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Editor
Postal News
- September 2006
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TOP POSTAL
STORIES OF THE MONTH
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September
01, 2006 -
Jaffer on Postal Payroll as Consultant
Until Sept. 1
USPS won’t ask ex-VP
to repay $46,000 in questionable expenses - Jaffer also on Sept.
1 removed himself from the Postal Service’s payroll and was paid the
remainder of his earned vacation pay, which he had been scheduled to
keep receiving in installments through the end of October. Jaffer,
who as vice president for public affairs and communications earned an
annual salary of $164,000, earned $53,000 in vacation pay. Federal Times
began asking the Postal Service questions in mid-August about reports
that Jaffer was still on the Postal Service’s payroll as a consultant.
Postal Service spokesman Gerry McKiernan on Sept. 1 confirmed Jaffer
was still on the postal payroll so he could receive his vacation pay
in installments. He said Jaffer removed himself from the payroll the
same day.
|
Jaffer May Not face Criminal Charges|
Jaffer denies accusations
|
OIG Report (PDF)
Failure to Provide Garrity and Kalkines
Warnings in Disciplinary Investigations
Jaffer Scandal Heats
Up
Late last week, the Postal Service issued new post-Jaffer
expense guidelines. Dinners, they say, should not exceed $50 per person,
more frugal than, for example, the $1,066.08 that the IG says Jaffer
charged the Postal Service for dinner for three, including 16 drinks.
On Friday, Rep. Thomas M. Davis III (R-Va.) who chairs the House Committee
on Government Reform, and the committee's ranking minority member, Henry
A. Waxman (D-Calif.), sent a letter to Potter requesting a pile of records
linked to Jaffer's case. The Inspector General's report of clearly unacceptable
conduct by a senior postal official is troubling to all of us," the
letter reads. The
Postal Service has until Sept. 28 to respond
-
Jaffer’s White Paper (PDF) -"The Postal Service and its policies
give officers, like Mr. Jaffer, substantial discretion to carry out
and accomplish the goals of the Postal Service. As the Acknowledgement
of Accountability, which each officer of the Postal Service signs, recognizes,
"[i]ndividual managers enjoy considerable latitude witrh regard to funds
and utilization." |
Jaffer's response to the OIG charges (PDF)
|
After Jaffer case, USPS rewrites rules on expenses
September 29, 2006 -
New USPS Security Rules Ban Laptops,
PDAs from Postal Facilities
-
Prohibited activities
when using personal information resources include, but are not limited
to, the following: a. Do not bring personal information resources
(e.g., laptops, notebooks, personal digital assistants [PDAs], handheld
computers, or storage media including universal serial bus [USB]
port devices) into Postal Service facilities. b. Do not connect
personal information resources to the Postal Service Intranet (Blue).
c. Do not use imaging devices (e.g., cameras, cell phones with cameras,
or watches with cameras) at Postal Service facilities except as
authorized by the user's vice president or his or her designee for
business purposes. Note: Many Union Reps use laptops and
PDAs to assist in preparing grievances . Also many of the popular
cell phones are PDAs or smartphones.
|
September 12, 2006 -
Postal Service
Plans for More Than $1 Billion in Cost Reductions
These cost reductions contain a planned
decrease of 40 million workhours from the estimated FY 2006 level. Savings
will come from automation improvements and implementation of additional
“breakthrough productivity” initiatives. Two capital investment projects
also received approval during today’s meeting. The Board approved funding
to purchase eight Automated Package Processing Systems (APPS). This
represents the second phase of the program, which will bring the total
number of APPS machines deployed to 84. According to Walter O’Tormey,
Vice President, Engineering, “The APPS machine uses advanced
technology to automate parcel and bundle sorting and replaces mechanized
and manual parcel and bundle operations with a more efficient operation.”
The contract award, expected later this month, will pave the way for
the eight APPS machines to be deployed in July 2007.
|
September
18, 2006 -
Ex- Postal
Worker Gets 6 Months For Putting Urine in Co-Workers' Coffee
-
"Before Thomas Shaheen apologized and was sentenced, some of the
postal employees he worked with at the transportation maintenance
shop gave Shaheen a piece of their minds. "He not only watched us
drink the coffee but the majority of the shop, his own friends and
fellow workers, about 20 of us all together, he would sit in the
same room with people and watch them drink his sick little brew
and think nothing of it," said postal worker Jene Jackson. Postal
workers said Shaheen poured urine in the coffee pot several times
in a four- to six-month period. Employees said Shaheen was jealous
of some of his peers who had certain work privileges.
|
September 12, 2006 -
Former
Postal Worker Gets Prison, Ordered to Pay $242,000 for Lying to Obtain
OWCP
- William Hornbeak,
age 56, of Leonardtown, Maryland, was sentenced to a year and a day
in prison for making false statements and concealing material information
to obtain federal employees’ compensation. U.S. District Court Judge
Alexander Williams Jr. also ordered Hornbeak to pay $242,015.88 in restitution
for monies he fraudulently obtained from the government since 1998.
According to the plea agreement presented to the court in June 2006,
Hornbeak has been employed with USPS since 1981. Hornbeak’s home was
searched pursuant to a federal warrant in 2005 and numerous records,
documents and photos were found which corroborated Hornbeak’s improved
medical condition and ability to perform physical tasks since at least
2001 that he claimed he could not do. Hornbeak admitted to performing
tasks he had not reported to the DOL and said he "slightly exaggerated"
his condition in letters to his congressional representatives.
|
September
10, 2006 -
Re: Drinking in Public Place While In Uniform
From PostalReporter
Reader -" I remember that the character
Cliff Clavin on Cheers, who wore a postal uniform
to a bar in Boston (a public place) and even drank beer in postal uniform,
was praised by PMG Marvin Runyon. From 1982 to 1993 when the series
initially ran, and up through today's reruns, the Postal Service never
protested this depiction of a postal worker, despite the glaring violation
of the ELM! The trademarked USPS eagle emblem was clearly visible on
his uniform."
(see
photos).
|
September 08, 2006 -
Carrier
Fired for Gambling Signed Last Chance Agreement
Lee Schechinger, a mail carrier from Harlan (IOWA),
was fired by the Postal Service after he won $1,000 on a TouchPlay lottery
machine while on duty. It was first reported that he is a Rural Carrier.
