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February 28, 2009
Mailman
Finds Delivery Route Altered by Recession
A mail carrier in Bradenton, Fla.,
says the effects of that shared experience are obvious along his
delivery route, where familiar faces are disappearing. Mark
Sinnen has been a letter carrier for 30 years, and he loves his
job. The U.S. Postal Service emblem is tattooed on his upper
thigh.
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Mailer
Sentenced For Conspiring With Postal Worker To Defraud USPS
(Michigan
) A Mt. Pleasant businessman will spend two years in a federal
prison after pleading guilty to conspiring to defraud the United
States Postal Service. The indictment alleged that Sinko, who
was a bulk mail technician at the Mt. Pleasant post office, and
English, the owner of English Direct Mail Services, conspired to
defraud the postal service of hundreds of thousands of dollars,
Berg said. Last year it was reported that "Sinko was also
indicted on 12 additional charges of manipulating internal
postal records to conceal the fraud.
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APWU: Health Care Equity Act’ Introduced in
the Senate
USPS puts three Houston post offices on sales block
Ohio: Armed Robber Holds Up Akron Mail Man
Michigan: Man Charged With Robbing Postal Worker
2009
Price-Change Stamps Unveiled
Potential cuts to Postal Service cause
concern for election administrators
Postal Worker Charged With Theft
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February 27, 2009
Legislation Introduced To Make It
Easier To Rehire Federal Retirees
Connecticut Light and Power
Payments Lost in Mail
Okla.: Cardin post office closing
this week
Alabama: Contract postal worker
charged with mail theft
Letter carrier hangs up mailbag
Mail carrier to
retire after 28 years of walking routes
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February 26, 2009
USPS OIG’S Review
Of Postal Managers Unnecessary Purchases
Employees have made purchases, primarily gifts and items for meetings,
which we believe are imprudent and unnecessary during a time of
severe economic uncertainty in the Postal Service. ....designer
watches, high-definition televisions, gps navigational systems,
video game consoles, camcorders, digital cameras, personal computers,
printers, an espresso machine, and a TiVo system were given as
employee awards. There were 183,208 award transactions and $43,633,292
recorded in eAwards for 183,208 career and non-career employees
during FY 2008.
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USPS OIG Audit: Controls Over Supervisor Leave
(PDF)
Controls over manual processing of
supervisors leave were insufficient to ensure
management approved the leave, recorded it in the TACS, and appropriately
charged it to the supervisor’s leave balance. We confirmed the leave
status of supervisors where there was a discrepancy between the
work/leave status reported during IOCS testing and the information
recorded in the TACS. Management did not put supervisor leave into
the TACS for 46 out of 124 (37 percent) of the IOCS/TACS discrepancies
we confirmed. In 24 of the 46 exceptions, leave slips were not on
file, while in the other 22 exception cases, leave slips were on
file but management did not enter the leave into the TACS.
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USPS OIG Audit: Data Quality Issues with the
City Carrier Street Time Study (PDF)
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We found
errors such as time data scans outside the normal carrier delivery
hours, mismatched ZIP Codes and routes, incomplete volume and time
pool data, and anomalies in dates and the number of days in which
volume and time pool data were collected. The CCSTS survey data
is more than 6 years old, as the Postal Service has not updated
variability factors used in attributing city carrier street activity
costs since the 2002 study. Since that time, there have been significant
changes in city carrier street activities due to changes in the
mail mix...
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Changes In Store
For Bulk Mail Center Network
The USPS has informed
the NPMHU of changes that they intend to make to the existing BMC
network. According to USPS Headquarters, they intend to move forward
with a new network which will utilize the existing BMCs as “Network
Distribution Centers” (NDCs) to more efficiently process and transport
the mail. The plans shared with the Union thus far call for three
tiers of BMCs (NDCs), with each tier having different responsibilities.
Postal Service to Revamp Bulk Mail
Center Network
At
the same time, they have apparently shelved plans to outsource both
the operation of those BMCs and a significant portion of their ground
transportation network
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OIG Audit: USPS Has Not Reduced Workhours Using Automated Postal
Centers (PDF)
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The APC Decision Analysis Report (DAR) states that the Postal Service
could deploy APCs to retail space and other more convenient, less
costly, non-Postal Service sites, and that reduced window clerk
workhours at post offices resulting from customers’ use of APCs
should produce savings. Despite these initial expectations, the
Postal Service has not reduced workhours as envisioned. APC program
officials stated that the Postal Service recently relocated underperforming
APCs to more advantageous Postal Service locations and they believe
APC usage will increase. However, there is currently no clear plan
that includes deployment of APCs to non-Postal Service locations
and capital funding has not been approved for additional APCs.
