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June 30, 2006

June 29, 2006

June 28, 2006

Man gets 2-years in prison  for shooting, robbing  mail carrier  |Comments (8)

Neighbors want answers about missing packages
Winsted carrier brought safety along with letters
Third time charm for new postmaster
Woman given probation for stealing from post office
Postal carrier admits taking cash from card

June 27, 2006  NALC President Young: At USPS, a struggle over which promises to keep (PDF) - "A collective bargaining agreement is a solemn pledge. A group of workers and their employer mutually promise to abide by the negotiated terms and conditions of a contract. But, as the old saying goes, "Promises are like babies: easy to make, hard to deliver." That is especially true for promises made by sprawling enterprises like the USPS. With our negotiations for a new contract drawing near, I am deeply troubled by the Postal Service's increasing failure to abide by the plain and simple terms of our existing National Agreement."

June 26, 2006 - Former Postmaster Relief Pleads Guilty to Tampering With Customer’s Medications - Former Temporary Postmaster Carolyn Sturgeon acknowledged that on July 13, 2005, she was working at the Malden, Washington, Post Office. That day, she opened a certified mail packet that had been sent from the St. John’s Pharmacy in St. John, Washington, to a Postal customer.  The mail packet contained a prescription bottle holding 84 tablets of Oxycodone, which the customer had been prescribed. Sturgeon removed the Oxycodone tablets from the prescription bottle and replaced them with 84 tablet of Synthroid, a thyroid medication that Sturgeon had been prescribed. Sturgeon placed the prescription bottle now holding the Synthroid tablets back into the certified mail packet and, thereafter, caused the packet to be delivered to the Postal customer. If the Postal customer had ingested the Synthroid tablets according to the daily dosage regime for Oxycodone, the customer could have suffered a cardiac arrest.   |

June 26, 2006 - $82 million Postal Facility opens July 8 in Maine

"A massive $82 million mail plant is set to open in Scarborough in a couple of weeks, a culmination of the U.S. Postal Service's effort nearly 10-year effort to consolidate the area's mail processing and distribution in a larger space. The 429,000-square-foot facility,- the size of about 7 1/2 football fields - stands on a 51-acre site near the South Portland border. The center is expected to employ more than 600 people who will handle all mail for southern and central Maine. Consolidation allows a more efficient layout of current and anticipated equipment, which will smooth mail flow and hold down mail processing costs, Rizzo said. Scott Adams, president of Local 458 of the American Postal Workers Union, said the move was needed, but the excitement workers should feel about the new facility is overshadowed by fears about their assignments and schedules, which had not yet been announced, he said." Huge postal center set to open on July 8   (free registration req)  |

June 26, 2006 - The Hidden Costs of "Junk Mail" - "If it seems like your mailbox is stuffed with more shiny credit card offers and catalogs than ever before, you're right. The US Postal Service says the volume of advertising mail outpaced first class mail for the first time last year. City waste managers and environmental groups are concerned that all that mail is going to add up to a lot more waste.The Association's annual report says those hefty returns are based on an average of just 2.7 percent of people responding to the ads they get in the mail. Last year, that meant more than 600 billion dollars in sales. So, it's profitable for marketers to fill up your mailbox. But critics say there are hidden costs that marketers aren't paying. Some of those costs also arrive in your mailbox in the form of a bill from your city for solid waste disposal or recycling."  |

June 26, 2006 - Mailbox issue halts letter deliveries to several California businesses - Receptacles need to be raised, post office says; no notice of the stoppage was given, owners say Scott and other business owners in the area received a letter from the U.S. Postal Service dated June 10 that informed them their mail boxes were too low and the problem needed to be addressed.

June 26, 2006

June 25, 2006 - Let's Help the New Postal Sheriff
"Ellis Burgoyne, one of the postal service's rising stars, took over last month as the acting vice president of the Southwest region. Ellis Burgoyne's predecessor, George Lopez, who held the job for six years, was criticized by the postal carriers union for combining delivery routes as a cost-cutting measure, union President Lucinda Stapp said. Carriers had to double up and work two routes, with mail sometimes not getting to customers until nighttime, Stapp told me. Stapp, president of the National Association of Letter Carriers Branch 226 in Richland Hills, said that a month after Burgoyne took over the region, two routes were created at the Seminary Hill Station in Fort Worth." Burgoyne also served as Postmaster of Oakland, Ca. Burgoyne made six management changes in the Southwest  |

June 25, 2006 - Many postal workers get stamp of approval - A good mail carrier is something to treasure, like a competent accountant or an honest mechanic. In some ways, good mail carriers are more valuable because postal customers don't get to choose. It's the luck of the draw. You get a bad one, you complain. You get a good one, you bake cookies, you remember him/her at Christmas or offer up a can of cold soda pop every day. A good mail carrier is like the official neighborhood direction-giver. The best ones are diplomats, therapists and lawn-care experts. The best ones will know how to rescue your struggling queen palm.   |

June 25, 2006 -

DMA Fact Book: Direct Mail Still the King
Speeding pickup forces postal vehicle off road
Postmaster's efforts get stamp of approval
Sportsmen Group Urges Protest of Humane Society Stamps | photos

