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Postal News - August 2005

August 31, 2005 - Philadelphia  & Wilmington APWU Locals "Casual in Lieu Of" Settlements $58 million  - Philadelphia BMC Mail Handlers reportedly will receive $17 million-According to Randy Zelznick at  21st Century Postal Worker: "Philadelphia Area Local President Dennis Sullivan called last night to let me know that our Local has finally signed off with the USPS on the "Casual In Lieu Of" settlement for Philadelphia Area Local represented employees. (approximately 3000). According to President Sullivan, settlement is the largest amount to date paid for "Casual In Lieu Of" violations which are ongoing nationwide." |

- Philadelphia Casual In Lieu Of Settlement [pdf]

August 30, 2005 -  John Walsh Retires From USPS BOG

John F. Walsh, who served as a Governor of the U.S. Postal Service since his appointment by President Bill Clinton in November 1999, has announced his retirement. PR note: Now  three Board vacancies exists with a fourth looming in December of this year. Robert Rider was reappointed in 1995 for a term that expired December 8, 2004. However, "pursuant to 39 U.S.C., Section 202(b), a Governor may serve up to one year (December 2005) beyond the expiration of a term or until a successor is appointed. After December the BOG members may be only five members (4 Republicans and 1 Democrat). Not more than five of the nine may belong to the same political party.  |

August 30, 2005 - Postal Service Fuel Costs Increasing -USPS Spokeswoman Debra Mitchell said "that every penny increase in gas means an $8 million increase in transportation expenses over last year. The post office has absorbed some of the increases with regular profits, she said. But the postal service also offsets some of the expense by being able to buy fuel at bulk prices that are somewhat lower than prices at the pump."  |
- Thousands Complain to Feds on Gas Gouging

- Postal Service Fuel Costs Ballooning

August 30, 2005 - Postal Probe of Royal Oak Post Office is Over

 - Working conditions at the Royal Oak and Madison Heights post offices aren't as bad as 1991 but they were in a state of deterioration until recently, according to an expert who analyzed both places as part of a congressional inquiry. William Downes, the lead investigator ( and former postal manager) into allegations that management is creating a hostile work environment, recommends several changes be made starting with training for Postmaster Michael Bembas.  |

August 27, 2005 - Commentary: Turf Wars and the New Mail at the Postal Service
Postcom.org - The problem with CD/DVD mail is that the rules, designed to ensure that mail pieces claiming discounted rates can be processed on letter sorting machines, are useless in evaluating CD mail designs. Most CD/DVD mailers that comply with letter processing regulations are not compatible with letter processing equipment. |

August 27, 2005 - Detroit Postal Workers Charged With Thefts
"Authorities charged a U.S. Postal employee with stealing hundreds of cigarette coupons over a three-year period worth more than $10,000. The charge is the latest in a string of arrests of postal workers in Metro Detroit, charged with stealing everything from rolls of stamps to postal money orders to DVDs."|

August 25, 2005 -APWU, USPS to Implement Modified Work-Week Pilot Program

APWU’s five regional coordinators are asking local presidents who are interested in developing modified work-week programs to complete a form and return it to their respective coordinator no later than Sept. 30, 2005. The contract extension agreement, ratified Aug. 5, provides for the establishment of a minimum of 18 pilot sites during the term of the extension. Modified work-week program (pdf) allow employees to select work schedules of  four 10-hour days.  After the first six months of operation, the union and management will review the pilot programs. However, they will continue for at least six more months unless both parties agree to terminate them. |

August 25, 2005- Ex-Postal Worker's Discrimination Case Dismissed By Judge
"A federal judge has dismissed a discrimination lawsuit filed by a former U.S. Postal Service employee who was convicted in 1994 of threatening to assault two superiors. A jury in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania convicted Mr. Raymond Sever on June 21, 1994, of threatening two of his supervisors at the Honesdale post office the preceding March 15. In the incident, which followed a dispute over the processing of registered mail, authorities said Mr. Sever shaped his hand to resemble a gun, pointed at two supervisors and mimicked the sound and action of firing a gun."  |
- Raymond A. Sever vs. William J. Henderson

August 25, 2005 - Ohio Postal Worker Charged With Urinating In Coffee

Mechanic at Akron post office said to have been caught in act on camera .Thomas Shaheen who works as a vehicle mechanic for the U.S. Postal Service, was charged Aug. 5 with two misdemeanor counts of adulteration of food or placing harmful objects in food. Prosecutors said workers believed Shaheen poured urine into a coffee pot in a break room on July 5 and again July 6. Suspecting a problem, workers started their own investigation. "Employees did put a video camera in, and that's how they were able to put a stop to what he was doing," Akron Prosecutor Douglas Powley said. None of Shaheen's co-workers was physically harmed |