But but records from the
Iowa Unemployment Insurance Appeals Decisions
show that Schechinger is a City Letter Carrier. The records also
state that Schechinger was fired for violating a “Last Chance Agreement”
issued shortly after a previous notice of removal from the Postal Service.
|
September 06, 2006 -
Lottery Win Gets Postman Fired
-Schechinger,
a rural mail carrier from Harlan (IA), was fired by the Postal Service
after he won $1,000 on a TouchPlay lottery machine while on duty. Schechinger
said he stopped in at the Logan Country Store for lunch on March 17
and decided to try his luck on the store's TouchPlay machine. He wagered
$3 and won a cool grand. (The Legislature pulled the plug on the machines
in May.) When supervisors asked him about the incident, he allegedly
denied it, according to state employment records. Schechinger later
admitted what had happened. They noted that employees are prohibited
from gambling while in uniform or on duty, even during meal breaks.
Postal Service officials fired Schechinger in late April. Schechinger
said he has appealed the TouchPlay dismissal. A ruling is expected within
two months.
|
September
07, 2006 -
Police: 29-Year Postal Worker Used Position
To Get Drugs to Sell
-"Six
central Indiana men have been arrested on suspicion of being involved
in a marijuana ring, including an Indianapolis postal worker accused
of using his position to distribute the drug, authorities said. Bradley
Polley, 50, a 29-year veteran of the U.S. Postal Service, is accused
of having marijuana that originated in Canada shipped from California
to the Indianapolis postal branch where he worked, police said. "He
would give them valid addresses ... so as not to raise a red flag, and
when those packages would come, Polley would take them directly off
the line for his truck and then take the marijuana to sell himself,"
said Maj. Randy Schalburg of the Hamilton County-Boone County Drug Task
Force." Polley has resigned from USPS.
Mass.: Mail Carrier Caught With Cocaine, Syringes and undeliverable
mail
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September
04, 2006 -
‘God Bless America' Poster Yanked from Post Office Lobby
- "The God Bless America
poster that used to hang in the Lompoc (Calif.) post office lobby is
now in the back room out of public view. That's the way Lompoc resident
Matt Hughes likes it. Post office employees were as offended as Hughes,
not by the poster but by the postmaster's decision. The poster had been
hanging on a wall above the customer service area since 2001. It was
placed there, where clerks accept packages from customers, shortly after
the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. “The post office is not an appropriate
place for people to be speaking for or against god,” Hughes said. “Not
in a way that makes it appear that the government is sharing this opinion.
People are free to do whatever they want in public, but the people at
the post office don't get to use the post office to share their religious
beliefs because it gives the appearance that the government is endorsing
their beliefs.”
|
September 15, 2006 -
Removal of 'God Bless America' poster triggers national outcry
- Nearly two weeks after a story detailing the ordered removal
of a God Bless America poster from the lobby of the Lompoc post office,
the public continues to voice outrage over its removal. The controversy
has spread nationwide, showing up on Web sites and blogs, including
the main page for Fox News, where apparently many of the responders
heard about the incident. The Lompoc Record and Santa Maria Times have
received an unusually high number of responses to the story, receiving
e-mails from places as far away as Detroit, Mich., Boston, Mass. and
Pensacola, Fla. Lompoc resident Matt Hughes requested the sign be taken
down, citing his belief that such a religious message had no place in
a government office. Hughes, an atheist, has been a vocal proponent
for the separation of church and state.
|
September 02, 2006 -
Mystery Shopper Evaluations Should Not Be Used to Discipline Window
Clerks - From
Gary Kloepfer,
National APWU Assistant Maintenance
Director : "This is a summary of Arbitrator Michael Wolf’s decision
"This
is a summary of Arbitrator Michael Wolf’s decision in case C00C-4C-D-05085599.
The issue in this case involved the discipline of an employee under
the mystery shopper program. The Union took the position that the discipline
was improper in light of the Postal Service's position that the Mystery
Shopper program was only to be used as a diagnostic tool and not the
source for disciplinary action."
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September 30, 2006 -
NALC : Postal Reform Falls Short as Congress Adjourns for Election
Recess -"Last night,
and in the early morning hours of today, we came within an eyelash
of accomplishing our goal of enacting meaningful postal reform,
at least in the Senate. In the final analysis, letter carriers could
not support the bill that Senator Susan Collins was pursuing because
it would have established a three-day waiting period for injured
letter carriers before they could go on continuation of pay.
NALC sought to hold up the Senate bill because of the COP issue...
No conference committee was ever established and the bill that nearly
passed the Senate was essentially a new version of the bill that
none of our allies in the House, Democrat or Republican, had even
seen. Indeed, few members of either the House or the Senate ever
received a final version of the bill. Neither did the NALC or any
of the other interested stakeholders
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September 30, 2006
OIG Audit: USPS Actions
to Locate and Track Employees After Hurricane Katrina
Mailman saves house
Automated Postal Center Will Be Relocated
Colorado: Postal Inspectors Find More Threatening
Letters
Seven Airlines Awarded
USPS Contracts
Preparing for
the Postal Rate Hike
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September 29, 2006 -
USPS Integrated Financial Plan 2007
- Workhour Reductions
"The FY 2007 plan reduces workhours
by 40 million from the estimated FY 2006 total in spite of adding
1.9 million delivery points. The FY 2007 planned workhour reduction
target is equal to approximately 20,000 full-time equivalent
employees. The workhour reductions are a product of process
improvements, capital investment programs, and a projected volume
decline. The FY 2007 workhour plan follows seven consecutive years
of productivity improvements." USPS Transformation Plan 2006-2010-
"The Postal Service continues to use comprehensive studies of bargaining
and nonbargaining unit jobs to establish and maintain wages and
benefits comparable to the private sector, which is in keeping with
its statutory mandate. In negotiations with unions, the Postal Service
has applied the principle of moderate restraint of wage growth in
seeking to address wage rates that exceed comparability standards."
