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Postal News - April 2005

Postal Service Seeks 2-Cent Stamp Increase -The U.S. Postal Service filed a rate case with the Postal Rate Commission (PRC) Friday (4/8) seeking an expedited recommended decision to raise rates and fees 5.4 percent for almost all categories. The Postal Service rate case calls for an almost uniform 5.4 percent rate and fee increase spread over all classes and subclasses of mail and special services. The postage for a one-ounce piece of First-Class Mail would go from 37 to 39 cents in early 2006. Should legislation be enacted that eliminates the escrow funding requirement, this rate case will be withdrawn. The last postal rate increase was three cents on June 30, 2002. |

- Postal Service Rate and Fees  Increase Case

- USPS rate and fees increase analysis (pdf) submitted to PRC

- Chart (pdf) : USPS Summary of Net Income (Loss) & Equity FY 1971-2005

- Postal Watchers: Reform Still Urgent Despite Modest Rate Proposal

Postmaster General to Lawmakers: Send Money Now -Postmaster General Jack Potter told a House Appropriations subcommittee Tuesday that Congress must finance its security and other costs left out of the administration's fiscal 2006 budget request or the agency's tenuous financial situation could get worse. PMG Potter Testimony |

- USPS Funding Request at Odds With Administration (DMNews)

 CBO 2005 Cost Estimate: H.R. 22 Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act -"Enacting H.R. 22 would not affect how much the federal government spends on pension or health care benefits for USPS retirees. By increasing how much the Postal Service pays to finance those benefits and by eliminating the current-law escrow account requirements, however, the bill would increase future budget deficits as measured by the unified federal budget. Eliminating the escrow account requirement for the USPS would allow that agency to increase spending for capital improvements or other projects, pay down its outstanding debt, postpone or diminish future rate increases, or some combination of these options." 

NAPUS eNewsletter: CBO Slashes Cost of Postal Reform Bill by $4.5 Billion (pdf)
On Monday, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released its estimate that enactment of the Postal Enhancement and Accountability Act (H.R. 22) would have a 10-year cost of $4.5 billion less than last year’s legislation. (A similar reduction is anticipated for S. 662.) Nonetheless, CBO projected that H.R. 22 would still reduce federal revenue by $5.9 billion. This “cost” is attributable primarily to eliminating the CSRS escrow account. Beginning in 2006, the account would contain USPS Civil Service Retirement System overpayments. Since the USPS would not overpay the U.S. Treasury, the correction counts as revenue lost by the government and would raise the federal budget deficit.

White House, Congress at odds over postal law interpretation
Lawmakers and administration officials who worked together to enact a quick-fix bill putting the U.S. Postal Service on stronger financial footing two years ago now disagree on how that law aimed to finance pensions.

Postal Service Plans to Relaunch Personalized Stamp Program
In a potentially huge victory for Stamps.com Inc., the U.S. Postal Service plans to relaunch a personalized stamps program  that had to be suspended last summer when images of Unabomber Theodore Kaczynski and other notorious figures made their way onto official U.S. stamps. The program, run by online postage provider Stamps.com during its popular but brief run, will be put out to bid on Wednesday and can relaunch as early as next month, said Gerry McKiernan, a Postal Service spokesman.|

- PhotoStamps test begins May 17, 2005 | USPS Seeks Postage Vendors

Cartoon: Possible Letter Carrier Stamps

Ex-Postal Manager Pleads Guilty to Theft of $430,311 from USPS -A former  San Diego, CA postal manager, who stole $430,311 from the Postal Service by directing clerks to deposit only part of USPS money orders and return the rest to him, pleaded guilty Monday to theft of public money. |

- Postal Manager retired after 33 years with USPS

Postal Appropriations Hearing to Provide Forum for UPS

e-NAPUS Newsletter- The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Treasury and HUD will host PMG Potter at a hearing on Tuesday, April 26. - Subcommittee members, however, have not restricted their discussion to the limited amount of money that Congress allocates to the USPS. The appropriations panel has provided subcommittee member Rep. Ann Northup (R-KY) a forum to act as United Parcel Service’s congressional proxy, unfairly attacking the Postal Service. She has also tried to attach amendments to appropriations legislation harmful to the USPS and the mailing public. |