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US Postal Service Picks Ad Agency for
$1 million Account
The account,
which mandates communications with the media, general public, and
postal employees, runs for two years with three additional one-year
options. The account requires work on various strategic planning
and counsel duties, crisis response support, and assistance of the
USPS internal communications staff. It cites the 2001 anthrax attacks
and natural disasters as examples of where crisis communications
would be needed.
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USPS Seeking Home-Based Independent
Contractors For EEO Investigations
Postal Workers Picket to Save Plant
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NYC mailman among 3 charged in tax refund scheme
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Postman carrying a lighter bag
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Postal Bulletin 2/26/09
Issue
Postal contractor pleads guilty to stealing mail
Former South Carolina Postal employee Indicted for Theft
Five Or Six Day Mail Delivery?
Downtown Houston post office up for sale
Former Illinois carrier is suspect
in undelivered mail
APWU:
Pass H.R. 22 and the Employee Free Choice Act
APWU:
2008 Convention Transcript Now Available
Rep.
Meeks Honors Queens Postal Worker for Saving Life
UPS Expands Territory for Early
A.M. Delivery
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February 25, 2009
Statement of NALC President On Compliance
with National Agreement
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Let Let
me make the following clear to one and all, including Postal Service
management at headquarters and in the field, and all letter carriers,
at every level in the union and in every post office: No one, at
any level, has any authority to amend or violate the national contract,
period.
PMG Potter memo on honoring contract (PDF). It is up to each one of us to make
sure that the changes we bring to the organization are changes
for the better,” Potter recently wrote. Respecting and
protecting the provisions of the collective-bargaining
agreements will help us to do that |
USPS Cuts Post Office Hours, Upsetting Customers
Starting Monday, all post offices in
will close at 5 p.m. Many post offices in Charlotte keep late hours,
some open until 10 p.m., and employees and customers alike said
the change be a real inconvenience.
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Will Netflix Dump the Red Envelope?
Reed Hastings mentioned it's a possibility,'
said company spokesman Steve Swasey, referring to the company's
founder and CEO. No more details were given, but Dow Jones reports
the company recently surveyed subscribers about the possibility
of an Internet streaming-only service for $9.99.
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Rare but possible: Ads on postal boxes
Indeed, mail boxes would seem the ideal
ad venue, located as they are on street corners all across America,
some 280,000 of them. The challenge is in getting the U.S. Postal
Service to greenlight a campaign, and it rarely does so. It prefers
its boxes to stand out for people looking to mail a letter.
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Going Postal Part
3: Neither snow, nor rain, nor sleet …
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Mail-pilfering postal
worker gets house arrest, probation
APWU: Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) Forms
White Powder Scare
Closes Mail Center Overnight
Fire closes Santa Cruz post office
Postal carriers help curb crime
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Paying the Postal Service
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February 24, 2009
New Book: The Tainted Eagle, The Truth Behind The 1991 Tragedy at
Royal Oak Michigan Post Office -
by NALC steward Charlie Withers
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USPS OIG: Preventing Workers' Compensation Fraud
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Editorial: Saving Snail Mail Still
Makes Sense
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Contract
Custodian Caught Stealing Postal Employee Incentive Gift Cards
Postal Service slights Tenderloin SRO dwellers
Dogs Maul Postal Carrier Over Weekend
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February 23, 2009
Retired Letter Carrier: Postal Service woes are due to mismanagement
Reading the articles about petty behavior
in the post office compels me to write. I am a retired letter carrier
who remembers when all that was required was to deliver the correct
mail into the correct receptacles. Customer service was of paramount
concern. Employee safety was important. The ratio of management
to workers was low. Then came the “new” and “improved” Postal Service.
People who never performed the job suddenly knew how to improve
the job.
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Postal carrier dies after falling on metal marker in Kalamazoo
A U.S. Postal Service worker died Sunday,
two days after he fell and hit his head on a metal marker while
delivering mail on the city's south side, police said.
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NAPUS: USPS To Cut Pay Rate For Newly Hired Casuals
Need to Know: On February 13, 2009 Anthony J. Vegliante, Executive
Vice President & Chief Human Resources Officer notified by letter
to the “field’ that the policy regarding casual rate of pay is being
changed due to the current economic and business climate. The new
casual appointments are to be now paid at a rate that is at least
$1 less than the previously established rate of pay for each position
within your facility.
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Plan to cut 1 day of mail doesn't go far enough
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Postal worker killed after falling on stake while on route
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Credit card direct mail offer volume decline sees exception only
with airlines, Wal-Mart
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February 22, 2009
Postmaster General 's Pay To Be Probed
Congress will hold a hearing next month
into why Postmaster General John E. Potter has gotten a nearly
40 percent pay raise since 2006
and was awarded a six-figure incentive bonus last year, even as
the U.S. Postal Service faces a multibillion-dollar shortfall that
threatens a day of mail delivery. The subcommittee on the federal
work force, Postal Service and the District of Columbia will take
up the issue at a hearing set for March 25. In addition to executive
compensation, members will review the Postal Service's economic
troubles and competitiveness, officials said.
