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Postal News- March 2005

Collins, Carper Introduce Postal Reform Bill -"At first glance, insiders said the bill, S. 662, is a significant improvement over the version that was introduced by Collins and Carper last year... It also replaces the lengthy and litigious rate-setting process with a rate cap-based structure for market-dominant products such as First-Class mail, Periodicals and library mail; introduces new safeguards against unfair competition by the USPS in competitive markets; and transforms the existing PRC into the Postal Regulatory Commission with enhanced authority ..." |

- Postal Reform Legislation Introduced in Senate (APWU)

- E-NAPUS Legislative Newsletter (PDF) | Senators Postal Reform Bill

- Magic City News | Govexec | National Postmasters League 
- Pitney Bowes | Federal Times | Mailer Groups Upbeat  

 PMG Potter to Testify at House Subcommittee Hearing on FY 2006 Appropriations for USPS April 26

USPS Looks to File 5 to 6 Percent Across-the-Board Rate Increase - The news was part of  PMG John Potter 's keynote address at the 2005 National Postal Forum in Nashville, TN. The proposed  5 percent to 6 percent increase funds the escrow requirement.  It would raise the cost of a First-Class stamp by 2 cents, with comparable percentage increases for other classes as well. Potter also said the agency expects to have its Transformation Plan 2006-2010 ready to distribute to stakeholders by Sept. 30. |

- Live from the National Postal Forum: PMG Confirms 5%-6% Rate Hike Likely

- PMG Potter Delivers Message to Mailing Industry

- National Study Concludes Consumers Value the Ma

Postal Reform Legislation Introduced in Senate -(APWU) A postal reform bill introduced in the Senate on March 17 does not contain controversial anti-union language requested recently by the USPS Board of Governors and differs only slightly from legislation approved by Senate and House committees last year.|

- Magic City News | Govexec | Postmasters League President Steve LeNoir

- Pitney Bowes | Federal Times | Mailer Groups Upbeat |  Senators Postal Reform Bill (pdf)

 NALC Welcomes New Postal Reform Bill Introduced by Collins -NALC President William H. Young said he welcomed introduction of Collins’ bill since it advances the cause of postal reform, a cause NALC has advocated for the past 10 years. Chairman Collins announced that her Committee will hold a hearing on the legislation April 7 at which Postmaster General John E. Potter and Comptroller General David Walker of the Government Accountability Office (GAO) are scheduled to testify.  |

 Army Dismisses Court-Martial Against Ailing Letter Carrier/Vet-AWOL Charge Is Dropped-The U.S. Army last week dismissed a court-martial against an officer and Iraq war veteran who is in treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder. First Lt. Jullian P. Goodrum will not be: dishonorably discharged; face imprisonment , forfeit his much-needed medical benefits and will not face disqualification from his letter carrier job now that he is no longer charged with being AWOL.|

- Goodrum featured in March issue of NALC Postal Record

 Stakeholders backing Senate chief's postal overhaul legislation-"The Senate bill strikes a compromise on a major point of contention: worksharing agreements, which allow the agency to offer discounts to large mailers for presorting mail and other tasks normally done by postal workers. Unions had feared changes in worksharing agreements, but the new language is a consensus among Collins, Carper, USPS, APWU and the bulk mailers. Union officials did criticize some of the bill's workers' compensation provisions... Large mailers applauded another change, included at the suggestion of the White House, that would require the Postal Service to file SEC-like reports."- Sen. Susan Collins has announced the Senate Committee will hold a hearing on the legislation on April 7. PMG Jack Potter and GAO David Walker  will testify.|

Text of the Collins-Carper Postal Reform bill

APWU: Mail Contractor Threatens to Fire  Striking Truck Drivers-Russ Gallion, president of APWU’s First Coast Local, which represents MCA truck drivers in Jacksonville, said Mail Contractors of America, telephoned striking workers at home Saturday and told them if they didn’t report to work on Monday, March 28, they would be terminated. None of the striking workers returned to work, |
- USPS: Delivery Unaffected by Striking Truckers (DMNews)