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September 29, 2006 -
Jaffer Scandal Just Won’t Go Away
While much of the
report is rather sensational, detailing instances of Mr. Jaffer’s
alleged excessive drinking and inappropriate behavior toward female
USPS employees, a far more interesting picture of USPS corporate
culture emerges from between the lines. Mr. Jaffer’s reckless spending
and “lack of candor” should be viewed as part of the operational
culture of the USPS. Azzezaly Jaffer was just living large because
he had swallowed the prevailing party line. Maybe the USPS does
operate like a Fortune 100 business. Just like Enron, Fannie Mae,
or Tyco.
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September 29, 2006 -
Friends delivering help to ailing postal worker
Mailman accused of delivering marijuana on route
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Postal workers mourn
death of co-worker
Richmond man gets eight years in postal robbery shooting
Neither Snow, Rain,
nor Gloom, but What About the Stoop?
USPS Prepares for Disaster
Betha Named as New Portland Postmaster
New Orleans: USPS
Sets Up Call Center for customers with mail problems
Montana Postal Workers
to protest Consolidations
|
September
28, 2006 -
APWU Sets Oct. 26 for Nationwide
Day of Picketing
In accordance with
a resolution adopted by delegates to the union’s 18th Biennial Convention,
the APWU National Executive Board has selected Oct. 26 for a nationwide
day of picketing to protest ill-advised postal consolidations. The
coordinated informational picketing is intended to highlight the
potentially damaging effects of the USPS consolidation plan, and
to expose how Postal Service policy panders to major mailers. The
Oct. 26 date was selected to give local unions the opportunity to
seek support from elected officials and candidates prior to Election
Day, Nov. 7.
|
|
September 28, 2006 -
NALC May Withdraw Its Support for Postal
Reform Bill
Bush administration's demands could
destroy Postal Reform - We learned this week that the White
House is still aggressively pursuing contentious changes in the
Senate version of the reform legislation. The Bush administration’s
proposed changes, if adopted, would leave NALC no choice but to
actively oppose passage of the pending Postal Reform. I am deeply
troubled that the Bush administration appears determined to destroy
the strong bipartisan consensus surrounding comprehensive postal
reform. NALC has worked long and hard for reform, but we will not
support a bad version of the bill. Indeed, we must be ready to do
everything we can to defeat any bill that financially cripples the
Postal Service or threatens our collective bargaining interests.
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September 28, 2006 -
NALC: Critical elections may change direction of the nation (PDF)
With the 2006 mid-term elections
just a month away, the NALC is mobilizing its resources in an unprecedented
way to help elect pro-letter carrier candidates across America.
Working people—letter carriers included—know that something has
gone wrong in the U.S. economy and the current leadership in Washington
is not even trying to fix it. “Over the long haul, only a stronger
labor movement, fighting to protect workers and get a better deal
from the bosses, can turn this situation around,” NALC President
Bill Young said. “But if that is going to happen, a change in political
direction is essential.”
Mail Handlers:
Message On Voter Registration
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September 28, 2006 -
Tampa APWU President Questions USPS
Decision to Close REC
- ...the U.S. Postal Service’s recent
announcement to employees that they have made a decision to close
the Tampa Remote Encoding Center (REC) no later than March 2, 2007.
This decision will impact almost 600 employees; including data conversion
operators, maintenance technicians, and supervisors. But why Tampa?
Why now? The Tampa REC site has been here since 1995, and was one
of the original 55 sites nation-wide. It is one of the most productive
facilities in the country, and the employees there have keystrokes-per-hour
and error rates far better than Postal Service’s national standards.
Why toss out a highly skilled, knowledgeable, and experienced staff
in Tampa today, only to relocate and hire new untrained recruits
somewhere else - and spend millions of dollars in the process?
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September 28, 2006
Postal Service Wins Awards for Two Children's Games
Postal Bulletin : Rural Carrier EMA Rate Schedule,
Workplace Harassment , more..
Maryland: Postal
workers brace for possible consolidation
Postal
truck rolls over in serious accident
USPS, customers still at odds over mailboxes
in Mississippi
Preparing for the Postal Rate Hike
Mail recovery items ending up on eBay, at
flea markets
Mail Mix-up
Pitney Bowes Wins Deal to Manage USPS Atlanta
Surface Transfer Center
Continental Airlines Signs $258 Million USPS
Contract
Former Hayworth postmaster admits taking postal
money
Former Postmaster Falsely Accuses Customers for
$32,000 Shortage
Harmony postmaster focused on continuing good
service
How Telcos Can Offset Postal Rate Increases
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September
27, 2006 -
Finally
Polo Shirts for Window Clerks Beginning November 18th
- The American Postal Worker Magazine
-
The
American Postal Worker Magazine - Vendors will be allowed to
take orders on this style of shirt early in October, and they will
be allowed in the workplace beginning Nov. 18. They are, of course,
covered by the National Agreement, and can be purchased using the
Sales and Service Associate uniform allowance. While the exact cost
of each shirt has not been announced, we expect them to be in the
$30-$35 range. (click picture for larger view)
The article doesn't address if the issue of wearing polo shirts
everyday was resolved. Also, several readers have noted:
window clerks uniform allowance has increased only $50 over the
last 25 years.
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September 27, 2006
Post office, firm get bomb threats
GM Extends Agreement with USPS to Test Fuel Cell
Vehicles for Mail Delivery
-
USPS Expands Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicle Testing to West Coast
Post Office To Offer Postage, Pizza
Editorial: Going Postal On Taxpayers
Denver: USPS Confident No More Threatening Letter
Will Be Delivered
USPS Propose Rule: New Standards for Domestic
Mailing Services
NAPUS: Preliminary NPA for 2007
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September 26, 2006 -
Postal Service Curbs Mail Carrier's Good Works
Star Press readers showered Kathy Bland
with cards, $10 checks and boxes of dog bones after a
recent article revealed the 21-year mail carrier had saved close
to 800 neglected and abandoned animals along her route, paying with
her own money for them to be rehabilitated and placed in loving
homes. The United States Postal Service had a less positive reaction.
It sent one district-level and one regional official to discuss
"safety issues" with Bland on Monday morning in Yorktown. The verdict
of the two-hour meeting, said Bland: no more media interviews in
her post-office uniform, no more candy for the neighborhood children,
no more temporarily stashing needy strays in the office break room.
