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News from Postalblog
Some Postal Managers Refusing
To Accept USPS, APWU Freeze On Excessing Agreement
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"USPS
Management Message Confirms Excessing Moratorium"
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USPS VP Position
Downgraded, New COO Gets $25,000 Relocation Pay
Stephen M. Kearney, Senior Vice
President, Customer Relations, has retained his position,
but by virtue of a realignment of his duties effective December
8, 2010, he is no longer an executive officer. New COO Megan
Brennan will receive a payment of $25,000 to help cover relocation
costs.
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Demoted Postal
Manager Appeals Part-Time Status to MSPB
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A former Postal Manager is attempting to circumvent the seniority
provisions of the APWU National Agreement.
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Former APWU
National Officer Found Guilty For Theft Of Union Funds
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Rural carriers reject USPS proposal for wage freeze, benefits
cuts .|
NALC: USPS News
Release On Contract Negotiations Is Full Of Spin And Distortions
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and distortions aimed at influencing public opinion. NALC
wants its members to know that we are responding to press
inquiries regarding the
USPS
release
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PMG Potter To
Retire Effective December 3, 2010
After nearly 10 years as
U.S. Postmaster General and CEO of the U.S. Postal Service,
John E. Potter today announced that he will retire on Dec.
3, after 32 years of service. The Governors of the Postal
Service named Patrick R. Donahoe, currently Deputy Postmaster
General and Chief Operating Officer, to succeed Potter
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Postal
Service Echoes Enron Abuses
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The need for reform at the top and a complete overhaul of
the current USPS culture is evident when you look at the scandals
revealed recently, including the Bob Bernstock scandal in
July,
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PMG Potter: Give U.S. Postal Service The Freedom To Compete
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USPS Has Too Many Supervisors And Too Many Employees, Congressman
Says -"The Post Office has
200,000 people who should be retiring," Rep. Darrell Issa
said in a speech Wednesday to The Heritage Foundation. USPS
had 568,301 employees at the end of August. "When I say retiring
I mean we don’t need them. But let’s bear in mind it’s just
not the guy at the post office; it’s the thousands of people
who are doing maintenance at post offices that we don’t need
to have so many of."
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Former Oklahoma Postmaster
Pleads Guilty to Embezzling $642,808 From Bulk Mail Customers
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Senator Collins:
OIG Audit Shows Stunning Evidence Of Excessive Postal Execs
Perks
- The U.S. Postal Service pays 100 percent of health insurance
premiums for 835 of its top employees, an expensive perk that
occurs at no other federal agency, .
Archive: Postal Execs Compensation &
Perks Reported Last Year | Audit:
Ex-Postal Service execs return as private contractors, make
more money
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Ex-postal executives
return for high-pay contracts
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GOP Rep. Darrell Issa: Time
for another government bailout
Postal employees
have incentives for holding tight to negotiating positions.
NALC responds to recent media
attacks on postal workers
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Postmaster General Addresses Need for
Fundamental Change
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OIG Says USPS Overfunded Its FERS Retirement Obligations By
$6.8 Billion
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Postal Service's
History of Seeking Five-Day Delivery to Cure Financial Woes
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Top USPS Attorney
Says They Are Two Sets Of Rules Governing Use Of Postal Equipment
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Replace a broken USPS
- Letter to the Editor
of the Washington Times by Wayne L. Johnson, Commander, Navy
Judge Advocate General's Corps (retired)
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Appeals Court
Uphold Removal of Postal Manager For Falsifying Timecard
Board Of Governors
Chairman Remarks On USPS Need To Act Like A Business
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Arbitrator Limits Abusive Postal Supervisor’s Contact With
Carriers
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USPS Attendance Control Crackdown 2010
- Letter sent out
from Area VP to District Managers
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By Stephen Lysaght, President,
APWU East Bay Area Local
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January 31, 2011
OIG: What Can USPS Do To Reduce Workers' Comp Costs?
In fiscal year 2009, the Postal
Service workers’ compensation expense was approximately $2.2
billion, an 81 percent increase from $1.2 billion in FY 2008.
These costs include $55 million in DOL administrative fees
for FY 2009. About 72 percent ($718 million) was a non-cash
charge related to changes in the estimated discount and inflation
rates used to calculate the liability for future payments.
At the end of FY 2009, the Postal Service estimated the total
liability for future workers’ compensation cost was over $10
billion.
USPS OIG,
USPIS Launch Workers' Comp Fraud Initiative
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Senator Susan Collins Seeks Reforms
To Federal Workers' Comp Program
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Postal Service's new sorter won't need
breaks
The U.S. Postal Service's new
mail-sorting machine is about the size of 14 double-decker
buses ---- and it's fast. It can do the job of 26 humans working
at full-bore. Unlike its fleshy counterparts, it will work
nonstop 17-hour shifts and won't ever get paper cuts or carpal
tunnel syndrome. The machine is called the Flats Sequencing
System. It sorts flats, a type of mail that includes magazines,
advertisements, newspapers, manila envelopes and the like
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The new postmaster general speaks out
Are the postal unions standing
in the way of making changes you need to make? No. They are
led by good people. The presidents are very good people. They're
people. They're looking at the challenges that we have with
the same, 'Oh my goodness' that everybody else does. These
guys, I'll tell you, we've reduced head count in this organization
by 225,000 people since the year 2000. There are very few
labor unions in the world who wouldn't be jumping up and down
ranting and raving about that. They know what I and Jack Potter
have done is to make sure there's as soft a landing as possible.
They've worked with us on that.
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Chase Does Its Part to Keep Postal Service
in Business
Auditors
raise concerns over USPS bookkeeping
Eastvale troubled with missing, undelivered
mail
Ex-postal worker pleads guilty
to mail theft
Goleta marks five-year anniversary
of post office massacre
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January 30, 2011
'60 Minutes' visits Mansfield, Ohio
post office
Show drawn to city to tell story
of Lincoln branch's closing - The Emmy-award winning show
"60 Minutes" spent Thursday and Friday at sites throughout
Richland County, including five Mansfield post offices and
AngelWoods Hideaway Bed and Breakfast, in Lucas. "We're doing
a story about the U.S. Postal Service, which is in the process
of closing a couple thousand post offices," producer Clem
Taylor said. "We're here in Mansfield looking at the Lincoln
branch as an example of what's going on across the country.