June 24, 2006   - Perceived Impairment May Be Protected Under Americans With Disability Act (ADA) - "A covered employee may be protected by the Americans With Disability Act if he or she is "perceived" or "regarded" as having a physical or mental impairment." This was the issue in a recent case. A co-worker began screaming at a postal worker in front of other co-workers and customers. "This interference caused the employee to miss work and eventually he began seeing a psychiatrist for anxiety and depression. When the postal employee returned to work, the offending co-worker, and then his supervisor as well, called him "crazy" and joked about his psychological care and medication.  After the work situation deteriorated, the employee quit and filed a discrimination claim under the ADA. He alleged that the co-worker and the supervisor together created a hostile work environment. The employee prevailed on his ADA claim. " |

June 23, 2006  - eReassign Reaches Milestone -  10,000 transfers since 2003 - The Web-based application that automates the voluntary transfer process for career bargaining unit employees recently marked a milestone, the reassignment of the 10,000th employee. eReassign was launched in October 2003. It lets employees submit a reassignment request for up to five offices and positions in a district, view the status of requests online and view offices within each district.  map of Districts by Area (PDF) | To access eReassign click here (from PR reader)

June 23, 2006  - New Intelligent Mail Device scanners get thumbs-up in Pennsylvania test - 300,000 have been ordered for delivery starting later this year
 

June 23, 2006

Status of Pacific Area Reassessment Program in dispute

United losing mail delivery contract with Postal Service

Mail carrier comes to aid of Wellsville man

Postal Service will delay Sioux City decision

Congressman, audit question need to reroute mail to Tampa

Twelve arrested in money order thefts

Newspaper carrier caught on tape stealing mail

Crash kills New Orleans postal worker

USPS extends deadline for mail over the counter in New Orleans

APWU: Central KY Area Local President Richard Tobin Dies
USPS OIG: Repair of Facilities Affected by Hurricane Katrina (PDF)
Hey USPS, pick on someone your own size

'Freaky' Letters Under Investigation by USPS

June 22, 2006 - Congressman, report question St. Petersburg/Tampa consolidation plan - Rep. C.W. Bill Young wants more data on potential savings and service changes. Mayor Rick Baker points to an audit critical of the plan. A powerful local congressman and a critical government audit are pressuring the Postal Service to re-examine its plan to eliminate the city postmark and consolidate the area’s mail sorting in Tampa. Rep. C.W. Bill Young on Thursday echoed city leaders questioning the rationale behind the proposal to eliminate 19 jobs in St. Petersburg and reroute incoming first-class mail to Tampa. The city, local postal employees and many residents object to the plan, saying it will slow delivery times and tear at the city’s identity by replacing the St. Petersburg postmark with a Tampa one

June 22, 2006 - USPS Gains Efficiencies Through Contracting (Outsourcing) -Though the U.S. Postal Service has been ramping up its spending on outside contractors, some industry observers say it will have to outsource even more of its work if it aims to improve efficiency and remain competitive. For fiscal 2005 the Postal Service spent about $12 billion on contractors for goods and services, including fuel, according to David Hendel, attorney with Wickwire Gavin in Vienna, Va. which monitors Postal Service contractor spending. And main question is, why isn’t the Postal Service doing less of some kinds of work?” Hendel asked. “Especially in the area of transportation, they save when they contract out. Postal employees are very expensive — about 80 percent of all their costs.  FedEx, the biggest Postal Service supplier by far, last year was paid more than $1.36 billion dollars to move agency mail. That is up from $1.16 billion in 2004 and from $1.07 billion in 2003. Fedex's seven year contract is up next year.    |

June 22, 2006 - District Manager has high hopes for New Mexico mail center - "The U.S. Postal Service has carved the country into 80 districts, and until recently, the Albuquerque district -- which sorts Santa Fe's mail -- was rated fifth from the bottom in efficiency. That's according to Victor Benavides, who started as the Albuquerque district manager May 8. Now the district is rated 62nd, and he hopes to have the district in the top 10, if not No. 1, by the end of this fiscal year. Benavides said he has hired 45 carriers and 20 clerks since he started, but part of the challenge he faces is changing the attitudes of employees who have become accustomed to low standards. Benavides and Romero acknowledged it wasn't uncommon for carriers to be out until 9 p.m. delivering mail. Ruben Romero, Santa Fe's postmaster, said he is also in the process of hiring 28 rural carriers, and they should be on their routes by August " OIG : Las Cruces, New Mexico Delayed Mail (PDF) |

June 22, 2006 - 24-Year Postal Maintenance Clerk Pleads Guilty - A 24-year U.S. Postal Service veteran on Wednesday pleaded guilty in Orlando's federal court to one count of opening mail. Bishop Smith, a former Hiawassee Post Office maintenance clerk, is one of 11 workers charged by federal prosecutors in the past month in Orlando and Ocala, According to court records, the other Orlando-area workers include 3 rural carriers; 3 letter carriers; 1 distribution clerk; 1 mail handler; 1 express-mail driver and another postal worker.   |