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September 26, 2006 -
Postal Worker Pleads Guilty to Searching, Reviewing Child Pornography
on USPS Computer -
Morris E. Hall, 58, a window clerk from Jamestown,
Kentucky pled guilty on September 6, 2006 to one charge of receiving
child pornography. According to an Affidavit filed at the
time of Hall’s arrest, federal agents became aware of Hall’s unlawful
activities as a result of routine monitoring of USPS computers beginning
in October 2005 at the Jamestown, Kentucky, Post Office. To determine
if Hall was actively searching the internet for child pornography,
web logs for Hall’s account number were pulled and reviewed. In
addition, investigators used the web logs to determine the amount
of time Hall spent using the internet through his Postal Service
assigned number.
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September 26, 2006 -
Eleventh-Hour Debate Over Parcel Rates Could Kill Postal Reform
New
EEO Hotline Available
DMA Calls for Cooperation From Mailing Community on Postal Reform
Postal carrier saves heart attack victim
Postmaster victimized by fraud fights
back with protection seminar
Post office turns down Murtha, mobile-home
park
'I see ... misfortune in your delivery ...'
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September 25, 2006 -
Commitment to injury-reduction programs
paying off for USPS
The U.S. Postal
Service is steadily becoming a safer place to work. Last year, slightly
fewer than 64,200 injuries were reported by Postal Service workers,
down from 71,433 in 2004 and 79,514 in 2003. Workers’ compensation
payments for 2005 injuries also fell to about $60 million, about
half the amount of payments for new injuries of the previous year,
and down to a level not seen since 2003, according to Labor Department
statistics. The change is due to several programs and improvements
the agency has initiated in the past several years... For all their
recent efforts, however, the Postal Service appears frustrated by
one mail-sorting machine it introduced in the early 1990s and which,
at least according to the
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH),
poses a risk of injury to those operating it.
The Postal Service
has spent millions on the machines and it is committed to its use,”
said [Loyd] Reeder, a frequent blogger on the DBCS topic. “So what
should be done now is follow the recommendations that NIOSH has
made for the machines’ use.”|
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September 25, 2006 -
Burrus - Enough of Excessive Postage
Discounts for Mailers
While mailing-industry
spokesmen wage a constant propaganda tirade against the salary and
benefits received by hard-working postal employees, behind closed
doors these phonies demand continued excessive discounts in order
to pad their own profits. This is hypocrisy at the highest level.
Some of these discounts are so extreme that if postal employees
were paid the same value for the work we perform, our wages would
surpass $75 per hour! am disappointed that the postmaster general
has joined forces with these private, for-profit entities at the
expense of the American citizens who employ him. As a member of
the USPS Board of Governors, he is bound by its credo, which states,
“The Governors are chosen to represent the public interest and cannot
be representatives of special interests.”
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September 25, 2006 -
Students fault safety of Dear Santa
letter program
A student group at Brien McMahon High School
says that the nationwide Dear Santa program, though well-intentioned,
exposes children to danger.
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September 25, 2006 -
Former Postmaster Relief sentenced in pill swapping case
- Carolyn Sturgeon, 60, former acting postmaster
in Malden, pleaded guilty to tampering with a consumer product —
a mailed package containing the prescription painkiller Oxycodone.
According to a probation report, Sturgeon had a drug addiction when
she was working as a replacement postmaster in Malden, about 30
miles south of Spokane, in July 2005. Investigators wrote in court
filings that she opened a package from a pharmacy, removed all 84
tablets of Oxycodone, replaced them with the same number of her
Synthroid pills and resealed the package for delivery. Had the recipient
had taken the synthetic thyroid pills as the label directed, she
might have died, Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas O. Rice wrote.
|
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September 25, 2006
Postal Service says graffiti-covered mailboxes
have been replaced
Sawyer residents plead for post office
Mississippi: Time for a real post office
With a bite here and there, it's not easy being
a mailman
Former USPS Mail Hauler sentenced to prison
|
September 24, 2006
Maryland : Cumberland Postal workers rally
Olympia waves goodbye to postmark of its own
Mail theft suspects still sought
Anthrax Makeup In 2001 Attacks Widens FBI Net
Is Mail Safer Since Anthrax Attacks?
Bristol Post Office to close permanently in January
U.S. Postal Service takes customer complaints
in Chicago
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September 23, 2006 -
New National
League of Postmasters President Seeks Better Postal Pay
- Barely one month on the job,
the new president of the National League of Postmasters is gearing
up for consultations with U.S. Postal Service headquarters about
pay, benefits and budgeting. This year for the first time, the league
will enter those consultations jointly with the National Association
of Postal Supervisors and the National Association of Postmasters
of the United States, said the new league president, Charles Mapa.
The consultations — not the same as union “negotiations,” since
postmasters are part of management — are mandated to begin within
30 days of completion of talks with the largest union, which are
set to end no later than November
|
|
September 23, 2006
Carrier with Character
APWU: Contract Negotiations Update
Mail Handlers Contract Negotiations Update No.
6
Pickets go up at post offices
Postal Worker Saves Man
eNAPUS: Postal Reform to be Kicked to Lame Duck
Session (PDF)
Why It Pays To Organize
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September 22, 2006 -
USPS Honored for its Pay-for-Performance
Program
- The Performance Institute,
a non-partisan government research group, presented USPS its “Excellence
in Human Capital Management Award” for 2006 yesterday. The annual
award recognizes federal departments and agencies that use innovative
approaches to harness the energy and ideas of their employees. USPS
earned the award for its Pay-for-Performance program, which provides
financial awards to 75,000 postal employees who attain management
goals. The Performance Institute said the Pay-for-Performance program
helped increase USPS net income by $11 billion, offsetting 24 years
of previous losses.
|
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September
22, 2006 -
Letter Carrier Celebrates 47 years
of Delivering Mail
In 1956, Charles Sinclair joined the
Army and was trained to be a Morse code interpreter and interceptor.
