

			July 31, 2010 Some Muncie postal jobs could be Kokomo-bound Rural Letter Carrier delivers mail, gospel USPS executive lists Wydown Skinker 3BD Pueblo Post Office Worker Accused Of Stealing Money Brazos Past: Adopted Texan led rebel post office
			July 30, 2010 USPS: Combination Carrier-Clerk Duty Assignment Cancelled Local APWU President Richard “Ski” Kwiatkowski has reported that the Combination Carrier-Clerk duty assignment posted on July 27, 2010 has been cancelled. \| PMG Potter’s Response To White House On Pilot Test For Five-Day Delivery From an operational standpoint a pilot test conducted on a regional basis would increase some of our costs in the short term. For example, we either would have to make manual changes to mail processing sorting schemes and payroll or utilize information technology to program such changes for a limited time or geographic area. We believe that our information technology programming changes, estimated to cost $10 million-$12 million for a national, full-time implementation, would grow significantly to accommodate a test, as would administrative costs if we decided to forego programming changes in favor of performing manual processing for the defined test period. USPS Said No To White House on 5-Day Test \| Postal Clerk Gets Prison For Embezzling $240,000 A postal clerk from Indianola (Iowa) has been sentenced to a year in prison after pleading guilty to embezzling more than $240,000. \| Two Congressional Panels Support Six-Day Service Two congressional panels voted on July 29 to approve spending bills that would require the Postal Service to continue to provide mail delivery six days per week. The two bills — one in the Senate and one in the House — still have a long way to go before they could become law, however. \| USPS OIG Audit Report – Flats Sequencing System: Program Status and Projected Cash Flow - Our analysis shows that using current FSS performance data to calculate projected savings results in a net present value (NPV) of $215 million (a rate of return of 14.49 percent). If we remove the questionable TE savings, the NPV decreases to a negative $311 million (a rate of return of 5.18 percent). Assuming the FSS machines reach the operational target metrics, we calculate gains from FSS to be $441 million (rate of return of 19.26 percent). If we remove the questionable TE savings, there is a projected NPV of a negative $85 million (a rate of return of 8.54 percent). \| BOG Member Ellen Williams: Price increase can't be only solution to shortfalls Valley postal carrier back on route after transplant Postal worker gets probation Mail truck pelted with rocks Georgia Congressman Says Moving Columbus To Macon Will Cause Mail Delivery Delays Michigan: Neighbors protest plan to end home mail delivery TN: Country’s oldest mail carrier retires at 91 Ex-postal clerk from Rolla MO admits stealing from Postal Service Cremated Remains of Phoenix Woman -- Lost by U.S. Postal Service -- Recovered Tiny Post Office Delivers CO: Craig Postal Service employees have mixed reaction to Saturday proposal
			July 29, 2010 Rep. Chaffetz Introduces Bill Designating 12 Postal Holidays To Reduce USPS Operating Costs - This bill would grant USPS Postmaster General the authority to implement up to twelve “postal holidays” per year in order to reduce USPS operating costs. The Postmaster General would select days in which delivered mail volume is historically lower than normal. By reducing the number of delivery days, USPS will be able to achieve savings by reducing work hours. \| APWU: Arbitrator Denies Union’s Challenge To USPS Two-Tour Initiative Arbitrator Das denied the union’s grievance challenging the Postal Service’s two-tour initiative. Das accepted the Postal Service’s argument that “Article 3 of the National Agreement grants the Postal Service the authority to unilaterally adopt and implement the ... initiatives at issue, without further bargaining with the Union.” \| USPS Freezes Hiring, Promotions at Headquarters, Areas and Districts We are in receipt of a July 28, 2010, letter from Postal HQ stating effective immediately, all hiring, promotions and placement of non-bargaining employees at Headquarters, Areas and Districts are suspended until further notice. \| Burrus: Mailers Want To Cut Postal Employees Wages At Least $18,000 Yearly The mailers’ motion vividly exposes the lack of respect they have for postal employees and the collective bargaining process. A casual review of the document [PDF - see pages 50-62] reveals their callous desire to punish postal workers for the Postal Service’s financial difficulties — difficulties the mailers inadvertently fostered by promoting the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006. The PAEA imposed crippling financial obligations on the USPS — obligations that are responsible for the Postal Service’s current predicament. To compensate for their colossal mistake, the major mailers wish to penalize postal workers. \| OSHA Fines USPS Mail Facility in Vermont $420,000 The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration says worker complaints at the U.S. Postal Service's processing center in White River Junction led to an inspection in January that found employees were exposed to deadly electrical hazards. OSHA says untrained or unqualified workers did work on live electrical equipment without proper safety measures. \| Unusual bunch of foes to postal rate increase unites as Affordable Mail Alliance A retired postal employee convicted of OWCP fraud Texas mail carrier attacked on duty OIG Blog: Cast Your Vote via the Postal Service? Mail now slower than Pony Express Keep the mail coming six days a week Postal Service asked to deliver six pounds of pot to 'Grandma Henderson' Judge could wait until October to rule on East Cleveland post office dispute Car Slams Into Edmond Post Office