June 22, 2006 - USPS OIG Audit: Controls Over Contracts Awarded to Former Postal Service Employees (PDF) - "This comparison identified 205 noncompetive contracts the Postal Service awarded to former employees valued at $11,595,406. From this population of 205 contracts, we excluded 45 contracts awarded to former Postal Service inspectors. We found only 4 contracts awarded to active employees and 139 contracts awarded to former employees in the universe, and among them there were 22 contracts with a value of more than $100,000; one for an active employee and 21 for former employees. In addition there was only one contract awarded to a former employee without the contract value specified in the database. A prior audit stated that Management used contractors to supplement the career workforce dating back to 1992."  Postal Inspection Service Noncompetitive Contract Process (PDF)   |

June 22, 2006 - United Airlines Won't Fly U.S. mail
"The airline fails to qualify as a domestic mail carrier because of its performance in delivering mail on time. United Airlines will stop carrying U.S. domestic mail after June 30, after it failed to qualify for a contract renewal and declined a short-term contract extension. United said it is the largest carrier of domestic mail and had opened up its network for domestic mail service. "  |

June 22, 2006 - McAllen, TX: Locals Vocal at USPS Meeting - U.S. Postal Service officials met with area leaders Wednesday in an attempt to counter "myths" about an ongoing study that many worry will lead to costly mail delays. As many as 50 people — including postal workers, business leaders and congressional aides — attended what Postal Service officials intended to be an informational meeting, but was characterized by some rather pointed questions and comments. The discussion stemmed from the revelation earlier this year that the Postal Service was studying whether consolidating the Rio Grande Valley’s outgoing mail processing operation to Corpus Christi would help the agency operate more efficiently.

June 22, 2006 - Postal Job Scam Licked - About 27,600 Purchasers Paid for Worthless Materials - An operation that sold worthless prep materials for post office jobs that didn’t exist, will give up almost all of their assets to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that the scam violated federal law. The defendants will give up property worth about $45,000. The FTC charged that the operation misrepresented an affiliation with the Postal Service, the availability of postal jobs, and that getting a score of 90 or better on a postal entrance exam guarantees applicants a job. The FTC also alleged that using their test preparation materials would not help anyone to pass the postal exam, contrary to their claims, and that the defendants misrepresented that the fee to purchase the materials was fully refundable.

June 22, 2006 - Hazmat Training for All Postal Employees - Fiscal Year 2006 hazardous materials (HAZMAT) training is required for all employees who accept, deliver and/or process the mail. Delivery and collection employees have a 30-minute course (#54293-01); retail acceptance employees, a 60-minute course (#54201-55); and mail processing employees, a 90-minute course (#54201-54). All three cover how to recognize and handle HAZMAT if encountered in the mail. If you haven’t received your training, contact your supervisor. Postmasters, station managers and supervisors can contact their District Aviation Mail Security coordinator for more information. Training must be completed by June 30, 2006

June 22, 2006 - 'Hurt' postal worker makes full restitution - Judge sentenced former Naperville resident Ahrita Mahajan to probation for defrauding taxpayers by claiming to be disabled when she wasn’t.The former postal worker was caught red-handed — perhaps literally — slapping her hands down on gambling tables at casinos in 2002 when she was supposed to be too disabled in her wrists to work, court documents showed. By receiving a sentence of probation, Mahajan avoided jail time. Taxpayers got theirs, too, though, because Mahajan repaid the entire $118,000 she collected while falsely on disability, her attorney, Kevin O’Reilly told the judge.

June 21, 2006  - An Unusual Request for a Promotion
"In a rather bizarre federal employee appeal that made its way to the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals, a rural mail carrier who was told by the USPS to return to work following some 9 years on workers compensation, argued that she could only physically qualify to be Postmaster since she could no longer perform her duties as a carrier.  |

June 21, 2006 - Mail Carrier Robbed With Stun Gun in Portland - Two suspects used a stun gun to rob a mail carrier in southeast Portland Tuesday afternoon, police said. They made off with an undisclosed amount of mail believed to have been in the postal vehicle at the time.   |

June 20, 2006  - Public meeting sought on Olympia mail consolidation plan - After the U.S. Postal Service met in Yakima last week to discuss plans to consolidate Yakima mail in Pasco, union officials and former postal workers here are now asking one question: Why didn't Olympia get a public meeting. The consolidation plan, which has been under way since April but was not preceded by a public meeting, was announced Nov. 1.

June 20, 2006  - NAPS: Postal Reform Inches Closer to Finish Line (doc) - "One of the most important differences between the House and Senate bills involves when the Postal Service will have the flexibility to secure a rate increase larger than usual, especially when unexpected or emergency circumstances arise. Under both bills, rate increases would be pegged to inflation. But a sudden surge in gas prices, a bioterrorist attack, or any of a number of other emergency circumstances requires the Postal Service have the authority to raise postage prices higher than normal. The House bill provides greater flexibility to the Postal Service than the Senate. If the Postal Service doesn’t have that flexibility, it will have to cut costs, which could mean cuts in workforce or smaller (or even no) increases in pay and benefits."

June 20, 2006  - Postal Progress- But some deliveries still elusive in New Orleans - The U.S. Postal Service is confident mistakes made during Hurricane Katrina will never be repeated. After Katrina’s floodwaters subsided and USPS inspectors surveyed the damage, they quickly found inherent mistakes in the evacuation policy. Nearly 200 trucks were lost, immeasurable pounds of first-class mail, including letters, checks and bills, were destroyed, and employees were hard to find. This season, USPS District Manager James Taylor believes the plan in place has covered all those bases.