He returned to his hometown in 1959 and took a job with the post
office, and rest is history. Sinclair, 67, who recently marked 50
years as a federal employee with 47 of those years in the postal
service delivering mail in Framingham. And he's worked plenty of
long hours. In fact, one particularly long shift in 1962 is infamous
in the Framingham post office. "I once spent 30 straight hours on
the clock," he said. Sinclair is not the longest serving mail
carrier in the postal system. A man in Worcester has been delivering
the mail for 64 years and Sinclair has no aspirations to challenge
that man's mark
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September 22, 2006
NY Postal Worker Writes Book: 'Deep Inside Liteblue'
New Jersey: Masked
Men Rob Postal Truck Outside Post Office
New Mexico : Gunman robs Chimayo post office
Photo: Potter and American Airlines Chairman/CEO
New Anthrax Theory Offered
Letter carrier publishes children's book
Former postmaster pleads guilty to stealing prescriptions
from mail
Some Question PMG's May 6 Postal Increase Date
Stamps.com Kicks Off NFL PhotoStamps
San Jose Postman
Helps Elderly Woman
Four Direct Mail Horror Stories
FedEx Profit Rises 40% In 1st Quarter
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September
21, 2006 -
NRLCA
President Donnie Pitts' Statement on Opening Day of Contract
Negotiations - More
than ever, we want a collective bargaining experience that works.
We want to have an open and honest dialogue about the issues that
confront us from this day forward. We want to be frank with you
and we expect no less from the Postal Service. We recognize that
much is at stake. We are cognizant that the Postal Service will
be negotiating four separate contracts simultaneously but we cannot
let that fact detract, in any way, from the commitment we give to
you, and expect in return, to make every bargaining session, every
meeting a productive one. I was comforted, Mr. Potter, by the words
you shared with those in attendance at our National Convention in
Charleston. I know you want a negotiated agreement, too. And I sensed
-- and hope I am right on this -- that you will give your chief
negotiator and spokesman the leeway to go the extra mile to make
a negotiated agreement a reality.
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September 21, 2006 -
UPS and Teamsters Meet Two Years Before
Contract Expirations
Trying to avoid a repeat
of a 1997 strike that hobbled the United Parcel Service for two
weeks, UPS management gathered in a Detroit hotel with the International
Brotherhood of Teamsters, which represents 238,000 of the shipping
company's drivers and other ground-delivery employees. Among the
most pressing issues on the table: employee pension plans and healthcare
benefits. Investor worries over rising labor costs at the company
have hurt UPS share price of late and are a major concern for management
during the negotiations. For the teamsters, union president James
Hoffa had the following to say regarding the negotiations: "This
is our most important contract, one we want to work on without the
pressure of a strike. You don't want to be doing this under the
gun."
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September 21, 2006
Potter Says USPS
Must Be Ready for May 6 Rate Increase
Postal workers mourn
death of co-worker
American Airlines
Signs Five-Year Deal With Postal Service
Canton letters could get loopy
Mailing tea bags
may brew trouble for Postal Service
OPM announces medical, dental, vision premiums
for 2007
State Sues Company for falsely promising postal
jobs
USPS Gains Share in Air Freight Market
Mail Woes Plague Mundy's Corner Residents, Postal
Workers
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September 20, 2006 -
Former
Union Steward Arrested For Representing Postal Employees in Legal
Cases?? - From
PR reader: "Steven Millard is a former union steward. While
employed by the Postal Service he began representing postal employees
in MSPB and EEOC cases. He continued doing this after he left the
employ of the Postal Service. Earlier this year, he was arrested
for allegedly violating 18 USC 205 and 18 USC 1001. These statutes
were designed to prevent the conflict of interest inherent in having
an attorney employed by the government sue the government in federal
court on behalf of a third party. The untold story here is the impact
of his arrest on his clients. The federal judge ordered Mr. Millard
to cease all contact with his clients. This means not only that
Mr. Millard could no longer represent these people, but also he
could not even tell them what had happened. Even
so, under current MSPB and EEOC case law, Mr. Millard’s clients
are held responsible for Mr. Millard’s failures and, as a result,
many such cases have or will be dismissed."
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September 20, 2006 -
National APWU Slapped With Unfair Labor
Charges
The National Labor Relations
Board (NLRB), issued a complaint on April 28, 2006, alleging that
the American Postal Workers Union, had committed certain violations
of Section 8(a)(1) of the National Labor Relations Act when its
Executive Vice-President Cliff Guffey threatened and disciplined
employees for engaging in activities protected by the Act. The complaint
alleges that during telephone calls Guffey threatened employees
with discipline if they continued to complain about a terms and
condition of employment; threatened employees with discipline if
they continued to use the APWU's email system to engage in protected
concerted activities; threatened employees with termination if they
repeated his comments; and issued oral warnings to employees for
engaging in protected concerted activities. On August 31, 2006,
a NLRB Administrative Judge ruled that APWU "engaged in certain
unfair labor practices."
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September 20, 2006 -
Congress Request Postal Policies Covering
On-Duty Alcohol Use-
Rep.
Thomas M. Davis III (R-Va.) who chairs the House Committee on Government
Reform, and the committee's ranking minority member, Henry A. Waxman
(D-Calif.), sent a letter to Potter requesting a pile of records
linked to Jaffer's case. But they also requested "copies of any
polices in effect during the period covered by the Inspectors General's
investigation regarding employees on duty alcohol use. They wanted
USPS to explain "circumstances under which exceptions or deviations
to any of these policies are allowed if such exceptions or deviations
are not explicit in the regulations."
After Jaffer case, USPS rewrites rules on expenses
-The
new guidelines limit alcoholic beverage purchases at official postal
functions to beer and wine.
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September 20, 2006 -
Rural carrier beats ticket for not
being in driver's seat
- Myra Lawlor, a 19-year
veteran of the U.S. Postal Service, was cited last January after
a Bellows Falls police officer saw her sitting in the middle of
the front seat of her car as she drove from house to house, reaching
through the passenger's side window to put mail in mailboxes. Lawlor
fought the $194 ticket, and Vermont Judicial Bureau Judge Stephen
Fine ruled last week that Lawlor was exempt from a Vermont law that
requires drivers to be directly behind the steering wheel at all
times. He said states can't interfere with the "efficient operation"
of federal agencies, such as the Postal Service.