Message
from Local APWU On 60 Minutes visit to Mansfield, Ohio
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Postal Service seeks community input
on plan to close Westside branch
Postal Policymaking: On the Front Burner
Future
of small post offices remains uncertain
Rural post
offices under threat
Rural residents fear loss of local post
offices
Disabled Vermont veteran prevails in
fight for home mail delivery
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January 29, 2011
NY Postman
Charged With Stealing 7,000 Coupons And Selling Them On eBay
A Queens postal worker stole
thousands of retail-store coupons before they were mailed
out — and sold them at a discount on eBay, cops said yesterday.
The letter carrier, allegedly pilfered more than 7,000 coupons
from JCPenney, Kohl’s and Lowe’s and sold them in batches
on the Internet auction site. Working out of the Corona branch,
Tang told investigators that he netted roughly $35,000 from
the sale of JCPenney coupons between October 2009 and January
of this year.
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January 28, 2011
Congressman Rahall Calls On PRC To Review USPS’s Process For
Consolidating Mail Services
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U.S. Rep. Nick Rahall (D-W.Va.)
today appealed to the Postal Regulatory Commission to
review the Postal Service’s process for consolidating and
suspending mail services in southern West Virginia. The lack
of clarity and abuse of discretion in the consolidation process
for the Beckley and Huntington Post Offices demands scrutiny.
I urge the Postal Review Commission to review the Postal Service’s
compliance with applicable laws, and to provide recommendations
to the Congress to ensure a fair and equitable consolidation
process for the people of rural communities.
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Video: Philadelphia
Mail Carriers Drinking On the Job – Part 2
"Three Philadelphia mail carriers
are off the job and there’s a major shake-up in a city post
office where they worked. It’s a direct result of a Fox 29
Investigation." Two of the three carriers have been postal
employees for over 20 years. MyFoxPhilly.com
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APWU: With
Slow Progress, Contract Talks Continue
Although progress
in contract negotiations is slow, bargaining is ongoing,”
APWU President Cliff Guffey reported on Jan. 28. Representatives
of the Postal Service and the union are meeting almost daily,
he added. .
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APWU Protests
Bidding ‘Outage’
“It is expected that employees
whose contractual rights were abrogated by the employer’s
failure to properly post and/or award bids on vacant assignments
consistent with the Collective Bargaining Agreement, Local
Memorandums of Understanding, and past practice will be made
whole,” Morris said.
USPS Notifies APWU of Bidding
‘Outage’
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PMG Addresses
Postmasters in Open Letter
As the Postal Service continues
to focus on redesigning its management structure and streamlining
operations to increase efficiency and control costs, USPS
actions have drawn nationwide media attention . And, PMG Pat
Donahoe addressed concerns over recent media reports in an
open letter this week to Postmasters.
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- This is a
summary of an arbitration decision regarding USPS' practice
of utilizing custodians to transport mail to other Gulf
Coastal facilities The arbitrator sustained the Union’s grievance;
he directed the Postal Service to cease and desist and pay
compensation.
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In Cape Cod, Mass., a local fowl’s
feathers are clearly ruffled by the postman. This turkey is
really mad at the letter carrier..
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Postal Worker
penalized for Army National Guard service in Gulf
Almost as soon as Sgt. Brian
Perkins hit the ground in Kuwait to help guard convoys with
his Army National Guard unit, he got a one-page form letter
from his civilian employer - the U.S. Postal Service - saying:
'You're fired. It was a stunning blow to the 15-year Guard
veteran who earlier had served a 15-month tour in Iraq. USPS
spokeswoman said Perkins was a "transitional employee" with
a one-year assignment, and was not available to be rehired
when the assignment ran out on Nov. 15 - or when he was in
Kuwait. Veteran agent said the law allows the firing of temporary
employees, but one-year assignments don't fall into that category
and Perkins never should have been fired.
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Marvelettes Lead Singer On Classic Pop Hit ‘Please Mr. Postman’
Dies-
Gladys Horton, 66 dies after
suffering several strokes. Horton was lead singer on
classic song, 'Please Mr. Postman'.. The Marvelettes
were honored in December 2010 when "Please, Mr. Postman" became
part of the Grammy Hall of Fame collection, which honors "recordings
of lasting qualitative or historical significance that are
at least 25 years old
Union: Postal
Service drops subcontracting proposal
Parker postal
workers to be moved
No post office
for nearly 400 customers
It's the
last day for Elmwood Post Office in Syracuse
USPS makes play for regional parcel traffic
OPM Announces Open Season For Long-Term Care Insurance
USPS Love
Notes CD Debuts At Number 4 On Billboard’s Jazz Charts
America's
dying postal service: By the numbers
Illinois:
Gas smell keeps Hardin post office closed
USPS eases
bulk mail rules, though businesses may not bite
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January 27, 2011
NALC: The
Elephant In the Room And Washington Post Editorial Writers
One or two misleading and one-sided
editorials about the Postal Service's financial situation
might simply be chalked up to a bad day or a steep learning
curve, but the editorial page of The Washington Post has used
up its quota of excuses several times over. Today's editorial
may be the worst yet, and that's saying something
Editorial: In
an Internet age, postal service reform is long overdue
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Video:
Philadelphia Mail Carriers Drinking On the Job
"Three Philadelphia mail carriers
are off the job and there’s a major shake-up in a city post
office where they worked. It’s a direct result of a Fox 29
Investigation." Two of the three carriers have been postal
employees for over 20 years. MyFoxPhilly.com
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Ohio Postal
Worker Gets 5 Months Prison for Workers’ Comp Fraud
A Former postal
employee from Cleveland, was sentenced to five months imprisonment
and ordered to pay $116,980.34 in restitution after previously
pleading guilty to worker’s compensation fraud ..The former
postal worker was also sentenced to three years of supervised
release following his prison term.