June 20, 200-  West Virginia Postmaster Charged with Battery.... Again!
"Clarksburg police officers responded to a domestic violence call Thursday night.
Doesn't sound too unusual, but what separates this case from the rest is the suspect. The following morning, police arrested Terry Dean, 49, the Clarksburg City Postmaster. But the investigation into Dean does not stop there. It continues within the post office itself. A Postal Service spokesperson confirms inspectors are internally investigating Dean's activity. Dean is under emergency suspension, following his arrest for domestic battery But court records also show this is not the first time Dean has been arrested. In March 2003, Clarksburg police charged Dean with battery on a police officer."  The case was later dismissed. Clarksburg Postmaster Still Under Investigation 3-20-2006.    |

June 20, 2006

Number of Employees by Union Code PP10 (May 8, 2006)

Ask President Burrus: Rumors about  state of CSRS?

APWU: 'Ask a Working Woman' Survey

Letter Carrier: Postal reform is the real answer

Post office wants to return wedding memories to owner

Post Office Closing in small town of Penokee

Two men face charges after allegedly damaging 54 mailboxes

Grand new flag flies over Albany post office
Canada: 17 postal union members arrested in Ottawa

June 19, 2006 - USPS Point of Service (POS) NCR Software Problems
A memo from Robert Strunk, APWU Assistant Director, Clerk Division reports: "We have received numerous calls regarding the new NCR software in the transition to a single vendor rather than both the NCR and IBM. At a meeting with management this week, they have informed the APWU that they are aware of many of the problems and are meeting in Chicago and in Indiana to review the software problems. We would like to thank those locals who forwarded specific problems with the software. We have given management our list. We will attempt to keep locals and our field officers updated." USPS announced in April: "Deployment has begun to transition all USPS Point of Service (POS) systems to the same software. By the end of July, all POS systems — both NCR and IBM — will run NCR software." At least 30 districts are running IBM software (PDF)  |

June 19, 2006 - Number of Active Postal Employees by Age, Years of Service (PDF) -Interesting stats from the "Postal Service Active Employee Statistical Summary (HAT)"  on the number of Postal Service employees by age and completed years of service [as of Pay Period  10]. The employees ages range from the youngest  at 17 years old  and the oldest --80-plus years old. The report also lists more than 100,000 with 1 year or less completed years of service while  100-plus employees are listed with 50 years or more of completed service..  click here for the complete HAT report from PRC (PDF) |

June 18, 2006 - The Checks In The Mail, But Who's Delivering?
"Southwest Florida is short about 200 substitute mail carriers and it's putting a strain on the U.S. Postal Service. Saturday they held the first job fair of its kind in Naples. "It's lots of hard work. People think it's a lot easier than it is," said mail carrier Teresa Kelly. Some call it the ultimate temp job. You just hop in your car and take on the day's mail route when a carrier calls in sick. Lately it's been tough for the postal service to find people to fill those shoes"   |

June 17, 2006 -  Georgia: Tifton post office mourns postmaster’s sudden death - A longtime supervisor said Thursday that the Tifton post office “took a dip in its stock” Saturday when its postmaster died suddenly of a massive heart attack at his Moultrie home. Employees at the post office are still shocked at the loss of longtime U.S. Postal Service employee and Tifton Postmaster James Lewis Griner, 51.

June 17, 2006 - eNapus: House OKs Postal Appropriations - On Wednesday, the House of Representatives approved H.R. 5567, the $139.7 billion Transportation, Treasury, Housing and Urban Development, Judiciary, District of Columbia, and Independent Agencies Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2007. The House passed the legislation by an overwhelming 406-22 majority. Although the bulk of the funds are obligated to the Departments of Transportation, Treasury, and Housing and Urban Development, H.R. 5567 also includes funds for the Postal Service.H.R, 5567 contains $108.9 million for the Postal Service. This USPS allocation is $29 million more than the amount the White House intended, but about $44 million less than what the USPS requested for the upcoming fiscal year, which begins on October 1. In addition, it is $7 million less than the Fiscal Year 2006 appropriation. The Congressional appropriation is intended to reimburse the USPS for legislatively mandated free or reduced postage for mail for the blind, overseas voters, and nonprofit organizations. The Committee Report that accompanied H.R. 5567 (House Report 109-495) restated the fact that: “Congress does not provide funds for either general operations or capital investments.” As postmasters know, postal rate-payers bear these costs.

June 17, 2006- Neighbors vow to fight closing of Observatory Hill post office - "We certainly sympathize," said Tad Kelly, a post office spokesman. "We know the emotional attachment folks have to a community post office. It's a business decision. We have to be fiscally responsible. We are not subsidized by tax dollars." He said the postal service will pick up packages at people's homes and that "the Internet gives them everything they need." Several post office users disagreed... "Where are you going to get $1,800 to buy a computer?" asked Michael McCarthy, who held a sign that read, "Post office Keep Open!" -

June 17, 2006 - Mail over the counter for Katrina victims ending June 30 - "Come June 30, the U.S. Postal Service no longer will provide over-the-counter mail service to New Orleans residents whose neighborhoods were damaged by Hurricane Katrina. The service, launched in October as a temporary measure to ensure that postal customers continued to get their mail while delivery routes were re-established, is no longer needed because mail delivery has steadily increased, and there are plans in the works to expand delivery in several of the city's neighborhoods, postal officials said Friday."

