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Postal News Archive -APRIL 2004

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2005: Jan| Feb| Mar| Apr| May| Jun| July| Aug| Oct| Nov| Dec 

2004: Jan| Feb| Mar May| Jun| Jul | Aug |Sept| Oct| Nov | Dec   

2003: Jan-June 2003| July-Dec. 2003

Top News Story of the Month

 

USPS to Implement Pilot Program to 'Outsource' Injured On Duty Employees

The program is intended to develop work opportunities outside the Postal Service for employees who have sustained job-related illness or injury (IOD).  The program will be initiated in the Long Island District and later will include the other districts in the New York Metro Area.  It is the intention of the Postal Service to eventually implement this program nationwide. Comments |

 

 

Top Stories

 

• 200,000 Postal Workers May Be Affected by USPS Use of Labor Scheduling Software -Postal Workers who work as package and letter sorters could be affected by the postal agency's use of the Labor Force Schedule Optimizer System (SOS) to model workers' jobs. Managers have begun using  the Optimizer System in Philadelphia and at least 19 postal facilities. In 2001, when USPS officials first used the planning tool in a series of pilot and proof-of-concept tests, they eliminated 1,600 full-time equivalent positions out of 11,500. SOS is web-enabled, so management can access and use it from anywhere in the world. |

 

• USPS seeks dismissal of  Postal Workers anthrax suit- USPS has petitioned the court to dismiss a class action $100 million  lawsuit saying that the court has no jurisdiction over the complaint. The 29-page document submitted on behalf of PMG Potter  also includes an argument that  ,"The Defendants (USPS)  Are entitled to Qualified Immunity."  USPS 3/04 request to dismiss suit (4/29/04) |

 - Brentwood Postal Workers Push Lawsuit Over Anthrax -"Memos Show USPS Knew of Spores" -Lawyers for 2,300 employees at  Brentwood mail facility urged a federal judge to let them move forward with a lawsuit accusing USPS of "lying to the workforce after discovering deadly anthrax contamination in the plant, saying officials must be punished for exposing so many people to harm."

- Postal Worker Anthrax Victims Deserve Day in Court, Groups Says

 

•  Postmasters Oppose Many of USPS Amendments to Postal bill-NAPUS leaders are disappointed in the Postal Service's proposal to eliminate the prohibition against closing a post office solely for economic reasons and eliminate the community's due process rights to appeal a post office closing or consolidation to the Independent Postal Rate Commission. |

 

• OIG Report Says Plan Unfair to Customers (PDF)-The USPS Office of Inspector General  says that  the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS)  legislation that passed last year will save USPS from over funding the (CSRS) retirement system by billions, but is not fair to postal customers. Any CSRS overpayments being held in escrow should be released the Postal Service and USPS should not be required to pay pension costs for military service. This requirement constitutes a 'hidden tax' on Postal Service customers.

 

• USPS Suspends Biohazard Detection System Testing & Deployment-Non-determinant test results temporarily halt BDS rollout .Some tests are neither positive nor negative — they’re inconclusive. For the Biohazard Detection System (BDS), an inconclusive test is called a “non-determinant.” . As a result, national BDS deployment is being temporarily halted so we can address this issue.  A non-determinant doesn’t indicate a threat is suspected, it simply means the test result is inconclusive.  |

- CEPHEID,BDS Developer Comments on USPS Announcement (4/29/04)

 

• USPS & NALC Release Route Inspection Moratorium Q & A -Following input from letter carriers throughout the country regarding difficulties in verifying the cased mail volume under the Moratorium on Route Counts and Inspections NALC & USPS agreed on a simpler, easier-to-use form which will be used to track the daily cased mail volume on all routes. The parties also agreed to a  series of 25 questions that had arisen from the field regarding this moratorium and the route verification process.  |

- Special Message from NALC  Young on Route Inspections Moratorium 
- Gary Mullins NALC VP: (see NALC for copy of agreement and update) 4/3)

 

• "Aggressive" Timetable Set for Postal Overhaul Legislation- Senator Chairwoman Susan Collins, R-Maine said she plans to introduce bipartisan legislation with Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del by the end of the month. On Wed. Collins laid out an aggressive timetable for a Postal Service overhaul bill.|

- PRC, USPS Board Chiefs Differ on Reform Views

- PRC Chair: More Postal Service Transparency Needed

- Statement of Senator Susan M. Collins

Postal Rate Commission Chairman George Omas [ PDF]

Board of Governors  David Fineman

 

• PMG Potter Sets Progress Report on USPS -"Tens of thousands of Postal Service customers from around the country will hear Postmaster General John E. Potter on May 26, National Postal Customer Council (PCC) Day, when he delivers his first-ever national satellite broadcast on the state of the United States Postal Service."  |

 

• Potter Reviews Growth of USPS Programs at BOG Meeting-The U.S. Postal Service's Carrier Pickup program expands next week for a total of 204,000 city and rural carrier routes, Postmaster General John E. Potter told the postal service's Board of Governors at its monthly meeting . Potter also noted the deployment this week of the first Automated Postal Center in Dallas. The APC is a self-service kiosk offering access to postal products and services|

 

• Direct Mail Is Here to Stay,' Potter Tells Chicago DMA Crowd-Potter also brought up the woes ailing the postal service: unbending unions, crippling obligations to the employees' retirement system and much-needed legislative reform . Another issue that troubled Potter was unnecessary post offices."