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NAPUS Takes Issue With PRC’s “Public Rep”
Suggesting USPS Privatize Its Retail Offices
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On February 12, 2009 NAPUS filed reply comments with the Postal
Regulatory Commission in response to a document that the Commission
Public Representative submitted in early February. In this February
2nd document, the Representative suggested that the USPS privatize
“most of the Postal Service’s tens of thousands of retail offices…”.
NAPUS questioned the wisdom of privatization, in which the PRC’s
own analysis concluded that only $586 million would be saved with
the closure of every small Post Office.
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The Mail Woes of a Mount Greenwood
Letter Carrier
(Illinois) Lester Sexton once packed his U.S. Postal Service van
to the roof each day with letters, cards in colorful envelopes,
magazines, junk mail, out-of-town newspapers, government checks
and virtually anything else that could be sent with a stamp. If
Sexton covers just the floor of the van's cargo area these days,
he's surprised.
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2 Dogs
Attack Mail Carrier
Wine drinkers seek
right to home delivery
Post office cutbacks could hurt
churches
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February 21, 2009
USPS Reports
Net Loss of $751 Million For January 2009
The text of
the 8-K report filed with the Postal Regulatory Commission
(PRC) on February 19, 2009 shows USPS has lost over $1.1 billion
thus far in Fiscal Year 2009.
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APWU Files Embezzlement Lawsuit
Against Former Southern Regional Coordinator
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According to the Houston Chronicle: Federal prosecutors have
asked fraud investigators from the Labor Department and Postal
Service to examine allegations that a former postal union
official in Houston embezzled union funds. The union accuses
its former regional coordinator, Frankie Sanders, of submitting
thousands of dollars worth of receipts for non- existent hotel
stays, including one in New Orleans that at the time was closed
because of Hurricane Katrina damage.
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No Fourth
COLA For Postal Workers
There will be no fourth cost-of-living adjustment (COLA)
this period. NALC: "That's because there was no increase in
the Consumer Price Index (CPI) between July 2008 and January
2009, based on figures released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics
(BLS) February 20."
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Downtown, west
Olympia post offices may consolidate
The Conde Nast
Protection Acts?
Slideshow: Mail
must get through
USPS sets Move
Update error threshold at 30%
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February 20, 2009
Utica postmaster
attacked in robbery
Truck driver admits stealing,
destroying mail
Brookline postal
worker reportedly threatened at gunpoint
Carrier on mail
route saves man's life
Neighbors battle
postal service in Florida
$50K reward
offer in mail carrier robbery
Postal Service
Cutbacks Affect Post Deadlines
Postal career
winding down
Why are hundreds
of local P.O. boxes closing?
Residents' efforts
get tiny Ferndale post office reopened in Orlando area
Settlement reached in postal job scam
Valpak Dubs
Itself 'Original Consumer Stimulus Package'
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February 19, 2009
Postmasters League President
Calls For Action on Postal Bullies
By now most of you have heard that
NAPS
President Ted Keating presented the Postal service a letter
asking for the removal of Western Area Vice President Sylvester
Black and Dakotas District Manager Clem Felchle for remarks
made during telecoms with their subordinates. This is a good
time to address an even more serious problem that I’ve spoken
about several times over the last few years.
The management style
embraced by many, many areas and districts throughout this
country is sick. Mr. Black’s remarks are just a symptom
of the ailment. Mr. Black’s remarks are the first that we
are being forced to review publicly. Part of this style is
to systematically berate, belittle and humiliate subordinates,
including POOMs, Postmasters, and supervisors. We need to
get rid of the bullies that are untrainable and replace them
with real leaders. We deal effectively with people that make
racial or sexual remarks; we need to do the same with the
bullies.
Like a cancer, this sick type of management has been festering
and growing for years. I challenge Jack Potter and the Postal
Service to walk the talk of Dignity and Respect.
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Postal officials accused
of threatening some managers, saying they should be executed
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A national association of postal
workers is demanding the removal of two high-level officials
in Sioux Falls and Denver for what it considers “inappropriate
and inflammatory remarks,” and the Office of Inspector General
of the U.S. Postal Service confirmed that it has launched
a review of the matter. The Inspector General’s Office is
doing a “workplace climate” assessment in the Postal Service’s
Dakotas region.
See
original letter from NAPS President
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Panel Chair Has Window Into
Postal Service
The subcommittee will also be looking into the disclosure
this week that Postmaster General John E. Potter received
a compensation and retirement package of more than $800,000
in 2008. "Given the losses the postal service is reporting
and the downturn of the economy, that pay is not in line with
performance, [Rep. Stephen] Lynch said.