June 16, 2006 - Waikoloa post office to come under USPS management - Relief is on the way for Waikoloa residents frustrated over late magazine arrivals, deliveries to the wrong post office boxes, inability to purchase money orders and long waits in line. In a move indicative of the population growth in and around Waikoloa Village, USPS is terminating contracted services at the village post office and will transition to a USPS-managed facility starting July 4. Waikoloa is one of five post offices on the Big Island -- along with Keauhou, Ninole, Ocean View and Ookala -- that outsources services. At this point, the Waikoloa post office is the only contracted office undergoing such a transition. |

June 16, 2006

Trenton APWU Excessing Update, Custodian Exam for Clerks

Postal delivery box spillage snarls California commute

Aberdeen Post Office's Future Unsure

Zanesville postmark may change by September

Yakima: Proposed Postal Service changes meet resistance

Tennessee: Locals want to keep mail in town

Boy fires paintball at mail carrier
Letter carrier heads to jail for OWCP Fraud
Gene Del Polito for Direct Magazine: Rate Shock!

June 15, 2006  - Merced post office shifts delivery routes - For the first time in nine years, the Merced office of the U.S. Postal Service has redrawn its delivery routes throughout the city.The reorganization was implemented to more evenly split daily delivery loads among Merced's 46 routes. But many local mail carriers say, so far, the change has only meant more work and longer days.And local residents say they've noticed delivery delays of up to seven hours, with some mail arriving as late as 9:30 p.m. Experts from the postal service's Sacramento district office found that about 80 percent of Merced's mail carriers were making daily rounds that no longer represented a typical eight-hour route, said Tenorio.

June 15, 2006  - Waterbury (CT) getting postal mark back - The city will be getting back its postmark after losing it in a U.S. Postal Service consolidation six months ago. Postal officials have agreed to revive the cancellation that indicates a piece of mail originated in Waterbury . During a meeting Wednesday in the office of Mayor Michael J. Jarjura, local leaders learned that the postal service is required to maintain a drop slot inside the post office building that ends with the mail getting a city postmark. That service was eliminated when the postal service transferred many of the functions previously performed at the city's downtown post office. Mail originating at the downtown post office is now given a "Southern Connecticut" postmark. Wednesday's meeting was called by federal and state legislators who are trying to reverse the postal service's decision to transfer major mail processing operations from Waterbury to Wallingford.

June 15, 2006  - EEOC Is Hobbled, Groups Contend - "With a shrinking workforce and a flagging budget, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is falling behind in enforcing federal civil rights laws in the workplace, labor union officials and civil rights advocates said yesterday. The EEOC is in a state of crisis and is systematically being weakened from within to justify its elimination," Andrea E. Brooks, a national vice president for the government employees federation, said in a statement. Nicholas M. Inzeo, director of the EEOC's Office of Field Programs, acknowledged that funding has been tight and that the agency has had to trim its staff as Bush and Congress have directed more money to national defense and homeland security.

June 15, 2006 - Inspector General agrees to audit Sioux City postal consolidation study - Local officials were pleased to learn that the U.S. Postal Service study which could result in the closing of Sioux City's Area Mail Processing (AMP) and Distribution Center will get a thorough going over. Congressman Steve King announced Wednesday that the Inspector General of the U.S. Postal Service has agreed to conduct an audit of the USPS's study of the AMP. Unlike the Postal Service's AMP study, King said, the Inspector General's office agreed its audit will be made public once it's finished. Only some of the results of the AMP study were made public, although the community was led to believe the entire study would be disclosed.
 

June 14, 2006 - ADVO Discusses Postal Rate Case - To continue to qualify for the lowest possible postal rates for its class of mail, the company will modify its operations to move to "in-line, on-piece" addressing of its ShopWise shared mail advertising package. The changes will be in place by summer 2007, in conjunction with the new rate structure. "With our investment in new addressing technology, we will help the Postal Service to further reduce mail processing and delivery costs. This will enable us to continue to attain the most favorable rates available for our clients," explained S. Scott Harding, ADVO Chief Executive Officer. The new on-package addressing will replace the detached address label currently used for most ADVO mailings. |

June 14, 2006 - APWU: Goleta Victims' Funds To Be Distributed
APWU Human Relations Director Sue Carney has announced that in the first week of July the union will distribute contributions to the union’s fund for victims of the Goleta, CA, shooting. “We appreciate the generosity of APWU members who have made donations to the families of their co-workers,” Carney said. Approximately $25,000 has been collected to date.

