Apparently, if you are a top Postal Service executive who wants a big raise, the way to get it is to resign. The strategy has worked for some, according to a report by the agency's inspector general.
Former Postal Service employees have been awarded more than 2,700 outside services contracts by the agency since 1991, according to the report. Between 2006 and 2009, 17 former executives were given no-bid contracts. Most of them received six-figure payments. One was given a $260,000 contract to train his successor.
We wonder how many postal carriers are offered similar deals once they decide to retire and hand their routes over to new employees.
''It appears unethical to hire back former executives at nearly twice their former pay to advise new executives,'' the inspector general's report noted. Most taxpayers probably would view that as an understatement.
The option of resigning, then going back to the Postal Service as a contractor with much higher pay is only one perk agency executives enjoy. While the agency pays 79 percent of health benefit costs for most workers, top executives receive 100 percent.
Outside contracting is supposed to save money for government agencies - not be used as a gold mine for their senior executives. Apparently, someone forgot to tell Postal Service executives that.
Congress should not put up with it. Executives who approve such contracts should be kicked out of the Postal Service - with no possibility of coming back as highly paid contractors.