August 24, 2005- Postal Service making life easier with 'business connect' program - Businesses rely on the U.S. Postal Service to get products from one place to another. And now the USPS is beginning to think like a business, too, pushing its postmasters and station managers to cut shipping costs and save workers the hassle of standing in line. Faced with increased competition from UPS and FedEx and lost revenue because of fax machines, the Internet and automatic bill payments, the U.S. Postal Service started its "business connect" program earlier this year. Postmasters and station masters, in addition to their regular postal chores, are now meeting with local business leaders to tout Postal Service programs. And it's paying off." |

August 23, 2005 - First Phase of PARS Deployment Complete

With installation of scanning equipment at 87 Computer Forwarding System sites nationwide, the first phase of  Postal Automated Redirection System deployment is complete. The next phase of PARS deployment is scheduled to begin Aug. 29 and continue through August 2007 at 233 P&DCs. Full deployment to the Phase I and II sites is estimated to save more than 5.5m labor hours annually. |

August 23, 2005-  Mail Handler Involved in Vioxx Lawsuit
Frederick Humeston, a Postal Service mail handler and father of five from Boise, Idaho, intermittently took Vioxx in 25- and 50- milligram doses for several months. A Merck lawyer, in pretrial questioning of Humeston's physician, Dr. Gregory Lewer, suggested that his patient's heart attack was caused in part by stress from the Postal Service's secret videotaping to see if he had faked a knee injury. "This is a man who's been in combat," Lewer responded. "Having somebody take a video is like a mosquito bite."  |

August 22, 2005 - Young Praises Close Bond Between NALC and Rural Carriers - NALC Bulletin “There is no division between the NALC and the National Rural Letter Carriers’ union,” Young said. “Please take that to the bank. I’m telling you the truth. There is none.” The National Association of Letter Carriers respects the rural carriers.  Young said one thing the two unions need to work together on is expansion across the nation of voting by mail, such as currently occurs in Oregon, where in the last election, 79 percent of eligible citizens cast their ballots by mail. Letter Carriers COLA increase -$707 |

August 21, 2005 - DVD  Aims to Provide Postal Workers Methods of Avoiding Dog Attacks - Postal workers terrorized by angry dogs are getting help from Connecticut's prison guards. A new DVD that provides methods for avoiding dog attacks has gained a lot of attention after it was distributed statewide to 218 postal offices in June -- so much that it has been introduced to other postal districts in Connecticut, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Maine and Mass. Mirek Kerzkiewicz, a Meriden mail carrier, said avoiding dogs is about being cautious and knowing the route. "It's (the video) helpful but you still have to use your common sense," he said. |

August 21, 2005 - Postal Worker Diagnosed With Legionnaires' Disease at Former Brentwood Facility in D.C. - "An employee at the District of Columbia postal facility where anthrax killed two workers in 2001 has been diagnosed with Legionnaires' disease, heath officials said Wednesday. The unidentified 57-year-old man was diagnosed in July after checking himself into a hospital with flu-like symptoms. He works at the former Brentwood postal facility which was closed for more than two years after anthrax contamination killed two workers in October 2001."

- Postal workers say they feel like they're reliving nightmare |

August 20, 2005- Texas Peace Group Claims Post Office Returned Mail  

 From PR Reader: "According to volunteers for the group, postal employees had been stamping "Return To Sender"  on mail items addressed to the Crawford (Texas) Peace House, a known address, with or without street number. After a few phone calls to various Congressional representatives , Postal Inspectors from Dallas and regional offices paid a visit to the post office. It's true many pieces of mail were returned to people, but we found out that a large amount had also just gone back to the main Dallas-Ft Worth Post Office. It was just sitting there." The protest group has been an annoyance for the White House. Recently the group has been giving support to anti-war mom Cindy Sheehan. |

August 19, 2005 - Casual Employee Wins Religious Accommodation EEO Case

 The former postal employee alleged discrimination on the basis of religion when he was terminated from his position as a casual for failing to report to work on Saturdays. The EEO Administrative Judge issued a decision finding discrimination. The Postal Service argued that the employee did not have a bona fide religious belief and that accommodating his preference would result in an undue hardship on USPS. The EEOC found substantial evidence to support the Administrative Judge's finding that the employee had a bona fide religious belief that Saturday is the Sabbath after reading the bible, praying, and talking to others with similar beliefs. The EEOC also determined that the Postal Service failed to carry its burden of showing an undue hardship because another casual employee was off work on Saturdays. Therefore, the EEOC affirmed the Administrative Judge’s finding of discrimination. Bullock v. Potter  |