Bipartisanship Fading for House Bill on Postal Overhaul
House Government Reform Chairman Tom Davis, R-Va., and ranking member Henry Waxman, D-Calif., have not yet reached agreement on labor provisions, rate caps and others issues in a postal overhaul measure scheduled for markup Wednesday, bill proponents say. Although the bill has enough support from GOP panel members to pass on party lines, Davis wants to preserve the bipartisan consensus that paved the way for the panel's unanimous approval last year. |

- Revised version of H.R. 22 was prepared for today's markup (pdf)

- Postal Service Issues Go to Capitol Hill

- GAO: Proposed Changes to the Rate-setting Process (pdf)

Seattle NALC Wins Use of Cell Phones in the Office-Seattle area letter carriers are once again permitted to have personal cell phones on the workroom floor and to receive and make emergency calls to/from family members. The USPS Commission on a Safe and Secure Workplace (pdf) in a report issued August 2000and  headed by Joseph Califano recommended cell phones for all letter carriers to help protect them from violence. |

Postal Project: Pushing the Envelope - This is the first volume (May 2004) of  "Pushing the Envelope: Achieving High Performance in a Competitive Postal Environment." The topics include building a high performance workforce to optimizing the postal supply chain – creating stronger customer loyalty--focusing finance operations on performance and managing union relations. Some of the contributors include former PMG William Henderson,  Michael Coughlin (former USPS CFO), Patrick Donahoe, Robert Otto and other postal officials.  |

OPM: Expanded Dental, Vision Benefits To Be Available In 2006 -The Federal Employees Health Benefits Plan will offer expanded dental and vision coverage to federal employees and retirees beginning in the summer of 2006, according to a letter sent  from the Office of Personnel Management to health insurance companies involved in the FEHBP. OPM officials anticipate holding an open season in spring 2006 for federal workers and retirees who wish to enroll in the supplemental programs.

FYI: Life Insurance (FEGLI) Options: There are two features of the Federal Employees Group Life Insurance (FEGLI) program  which employees are probably unaware. First, employees can now irrevocably assign their life insurance benefits to another person or persons. Second, employees can cash in their Basic insurance when you have been diagnosed as being terminally ill. However, by law, these options are mutually exclusive. If an employee elects one, he or she can’t elect the other

 Burrus: Warnings About Proposed Postage Increase Overlook a Simple Truth "If the mailing-industry lobby and the USPS get their way, the brunt of the increase will be born by individual mailers and small businesses. Meanwhile, big advertisers and corporations that send billions of pieces of mail each year will pay as little as 10 cents for first-class letters." "This corporate welfare drains billions of dollars in revenue from the Postal Service every year..." |

Panel Backs Postal Service Overhaul As Rate Hike Looms--The House Government Reform Committee approved a measure overhauling the Postal Service for the first time in more than three decades. The approval came despite bipartisan concern about language that would have allowed the Postal Service, rather than the Transportation Department, to contract with foreign airlines to carry international mail (see GAO report - pdf) . House aides believe the bill will get to the floor this year, but some parts of the House bill and a pending Senate bill may change. Postmaster General John E. Potter told Bloomberg News: "There are some issues we have with each of the bills."  |

Postal Reform - CRS Issue Brief for Congress-some of the topics addressed in a recent CRS Brief by Nye Stevens "Causes of the (Postal Service) Financial Crisis" and "Should the Postal Service Compete?"  "While there are differences among the stakeholders in emphasis, the following factors have been identified as being in part responsible for the financial crisis of 2001-2002, and the present precarious state of the enterprise."|

Court Limits Postal Workers "Wash-Up" Class Action Lawsuit - A federal judge has limited a class-action lawsuit against USPS regarding management's failure to compensate New York Metro employees for wash-up periods.  Prior to the elimination of blanket fixed wash-up time, all employees were paid for wash-up. Employees were allowed to leave their work stations 12 or 15 minutes before their lunch periods began to wash up. The change in the wash-up rule meant that employees denied wash-up time had to work up to the beginning of their lunch period.|

 Editorial: Another Rate Increase-"United Parcel Service has raised its delivery rates three times since July 2002, and it even imposed a surcharge because of higher gas prices. Ditto at FedEx and DHL. Small percentage increases have basically become an annual event for the major carriers. And the U.S. Postal Service? Zip. Nada. Nothing. Though it's never welcomed, you have to admit that the postal service’s rate case, which was filed with the Postal Rate Commission three days ago, is overdue." |
- Nervous Mailers Eye Likely '07 Rate Increase