			July 28, 2010 USPS In California To Post Combined City Carrier-Clerk Duty Assignment? USPS has notified a Local California APWU President of its intent ( it appears that the assignment has already been posted) to post a “combined full-time assignment” , consisting of six (6) hours of carrier duties and two (2) hours of clerk duties. The Postal Service has proposed to post this job as a City Carrier Craft assignment under the jurisdiction of NALC. \| Senator Panel will block mail delivery cut Sen. Jon Tester says the lawmakers who oversee the budget of the post office will block a proposal to reduce mail deliveries to five days a week. The Montana Democrat said eliminating Saturday deliveries would be a hardship on people living in rural areas without producing major savings for the Postal Service. Some senators expected to block Postal Service's proposal to limit mail delivery \| EEOC Annual Report On USPS Workforce Fiscal Year 2009 USPS agreed to pay $840,044 for 4,584 pre-complaint settlements, of which 433 were monetary settlements averaging $1,940. USPS expended a total of $4,541,324 for 3,014 complaint investigations, for an average expenditure of $1,507. USPS agreed to pay a total of $5,631,795 plus other benefits for 598 complaint closures through settlement agreements, final agency decisions, and final agency orders fully implementing AJ decisions. The highest number of complaint allegations was disability discrimination. Clerk and Supervisor positions have the highest number of women, the letter carriers had the lowest amount of women in its craft. \| Postal Worker Shot At Louisiana Post Office While Leaving Work The search is on this morning for a suspect who shot a postal worker at the main post office on Woodward Ave. in Shreveport. Police say this happened around midnight as the victim was leaving work exiting through the back of the building when the suspect shot the victim twice in the arm. \| Arbitrator: USPS Failed To Give Full Consideration to Employee's Request For Voluntary Transfer - An arbitration decision sent out by Gary Kloepfer to APWU Union officers and members. The arbitrator sustained the Union’s grievance; he ruled the Postal Service violated grievant's right to request a transfer under the National Agreement and the MOU Regarding Transfers by virtue of its failure fully and fairly to consider his work, safety, and attendance records. note: the title of this summary was created by PostalReporter as Mr. Kloepfer had a different title in his email. \| Maintenance Employees To Split Almost $92,000 For USPS Subcontractor Work - The Union contended that the work was subcontracted without the prerequisite "due consideration" of the five factors of Article 32 of the National Agreement, and asked that all affected employees be made whole. \| USPS Contract Postal Unit Closes After Losing Too Much Money On Operations - contract postmaster Quinton Biggs said he no longer can afford to subsidize his deal with the U.S. Postal Service. \| Postal Service Loses Cremated Remains Mail carrier mauled by two pit bulls in Minneapolis South Dakota Rural Letter Carrier Sentenced To Probation for Mail Theft Michigan: To keep post office, residents fight Can summer camps revive the lost art of letter writing? Post office robbed in Mississippi Fire At at New Jersey mail facility forces evacuation and damages some mail Minnesota NALC Branch President Sentenced for Embezzlement
			July 27, 2010 USPS To Conduct Two-Part Survey Of Employees and Customers The survey is intended to gain insight into people’s perception of the Postal Service brand and how the organization has impacted them. \| APWU: Locals Rally to Save Saturday Service As part of a nationwide campaign, local union members across the country have ramped up the fight to Save Saturday Service, taking action to alert the public to the dangers of the Postal Service’s plans to eliminate Saturday delivery. \| Postal Worker Killed By Freight Train While Delivering Route A veteran rural letter carrier for the Wayne City post office was killed Tuesday morning when his mail vehicle was struck by a train at a rural crossing. \| South Carolina Post Office Used Back Of Old Timecards For Customer Notices - complete with names and social security numbers - The timecard is dated 2004. News 19 called the Batesburg-Leesville Post Office and a woman there told us it must have been an accident. They are in the process of using recycled paper. Post Office Admits Error in Sending Out Personal Information \| Postal Worker Fired For Using Profanity Loses Suit Against Union The U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit, issued a startling decision on June 16, 2010, in Jeunes v. Potter. The Court upheld the removal of a postal employee who “admits that he used profanity during a verbal altercation with a co-worker on October 26, 2007. The US District Court of Connecticut has dismissed the suit filed against NRLCA Word to the wise: Disputes With Co-Workers Is Not Worth Losing Your Job \| Postal worker convicted of assault was accused before Brenda Powell feels she's been violated not once, but twice. First, by the US Postal worker who sexually assaulted her on the job. And then, by the US Postal service that failed to protect her from an employee with a history of inappropriate sexual behavior. \| PMG Names New Chief Postal Inspector NNA joins alliance, files motion to dismiss postal rate increase proposal Ex-postmaster charged with embezzlement Postal Employment in the Federal Government APWU: Convention Resolutions Updated For Intelligent Mail, Occasional Failure Is An Option The Biggest Threat to Direct Mail: The U.S. Postal Service
			July 26, 2010 Atlanta Postal Supervisor Stabbed, Hospitalized Atlanta police say a supervisor at a bulk mail center was stabbed and a co-worker is under arrest. Atlanta police Maj. John Dalton said the supervisor was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital after being cut on the face and ear, and stabbed seven times in the back. Postal Supervisor stabbed multiple times at Atlanta BMC \| Sen. Susan Collins: USPS Proposed Exigent Rate Increases Are Not Justified Under Law - As the author of the 2006 postal reform law, I completely agree with the Affordable Mail Alliance that the Postal Service's proposed exigent rate increases are not justified under law. The law was not meant to be used to remedy poor economic performance or to offset an ongoing marketplace trend, such as the increased use of electronic over traditional mail. Affordable Mail Alliance Calls on PRC to Dismiss Postal Service Rate Hike Request - AMA’s motion argues that the rate hike violates the cost controls Congress put in law to protect consumers and that the Postal Service needs to cut costs and modernize rather than raise rates an average of ten times the rate of inflation. DMA Statement on Postal Service Rate Hike Request \| Group asks Carper to help prevent postal rate hike \| Do Congress And PRC Agree With USPS's Request For "Exigent" Rate Increase? (PDF) \| Plan to scrap Saturday mail delivering angst Columnist: Franklin would be ashamed of the post office Postal cutback could deliver rural problem Small Town Post Office Suddenly Shut Down
