PostalReporter.com Blog

German firm has agreement of cooperation with USPS

The Postal Service is one step closer to PMG Jack Potter’s vison of being the last mile of delivery for every American. Deutsche Post — which owns DHL — announced today that it has an agreement of cooperation with USPS that will have us delivering 40,000 more packages a day using Priority Mail and Parcel Select Service. The agreement also makes USPS the exclusive delivery provider for DHL to nearly 3,600 of the nation’s ZIP Codes.

“I am pleased that DHL has chosen to expand its relationship with the Postal Service,” said Acting VP Ground Packages Jim Cochrane. “This new volume is a natural extension of the delivery service we already provide to DHL and further recognizes the value of our delivery reach. Last-mile delivery remains a fundamental strength of the Postal Service.

“Partnering with us has environmental benefits as well, because it reduces the number of different trucks in the neighborhood serving the same locations,” Cochrane added, “locations we visit every day.”

DHL will use Priority Mail — USPS’ premiere two- to three-day shipping service — and Parcel Select, one of the Postal Service’s ground package services.

Parcel Select is a reliable, low-cost way for businesses to ship packages to residential customers. Postal Service business partners — including traditional competitors like DHL, FedEx and UPS — pick up packages from large retailers and then transport and deposit these packages at a USPS facility near the customer’s address. From there, letter carriers deliver the packages the last mile to their final destination. 

Myrna Gomez-Perez was a window distribution clerk for the USPS.  In November 2002, she requested a transfer from a position at the Moca, Puerto Rico Post Office to a position at the Dorado, Puerto Rico Post Office–but Gomez-Perez’s supervisor denied that request. She filed an equal employment opportunity complaint with the USPS, alleging that she had been discriminated against on the basis of age. Gomez-Perez alleged that after she filed that complaint, she was subjected to various forms of retaliation.

From The Associateed Press

The Supreme Court said Tuesday that a major anti-age bias law protects federal employees who faced retaliation after complaining about discrimination. The court ruled 6-3 that a U.S. Postal Service employee may pursue her lawsuit under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act

The case involves Myrna Gomez-Perez, a postal worker in Puerto Rico who alleged she was being discriminated against because of her age. Gomez-Perez, who was then 45, said that after she filed a complaint with the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission, she suffered a “series of reprisals” from her supervisors.
The Supreme Court said Tuesday that a major anti-age bias law protects federal employees who faced retaliation after complaining about discrimination.

The court ruled 6-3 that a U.S. Postal Service employee may pursue her lawsuit under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act.

The law does specifically bar reprisals against private sector employees who complain about discrimination. But it is silent as to federal workers. Justice Samuel Alito said the law indeed does apply to both categories of employees.

The case involves Myrna Gomez-Perez, a postal worker in Puerto Rico who alleged she was being discriminated against because of her age. Gomez-Perez, who was then 45, said that after she filed a complaint with the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission, she suffered a “series of reprisals” from her supervisors.

Gomez-Perez sued under the ADEA, claiming retaliation in violation of the law.

The 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston upheld a lower court’s dismissal. The Supreme Court reversed that ruling Tuesday.

The Bush administration, which is backing workers in other age bias cases at the high court, said the ADEA does not afford federal workers protection from retaliation. It said Congress could have extended protections to federal workers, but didn’t.

Post Office, Happy Jack, Arizona 86024

Photos

Despite cost-cutting measures, the U.S. Postal Service ended the second quarter with a net loss of $707 million, driven by a continued decline in mail volume resulting from the current national economic climate. Meanwhile, the on-time delivery of First-Class Mail continued at record levels in the second quarter.

 The second quarter results were presented during today’s meeting of the Postal Service Board of Governors. For the first six months of the fiscal year, the Postal Service has essentially broken even, reporting a net loss of $35 million on revenue of $39.3 billion.

 Mail volume for the quarter ending March 31 totaled 51.3 billion pieces, a 3.3 percent drop from the previous second quarter. First-Class Mail volume decreased by 3.1 percent and Standard Mail volume was down 3 percent.

 Year-to-date total mail volume is down by 3.1 percent compared to the same period last year. If the trend continues, this will be only the seventh year total mail volume has decreased in the last 50 years and could be the largest decline since 2002.

Revenue was $18.9 billion in the second quarter, an increase of $584 million, or 3.2 percent, over the same period last year reflecting last year’s price adjustments, but well below expectations. Expenses in the second quarter totaled $19.6 billion, an increase of $52 million, or 0.3 percent, from the previous year. The slight increase was driven by an increase in transportation expenses, particularly fuel costs.

“Weakness in the housing and credit markets, both of which are heavy users of mail, are leading the declines in mail volume,” Postmaster General John Potter told the Board. “While mail volume may rebound with the economy, it is clear we need to accelerate our efforts to seek new structural and process changes to remain economically viable and to further improve customer service.”

One such change, made possible by the Postal Act of 2006, gives the Postal Service new pricing flexibility to better serve its customers. “Next week, for the first time ever, we’ll begin offering price incentives for Express Mail and Priority Mail, enabling us to better compete for package business,” Potter said.

The Postal Service also continues to focus on reducing costs and increasing efficiency. For example, workhours have been reduced by more than 18 million in the first two quarters of the year compared to similar periods in 2007. 