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Democratic Talk Radio’s 1st Labor
Hero of the Year Award Given To APWU State President
Photo: Letter Carrier From Back
In The Day
Video: GOP Rep.
Issa Addresses NALC
California :
Postal workers picket at Industry plant
Valassis: Layoffs
Will Continue as It Reduces Newspaper Coupon
Business
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"Basically,
it’s a double whammy for newspapers from which they will never
recover. The only winner here will be the U.S. Postal Service."
Driver that left letter
carrier with devastating injuries gets five years in
prison
Florida: Former Postal Worker
Gets Probation In Mail Theft
Former Dale County postal
worker pleads guilty to package theft
Greenwich postal worker caught
with pot
Postal employee charged with
destroying sample ballots
Old letters recall history of Lucky and his best friend, the
postman
USPS Rate Hike Will Sock Small Parcel Shippers
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February 18, 2009
FMLA Coordinators Requiring
Employees To Release Medical Info to USPS Law Department
- The Postal Service is soliciting medical releases for those
employees that are required to partake in the 2nd and 3rd
opinion process. In doing so, the FMLA Coordinators are requiring
employees to release the “specified information” to the USPS
Law Department.
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Postal Electronic Technician
Fired Over His Bad Attitude
The Postal Service issued a notice of proposed removal to
the ET listing two grounds for the proposed action. First,
the notice charged Mr. Saunders with “improper conduct,” and
second, it charged him with “unsatisfactory performance.”
In support of the improper conduct charge the Postal Service
listed the events related to the failed exam at NCED and also
accused Mr. Saunders of “lack of candor” during the pre-disciplinary
interview. In support of the “unsatisfactory performance”
charge the Postal Service alleged that Mr. Saunders purposely
failed to complete the training which was required of him.
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EEOC Class
Action Pending For Postal Employees Placed Under USPS NRP
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The case surrounds "All permanent rehabilitation employees
and limited duty employees at the U.S. Postal Service who
have been subjected to the National Reassessment Process (NRP)
from May 5, 2006 to present, allegedly in violation of the
Rehabilitation Act of 1973."
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Dispute Over USPS Two-Tour Initiative Appealed to Arbitration
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Maine: No injuries in mail truck mishap
Texas: Beaumont Postal Employee indicted on charge of theft
of mail
He claims an entire bag of mail was lost
Portsmouth postal workers fear for jobs
NAPS: A Case Where Congress Did Something Right ... Well
Almost
Mail carrier recovering from Pit Bull attack
Where Are All The Mailboxes?
Quincy post office makes changes to deliver budget savings
USPS Smacks Nonprofit Mailers Again
Catalog Prospecting Rate? Not This Year
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February 17, 2009
Postal Service Hits Back
At Criticism of Postmaster's Pay
Postmaster General John E. Potter has come under criticism
for his total
2008 compensation of nearly $800,000,
but the agency's board of governors says the pay is less than
what leaders of several other independent government agencies
receive. And the amount is far below that given to CEOs in
the private sector, even though compensation and benefit packages
for postal service officers are required by law to be comparable
to those given to private-sector employees doing similar work,
the board of governors says.
Postmaster to Country: Lick My Stamps!
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PMG's Pay Under Fire
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APWU Leads Protests of Florida Consolidation Plans
USPS Initial Comments On PRC's Postal Monopoly Report (PDF)
USPS OIG Blog: Neighborhood Mail
No more home mail delivery to new developments
Postal workers
deliver for coworker
South Kortright Post Office will close March 2
Letters: Close small postal facilities
New, more
efficient mail routes could affect arrival time
For mail,
the end of the line
Many tiny
Idaho places with post offices no longer exist
Postal
customers angered at early closing
Chattanooga: Snail mail losing race to e-mail
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February 16, 2009
Americans Advocate Reduced Services To Help Postal Service
According
to a recent Gallup poll: "When given a choice of three options
for helping the U.S. Postal Service out of its financial difficulties,
a majority of Americans prefer cutbacks in services - such
as ending Saturday mail delivery and closing post office branches
- to either government assistance or higher stamp prices.
"
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Opinion: Deliver Postal Reform
Hard economic times are revealing
more clearly than ever that the U.S. Postal Service needs
a comprehensive overhaul. The warning signs should compel
Congress, the Postal Service and the service's employee unions
to cooperate on reform to suit the modern market of electronic
mail. Reform should have two aims: • Reduce the service's
costs by cutting labor and benefit expenses, closing unneeded
post offices and scaling back regular delivery to five days
a week.