- Previous Articles on Private Mail Haulers Strike

- Press Release from Des Moines APWU President

- Post Office spokesman says mail won't be delayed by strike

- Arkansas Drivers for Pat Salmons & Sons  look into joining strike (req'd

Letter Carrier Shortage Spurs Privatization-Palm Beach County (Fla.) is growing so fast that the postal service can't hire enough full-time carriers.  Making matters worse, the postal service has been hobbled by a hiring freeze and a money crunch. So, like other government agencies, it has decided to privatize somewhat. The postal service started hiring contractors here two years ago as a temporary way to fill the gap. But the savings are so great that the private mail carriers could become permanent fixtures in Palm Beach County neighborhoods. But for some residents, it seems as if U.S. mailbags — stuffed with Social Security checks, credit card correspondence and and personal greeting cards — have been turned over to pizza delivery crews. |

"Postal Service on the Prowl"  Commentary Sets Off Firestorm  -

Raymond J. Keating's, chief economist for the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council recent commentary is not setting well with USPS and postal workers . Keating warns,  "Small businesses, ratepayers and taxpayers beware! The Postal Service is on the prowl for more money and a longer reach into the marketplace. " |

- Jaffer: Keating column fatally flawed

- Maintenance Clerk: USPS is making service improvements, not prowling for money

- Response: Postal Service is a fine institution Congress has abused

FedEx fights disclosure of postal contract data-

Traffic World reports 'In a letter that had been kept confidential, FedEx wrote to the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) that releasing revenue and volume information about its lucrative postal contract would bring the carrier and the USPS "commercial harm" and would delay mail delivery.' The article also quotes attorney David P. Hendel, a critic of the contract, as saying 'I think the Postal Service is embarrassed about how much they are paying -  FedEX in a document filed with Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) last year  wrote, "Confidential treatment has been requested for confidential commercial and financial information, pursuant to Rule 24b-2 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended." |

- USPS Top Contracts and Suppliers 2003

NALC: The Existing Social Security System is Basically Sound

Social Security Reform and Private Accounts-A great debate has begun about the future of Social Security that is very important to all letter carriers, but particularly those covered by FERS. Social Security’s demographic imbalance is a problem, not a “crisis.” The Social Security Trust Fund has enough money to pay full benefits through 2042. The projected $3.7 trillion deficit over the next 75 years represents just 1.2 percent of covered payroll. Resolving this shortfall is manageable and can be accomplished without radically changing the basic structure of Social Security. |
- Bush Shifts Emphasis on U.S. Social Security | Congress May Postpone SS vote

- Congress May Hold Off on Social Security

PMG Potter Delivers Message to Mailing Industry on Monday
On Monday, March 21, the Postmaster General John E. Potter General will deliver the keynote address to the 2005 National Postal Forum (NPF). The mailing industry leaders in attendance will hear a progress report on the Postal Service's Transformation Plan, the status of Postal reform, and the USPS Governor's recent direction for management to prepare a rate case filing with the Postal Rate Commission

Postmaster Relief Admits Embezzling $100,000 in Money Orders to Feed Gambling Habit (Petoskey, Mich. )  Lisette J. Poupard-Purgiel, worked as backup postmaster in Cross Village since April 2003 and worked full-time from March 2004 through January 2005. Poupard-Purgiel, who has not been charged, admitted she embezzled around $100,000 to support a gambling habit, according to a search warrant affidavit filed in federal court in Grand Rapids Friday. Poupard-Purgiel said at first she took small money orders and paid them back but eventually took thousands of dollars weekly, according to the affidavit |

Debunking the Myths: USPS Operates at Disadvantage-by By Thomas McLaughlin and Murray Comarow -"The U.S. Postal Service’s competitors have long asserted that the agency’s advantages deprive them of a level playing field.  “The Postal Service pays no federal, state or local taxes on its income, sales, purchases or property. Unlike private-sector companies, it is immune from most forms of regulation, such as zoning, land use restrictions, motor vehicle registration, parking tickets and antitrust. It is also able to borrow money at the lowest possible rate because it does so through the U.S. Treasury.” |

