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My stepdad works at one of the largest USPS sorting facilities. When he came in to work today 2 multi million dollar sorting machines were padlocked. He was t

My stepdad works at one of the largest USPS sorting facilities. When he came in to work today 2 multi million dollar sorting machines were padlocked. He was told by the facility manager that they are selling them for scrap. 1 of the machines is very new and in the past when they replaced machines they sold them to postal services in other countries. They’ve never scrapped them. He is certain removing these machines (they are enormous machines) will drastically reduce their capacity.

MattGaiser 6y ago
Have you/stepdad reported this to anyone? That’s insane.
- untog 6y ago
  It’s been reported (and isn’t an isolated case): https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/n7wk9z/the-post-office-is-deactivating-mail-sorting-machines-ahead-of-the-election https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/n7wk9z/the-post-office-is...
ardy42 6y ago
> My stepdad works at one of the largest USPS sorting facilities. > When he came in to work today 2 multi million dollar sorting machines were padlocked. He should take a photo and pass it on to the media. > He was told by the facility manager that they are selling them for scrap. If anyone manages to buy them, the smart thing would be to hold onto them to sell them back to the Biden administration.
- zaroth 6y ago
  They’re being shutdown because letter volume is falling off a cliff and those machines don’t sort packages.
  - dawnerd 6y ago
    Why do it now though? Why not wait after the election in case you need the machines to handle the ballot load? Why is it suddenly the utmost importance to remove these machines and sell them for essentially pennies on the dollar. Why are they rushing to remove mailboxes around communities? Anyone that thinks letter volume isn't in just a temp slump is lying to themselves to justify what's going on.
  - areoform 6y ago
    No, but they do sort millions of ballots.
    - zaroth 6y ago
      I’m not sure about that. Does a letter being delivered within the same zip code even touch these machines? I would guess that the vast majority of mailed ballots would be for local delivery and sorted by the mail carrier at the point they are picked up, and never hit one of these regional distribution centers. And ballots on the way out would be pre-sorted.
      - stouset 6y ago
        And if the post office is overwhelmed with work due to decommissioned sorting machines?
        zaroth 6y ago
        I think you've got it backwards. The point is the letter sorting machines aren't running because there aren't enough letters.
      - dragonwriter 6y ago
        > Does a letter being delivered within the same zip code even touch these machines? Completed ballots are only occasionally mailed in the same zip code, and often not the same city, as they tend to be mailed in to county election offices, not the precinct balloting locations (which often aren't permanent government facilities and when they are still are not permanently associated with the elections office.) So, yes, machines that sort non-local (not same zip) mail would handle most mail in ballots. And the postal service has been notifying state officials that (despite it never being a problem before) it's “delivery standards” do not support delivery ballots on the timelines in each notified states law for mail ballotsm And the President has openly stated that he is opposing Postal Service funding to block use of mail-in ballots. It's not even something that is trying to be hidden.
        6y ago
  - learc83 6y ago
    Not at his facility. Those machines run constantly. The regulars have to skip preventative maintenance, so they can keep running them to keep up with volume.
kbaker 6y ago
He may want to get in touch with the local news, they love investigating stuff like this.
- learc83 6y ago
  It’s been reported. https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/n7wk9z/the-post-office-is-deactivating-mail-sorting-machines-ahead-of-the-election https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/n7wk9z/the-post-office-is...
deleted 6y ago
[deleted]
sg47 6y ago
Fuck Trump
- dang 6y ago
  Not here, please.
jollofricepeas 6y ago
This article makes little sense and so do most of these personal “my dad used to work for USPS” anecdotes in the thread. The problems at USPS have little to do with anything mentioned and everything to do with well established facts: - USPS is mandated to prefund employee healthcare and pensions for 75 years in advance - USPS cannot add a fuel surcharge to pricing (as FedEx and UPS can) to maintain profit levels - USPS is required to provide service to people and businesses in remote areas even when it may be highly unprofitable - USPS is governed by Congress and the Postal Rate Commission (PRC), which restricts potential avenues for expansion into other products and limits competition with other companies (such as UPS and FedEx). Congress has been influenced by competitors to get the USPS to abandon new products such as online payment systems, phone cards, money transfers, postal meter cartridges, etc - USPS is required to invest exclusively in government bonds while private companies can invest in a wide variety of securities to improve profitability - USPS is forbidden by law to lower prices to get more business The quality of commenting has really fallen at HN. It’s starting to feel like a raging boomers Facebook wall filled with conjecture, gossip and conspiracy theories. Let’s stick to the facts please. SOURCES: https://cms-colorado.com/its-time-to-allow-the-usps-to-compete-fairly/ https://cms-colorado.com/its-time-to-allow-the-usps-to-compe... https://www.fool.com/investing/general/2013/03/04/how-the-postal-service-is-being-gutted.aspx https://www.fool.com/investing/general/2013/03/04/how-the-po...
- redis_mlc 6y ago
  > The quality of commenting has really fallen at HN. Amen. > It’s starting to feel like a raging boomers Facebook wall I wish. It's the eternal September problem now, except with pedants and spectrum patients. Boomers actually built things, and the current generation hasn't even read about it. The US is at war with China, and HN wants to debate judicial procedure with a totalitarian government.
- foogazi 6y ago
  > Congress has been influenced by competitors to get the USPS to abandon new products such as online payment systems, What does that have to do with the USPS’s mandate to deliver mail? All of your points are presented as facts. Can you explain how they have anything to do with the current discussion about keeping the USPS’s capability to deliver mail and ballots ?