House may consider
resolution on USPS 6-day delivery
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USPS changes holiday operations
...postal employees would usually be working in those closed
offices putting up the P.O. box mail and collecting the mail
deposited in the mail slots. Also, employees would be out
collecting mail from businesses and those blue mail drop boxes.
The U.S. Postal Service will no longer provide those services
on holidays.
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Postal Service To Conduct AMP
Study At New York Mail Processing Facilities
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On February 10, 2009, the Postal Service will begin two concurrent
Area Mail Processing (AMP) feasibility studies between the
Staten Island, Queens and Brooklyn Processing and Distribution
Facilities. The purpose of these studies is to see if it makes
sense to consolidate some operations from Staten Island and
Brooklyn into Queens, or from Staten Island and Queens into
Brooklyn.
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Postmaster General Got $800,000 in Pay, Perks |
Injured Postal Worker Loses Reinstatement
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First Nail in the Coffin
Catholic editors wary of Postal Service changes
Mansfield postal workers hold informational picket
Federal Way
letter carrier credited with saving woman's life
Correction: Minneapolis "Postal
Clerk/204B" may have your Best Buy reward
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February 15, 2009
Postal Worker Suing For Another
Chance
Robert J. Cassotto was fired
by the Torrington (CT.) Post Office and, in response, he is
filing suit, claiming he was discriminated against, reprimanded
without cause and retaliated against in the work place. Cassotto
claims that, for 11 years, he has filed complaints with his
superiors at the postal service and has been terminated twice
before, only to receive his job back from an independent arbitrator
who reviewed his case. Upon returning to work in May 2007,
Cassotto said he was “treated like a prisoner of war” by supervisors
and colleagues.
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Postal workers seek help to keep work
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Retiring postal worker credits respect for letter carrier
for career
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Mailman rescues woman after
week trapped on own kitchen floor
A postage stamp hike - sealed
with a kiss
NARFE Scores Legislative
Win For Federal Retirees in Stimulus Package
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February 14, 2009
Correction: Minneapolis "Postal
Clerk/204B" may have your Best Buy reward
Postal Service can add sick to rain, snow and heat
APWU: PARS Software Grievance Resolved
FERS Sick Leave Bill Introduced
Mailing industry ponders its future after rate hike
eNAPUS: Stimulus Bill Makes Tracks for White House - USPS
Left at Station (PDF)
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February 13, 2009
APWU Denounces USPS Rate Proposal
APWU President William Burrus
has denounced the postage increase proposed by the USPS Feb.
10, declaring, “The planned rate structure would continue
the failed strategies that have brought the Postal Service
to the brink of disaster.” “Once again the Postal Service
is asking individual customers and small businesses to subsidize
major mailers and mail pre-sorters,” Burrus said.
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USPS volume down 22 percent in Tyler
Ex-postal officer gets probation
for stealing
Attempts to Secure USPS Pre-Funding
Relief Continue
Mail carriers
to be recognized for on-duty acts of assistance
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February 12, 2009
Mail Carrier Issued "Letter of Warning" for not cutting across
lawn
- A postal carrier
in Depew, NY has been threatened with suspension because he
failed to walk across snow-covered lawns while delivering
mail one day last month, his union said.
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Postal Service considers shifting some operations from Springfield
to Hartford
More Lakeland Postal Jobs Threatened
Post office given 5-star award for services
Postal work may be shifted to Conn. site
ACMA to Mailers; You're Welcome
Is It Time for a Postal Service 2.0?
FedEx chief expects economy to improve in '09
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February 11, 2009
NAPS President calls for removal
of two senior postal officials
NAPS President
Ted Keating is requesting the immediate removal of Western
Area Vice President Sylvester Black and Dakotas District
Manager Clem Felchle for inappropriate and inflammatory remarks
on Telecons last week. Those remarks were:
"Some managers ought
to be taken out and executed."
NAPUS
President Supports Removal of Senior Postal Officials
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Zero Tolerance Letter (PDF)
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archive: USPS Code of Conduct Covers Everyone - Including
Management
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APWU to Skip Publication of March/April Magazine
As a result of short-term financial
difficulties, the APWU is canceling publication of the March/April
2009 edition of The American Postal Worker magazine. This
is expected to be a one-time adjustment.
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Early bird mail worm: $1,288 fee
Vendors at the Hunts Point wholesale food markets are going
postal over news they must pay a hefty fee to pick up their
mail early. The produce, fish and meat merchants have been
picking up their mail at the post office early for more than
20 years - for free, said Lee Pakulsky, executive director
of the Produce Association at the market." They had been granted
a courtesy for a while to pick up their mail," said Postal
Service spokesman George Flood. "But it's a premium service.