June 14, 2006  - Postal Window Clerks Protect Your Jobs - By Al Ross, APWU Clerk Craft Director, East Bay Area Local #47 - With the Postal Service’s intent to downsize a lot of window clerk positions based on recorded POS-ONE downtime, it is now crucial for all window clerks to start following certain procedures to reflect accurately exactly with function that you are undertaking. Within the POS-ONE system, that are a number of codes that can be used to record what type of operational function you are doing so the system won’t record you on downtime. Downtime is one of the key elements that the Postal Service is using to eliminate, what they consider, excessive Window Clerk positions. Downtime can cause a station that has five clerks to be down sized to 2.5 clerks based on the data that the POS-ONE system records. Therefore, extreme care should be used to accurately record all window clerk functions.|

June 14, 2006 - Texas PM: USPS Moving Away from Cluster Mailboxes

Converse Postmaster Richard Imes told council members that the U.S. Postal Service is moving away from community mailboxes or cluster boxes where a group of mail boxes — similar to the boxes inside of a post office — are in one location on a metal stand. In new subdivisions, the postmaster said, the Postal Service now is requiring two mailboxes on a single stand on the property line of two houses so the postal carrier can deliver two sets of mail in one stop within city limits. Cluster boxes still will be allowed outside city limits, he said. "Twenty-five years ago, the post office thought it would be a great idea to have community mailboxes, but now that policy has changed," he said, explaining that the cost of maintaining community mailboxes is prohibitive.   |

June 14, 2006 - Could city of St. Petersburg lose postmark to Tampa? "A Postal Service plan to consolidate services to Tampa would eliminate St. Petersburg's postmark on first-class mail. Postal officials say it would make them more efficient. Too efficient, some say. Mayor Rick Baker, for one, is not pleased that his city may lose its postmark and some of its postal operations to Tampa. Postal officials said their plan to route all of the city's first-class stamped mail to Tampa for postmarking would save about $1.3-million a year and is an appropriate response to a nationwide trend of declining mail."

June 14, 2006 - Baton Rouge expanding postal operations - The U.S. Postal Service is moving its administrative offices from Bluebonnet Boulevard to downtown, quadrupling its employment in the central business district, said Elizabeth Inman, the city’s new postmaster.

June 13, 2006 - USPS Honored with Awards for Biodiesel Fuel and Recycling Programs - The U.S. Postal Service nearly tripled its use of biodiesel from approximately 417,790 GGE in FY2000, to 1,142,631 gasoline gallon equivalents (GGE) in FY2005. In addition, USPS initiated a Fleet Testing and Evaluation of Biodiesel Fuel Blends and Fuel System project designed to evaluate biodiesel and its enhanced lubricity in terms of mechanical wear of engine components, compatibility with non-metal engine items, solvent action, deposit-forming tendencies, and corrosive potential against the effects of conventional on-road diesel fuel. The results were positive and the agency shared them with industry, Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), and others in an effort to educate and promote the use of biodiesel. Because of the positive results, USPS plans to increase biodiesel use in future years.
 

June 13, 2006 - Array of International Mailing Options for eBay Entrepreneurs - USPS Expands Online, Global Delivery Services - Global shipping with the Postal Service is quick, easy and convenient. Through a single transaction, customers can pay with their PayPal accounts (through either eBay or PayPal's websites), and print labels containing customs forms for the Postal Service's Global Express Mail, starting at $15.50; Global Priority Mail, starting at $7; and Global Airmail Parcel Post, starting at $13.25. "Global Shipping through the Postal Service offers some of the most economical international rates available on eBay, and the prices are fixed with no add-on charges," said John E. Potter, Postmaster General and CEO of the U.S. Postal Service. "Flat rate global shipping options are also available and are fast, priced right, and easy-to-use."

June 13, 2006 - BBB Warns Of False Postal Job Ads In South Dakota - A warning has been issued by the Better Business Bureau that postal jobs offered in South Dakota are not available as advertised. Jim David, BBB Branch Manager for South Dakota stated, "Classified help wanted newspaper ads by a private company in area newspapers have promoted postal jobs, but the ads are only a come-on for the company's actual business. This company is charging $108 for printed material about how to test for postal jobs - and no postal jobs are provided!"

June 12, 2006  - 8 Postal Workers Accused of Stealing Mail

Eight postal workers in Central Florida are facing criminal charges after allegedly stealing from the mail, prosecutors said. The stolen items include a Louis Vuitton designer purse, cash and gift cards, according to court documents." Most postal employees are honest, hardworking people," Patricia Armstrong, a Washington spokeswoman for the U.S. Postal Service's law-enforcement arm, told the Orlando Sentinel. "There are a few bad apples out there." Authorities had received reports of delayed or stolen mail over the past two years that led to the charges. The eight individuals being charged, five in Orlando and three in Ocala, include mail carriers, route drivers and express-mail distribution workers. At least one was a 29-year veteran of the postal service. Several more cases are expected. Wait a minute, Mister Postman |

June 12, 2006 - USPS: Net deficiency of $147 million posted after escrow allocation  - USPS revenues of $5.88 billion for April were 1% or $58 million over plan and $115 million or 2% more than April 2005. Expenses were virtually on plan, producing a net income of $103 million before the monthly escrow allocation of $250 million. After the escrow allocation, our financial position for April shifts to a net deficiency of $147 million. Total mail volume in April was 1.9% less than last year. Mail volumes in all major mail categories were below April 2005 levels. Year-to-date, net income before escrow allocation is $1.66 billion or $186 million over plan. Year-to-date, the net deficiency after escrow allocation is $89 million.  |