August 19, 2005 - USPS Ramps Up for More Negotiated Service Agreements
USPS is devoting more staff to develop more negotiated service agreements and do them on a larger scale, as preliminary results are exceeding expectations. NSAs are special service and rate arrangements negotiated between the USPS and a mailer or group of mailers. Proponents say NSAs encourage greater volume by rewarding the postal service's major customers with discounts and premium services. To date, the USPS has executed five NSAs. Earlier this year, the postal service said it received $12.4 million in net revenue and $9.3 million in savings from the first year of its NSA with Capital One Services Inc., McLean, VA. |

August 19, 2005 - Family, Community pulling for paralyzed postmaster - Anita Conant was the postmaster in New Castle until a car accident on May 19 left her paralyzed from the neck down. She was in Pennsylvania to attend her father's funeral and had just dropped her husband, Jim, and their daughter, 18-year-old Ashley, at the airport when she was rear-ended at a traffic light by a tractor trailer. The police report, according to Jim, cited "driver inattentiveness."|

August 19, 2005 - Federal Court Upholds Dismissal  of Electronic Technician's Untimely MSPB Appeal (pdf): ET argued that USPS was obligated to return him to work upon receiving the report of his physician, establishing his fitness for duty. The MSPB dismissed his appeal as untimely filed without a showing of good cause. The Court found that the employee challenged the same set of events in other forums. He pursued grievances, filed an unfair labor practice charge, sought review of the MSPB's decision with the EEOC, and filed suit in state court. The Court concluded that the employee was aware of his right to appeal and that he failed to act diligently in waiting over two years to file his appeal. Gribcheck v. Merit Systems Protection Board

August 19, 2005- Postal Employees Protest Planned Shift of Mail to Frederick (MD) - "The employees of the Cumberland Post Office would like to let you know of the drastic changes soon to be made to your mail service. In the near future your mail will no longer be postmarked and processed at your local Cumberland Post Office. It will be collected at local offices, brought into the Cumberland Office, transferred on the dock and dumped in large hampers, then loaded on a trailer to go to the Frederick Post Office. There it will be postmarked, worked and sent back to the Cumberland Post Office to be delivered." - click to read letter

August 18, 2005 - USPS Release July Financial & Operating Statements

 July, FY 2005 was 227 million pieces or 1.4% under SPLY. First-Class Mail volume declined by 394 million pieces or 5.0%. Standard Mail volumes, at 164 million pieces or 2.2% over SPLY, continue to be positive primarily because of the increasing strength of direct marketing channels. Additionally, Periodicals were 13 million or 1.8% over SPLY. |

- Mail Volume Is Not Eroding, Pitney Bowes Study Finds

August 18, 2005 - Strasser: Current Postal Reform Bills Would Be 'Disastrous' for USPS - Richard J. Strasser, USPS Chief Financial Officer came out yesterday against the postal reform bills being debated in Congress, saying they would be bad for the agency. "My personal opinion is that the governance structure that is oriented in the current postal reform legislation is disastrous," ... Strasser said he has been told that mailers are more interested in dealing with a postal regulatory commission over postal management, but that is misguided. "You can't mandate productivity in this organization," he said. "This is an organization of 700,000 career employees who you have to motivate. I'm sorry, but I really felt that I needed to tell the industry that passing legislation for the sake of passing legislation is not a good idea. |

August 17, 2005 - Postal Worker Diagnosed With Legionnaires' Disease at Former Brentwood Facility in D.C. - "An employee at the District of Columbia postal facility where anthrax killed two workers in 2001 has been diagnosed with Legionnaires' disease, heath officials said Wednesday. The unidentified 57-year-old man was diagnosed in July after checking himself into a hospital with flu-like symptoms. He works at the former Brentwood postal facility which was closed for more than two years after anthrax contamination killed two workers in October 2001." - Postal workers say they feel like they're reliving nightmare  |

August 16, 2005- APWU: Next COLA Raise Will Be Biggest in 25 Years
(APWU News Bulletin) "The annual raise of $728 will be the biggest Cost-Of-Living-Adjustment since mid-1980, when inflation was raging at an annual rate of approximately 14 percent. The latest adjustment for APWU-represented postal workers will take effect Sept. 3. The eighth Cost-Of-Living Adjustment period in the National Agreement ended July 31; the adjustment amounts to a 35 cents per hour increase, which equals $28 per pay period."|
- APWU: Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) Update