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USPS Voice
of the Employee Survey Results
The quarter one, fiscal year
2011, results for the VOE survey are completed. More than
76,000 employees — 54 percent of those surveyed — responded.
Of those who responded to the survey, 64.6 percent replied
favorably. The majority of our employees understand the Postal
Service’s strategic direction and how their work affects the
organization’s success.
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USPS Notifies APWU of Bidding
‘Outage’
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January 26, 2011
PMG Expresses
Regret For Comparing Postmasters To Maytag Repair Man
NAPUS President Bob Rapoza expressed
his objections to the PMG about a statement he made in an
interview with the Washington Post where Mr Donahoe compared
some Postmaster workloads with the Maytag repair man, as being
the “loneliest job in the world.” Mr Donahoe apologized for
his un-intended remarks and said he would follow up with a
letter to the two Postmaster organizations.
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Video:
Postmaster General On Leadership – Delivering A New Package
Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe
talks with Washington Post’s Ed O’Keefe about the challenge
of bringing cuts, change and fresh ideas to the nation’s second-largest
civilian employer.
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USPS To
Close Three Postal Finance Stations In Cincinnati, Ohio
As a result of a study started
in 2009, the U.S. Postal Service has made the decision to
close the Cumminsville Finance Station, the East End Finance
Station and the Reed Hartman Finance Station, They will close
January 31, 2011. This announcement updates a review process
that examined approximately 3,300 stations and branches in
urban and suburban areas across the country, focusing on those
facilities in relative close proximity to one another to determine
where consolidations might be feasible.
USPS “Strip Station” Post Office In
Las Vegas to close
| Arkansas:
Postal service shuts down two locations
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LOVELAND,
CO announces deadlines to get its 2011 Valentine postmark
Postal union seeks members' help promoting
changes
Analyst:
Use Postal Service as cutbacks model
Government workers are the new illegal
aliens
Postal workers wait on closures
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January 25, 2011
USPS To Rely On Computerized System
To Determine Fate Of Post Offices
After years of using a confusing
and laborious 21-month process panned by customers and Congress
as too secretive and inconsistent, the mail agency is now
relying on a computerized system that enables officials to
review and determine a location's fate in no more than five
months. "We have post offices out there that we have
two customers, or three customers come in in an entire day,"
Donahoe said. "Remember the Maytag repair man? He used to
have the loneliest job in the world. We probably have about
5,000 postmasters that have the loneliest job in the world."
If an unprofitable site employs fewer than five people, is
open fewer than eight hours a day and is within 15 to 20 miles
of a larger location, it is likely to close.
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GOP Chairman
Issa Announces Full List Of House Oversight Committee
Chairman Darrell Issa, R-Calif.,
announced today the full list of Oversight and Government
Reform Committee membership and subcommittee assignments.
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Stamping out the Postal
Service using political ball & chain
California Postal Worker
Bitten By Pit Bull
Green Teams
Help Postal Service Save Millions
USPS To
Hold Public Meeting On Proposal To Move Some Reading P & DF
Mail Operations
Mail carrier
in South Bend bitten by dog while on the job
Boles Acres
Post Office closes doors
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January 24, 2011
Postal Service Eyes Closing Thousands
of Post Offices
Beginning
in March, the agency will start the process of closing as
many as 2,000 post offices, on top of the 491 it said it would
close starting at the end of last year. In addition, it is
reviewing another 16,000 - half of the nation's existing post
offices - that are operating at a deficit, and lobbying Congress
to allow it to change the law so it can close the most unprofitable
among them. A
disproportionate number of the thousands of post offices under
review are in rural or smaller suburban areas, though the
postal service declined to provide any estimate on how many
beyond those slated to begin closure in March might ultimately
close or which ones are being targeted.
Ruling
on Shuttered Post Offices Expected Soon
| APWU Denounces Post Office Closure
Plans
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OIG: USPS Northern
Virginia District Used More Workhours Than Necessary To Deliver
Mail
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Delivery operations
are the Postal Service’s largest operational function, accounting
for approximately 45 percent of salary expenses and workhours.
Despite an annual increase of approximately 1 million delivery
points, delivery operations used 36.5 million fewer workhours
in fiscal year (FY) 2009. The Northern Virginia District was
not operating at peak efficiency and could reduce city delivery
operating costs. Our benchmarking comparison determined the
Northern Virginia District used approximately 16 minutes more
per day than the national average for each carrier route,
compared to the standard for that route. Adjusting its operations
would increase the Northern Virginia District’s overall efficiency
by reducing approximately 103,160 workhours, resulting in
savings of more than $3.2 million annually or about $32 million
over 10 years.
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Senator
McCain Calls USPS “Model Of Inefficiency”
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) was
on "Face the Nation" yesterday said The Post Office- a model
of inefficiency. But what does McCain know about the USPS
when in 2009 he said, "Until the Postal Service no longer
owes American taxpayers billions of dollars, I request that
you refrain from spending limited Postal Service resources
on unnecessary items." How can Congress help "fix" the Postal
Service when many of its members are unaware as to how USPS
operates or how its funded.
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Residents deliver
care mail to beloved mail carrier suffering from cancer
when lung cancer recently forced
the 42-year-old father of three to stop delivering mail, residents
decided the best way to cheer him up would be to bring their
mailboxes to him. More than 100 people have colored, painted
and decorated paper mailboxes with personal messages for [Steve]
Pingry. One person crafted a 3-D mailbox out of cardboard.
Others attached music CDs, pictures of their dogs and drawings
of their favorite Steve-related postal memories.
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Postal Service beefs up financial
monitoring
The Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002
requires federal agencies to adhere to more stringent financial
reporting criteria. The Postal Service put together a group
called the Financial Testing Compliance group to help comply
with Sarbanes Oxley. Now, the Postal Service Inspector General
has put the group's findings to the test. "Although [the review]
does not directly impact the bottom line, the FTC work that's
reported to management provides assurance to Postal Service
stakeholders that the reports are fairly presented and that
the internal controls are in place," Libician-Welch said.