- Live From Chicago DMA Conference: The USPS Wants Your Business

- The Essence of Postal Reform

- The DMA’s Conference: The Shape of the Next Postal Rate Case

- McHugh: Postal Reform Urgently Needed

- Senate Set for Postal Reform-

- Potter: No Postal Crisis Yet

- Sununu: Lack of 'Political Will' Could Stall Postal Reform

- House Staff Say No Chance for Postal Reform

 

• Postmasters Oppose Many of USPS Amendments to Postal bill-NAPUS leaders are disappointed in the Postal Service's proposal to eliminate the prohibition against closing a post office solely for economic reasons and eliminate the community's due process rights to appeal a post office closing or consolidation to the Independent Postal Rate Commission.(4/30/04) |

 

• Potter Asks Senate for Funding-Postmaster general John E. Potter urged a Senate subcommittee yesterday to include funding for postal appropriations not in President Bush's 2005 fiscal year federal budget. The largest expense is $779 million for emergency preparedness| Statement of PMG Potter

 

• APWU Readies Massive Media Campaign To Battle Anti-Worker ‘Reform’ Proposals- APWU Executive Board approved an $8 assessment per member in 2003 .“I am prepared to implement the assessment if legislation is introduced that is detrimental to postal workers and the American public.”  “We intend to raise enough money to thwart any legislation that would undermine postal services, or the rights of postal workers,” Burrus said. “And we will work to end giveaways to the mailing industry that threaten the viability of the USPS,” he said.  APWU News Service Bulletin|  -also see USPS, APWU Discuss Commuter-Costs Benefit

-APWU State President Leroy Moyer Plans Postal Reform ‘Awareness Walk’

 

• NALC President Young : Pay Is Not the Problem - "The Postal Service has reduced its workforce by 70,000 employees during the past five years. Labor costs as a share of total costs have declined from 86 percent in 1976 to 76 percent in 2003. Contrary to Mr. Ryan's claim, postal employees earn wages and benefits that are comparable to workers doing similar jobs for national delivery companies such as FedEx and UPS. Young responding to Lexington Institute Sam Ryan's letter to the Washington Post  "Postal Pay at a Premium"

- NALC Testimony to Postal Commission concerning Pay Comparability

- President Young: NALC and USPS- At a crossroads (pdf)-"The Postal Service is moving forward and backward at once, a situation that is bound implode. Good managers have little incentive to continue as long as they see bad managers suffering no consequences—or even reaping rewards for atrocious behavior. NALC respects the Postal Service’s right manage the institution. You do your job and we’ll do ours. But don’t forget: We demand the same respect in return. Have top postal officials misinterpreted our good intentions? Do they believe they can continue to let these bad managers attack and harass letter carriers, and yet continue to reap the benefits of our cooperation and good will? If so, they’ve got it wrong. They are making a terrible, foolish mistake." |

 

• Colleagues' work ethic is unnerving to Mail Handler-"I'm a 25-year postal veteran working as a mail handler in California. During the last several years, I have been appalled by the rampant, callous and shameless acts of some of my fellow workers. These people are taking overly long breaks, sleeping on the job, missing from the work floor for hours and then putting in for overtime. Management once in awhile reminds employees to remain "gainfully employed" at all times, but mainly doesn't do anything about it. What should I do? Some fellows have advised me to just join the "truant club," but this is against my values. The EAP counselor has advised me to just do my 100 percent of work and not mind the bad guys. What is your advice?"

Disgruntled in California

 

•  District Court Rules USPS violated the Rehabilitation Act- Postal Worker Fired After Eight Years Of Leave Wins Disability Case- An Illinois  Postal Clerk who was on disability leave for over eight years before USPS cut off her benefits and fired her demonstrated that USPS violated the "Rehabilitation Act"  by cutting off disability benefits without investigating whether she could fill another job.|  

 

• Ricin Attack Was Ignored by USPS-Insight Magazine: Though postal managers insist they acted properly in the ricin attack, the evidence again casts doubt.  |

 

• Early Out Approved for Postal Supervisors, Transportation Operations - The  VER offer for Supervisor, Transportation Operations only is to minimize the number of employees potentially affected by involuntary reassignments due to the reshaping and repositioning of the initial level supervisory workforce. Eligible employees who meet the criteria will be mailed an offer letter May 5, 2004. The effective date of retirement will be June 30, 2004. (PR reader) |

- PCS and EAS Employees Impacted by Organizational Change/Reduction-in-Force; Change in Pay and Benefits Policy. PMG Potter memo 4/2/04

- Questions and Answers on Benefits, Pay, and Leave Under VER -updated 4/1/04

 

 USPS Suspends Biohazard Detection System Testing & Deployment-Non-determinant test results temporarily halt BDS rollout .Some tests are neither positive nor negative — they’re inconclusive. For the Biohazard Detection System (BDS), an inconclusive test is called a “non-determinant.”  As a result, national BDS deployment is being temporarily halted so we can address this issue.  A non-determinant doesn’t indicate a threat is suspected, it simply means the test result is inconclusive.  |

- CEPHEID,BDS Developer Comments on USPS Announcement (4/29/04)

 

• Postal Employee Fatally Injured at Indiana Retailer's Warehouse-A 37-year postal clerk  was fatally injured in a conveyor-related accident at Brylane's Indianapolis warehouse.  He was assigned to the retailer's facility because of the high volume of mailings there |

 

Azeezaly S. Jaffer, Vice President, USPS Public Affairs and Communications USPS Jaffer Sets the Record Straight with Lexington Institute and UPS- Azeezaly S. Jaffer, Vice President, USPS Public Affairs and Communications wrote  "It's not uncommon for us to encounter pundits like Sam Ryan of the Lexington Institute who do not understand what the U.S. Postal Service is, or even what it does. Ryan regularly fires bombastic blasts at what he believes is wrong with the Postal Service, and then recommends simplistic solutions to fix these perceived wrongs." Ryan said in one of his many articles on the Postal Service  ".. why is USPS so opposed to letting a private company deliver an ordinary envelope for $2.22?" and another article Postal Pay at a Premium  basically says that postal workers are overpaid. 

