November 27, 2006 - Post Office braces for crush of holiday mail

“On Monday you can start seeing the increase of mail,” Rudy Garcia, officer in charge of the Del Rio post office said. “You can see your Christmas cards start coming through and you can see the volume pick up. Once we get around the 8th, 9th and 10th of December it’s in full force.” It peaks generally the last Monday before Christmas, this year on Dec. 18. Nationally the Postal Service expects to handle an estimated 280 million cards and letters that day, triple the normal volume. A couple of days later, the 20th or 21st, the seasonal siege on the postal service peaks and begins to taper off a little. Christmas gift traffic ready to fly |  Heavy reading arrives in the mail | USPS to Hold Press Conference Nov. 28 to Kickoff Holiday Season |

November 25, 2006 - Postal jobs won't ship out

Rejection of proposal leaves 280 jobs safe - The local U.S. Postal Service distribution center will not move to Mobile, a U.S. Postal Service official said Friday. The decision means 280 area postal jobs will stay put, said Joseph Breckenridge, spokesman for the Postal Service in Northwest Florida. "We do not have any intention of consolidating the operation in Pensacola with Mobile," said Joseph Breckenridge, spokesman for the Postal Service in Northwest Florida.   |

November 25, 2006 - Postal Handbooks Revised to Reflect Changes of Workplace Investigations to USPS OIG - Employee and Labor Relations Manual (ELM) and Administrative Support Manual (ASM) Changes From the November 23, 2006 Postal Bulletin - Effective immediately, Employee and Labor Relations Manual (ELM) 665.14, Reporting Violations, is revised to reflect the requirement to report alleged violations of Postal Service laws and employee misconduct, including theft of mail, to the Office of Inspector General. Archive: APWU Questions Postal Inspection Service Transition to USPS OIG    |

November 25, 2006 -Tax dollars do support Postal Service
 The USPS borrows money from the Federal Financing Bank (a tax-funded account "loaning" our tax dollars to federal agencies). A federal account by any other name is still our tax dollars. I joined the old postal service in 1962, fresh out of the Marines, and retired in 1985. I was an officer with the postal workers' union and negotiated contracts and even lobbied in Washington. I am quite familiar with postal operations. But, don't fall for the fodder for public consumption that tax dollars do not benefit the USPS. They do and always will as long as it is a federal monopoly.   |

November 25, 2006 - Postal employees in Maine celebrate motorcycle stamps - Postal employees at the Eastern Maine Processing and Distribution Center in Hampden celebrated the new American Motorcycles stamps by riding their bikes to work and taking a photo of the bikes with an enlargement of the new stamps in the foreground.   |

November 23, 2006 - 83-Year-Old Postal Worker Carries On
‘Retire’ not in vocabulary after 50 years of service - Harry Hoover has delivered mail along the same route since he began working for the Postal Service in 1962. He has more than a year of unused sick leave and, as a gift Wednesday, eight hours of administrative leave, but he doesn’t plan to take time off soon, he said.“I plan to work until I no longer care if customers’ mail gets delivered,” he said. After the ceremony, Hoover left to complete his 518-stop route, just like always.   |

November 23, 2006 - Postal Nurse Charged With Defrauding USPS-

A Postal contract nurse was indicted on November 14, 2006 of cheating the U.S. Postal Service out of approximately $64,000 with fake medical invoices. Janet Ortega, 44, of Daly City, California was indicted by a federal grand jury on seven counts of felony mail fraud.   |

November 22, 2006 - USPS and Four Postal Unions Agree to Extend Contract Negotiations - The Postal Service and its four largest unions have agreed to extend contract negotiations in a continued effort to reach negotiated settlements. Contract negotiations have been extended until midnight Nov. 30 with the NALC, NRLCA and NPMHU.  APWU Negotiations will resume Monday, Nov. 27- APWU: Contract Talks to Resume After Thanksgiving Weekend -"Because we are attempting to break new ground, the final pieces of an agreement pose difficult challenges," he said. "Despite intense discussions today, agreement on all of the issues is still beyond our grasp."  NALC: "As long as there is any reasonable hope for a negotiated settlement," President William Young remarked, "we will do everything in our power to achieve one." NPMHU Contract Update #15 - “With renewed energy, and perhaps even with a few new ideas, an overall deal is still possible,” said President Hegarty.  “It therefore only makes sense to continue negotiations until the parties reach an agreement or reach an actual impasse.”    |