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The anti-feds:
Who's leading the attack on your jobs, pay and benefits
Republican lawmakers — emboldened
by their midterm victory and hungry to do serious damage to
the federal deficit — are proposing aggressive cuts to federal
pay and staffing levels. Many feds feel they've been made
into scapegoats for the failed economy and mounting national
debt.So far, no lawmakers have introduced bills affecting
feds' retirement or health care. But many federal unions and
advocates fear such proposals will come, possibly as part
of President Obama's proposed 2012 budget.
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USPS Clarifies
Requests For Non Delivery Of Mail With Simplified Addressing
Hardin residents fed up with post office
closure
Adapting the Postal Service to prosper
in the digital age
USPS to hold Tuesday hearing on Bristol
plant
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January 23, 2011
Former New York Postmaster Pleads Guilty To Embezzlement
Postal Service must realign its network
to remain viable
Kansas
City, Kansas post office closes for good
Earth Class
Mail attempts reboot in Beaverton
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January 22, 2011
Postal Review Sought for Bowling Green
Stockton: Postal workers question closure
Cuba halts all mail deliveries to US
Postal trucking contractor guilty in
pay case
Virginia: Slow mail deliveries frustrating
customers
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January 21, 2011
PMG Plans
To Streamline Management, Match Workforce To Workload
To help increase service levels,
improve USPS flexibility and speed, and meet ever-changing
customer needs in the communications marketplace, PMG Pat
Donahoe says he plans to streamline postal management, improve
customer service, and redesign operations to help control
costs.
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NAPS: The Business Case for Continuing
Six-Day Delivery
we see for a host of reasons,
perilous problems for the Postal Service should five-day delivery
become a reality. These problems involve the precedent that
would be set by the potential loss of exclusive access by
the Postal Service to mailboxes, the disastrous consequences
of delay to mailers and customers in the delivery of time-sensitive
parcels and mail, and the vicious downward spiral in mail
volume that likely would come about as users of the mail begin
to resort to other means of delivery.
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USPS Early
Out Retirement Information 2011?
Last
month PMG Patrick Donahoe mentioned that early out retirements
and RIFs were coming by March 2011. The following is unverified
information floating around the internet.
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APWU National
Officers to Meet in February, Guffey Seeks to Unify Leaders
on New Direction
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APWU’s national officers will
meet in Atlanta for several days in early February, as President
Cliff Guffey seeks to move the organization in a new direction.
“We must shift the focus of the union away from acting as
a grievance machine,” he said. “Leaders at all levels of the
organization must get more involved in legislative activities
and other union efforts.”
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The Estimated Cost Of Delivering A First Class Letter
The U.S. Postal Service's accounting
is an arcane art, but here's an educated estimate of the costs
of delivering a first-class letter. Less than half of the
cost is directly attributable to sorting and delivering the
letter. The rest goes to the Postal Service's general overhead
costs. Even then, it will lose about 4 cents on the transaction
as it struggles to meet unfunded obligations to its retirees.
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Sen. Carper
Reacts to USPS Job Cuts
USPS To Cut 7,500 administrative,
supervisory and postmaster jobs - Postmaster General Donahoe
has a daunting task before him – he must find significant,
effective means to streamline the Postal Service and he needs
to do it quickly. Current projections show that the Postal
Service may be left without the resources necessary to operate
by the next holiday season. Major changes must be made so
that taxpayers aren't left to bailout this struggling, but
salvageable, institution.
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Sens. Joseph
Lieberman and Kent Conrad to Retire in 2012
Lieberman chairs the committee
having jurisdiction over the USPS and federal employee benefit.
If the Democrats hold on to the Senate majority, either Senator
Daniel Akaka (D-HI) or Senator Tom Carper (D-HI) would become
chair of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.
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USPS To
Issue First Of 'All-Forever' Commemorative Stamps
Postal employees raise voices for Petaluma
mail center
Postal
Service 'Discovers' A Way to Grow Direct Mail
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January 20, 2011
How Will Pat Donahoe Change The Postal
Service
A
new Postmaster General can reflect either a change in business
strategy and operating processes or just a change in tone.
With less than a week in office, Pat Donahue clearly has created
a change in tone. Whether he changes more than the tone and
presentation of continuing policies or makes real changes
in the direction of the Postal Service set by Jack Potter
remains to be seen. |
PRC Seeks Public Comment on Price
Increase Proposed by USPS
Manhattan Block Under Seige by Postal Trucks, Residents Say
Salinas
mail move draws fire
Bar code error leads to Social Security
check delay
Editorial:
Community should fight Post Office closure
Mail service to 45 customers in
Ark., area suspended after Carrier's encounter with gunman
Attempted Abduction of postal worker
in White County
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January 19, 2011
Postal Worker's
Firing For Unauthorized Possession Of Mail Upheld By Appeals
Court - The Georgia Mail
handler was removed from his position based upon the charge
of “improper conduct: unauthorized opening, obstruction, and
possession of the mail.” The charge grew out of an incident
in which, the Postal Service alleged, Mr. Tompkins removed
a camcorder from the mail, possessed it without authorization,
and converted it to his own use. The Court upheld MSPB's decision
stating that the penalty of removal was entirely reasonable
in this case.
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Contract mail carrier faulted
for 'extreme laziness',admits to burning mail
Investigators followed Farrell
on a route, watching as he spent his day at a tavern before
taking the mail to his home and burning it in a fire pit.
A search of Farrell's residence uncovered nearly 8,000 letters.
Farrell, it turned out, had no malicious reason for keeping
the mail. He just didn't feel like doing the work he was paid
for.
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Jobs Outlook: Careers Headed For The Trash Pile - Postal
Workers
"Technology has certainly put
postal service mail sorters on the chopping block. After losing
almost 57,000 jobs between 2004 and 2009, the Bureau of Labor
Statistics (BLS) expects a further 30% decline in this occupation
by 2018.According to jobs researcher and author of 2011 Career
Plan, Laurence Shatkin, Ph.D., this occupation has seen some
erosion from increased communication via phone, e-mail and
cloud computing. Yet the chief reason for the decline, Shatkin
says, is that mail sorting has become mostly automated, and
robots are replacing people."