- Jaffer addresses UPS' faulty argument on the Postal Service 

- The Relative Size of Labor Costs at UPS, FedEx & USPS

 

• USPS and Postmasters Discuss Filling Craft Vacancies "During the past few weeks NAPUS President Wally Olihovik and other NAPUS leaders have met with top USPS officials at both the Headquarters and Area level to discuss filling critical staffing needs in post offices. | 

• USPS ending sponsorship of Lance Armstrong-"USPS Spokesman Gerry McKiernan said the agency has decided to go “in another direction” with its advertising." According to an OIG report since 1996 USPS has sponsored 1 national and over 200 local sponsorshipsOIG's audit  reviewed 11 of the sponsorships Pro-Cycling (1996-2002) Heisman (2000-2001) Chicago Bears (1998-2002) New York Yankees (1999-2002)  New York Giants (1998-2002 (Notre Dame (2001-2002) DM Days (2001) First Union (Philly) Tampa Bay Devil Rays (1998-2000) Masters Tournament (1999) Ryder Cup (2001)   |

- Armstrong won't be going postal in 2005

- In a first for USPS, a professional stock car promoted fundraising stamp

- CAGW: No More Tour de Pork; Postal Service Drops Sponsorship of Cycling Team

- USPS Press Release: It's Been a Wonderful Ride

 

• Postal Workers say understaffing causes delays in delivery-Many Weatherford Texas Postal Workers say they are concerned that the office is too understaffed to effectively deliver the mail on time;  their work environment is hostile; carriers are returning from later than 5 p.m.; In recent weeks and months, 4 to 5 employees have used medical leave for symptoms of stress. Many of the employees' complaints center around the Postmaster.  Forth Worth APWU President, Gordon Cook , wrote in the union newsletter that he has heard the postmaster berate his employees, an action he wrote was "clearly indicative of a manager with absolutely no regard for the rights of others." The postal workers are banding together to try to bring change to the office. |

- Update: More postal employees on the way, officials say

 

•  FedEx becomes new USPS customer-"Last week FedEx began dropping off Parcel Select parcels at destination delivery units, bulk mail centers and auxiliary service facilities.  No paperwork is involved, and no signature from a postal employee is required at the destination facility. Verification will be done through random sampling. FedEx will make daily stops at postal facilities throughout the country. USPS will deliver the parcels to customers. "USPS News Link|

 

• Postal overhaul proposals now expected next week- House Government Reform Committee Chairman Tom Davis, R-Va., and Senate Governmental Affairs Chairwoman Susan Collins, R-Maine, originally had planned to introduce postal legislation by the end of April. But Collins acknowledged she would wait until next week to introduce her bill with Sen. Carper, D-Del |

 

•  Why Weaker Unions Worry Managers- " The four unions that represent nearly 93 percent of the Postal Service’s 730,000 career employees should not be underestimated, said postal expert Neal Denton. |

 

News by Date

 

April 30, 2004

• APWU union to Hold Picket outside Mansfield PO over possible loss of positions -Postal service wants to move mail processing out of Mansfield, Ohio.

- Mail in city may become casualty of electronic-information age-(4/28/04)

•  Postal clerk accused of identity theft

•  UK postal workers defended after 70,000 thefts

-Thieving, laziness and utter chaos in the UK post

 

April 29, 2004

•  Pentagon to Try to Fix War Zone Voting Woes- Pentagon & USPS close to agreement on handling of military/civilian overseas ballots

• Love lures postmaster to Oregon

• Maine Postal Worker/reservist's death is under investigation

• LeRoy D Moyer Prepares for Postal Reform Awareness Walk in May

• Long Lines, Misdelivered Mail May Prompt Post Office Changes

• AT&T Wireless Helps Airlines Earn Wings with Post Office

• Post office insurance seldom pays claims

- USPS Final Rule Notice concerning Indemnity Claims for Domestic Mail 4/29/04

• Man killed, Postal worker injured in crash

• Oklahoma  carrier first female in Tulsa to retire from USPS

 

April 28, 2004

• Wichita Falls Postal Worker dies in one-car crash

• Help Stamp Out Hunger: Leave Food Donations At Your Mailbox May 8

• Postal Bulletin April 29th Issue

• USPS Halts Biohazard Detection System Testing & Deployment

• USPS Plan Would Merge Classes on Same Pallets

• Mailman rescues woman from fire

• Mail carrier says goodbye to route after 27 years

• Postal employee friends with many customers

• Man Whose Pit Bulls Killed Son Faces Federal Charges-He is  also charged of intimidating and interfering with a letter carrier.

• U.S. Postal Service stamps Ford Post Office 'canceled'

• Seminar Covers 'Consumer Rage' Issues of Telemarketing, Spam

• 'Black box' sought by Defense in Mail Processor manslaughter case

• Mail in city may become casualty of electronic-information age

• Postal food drive is a labor of love

• Bridal Veil post office to offer special postmark for marriages

• Maine reservist killed in mission near Baghdad| APWU Member Killed in Iraq

• UPS Pushes Envelope with New Mail Processing Technology --UPS Mail Innovations, the business mail services unit of UPS  has deployed a system known as the Automated Processing System (APS).