November 22, 2006 - Post Office Problems Still Linger After Carrier Route Adjustments - (CT) Many of the citizens objected to the new routes because their mail was getting delivered late. According to William F. Cournoyer, manager for post office operations, one of the problems with the old system was that many of the postal carriers were collecting too much overtime. But when asked how much overtime workers are collecting now, Cournoyer responded with "about the same." Many did not understand this procedure. Ed Margnelli, owner of the Day Club, was one of them. Margenlli asked Cournoyer, "If you have too much overtime, why not hire more workers?" Cournoyer said they are looking into the possibility of hiring more carriers when the routes are fixed, but they have labor unions to contend with.  |

November 22, 2006 - Dog owner charged with assault of postman - A South Toledo man was charged yesterday with trying to hit a U.S. Postal Service letter carrier with his car after he became upset that the carrier pepper-sprayed his dog when the canine tried to bite him, authorities said.  |

November 22, 2006 - Mail Services opens Washington mail processing facility - Mail Services Inc. has expanded its international mail processing network in response to increased volume and customer demand. MSI, a Baltimore-based international mailing company, said a new Washington/Dulles processing facility will handle publications, parcels, direct mail and corporate mail destined for Canada and locations worldwide beginning Jan. 2.

November 22, 2006 - USPS 2006 Preliminary Annual Financial Report | Five-Year Postal Employees Stats At a Glance  |

November 21, 2006 - USPS and Four Postal Unions Agree to Extend Contract Negotiations - The Postal Service and its four largest unions have agreed to extend contract negotiations to 3 p.m. today in hopes of reaching negotiated settlements. The current contracts expired at midnight last night with the National Association of Letter Carriers, American Postal Workers Union, National Rural Letter Carrier’s Association and National Postal Mail Handlers Union.  |

November 21, 2006 - APWU: As Deadline Passes, Parties Agree to Continue Talks
APWU President William Burrus has told union members that progress toward an agreement had been made, but that “important issues remain that have not been finalized.” The parties will continue discussions on Nov. 21. “The terms of the new contract are too important to rush agreement because of an artificial deadline,” he said.  |

November 21, 2006 - Post office reputation not so bad, judge says

November 21, 2006

Grandmother burns rubber, minds mail
New passport rules could keep post offices busy

APWU Wins Major Maintenance Arbitration Case

UPS ups rates 4.9 percent

November 20, 2006

November 19, 2006 - Burrus: Contract Agreement 'Possible'

In a telephone message on the eve of the expiration of the contract, APWU President William Burrus told union members that although final agreement is beyond reach at this time, "I am convinced that agreement is possible." Negotiations are continuing, he said, with health benefits and wages dominating the discussions.    |

November 19, 2006 - Big Win For APWU in MS-47 Maintenance Case - "Custodial Jobs Protected"

 Arbitrator Shyam Das rejected the USPS attempts to eliminate custodial work through the ill conceived ‘Budget Worksheet’. He ruled that, ” it is appropriate that the Postal Service be directed to rescind the 2001 MS-47, to reinstate the 1983 MS-47, and to reinstate or prepare staffing packages as soon as practicable. As the Postal Service has stressed, the building inventories still are in use and the performance standards have not been changed. Prior staffing documents based on frequencies determined by the appropriate level of management under the 1983 MS-47 presumably still exists, and can be revised under that handbook where needed. Whether a remedy is appropriate for the intervening period since the implementation of the 2001 MS-47, and, if so what it should be, is a matter remanded to the parties for further discussion.  - MS-47-Housekeeping-Postal-Facilities-1983.pdf |