- OPM Proposing to Increase, Reduce COLA for Some Postal Employees

August 16, 2005 - 10-Year-Old Arrested for Pellet Gun Shooting of Mail Carrier
Postman Bert Perello was delivering mail when suddenly he was “Struck once in the right forearm with a pellet,” as he reached out of the truck to place mail in the box. Perello was treated at a local medical clinic and released but not before he finished his route. “You know what they say,” about postal delivery said Det. Almazan, “neither sleet nor snow or rain” will delay the mail reaching its destination. “Now I suppose you can add shot to the list,” he added. Perello is undergoing surgery this week in a Van Nuys hospital to remove the pellet. |

August 15, 2005 - OPM Proposing to Increase, Reduce COLA for Some Postal Employees -"The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is publishing a proposed regulation to change the cost-of-living allowance (COLA) rates received by certain white-collar Federal and U.S. Postal Service employees in Alaska, Hawaii, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.  The results of the living-cost surveys indicate that OPM should increase COLA rates in the U.S. Virgin Islands; Hawaii County, HI; Kauai County, HI; and Maui County, HI. The results also indicate that OPM should not change the COLA rate for the rest of the State of Alaska; Honolulu County, HI; and Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, but should reduce COLA rates in Puerto Rico and in Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Juneau, Alaska" |

August 14, 2005 -Memo: USPS to Comply With FMLA Court Decision in Only Three States (pdf) - Procedures for Craft Employees Returning to Work Following FMLA-Protected Absences - In a memo issued to field managers by USPS VP Anthony Vegliante,  "On July 19, 2005 the case of Harrell v. U.S. Postal Service, the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit ruled that the Postal Service's return to work provisions in ELM 865.1 cannot be applied to bargaining unit employees returning from FMLA-protected absences. The Postal Service will comply with the Harrell decision in those facilities located within the three states subject to the court's jurisdiction: Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin. In all facilities not located within Illinois, Indiana, or Wisconsin, continue to apply ELM 865.1 as written." (source: USPS via APWU)  |

- APWU Wins Landmark FMLA Ruling (7/20/05)

August 14, 2005 - Texas Postal Workers to Take Complaints to Washington -(Port Arthur) A group of local postal workers is worried about issues more vicious than angry dogs and bad weather. Paul Arceneaux, NALC Branch President is seeking complaints from customers and carriers and will take those to Washington, D.C., in hopes of alleviating problems at the local level. He said carrier complaints cover a range of topics: hostile work environment, understaffed office, altercations between management and carriers, carriers taking on more than one route and other issues. |

August 14, 2005 -Letter Carrier Uses CPR Training to Save Husband -

A Howell (Mich.) mail carrier says her C-P-R training helped save her husband's life. Barb Ott attended a C-P-R refresher course last month as part of a program through the post office. |

August 12, 2005 - Editorial: APCs - “Axing Postal Clerks”

 USPS Plan to Cut Window Clerk Jobs -  An internal postal management memo, leaked to the APWU but legally obtainable, is hard evidence that Automated Postal Centers (APCs) will be used to try to cut clerk jobs, specifically those of Sales and Service Associates, or window clerks.  At a June 15^th management teleconference, the “Pilot APC Project” was announced:  “APCs will be deployed ‘in the counterline’ and will be utilized in much the same way as the automated check-in machines are used at the airport (two or three machines staffed with one person…). For counterlines with 6 retail stations, 2 APCs will be deployed and staffing adjusted accordingly .Article by David Yao, Greater Seattle Local APWU|

August 12, 2005 - Australia Post Partners to Bring Hybrid Mail to the U.S.

"Australia Post today announced that it has acquired the global operations of PrintSoft, including PrintSoft Americas Inc., effective July 1, 2005. PrintSoft is a global leader in providing variable print software solutions for corporate, financial, utility, direct marketing and service bureau environments. Hybrid Mail is likely to be the historical bridge between an all-physical mail and an eventually all-electronic mail world. Just as with Hybrid car engines, which bridge the transition from gasoline engines to electric engines, Hybrid Mail saves transportation time and fuel costs.   |

August 12, 2005 - USPS Beefs Up Instructions on Handling Suspicious Mail

- This fall the U.S. Postal Service plans to debut a Web-based program to train managers and frontline employees on handling suspicious mail, an agency official said. The move was announced in a response to recent recommendations from the Government Accountability Office. The online training program will be complete by the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30. GAO recommended that the Postal Service provide explicit guidelines for informing employees and union officials of potential health and safety hazards. )  |

