Some U.S. Postal Service employees will receive layoff notifications later this month, the mailing agency told workers in a memorandum this week.
The announcement comes as part of a restructuring plan put in place by Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, who is targeting non-union management and administrative staff for the so-called reductions in force, or RIFs. The Postal Service previously announced voluntary early retirement incentives for eligible members of that contingent of its workforce, noting it was part of a procedure to avoid layoffs. USPS will offer a second round of the incentive to employees before the RIFs take effect, again without any buyout component. Government Executive first reported in April that layoffs appeared likely.
The Postal Service has about 60,000 employees in its headquarters, area and district offices that make up the population targeted for reductions, but the agency declined to specify the number of positions it will eliminate. The RIFs will be the third phase of DeJoy’s reorganization, following a realignment of postal work into three divisions last summer and the consolidation of USPS’ 67 districts into 50, announced earlier this year.