USPS to Replace Long Life Vehicles(LLVs) With "Generation 3" Carrier Route Vehicles -"The USPS operates a fleet of over 200,000 vehicles in all areas of the United States and its territories. Approximately 140,000 of these vehicles are light-duty carrier route vehicles (CRVs) manufactured between 1987 anad 1994 from the Grumman Corp. These vehicles, known as Long Life Vehicles (LLVs), are rear drive, 4 cylinder, aluminum body-on-frame vehicles with a payload capacity of approximately 1,400 lbs. The LLVs are nearing the end of their useful life and the USPS intends to retire this fleet over the next 12 to 14 years and replace them with new, similarly sized vehicles. The new vehicles will be referred to as Generation 3 (G3) Carrier Route Vehicles.. . USPS intends to make an award for up to 200,000 CRVs, awarding a "base-level" contract of 4 years with 3 option provisions. Any resulting contract is contingent upon approval of funding by the USPS Board of Governors." |

USPS to Meet with State Attorney Generals Over Possible Legal Liability of Internet Cigarette Sales-"The meeting was sparked by a letter threatening the postal service with civil -- and possibly even criminal -- liability if it continues to deliver cigarettes purchased over the Internet. The U.S. Postal Service will meet with representatives of various state attorneys general on Thursday to discuss how the Service can avoid legal liability for its role in delivering cigarettes sold illegally on the Internet. The result could be an agreement to curtail delivery of such cigarettes, or requirements that the sellers take steps such as verifying the age of purchasers, insuring that state cigarette taxes are paid, etc. ."(note: Postal Reporter has learned the ASH release contains false information). |

Gas Prices Pinch Postal Service-"Skyrocketing gas prices are putting the pinch on the local postal service district and the high pump prices could soon be passed on to consumers, NBC 7/39 reported. The San Diego postal service is spending $184,000 a month on gas, NBC 7/39 reported. That number is up 22 percent from last year."|

Anthrax: Negative Results But Very Real Fears-By last evening, officials declared that they were confident that there was no public health threat. But for employees of the Postal Service, especially those, such as Helen Lewis, who had been through this before, the fear was very real. "We're on the front lines," said Lewis, a 29-year Postal Service worker. |

- US anthrax scare blamed on sample mix-up | photos of postal workers

Postal Eagle Logo on New Window Clerk Polo Shirts a Goal-According to The American Postal Worker Magazine: When a Birmingham, AL APWU member put in an order for uniforms last fall, she was told that window clerks were not permitted to put the “Postal Eagle” logo on uniform shirts, that it was an option only for letter carriers. "APWU Clerk Craft officers expect that the eagle will be a feature of the new retail shirt, which is still weaving its way through the USPS bureaucracy. Both the eagle and  APWU logo were used in the pilot." |

Burrus: Hypocrisy Has No Bounds-The debate over postage discounts exposes the rank hypocrisy of the large mailers who complain that the wages of postal employees are too high, while they scramble to ensure that they continue to receive discounts that are larger than the postal labor cost. |

Senator Urges Budget Panel to Keep Postal Overhaul in Mind-Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairwoman Susan Collins, R-Maine, Monday sent a letter to Budget Committee leaders urging them to craft their resolution to allow for "meaningful postal reform," as outlined in legislation she is expected to introduce Thursday. Last year, CBO scored the postal reform bill, S. 2468, at $9.6 billion from 2006-2010, with a first year score of approximately $5.4 billion. |

- Senator Collins Press Release

APWU Membership Drops, NALC Remains the Same-Annual average AFL-CIO membership dropped by 167,775 from 2003 to 2004, to 12.95 million, figures provided at the federation's Executive Council meeting in Las Vegas. Retirements and buyouts pushed APWU membership down by 14,272, to 225,625. The Letter Carriers were unchanged, at 210,000. |

Anthrax Scare Is Attributed to a Testing Error-Tests negative in Pentagon anthrax scare-Health officials believe that a mix-up of samples in a Defense Department contractor's laboratory was behind an anthrax scare Mon. and Tue. that rattled the stock market, set the White House on alert, shut three post offices in the Washington area and led to more than 800 people being offered antibiotics. |
-- USPS Shut Downs D.C. 'V' St.' Postal Facility After Anthrax Scare -USPS says it's taking a cautious approach by closing the V Street postal sorting facility.
- Letter to Congressman Regarding $7 Million to USPS for Mail Irradiation Facility

Senator Urges Budget Panel to Keep Postal Overhaul in Mind

Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairwoman Susan Collins, R-Maine, Monday sent a letter to Budget Committee leaders urging them to craft their resolution to allow for "meaningful postal reform," as outlined in legislation she is expected to introduce Thursday. |

- Senator Collins Urges Budget Committee To Include Funds for Postal Reform- CBO scored the postal reform bill, S. 2468, at $9.6 billion from 2006-2010, with a first year score of approximately $5.4 billion. The Senators anticipate the first year score for the reintroduced bill to decrease by several billion, as it will require the USPS to make payments into a new Postal Service Retiree Health Benefits Fund beginning in 2006, rather than in 2007, as was proposed by S. 2468.