 

April 27, 2004

• Study: Anthrax Survivors Still Terrorized| Medical Journal Press Release

• Postal workers bowl to help MDA

• APWU Member Killed in Iraq

• Police shoot dog that attacked mail carrier, animal control officer

• Sick Leave Make You Sick?

• New automated postal center in Cary North Carolina

• What You Should Do When Issued A Letter Of Demand

• World War II-era ammo casings trigger evacuations -Mail service to approximately 450 residential and business customers was also delayed as access to a nearby mail distribution center was temporarily closed, according to a USPS statement

• Drama fills time in line at the post office

• Post Office Named In Veteran Scandal Gets New Name

• Sewer Fumes Force Evacuation of Post Office

• Bloomfield Post Office employees honored

• Pedestrian Dies After Being Hit by Mail Truck

• FedEx to put name on Kinko's shops| photo of new logo

• Royal Mail wants to charge for size as well as weight

•  New 21st Century Postal Worker Poll: President Burrus and others propose extending the current term of office for national officers to 4 years resulting in a significant financial savings without a corresponding loss of accountability of national officers to the membership. Would you support a Resolution to extend terms of office for national officers from 3 years to 4 years? - submitted by Randy Zelznick, APWU Philadelphia, PA Area Local #89

 

• 5 Members of Postal Reform Panel Urge Quebecor World to Respect Workers' Freedom to Form Union -by refraining from threats, harassment, and intimidation in a letter sent  (by Reps. Danny Davis, Major Owens , Carolyn Maloney  William Clay, and Edolphus Towns, who all sit on the Special Panel on Postal Reform and Oversight of the House Government) to Quebecor 's CEO. Quebecor World  workers are trying to form a union with Graphic Communication International Union (GCIU). (Time Magazine, Victoria’s Secret catalog, the latest Harry Potter book—all are printed by Quebecor World. Visit Workers' website www.JusticeAtQuebecor.org

 

April 26, 2004

• Nomination Hearing for Dawn Tisdale to be Commissioner of Postal Rate Commission on  4/29/04 . On February 11, President George W. Bush announced his intention to nominate NAPUS member Dawn A. Tisdale to be a commissioner of the Postal Rate Commission. Mr. Tisdale is a retired postmaster who served from 1989 to 2000 as postmaster of Smithville, Texas. Prior to his tenure as postmaster, Mr. Tisdale was manager of Employee Relations in Waco, and a letter carrier in Austin. In Austin, he served as Vice President of NALC Branch 181. Dawn served in the U.S. Navy from 1962 to 1966, and later earned his bachelor's degree from St. Edwards University. If confirmed by the Senate, Mr. Tisdale would serve the remainder of a six-year term expiring in November 2006. ( bio source: NAPUS)

 

• USPS Responds to PRC Complaint filed by Digistamp, Inc.-In the complaint, DigiStamp Inc.is claiming that USPS violated its charter by not seeking prior approval from Postal Rate Commission before offering the Electronic Postmark service .

• Reasons to give to COPA

• Stamps pad universitiesΉ images, reputations

• South Dakota candidate speaks to postal workers

 

April 25, 2004

• Doggy-treat law bites Aspen letter carriers- Aspen (Colorado) branch of USPS has started to clamp down on what was once second nature for many mailmen and – women – bringing doggy treats along with them on their delivery routes. This is not the first time that orders from USPS’ higher-ups have percolated down to Aspen’s post office. Almost exactly a year ago, Aspen’s mailman Terry Trish was told he could no longer do his rounds accompanied by his loyal golden retriever  |

 

• DOL cites USPS court case and Memo to define exempt  employees under New overtime rules -DOL publishes 154 page outline  of new overtime regulations in Federal Register-DOL had taken the position that pilots are not exempt professionals citing  Wage and Hour Opinion Letter dated January 20, 1975; In re U.S. Postal Service ANET and WNET Contracts, 2000 WL 1100166, at *7 (DOL Admin. Rev. Bd.) and   Dymond v. United States Postal Service, 670 F.2d 93 (8th Cir. 1982) (finding postal inspectors exempt even though some of their duties required them to follow a field manual that contained detailed procedures and standards).

- New regulations will not apply to workers covered by labor contracts but...

 

• Mailman comes to the rescue of a man on his route twice

• Rural Carriers make little girl's dream come true

• Netflix Plans to Deliver Films Via Web in 2005-CEO-Netflix built a good business on the back of postal workers, collecting $500 million in revenue last year by delivering DVDs to 1.5 million subscribers

• Sewer Bills Lost in Mail Once Again

 

April 24, 2004

• Study: Workers should stay home when sick-American workers should stop trying to be heroes and just stay home when they're sick — it could be cheaper for their employers, according to a study. Workers who come in sick cost their employers an average of $255 each per year. Sick employees have difficulty concentrating, work more slowly and have to repeat tasks, bogging down productivity, according to the study. (They also get their co-workers sick, but those costs were not counted in the study.) |

 

•  Postal Service crew serves in its best traditions

•  Millions of letters in UK missing as Royal Mail cuts service

•  Letters: Taxpayers Don't Play Role in Postal service

•  Mailman threats disrupt postal service

 

April 23, 2004

•  Post Office Resumes Delivery to Housing Complex

• Lawyer arrested while collecting signatures at post office

- Conduct on Postal Service Property - Prohibitions on Signature Solicitation

• Postal service improves for Marines during second Iraq deployment
• Assault on letter carrier halts delivery of mail

• Delivery Options Combining Efforts of USPS, UPS & FedEx

• Gastonia NC residents name favorite letter carriers-Alan Kern is the U.S. Postal Service Letter Carrier of the Year for Gastonia

• A-PLUS EVENT.  The African American Postal League United for Success (A-PLUS) will host its 16th annual convention April 29 through May 2, in St. Louis, MO. .. more information, visit http://www.aplus.cc/

 

April 22, 2004

• Flashback! Comments by Postal Employees submitted to Postal Commission

•  Postal Supervisor Files Suit against USPS over Forced Resignation

• USPS Raises Bar for Scanning Flat-Size Mail

• UPS Automation speeds up package sorting, cuts manual labor and helps UPS compete -UPS invested $100 million in software development .