USPS Requests Exclusion of FedEx Agreement Data in Rate Case (PDF)-"United States Postal Service hereby moves that the Commission waive the relevant portions of rules 31(k) and 54 with respect to one library reference, which is not provided with today’s rate case filing, that includes costs and other data associated with the transportation agreement between the Postal Service and Federal Express ("FedEx"). The Postal Service also requests that the Commission establish protective conditions to govern the provision of this library reference"..."both the Postal Service’s and FedEx’s ability to enter into transportation alliances with others would be adversely affected if knowledge of Postal Service volumes carried by FedEx were widely disseminated." |

High-Tech ID Badges Planned for Federal, Postal Employees by 2006 - The new cards will look like a normal ID badge, with a photo,  holder's name and agency, a serial number and expiration date. The ID Card will also include a computer chip that holds at least  four pieces of data to verify the cardholder’s identity: two fingerprints, a personal ID number that  cardholder would know, an identifying number unique to each card, and a digital signature. Under the draft OMB guidelines, all new employees and contractors would receive these cards beginning no later than Oct. 27, 2006, while current employees and contractors would receive their cards by the tentative schedule of 2007.   |

- See More Detailed Information

- The Postal Service submitted a few concerns about program (pdf)

- Controversial new ID badge: Privacy concerns worry employees (Federal Times

Congressman Introduces Bill to Require Door-to-Door Mail Delivery for Seniors -Congressman Jim Saxton (R-NJ)  introduced a bill  requiring USPS to deliver mail to the homes of senior citizens age 55+ living in age-restricted developments. Saxton’s bill directs that housing facilities intended for seniors age 55 and up with at least 80 percent occupancy  to be serviced with door-to-door delivery. Ray Daiutolo, spokesman for  USPS South Jersey District, said delivering door-to-door takes longer and costs more than delivering to cluster boxes.. Saxton introduced a similar bill last year, but it never reached the House floor. This bill is likely to be attached to a postal-reform package under consideration in the Senate .|

Business Owners Nationwide Urged to ‘Stamp’ Out the Latest Postal Rate Increases-According to Beth Swade Thomas, director of marketing for Money Mailer, “We believe that this double payment is unfair to postal rate payers and the many small businesses that rely on mail to reach customers. For this reason, we are urging business owners to contact their congressional representatives and voice their concerns about this unnecessary and burdensome stamp tax.”|

Senate Hearing Shows Split on Postal Reform-Funding pension benefits related to the military service of postal retirees was a key issue at a hearing yesterday of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. Several issues divide the Bush administration from some in Congress and the mailing community because of their costs and effect on the federal budget. The split was clear at the hearing. Witnesses included officials from the Treasury Department officials Timothy S. Bitsberger, OPM Acting Director, Dan G. Blair, PMG  John E. Potter, and GAO Comptroller David M. Walker  |

PRC Backs Premium Forwarding Service-"Premium Forwarding Service would send a customer's mail to a temporary address once each week via Priority Mail. The service is aimed at customers who relocate for significant periods of time, such as those who own seasonal residences. The cost would include a $10 enrollment fee plus $10 per weekly shipment." |

1,100 Postmasters Expected Next Week to Promote NAPUS Legislative Agenda-Nearly 1,100 NAPUS Postmasters and retired Postmasters will attend the annual NAPUS Leadership and Legislative conference in Washington, D. C. next week. A full schedule is planned which include speakers from NAPUS, Postal Headquarters, and Congress. Visits are planned on Capitol Hill, as Postmasters and retirees push for support of postal reform. |

- E-NAPUS Legislative Newsletter 4/08/2005 (PDF)

-Bush Not Budging on CSRS -The postal service and its supporters have claimed that USPS is being singled out to fund military service benefits on its own while other federal agencies use tax money.|

Los Angeles Letter Carriers Placed on Leave Over Market Ads-"I am a Letter Carrier in the Los Angeles area...has anyone heard of the massive firing of Carriers over wasting market ads?" |