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Louisiana postal worker arrested for buying drugs at
work
Detroit Mail Carrier Attacked by Dogs
UPS and USPS launch pilot returns service
Post Office ices longer hours
Give the ailing
Postal Service more flexibility
Catalog Postal
Rates To Rise 2.3%
Postal
workers help woman, 92, avoid scam
Postal
Service to conduct AMP study
- on consolidating Utica, Binghamton into Syracuse (NY)
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February 10, 2009
USPS: First Class Stamps To Increase
Two Cents On May 11
The Governors
of the U.S. Postal Service have approved new prices for mailing
services, including a 2-cent increase in the price of a First-Class
Mail stamp to 44 cents. Prices for mailing services are reviewed
annually and adjusted each May. The new prices will go into
effect Monday, May 11. The new prices are available at
usps.com/prices.
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Postal Worker Hero Loses His
Job
A postal
carrier who saved a woman's life on his route last month lost
his job at the Coeur d'Alene, Idaho Post Office last
week, due to a driving accident that occurred the same day
as his heroic feat. The accident occurred less than an hour
after Isaac called the police to report that an elderly woman
hadn't retrieved her mail for the past few days and seemed
unable to answer her door. Because of his call, the police
discovered the woman had fallen in her home..
Update: USPS offers fired letter carrier
job as casual clerk
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APWU Blasts USPS Response to Postal Financial Crisis
The challenges
facing the Postal Service require a review of the entire postal
network; simply cutting USPS-operated facilities and USPS
employees is unfair and will not solve the Postal Service's
financial crisis. The Postal Service has reduced postal work
hours by more than 100 million hours over the last four years,"
he noted, "without a single adjustment in the billions of
dollars lost to discounts and subcontracting.
.
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Long recession could stymie USPS struggle for solvency
The U.S. Postal Service is taking
drastic steps to close a multibillion-dollar budget deficit,
but experts and postal officials say even those actions might
not keep the Postal Service solvent through what could be
a long recession. The Postal Service plans to cut 100 million
work hours this fiscal year.
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Plugging in the Postal Service
PRC Commissioner Ruth Goldway's
op-ed piece
- President Obama's energy plan calls for putting one million
electric plug-in hybrid cars on the road by 2015. This ambitious
goal could be accomplished more quickly if we invested in
converting the largest civilian fleet in the United States
— the 219,000 vehicles owned by the United States Postal Service
— to electricity.
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Expanding, Tweaking, and Rethinking
FSS
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Failing to deliver? Postal
service cutbacks have marketers, publishers worried
Zumbox creates an all-digital alternative to USPS
Postal carrier arrested, suspected of stealing mail
Earth Class Mail to sell business units
USPS OIG Blog: Returning Purchases Through the Postal Service
Asbestos Mesothelioma
and the US Postal Service
Scarborough, ME:
Philip was a vehicle service technician with the U S Postal
Service, so he worked around asbestos. He can remember his
hands filling with asbestos dust when he removed worn out
brakes. But he didn't know about asbestos mesothelioma.
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February 9, 2009
Lawmaker To Re-Introduce FERS
Sick Leave Bill
Rep. Jim Moran, D-Va., is preparing
to reintroduce a bill that would allow employees under the
Federal Employees Retirement System to count unused sick leave
as time toward their annuities.
Insurance
or Entitlement?
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NALC's Young:
Saving Universal Service From An Economic Storm (PDF)
- The Postal Service faces its most serious threat in more
than 75 years. As the real economy has spiraled downward,
so has the Postal Service’s core business. In recent months,
mail volume has declined more rapidly than at any time since
the 1930s. Even if we can avert a second Great Depression,
saving the Postal Service now must be added to our to-do list
for 2009. How’s that for a “Happy New Year!”? So saddle up,
brothers and sisters—it’s going to be a very challenging year.
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No Day Is a Good Day for No Mail
No one knows what day the Postal Service will drop if it goes
to a five-day week, but this much is certain: Someone is going
to get hurt. Whether that someone is magazine companies, direct
marketers or coupon mailers will depend on the day. One of
the things bandied about is dropping Saturday delivery. Americans
love the U.S. Postal Service. One of the reasons is they react
with the mail carrier on Saturday, and get to know the Postal
Service," he said. "It could erode the brand equity and the
[public's] view of the effectiveness of the mail.
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Postal
Workers Warn Kentuckians Of Peanut Recall
Postal delivery must match new reality
USPS cuts may affect local offices
Roth option may be coming to TSP
Postal
workers rally to keep Industry facility open
Postal
Processing In Tampa Will Cost More Than in Lakeland
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February 8, 2009
Last mail call: Fixtures at post office call it quits after
decades on job
Postal carrier honored with
Million Mile Safe Driver Award
Congressman
Lynch named chairman of Subcommittee on Federal Workforce
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February 7, 2009
Falling numbers
are adding up to Postal Service cuts
Rising tensions: This is is the
worst I’ve seen things in a long time,” said Robert J. McLennan,
president of the Buffalo branch of the NALC. “Many of our
carriers hate coming into work every day, because they have
to walk on the snow and ice, and also have to fight with management.”