- GAO Urges More Training About Suspicious Mail | GAO Report

-  Reminder: Annual Training Requirements for Postal Employees by 8/31  (7/16/05)

August 12, 2005 -"Undeliverable as Addressed" Mail Costs USPS $1.8 Billion Annually -  Nearly One-Third of U.S. Mail Contains Addressing Errors - Most recent data released by USPS illustrates how huge "undeliverable as addressed" (UAA) mail is in the US. Consider:   |
-- UAA mail costs the USPS $1.8 billion annually;
-- USPS handles 6-billion UAA pieces annually;
-- 30 Percent of all US mail contains addressing errors

August 12, 2005 - USPS Prohibitions on Signature Solicitation May Be Invalid at Some Post Offices (pdf) - USPS regulation bans “soliciting signatures on petitions, polls, or surveys” on “all real property under the charge and control of the Postal Service.” In 2003, a district court rejected Initiative and Referendum Institute's First Amendment challenge to this regulation, concluding that even if all exterior postal properties (such as sidewalks) are public forums, the regulation is a valid restriction on the time, place, or manner of speech. An Appeals Court disagreed and remanded case back to District Court stating not all sidewalks under the postal service control may be considered off-limits for purpose of solicitations. )| 

August 10, 2005- What's the USPS Got Up Its Sleeve? The financial picture over at the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) has been looking pretty good. There is no doubt that the Postmaster General has done a yeoman's job in keeping a firm grip on the postal fisc. Once again, it looks as if the USPS will finish its current fiscal year with a reasonable stash of cash. Thus far, however, the Postal Service's show has been one-sided, i.e., "cost-sided." Very little has been seen from the USPS on what others might characterize as its strategic plan for growing future mail volume and revenue. The time the USPS bought by fat-trimming is running out. If that's the only act the Postal Service has then it soon will find itself on the horns of another fiscal dilemma  |

August 10, 2005 - CNN Probe Finds Weak Link in Air Security
"For three straight days, outside Chicago's busy O'Hare International Airport, at the U.S. Postal Service Chicago International/Military Service Center, CNN found gates unlocked and wide open, and open containers left at the side of the road. CNN correspondent Drew Griffin was able to walk right up to the containers with a camera rolling. No one stopped him to ask what he was doing."|

 August 10, 2005 -Appeals Court Upholds Removal of Postal Mail Handler for Unscheduled Absences - Gary Warren was removed from USPS (after several other disciplinary actions) effective July 28, 2001 for unsatisfactory attendance due to five unscheduled absences in April and May of 2001. Since 1999, Mr. Warren attributed most of his absences to his medical condition and continuously stated that his absences qualify for leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). MSPB found that Mr. Warren had at most 1240.49 hours of service, which is less than the required 1,250 hours for FMLA. MSPB also found that any absence which is "not requested and approved in advance" is considered "unscheduled" under ELM 511.41. The portions of the ELM in the record do not specify the amount of advanced time required for approval of an absence, but presumably four hours beforehand is not enough. click here for pdf version |

 August 10, 2005 - Ex-Mail Carrier Gets Probation for Keeping 2,200 Letters  CHICAGO -- A former mail carrier was sentenced Tuesday to 3 years' probation for failing to deliver nearly 2,200 letters discovered in his home. Lance Shaviers, said he was overburdened and couldn't deliver all the mail assigned to him, Assistant U.S. Atty. Lela Johnson said. The U.S. Magistrate Judge decided against a prison term for Shaviers, in part because he is a veteran of Operation Desert Storm.|

August 08, 2005 - GAO Urges More Training About Suspicious Mail -Thomas Day, a senior vice president for the Postal Service, in his response, concurred with the report's intent and said the agency had improved its training. He disagreed with recommendations that the agency develop more specific guidelines The GAO Report "U.S. POSTAL SERVICE Guidance on Suspicious Mail Needs Further Refinement " cited missteps in the handling of a letter containing the poison ricin that was found in the Greenville, S.C. post office in October 2003. |

August 06, 2005 - Oklahoma Mail Carrier Dies on Route -Co-workers are mourning the death of an Edmond postal carrier who suffered a heart attack while delivering mail. Peter E Koch, 65, was pronounced dead Thursday at Edmond Medical Center after he was found in full cardiac arrest on the porch of an Edmond residence. According to Edmond Fire Department reports, emergency crews were sent about 1 p.m. to the 2000 block of S Rankin Street. The resident returned home and found Koch lying on the porch, the reports said. Fire personnel performed CPR on Koch and used a defibrillator to try to revive him until an EMSA ambulance arrived and took him to Edmond Medical Center, reports showed. Koch was a postal carrier for 22 years and was working a route for the Edmond Centennial Post Office when he died. Manager Terry Haynes said the mood at the post office was somber after workers heard the news.