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Imagitas Signs 10
year Contract with US Postal Service
The Mover’s Guide program combines
the official USPS Change of Address form with information
kits that provide helpful savings for moving-related products
and services. MoversGuide Online helps people process a Change
of Address and access moving information and coupons online
at usps.com. Since inception of the MoverSource Alliance,
the USPS has received more than $300 million in revenue.
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5 California USPS
P&DCs to hold public hearings On Area Mail Processing Study
Senator Collins Files Brief Regarding USPS Requested Rate
Increase
Downsizing, Relocations, Benefit Reductions
Up Next?
Postal service wants to stop rural delivery
to part of the Ocala National Forest
Editorial: Our expensive sponsorship
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January 18, 2011
Postmaster
General defends the 'Forever Stamp'
The
nation's top mailman says he'd like to meet with former House
speaker Newt Gingrich to explain the U.S. Postal Service's
use of Forever Stamps.
Gingrich:
last week blasted the use of Forever Stamps, calling them
a short-term fix to the mail agency's long-term financial
problems that could result in billions of dollars in government
assistance. The Postal Service has sold more than 500 million
Forever stamps.
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Two GOP freshmen to handle federal workforce, postal issues
House Republicans are tapping
two freshmen to lead congressional oversight of the federal
workforce and U.S. Postal Service. The decision places two
of Capitol Hill's freshest faces at the center of the debate
on legislation to cut the pay and benefits for at least some
of the nation's 2.2 million federal employees and to overhaul
the beleaguered Postal Service.
GOP Chairman Issa
Formally Announces House Oversight Subcommittee Structure
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Editorial: Postal Shoes, Postal
Shoes, And More Postal Shoes
Netflix: No more renting DVDs from streaming
devices
California: Opposition builds over plan to move Salinas mail-processing
center
Tennessee: Dastardly
Deed At The East Lake Post Office - And Response
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January 17, 2011
Is “Coopetition” a Good Thing for the Postal Service?
USPS OIG Blog - There are a number of other current partnership
programs with competitors. The Postal Service acts as a “last
mile” partner for both UPS and FedEx, handling thousands of
deliveries. Federal Express performs similar duties for the
Postal Service providing air service for Postal Service parcels
domestically as well as providing international logistics
for the Postal Service’s Global Express Guaranteed service.
In certain conditions, coopetition can be a “win-win-win”;
helping not only the two businesses, but also the consumer.
Do you think these partnerships benefit the public through
greater efficiencies or hurt the competitive level?
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PMG Donahoe Appoints
New Vice Presidents For Eastern, Northeast Areas
Postal Service
considers partial shutdown of Stockton processing facility
Middleville
residents want post office back
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January 16, 2011
Mail found scattered along Missouri
highway
Authorities say mail was found scattered along about 65 miles
of area interstates this morning, from Interstate 270 in Maryland
Heights to a part of Interstate 55 in Ste. Genevieve County.
The Missouri Highway Patrol and U.S. Postal Inspection Service
are investigating and retracing the route where mail has been
found.
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Another View: Postal Service is changing to meet marketplace's
demands
Tom Rizzo is a corporate spokesman for USPS in Portland -
As mail volume declined from 213 billion pieces in 2006 to
177 billion in 2009, we adapted through changes to staffing,
means of mail processing and even in looking at our general
infrastructure. We reduced costs by at least $1 billion annually
for each of the past 10 years yet preserved top-notch service
nationwide. And we continue to explore innovative ways to
bring the right mix of postal products and services to our
customers, in new and creative ways that match the changing
needs of digital communications.
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Post Office Mural raises questions
of racial sensitivity
Many people have passed in and
out of the post office for years without even noticing the
mural. But it has the full attention of Ira Lanier, a native
of Columbus who now lives in Colorado. Lanier has launched
a one-man campaign to remove the historic mural.
USPS To Hold Public Meeting On
Downsizing Of Petaluma Mail Processing Center
Man Robs Chattanooga Post Office,
Fondles Postal Workers
Postal Service
wants to leave 77-year-old downtown Sacramento site
Mansfield:
Picketers oppose plan to close post office
Georgia: Post Office Makes Up
For Lost Delivery Days
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January 15, 2011
PMG Donahoe
wants lines to move faster
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Postal clerks will stop holding up the line with all those
(Mystery Shopper) questions when you mail something. Some
questions will still be needed for security reasons, but clerks
no longer have to run through a litany of whether each customer
wants a return receipt or insurance or other special services.
It was like "Do you want fries that that?" Postmaster General
Patrick R. Donahoe said Friday, and it wasted time and slowed
lines.
USPS Announces Changes To Mystery Shopper Program
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Alert Mattoon
postal carrier brings help to man suffering diabetic seizure
Postal Service announces possible consolidation
in Houston
Mail carrier saves man from fire
USPS Contractor Admits
Stealing $55,000 in Fuel
USPS sponsors outlined
opposition to cheating with anti-doping clause In Armstrong
Contract
Asheville postal workers convicted of
false claims
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January 14, 2011
Donahoe
Sworn In as 73rd Postmaster General of the United States
Pledging to return the Postal
Service to profitability and continue to provide high levels
of customer service, Donahoe announced a new partnership with
eBay as part of a renewed push to generate much needed revenue
and the expansion of the Forever Stamp program for customer
convenience.
Donahoe
Appoints New Vice Presidents For Eastern, Northeast Areas
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OSHA: DBCS Machines
Pose Risk to Workers’ Health
The Occupational Safety and Health
Administration has hit the Postal Service with another unwelcome
finding: Delivery Bar Code Sorter machines pose a direct risk
to workers’ health, and there is a “general lack of understanding
about the hazards and injuries” associated with the equipment
among postal managers.
archive:
NIOSH
Reports On DBCS at Denver Postal Facility
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USPS To Cut 7,500
Positions, 10 Districts, 2,000 Postmasters
The Washington
Post’s Ed O’Keefe reports on Twitter that Postmaster General
Pat Donahoe plans to cut about 7,500 jobs and about 2,000
postmasters, or the people responsible for running post offices.