 Burrus: Postal Reform Struggle and Mailers’ Primary Objective

Signs of Anthrax at Two Pentagon Mail Rooms-"Sensors at two military mail facilities in the Washington area detected signs of anthrax on two pieces of mail Monday, but Pentagon officials said the mail had already been irradiated, rendering any anthrax inert. Officials weren't sure if this was an attack. Additional tests and other sensors at the two facilities, one of them at the Pentagon and the other nearby, found no presence of the bacteria, which can be used as a biological weapon. There were no initial reports of illness." |
- Mail Facilities Remain Closed After Alerts

- Subsequent Tests Have Been Negative

- Letter to Congressman Regarding $7 Million to USPS for Mail Irradiation Facility

White Paper: Postal Reform: An Investment in Jobs and the Economy-"In contrast with the critics of postal reform who have charged that the proposed postal reform legislation would increase the deficit by as much as $1 billion a year, this new analysis shows that not passing postal reform could result in a loss of tax revenues in the $2 billion to $3 billion range."|

CBO Postal Reform Estimates [pdf] :House version 9/23/04 | Senate version 6/24/04

USPS Exec Urges Congress to Reject Bush Plans for CSRS-Ralph J. Moden, senior vice president of government relations at the USPS is urging the chairmen and ranking Democrats of the House and Senate Budget committees not to adopt the language regarding Civil Service Retirement System funding from President Bush's budget proposal into their budget resolutions. Moden said the president's proposal would "deprive American mailers of any continued benefit from this law. Moreover, to layer additional postal service retiree health benefit premiums on top of what would have gone into the escrow [account] would penalize all who use the postal service by increasing rates unnecessarily." |

Nader Announce Plans to Create Postal Consumer Action Group-Consumer Activist Ralph Nader has announced plans to create The Post Office Consumer Action Group which will be dedicated to representing the interests of individual postal customers. The Post Office Consumer Action Group would be a nonprofit organization that would enable individual users to band together for greater participation in shaping national and local postal policies, Nader said. |

 Redesigned Domestic Mail Manual to Debut at National Postal Forum-The dramatically redesigned "Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service" (DMM 300) will be released at the 2005 National Postal Forum (NPF), the nation's leading mailing industry trade show in Nashville, TN, March 20-23. The DMM 300, which focuses on the needs of large volume mailers, postal employees and customers who require access to all mailing standards, will be given to registered Forum attendees beginning Sunday, March 20 and throughout the event while supplies last. The DMM 300 builds on the success of the industry award winning DMM 100, "A Customer's Guide to Mailing," and the DMM 200, "A Guide to Mailing for Businesses and Organizations." |

California Carrier Charged with Mail Theft-There was so much mail in Ken Herman's house that it was being kept in large, black trash bags. And almost none of it belonged to Herman, who until his arrest a few weeks ago on numerous theft and drug-related charges was employed as a full-time U.S. Postal Service replacement letter carrier. Herman is accused of stealing mail and then selling it to identity thieves in order to support what appears to be a serious methamphetamine habit  |

AFL-CIO to lay off 80 to 100 staffers-The AFL-CIO will lay off up to a quarter of its staff in response to a decision last week to restructure operations. The AFL-CIO, a Washington-based federation representing 58 labor unions, employs 421 persons|

Shouldering the burden -"According to carriers of the Fall River and Somerset (Mass.) post office branches have been forced into mandatory overtime, working on days off and delivering mail in the dark. And some postal carriers say that’s only the beginning. Over the last three years, its finally coming to a head with short staffing and supervisors taking out routes," said Lynne Souza, president of NALC, Branch 51. "They have cut so many jobs and never replaced them, and we are ridiculously short handed. The part-time flexible carriers have been working upwards of 80 hours a week for the last three years; the full-time carriers have all been averaging close to 60 hours per week, Souza contends. When asked if the money they earn would make up for the problems they face daily, one 25-year carrier laughed. "My customers always tell me that I will be the richest person in the cemetery." |

