Postal Service says diversity plans are working

The Postal Service announced this week that it has tackled 17 of 23 planned diversity initiatives designed to make the agency better reflect the communities it serves.

USPS incorporated the 23 initiatives into a business plan last year following a report by consulting firm Aguirre International on how the agency stacked up against the civilian labor force in terms of ethnic and gender diversity.

"We've learned that diversity is good business. It's not just a question of the 'nice' thing to do," said Greg Frey, a USPS spokesman.

Several different USPS offices took actions to complete the outlined diversity goals. The Office of Purchasing and Materials, for example, worked to expand the base of USPS vendors, reaching out to small businesses owned by women and minorities to make sure they understand USPS's procurement process. The office also began tracking its own credit card purchases to ensure that purchases are made from a wide variety of vendors.

Starting this year, senior managers at USPS will have to support diversity measures in order to get high marks in performance reviews.

The Postal Service's human resources office pilot-tested two training programs aimed at career development. One six-week "associate supervisor" program teaches "craft" employees, such as mail handlers and letter carriers, basic supervisory skills that position them for first-line manager jobs. A second program is designed to ensure career progress for mid-level managers.

"We're trying to be inclusive to find the best employees that are out there," Frey said.

But some USPS employees say the agency still overlooks certain groups within its ranks. Ted Carrico, president of the National Association of Postmasters, believes a glass ceiling still exists for lower-level postmaster employees. "For a female to get promoted above level 15 is very difficult now," he said.

USPS does not have a mentoring and training program for postmasters that is equivalent to its associate supervisor program, Carrico said. Postmasters can qualify for upper-level jobs through supervisor training, but they must first give up their postmaster jobs, and most are unwilling to do so, he said.

A February General Accounting Office report found that white and Hispanic women and Native Americans were underrepresented in high-level executive and administrative positions at the Postal Service.