• Ballot Envelopes Returned to Sender by Automated Postal Machines

• German Postal worker auctions Packages on eBay

• IBM to Bring International Postal System Into the On Demand Era

• New anti-spam software invention called eMstamp stops unwanted e-mail  -Taking a cue from USPS, the inventors replaced the ordinary stamp with a binary token

 

April 21, 2004

• Mailbag stolen from Wisconsin Post Office in broad daylight-$5000 reward

• Neoware Inc.  Launches 500,000-piece direct mail campaign

• North Plainfield, NJ escapes closure by cutting post office hours

• Postal Reform advocate to work with Bush's Council of Economics Advisers

• Man soliciting political signatures outside post office arrested

• Bush's ties to Former Postal Commissioner Levin and Yale -After Levin was a White House guest of the Bushes, Levin returned the favor by hosting Bush in May 2001 when Yale awarded Bush an honorary degree.

• Postal Worker hurt in motorcycle wreck dies

• 80 year-old letter carrier has no plans to retire

• The chick is in the mail -robin stops carrier from delivering mail

• National Newspaper Association President : "the group continues to push for changes on the legislative front, including reform of the U.S. Postal Service. Any move that puts smaller mailers at a disadvantage to large volume mailers will be challenged, he said. And the group will continue in its efforts to thwart any penalties that result from special deals for large direct mailers."

 

April 20, 2004-

• Overlooked Testimony at March 23, 2004 Postal Reform Hearing by Former Congressman William Clay Sr. "For the average citizen who uses the Postal Service to pay bills, send birthday cards, and mail the occasional package, costs are modest and present no burden. This is true for even the least affluent. For the big mailer it is a different story.

 

• Arbitrator: Certified Interpreter for Deaf Should Be Used for Anthrax Safety Talk

• Tampa Bay Postal workers approved to wear Hockey Team Gear as Uniforms

• Pitney Bowes Adds Browser-Based Online Postage Option to DeliverAbility-

• Everything You Wanted to Know about Postal/CSRS Funding But Afraid to Ask

• USPS Challenges Insight Magazine's  Ricin Attack Article| Article
• Three Business Lessons From the US Postal Service
• Die-cut mailers catch the eye and hang around

• Mailers Applaud Proposed Clarification of Standard Mail Rules

• USPS Updates Ruling on Pay to Order/Pay to Bearer Checks

• Battle Creek Mich. residents clash with postal officials

 

April 19, 2004-

•  Profile: Robert Otto - USPS Chief Technology Officer -Otto applies a farm-bred work ethic to his post as USPS chief technology officer. He got his first management training milking dairy cows.

•  APWU National Presidents’ Conference Notes- USPS initiative to offer postal services in Office Depot locations was discussed at he conference.

• Postal Worker convicted for tax preparation and OWCP fraud

• Express delivery -The Jackass Mail Run a tradition for 43 years

• City’s first female postmaster puts stamp on office

• USPS Campaign Revives Focus on Big Business

• Putting the Postal Service on the Road to Financial Health-an excerpt of Advo, Inc. CEO Gary M. Mulloy's testimony given at last month's Postal Reform Hearing

• FedEx starts talks with pilots hoping to avoid another slugout-FedEx and its pilots have started negotiations over new work rules. Under federal law, the pilots' contract can be amended as of May 31  ["On March 16, 2004, FedEx Express entered into a fourth addendum to its transportation $6.3 billion agreement with USPS, allowing FedEx Express to continue carrying incremental pounds of mail through November 30, 2004 at higher committed volumes than required under the original agreement."]  Almost 1/3 of the mail that airlines normally carry for USPS moves to FedEx. |

 

April 18, 2004-

• Editorial: Postal problems filtering down

• Despite its name, Automecha's not in car-part sales-Automecha makes products  sent through the mail without an envelope

• Satan to appear on U.S. stamps! "No, sir, the Postal Service isn't getting ready to charge a nickel for every e-mail you send. And that photo of John Kerry and Jane Fonda at a microphone together during an antiwar rally? It's a fake."

- See more internet rumors: Snopes.com | UrbanLegend.com 

 

April 17, 2004-

• What’s The Scoop On Post Office Closings? According to Postal Lessors they have "talked to dozens of Postal personnel, as well as Congressional Staffers and has received many different answers. Some Postal personnel, with sound reasoning, want to close or relocate qualifying post offices. Members of Congress, as evidenced by the pending legislation before them, are against closing post offices without meeting certain criteria as well as Congressional approval/review. The “Bottom Line” is very few post offices will be closed in the near future, regardless of the size or income. As the Postmasters retire, some smaller operations in close proximity to another facility maybe combined."

 

• Carrier Risks Own Safety for Boy Mauled by Pit Bulls 

• Days After Closure, News of Relocation of Post Office Still in the Mail

• After 60 years Alabama Postmaster decides to call it a career-Mary Agnes Friday started postal career at age 13

• New Bushkill Post Office around the corner

• Taxpayers outraged at California post office closure

• Ending Feud with USPS owners must follow rules to keep pit bull

• Residents want their post office--tired of traveling six miles to get mail

• 50,000 Reward Offered for Post Office Gunman-The bandit walked into the Sunny Hills postal station on April 9. He pointed a gun at two clerks and demanded money, officials said. He got away with about $1,000.

