bonuses in the face of such monumental deficits.