			July 25, 2010 Should APWU Reverse Its Decision To Boycott USPS Voice of the Employee Surveys? Ask President Burrus: I would like the National Executive Board to reconsider its stance on participation in Voice of Employee surveys. Here is my reasoning: Management releases their “findings” and states something to effect that 63 percent of those participating gave a favorable response. That may be true, but it is very misleading because the good members of the APWU have boycotted and not voiced our opinions. The union decided to boycott the surveys because postal management used selective responses to justify regressive contract proposals \| Disputes With Co-Workers Is Not Worth Losing Your Job Several weeks ago two postal employees got into a verbal and physical altercation. "According to reports, at one point one of the females pushed the other, causing her to trip on a rug. Reports said that the female braced herself before she fell to the ground. The female then tried to call 911, at which time the other female disconnected the call by hanging up the phone. The victim is eight weeks pregnant, reports said." Don't make it easy for the Postal service to downsize its workforce by getting into verbal and/or physical disputes with co-workers. \| US Postal Inspector in Maine has perfect record In Criminal Cases U.S. Postal Inspector Michael Desrosiers has investigated numerous criminal cases leading to hundreds of convictions over his 14 years on the job in Maine. Virtually all of them resulted in guilty pleas. In one case, a judge found the defendant guilty. His first case to go to a jury trial ended the same way last week – with a conviction. \| Congressional mandates account for most of USPS's recent losses USPS incurred operating losses in 2007, 2008, and 2009, prompting some observers to declare the agency in a fight for its survival.1 There is no question that the USPS faces long-term challenges that it must overcome in order to remain financially self-sustaining in the 21st century. First among these challenges is Americans’ increasing use of the Internet for digital, rather than physical, mail delivery. But these long-term challenges are not the principal cause of the USPS’s recent losses. A 2006 Congressional mandate that the USPS pre-fund its retiree health benefits—a requirement imposed on no other government entity or private-sector company—accounted for all of the operating losses in 2007 and 2008 and a significant portion of the operating loss in 2009. In 2009, the recession accounted for the rest of the loss, as it sent USPS revenues plunging by over 9%. \| The Postal Service and National Labor Relations Act Putting the Subcommittee Vote in Context 100 Years of Progress: APWU History Video Of Postal Workers Movement Feds question local supremacist over threat to mailman Tupelo voices: USPS decision stupid, wasteful Internet company sees future in snail mail Newspapers protest loss of Saturday mail delivery
			July 24, 2010 OIG Audit: USPS Summer Sale For Mailers May Have Lost Money In FY 2009 The Postal Service reported both volume and revenue increases resulting from the FY 2009 Summer Sale.1 However, the processes used to calculate the reported increases may result in misleading reported revenue and volume impacts. \| Opinion: US attorney in Washington should review decision not to prosecute Bernstock
			July 23, 2010 Federal Disability Retirement and the U.S. Postal Service: Lack of Loyalty & Full of Shortsightedness - This article was submitted exclusively to PostalReporter by Attorney Robert McGill - There was a time when the U.S. Postal Service worked in conjunction with the Department of Labor (under FECA/OWCP) to keep hard-working Postal employees who were injured on the job, with offers of modified duties to retain a productive workforce. It was a time when the USPS was forward-looking; when competition from other companies was of no concern, because the USPS had the most productive workforce and could compete with the best of them. Part of the reason why this was so was because of a conceptual paradigm which is fast disappearing: Loyalty. \| eNAPUS: Resolution Of Rate, Delivery and CSRS Payment Reform to Converge This Fall (PDF) The resolution of three major postal matters will converge within a narrow window of time this fall (i.e., slightly more than one month prior to the November election). The union of these issues is generating substantial billable hours for postal contract lobbyists and postal regulatory attorneys. \| How the U.S. Postal Service can save itself The debate over potential changes at the U.S. Postal Service is like a fight over the dessert bar on the Titanic. Raising first-class postage rates and eliminating Saturday delivery won't matter much when the Postal Service hits the iceberg. And USPS will do just that, soon, unless there is a reimagining of its mission. \|
			July 22, 2010 Facts Don’t Lie: Chart Shows True Picture of Postal Service’s Financial Health A USPS chart [PDF] confirms my analysis: It shows that from 2001 through 2008, minus the pre-funding requirement of the PAEA, the Postal Service experienced a cumulative surplus of more than $14 billion. \| USPS Says Mail Trucks Can't Make Left Turns - which is why it is denying home delivery to some people who live on a busy street in Griswold. The post office said it's too dangerous for the postal carrier to make any sort of left-hand turns. Neighbors said it's tough for them because they have to cross the road to get to their mailboxes, then cross back. \| Postal Financial Bill Clears First Hurdle The House postal oversight subcommittee on Wednesday approved legislation to stabilize the finances of the Postal Service by reversing billions of dollars overpaid by USPS into the government’s civil service pension fund and shifting those payments to satisfy future retiree health benefit obligations. \| USPS Positioned For A Strong Finish In FY 2010 To finish the year strong — and to position USPS for a strong beginning in fiscal year 2011 — employees must continue to focus on controlling workhours and operating expenses without hurting service, according to DPMG and COO Pat Donahoe. \| If UPS can do it why can't the USPS In its conference call discussing its 2nd Quarter 2010 results, UPS explained that the growth in its profitability