McLennan said many managers have made unreasonable requests
of mail carriers this winter, telling them to save time by
walking across lawns covered with deep snow rather than using
sidewalks. Some managers have gone out for days with individual
carriers, watching and taking notes on their every move, including
how fast the carrier walks, how much time the carrier takes
for lunch, and how much time the carrier spends talking to
customers, McLennan said. Mail volume is down. Managers are
trying to cut costs and maximize every carrier’s route
|
Eight Minnesota Post offices
receive letters with threat of bombings
-
Eight letters, all delivered sometime last week, were sent
to postmasters, warning that bombs would be placed at their
offices "as part of a succession of eight Post Office bombing
incidents," according to a memo sent to post office employees.
Postal workers shrug off bomb
threats
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Missing East Bay Postal Worker Found
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Snow Keeps Mailman
Away For Week
|
Postal service announces plan
for new bypass mail hubs
USPS tables plan to build Wisconsin
plant
Public to
have say on Wilkes-Barre move
Printers, ACMA
Head Defend Five-Day Postal Delivery
|
RedPlum Switches
From Cleveland Newspapers to Direct Mail
|
After 37 years
of service, Nowicki retires from USPS
Last Mail Call
Letter carrier
who slipped and hit head is doing better
Postal Employee guilty of stealing money from AMF
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February 6, 2009
Mail Matters
No prominent
lawmaker so far has urged Congress to bail it out. Yet by
almost any criteria, the Postal Service has a better claim
on federal support than Bear Stearns or General Motors. Let
us hope that the incoming administration demonstrates a higher
regard for the intentions of the founders by reaffirming the
civic mandate of the Postal Service to promote the informed
discussion of public affairs, a mandate that remains the most
compelling justification for the monopoly privileges that
the Postal Service has long enjoyed.
|
Mail
Handler
Missing From Oakland Postal Facility
(California) Shirley Ann Jones,
65, works as a mail handler on the late shift, from 11 p.m.
to 7 a.m. She was last seen Thursday morning at 8 a.m., after
her shift had ended. Later that day, at 8:45 p.m., she was
reported missing, police said. Jones has worked as a mail
handler for 40 years at the postal facility at 1675 7th St.
in Oakland ( Bay-Valley District Headquarters).
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Thousands
Rally for' Employee Free Choice' on Capitol Hill
Five-Time Winner, U.S. Postal Service Again Named 'Most Trusted'
USPS OKs two-way
postage for reusable envelopes
Ex-postal worker accused of taking $111,000 Metro passes
Prison for mail carrier who stole
checks on route
Three Men Arrested in 2008
Postal Truck Robbery
Wilkes-Barre wants postal operations to remain
Long Beach: Postal Service says study won't seal facility's
fate
Wisconsin: Postal center delayed for Oak Creek
NPR Talk of the Nation: Interview With PMG Potter
Sarasota: Postal workers picket over proposed moving of processing
facility
Republican Gallagher Named Chairperson of USPS BOG
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|
February 5, 2009
Abandoning six-day mail delivery is unacceptable
by Senator Susan Collins - I
have joined Senator Carper in supporting a two-year reprieve
from the requirement to help the Postal Service weather the
current economic crisis, but I think suspending payments for
eight years would be a mistake. The USPS must be more proactive
in addressing its long-term fiscal challenges, looking beyond
short-term fixes, to address its budget shortfall. It must
also provide more detailed financial information regarding
the actions it plans to take to stabilize its budget. Eliminating
six-day-a-week delivery should not be its first option but
rather the last resort.
PMG Outlines Actions to Ensure Long-Term Viability of USPS
|
Postal investigation of Amazon 'ongoing,' but details are
scarce
Sarasota: Postal workers to protest job cuts and move
Special Deliverer
Mailman is a dog's best friend
Postal worker enjoys working with public
Bill would
restore pension credits for returning federal workers
|
|
February 4, 2009
USPS Ends First Quarter With
$384 Million Loss
The Postal Service ended its first quarter with a net loss
of $384 million as the economic recession contributed to a
5.2 billion piece mail volume decline compared to the same
period last year. The 9.3 percent volume drop marked the eighth
consecutive quarter of accelerating volume declines. With
no economic recovery expected for the remainder of FY 2009,
the Postal Service projects volume for the year will be down
by 12-15 billion pieces.