 Board of Governors Vote  to File Rate Increase Request |

- Postal Service to Seek Two-Cent Rate Increase

US Fire Administration to Distribute More Than $10M From Heroes Stamp-"The U.S. Fire Administration will soon be distributing money collected by the U.S. Postal Service’s “Heroes of 2001” stamp to the survivors of firefighters killed and disabled on Sept. 11, 2001. In his extensive report on current U.S. Fire Administration Activities to a summit meeting of fire service leaders held by the International Association of Fire Chiefs on Feb. 24 in Washington, D.C, U.S. Fire Administrator R. David Paulison noted that the Federal Emergency Management Agency has so far collected about $10 million from the Heroes stamp and expects to collect more in a final payment from the U.S. Postal Service." |

Postal Facility Evacuated After Second Bomb Threat in a Week -"A Kansas City, Kansas postal facility had to be evacuated overnight, after receiving a second bomb threat this week. Mail sorters were forced to leave around one this morning, from the facility . Someone called the threat in to the offices there and workers then called police. We don’t know what the caller said, but no bombs were found. Drivers who transport mail out of that office are on strike. Police have not said if the strike is related to either threat, or if the two threats are related. " (NBC News) |

Two Post Offices Targeted by Robbers in Md. (Maryland) Police said a man entered Cabin John post office on Wednesday carrying a  submachine gun. Police said the man was dressed all in black, including a ski mask and wearing goggles and a helmet. "When when told there wasn't any money, the man told postal workers it was their lucky day." He then hopped aboard a black mountain bike  |

Several hours later, post office in College Park was robbed (video)

Man Robs Post Office with Submachine Gun, Then Escapes On Bike

APWU Wins Private-Sector Organizing Drive - APWU won a union representation election at a privately-run MTESC (Mail Transportation Equipment Service Center) in Cincinnati, Local President Tim Breen has announced. |

Mail Carrier Rescues Man From Wood Chipper |

A First-Class Crisis In the Making? "First-class mail has long made up over half of USPS' revenues, which hit $69 billion last year, fears are growing that it's only a matter of time before total revenues start to shrink. If so, the ever-growing tide of discounted junk mail won't be sufficient to buoy USPS. Unable to cut costs fast enough to stay afloat, the post office would have to accelerate rate increases. That might cause big mailers to move to alternatives even faster, triggering a spiral of falling revenues, rising debt, and declining service." USPS has been shedding 1 billion to 2 billion pieces of first-class mail per year since 2000. "It's a prescription for disaster," says William H. Young, president of the 210,000-strong National Association of Letter Carriers union."

- Chart: Postal Pinch  |

 NALC President Young : Merger? Thanks, but 'No!' "There are no merger talks underway with the APWU. NALC did receive a communication suggesting discussions be held on combining the NALC and American Postal Workers Union, but that’s as far as it went. NALC President William H. Young said he isn’t interested, even if it meant NALC would have the presidency of a merged union. “NALC continues to believe that the interests of its members are best served by remaining a union that represents only city letter carriers,” he said."

Rumors Floating Around: APWU and NALC Merger??? "A local NALC is reporting that President William Young received a letter from Burrus about merging and Young being President of it all...Peter Holter-Mehren, APWU President Washington State  via 21st Century Postal Worker.    |

Burrus Testimony: Bioterrorism Safeguards Remain Inadequate -"A Government Accountability Office assessment of anthrax detection methods "underscores the lack of confidence" that many workers have in testing procedures at postal facilities, APWU President William Burrus said in testimony April 5 before a House subcommittee."  |
- Congressional Testimony of Thomas G. Day, USPS VP of Engineering

- Postal Anthrax Decontamination Includes Trip to Carwash

- Anthrax testing methods questioned | GAO Report (pdf)

- House Committee Holds Hearing On Anthrax Detection  -

- GAO REPORT: Bioterror plans inadequate

 Flats Sequencing System & Delivery Point Packaging Update -Thomas Day, USPS VP Engineering stated at a recent MTAC meeting that "the Postal Service is moving along two paths to a time when manual handling of flats and letters will be minimized. One route is an integrated delivery point packaging (DPP) system, merging presorted flats and letters into a single bundle." The other route is developing a flats sequencing system (FSS) that would sort flats separately, reduce the time required to case flats and save office time for carriers. |

- Flats Sequencing System & Delivery Point Packaging Update presentation (pdf)