Incoming
postmaster general promises cuts
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USPS Spent $32 Million to Sponsor Lance
Armstrong's Pro Cycling Team
One man wages a humble war against an
army of unwanted mail
Letter carrier saves man, 96, from Lexington
blaze
The Elephant Has Ears: Some Good News
For Mailers Along With the Rate Hikes
USPS to Raise Catalog Rates by 1%
Norway Post to launch digital
mailbox
Picketing over job cuts at Petaluma
postal center
OHIO: USPS blamed for late utility bills
USPS to
Raise Catalog Rates by 1%
Mail delivery almost back to normal
Stockton postal operation could shift
northward
Thieves hit Postal Service collection
box
The Plight
of the Portsmouth Postal Carrier
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January 13, 2011
Unions push back
against deficit commission
Fifteen federal and employment
groups sent a letter to the White House Jan. 13 condemning
proposed cuts to federal benefits and pay. One of the most
powerful groups to sign the letter is the National Treasury
Employees Union (NTEU). NTEU is the nation's largest independent
federal union. The letter, addressed to President Obama on
the behalf of "the 4.6 million federal and postal workers
and annuitants represented by the national member organizations
of the Federal-Postal Coalition" stated that the cuts are
unwarranted, unfair and harmful to workers and the country
as a whole.
Federal-Postal
Coalition Letter
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Postal Unions
Urge Obama To Fix USPS Pension Overfunding
The APWU and other postal unions
and management associations have asked President Barack Obama
to take “immediate action to save almost 100,000 good, middle-class
jobs and stabilize the financial condition” of the Postal
Service.
NAPUS Urges
President Obama to Recalculate Postal Pension Liability
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Postmaster General
Reaches Out to Business Mailers
New Postal Service Pricing Announced
- Postmaster General Patrick R. Donahoe today signaled a new
direction in continuing to improve customer relations within
the mailing industry by consulting with industry representatives
on the effective date for new prices and by relaxing some
guidelines on implementing Intelligent Mail services. New
prices would become effective on April 17.
Postal
Service to Adjust Prices
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Debunking the
Forever Stamp Meme
In a recent commentary, Newt
Gingrich:
repeated a mistaken
understanding of the Postal Service's business and the impact
that the forever stamp will have on Postal Service finances.
According to the latest polls, Newt Gingrich is one of the
top four contenders for the Republican nomination for President
so his comments on the Postal Service need to be taken seriously
as they will influence the debate among Republicans about
the future of the Postal Service.
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Historic mailbox apparently stolen
Sacramento
women convicted of assaulting mail carrier
Good News
for Junk-Mail Senders
Authorities Looking For Man Who Broke
Into La Crescenta Post Office
Siemens and Swiss Post collaborate
on the merging of physical mail and electronic mail
USPS Expands Hold For Pickup
Service
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January 12, 2011
Lobbyists – Business
Group Hires Former Postmaster General Potter
In the annual State of American
Business address on Tuesday, Jan. 11, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
President and CEO Thomas Donohue said he expects the economy
to grow by 3.2 percent this year. Working on multiple fronts,
Donahue announced a new project, headed by former Postmaster
General of the United States Jack Potter, to open up global
supply chains and logistics for American companies.
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Senator Susan
Collins Seeks Reforms To Federal Workers Comp Program
Senator Susan Collins Calls For
Review Of Federal Workers Comp Program -Senator Collins suspects
some recipients gaming the system, seeks reforms to bring
overly generous federal system in line with states.
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Gingrich: Forever Stamps Setting
Stage For Future Taxpayer Bailout Of USPS
- Former Congressman throws in his solution to USPS problems
- The Post Office will try to use any short term increase
in sales from these forever stamps to solve their immediate
fiscal problems. But if the Post Office is already having
trouble operating at full capacity with current prices, imagine
how difficult it will be to do so in five or ten years after
inflation has pushed their costs up AND they are selling even
fewer stamps because so many people already purchased them
in the past. If the Post Office really wants to solve its
fiscal challenges, it needs to engage in the difficult work
of reforming its operating procedures, including its suffocating
and costly union work rules like “standby time.”
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USPS To Test Greeting Cards Using
Prepaid Postage
California: Mailboxes Overflowing
At Napa Post Office
Authentidate Allows USPS Electronic
Postmark Contract To Expire
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January 11, 2011
FedEx Is Again
USPS’s Largest Supplier For 8th Straight Year
FedEx transports Express, Priority
and First Class Mail, and earned postal revenues of $1.373(corrected)
billion in fiscal 2010. While at the top of the list, FedEx’s
postal revenues declined from a high point of over $1.6 billion.
Another postal competitor, United Parcel Service (UPS) , is
the Postal Service's 12th (corrected) largest postal supplier,
earning $95 million in revenue - a $12 million increase from
last year. |
OSHA: USPS Fails
to Keep Proper Record of Injury and Illness
Problem May be ‘Pervasive’ -
OSHA slammed the USPS again for safety violations — this time
for under-recording workplace injuries and illnesses. In recent
months, OSHA found 242 instances of recordkeeping violations
during inspections of 10 postal facilities.
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USPS OIG Seeking
Contractor To Renovate Its Headquarters For $5 Million
The USPS Office of
Inspector General (OIG) plans to issue a Firm Fixed Price
Contract for a multi-phased Office Renovation to their Headquarters
facility . The work includes all labor and materials necessary
to complete the renovations in accordance with USPS OIG approved
specifications and drawings. The estimated cost of the project
is between $4.8 million and $5.6 million, with construction
completion within 365 calendar days from receipt of notice
to proceed for the total project.
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NLRB: NPMHU
Entitled to Test Scores of New Hires
A Local NPMHU President requested
“the register listing for those candidates qualified for hiring,”
and specifying that “[t]he listing should include the veteran
employees as well as non-veterans and their position in the
roster.” The Union President sent this request because several
bargaining-unit employees, who were veterans of the armed
forces, had raised concerns that several nonveterans had been
hired before them, even though the veterans had applied much
earlier than the nonveterans. The NLRB ruled that USPS violated
the NRLA by failing to furnish the Union with the requested
information. |
Postal union president argues
against mail consolidation
Can We Deconstruct This Postal
“Restructuring”?