August 06, 2005 - USPS Release June 2005 Financial & Operating Statements (pdf) - "Quarter III volume was 1.2 billion pieces or 2.4% above same quarter last year, with all mail classes increasing over last year and the most significant increase being reflected in Standard Mail, at 1.1 billion pieces above Quarter III of last year.  The most significant mail volume increase over SPLY for YTD is in the lower revenue-per-piece Standard Mail category, which increased 4.3 billion pieces or 6.1%. Total Workhours for June 2005 YTD are 15.4 million hours or 1.4% above plan, and 8.9 million hours above SPLY. The most significant plan overruns lie in City Delivery by 6.7 million hours, Mail Processing by 5.7 million hours and Customer Services by 3.3m hours. |

August 06, 2005- Case Study: USPS Escapes Password Management Problem

Password software helped postal computer users, but critics warn it compromises security. Three years ago, the USPS was getting pounded by the password problem. Before long, users were lost in a sea of their own passwords, and inevitably they'd lose track of them. Once that happened, they'd call the help desk, to the tune of 30,000 calls per month for password resets. That kind of call volume can weigh down any IT department, but the USPS had another problem to deal with. Since it outsources its help desk, each and every call to the service provider incurred a charge, and before long password-reset costs ballooned to millions of dollars. And all the while, user productivity suffered since people couldn't access applications until their passwords were reset. |

- Presentation by CTO Bob Otto on USPS Information Technology (pdf) 1/27/05

August 06, 2005- Teachers Union Switches Postal Business From UPS to USPS After AFL-CIO Split - The American Federation of Teachers has told its national and regional offices to use USPS instead of the United Parcel Service for delivery services --- a move provoked by last month's split in the labor movement. In a memo issued Wednesday, the director of finance for AFT ordered its shipping department to begin using the postal service instead of Teamster-aligned UPS. The Teamsters Union announced in July that it would no longer be a part of the AFL-CIO. Both AFT and USPS are affiliated with the AFL-CIO. |

August 05, 2005 - APWU Members Ratify One-Year Contract Extension
(APWU News Bulletin) APWU members have ratified a one-year extension of the Collective Bargaining Agreement by a vote of 69,763 to 9,201, in balloting that ended Aug 5. The National Agreement is now set to expire on Nov. 20, 2006. “The members have spoken, and I am gratified by their decision,” said APWU President William Burrus. “I believe APWU members considered the possibilities inherent in full-scale negotiations and compared that with the certainty of achieving important objectives through a one-year extension.”  |

August 05, 2005- PRC Member Dawn Tisdale: USPS Personnel Costs Must Be Addressed - Former Postmaster Dawn Tisdale, a member of the Postal Rate Commission in addressing attendees at a recent Postmasters convention "reflected on the lot of the Postal Service, saying that what is expected of Postmasters, what is needed, has changed. Like the situation at General Motors where the biggest problem is in what they pay for benefits and retirement that has been built into the company, the Postal Service has a similar system where 80 percent of each dollar goes to personnel costs. “That has to be addressed in some manner,” he said."   |

August 05, 2005 - Bins of undelivered mail in found in storage unit left by private mail company - The owners of the Bannens and Mone Commercial Mail Agency and its P.O. boxes rented a storage unit and then didn't pay their bill for six months. When the contents of the storage unit was auctioned off,   massive amount of undelivered mail was found. The bales of envelopes, the oldest of which was dated 2002, also included some business files. Ukiah Postmaster Bob Mitchell said If the mistreatment of mail had been done by a postal employee, a crime would have been committed.

From PR Reader: There were 42 tubs of mail at the storage unit and another approximately 40 tubs at the CMRA building itself. Some of the mail dated back to 2001. There was every kind of first class mail you can name. Also all of the periodicals and BBM's. It was a long 10 days getting through all of the mail  |

August 05, 2005 - Neighbors want to acquire Marina Processing Center valued at $35 million - The Postal Service closed its Marina Processing and Distribution Center in mid-July to consolidate operations into the larger Los Angeles Processing Center. The Postal Service is keeping open its retail postal facility adjacent to Jefferson Boulevard and south of the closed mail processing center. The Marina Center property covers approximately 20 acres. Larry Dozier, Postal Service spokesman, said the vacated Marina Center facility is still being managed by the Postal Service operations division. Postal Service asset management division staff will soon determine whether to put the property up for sale, Dozier said.