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September 20, 2006 -
Payroll
checks stolen from mail in Maryland
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September 19, 2006 -
Postal Service downplays risk after loss of laptop
The U.S. Postal Service
has notified 4,500 businesses across the Southeast, including the
city of Port St. Lucie, that a laptop holding their account information
was discovered missing in August and may have fallen into the wrong
hands. The laptop is protected by two passwords and contains no
financial records that would allow a thief to access customers'
bank accounts or credit cards, postal spokesman Bob Anderson said.
The Postal Service notified businesses and governmental agencies
with postal accounts in case someone tries to use the account information
to pose as someone he's not, Anderson said.
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September 19, 2006
Postal Hike Could Spur One Medium: Mail
U.S. Postal Service Signs on as Exclusive Shipper for eFashionSolutions
USPS money orders stolen
Postal Employee Secretly Videotaped Family In Their Bathroom
Letter: Put the poster back up where it belongs
ATF Wants You To Know About Suspicious Mail or Packages
Canada Post introduces ' Permanent' postage stamp
Thurston mail now sent to Tacoma
Letter carrier blames laziness for failure to
deliver mail
Week's Laziest Public Servant award goes to postal employee
After Five Years USPS now has 6,100 Blackberry
users
First-Class voter notices sidetracked in mail
mix-up
Mail carrier’s trial in credit card fraud set
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September 18, 2006
Mike Causey: Pre-Retirement Sickos
United Mail delivers big results
Anthrax case grows colder
Official says rural Alaska deserves subsidized air service
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September 17, 2006 -
Pedaling the Post
- Carriers Delivering Mail by Bicycle
Chris Hubble
used to drive an old jeep to deliver mail in Tampa. One day about
10 years ago, he noticed a letter carrier on a route in St. Petersburg
delivering mail on a bicycle." That's what I want to do," Hubble
said. So he applied for a transfer. Now Hubble, 38, works as a letter
carrier for the Open Air Station in St. Petersburg. The downtown
post office is the only station in Florida and one of a few in the
country to deliver mail by bicycle, according to Open Air Station
manager John Phelps. Carriers have used bikes since the Open Air
post office opened in 1917, he said. Today there are 23 letter carriers
using bicycles who range in experience from five months to 26 years.
The station also has six vehicle routes. Many carriers said they
wouldn't go back to driving a regular mail truck.|
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September 17, 2006 -
Bad form for changes
of address
About a year ago, the Postal Service
moved to a different forwarding system, one that centralized basic
features. It used to be that your change-of-address card went directly
to the letter carrier, who quickly knew you were gone. Under the
new system, the cards -- or the Web requests -- are often sent to
a central forwarding system (CFS, in Postal Service-speak). The
forwarding unit in turn scans in the requests for the ``remote encoding
center'' (REC) in Selma, Calif., which puts them in the Postal Service's
system. As mail comes in, the new address is inked on the envelope.
When requests are handled this way, the letter carriers are not
the first to know. They're not told where the people are moving.
They do get a notice that someone has moved -- and that mail should
be forwarded. So the Mountain View man interviewed several letter
carriers at the La Avenida Avenue branch ... ``I talked to
all these postmen who told me how screwed up the whole system was.
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September 16, 2006 -
NAPUS Leaders Concerned
About USPS Plan to Cut Workhours
"NAPUS leaders
are very concerned about the surprise announcement this week on
how the
Postal Service plans to cut $1.1 billion from the budget. The
biggest concern is the announced plan to decrease the work hour
budget by 40 million hours. Postmasters nationwide are already facing
unrealistic budgets in their offices and further cuts could only
worsen the current staffing and work hour shortages that many offices
are facing. NAPUS National President Dale Goff will discuss the
proposed cuts with USPS officials as soon as a meeting can be set
up."
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September 16, 2006
Mike Causey: Postal Workers' Pay Ride is Automatic
Indictment handed down for crash that maimed postal worker
MS:
More than Year After Katrina, 3 Post Offices Still Working Out of
Trailers
Former letter carrier pleads guilty to theft
Canada: Flea bite halts postal service
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September 15, 2006 -
Mail
Handler Contract Update #5
- The Postal Service’s financial condition often is a key factor
in bargaining, and there are both positive and negative indications
about the Postal Service’s financial health. Moreover, the Postal
Service likes to disparage its financial prospects as bargaining
heats up, by highlighting the negative and ignoring the positive.
One thing is certain, however: given all of these claims by the
Postal Service, another tough round of bargaining can be expected.
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September 15, 2006 -
North Carolina: Growth
in Town Strains Postal Service
"The population of the northwest
Raleigh community Brier Creek has skyrocketed over the last year,
and it is putting a strain on the post office. Brenda Fox says mail
service in the Brier Creek area is sloppy. She says her calls to
the U.S. Postal Service did not help. Residents suspect a parade
of temporary carriers is not familiar with the names and numbers.
The postal service says they have no trouble filling positions,
but they also say they are always hiring."
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September 15, 2006
Wisconsin: Postal Service considering new distribution center
ADVO Shareholders Back Merger
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September 14, 2006 -
APWU: USPS Rate Proposal Shifts More
Costs From Major Mailers to Individual Customers
- Testimony submitted on Sept. 6 (to PRC) shows that new rates requested
by the Postal Service would increase excessive discounts to major
mailers who presort their mail, and, as a result, force small businesses
and individual customers who do not presort their mail to pay more.
As a result of the Postal Service’s flawed methodology, Kobe says,
the proposed rates would provide corporate presort mailers with
vastly inflated discounts relative to the costs the USPS avoids.
The Postal Service has predicted that 18 billion letters will be
mailed at these discounted rates in 2008. If not corrected by the
Postal Rate Commission, this one excessive discount would cost the
Postal Service approximately $600 million per year, Kobe said following
her testimony.