Second Quarter Service Scores

In other action, Postal Service Consumer Advocate Delores Killette told the Board national on-time performance scores for the delivery of First-Class Mail continued at record levels in the second quarter. National overnight service was 96 percent on-time, a record high for four quarters in a row. Two-day service was 94 percent and three-day service was 92 percent on-time. All these scores are the highest ever achieved in quarter two.

First-Class Mail performance is measured independently by IBM Global Business Services. The process measures First-Class Mail from the time it is deposited into a collection box until it is delivered to a home or business.
 

Other Action:

Also during today’s meeting, the Board authorized funding to construct a 715,743 square-foot processing and distribution center on a previously acquired site in Richmond, VA. The Board also voted to have the Postal Service enter into a new ten-year lease for the New York International Service Center/John F. Kennedy Air Mail Center, located on the JFK Airport site.

Postmaster General’s Remarks

In PMG Jack Potter’s address to the Board of Governors this morning, he highlighted our outstanding service for the past quarter, especially in Chicago, and touched on the troubling decline in mail volume and its economic impact on the Postal Service. Potter also spoke about the price changes that go into effect Monday, May 12, and the opportunities that market-based and, in the case of Express Mail, zone-based pricing offer for our shipping service products. Click here for his complete remarks.

Express Mail Will Be the Best Overnight Deal in the Country for Most Shippers
 
WASHINGTON, DC — Beginning next week, customers will be able to take advantage of some of the best bargains in the shipping market when the U.S. Postal Service launches new prices for its expedited mail products:  Express Mail and Priority Mail.

Effective May 12, prices for Express Mail, the Postal Service’s premier overnight service, will be lower at the weights and in the delivery zones used by most customers. Also, the Postal Service will offer price incentives for both Express Mail and Priority Mail, its two- to three-day shipping service. Online users and commercial Priority Mail customers will see lower prices, while high-volume Express Mail shippers will get quarterly rebates and price reductions. These savings are now possible due to a recent change in federal law.

“We are excited to offer our customers these price incentives — a first for the Postal Service,” said Gary Reblin, vice president, Expedited Mail. “We already have world-class products and first-rate service, and our new prices make us the best value in the market.”

All Express Mail and Priority Mail customers can save money simply by going online to purchase postage, including customers using Click-N-Ship at usps.com. Express Mail customers will receive 3 percent off the published retail prices and Priority Mail customers will save an average 3.5 percent. Customized contract pricing will also soon be available for large commercial customers.

Also on May 12, guaranteed overnight delivery through Express Mail will be available to thousands of additional locations.

One thing won’t change next week. As always, the Postal Service does not impose fuel surcharges, hidden surcharges or surcharges for residential delivery, Saturday delivery or address correction.

New pricing highlights:

Express Mail

·   Retail prices start at $12.60 for a half-pound package.

·   The retail price for an Express Mail Flat-Rate Envelope is $16.50 regardless of weight or destination.

·    Online purchasers and those that have an Express Mail Corporate Account save 3 percent.

·    Quarterly volume rebates are available for users averaging just two packages a day.

·    Contract pricing will be available for large customers.

Priority Mail

·     Retail prices start at $4.80 for a one-pound package.

·     Online purchasers save from 1 to 11 percent.

·     The retail price for a Priority Mail Flat-Rate Envelope is also just $4.80 regardless of weight or destination.

·     The retail price for a Priority Mail Flat-Rate Box is $9.80, and a Large Flat-Rate Box is $12.95 regardless of weight or destination.

·     The retail price for a Priority Mail Large Flat-Rate Box sent to an APO/FPO destination is $10.95, a $2.00 savings.

·      Users of Click-N-Ship and PC Postage and customers using permit imprint with electronic confirmation services save an average 3.5 percent.

·      Contract pricing will be available for large customers.

More information, including full price and fee information, is available at usps.com/express, usps.com/priority and usps.com/pricing.

Tampa, Fl. - May 2, 2008 - GPS Fleet Solutions today announced an agreement with the US Postal Service to begin a GPS vehicle tracking project. Harold Gardner, Vice President of Sales, stated this 500 unit pilot is to be installed in greater Chicagoland. Key expectations from this project include improved route efficiency, driver safety, customer service, and reduced vehicle costs. Sources estimate the Postal Service’s fleet to include approximately 35,000 route delivery vehicles.

GPS Fleet Solutions will provide a turnkey service including project management, installation, configuration, training, and support for this project.

For more information on other Iler Group, Inc. products and services go to www.GPSFleetSolutions.com or call 813-600-1738.

About Iler Group, Inc.:

The Iler Group encompasses several business units with the core business unit being GPS Fleet Solutions. Other business units include: www.vehicleinstallers.com, www.AnythingGPS.com and IG Installation Services. Iler Group also owns several industry related websites which target specific market segments. Other websites include: www.GPSFleetSolutions.com, www.PassiveGPS.com and www.Real-Time-Vehicle-Tracking.com.

GPS Fleet Solutions provides Global Positioning System (GPS) vehicle location, tracking and dispatching technology for government, commercial and personal vehicles across the United States, Canada and Central America. GPS technology is changing the way organizations do business by increasing efficiency, productivity and accountability. Improvements in these areas are driving value to new heights in progressive organizations. Our complete line of GPS systems works well with small or large enterprise service and delivery fleets. Please contact us on the web at www.gpsfleetsolutions.com