USPS BOG Financial
Update (PDF)
|
USPS: Area Staffing Reduction
Driven by Worsening Economy
The Postal Service is in dire straits," said Great lakes Area
VP Jo Ann Feindt. She explained the reduction in Area office
staffing levels were being driving by worsening conditions
in the economy, a projected mail volume decline of 15 billion
pieces and a projected net financial loss in FY 2009 of $6
billion or more. "We could be out of cash by summer," she
said.
|
NAPS To File Lawsuit Against
USPS Over EAS Representation
-
NAPS Headquarters today requested our attorneys to prepare
a lawsuit against the Postal Service on the representation
of EAS employees. One issue behind the lawsuit is the denial
of NAPS representation to our EAS employees at Shared Services
in Greensboro
|
Pilot Program Created To Amend Work Rules For Postal Vehicle
Service Drivers
-The USPS and the
APWU signed a Memorandum of Understanding
[PDF] on Jan. 15, 2009, creating a pilot program that
will amend work rules governing Postal Vehicle Service drivers.
The pilot program will experiment with alternative scheduling
at a limited number of installations, and will continue at
each location for a period of six months.
Work may be combined
with other crafts to create an 8-hour assignment.
|
USPS Continues Hiring Freeze
UPS To Test Parcel Return Service
Using USPS
NALC Urges Carriers to Remain Steadfast in Face of Speculation
(PDF)
NALC will vigorously resist any
legislative attempt to slash the number of days of delivery
|
Ex-Postal Worker
Gets Probation in Netflix Theft
Pit bulls attack
Phoenix postal carrier
After DHL, Can
the post office fill the void?
UPS freezes
pay after volume drops
Winchester VA:
Operations Could be Reduced at Post Office
Mail Carrier Finds Children Wandering Alone
Lakeland postal
center may be moved
|
|
February 3, 2009
Chapter 11-Open Letter To Congress
|
New Book: Beyond Going Postal -
This book provides an answer to the question: Why has there
been so much violence in the U.S. Postal Service and what
can be done to prevent it?
|
TSP weathers
a bleak January
- Only the G Fund posts positive returns during the first
month of 2009.
Bridgeport, CT: Injunction on postal move denied
Postal Service
Pushes the Envelope, Then Folds
Who in the world
is Delmar?
Thousands know Charlotte's eccentric Delmar Williams [a retired
mail handler], and now he finally knows himself – and why
he's so different
Postal Service
seeks to weather economic storm
'Newman' weighs
in on rumored Postal Service changes
PRC Chairman
Blair Addresses Five-Day Delivery Prospect
Mailman charged
with holding, snooping through letters
Weekend mail
damaged in post office fire
How about some
free printing?
|
|
February 2, 2009
An Open Letter to USPS Employees
From PMG Jack Potter
As most of you have heard, I talked to Congress last week
about the economic situation of the Postal Service. I told
them we are in a financial crisis. I told them how it came
about. Then I offered some proposals that could help us through
a very difficult economy.
|
New Book: Beyond Going Postal -
This book provides an answer to the question: Why has there
been so much violence in the U.S. Postal Service and what
can be done to prevent it?
|
Could shrinking
the post office help newspapers?
Postal Worker
arraigned for OWCP Fraud and Witness Tampering
|
Postman accused
of opening almost 3,000 pieces of mail
Pittsburgh:
Post office here has already cut back
Seattle post office boxes disappearing
Letter To the Editor: Charge
"junk" mailers higher postal rate
|
|
February 1, 2009
USPS Requests Authorization
To Offer Early Retirements For Remainder of Year -
The Postal Service also wants
to offer more early retirements beyond the 8,000 employees
who have so far agreed to retire early. Potter said the Postal
Service has asked the Office of Personnel Management for permission
to offer more early retirements through the rest of the year.
The Postal Service cut 26.9 million work hours in the first
quarter of fiscal 2009, and expects to meet a goal of cutting
100 million hours this fiscal year, Potter said. That would
be twice the amount cut last year. Rumors that the Postal
Service will not be able to cover its payroll costs later
this year are an “exaggeration,” Potter said. He told Federal
Times that the agency would first sink further into debt before
letting that happen.
|
Special Delivery: Mail by
Mule
Charlie Chamberlain is still delivering mail by mule train,
three hours one-way, every day, to a small Indian reservation
3,000 feet down on the floor of the Grand canyon. Everything
they need in the town is brought by Charlie and his mules,
from frozen French fries to Christmas Cards.
|
Dogs' best friend, a retiring mail carrier,
gets furry farewell
Some dogs were shivering in sweaters and boots in the 12-degree
cold, but they wanted to say good-bye with a final bark to
the mail carrier who usually delivered a biscuit or bone with
the day's bills. On Saturday -- her last day -- Pat Marcotte
was met on her route by more than 50 residents and two dozen
dogs who gathered to send her off with applause and cheers.
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Amazon target of mysterious postal investigation |
Some Zanesville postal work could be moved
|
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