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USPS BOG Approves FY 2007 Plan That Assumes Rate Increase in May
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September 14, 2006 -
Union Says USPS Is Cutting Security Short by Cutting Officers
“The union
representing Postal Police accuses the Postal Service of turning
a blind eye to security. While many businesses have increased
security since the 911 and anthrax attacks, the Postal Service
has been cutting back. So says John Dukes, President of the
Fraternal Order of Police, Labor Council #2. “Well, we had over
14 hundred postal police positions before 911. And we just went
down to 700 throughout the country.” In Philadelphia, the
number of postal police officers has fallen from more than
70 in 1999 to 39. Dukes says another round of firings will reduce
the local force to 15 as of October first. Why? “What
they tell us is the postal police positions, through technology
and all now, that they actually don’t need the positions.” But Dukes
believes the Postal Service is merely cutting corners, with little
regard for safety.”
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September 14, 2006 -
GOP, Dems embrace post office legislation
"Post
office naming is now the most common form of legislation, according
to the Congressional Research Service (CRS). An analysis by The
Hill shows that in 15 years the two parties have achieved parity
in the practice. Of the 267 naming bills passed since the beginning
of the 102nd Congress, 133 were sponsored by Democrats and 134 were
sponsored by Republicans. Since Congress named its first post office
after an individual in 1967, it has ignored United States Postal
Service guidelines on naming facilities after individuals – specifically
that the individual must have been deceased at least 10 years with
the exception of deceased U.S. presidents or Postmasters general."
It often comes as a surprise to congressional staff that USPS does
not have a comprehensive list of those that have already been named
for individuals either through legislative or administrative action,”
stated the CRS report
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September 14, 2006 -
About that 75 grand
a year
Newspaper
Editor Backtracks on Statement about Postal Workers Earning $ 75
grand a year -
"We’ve heard from several
local postal employees who were angry about my column
“An
oxymoron: Government business”
that ran on the opinion
page Aug. 23. What particularly raised their ire was the statement
that postal workers make an average of $75,000 a year. ... let me
say right away – no postal worker in the tri counties makes 75 grand
a year. But that number, through an extrapolation, was not pulled
out of the air. It came directly from Jack Potter, postmaster general
of the United States, at a special postal summit called by the National
Newspaper Association in Washington just a month ago. I heard it
with my own ears. Again, if any reader concluded from the column
that your local mail carrier actually makes that kind of money,
let me assure you she doesn’t. I’m happy to clear up that misunderstanding."
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September 14, 2006 -
Postal Bulletin 9/14/06 Issue: PostalPEOPLE, Notice Left Operations,
more...
Letter carrier pleads guilty to theft
New Mexico: Shut post office riles residents
Postal plan upsets court, county officials
Web stamps aren't worth a lick
Prize wins fan for postal automation
Advo Stockholders Approve Valassis Merger
Agreement
Comergent Helps Pitney Bowes Deliver Postage
with Images On Demand
700 Electric payment checks missing in Ohio
Answers elude anthrax inquiry
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September 13, 2006 -
Couple moving to Minnesota sends all belongings via Postal Service
- About 23
years ago, Steve and Barbara Slater moved to Alaska in a unique,
and in their opinion, money-saving way. They sent all their belongings
via the U.S. Postal Service. Now 23 years later, and about to move
to Minnesota, the Slaters are once again doing the same thing. They
say they consulted with a moving company, and were told it would
cost approximately $17,000 to do the job. Instead of paying that
amount, the Slaters chose to use the Postal Service, bringing over
two hundred boxes into the downtown Post Office.
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September 13, 2006
Jerry Lane Named VP, Area Operations, Capital Metro Area
Postal worker honored for good deed on job
Texas: New postal facility to open
Judge: restitution first, then plea deal for clerk charged with
theft
Mixed-Mail & Parcel Sorting Technology Provides New Business
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September 12, 2006 -
Mailers Council Asks Congress to Let USPS Manage Its Operations
"In its campaign to keep
postage affordable despite continuing declines in mail volume, the
Mailers Council on Sept. 8 sent letters to every member of the House
and Senate and asked them to oppose any legislation that would prevent
the U.S. Postal Service from closing outdated and inefficient mail
processing facilities. ."
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September 12, 2006
Postal overhaul languishing despite compromise
offer
Former Postmaster appears in court for embezzled
funds
Bottle Bombs Found in Mailboxes
eNAPUS: Postal Reform, Jaffer (PDF)
Army Honors Postal Service
Postal offices introducing senior pen pal programs
Shareholders File Class Action Against ADVO
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Valassis Expects to Cancel Advo Merger
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September
10, 2006 -
Post office returns mailbox to senders
The
Postal Service has reduced 42,000 boxes to scrap metal since 1999.
About 295,050 boxes remained standing as of 2005. The Sept. 11 terrorist
attacks accelerated the removals. Officials took out scores of boxes
around landmarks such as the US Capitol out of concern that explosive
devices could be placed inside them. But in most of the areas that
have had boxes removed, the issue was less about homeland security
than lack of use.
In Lakewood, the boxes simply became
too expensive to maintain for so little business, Post Officer In
Charge Steve Ham said. Not only do mail collectors have to make
fruitless trips to underused boxes, but they must also deal with
graffiti and random objects dropped inside, he said.
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September 10, 2006 -
Video:
Mail Carrier
Maureen DePrince Benefit
Passports Made Easy: Du Quoin Postmaster Turns Studio Photographer
Postal access for disabled stalls
DMA, Other Groups File Rate-Case Testimony With PRC
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September 09, 2006
APWU: Contract Negotiations
Update
Man who assaulted postman gets 2 years
Newspaper Group Say USPS Hasn't Made Case For Rate Hike
Missing Mail in Beaumont Has Put One Woman Behind Bars
Postal Inspectors
Investigate Post Office Break-ins
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September
08, 2006
Postman Michael Renzo Honored by Congress for
Saving Elderly Customer
Postal workers to collect books for Cops 'N Kids
reading center
Charleston REC postal workers send mail on right
path
Photo 2001: Postal Truck Sits in Rubble of World
Trade Center
Mail Handlers Contract Update No. 4
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September 07, 2006 -
APWU: Postal Service Falls Short in
Attempts to Get Public Input on Consolidations
-
"In
testimony submitted to the Postal Rate Commission on behalf of the
APWU on Sept. 1, Margaret L. Yao, an expert and senior associate
at AmericaSpeaks, sharply criticized the USPS for failing to adequately
consult with the public on its network consolidation plan. Yao concluded
that Postal Service's Public Involvement Plan was "needlessly flawed"
and that the "deficiencies of the current adversarial approach have
invited scrutiny, delay, frustration, and cynicism." Yao provided
an in-depth report on the five public meetings organized by the
USPS in areas slated for consolidation of local postal facilities."
|
|
September 07, 2006 -
USPS July Financial Results Released
"USPS revenues for July
were $5.5 billion, or 0.5% under plan and 4.1% more than July 2005.