 

April 16, 2004

•  Post Office renamed after NALC National Business Agent- Moline Post Office was renamed the David M. Bybee Post Office Building. Bybee served as a national business agent for NALC, until his death in 2002. . He quickly became involved in NALC activity and was elected president of Moline Branch 318 in 1969, a position that led to a career as a local, state and national NALC officer.

 

• California bill calls to curb unsolicited CDs- Assemblywoman Loni Hancock, D-Berkeley, has introduced an only-in-California style bill that would require a postage-paid return envelope be included whenever America Online or other firms send unsolicited CDs. After being told by a company representative that it was "literally impossible" to take the two men's address off the mailing list, they filed a prohibitory notice with USPS forbidding future mailings. Dozens of violations later, the Postal Service filed a complaint with the U.S. Attorney General's office. But two men are still getting CDs.

 

•  Post Office gaffe leaves taxpayers scrambling-Scores if not hundreds of tax filers in Queens (New York) were left scrambling for that all important April 15 postmark after going to the wrong post office because of a mistaken message on the Postal Service's hotline.

• Letter Carrier Enters Burning Home in Search of Children

• Hit With Hidden Fees -If you send international packages UPS be warned

• Anti-war protesters target Bush at Florida Post Office

• Letter Carriers deliver hope to hungry in national food drive

• 'Jesus' floods county mailboxes

 

April 15, 2004

Mail carrier Ann Owens loads up her delivery vehicle outside the Fowlerville Post Office.• Post office as tight as a mailbox--Postmaster lobbies for bigger place -"The parking lot is too small for vehicles to turn around, and mail carriers routinely bump into each other in the cramped confines of the village’s branch office of USPS. " |

 

• GAO says troops need better mail services in Iraq

• Gene Del Polito: Postal Reform is necessary

• MEMO TO MAILERS - April 2004

• USPS Award Winning Website Gets a Million Hits Daily

• Mailer Groups Hopeful About Postal Bill

• Bush backers blast Kerry in Tax Day event outside Oregon Post Office

• USPS way ahead of the curve with Oklahoma's first bi-lingual post office-

• Postal Bulletin:, April 15, 2004 Issue-Effective April 15, 2004, the availability of Sunday premium pay will increase in certain situations

• Distraught Postal Worker rescued from E. River

• Oregon postmaster Promoted to Operations Manager

• Money orders led Postal Inspectors to drug case-Postal inspector knew he had stumbled onto something when he saw money orders showing up that were "structured" to avoid the government's $3,000 reporting threshold

• Postal Service Braces for Annual Last Minute Tax Fliers Frenzy (press release)

• Homeless Woman Gets Jail Time for Pulling Knife on Postal Worker

• Card Retailer testing freestanding mailing station in conjunction with USPS. Customers can package their gifts and cards in the store and pay the postage. The store clerks handle the mailing.  President and CEO of Paramount Cards Inc. on 2/13/04 told a Congressional Committee that the nation's postal service will be in jeopardy unless Congress enacts strong regulatory protection, initiates stringent cost control and creates a postal service business model to recognize the importance of first class mail.

• RFD addresses may be OK in Mayberry, but in Long Grove they're beginning to create a nuisance

• 37 Cities Across the Nation to Protest for Equal Marriage Rights at Post Offices April 15-

 

April 14, 2004

• President Young: NALC and USPS- At a crossroads (pdf)-"The Postal Service is moving forward and backward at once, a situation that is bound implode. Good managers have little incentive to continue as long as they see bad managers suffering no consequences—or even reaping rewards for atrocious behavior. NALC respects the Postal Service’s right manage the institution. You do your job and we’ll do ours. But don’t forget: We demand the same respect in return. Have top postal officials misinterpreted our good intentions? Do they believe they can continue to let these bad managers attack and harass letter carriers, and yet continue to reap the benefits of our cooperation and good will? If so, they’ve got it wrong. They are making a terrible, foolish mistake."

 

• 12th Conference on Postal and Delivery June 2–5, 2004  in Ireland

• Post Office in Postmaster's Home May Close-

• Move might kill 150 postal contract jobs

• Pitney Bowes offers $321M for Group 1 Software
• Study: UPS Ranks No. 1 in Small-Package Customer Satisfaction
• Washington man accused of making ricin

 

April 13, 2004

• Geocoding Challenges: Why Accuracy Matters

• Postal Service Hours Extended for Last-Minute Tax Filers

• New service in combination with USPS PLANET Barcode Service to boost direct mail-

• Cargo airline and transportation logistics company awarded contract by USPS

• Anti-Direct Mail Customers returning 'junk mail' in business reply envelopes

• Memorial to honor airmail carriers

• Through rain, snow and customer dumbness, the Post Office delivers

• Training Magazine List USPS in its Top 100

• Postal Worker Tells Of Life With Medical Disorder that ended career

• Revenue Stamp Disposal Plan Draws Fire-The National Postal Museum plans to sell or destroy millions of stamps once used to prove that taxes had been paid on whiskey, cigarettes and playing cards. The idea is not sitting well with collectors

 

• Postal Inspection Service Investigating death of Postal Worker  -As reported earlier, A 37-year postal clerk was fatally injured in a conveyor-related accident at cataloger Brylane's Indianapolis warehouse. Several unions alleged unsafe working conditions at Brylane's  warehouse and distribution facilities and sweatshop conditions overseas in 2002 . sidenote: Brylane shifted a substantial portion of its package delivery business to UPS’s ground delivery service in 2003 |
- Sweatshop Holiday Catalog 2002 (PDF)

