When author Pinson went to work for the United States Postal Service after having served in the National Guard, he believed he would find it to be well organized. However, he learned that in the matters of pay, hours, and benefits, the postal system was antiquated. The majority of postal workers don’t know how they accrue salary, sick leave, vacation time, or how their retirement benefits are calculated. Pinson has therefore created a streamlined system based on regular shifts and clocked hours that is simple and could be utilized by any large organization or corporation. It is arrayed around three daily 8-hour shifts and five-day weekly spans which he calls Tours that allow for production 24/7. His “Four-in-a-Box” model calls for each daily Tour to be covered by four employees rotating through the week. Employees would bid on their preferred Tours and would be assigned or awarded a Tour based on seniority.

Pinson has organized this short, fact-filled manual as an accessible examination of his C.H.A.P.P.S. pay/benefits system using basic, readily understandable explanations, graphs, and specific examples. The author’s overall strategy, which uses simple terminology and consistent rules, is remarkably thorough, addressing such items as flex time, sick/vacation leave accrual, and certain jobs such as transportation that require variable duties. He considers the current postal pay system inadequate to meet the needs of, for example, employees experiencing a high degree of stress associated with their work and who currently do not have access to personal leave. C.H.A.P.P.S. addresses that and other thorny issues. Pinson’s neatly conceived methodology would allow for greater comprehension among postal workers and their supervisors who currently have little grasp of how hours and pay are determined. Such a modernized system would almost certainly result in more consistent employment opportunities and a more satisfied workforce.

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