Postal truck driver admits guilt in jogger’s death
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January 10, 2011
APWU: Despite Mounting Frustration, Contract Talks Continue
Although the union is “increasingly frustrated” at the slow
pace of contract negotiations, bargaining is continuing, APWU
President Cliff Guffey has announced. After briefing the Rank
and File Bargaining Advisory Committee on Jan. 4 and 5, members
of the union’s negotiating team held discussions with their
management counterparts on Jan. 6 and 7. “It remains to be
seen whether management negotiators are willing to make the
commitment necessary to reach a negotiated settlement,” Guffey
said.
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Editorial: Costly loophole should be closed
Some Lynchburg mail operations may move to Roanoke
Death of Florida
man ends 100 years of family service at post office
Tennessee carrier
pleads guilty to mail theft, drug possession
Letter to the
editor: Postal politics
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January 09, 2011
Postal Workers Upset With USPS Following Incendiary Letter
Incidents
Post office employees say it took 45 minutes before police
stepped in and evacuated the facility on V Street, SE. "An
employee yelled out that a package exploded. I was probably
about 25 feet away from him and all I can think of is getting
my coat and warning everyone on the way out," said James Pickett,
postal worker. But Pickett says other postal employees weren't
able to follow him out the door.
Fiery package in DC triggers memories of anthrax
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Shaken workers return to postal plant |
Suspicious packages revive postal worker fears
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USPS Not Paying New Jersey Postal Employees For Missing Work
Due To Snowstorm
From a NJ NALC steward - Postal employees from the Cranford,
New Jersey postal facility were told that they would not be
paid Administrative Leave (Acts Of God) for Monday's
(December 27, 2010) snowstorm. The employees were told to
use their personal leave to be excused for that day. The decision
not to pay postal employees Administrative leave came down
from the USPS District Office. I
know most Post Offices in the Union County (New Jersey) area
did not get Administrative Leave. But I believe it goes as
far as Monmouth County to Bergen County (New Jersey).
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Virginia: Residents frustrated by mail delays
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January 08, 2011
The Handwritten Letter, an Art All but Lost, Thrives in Prison
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January 07, 2011
USPS To Offer
Early Retirement
“As we continue our restructuring,
we anticipate that a reduction in force (RIF) and a voluntary
early retirement (VER) process will be initiated by the end
of this fiscal quarter,” said Donahoe. source: USPS News Link
Extra
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Postmaster General
Restructures U.S. Postal Service
A 16 percent reduction to the
officer ranks, realigning revenue-generating business units
and closing one Area office are among steps taken today by
Postmaster General Patrick R. Donahoe to create a leaner,
faster, smarter U.S. Postal Service. "Today's actions and
announcements are the beginning of a much larger process that
will involve every organization within the Postal Service,"
said Donahoe.
see
new USPS
senior management structure |
USPS will close southeast Memphis office, affecting 120
employees
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A
package that ignited at a D.C. postal facility on Friday is
similar to two incendiary devices that were opened in Maryland,
an FBI spokesperson says. D.C. Police say one package ignited
at the V Street annex of the Brentwood Post Office in the
3300 block of V Street in Northeast around 2:45 p.m. Friday.
NAPS Legislative
Update: What to Expect from the New Congress?
Postal and Federal employees
will be in the cross-hairs of proposed budget cuts -- trimming
jobs and rolling back retirement and health benefits. Look
for more information from NAPS on these issues in the days
ahead and what you can do. |
Congressman's letter to Postmaster General takes more than
two weeks to arrive
A formal response to a Congressman's
request for a comment period extension on a proposal to close
Oshkosh's mail processing facility has not been issued because
it took more than two weeks for his letter to reach the Postmaster
General's office in the same city. U.S. Rep. Tom Petri's letter
asking Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe to extend the period
was mailed from his Washington, D.C., office on Dec. 14 and
received in Donahoe's Washington office on Dec. 30, according
to the Congressman's staff. |
Cutting Post Offices Retail Hours part of USPS's cost-savings
plan
Carl
Walton, a spokesman for the USPS, said Thursday that many
offices in the Raleigh area and across the country are cutting
hours of operation by an hour in an effort to reduce operating
costs. Walton said that closing branches for about an hour
each day will help save hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The move was based on a two-year study that found there were
periods throughout the day where customer traffic was drastically
low. |
PRC Seeks Public Comment for
Its Annual Review of Postal Service Performance
USPS Priority Mail Regional Rate
Boxes Make Their Debut
Vets angry over medications stolen
from mail
PRC to Hold Public Forum on Improving
U.S. Postal Laws
Some Lafayette postal jobs will
move to Kokomo
Postal Service weighing new cutbacks
in Oxnard
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January 06, 2011
Best and Worst
Jobs
Mail Carrier #174 out of 200-
CareerCast rated 200 jobs based on income, working environment,
stress, physical demands and job outlook, using data from
the Labor Dept. and U.S. Census and researchers' own expertise.
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Ohio Senator Urges USPS to Rethink
Closure of Madison Township Postal Station
Full Service
Intelligent Mail: The Cornerstone to the Success of the Mailing
Industry? I Beg To Differ
South Dakota
carrier wins Postal Service Hero Award
Postal Problems: People in the East Village aren't ready to
say goodbye to their local post office
Undelivered mail found a second time
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January 05, 2011
USPS To Sell
'Gift Cards' At Post Offices
The Postal Service has given
notice to the Postal Regulatory Commission it intends
to conduct a test of an experimental product: Gift Cards.