- Postal Employee Fatally Injured at Indiana Retailer's Warehouse (4/6)

 

• Law will result in Postage Cost- by Delphos Oh Postmaster

• Postal Worker Allegedly Shoots Ex-Wife At Boyfriend's Home

• Exposing the military mail scandal

• OPM orders insurer to cover bone marrow transplant for Postal Worker's wife

• Former Postmaster helps with re-creation of 1854 steamboat

 

April 11, 2004

• Transparency is the Key to Postal Reform

• A check really is in the mail in Burton

• Letters: About Alabama musical mail carriers

• Taking Stock: Nothing likely to stay FedEx, UPS from profit growth-"Emphasizing trucks and trains for deferred delivery....FedEx has been aggressively expanding into the more cost-effective deferred-delivery business, recently adding express freight services on Saturday in 25 U.S. markets. At the same time, UPS has been cutting into the FedEx overnight delivery business. While an improving economy should provide a boost to the shares of both firms, FedEx remains the riskier investment of the two."

 

April 10, 2004-

• Greenwich postal employees save co-worker's life-Albert Jacobs, a 59-year-old Stamford CT. resident and longtime Greenwich postal clerk who had been honored a few days earlier for 35 years of service -- was dying of a heart attack. He would stop breathing twice in the next five minutes before police and paramedics arrived. During those critical minutes, Jacobs' co-workers knelt beside him, talked to him, checked his pulse and his breathing, kept his airway clear and performed CPR to keep Jacobs alive.
 

April 09, 2004-

• USPS Wants Windows Program to replace POS Software -  

• Two Minnesota mail carriers indicted for mail theft

• Trio put a new stamp on the crime of identity theft-bags of undelivered mail in a trash bin led to the arrests of three people accused of fitting ingenious devices in street-corner postal collection boxes

• Oklahoma Man Pleads Guilty To Killing Postal Worker

 

April 08, 2004-

• Deliveries resume after threats to the mail carrier halted them-The threats and intimidation became so frightening, the Hemet CA. post office stopped carrier Se Yang's neighborhood route to 63 customers.  Mail service resumed less than two weeks ago, after postal officials changed the way Yang, who's a tad taller than 5 feet and thinly built, delivered mail to the area. Under the new method, Yang puts letters inside a cluster of mailboxes at a street corner. That means Yang won't have to venture door to door and can do his job while avoiding the group

 

• USPS News Link no longer available on the internet-> uspslink@usps.gov.

 

• Connecticut woman pleads no contest in accident that killed letter carrier

• Snapshot of a Southern Vermont Postmaster
• Dutch postal service to deliver Royal Mail rival
•
Full privatization of Japan Post may take until 2017
• UPS shipping volume from stores rises 75 percent

• Customized Market Mail Postcards Create Interest for Office Complex

 

April 07, 2004-

• Trenton APWU Files Suit to Compel USPS to Arbitration over Anthrax related grievances

• What effect does the USPS' status as a monopoly have on the Virginia economy? This report inventories the government-granted competitive advantages enjoyed by the Postal Service, allowing it to unfairly compete with private, taxpaying Virginia firms

• Postal Inspection Service commends cop for uncovering $57,000 postal scam

• UPS to expand The UPS Store network

• Woman  indicted for lying about gun used to shoot mail carrier

• Avery personalized labels bear attached U.S. stamps-In mid-February, Avery Dennison Corp., the label maker that printed the famous 32’ Bugs Bunny self-adhesive stamp of 1997, quietly launched what it calls Avery Creative Postage Labels at a photography trade show in Las Vegas. The labels look like personalized stamps, but they are not.

• Friends and co-workers rally around  ill Part-Time Rural Carrier

• Someone breaks in, breaks out of Arkansas post office

 

April 06, 2004

• Commentary on Outsourcing: By Dan Sullivan "Once Upon a Time When We Were Heroes" and Postal Employee Advocate J.R.  Pritchett " Unions Should Be Aware"  -(note: the outsourcing article By Mail Handler Local Union #300 has touched off a firestorm of comments to PostalReporter.com)

 

• Board of Governors release Agenda for April 15, 2004 meeting

• Mail carrier charged in armed heist of Chicago Post Office-A man pleaded guilty  in federal court to robbing the postal facility of more than $17,000 in cash with the help of a mail carrier. The Assistant U.S. Attorney alleged that the mail carrier acted as a getaway driver in the August 2003 robbery as well as a 1997 holdup and a 1998 attempted robbery at the same postal facility.

• Dallas Postal Worker pleads guilty to armed robbery of postal employees

- US Dept of Justice January 2004 Press Release

• Ricin Investigation Still Wide Open

• Commentary Martin Johns: Consumer Group Gets a Say But Who's Listening?

• Lieberman Supports Emergency Preparedness Funding for USPS

• NY Woman pleads guilty to theft of postal funds
• Lexington Institute : Postal Pay at a Premium
• Senate Postal Panel to Hold Final USPS Reform Hearing
• Postmaster accused of theft on the job

• USPS Awards Multi Million Dollar Contract For Digital Postage Meters
• Idea for Robert Noyce stamp waits in postal line
• USPS Retail Strategy

 

April 05, 2004

• Time Becomes Factor in Postal Reform Passage

• Parcel Return Service Brings in $5M in Revenue for USPS

• Opinion: Return to Sender

• Postal proposal prompts concerns

• Spam cutback heralds return of junk mail

• UPS will settle big lawsuit-Customers will get millions in free shipping

• Wildomar outgrowing post office

• Mailing Industry CEO Council Adds Three New Members -Continues to Unify $900 Billion Industry and Promote the Critical Role of Mail in Business and Commerce

• Kansas Postal Worker Kills Ex-wife, Boyfriend, self-The letter carrier worked at the Indian Creek post office in Overland Park, Kansas. He had been a postal worker about three years, USPS spokeswoman Terry Penland said the postal service offers a free counseling service for employees, but she did not know whether the letter carrier had taken advantage of it. Penland said counselors were on hand Monday to meet with grieving employees who knew him.