Expenses for the month were $5.8 billion, or 0.4% over plan and
4.3% more than same period last year (SPLY). The net loss was $268
million before the escrow allocation. The net deficiency after the
escrow allocation was $518 million. Year-to-date (YTD), revenue
through July was 0.6%, or $364 million higher than plan and 3.9%
above SPLY. Expenses through July were 0.5%, or $295 million higher
than plan and $2.4 billion above SPLY. YTD, mail volume is 0.8%
above SPLY."
USPS Reports Net Deficiency of $268 Million in
July
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September
07, 2006 -
Attacked with saw, he's back
The last time he walked onto a subway
platform to go to work, Michael Steinberg was almost killed, the
victim of a frenzied power saw attack. Yesterday, the postal worker
took a big step back into the Manhattan station where he nearly
lost his life - a step he said was vital in trying to get back to
normal. It wasn't easy: Steinberg, 64, was hit by a frightening
flashback almost immediately.
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September 07, 2006 -
Lack of Postal Reform Leads to Blame Game - With time running
out for Congress to approve a postal reform bill, some mailers are
questioning whether the Direct Marketing Association—both the leadership
and the members—failed to work as effectively as possible to improve
the chances of the legislation being passed.
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September 07, 2006 -
Postmaster Charged In Gambling With Postal Funds -
A federal grand jury in
Phoenix has returned a one count indictment against a postmaster
for misappropriation of postal funds. Lawrence Moreno, 65, of Lakeside,
Arizona, was the postmaster for the Whiteriver Post Office, in Whiteriver,
Az. During the period of November, 2003 through May, 2004, Moreno
removed approximately $66,110 from the Post Office in increments
of approximately $50 to $600 a day and did not return the money
to the Post Office or deposit the money in the Post Office's bank
on behalf of the Post Office. Prosecutors say Moreno ultimately
took the Post Office's money to a local casino and lost the money
while gambling with it. Moreno attempted to hide the unlawful conversion
of the money by maintaining records indicating that the money was
in fact in the Post Office in the form of stamp stock and had been
deposited in the Post Office's bank on behalf of the Post Office.
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September 07, 2006
NLRB Decision Regarding Weingarten Rights
Mail carrier arrested for felony
dog theft
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New Zealand: Gold Rush Stamp Reveals Hidden Nuggets
Stamps.com Launches Photo NetStamps
Federal Workers to Get Enhanced Dental and Vision Insurance
ADVO Moves Forward With Proxy Meeting Plans
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September 06, 2006
NALC: COLA of $790.00 in Sept. 22 Pay Check
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Pay Chart (PDF)
ABX Unit Gets 4-Year Postal Service Pact
Mayor recants post office criticisms
ADVO Planning to Go Forward With Merger with
Valassis
PMG's Father Dies at 79: Was Career USPS Employee
Postmaster General Praised Big Spending Official
With Friends Like These...
New rules outlaw older postage meters
Top 3 Reasons Not to Use USPS's Global Economy
Parcel Post
Mailboxes Are Victim of 'Net
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September 05, 2006 -
U.S. Colleagues Aid Injured Mail Carrier
"Anthony Alizio
doesn't know Maureen Buscher DePrince. He never met her. But as
a letter carrier, Alizio was moved when he heard of the tragic accident
in Ventnor that cost Buscher DePrince her legs, and perhaps her
sight. "This tragedy touched all letter carriers as we are out in
the streets of America daily dealing with all types of hazards,"
said Alizio, an Arizona mail carrier who found out about the incident
during the National Association of Letter Carriers biennial convention
in Las Vegas two weeks ago. By setting up a makeshift table at the
convention, friends of Buscher DePrince raised $45,000. The association
agreed to match it dollar for dollar."
Support from around
the nation helps. "It's nice to know so many of them care. Postal
employees have been very supportive," [Maureen's father, Joseph]
Buscher said."
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September 05, 2006 -
USPS Seeks New Vendor for Headquarters Fitness Center
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Uniontown postmaster enjoys community
The postal worker who loved fountain pens
Mail delivery takes stamp and safety
Postal Service plans to unveil Oklahoma stamp
Village readies to reopen PO destroyed by fire
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September 04, 2006
Paralyzed after crash, rural carrier working to put the past behind
her
Fire damages Macomb
postal facility
Advo Inc. accuses Valassis of trying to renegotiate merger
|
September 02, 2006
Postal Service misfires with its 'motorcyle'
postmark
The post office is in a pickle over the spelling of motor-sickle.
See Image Here
Ex-postal worker blames drug addiction for failure to deliver mail
|
Sheriff's office sets
Web link to claim lost mail
SW Area VP Letter: Postal Service striving to improve
Orleans people question decision to reduce window hours
|
September 01, 2006 -
Ask President Burrus: Lost of Seniority
Bidding on Jobs Within Sectional Center
- "I would like to
see the national union negotiate job bidding within a sectional
center, such as in 460-461-462 or 473 or 475. I live in zip code
46038, but I work in 462. There are bids available in 460, but I
would lose all seniority to go there. I can understand not allowing
nationwide bidding because of local seniority, but bidding within
30 miles does not seem to present a problem."
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September 01, 2006 -
Mail Carrier Injured When Lightning Hits Tree
- A postal worker is recovering from a close call after a lightning
strike on Thursday. According to witnesses, lightning hit a tree,
injuring a mail carrier who was walking nearby. An onlooker saw
the incident and immediately called 911. Firefighters arrived within
four minutes and began working on the woman. Linda John was taken
to the hospital and held overnight for observation.
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September 01, 2006
Mail Handler Contract Update #3
FTC Stamps Out Postal Job Scam
PRC OKs Paid Circulation
Proposal
UPS Pilots Ratify
Contract
City's Postal Leader Lauded
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