August 05, 2005- USPS in Ohio Selects 911 Broadcast For Internal Emergency Notification Services - The USPS in Columbus, Ohio has awarded Database Systems Corp. a contract to provide internal emergency phone notification services to its postal employees. This service, known as 911 Broadcast, is provided when USPS needs to contact key postal employees when any one of it's post offices is closed due to an emergency. Postal officials can designate different groups of individuals to be contacted based upon the event or emergency. These phone lists are administered and stored online using the 911 Broadcast web site. When an emergency arises, a pre-recorded message can be downloaded to this website and the administrator can start the message broadcast using a specific phone list. Special voice messages can be recorded directly using the 911 Broadcast 800 number provided with this service. Text messages can also be transmitted to this service and converted to a voice message using text to speech software. The Postal Service intends to use this service to notify postal employees to call an 800 number to get specific office information and to obtain instructions from management.

August 05, 2005 -Burrus: USPS Has No Plans for Nationwide Early-Out Offer - A number of questions have been submitted about USPS plans to offer additional early retirement opportunities. To my knowledge, the Postal Service has no plans for an additional large-scale, nationwide early-out offer. The tentative contract extension agreement requires management to honor the request of employees who were improperly excluded from the 2004 opportunities, and if the agreement is ratified, approximately 600 employees will be affected. The Postal Service also has made a request to the OPM for permission to offer early retirement to employees in Duluth, MN, although the union is contesting USPS’ authority to do so without bargaining with the union. |

August 05, 2005 - Contract cleaner gets prison sentence for postal fraud - Owes the postal service $28,800 for services not provided. The investigation disclosed that Denise Lockhart, doing business as A Fresh Clean, contracted to perform general cleaning duties at the Valley Center post office. She was to begin this service Feb. 10, 2001, and receive $320 biweekly. Lockhart did not provide the cleaning services as agreed and did not notify the U.S. Postal Service that she was unable to fulfill the contract. Every two weeks from February 2001 through July 26, 2004, however, Lockhart received the $320 checks, which she deposited in her bank.

August 05, 2005 - Letter Carrier Won't Deliver Mail to House Due to Cat Odor  - Elizabeth Kellett sent a letter to the postmaster general in Washington. She told the postmaster general that her mail carrier was refusing to deliver mail to her home in Webster Groves because her cat "marked" her front door the way male cats do and this "marking" had created an odor that bothered the mail carrier.  |

August 04, 2005- Florida Postal Clerk Resigns After Suspected of  $43,000Theft-"On average, monthly audits at the branch were coming up $1,000 to $2,000 short starting in January 2004, according to Postal Inspector Richard Abbazia. "We did an investigation on the post office after noticing a lot of shortages. We tracked the shortages from January 2004 to May 2005 and found an excess of $43,000 missing," Abbazia said. The investigation led to an employee of 27 years, Palmetto resident Gregory Lang."

August 03, 2005- White House Postal Plan Missing Senate Stamp of Approval -Two pivotal senators are not biting at an administration proposal aimed at striking a deal on disputed provisions of postal overhaul legislation. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairwoman Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Sen. Thomas Carper, D-Del., said the administration proposals also are opposed by the Postal Service. The administration also reiterated its concerns about the labor language, saying the Postal Service should be given more flexibility to grant workshare discounts, which are lower rates for bulk mailers in exchange for tasks usually done by the agency. Collins, who along with Carper introduced the Senate version, said she will continue working with the White House to reach a compromise before the Senate vote.|

- Postal Reform: A Long Way From Those Early, Rosy Days (APWU)

August 03, 2005- Case Study: USPS Escapes Password Management Problem -Password software helped postal computer users, but critics warn it compromises security. Three years ago, the USPS was getting pounded by the password problem. Before long, users were lost in a sea of their own passwords, and inevitably they'd lose track of them. Once that happened, they'd call the help desk, to the tune of 30,000 calls per month for password resets. That kind of call volume can weigh down any IT department, but the USPS had another problem to deal with. Since it outsources its help desk, each and every call to the service provider incurred a charge, and before long password-reset costs ballooned to millions of dollars. And all the while, user productivity suffered since people couldn't access applications until their passwords were reset.  |

- Presentation by CTO Bob Otto on USPS Information Technology (pdf) 1/27/05

August 03, 2005-USPS May Deliver Drugs in Case of Bioterrorism Attack- In the event of a flu pandemic or a bioterrorism attack, drugs in the future could arrive via door-to-door postal carriers or from the fire station down the street, Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt said Tuesday. Leavitt, in an interview with Associated Press reporters and editors, said it's clear the current system of delivering medicines is inadequate in case of a major emergency, and he suggested possible options for the future.  |

