TRAY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

The target date is fast approaching for the Postal Service's planned completion and installation of the much ballyhooed and talked about Tray Management System (TMS). With more than half of the projected time allotted for this experiment already passed, (just over three years to be exact), the Postal Service is nowhere near its completion. In fact, it has been reported that the Postal Service is beginning to have second, and even third thoughts about their premiere plans to revolutionize the movement of the mail in their mail processing facilities.

The TMS has been controversial from the beginning and has had problems even in the planning and developing stages. The agency was beset with problems galore with the system because there were, at any given time, two to three contractors trying to produce a workable system. In its early stages, the Postal Service was besieged with cost overruns on the project which were initially blamed on poor construction, planning and maintenance. The Tray Management System is an intense array of working machinery and is supposed to work intricately within the confines of the mail processing plant to officially move the mail. But according to reports from some employees and even some of the supervisors who would only admit to it privately, the system is broken-down a lot of the time and maintenance employees spend even more time keeping them in working order.

The Postal Service has the Tray Management Systems installed in several mail processing plants. There are about twenty to twenty-four installed around the country today. But only about six have been in operation for the full three years. There is a study being conducted by the Postal Service today to determine the cost effectiveness of the investment to date. The Postal Service plans to have installed and operational, hopefully by the end of the year, an additional twenty-eight TMS. The current plan is to install four more during the first half of the year 2001. Making a total of thirty-two.

The agency seems to have worked out most of the technical problems that plagued the systems initially. It was also discovered that the capabilities of the system had been largely overestimated in its initial projections.

What's happening now is that employees have to shuttle mail from one point in the operation to another or from one machine to another machine.

The Postal Service has yet to figure out whether the TMS, when operational, will be a cost saving effort or not. In some instances, there may be less overtime being paid but more employees may have to be used at any given time. The Postal Service is still committed to more automation because in some areas, the agency has planned to install or plan to install the second and/or third generation of automated flat sorting machines. Each generation of automation is slated to use fewer and fewer employees to operate the machinery.

But at present, the Postal Service can't move on any of its projections in the mailhandler craft as far as downsizing goes, because the Tray Management System is so fragile they can't afford to be left without the required complement of mailhandlers to operate on a tour in case disaster strikes in the TMS. Mail volume, at least first class mail, is still on the rise, so for the foreseeable future, the Postal Service is left with the dilemma of dealing with trying to live in the old environment and at the same time move into the new environment.

It is time to reflect on the Thanksgiving Holiday season. Think about all the blessings that have been bestowed on you and give thanks. I would like to wish each and everyone of you a very Happy Thanksgiving.

AS WE MOVE ALONG IN THE FIGHT FOR JUSTICE,

AD MORTEM FIDELIS

cdenson@patriot.net