 

April 04, 2004-

• Lawsuit Alleges Seminar May Be Responsible In Postal Worker's Death

• Man Dies, Postal Worker Injured After Head-On Crash

• New post offices are proving much more convenient

• Mexico probes mail theft of U.S. benefit checks

• Booby-trapped parcels intercepted in Italy
• Mail carrier saves dog about to be shot by cop
• Canada Post reports higher profits than expected

• For entrepreneur, opportunity was in the mail

• Feds investigate 14 mail containers found in Georgia creek
• John Wayne to show his legendary grit on new stamp

• Postal service campaign targets minorities to increase bone marrow donors

• 75 yr. old Texas Postal employee delivers two swimming medals -Al Archer a postal service employee from San Antonio has medaled in the Senior Games each year since it started in 1991. And despite a knee replacement  won the 100-yard breaststroke in 2 minutes, 3.86 seconds at Saturday's swimming competition .  Archer also added a gold medal in the 50-yard breaststroke and participated in three-on-three basketball and in the free throw competition on Friday.

 

April 03, 2004

• Postal Worker Requesting Statements from Employees for USPS Historical Document-Bob Gersztyn has created a questionnaire for gathering quotes from postal workers. Gersztyn's goal is to create a historical document which communicates an accurate picture of USPS from its inception in 1971 to the time of his retirement in 2006. If his project is successful, a percentage of all proceeds will be donated to the "Postal Employees Relief Fund."

 

• Sen. Lieberman wants $780 million for USPS to purchase biodefense equipment-"Mail Security : The vulnerability of the mail system, and those who operate and use it, has passed from theory to fact, and we must do more to ensure the security of this vital network. Following the anthrax attacks through the mail in 2001, Congress provided emergency funding to the United States Postal Service (USPS) to help acquire and deploy equipment and materials to recover from, detect, prevent, and protect against such attacks, and to protect the safety of postal employees and the public. While much progress has been made, USPS needs to put additional measures in place that will help prevent and protect against future attacks, such as equipment that can detect biological or chemical agents transmitted through the mail and new ventilation and filtration systems in mail processing facilities. Although the President’s FY2005 Budget does not include any funding for USPS, I support the USPS request for $780 million to purchase and install such equipment. " Senator Joseph I. Lieberman

 

• Retired Postal Financial Analyst/Original Tuskegee airman dies- Harold Edwin McClure is one of the original Tuskegee Airmen. A group of young African American men trained as fighter pilots for  famous 99th Fighter Squadron and the 332d Fighter Group and fought in North Africa, Sicily and Italy from April 1943 to July 1944.

• Gen Del Polito: Is Mail Worth the Investment?

 

April 02, 2004

• Mail detectives -Oakland Calif. Postal Center's special unit reunites people with everything from lost keys to dentures

• GTI on schedule to complete $15 million telecom network upgrades at USPS

• USPS Raises Piece Minimum for Standard Mail Bundles

 

April 01, 2004

NPR's version of an April Fool's jOkE- "The U.S. Postal Service has not lost its mind; it has no plans to allow portable zip codes."•  Post Office Calls for Portable 'Vanity' Zip Codes-APRIL FOOL! From PR Reader: "The NPR story on "portable" zip codes was of course, an April's Fools joke.... I didn't hear one when listening to the story on All Things Considered tonight. How many will take it as a serious proposal?" Jim (4/1)

• Secret Anthrax Report : Direct Costs to USPS estimated at $3 billion

• Pipe bomb suspect Helder declared incompetent

• 9 yr. old who allegedly killed mailman too young to face charges

• EEO extends Time to Comment on NO FEAR Act -EEOC issued implementing rules under the No Fear Act regarding the posting of EEO complaint processing data on fed/postal websites.  The interim rule contained a 60-day comment period which has been extended for 30 days

• USPS Tests Special Retail Window for Small Businesses

• Latest Postal Bulletin : Rural Carriers EMA Rate Schedule, ASM revision, more

• Survey says : Fewer Credit Card Offers Mailed for 2nd Consecutive Year

• After 31 years on same route Rural Carrier to Retire

• Indiana postal employee charged with stealing money from the mail

• Direct marketing second only to TV says new study

• Husband & wife Postmasters at large and small-town Post Offices

• USPS donates two-ton diesel trucks to Saipan

• Postal platoon offers traveling postal service to remote bases in Afghanistan

• Red Tag April 2004 Monthly Newsletter

• Opinion: Consider some alternatives to raising mail rates-" this is a much more desirable alternative than another postal rate increase that will be placed unfairly on the backs of first-class mailers, so that bulk (i.e. "junk") mailers can still have favorable rates"

 

April 01, 2004-NCED has partnered with the University of Oklahoma, Rose State College and Oklahoma City Community College to offer specialized degree plans for USPS employees. Some NCED courses will count toward an associate or bachelors degree. Students also may be able to apply college-level course work from other schools toward the degrees. Tuition discounts are available. Online learning is a practical way for working people to earn a college degree without stepping foot on a campus.

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