June 12, 2006 - USPS Selects New Breed to Operate Surface Transfer Center in Salt Lake City - New Breed Logistics, Inc., based in High Point, North Carolina, announced today that it has been selected by the United States Postal Service (USPS) to operate the Surface Transfer Center (STC) in Salt Lake City, Utah.  New Breed will provide terminal handling services in support of domestic mail that is transported through the Salt Lake City STC. Under this contract, New Breed will receive, sort, consolidate, load and dispatch varying types of mail for the USPS." New Breed represents one of the largest government-outsourced logistics programs in history. .   |

June 11, 2006  - Newspaper tests delivery services - The Postal Service -- yes, the post office! -- had the lowest price, and got our package there the quickest.  |

June 10, 2006 - Postal Worker Pleads Guilty to Making False Statements to Obtain Federal Employee Compensation - Wiliam Hornbeak reported to his physician and DOL that he was unable to work without significant physical discomfort. Despite these and other assertions by Hornbeak to the government, Hornbeak’s condition had improved. Indeed, beginning in at least August 1999 and continuing for years, Hornbeak helped to build a deck, a front porch to his home and a shed; fished; played horseshoes competitively; drove a tractor; climbed trees; kneeled for periods of time to hammer; crawled underneath vehicles to repair them; and carried heavy items. In 2003, law enforcement surveilled Hornbeak snow plowing his and a neighbor’s driveway, driving a lawn tractor for hours without breaks, pushing a wheelbarrow, and carrying a 70 pound outboard motor to his boat and a 40 pound bench in his yard. Hornbeak did not limp or display any signs of physical discomfort during these activities. |

June 10, 2006 - Father sues Postal Service in death of son -The father of an 18-month-old boy run over and killed by a postal truck in Oceanside last year sued the U.S. Postal Service Friday in Los Angeles federal court, seeking $5 million. The suit filed on behalf of Los Angeles area resident Phillip Young alleges that negligence on the part of the postal carrier who was driving the delivery truck caused the Feb. 4, 2005, death of his son. |

June 08, 2006 - Fired Postal Worker Wins Reinstatement, $500,000
The worker, Willie D. Brown, a counter clerk at the Langhorne Post Office, claimed that his firing was the result of discrimination and harassment by his bosses. According to court records, friction between Brown and his supervisors began in late 2002 when Brown, who had been with the postal service since 1981, assisted a co-worker in bringing charges of discrimination against her male supervisors. Following that incident, the postal managers at the Langhorne office began a “short and bellicose campaign to eliminate” Brown, who, up until that time, had a spotless employment record, court papers state. The suit demanded that Brown's employers end their discriminatory conduct and reimburse Brown for back pay, salary increases, bonuses, insurance and other benefits lost since the time he was fired.  |

June 08, 2006 - USPS Office of Inspector General Semiannual Report to Congress (PDF) - The OIG "embarked on an initiative to analyze trends and root causes of employee misconduct and fraud across the Postal Service. This ongoing analysis will help management at all levels develop actionable countermeasures for these vulnerabilities."  Also in the report : Controlling delivery costs; Efficiency of Bulk Mail Centers;. Optimizing the Mail Processing Network and more.   |

June 08, 2006  - Postal worker in fair condition after crash in Allentown -  A Postal Service driver from Bethlehem was seriously injured Wednesday when his mail truck went over a 50-foot rock embankment onto railroad tracks | Video

June 07, 2006 - USPS to Hold Public Meeting on Consolidation of Yakima Operations - The U.S. Postal Service will hold a public meeting June 15 on a plan that could move some Yakima operations to Pasco and result in the transfer of five employees. The postal service has been studying operations nationwide to identify efficiencies. A study of Yakima looked at consolidating the processing of some first-class mail from the main office at Washington and Third avenues to Pasco. According to a summary of the study provided by the Seattle postmaster, the changes here would amount to a total savings of about $154,000.

June 07, 2006 -

Home Depot May Buy Former US Postal Service Plant in SoCal

Letter Carriers Collected 70.5 Million Pounds of Food

Canada: Postal bill slated for House floor this Friday
World Marketing Launches InsideTrack For Mailers
 

June 06, 2006 - Postal Carrier Stabbed -Police are on the scene in Northeast Philadelphia where a postal carrier has been attacked an stabbed. The attacked happened around 10:40 a.m. Police say a woman who lives on the block approached the postal carrier and told him "This is your day to die." She then apparently stabbed him in the arm and in the hand, then stabbed herself. The postal worker is being treated for non-life-threatening injuries. He is in stable condition. More on Letter Carrier Ambush |

June 06, 2006 - Rockford: Public Calls USPS Plan a Stupid Idea - It was a standing room only crowd at the U.S. Postal Service public meeting Monday night. More than 500 people showed up to complain about possibly losing the Rockford post mark. "It`s about time someone starts listening to us and what our needs are,” says Robert Bowling, a Rockford resident and business owner. “For the metropolitan area of Rockford to lose a sorting station is ludicrous. It`s almost on the side of being stupid."