Reward offered in Postal Clerk's Hijacking, Robbery-The Postal Service is offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of a man police say hijacked, robbed a postal clerk at gun point  as he walked to his minivan in the parking lot.. A man approached the clerk, displayed a small semi-automatic handgun and demanded his car keys. When the clerk attempted to close the door of the van the man struck him in the left eye with the gun and entered the vehicle. The man also took $30 from the victim. At the time of hijacking, the postal clerk had in the minivan $710 in post office funds intended for deposit, and $2,000 in stamps belonging to the Postal Service. Those items have not been recovered. |

The Future of Mail: CEOs discuss how to head off postage hikes-Thanks to the restructuring efforts led by Potter, the USPS is now in its sixth straight year of productivity improvement. Yet, the cost savings will soon be offset by the rising costs of postal operations. In 2005, the USPS forecasts a net loss of $200 million, a drop attributed to increasing personnel compensation costs as a result of rising health benefit expenses, continued erosion of First-Class Mail volume, a growing retiree population and structural cost pressures. |

Committee Hopes to Deliver Postal Reform-"The Collins-Carper bill includes provisions that: Reaffirms USPS employees' right to collectively bargain, replacing the rarely used fact-finding process with mediation, and shortens statutory deadlines for certain phases of the bargaining process; Converts workers' compensation benefits for total or partial disability to a retirement annuity when the affected employee reaches 65 years of age; Puts into place a three-day waiting period before an employee is eligible to receive 45 days of continuation of pay..."

(note: Postal Reform hearing scheduled for April 7th has been postponed  |
- Groups Send Letter to BOG Chairman Miller on Elements of Effective Postal Reform

Ex-Florida Postmaster Denies embezzling $250,000-A postmaster was arrested Tuesday and charged with embezzling more than $250,000 from a rural post office over three years, the  U.S. Attorney's (pdf) office said. According to the indictment, while she was Postmaster of the Estero Post Office south of Fort Myers, Rasnake allegedly embezzled $254,940 from Jan. 30, 2001 to Jan. 5 2004. The money, which belonged to the post office, was then allegedly "converted to her own use." |

Three New Jersey Post Offices Unable to Open Due to Floods-Isolated interruptions of service have been reported in Central and Northern New Jersey as a result of severe flooding. The Wayne, Frenchtown and Stockton Main Post Offices couldn’t open yesterday. Delivery also has been interrupted in two Trenton ZIP Codes — 08618 and 08628. Delivery in Wayne and Frenchtown is being made where streets are accessible, with operations shifted to Sheffield Station for Wayne and Milford for Frenchtown. see images from NBC10 |

House Committee Holds Hearing On Anthrax Detection Today -Rep. Christopher Shays, Chairman of the House Government Reform Subcommittee on National Security, Emerging Threats and International Relations, announced he will convene an oversight hearing April 5 to examine the federal response to anthrax detections. Thomas Day USPS VP of Engineering and William Burrus, President APWU are among the panel members.- GAO REPORT: Bioterror plans inadequate-Despite the nation's deadly 2001 experience with anthrax in the mail, federal scientists have not agreed on a method to determine whether workplaces, postal facilities or other sites that might have been exposed are free of contamination, according to a congressional study.  |

Mail Drivers Continue Strike-"Replacement drivers were hired, but the strikers claim that the replacements are breaking rules and causing mail delays, KMBC's Dan Weinbaum reported Monday." "The mail has being delayed two to three hours, not all of them, but there are a lot of runs that have been that way," said striking truck driver Tony Olson.|
- Former Senator Walks APWU Picket Line

- Recent Strike News

APWU Seeks to Unionize 5,000 Workers at Ohio DHL hub - APWU said  it wants to unionize 5,000 ABX Air Inc. workers at the DHL hub in Dayton, Ohio. Workers who support joining the union said they want more respect on the job, including adequate breaks, overtime pay, safer working conditions and seniority privileges. The company responded by saying the decision to form a union is up to the workers, but they should be warned that customers prefer dealing with union-free operations. Mark Dimondstein, a union field organizer with APWU, said workers have been harassed for trying to start a union "That's unlawful," Dimondstein said. "Managers even told them that DHL may close its hub if a union was established and that's an implied threat, which is also unlawful." |  

 Operator Error Blamed for Problems with APC at Tax Day Deadline -Last-minute tax filers streamed into the Decatur, Ill. post office on April 15, trusting technology would help them make the midnight deadline. But when a long line formed in front of the automated postal center after business hours, some feared their paperwork would be marked tardy by IRS.  "We are like any other company. It would be nice to have someone stationed until midnight. We don't have the budget, time or the staff to do that," Postmaster Albert  Wood said.|