Bush administration finalizing an agreement with postal workers (5/21/04)
NALC Agree to Deliver Antibiotics to American Homes in Bioterrorist Attack (2/18/04)

August 03, 2005- Ex-Atlantic City Postal Clerk Charged with Throwing Mail Away
Robert L. Grace, found himself before U.S. Magistrate on Friday. Grace, newly retired, was a mail clerk for 12 years. His alleged crime: throwing away mail - lots of it. The federal government tends to notice when about 1,600 pieces of mail go undelivered from one location. According to a criminal case, that's what went into the trash at the Atlantic City Post Office over the span of a few weeks this past winter. Grace said he feels railroaded by the criminal complaint, considering that a deal was worked out with USPS to let him retire late this summer following a demand in February for his resignation. Grace contends that he is taking a fall because he is on the wrong end of local postal service politics. |

August 03, 2005-$1 million Dollar Bail Set for Postal Supervisor Charged  in Fatal Crash -A Cook County judge set bail at $1 million Tuesday for a Schaumburg, ILL. customer service supervisor charged in a crash  that killed two children, after prosecutors said the man's blood-alcohol level was three times the legal limit. Ralph Pollock, with two previous DUI convictions, is charged with two counts of reckless homicide and five counts of aggravated DUI for the Sunday crash.  Pollock has worked with the postal service since 1979. |

August 02, 2005-USPS Board of Governors Meeting Highlights

Postal Service Raises the Bar in Overnight Delivery - USPS once again reached its all-time high-score of 96 percent on-time performance for overnight delivery of First-Class Mail. On the fiscal front, Chief Financial Officer Richard J. Strasser, Jr. reported a net loss in Qtr 3 of fiscal year 2005 compared to the same period last year, as a result of higher fuel and retiree health benefits costs, and workload related increases in volume and deliveries. Qtr 3 revenue was up $276 million, a 1.7 percent increase, but expenses rose $775 million, up 4.7 percent. Revenue from First-Class Mail declined $68 million, while Standard Mail revenue increased $161 million as a result of an increase of over one billion pieces. Priority Mail volume increased 15.1 million pieces generating a revenue increase of $86  |

- USPS Board: Without Reform, Rate Increase in 2007

- Statement of BOG Chairman James Miller III Regarding Postal Reform Legislation

August 02, 2005- The Hidden Battlefield: Postal Services, GATS, and Your Job (pdf) - (NALC Postal Record) While NALC and its members have been battling to secure the future of USPS and letter carrier jobs through postal reform, there is another, less visible struggle underway—an international trade debate that ultimately could force privatization through the Congress. Behind closed doors diplomats at the World Trade Organization are in negotiations to update the 140-plus-nation General Agreement on Trade in Services One aspect of “services” being discussed—the most important to carriers—is postal operations. If certain interests, private delivery firms among them, have their way, what is decided in Geneva could topple the first domino in a movement to wipe out all government-run post offices or at least abolish the letter-mail monopolies that support universal service.

APWU: Trade Deals and Postal Workers:   |

August 02, 2005- USPS awards contract to Mack for 1400 trucks |

- Award Notice of Tractors (July 15, 2005)

August 01, 2005-On-Duty Wisconsin Letter Carrier Arrested for Drunk Driving - James A. Brown, a Barron, Wisconsin letter carrier has been placed on "emergency placement" after he was arrested for allegedly being drunk while driving. According to the report from the Barron Police a 911 call was received from a person who said a mail truck had struck two houses and one parked vehicle. Witnesses told police that the driver fell out of the truck, then got back inside.  Brown is a city mail carrier who has been with the Barron Post Office for 26 years. Because of four years in the military, he has 30 years of service toward retirement.  |

August 01, 2005- Direct Marketing Attorney Leads Fight Against Do-Not-Mail Bills- Robert J. Posch Jr. is passionate about direct mail. Posch's latest crusade  is an attempt to mobilize the industry to stop passage of do-not-mail bills pending in New York, Massachusetts and Missouri. Hawaii also has a concurrent resolution urging Congress to enact do not mail. Posch has begun mobilizing troops for his effort. He contacted the National League of Postmasters, and postmasters are writing state legislators in their districts about the bills. |

August 31, 2005

Letter for Don Ho redefines 'special delivery'

Postal officials tout mailboxes at central hub

Greco Advises DMers on Reaction to Katrina
'Do Not Dismount' Controversy Over - Gilroy Carrier Retains Job  |
 

August 30, 2005

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