June 05, 2006 - Postal Worker Sues Home Owners for Tripping on Cracked Steps

A letter carrier for the U.S. Post Office is suing the owners of an East St. Louis residence for tripping on cracked steps. Lucille (great name)  Robinson claims she sustained injuries to various parts of her body after she fell while descending the steps on May 13. Represented by B. Jay Dowling of Sterling and Dowling in Fairview Heights, Robinson is seeking in excess of $100,000 in damages, plus costs of the suit. According to the complaint filed May 26 in St. Clair County Circuit Court suit claims the owners failed to maintain, repair, inspect and barricade the steps leading to the residence. It also alleges that the defendants failed to warn that the steps provided an uneven walking surface. Robinson claims she suffered pain, permanent disability and loss of a normal life.  |

June 05, 2006 - Trenton APWU Excessing Update - Due to the deployment of the Automatic Induction System (AI) and the Automatic Tray Handling System (ATHS) and assigning the Mail Handler Craft jurisdiction for staffing, management has created an over staffing of clerks and will begin to involuntary reassign (excessing) clerks in the near future." Before we get into the numbers and mechanism involved to begin excessing; you must clearly understand one thing, the union had nothing to do with this excessing event despite what your supervisor(s) are saying. This excessing and abolishment of duty assignments are solely management actions. The new management in Trenton clearly wants to hurt you. They have reverted positions and have not posted the new duty assignments, (like certain supervisors & managers have been saying). They are refusing to reduce the casuals to afford work for career employees."  |

June 05, 2006 - Playing by the rules brings trouble

Alan Ritchey, is a Texas-based company that contracts with the postal service to operate Mail Transport Equipment Service Centers). About one-third of the workers in a plant in Auburn who repair and inspect the equipment that helps bring Seattle its U.S. mail each day are immigrants. " A year ago, they reached for protection from a union. And that, they say, is when the trouble really ramped up. Despite the settlement agreements , former and current employees say non-bargained-for changes and firings continue. One of the most troubling is that, in order to meet hiked production goals, workers say they were told the only way to meet quotas was to stop looking for undelivered mail -- previously one of their most important jobs. Let's be clear. That means missing mail addressed to you and me." |

June 01, 2006 - USPS Seeks Vendors for Personal Identification Card System - The U.S. Postal Service has released a pre-solicitation to pre-qualify vendors for implementation of its personal identity verification (PIV) card system. Under Homeland Security Directive-12 (HSPD-12), all agencies must have secure, interoperable PIV card systems in place by Oct 27. The USPS’ implementation of HSPD-12 is divided into three phases. First, PIV cards will be issued to 30,000 USPS employees and pilot physical access readers will be placed at five locations. Postalreporter.com posted information on the PIVs last year , High-Tech ID Badges Planned for Federal, Postal Employees by 2006  |

June 01, 2006 -'No semblance of order’ in SD Reassessment Program
Reassignments 'random and haphazard,' says APWU -"Grievances filed by the San Diego Local of the American Postal Workers Union (APWU) portray the Postal Service's Reassessment Pilot Program as an unmitigated disaster, marked by arbitrary job withdrawals and reassignments for hundreds of injured postal employees and layoffs for 27 injured workers. A copy of one of the grievances was obtained from San Diego Local APWU President Rick Cornelius. The union was also told that workers injured on the job will be given priority in work assignments over employees needing light duty work for off the job injuries " Recent APWU Memo( PDF) | Letter: Another Option for Injured Postal Workers |

June 01, 2006 - NALC 'White paper' Aims to Halt Abusive Overtime Violations (PDF)  White Paper on overtime, staffing, and simultaneous scheduling -  A new CAU White Paper explains how NALC representatives can challenge the Postal Service’s widespread failure to staff facilities sufficiently—a failure that has led to numerous violations of the contractual overtime rules. Management in many places has consistently worked letter carriers beyond the contractual maximums of 12 hours per day and 60 hours per week. In addition, in many facilities the Postal Service has engaged in the “simultaneous scheduling” of overtime for ODL and non-ODL letter carriers. The new White Paper will help NALC representatives in challenging  the Postal Service to comply with the contract by staffing its facilities with sufficient letter carriers. |

June 01, 2006 - New $7.2M Postal Facility opens in Maryland

‘The 20,364-square foot facility can accommodate up to 55 postal employees who will deliver over 12,000 pieces of mail to customers,” said Deborah Yackley, a United States Postal Service spokeswoman. ‘‘This facility is bigger so customers won’t have to stand in line as long.” |

June 01, 2006 - Mailers: Postage Increase Damage Mitigated

Next Year's Hit: It's Not All Bad News -"Yes, mailers will be hit with a postage increase next year. But they may be able to save money by drop shipping and commingling. That's one way of looking at the latest rate blast from the U.S. Postal Service. On May 3, the USPS proposed new rates to take effect in 2007 that would force standard mailers to fork over some 9% more for postage and raise specific categories higher still. For example, the 8-ounce standard mail parcel rate would go up by 64% to $1.30. Mailers could reduce the impact by taking advantage of greater drop-ship discounts or redesigning the parcel as a flat and then drop shipping it."  |

June 01, 2006 - After 44 Years Letter Carrier hangs up his mail bag

After nearly a half-century of delivering letters, Walter Benson on Wednesday turned in his mail satchel for the last time." This is it," Benson said, handing over his U.S. Postal Service identification badge, keys and government-issued credit card to Salinas Postmaster Irma Solis-Smith. During his 44 years with the post office, Benson has been bitten by dogs several times, and even had a run-in with a bird. Someone had placed a rooster in a mailbox on Ralph Lane, a rural area several miles north of Salinas.  |

June 01, 2006