this quarter reflected the fact that while volumes grew slightly, both labor hours and miles driven were down. In addition to streamlining its network, the total complement and work hours of Teamster employees, UPS also made major strides in cutting layers of management by eliminating a significant portion of its district and regional management. The Postal Service, even though it has reduced work hours and employees, has not been able to get ahead of the curve in streamlining either its facility or transportation network. The Postal Service has not been as aggressive as financial conditions warrant in streamlining regional and area management. \| Getting compensation shouldn't be so hard for federal workers hurt on the job Working for the federal government should not be hazardous to employees' health. But when it is, Uncle Sam should not be as stingy as he was made out to be during a hearing Wednesday on Capitol Hill. Leaders of employee organizations provided one example after another of the government's failure to care, either promptly or at all, for federal workers who were injured on the job. \| • Federal and Postal Disability Retirement: SF 3112A by Attorney Robert McGill An extreme condition for letter carriers Tupelo mail processing will go to Memphis Video: Baton Rouge USPS – United States (Lack of) Postal Service • • USPS to Crowdsource Graphic Illustration for Season’s Greetings from Hawaii Packages • Meet Your Postmasters initiative aims to improve customer experience • Mailman Accused Of Using Cocaine To Be Sentenced
			July 21, 2010 Markup of USPS Retiree Benefits Bill Today Postal stakeholders who want to change the retiree obligation calculations during this session of Congress face the challenge of a limited number of legislative days available to handle new legislation, particularly in the Senate. It would seem that even if the bill passes the House prior to the end of the fiscal year, it is likely that final passage will require action in a lame duck session. \| • USPS to delay decision on Easton MD mail facility until Jan. 2011 • Billings: Postal workers picket to preserve Saturday service • Louisville Postmaster Injured in Skydiving Accident • Mailman Accused Of Using Cocaine To Be Sentenced • What is the post office, if it doesn't deliver? • Postal workers picket to preserve Saturday service • Letter arrives 73 years later • Princeville, IL man charged in attack on mail carrier
			July 20, 2010 Lance Armstrong's Mail Fraud More than a decade ago, some Postal Service whiz decided our stamp money would be better put to use sponsoring a fabulous cycling team. Yet today FDA special agent Jeff Novitzky is leading a massive, multi-million dollar federal investigation to discover whether the Postal Service was tricked into overpaying Armstrong and his teammates. As the Lance Armstrong investigation gains steam, someone in Congress will figure out a very straightforward line of reasoning. The greatest fraud of all here was that the Post Office blew millions on its very own private professional cycling team. CAGW: USPS Races Downhill and Loses Money \| OIG Report (PDF) \| Postal Service worksharing outgrows its intention Mohammad Adra is the Assistant Inspector General, Risk Analysis Research Center in the Office of Inspector General at the Postal Service. His office found that worksharing has grown within the Postal Service so much that the program might need to be changed. \| USPS: Privacy Act May Apply When Collecting Personal Info From Customers Or Employees - - If personal information is collected from an employee or customer on a form or survey, the Privacy Act may apply. When personal information maintained in a Privacy Act system of records is collected, a privacy notice must be provided. The notice — or “Privacy Act Statement” — is basic information about why data is being collected, the laws that allow USPS to collect it, and the disclosures that may be made using the information. The Privacy Office is responsible for reviewing and approving all Privacy Act Statements. USPS News Link USPS Retail Survey Lacks Privacy Act Safeguards \| • Eastern Maryland mail hub response expected • How I learned to love postal rate increases
			July 19, 2010 USPS: Setting the Record Straight on the State of the Postal Service The state of the Postal Service, its finances and its future, has been the topic of much conversation recently. In some instances, these discussions have not been based on fact. Here is accurate information to help customers and the mailing industry better understand what is really happening. It's being said that the current financial crisis the Postal Service is facing is a result of poor planning, and postal management should have seen this day coming long ago. Bloat? What Bloat? Postal Service Tells Mailers - Dead Tree Edition- The U.S. Postal Service denied yesterday that its workforce is bloated or overpaid in a message to mailers explaining its position on the proposed exigent rate increases. \| There Is No Way To Escape The USPS Upsell The US Postal Service insists on mandatory upselling at counter windows. I brought a package into the USPS office in Port Chester, New York, and stated as clearly as possible, "I would like to send this the cheapest way possible. No upsell please." \| • APWU Praises House Bill To Restore USPS Financial Stability • USPS Reaching Out To E-tailers • Goin’ postal ... or where’s postal goin’? • Man Arrested For Stealing Postal Truck • Mail loss could sting South Dakota • Postal rate hike bad idea • OSHA Launches New Whistleblower Protection Site - AFL-CIO Blog - www.whistleblowers.gov Black Postal Workers Brace For Proposed Cuts For decades, the U.S. Postal Service has provided many communities of color with a reliable career option with steady benefits. But proposed budget and service cuts -- including eliminating Saturday deliveries -- threaten the livelihoods of many career postal workers. To get a sense of how communities of color will be affected by these proposed cuts, host Michel Martin speaks with William Burrus, president of the American Postal Workers Union. Also joining the discussion is Philip Rubio, the author of There's Always Work at the Post Office: African American Postal Workers and the Fight for Jobs, Justice and Equality. click here to listen to the story