MattGaiser 6y ago

Have you/stepdad reported this to anyone? That’s insane.

untog 6y ago
It’s been reported (and isn’t an isolated case): https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/n7wk9z/the-post-office-is-deactivating-mail-sorting-machines-ahead-of-the-election https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/n7wk9z/the-post-office-is...

ardy42 6y ago

> My stepdad works at one of the largest USPS sorting facilities. > When he came in to work today 2 multi million dollar sorting machines were padlocked. He should take a photo and pass it on to the media. > He was told by the facility manager that they are selling them for scrap. If anyone manages to buy them, the smart thing would be to hold onto them to sell them back to the Biden administration.

zaroth 6y ago
They’re being shutdown because letter volume is falling off a cliff and those machines don’t sort packages.
- dawnerd 6y ago
  Why do it now though? Why not wait after the election in case you need the machines to handle the ballot load? Why is it suddenly the utmost importance to remove these machines and sell them for essentially pennies on the dollar. Why are they rushing to remove mailboxes around communities? Anyone that thinks letter volume isn't in just a temp slump is lying to themselves to justify what's going on.
- areoform 6y ago
  No, but they do sort millions of ballots.
  - zaroth 6y ago
    I’m not sure about that. Does a letter being delivered within the same zip code even touch these machines? I would guess that the vast majority of mailed ballots would be for local delivery and sorted by the mail carrier at the point they are picked up, and never hit one of these regional distribution centers. And ballots on the way out would be pre-sorted.
    - stouset 6y ago
      And if the post office is overwhelmed with work due to decommissioned sorting machines?
      - zaroth 6y ago
        I think you've got it backwards. The point is the letter sorting machines aren't running because there aren't enough letters.
    - dragonwriter 6y ago
      > Does a letter being delivered within the same zip code even touch these machines? Completed ballots are only occasionally mailed in the same zip code, and often not the same city, as they tend to be mailed in to county election offices, not the precinct balloting locations (which often aren't permanent government facilities and when they are still are not permanently associated with the elections office.) So, yes, machines that sort non-local (not same zip) mail would handle most mail in ballots. And the postal service has been notifying state officials that (despite it never being a problem before) it's “delivery standards” do not support delivery ballots on the timelines in each notified states law for mail ballotsm And the President has openly stated that he is opposing Postal Service funding to block use of mail-in ballots. It's not even something that is trying to be hidden.
      - 6y ago
- learc83 6y ago
  Not at his facility. Those machines run constantly. The regulars have to skip preventative maintenance, so they can keep running them to keep up with volume.

kbaker 6y ago

He may want to get in touch with the local news, they love investigating stuff like this.

learc83 6y ago
It’s been reported. https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/n7wk9z/the-post-office-is-deactivating-mail-sorting-machines-ahead-of-the-election https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/n7wk9z/the-post-office-is...

deleted 6y ago

[deleted]

sg47 6y ago

Fuck Trump

dang 6y ago
Not here, please.

jollofricepeas 6y ago

This article makes little sense and so do most of these personal “my dad used to work for USPS” anecdotes in the thread. The problems at USPS have little to do with anything mentioned and everything to do with well established facts: - USPS is mandated to prefund employee healthcare and pensions for 75 years in advance - USPS cannot add a fuel surcharge to pricing (as FedEx and UPS can) to maintain profit levels - USPS is required to provide service to people and businesses in remote areas even when it may be highly unprofitable - USPS is governed by Congress and the Postal Rate Commission (PRC), which restricts potential avenues for expansion into other products and limits competition with other companies (such as UPS and FedEx). Congress has been influenced by competitors to get the USPS to abandon new products such as online payment systems, phone cards, money transfers, postal meter cartridges, etc - USPS is required to invest exclusively in government bonds while private companies can invest in a wide variety of securities to improve profitability - USPS is forbidden by law to lower prices to get more business The quality of commenting has really fallen at HN. It’s starting to feel like a raging boomers Facebook wall filled with conjecture, gossip and conspiracy theories. Let’s stick to the facts please. SOURCES: https://cms-colorado.com/its-time-to-allow-the-usps-to-compete-fairly/ https://cms-colorado.com/its-time-to-allow-the-usps-to-compe... https://www.fool.com/investing/general/2013/03/04/how-the-postal-service-is-being-gutted.aspx https://www.fool.com/investing/general/2013/03/04/how-the-po...

redis_mlc 6y ago
> The quality of commenting has really fallen at HN. Amen. > It’s starting to feel like a raging boomers Facebook wall I wish. It's the eternal September problem now, except with pedants and spectrum patients. Boomers actually built things, and the current generation hasn't even read about it. The US is at war with China, and HN wants to debate judicial procedure with a totalitarian government.
foogazi 6y ago
> Congress has been influenced by competitors to get the USPS to abandon new products such as online payment systems, What does that have to do with the USPS’s mandate to deliver mail? All of your points are presented as facts. Can you explain how they have anything to do with the current discussion about keeping the USPS’s capability to deliver mail and ballots ?