Clock Rings’ Lawsuit Limited-"A federal judge has certified but limited a class-action lawsuit against the USPS regarding management’s policy of arbitrarily deleting employees’ clock rings in order to avoid paying overtime. Judge Richard A. Lazzara certified a collective action against the USPS in the Middle District of Florida, which comprises the metropolitan areas of Jacksonville, Ocala, Orlando, Tampa, and Fort Myers. Postal workers outside of these areas, however, are excluded from the lawsuit. Attorneys from the Tampa law firm of Burr & Smith originally had sought to establish a nationwide class action. They will continue to represent plaintiffs in the Florida district and may seek to bring suits in federal courts in other locations. The national APWU is reviewing the matter to determine whether to take nationwide action."

source: American Postal Worker Magazine- March/Apr 2005

Postal Facility at Center of Anthrax Attacks is Ready to Reopen -on Monday, 3 1/2 years after it handled anthrax-laced letters that further heightened the nation's insecurity in the weeks after 9/11. "Patricia Carrano, who was working yesterday at a customer service desk set up in a trailer near the distribution center, said she and other workers still have some fears about returning to the building, even though tests have not detected any remaining spores. "If you want to keep your job -- and most of us do -- you have to put your trust in the Post Office, OSHA and whoever cleaned the building," said Carrano."  |

Anthrax gone; some fear remains | MOU: Employees Not Returning to Trenton P&DC

OSHA injury and illness reports decline -The number of Postal Service OSHA Injuries and Illnesses (OSHA IIs) continues to decline — with a national total of 2,951 fewer incidents in first quarter FY 2005 than the same period last year (SPLY). The largest reduction was achieved in musculoskeletal disorders — a national reduction of 1,457 compared to SPLY. Great Lakes Area led the way with a 30% decline. Western Area was second with a 29% reduction. |

APWU: List of Problematic USPS Trucks Equipped with 'Leyman' Lift Gates Released-APWU in early March received lists of USPS trucks in the field equipped with Leyman lift gates. The equipment has malfunctioned and in at least one instance last year nearly caused an injury to a Motor Vehicle Operator. Earlier this year, the USPS started modifying and replacing both rail-type and tuck-under lift gates. |

Step 4 Dispute Settled on Postal Inspection Service's Right to Issue Letters- APWU and Postal Service reached an agreement on the Postal Inspection Service’s right to issue letters warning employees of possible criminal action without affording them appeal rights |

 Arbitrator Rules Assignment of Timekeeping Duties To Supervisors Violated Contract-The Postal Service violated the National Agreement by assigning timekeeping duties performed by the grievant to supervisors in the Great Falls, Montana Post Office  |

USPS Employee Statistics February 2005 -- USPS career workforce stands at 690,301, down 14,280 from the prior year. The Clerk (10,042) and Mail Handler (1267) Craft numbers continue to drop. City carriers numbers dropped ( 64), while rural carriers numbers increased.(999)|

Postal Workers Personnel Data for Sale?  In a recent discussion on 21st Century Postal Worker  postal workers' examine the practice of personnel data being used/purchased by licensed vendors and direct marketers for solicitation. According to an email from Skaggs Postal Uniforms, "We get our mailing list directly from the USPS. We purchase a CD from them once or twice a year. We do not resell any info we have and only use it for mailing our Postal Catalog, since we are a licensed vendor.". Several postal workers are questioning whether or not employees personnel data; can be used for solicitations at the workplace or any other direct marketing.|

Postmaster Relief Admits Embezzling $100,000 -(Petoskey, Mich. )  Lisette J. Poupard-Purgiel, worked as backup postmaster in Cross Village since April 2003 and worked full-time from Mar. 2004 thru Jan. 2005. Poupard-Purgiel said at first she took small money orders and paid them back but eventually took thousands of dollars weekly . |

- Ex-WV Part-Time Clerk sentenced for$145,450 money order theft

Name That Post Office: Not So Easy -As Congress debates the merits of a massive revamp of Social Security and a budget plan for the year, House Republican leaders are embroiled in a controversy over the naming of a post office. Usually, bills that name post offices easily move through Congress with little fanfare. But legislation offered by Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) has followed a different path. A Congressional Research Service report found that about one in eight public laws are post-office-naming bills. |