 New St. Thomas (Virgin Islands) Postmaster Vows to Improve Service
There may soon be a light at the end of the tunnel for disgruntled St. Thomas Postal service customers. According to several USPS customers, the island's postal service has been deteriorating for several months. That downhill trend is about to be reversed, Robert Allen, St. Thomas' new postmaster said Saturday. Allen took over the post the first of March, replacing acting Postmaster Lou Alston, who has been transferred to Puerto Rico. Though only 41, Allen has an impressive 20-year USPS background. He is a customer service analyst, he has held posts as the the north New Jersey district postmaster, and the and customer service manager for the Jersey City jurisdiction |

Postal Workers Upset Over Slow News of Safety Warning-BISMARCK, ND -Postal workers Bismarck and in Fargo say they want speedier notification when a load of mail contains something suspicious. Some powder that spilled from an envelope at the Jamestown post office Tuesday was later found to be illegal drugs. But truckloads of mail were sent to Fargo and Bismarck and unloaded before authorities concluded that the powder was not anthrax or poison, said Gary Neuharth, president of the Bismarck-Mandan APWU. |

Top 100 U.S. Postal Service Contracts Awarded in FY 2004-From Wickwire Gavin: "Shown below are the top 100 contracts awarded by the U.S. Postal Service between September 5, 2003, and September 30, 2004. This is the first time the Postal Service has used an October 1 - September 30 fiscal year. This list combines that period together with contracts awarded between September 6 and September 30, 2003, to avoid any gap period from last year’s ending date. Contract values are estimates only, and may or may not include the value of contract options. Actual contract value will likely differ from the estimate based on orders, changes, modifications, options, or other factors arising during performance. " |

Former Senator John Edwards Walks APWU Picket Line-John Edwards, the Democrat's VP candidate last year and former North Carolina Senator, gave a boost to striking APWU truck drivers in Des Moines when he walked the picket line with them April 1|

Board of Governors Grants USPS Request to file with PRC to Increase Rates- The Board of Governors of the United States Postal Service on 3/31 voted to file a request with the Postal Rate Commission to increase postage rates in 2006 The requested rate increase will generate funds to meet the $3.1 billion escrow requirement of Public Law 108-18. The filing, to be made in the next 10 days, will increase almost all rates and fees by approximately 5.4%. While the Postal Service will request expedited review from the Postal Rate Commission, postage rates will not increase before 2006.  |

- Postal Service to Seek Two-Cent Rate Increase

USPS Employee Statistics MARCH (pdf) -As of March, Pay Period 6, USPS career workforce stands at 690,706, down 11,528 from the same time last year year. The biggest reductions were in Clerks: 8,455; Mail Handlers: 967; Supervisors: 1,020; Maintenance: 637and Area/HQ: 560. City carriers increased by 143, while Rural Carriers up by 1267. |

US Airways will begin carrying mail again for the U.S. Postal Service on April 9, according to Bloomberg News. The post office suspended its relationship with US Airways in early February after tests showed chronic tardiness with the mail. |

Amended Postal Bill Voted Out of House Committee--The House Government Reform Committee approved a measure overhauling the Postal Service for the first time in more than three decades. The approval came despite bipartisan concern about language that would have allowed the Postal Service, rather than the Transportation Department, to contract with foreign airlines to carry international mail (see GAO report - pdf). House aides believe the bill will get to the floor this year, but some parts of the House bill and a pending Senate bill may change. PMG John E. Potter told Bloomberg News: "There are some issues we have with each of the bills."  |

- Reform Committee: Postal Reform Bill Moves Closer to House Vote

- Postal Service legislation finally going to the full House | Changes to H.R. 22  (pdf)
- UPS Supports Postal Reform Legislation | Postal Service Issues Go to Capitol Hill

- Panel Backs Postal Service Overhaul As Rate Hike Looms

 Postal Service COO Patrick Donahoe Named Deputy PMG |

Also from the Board of Governors Meeting:

- Postal Service Success Comes From Developing People

Cell Phone Bans Get Ringing Endorsements-A growing number of government agencies that deal with the public are banning cell phones, asking patrons at the door to hang up or, at the very least, refrain from talking on the cell phone while they're at the counter. At the Irvington (NJ) post office, a sign asks customers not to talk on their phones at the window. "We're trying to process their order and they will be talking to someone else besides us and the lines will back up," said supervisor Ben Minni. In Cresskill , cell phones are verboten in the post office. When the phone rings inside the building, the clerks ask the customers to take it outside. The Postal Service has no policy regarding cell phones, but individual postmasters can restrict cell phones as they see fit.|

Customers ask : Where Are My Muppets stamps? When the U.S. Postal Service announced last year the late Jim Henson and his beloved Muppets would grace a panel of 12 postage stamps to be released last month, officials never dreamed how great the demand would be. In fact, the stamps still have not arrived in post offices yet and no date is being given for when the felt puppet favorites finally will appear

Mailman Gets Change of Address-- Prison-Man Stole, Traded Mail To Support Drug Habit- A 2-year prison term was handed down  for a letter carrier who stole mail,  then sold it to identity thieves to support his methamphetamine habit. |

-Two Postal Workers admit roles in stealing from mail to feed heroin habit

Whistleblowers Protections Added to Revised ELM 660 Employees Conduct-The new regulations provide protection for whistleblower reprisal allegations. Whistleblower Protection Section 666.3 adds procedures for investigations by the OIG of Postal Service employee allegations of reprisal for the release of information under section 666.18. [Postal Bulletin]  |

Revised Handbook EL-502, CSRS Retirement Guide | EMA Schedule for Rural Routes

Handbook EL-803 Revision: Safety Procedures for Maintenance Employees

Thrift Savings Plan Fact Sheet | Handbook PO-102 REVISION

- Postmaster arrested and held on $100,000 bail

Mail Carrier Accused in Identity Theft Scheme-San Diego (Calif.) police have arrested a 20-year mail carrier and her son in connection with an identity-theft scheme involving stolen mail, authorities announced yesterday. Police also accuse the carrier of submitting false change-of-address slips so other people's mail would be delivered to her house. |

Two Armed Men Attempt Houston Post Office Robbery-"Two armed men tried to rob a U.S. Post office in northwest Houston, but failed to gain access to the branch's safe after pistol whipping two employees, police said. The incident occurred at about 7:15 p.m. at the Oak Forest branch in the 2400 block of Judiway. The two suspects burst through an open back door, knocked down two employees and demanded that the safe be opened, said Sgt. Tim Rodgers, of the Houston Police Department." |

Postal Worker Pleads Guilty to Unauthorized Access to USPS Computer-(Sioux Falls, South Dakota) Acting U.S.  Attorney announced that Electronic Technician Arlin J. Vande Kamp pled guilty on April 8, 2005 to unauthorized access to a government computer. "The charge relates to a July 2003 incident when Vande Kamp, who was an electrical technician with USPS, gained access to a restricted computer at the Sioux Falls Distribution Center and attempted to load password-cracking software onto the Postal Service's system. The intrusion was detected by Postal Service systems administrators, who prevented full access from being obtained. A pre-sentence investigation was ordered and a sentencing date was set for June 13, 2005. The defendant was released on his own recognizance pending sentencing." |

Candle-Makers, Blacksmiths... and the Post Office-"Candle-makers were none too happy with the invention of the light bulb, for obvious reasons. Ditto blacksmiths with the invention of the automobile. So you can imagine how the post office must feel today about cheap long distance rates, faxes and email." ....."Of course, practically no one in Congress has the backbone to shut down underutilized and unnecessary post offices. So any meaningful postal reform bill which comes out of DC must include the establishment of a “Post Office Closing Commission” - similar to the widely successful military base closing commissions  |

Mail Carriers Return to Neighborhood Where Postmaster Threatened with Violence-."A female postmaster and a male supervisor drove out there on Monday and there was a group of six young men in an alley with the dogs," Postal Service spokesman Richard Maher said. "The postmaster went up and told them they would have to keep the dogs restrained. Someone threatened her with physical violence |

 Eureka (Calif.) Mail Problems Irk Postal Workers |

APWU Mail Drivers End 3-Week Strike |  

APWU ‘Troubled’ by USPS Request for Postage Rate Increase
“Over the years, the mailing industry has established and expanded so-called ‘worksharing discounts’ for mailers who ‘pre-sort’ their mail by bundling it according to its destination, and adding bar codes,” the union president said. “But the discounts far exceed the costs the USPS would incur if it sorted the mail itself. The USPS rate proposal exacerbates that dangerous policy (4/22)|