			July 18, 2010 Wrinkles found in Postal Service pact When the U.S. Postal Service's top marketing officer agreed to hire Goldman Sachs nearly two years ago without a written contract, top executives inside postal headquarters scrambled to make the unauthorized deal square with postal procurement rules. But the no-bid contract they eventually awarded to Goldman Sachs was backdated and was for the wrong kinds of services: The company was hired under a banking services agreement, but Goldman Sachs' postal work didn't have anything to do with banking, records show. And the idea to hire the banking giant came from a top former postal executive who also served on the board of directors for a company where Goldman Sachs was a big investor. Claims against Bernstock expose clash of public-private rules ) \| Six postal workers decontaminated at BMC in Springfield Fire Department hazardous materials teams are continuing to test a suspicious substance to determine what splashed postal workers when a parcel broke open Sunday morning. Six employees of the U.S. Postal Service’s Bulk Mail Distribution Center were exposed to the liquid. They were put into a portable shower where they cleaned themselves. Their clothing was placed in a sealed bag and they were given contamination suits to wear, he said. \| • Postal Supervisor Killed In Crash remembered as devoted family man • Slain Postal Worker Remembered in Softball Classic • East Cleveland resident asks court to block change at post office • What Your Mail Services Won't Tell You
			July 17, 2010 Postal worker: I don't have to answer to Chicago cops When the police caught up to Julius Campbell, they asked for his driver's license and his postal ID. But they said Campbell told them, "I don't have to show you anything," saying he wasn't bound by the jurisdiction of the police, only by postal inspectors. They disagreed and charged him with reckless driving and resisting police. \|Comments (113) • Louisiana Man Pleads Guilty to Assaulting, Robbing Letter Carrier • Post office retiree drowns off coast • Fixing the Retirement Liability Calculation • Your Money and Your Life - Life insurance options for federal employees • NPR: Through Rain, Sleet, Snow, Lifesaving • New Jersey postal worker charged with stealing mail
			July 16, 2010 Rep. Stephen Lynch Introduces Legislation To Correct USPS CSRS Retirement Overpayments Congressman Stephen Lynch introduced legislation yesterday to correct methodology which overcharges USPS for its CSRS retirement obligations. The legislation amends the provisions of title 5, United States Code, relating to the methodology for calculating the amount of any Postal surplus or supplemental liability under the Civil Service Retirement System. \|Comments (63) Retired Postal Worker running across America to honor Iraq war dead At every mile marker, Mike Ehredt, a retired postal clerk, stops and places a yellow ribbon tied to a flag with the name, rank, service, age and hometown of the service member who died. Visit Project America Run \|Comments (53) Six-Day Delivery Supporters Finally Speak Up To PRC Dead Tree Edition - What a difference a month makes! More than 92% of the comments submitted to the Postal Regulatory Commission in June regarding the number of mail delivery days favored six-day delivery. \|Comments (46) Postal Worker Responds to Postcom’s Comment on Employees “Sitting Idly In Holding Rooms” - We sit idle on the clock because management orders us to do so. There are employees asking to leave without pay and they are not allowed to go. There is work for us to perform. I know, I have documented the amount of mail sitting and waiting for management to put the clerks back on the floor. PostCom Responds To APWU Article On Mailers -Well, the last I checked, it wasn't mailers who were sitting idle in holding rooms refusing to do work because contract agreements said they didn't have to. \|Comments (37) Postal Employee Tries To Fight Off Attempted Post Office Robbery Suspect Postal service offering reward for arrest after employee hurt in New Jersey robbery attempt .The U.S. Postal Inspection Service said the suspect walked into the post office Wednesday and threatened a female employee with a weapon. The suspect forced the employee into a back room. The employee fought back and was injured, the agency said. \|Comments (29) • Sunday Funnies Comic Strips Debut on Stamps • Editorial: Stamp prices rising again • Postal Service renews Daytona Beach consolidation study • USPS buffeted by technology, weak economy • A 8-Point Plan to Save the Postal Service • What if Congress does nothing on September 30? • USPS: Attribution of Advertising Costs (PDF) • Eltingville letter carrier lauded for heroics after helping extinguish fire
			July 15, 2010 APWU Urges Affected Postal Workers To Complete NRP Questionnaire To strengthen the fight against the Postal Service’s harsh National Reassessment Program (NRP), the APWU is encouraging limited-duty and permanent-rehabilitation employees to complete a questionnaire sponsored by a law firm that has filed a class-action complaint against the USPS. The complaint alleges that the NRP discriminates against disabled employees. The NRP, which was initiated nationwide in 2006, “is part of an aggressive campaign by the Postal Service to reduce costs by denying work to injured employees,” said APWU President William Burrus. “The union has fought the program every step of the way,” he said. FYI: National Reassessment Process EEO Class Action Lawsuit Website \|Comments (137) USPS Spokesman: We Encourage People NOT To Go To The Post Office? Matters at the Presidio (San Francisco, CA) post office grew worse last month, when its stamp-vending machine was hauled away. James Wigdel, the USPS spokesman for San Francisco, said that stamp-vending machines are being removed from every post office in the nation because they are old and hard to maintain. And if a post office is not already one of the few that has an APC, Wigdel said, it will never get one, since the machines are not being manufactured any more..As a general matter, said Widgel, “What we encourage is for customers not to go to the post office. We are trying to embrace the future and encourage people to use USPS.com,” . “The green thing,” Wigdel concluded, “is not to go to the post office at all.” \|Comments (85) Why Offer 30% Discounts on a 'Money-Losing' Product? Tough Question #3 For USPS -how can the Postal Service claim on one hand that rates for Standard flats should be raised at least 16% while on the other hand justifying temporary discounts of up to 30% on that same type of mail? \| • Negro Leagues Baseball Stamps Also Honors Postal Worker • Post Office To Be Named In Honor of Slain Ohio Letter Carrier • Marketers bear the brunt of postal woes • Editorial: Post office can save cash, but only if Congress acts • Cutting Delivery One Day a Week