Rising Gas Prices Affect Stamp Costs?? "It is no surprise that gas prices are constantly on the rise, but this week they could reach an all time high and that may affect you more than just at the pump. USPS says every time gas prices go up a penny, the post office has $8 million more in costs, which could explain why stamp prices are always on the rise. “As any business we have two options when prices go up. We can absorb those costs or pass them along to the customer,” said Dean McCool of the U.S. Postal Service in Indiana. |

 GasPriceWatch.com

Postal Workers Picket Over Mismanagement -at Destin (Florida) Post Office. Postal Clerk and Local APWU President Bobby Pruett says he's picketing his own job, not only for his fellow employees but for the customers they serve as well. "We have cases of mail not being delivered. We have carriers on the streets past 9 o'clock at night delivering the mail. We are also having trouble in the workplace. We consider this a hostile work environment. The workers say they are taking a chance by picketing, that they could be suspended or even fired." see video on |

- Crestview Postal Clerks Protest Management

 Private Mail-Hauler Cuts Off APWU Members' Health Benefits- Hundreds of private-sector mail-haul drivers and their families had their eligibility for health insurance cut off earlier this week by Pat Salmon & Sons as a collective bargaining agreement lapsed.|

- Mail-Haul Drivers Fight for Insurance Benefits

- APWU's Three Year Struggle with Pat Salmon & Sons for Bargaining Contract

 Beyond the Monopoly: Other Legal Restraints on Entry into U.S. Postal Markets-

by James I Campbell, Jr. "How does the law protect the United States Postal Service from potential competitors?" The most visible barrier to market entry is the postal monopoly law. So apparent and absolute is the postal monopoly that discussions of postal policy often assume that repeal of the monopoly law would permit the Postal Service and private delivery services to compete like normal companies. This assumption is incorrect. ." |

USPS to Promote "Robots: The Movie-|||| (Postal Bulletin) "Your lobby should be displaying the new refresh point-of-purchase (POP) kit elements - a standee and poster featuring the colorful characters from Robots: The Movie, which opens March 11. What's the connection with the Postal Service, you ask? The animated film has a character called Odis , a talking mailbox. |

- Speaking of Robots: Korea introduces Helper Robots- "Public Service Helper Robot" (PSHR) will be introduced to 20 postal offices, carrying out services like checking postal codes.

The Bogeyman Doesn't Wear Brown' -by Gene Polito -As hard as it is for some to believe, gone are the days when UPS seemed to pride itself as the 900-pound gorilla that wouldn't hesitate for a second before it stomped the life out of any postal legislative proposal that wasn't of its own making. In fact, those who head UPS have been trying particularly hard not to put themselves in the center of the wrangling over recent postal reform proposals. Much as it might surprise some, UPS actually is on the record with its support for last year's House and Senate postal reform bills.  |

- UPS delivers raises and bonus increases to executive leadership

 Hobart (Indiana) Mail Carriers Fear Chihuahua-A 4.5-pound Chihuahua with a bad attitude named "Bobo" has landed its owner in hot water after the pint-sized canine repeatedly terrorized postal workers, preventing them from delivering the mail. Mail carriers were recently unable to deliver mail to homes in the northwestern Indiana city because Bobo would not allow them safe passage, police said. "The little Chihuahua was 10-foot tall when he was on the street," said Florence Page of the Hobart Humane Society, which picked up the dog twice for running loose. |

- Chihuahua gone, mail goes through again

 Putting a Different Stamp on Postal Service- Two years ago, the U.S. Postal Service in Napa got a new postmaster. Part of Patricia Santos-Armstrong's mission: To address late delivery of mail and short staffing. Today, mail trucks can be seen parked on streets and alleys all over town at 8 p.m. or later, some mail gets delivered at 10 p.m., and altogether too much mail gets delivered to the wrong address. With all due respect to the hard working carriers and other staffers at the post office, the institution has a serious problem. The notion that all it takes is a few more employees, a few fixed trucks or some more flu vaccine does not give us confidence that the postal service is up to the challenge. 

