U.S. Postal Service: The State of Labor-Management Relations

GAO discussed labor-management relations at the U.S. Postal Service. GAO noted that: (1) poor labor-management relations at Postal Service facilities are longstanding and result from the type of work involved, an autocratic management style, adversarial employee and union attitudes, and inadequate performance management systems; (2) postal managers, unions, and management associations need to improve their relationships with employees and improve the Postal Service's working conditions; (3) although the Postmaster General has attempted to change the Postal Service's corporate culture and improve labor-management relations, long-lasting results have not been achieved; (4) the Postal Service does not have the full commitment of its employees to achieve service quality improvements; (5) postal employees have increasingly demanded more control over their work; (6) self-managed work groups in mail processing plants would give employees greater autonomy and benefit employee-management relations; (7) the Postal Service will need the cooperation of management, unions, management associations, supervisors, and employees to implement self-managed work groups; and (8) it will be difficult for the Postal Service to provide reliable and consistent mail delivery in its major markets unless significant management changes are made.