			July 14, 2010 PostCom Responds To APWU Article On Mailers Well, the last I checked, it wasn't mailers who were sitting idle in holding rooms refusing to do work because contract agreements said they didn't have to. Talk about 'immeasurable' damage. \| City Carrier Work Years and Workhours, by Employee Type FY 2009 PRC requested data from USPS to determine workhours used by city carriers for FY 2009. The data obtained for the city carrier employee types listed is to determine the percentage of workhours by day of week. Saturday has the least amount of workhours used by city carriers, Tuesday and Wednesday used the highest workhours \| Postal Service tech investigated for selling $500K worth of stolen government goods on eBay - A U.S. Postal Service computer tech is being probed for peddling $500,000 worth of stolen government equipment on eBay - and using the money to buy Knicks tickets.Gregory Giordani scammed the Postal Service procurement system for seven years, ordering computer parts, tools, ink toner and even motorcycle parts which he then sold over the Internet, according to a search warrant affidavit unsealed in Brooklyn Federal Court. \| Akron: Mail carrier saves life during route, for second time Keith McVey has been delivering mail on the same route for 29 years. But he's proved twice now that he's much more than a postal worker.\| • Beirut Veterans Honored With Stamp, But Not Through USPS • Union rep fights postal changes • PRC Hearing Today on Five-Day Delivery Proposal • Sayville Letter Carrier earns Million Mile Club Award • USPS Brings Out Its 'Big Hitter' • Contract Post Office employee pleads guilty in theft of cash and stamps
			July 13, 2010 • Postal Service, Commerce Department Expand Strategic Partnership • Mold Problem Stops Mail Delivery • Postal worker runs 'Son of Sam' website • Georgia Postal worker arrested for forgery • Cool jobs: Postal Service stamp development manager • Postal workers picket to address concerns over cutting Saturday delivery • USPS OIG: Assessment of Worksharing (PDF) • Community pharmacists call fears of postal cuts 'overstated' • Post office perfidy • Former Illinois postal employee given probation after stealing packages • Mailman Accused Of Taking Valentine's Cards, Drugs • USPS still studying move of Green Bay mail processing to Oshkosh • 184 to be laid off at Atlanta postal facility operated by Pitney Bowes
			July 12, 2010 APWU: More Hypocrisy as Big Mailers Decry Rate Hike "In Run-Up to Postal Reform, They Championed Annual Increases" ” ....commercial mailers have been permitted to influence postal management beyond the scope of their contribution. While direct mail accounts for an ever-increasing share of mail volume, its contribution to USPS revenue is a pitiful 20 percent. But the voice of the average citizen, who pays 44 cents postage per letter, is drowned out by those who have access to USPS decision-makers \| Five-Day Delivery Would Mean 40,000-50,000 Fewer Carriers Cutting Saturday delivery also wouldn’t be the first time the agency has tried that option. Back in 1957, according to CNN.com, the postmaster general implemented five-day service — but the change lasted just one Saturday. Public furor was so great that additional funding was immediately allocated and mail was delivered the very next Saturday." Down the road, and we’re talking years from now, we won’t need as many carriers because we won’t have to support that sixth-day delivery,” “It’s estimated that probably between 40,000 and 50,000 fewer carrier positions nationwide will be needed.” \| PRC Commissioner: Magazines Have Been Under-Paying Postage Goldway says periodicals have fallen behind in covering the actual costs the USPS incurs in handling the class of mail. \| • OSHA proposes $272,000 in Fines Against USPS Capitol Heights MD Mail Processing Facility • Should Businesses Be Run Like The Post Office? • Editorial: Privatize the post office • Postal Increase Is Just the Beginning For USPS Revamp • South Dakota reps oppose 5 day delivery, rate hike • Feeling the postal pain • Recycle bins a hit in post office
			July 11, 2010 Union Decides Not To Challenge USPS Pilot Program With Office Depot Although we are always concerned about the possible loss of jobs, we concluded that our members’ jobs were not at stake in this instance. We decided that the Office Depot venture, which is an extension of the Preferred Mailer program, has the potential to direct more business to the Postal Service. \| AT & T Ships Products To Postal Employees Using USPS Discount Program Via FedEx, UPS - An AT & T representative explained that shipping costs are cheaper using FedEx or UPS. \| MSPB: An Appellant Is Held Responsible For Errors By Representative ...the appellant’s choice of representative is personal to her, and she may choose to be represented by an attorney or a non-attorney, at her discretion. Notwithstanding the choice, however, she remains responsible for the actions or inactions of her chosen representative and cannot avoid the consequences of her choice. The representative, Debby Szeredy is a candidate for APWU Clerk Division Director. \| No Saturday mail? Does anyone care? Charlie King remembers when mail was delivered twice a day. That was half a century ago, back in the era of three-cent stamps, back when handwritten letters outnumbered junk mail. \| Oklahoma Postmaster Receives Five Years Probation One of two area postmasters accused of misappropriating funds has been sentenced and the second is set for sentencing today in the U.S. Western District of Oklahoma Court. \| • Postal Commentator Questions PRC Chairman’s Remarks On Five-Day Delivery • 12-yearold Connecticut boy taken to hospital after being struck by mail truck • Editorial: Postal Service exec prone to excess • Falling like phone booths, blue mailboxes still deliver • USPS paints Social Networking as a big fat ruse • Judge surprised Rural Carriers are allowed to drive from passenger seat
			July 10, 2010 • Charities, periodicals fight postal rate hikes that could sink some • The Decision Part II : USPS could withdraw rate increase if Congress waives trust fund payment • Will These Companies Get Stamped Out?