APWU: White House Continues Opposition to Key Provisions of Postal Reform Bills-"One proposal, endorsed at the hearing by both Potter and Walker, would make postal workers' healthcare and retirement benefits, which are currently guaranteed by law, "negotiable" in the collective bargaining process.  |  

USPS Creating 1,100 New Jobs at Wichita Remote Encoding Center- About 300 of the jobs will be full time. The rest will be between 30 and 40 hours a week.  The service has 17 encoding centers nationwide, down from 55. Two more centers -- in Duluth, Minn., and Princeton, N.J., will close this summer |

Supreme Court Agrees to Hear Case-Is USPS Liable When Customers Fall Over Mail Left By Carriers? -"The Supreme Court said Monday it will consider the case of an injured postal customer who slipped and fell on mail delivered to the porch of her suburban Philadelphia home instead of to her mailbox. Barbara Dolan, who is suing the U.S. Postal Service for the back and wrist injuries she suffered, lost in the lower courts when the government successfully argued it is immune from claims for negligent mail delivery. Federal courts in New York say that negligent transmission is limited to the loss or miscarriage of postal material, a more narrowly defined exception which would seem to allow claims like Dolan's. "- USPS Opposition |  |

American Airlines tests system to regain mail contract
American Airlines is testing a new system for delivering mail, in the hopes of regaining its lucrative contract with the U.S. Postal Service. The Postal Service suspended its contract with Fort Worth-based American in February after determining that the airline failed to meet some performance goals, including on-time delivery. . Before the suspension, American was carrying about 10 percent of the nation's domestic mail, including letters and small packages, according to the post office

Former Postal Worker Tells His Tale of USPS prejudice in Upcoming Book-There was a time when "It Still Exist Today" author Raymond C. Christian feared for his life when clocking in at USPS branch in Oklahoma City. Subtitled "A True Story of Racism in the Postal Service: The Story Oklahoma Did Not Want Told," contains official documents pertaining to his troubles and his subsequent lawsuits, APWU's representation and his letter of resignation in 1992. |

Mailman Kills Wild Turkey After Surrounded in Postal Truck - a letter carrier killed a bird with a stick after a group of the aggressive gobblers surrounded his truck and wouldn't let him out. Police said there have been five complaints, most from the same mailman. |

- Flock of Turkeys Chase Letter Carrier Back to Delivery Vehicle (11/26/03)

Minnesota postal facility's move still up in air after a year - "It's been more than a year since the U.S. Postal Service said it would consider moving its process and distribution center from downtown St. Paul to Eagan — but the federal agency has made no final decision on the proposed relocation. St. Paul wants to redevelop the riverfront site that houses the mail-sorting facility and is anxious to speed up the process. And while Eagan also backs the move — mainly for the 1,400 or so jobs it could bring — the city's excitement is considerably tempered by traffic-gridlock fears prompted by the facility's heavy trucking volume."

Wireless Secures and Tracks Postal Vans-"New security applications can now monitor and lock down vehicles. The wireless asset tracking system allows fleet managers to control equipment and vehicles used by the USPS. For example, vehicle collisions were notoriously difficult to detect and track in busy mail processing centers. With Pivms, onboard sensors will detect the impact of a collision, log it and identify the employee who was driving the vehicle at the time." The tracking technology will also help the USPS manage industrial vehicles such as forklifts and secure 460 postal facilities nationwide.|

 Opinion: In Defense of the Post Office - Everywhere in this vast country, the fourth largest on the planet, postal employees walk door-to-door delivering mail at no cost to the recipient. That there exists a system to deliver mail door-to-door in itself is amazing, but that it’s free boggles the mind.  |

USPS looking closely at nonprofits -Six nonprofit umbrella organizations with members that fundraise via the mail have banded together in an attempt to blunt new United States Postal Service (USPS) rules that could force charities to mail at the more expensive first class rate as of June 1. The groups are trying to stall the implementation of the new personalized mail rules by using the USPS’s own poison, the mail. They want nonprofit mailers to send a personalized package to the USPS for approval, thus swamping the system. The next step would be litigation against the USPS, according to emails being passed between the leaders of the organizations and obtained by The NonProfit Times.