Previous Story: Many Napans Complain about Mail Service, but Postmaster Says Help Is On the Way -What causes Napa's (Calif.) mail to often arrive late, according to Postmaster Patricia Santos-Armstrong is a lack of manpower. A recent spate of flu cases, plus normal days off and vacations, has forced carriers to work portions of other shifts after the conclusion of their own.  "That's why if you're used to getting your mail at noon, you may not get it until 5 o'clock or even 6 o'clock, depending on the mail flow we get from Oakland, where it is all pre-sorted by machine." Mechanical breakdowns with vehicles or postal equipment can add to the delay, she said. |

 Indiana Mail Carrier Gets Second Chance at Lawsuit-A longtime Valparaiso postal employee will get a second chance at his lawsuit against USPS, claiming race, sex and age discrimination by a former supervisor. Stephen Ezell, filed a lawsuit in 2001 in U.S. District Court alleging his supervisor, “made racist, sexist remarks toward me. She has also made derogatory remarks about my age,” Ezell wrote in a statement. Additionally, Ezell also had sufficient evidence showing that the supervisor tampered with time records, disallowing overtime...Ezell said he was fired based on the word of his supervisor, who he said fabricated a charge of taking too long a lunch break. “I was targeted because I stood up for my rights,” he said. After appealing the charge through the NALC, Ezell was reinstated. |

Read the case (pdf) | HTML

PostalWatch : Robots Are Hijacking Your Mail-"In February, the Postal Service began printing a "Special Cancellation" on billions of letters sent by unwitting mailers. Normally, a "Cancellation" consists of a series of wavy lines that the Post Office prints over top of the stamp on letters to prevent the postage from being reused. However, this new "Special Cancellation" that the Post Office is printing on billions of cards and letters is a blatant commercial advertisement for the Twentieth Century Fox/Blue Sky movie "Robots." "This demonstrates total disregard for the sanctity of people's mail." said Rick Merritt of PostalWatch. |

Two Men Attack, Rob Redwood City (Calif.) Postal Carrier-"Two men ambushed a carrier outside a post office last week, and beat and doused him with pepper spray or mace, before robbing him, authorities said." |

- Homeowner arrested after spraying Louisiana Letter Carrier with Mace

03/31/05

• Florida Rural Carrier 'Baby V' still in the running on 'Idol' | Discuss

• Former Virginia mail carrier pleads guilty to stealing mail

• Postal clerk gets 30-month sentence in embezzlement
• Postal worker granted deferred judgment in theft case

• Dog Attacks Against Mail Carriers on the Rise

• Postal Service Debuts NCOALink Flat File Format

• Postal officials investigate powdery substance linked to drugs

• Pennsylvania state legislator charged with mailing white powder to himself

• Latest Postal Bulletin 3/31/05

• DHL Plans $160M U.S. Hub Integration, Automation

• Burrus: Debate Continues Over Restructuring the AFL-CIO  |

03/30/05

• Progress made in Bonny Doon mail delivery

• Estero Post Office struggles to keep up with area's growth

• Hero postal workers honored

• Deer Creek Residents Want Individual Mail Boxes
• Cheyenne (Wyoming)  post office to look for anthrax
• New scanners tested in Alaska
• Execution can be set for Spirko in slaying of Elgin postmaster

03/29/05

• USPS reports money order scam
• Filling 'er up costs UPS $1.4 billion

• Postal Worker Dies After Crash in Ohio | More info: Mail truck accident

• Robber tries to snatch cell phone from mailman

• Postal Heroics Praised

• Post office promotes its eBay connection

• Postal Inspection Service Selects Prime Alert for Expanded Bioterrorism Defense Response |

03/28/05

• Special delivery: Husband-Wife postmasters retire together

• San Jose (Calif.) Delivers New Postmaster to City Residents

• Letter : USPS consolidation decision may shut down Los Angeles
• USPS helps fund installation of Ethanol gas pump in Wisconsin

• Maryland could become first for electronic postmark law

• FYI: IRS May Consider eBay Sales Taxable Income

03/27/05

• Post office delivers friendly greetings
• Homeland Security to Launch Anthrax Review

• Early retirement can turn into blessing
  Jo Diffenderfer of Chambersburg, PA - "A month ago I retired at the age of 63 -- with 22 years, three months, 8.25 days [sick leave included] -- from the U.S. Postal Service. "Working 10-hour days, often without lunch, as a city letter carrier, my route was becoming overburdened, with no cuts in sight. My stressful, harried days have come to a screeching halt, and now I'm doing what I want to do and loving every mo