			July 09, 2010 USPS May Split Role of Letter Carrier By Creating '100% Street' Routes The Postal Service believes it can achieve significant savings by having letter carriers spend their entire shift delivering mail while other employees take over the carriers' mail-preparation duties. The idea is to split the role of letter carrier into two different jobs -- casers who would take on any mail sorting now done by carriers and deliverers who would strictly deliver the mail. Here is what the USPS said about the tactic in a "Flats Strategy" paper it submitted to the Postal Regulatory Commission this week. \| Major Mailers Go Ballistic Over Rate Increase Burrus Update: Attempt to Shift the Burden to Postal Employees- The mailers comprising the Affordable Mail Alliance want mail service, but they do not want to pay the actual cost of those services. Instead, they are seeking to shift attention to the employees. They are suggesting a renewed focus on closing stations and branches, consolidating mail processing facilities, and demanding concessions from workers. USPS Up to Old Tricks in Exigent Filing \| • Does anyone at USPS HQ actually listen to what they’re saying? • How Postal Rate Hikes Foretell America's Future
			July 08, 2010 Sen. Susan Collins: USPS Rate Hike, Service Cuts May Lead To Fewer Customers - As the principal author of the 2006 postal reform act, I am disappointed that the Postal Service is seeking rate increases that far exceed the rate of inflation....The Postal Service cites as one factor justifying the exigent rate case 'continued movement toward electronic alternatives' despite that trend being neither unexpected nor extraordinary. "The Postal Service's proposal could actually worsen the erosion in its customer base. Sen. Charles Grassley says cutting Tuesday mail delivery might be an option - While some have suggested Saturday delivery be eliminated, Grassley say he’s also seen a study indicating the better day to cut would be Tuesday, at its mail volume is smallest. “The postal service is what the word service means, it’s a service,” Grassley says. Rep. Gerry Connolly suggests 24-hour business model for USPS - It is an important niche that the Postal Service actually has, so instead of reducing service from six to five days a week, the Postal Service ought to be looking at a 24-hour model like the competition," Connolly said. He said looking at creative ways of expanding customer service is how USPS will be able to stay competitive. \| . USPS Asks To Eliminate Saturday Delivery – Congress Still Has Questions The most attractive alternative, which would save more than enough to allow six-day delivery to continue, would be bringing postal wages and benefits more into line with those in the private sector and quickly rationalizing the Service’s nationwide network of processing facilities. \| . Burrus: Management’s Grievance Strategy: Defer and Delay USPS management seems to have lost interest in reaching agreements on contract interpretation issues, leaving the union no choice but to initiate grievances for a growing list of disputes, APWU President William Burrus reports in a recent Update for union members: “Postal management appears to have made a conscious decision to apply the most draconian interpretation of contractual terms,” he wrote, “and to await the decision of an arbitrator years in the future.” \| NALC: Cutting Saturday Delivery And Other Measures Are Not Long-Term Solutions - "What is at stake here is finding a long-term, common sense solution to the financial problems plaguing the Postal Service. The answer does not reside with penny-wise, pound-foolish service cuts, as proposed by the USPS. Neither is it to be found by making false and misleading claims about postal labor costs to avoid a postage rate increase, as some mailers are now doing. Of the options under consideration to solve the Postal Service's financial crisis, the smartest solution is to reform the congressional mandate to massively pre-fund future retiree health benefits. \| PRC Releases Tentative Schedule To Hear USPS' Request For Rate Hike “The June 16, 2010 conference has provided the Commission with a number of potentially useful suggestions and comments. October 4, 2010 is Deadline for PRC's determination. \| Postal Service Rated Among Best in Diversity Forty percent of postal employees are minorities as compared to 32.8 percent in other federal agencies. Fifteen percent of executives are African-Americans. The Postal Service employs approximately 124,000 African-Americans, 52,000 Hispanics, 50,000 Asians, 1,300 native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islanders and nearly 4,000 American Indian/Alaska Natives. \| Walmart vs the U.S. Post Office When business slows a bit at Walmart, the giant retailer typically drops prices to help get customer traffic in the stores back up. On the other hand, the U.S. Post Office has a very different strategy. When its customers go elsewhere and losses mount, the Post Office raises prices. In fact, the Post Office just announced a nearly 5% price increase to take effect in January. Which strategy is more likely to be successful–Walmart or the Post Office? \| • Newsweek: Why a Higher Postal Rate is Good for the Economy \| • What a mess the USPS has made with a combo filing \| • Mail carriers can't park in handicap spot \| • Former Indiana Postal Clerk Indicted For Theft of Nearly $14,000 \| • Suitcase Prompts Bomb Scare At Post Office \| • USPS's $75 billion dollar problem • Former Oklahoma postmaster sentenced in thefts • Two cents' worth: Mail still a bargain • Postal carriers find ways to keep cool on the job • Hold extended on law banning cigarettes from mail • Postal Service, U.S. Dept. Of Commerce to Sign Partnership Agreement
			July 07, 2010 OIG Criticizes USPS Oversight Of Grievance Settlements And Questions Payments to Union Officials - There is no assurance that at least $27.8 million in grievance settlement payments were justified or warranted. We also found that union representatives received excessive payments from grievance settlements. Union representatives in four districts (Colorado/Wyoming, Alabama, Mid- America, and Capital) were involved with the allocation of class-action grievance settlements for six grievances that resulted in union representatives receiving payments that were significantly more than other members of the class. \| FYI: National Reassessment Process EEO Class Action Lawsuit Website NRP Class Action: Postal Workers Affected by the USPS National Reassessment Process - The attorneys for Sandra McConnell ..et.al vs USPS created a website to answer all questions that postal employees may have regarding the EEOC class actions case. .\| Senator Carper To Introduce Comprehensive Legislation This Year To Address USPS Financial Woes - Today's announcement by the Postal Service underscores the serious financial crisis they are currently facing. Like many other businesses, the Postal Service is looking at every option available to them to raise revenue and cut costs. I don't think it should be Congress' role to critique every business decision made by the Postal Service. \|
