USPS: No Layoffs Here

Here’s some good news—sort of. If you heard that the U.S. Postal Service was laying off 40,000 people, it’s not true. USPS manager of Media Relations, Gerald J. McKiernan issued a Nov. 12 e-mail statement saying:

“A news story currently in wide circulation is reporting that the Postal Service will soon layoff 40,000 employees. This story is not accurate. Originating out of Shreveport, LA, the story does quote a Postal Service spokesperson. Unfortunately, that spokesperson was in error. The Postal Service is not laying off employees…”

But the USPS is aiming to match its workforce to a reduced workload via voluntary early retirements, McKiernan’s statement said. “Voluntary early retirement has been offered to a number of employees and to date, 3,685 employees have accepted the offer.”

It’s not clear how many USPS employees have to step up to step down in order to match workload to workforce, though.