This product will provide postal customers with the ability
to purchase a card loaded with a specified sum of money, which
can be sent as a gift through the mail. The test will begin
on or after May 1, 2011. |
Thousands Of
Postal Employees To See Social Security Tax Decrease Starting
January 7
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The Social
Security tax rate change will be reflected in Jan. 7, 2011
paychecks. The reduced Social Security withholding will have
no effect on the employee’s future Social Security benefits
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Suspended Bangor Postmaster rejected for first-offender program
USPS Board Of Governors To Meet
In Closed Session Jan. 10 and Jan. 11
Tennessee mail carrier under
investigation for theft of VA mail
Probe finds
Amazon used wrong postal rates
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January 04, 2011
Postal
Supervisor arrested for allegedly hitting postal employee
A
38-year-old Postal Worker is scheduled to appear in Cook County
Court on Feb. 9 after allegedly hitting another postal employee
in the face during an argument at work. Police said the woman,
who is also a supervisor, was arrested for battery after allegedly
hitting another employee in the face with her hand during
an argument. |
Letter carrier says Lima (Ohio) mail is a mess
The Cincinnati District closed
the Lima mail processing and distributing facility in October,
moving all mail handling for the 458 ZIP code area to Toledo.
The move and miscalculations in mail volume and staffing levels
led to countless delivery problems and delays, including lost
mail, late charges on bills and delayed medication.
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Did Issa Provide an Entry for Postal Reform?
Courier, Express and Postal Observer
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According
to Politico, Congressman Darrell Issa sent letters to more
than 150 trade associations, companies and think tanks last
month requesting a list of existing and proposed regulations
that would harm job growth. Postal regulations should be included
on this list as Postal regulations and law affect nearly 8.5
million jobs in the United States with over 90% of all jobs
in the private sector. This effort now is critical as it does
not appear that Congressman Issa has included postal issues
among his top priorities for investigations as the new Congress
convenes." |
OIG: USPS Fails to Justify 19
Types of ‘Worksharing’ Discounts for Big Mailers
Gas leak in Watertown nauseates
postal workers
USPS plans to move some services
from Industry to Santa Ana
USPS to conduct new study of
mail processing operations in Utica
United States Postal Service
plans to close Roseto office
Capitol Heights post office closing
in Montgomery
Postal Service hearing on Fort
Smith facility postponed
Postal Service may whittle Petaluma
mail center
Husband pleads not guilty in
death of wife/Alabama District Manager
USPS won't rebuild Healdsburg's post office
West Virginia Congressman derides Postal Service consolidation
decision
Top 10 Postal Stories of 2010
The post-Christmas post office push
Two arrested after postal vehicles 'tagged' in Easton
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January 03, 2011
APWU Frustrated
by Lack of Progress in Contract Talks
“I am increasingly frustrated
by the lack of progress in contract talks,” Guffey said. The
Collective Bargaining Agreement, which was set to expire on
Nov. 20, 2010, has been extended, and numerous meetings and
discussions have been held since then, the union president
noted. “However, six weeks later, management negotiators seem
unwilling to make the commitment necessary to reach a negotiated
settlement,” he said. |
Will Congress order changes at the US Postal Service?
Washington Post - Postal reform
could be the sleeper issue of the year -- and a politically
tricky one. (Which lawmaker wants to become the champion of
closing post offices?) But make no mistake: This is the year
the Postal Service will really run out of money -- unless
Congress seriously addresses postal reform. Pensions are ballooning,
mail volume and revenues are plummeting and -- most perilous
of all -- a $15 billion line of credit with the U.S. Treasury
dries up this year. Two substantive legislative proposals
are on the table and after years of avoiding the issue, it
appears Congress will have to deliver a serious solution in
2011. |
Closing of post office upsets residents of Capitol Heights
Postal contractor
accused of taking money meant for workers’ comp premiums
Buy These Stamps,
and Forget About Rate Increases
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January 02, 2011
Tupelo mail consolidation approaches
second deadline
Another mail drop box is target
of arson
Five-day delivery would be mistake
Two longtime postal workers to
hang up uniforms for good
Mail Thieves Targeting Apartment
Cluster Mail Boxes
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January 01, 2011
Prediction for 2011 from Fox Business News
Courier, Express and Postal Observer-
Charles Payne made the following prediction on the Fox Business
News website. "UPS and FedEx will enter into a bidding war
for the Unites States Postal Service. The deal is close, but
unions balk." The prediction provides another illustration
of how difficult it will be to fix the Postal Service, when
commentators are paid to make statements that have no basis
in reality. |
USPS Consolidations/Closings
On Hold During Transition To New PMG?
The Delaware Station post office
in New York, presumed doomed as part of a national postal
service consolidation, has won at least a temporary reprieve.
The Delaware Avenue mail facility, one of scores targeted
for closure, was not shuttered for good Friday as planned
but instead will stay open until further notice while the
U.S. Postal Service transitions to a new
postmaster general, spokeswoman Maureen Marion said.
Some post office closures delayed
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Census Bureau
Selects FedEx Over USPS
- In barely a month, the Census Bureau will begin sending
states details collected in the 2010 Census, enumerating inhabitants
down to the block
level. But in a theatrical touch, the data will be delivered
overland to the states the day before it's made public, mostly
via Federal Express. "They've got very good tracking and next-day
delivery," McCully said of the selection of FedEx over the
U.S. Postal Service, which will be tasked with delivering
census data to Indian reservations.
3 postal carriers
retire after combined 111 years of service
Houston P&DC Mail Consolidation (PDF)
Postmaster Decides not to Move
Mailboxes
A Hidden World Inside New York's
Great Post Office
New York: Congressman sends message
on Albany post office closure
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October 3, 2010
Postal Workers
Lawsuit Requesting Class Action Charging USPS With Labor Violations
Is Denied
A
federal judge in Texarkana (TX) denied a request to certify
a civil suit filed by seven U.S. Postal Service mail carriers
as a class action lawsuit. The suit alleged the carriers had
been forced to work more than 40 hours per week without overtime
compensation, had timecards altered to their detriment by
a supervisor, been forced to work through lunch to complete
their routes and been required to work off the clock. USPS
argued that it does try to build in a thirty-minute lunch
break into City Carrier routes although there is no guarantee
a particular city carrier will get the break
Archive:
Postal
Workers Lawsuit On Labor Violations Covers 5 States
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Former Tanacross, AK postal worker accused of theft
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