			July 06, 2010 DOL Files Complaint Against USPS To Correct Safety Violations At 350 Facilities- The U.S. Department of Labor's solicitor today filed a complaint against the U.S. Postal Service for electrical work safety violations. The complaint, which asks the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission to order USPS to correct electrical violations at 350 facilities, marks the first time the department has sought enterprise-wide relief as a remedy. Department of Labor Safety Complaint Underscores Widespread, Systemic Violations \| Labor Department jolts Postal Service over electrical work-safety violations \| • Small Parcels Get Slammed in Exigent Rate Case Filing • Why Higher Postal Rates Are Good for the Economy • The Exigent Rate Case: Rethinking Price Regulation • Florida insurance company victim of change of address fraud - Postal Service fires back over Citizens story • Direct Marketing Association Strongly Opposes USPS Request for Rate Increase • Post office lifer is happy with his post • Netflix Loses Big in Postage Increase • Postage increase would prompt changes for poor, non-profits in Utah • Offline interactive: the strange rebirth of direct mail • Federal Pay, Pensions Facing Firing Squad? • Postal Service unveils price increases; industry groups plan to fight implementation • So Much For Encouraging Publishers To Mail Efficiently . . . • Is The FSS A Boondoggle? Tough Question #2 For The USPS • Nonprofit Postal Rates Targeted for Hike • Video: Letter carrier comments on keeping cool • Documentary on post office shooting to be screened • Oldest postal worker dies in Ohio at 94
			July 05, 2010 Letter to Rep. Gallegly: USPS OIG Can't Get Bernstock Prosecuted? What in the world is going on here? I know of front line supervisors fired for doing route inspection paperwork with their postmaster, carriers who were fired for letting their child sit in daddy's jeep, and clerks who have been investigated for having Government pens at their homes. Yet this guy, Robert F. Bernstock isn't even prosecuted? If I were an OIG Agent, I'd be pissed and embarrassed. The OIG cannot get Robert F. Bernstock to court? There are some big dogs stealing and wasting millions for their own personal gain. The boys and girls in the OIG set out instead to chase a few craft employees for pennies. \| USPS OIG: Would Workforce Flexibility Work At the Postal Service One area identified in the Postal Service’s action for the future is to increase workforce flexibility. A larger, part-time work force would give postal management the flexibility to increase or decrease employees depending on mail volume. Although this change is not as drastic as closing postal facilities or switching to 5-day delivery, it raises questions about what a part-time postal workforce would look like. \| • National League of Cities Weighs in on Postal Service Cost Cuts • As FedEx, UPS slug it out, rural service at stake
			July 04, 2010 USPS to File Rate Case Tuesday: Mail Groups Question Legality Mailer groups expect the U.S. Postal Service to file a case for an exigent postal rate increase Tuesday. Under the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006 (PAEA), the USPS is entitled to receive annual rate increases based on the rate of inflation. But this law also entitles USPS to file "exigent" rate cases under extraordinary circumstances and Postmaster General Jack Potter said last year the postal service might do so. Some question its legality and necessity. - Magazine publishers are preparing to go to war with USPS over rate increase \| Postal Service to Announce Price Changes \| • Safety issue divides town, post office • Cutting Saturday mail service could hurt remote areas most • Southwest Atlanta post office robbed • The New Quad/Graphics Still Has The Blues -- and Soul, Too • Chesterfield post office flying flag illegally
			July 03, 2010 • Midland MI residents torn on decision to close downtown post office • Celebrating America's freedom, peanut butter and the postal service
			July 02, 2010 MSPB: USPS National Reassessment Process Has Procedural Flaws Under 5 C.F.R. § 353.301(d), agencies must make efforts to restore partially recovered employees “in the local commuting area.” The local commuting area is the geographic area in which an individual lives and can reasonably be expected to travel back and forth daily to his usual duty station. Because the agency’s search for available work was apparently limited to a single district, whether the agency searched the entire commuting area remains an unanswered question of material fact, which must be explored on remand. \| Top USPS Attorney Says They Are Two Sets Of Rules Governing Use Of Postal Equipment - "The Postal Service's top attorney, Mary Anne Gibbons, told investigators she thought there were two sets of rules governing the so-called "de minimis" policies on the use of postal equipment for outside activities: one rule for hourly employees and another for executive employees such as Mr. Bernstock." According to the report , " Gibbons told the OIG that PMG Potter had the authority as the head of the Postal Service to override federal government policy limiting the use of government resources for use in Bernstock's personal business activities. He was authorized to override Postal Service policy to allow Bernstock to use his computer system and e-mail for his personal business activities." Replace a broken USPS - Letter to the Editor of the Washington Times by Wayne L. Johnson, Commander, Navy Judge Advocate General's Corps (retired) \| • Postal Service to Announce Price Changes • Rep. Sandlin says USPS needs to keep six-day mail delivery promise • Could the Postal Service Lose its Niche in Parcel Delivery? • Woman sentenced to 8 years in prison for stealing $38K in stamps • USPS loses billions of dollars due to excessive pension contributions • Oregon postal workers to picket • Medford postal workers rally against eliminating Saturday service • What a Ride: Wausau Man Retires After 35 Years of Delivering the Mail • Hirt Named Wyoming Postmaster of the Year • Scituate's Humarock postmaster retiring after 41 year
			July 01, 2010 • Postal Service Resumes Operations in South Texas • Lima, Ohio postal center phase-out begins • Alaska and Hawaii Senators Disappointed that No Field Hearings on Postal Service Five-Day Delivery Proposal Will Be Held in Their States • Helping out a postal employee in a time of need • Indiana Postal Clerk Gets Probation For Misappropriation Of Funds • Former Virginia mailman pleads guilty to fraud • Full Service Intelligent Mail Series - Full Service ACS • The future of electric fleet cars has arrived • April Post Office 'robbery' didn't happen • Former Virginia mailman pleads guilty to fraud • Ohio postal worker under investigation for mail theft • South Dakota: Postal clerk Charlie Wood retires • Postal carrier honored for 50 years of service

If There Is No Work For Postal Clerks, Why Are Supervisors, Carriers Doing It?

OSHA Fines USPS Mail Facility in Vermont $420,000

Senator Panel will block mail delivery cut