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The Horrifying Truth About Philadelphia's Mail Distribution Center

By Paul Kurtz

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The City Controller says the situation at Philadelphia's Mail Distribution Center was worse than he initially thought.

The City's Inspector General is investigating to determine whether disciplinary action should be taken.

"The mail center's operations were in complete disarray," said City Controller Alan Butkovitz.

Butkovitz says a follow-up to last years investigation found that overtime costs rose 27 percent from over a two year period while productivity decreased by 10 percent.

"When our investigators conducted an unscheduled head count with newly appointed Revenue Commissioner Frank Breslin, over 50 percent of the Mail Center workforce was late reporting to duty. On the same day the employees in the Mail Center were not working but sitting around a table."

Butkovitz believes workers wasted more than a million dollars in taxpayer money by improperly sorting the mail and had no regard for security at the mail center.

Commissioner Breslin says he's taking steps to clean up the facility.

"We have established a data base so that we can track all mail that is in the mail room and where it is in process at any given time."

No one has been fired, however, Butkovitz says there will disciplinary measures taken following an Inspector General's investigation.

 

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