November 19, 2006 - Postal Worker Dock Death Linked to Vermont Accident
"A month before the Nov. 8 loading dock accident at a Springfield mail processing facility claimed the life of postal worker Robert J. Scanlon, another postal employee was nearly killed in an identical accident at a mail facility in White River Junction, Vt., union officials said. Union representatives at each facility said if management had listened to the repeated safety warnings about removing "glad-hand locks" used on trailers at the docks, each accident could have been prevented. The locks prevent truck drivers from removing a trailer before it is loaded. Once loading is complete, the lock is removed by a worker called an "expediter" who walks between the trailer and the truck cab, which is then put in reverse toward the trailer."    Postal Workers Union and Regional Managers Differ Over Safety |

November 19, 2006 -  Columnist: Postal Service 'Stupidly' Bans ZIP Code Books  -"A spokesman said the postal service would prefer customers to use the www.usps.com Web site to obtain ZIP codes. After that, they would prefer customers call the ASK-USPS toll-free number at (800) 275-8777. Finally, postal service customers may purchase a computer disk for $50, which includes a year of "free" monthly updates of ZIP codes. Lena Mitchell: "How can something be free when you paid $50 for it? I think that explanation is a cover for the fact that the marketing department is trying to use zip code information as a new profit center. Fifty dollars, indeed, for a CD we all know cost only a few pennies to produce." |

November 18, 2006 - Mail Handler Contract Update: Economic Proposals Submitted

To frame the negotiations during the final days, the NPMHU has set forth its on-the-record economic demands. These proposals include: • A new National Agreement to cover six years, from November 21, 2006 through November 20, 2012. • The continuation of general wage increases during each and every year of the contract. • The continuation of cost-of-living adjustments during each and every year of the contract. • The maintenance of all current benefits and benefit programs, including the current formula for determining employee contributions for health insurance. • The implementation of one-level pay upgrades for all Level 4 and Level 5 mail handlers, and other adjustments to the current pay scales. • The implementation of increases in night shift differential and Sunday premium pay as previously outlined and circulated. • The implementation of improvements in the clothing program and increases in the dollar amounts provided as clothing allowances.  |

November 18, 2006 - APWU Union Rep Speaks Out On Post Office Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Incident - A postal union representative is speaking out after 39 workers were sent to the hospital Nov. 8 after inhaling carbon monoxide fumes while they worked that day. Gregg Libbey, union representative for the American Postal Workers Union Local 1376, says the explanation for the fumes, given by post office management and spokespersons to fire, police and rescue personnel, as well as the media, was not accurate.  |

November 18, 2006  - Emery Agrees to Pay $10 Million for Submitting Fraudulent Billings to USPS - The United States Government has reached a $10,000,000 settlement with former USPS contractor Emery Worldwide Airlines concerning its responsibility for the acts of Emery’s employees in allegedly submitting knowingly inflated billings to the USPS for the handling of Priority Mail at mail processing facilities during a multi-year contract,  Emery and the United States have agreed to settle this matter arising under the False Claims Act, 31 U.S.C. §§ 3729, et seq., after lengthy negotiations. The United States Government discovered evidence that indicated that Emery employees inflated billings to the Government for services by, among other things, misclassifying the size of mail, double-weighing mail and inaccurately weighing mail   |

November 18, 2006 -  USPS OIG Investigation on Discarded Mail at Houston Post Office

Acting on a call to the Postal Service’s Office of Inspector General Hotline, alleging employee misconduct at the Willow Place Station of the Houston, Texas Post Office, OIG Special Agents initiated an investigation on November 1, 2006. The OIG was responding to the report of instances of intentional discarding and delaying of mail by postal personnel. The investigation revealed that a number of letter carriers were discarding deliverable mail as Undeliverable Bulk Business Mail (UBBM). >  |

November 18, 2006-  Final Delivery for Married Mail Carriers
An era came to a close on Friday in Burlington County, New Jersey. A husband and wife team of mail carriers made its last delivery. 81-year-old George Mick and his 75-year-old wife Jeanette are partners in life and, for the last four decades, partners on the job at the Chatsworth Post Office Happily married for 52 years, the Micks have spent 44 of those years working part-time sorting and delivering mail. They finally decided to retire and Friday was their last day.   |

November 18, 2006

Union rep doesn't agree with postal management decision to excess employees

USPS Looking at sites for new Milwaukee P&DC

November 17, 2006 - Postmaster General gets the last word

A Star Press article several months ago revealed that Kathy Bland (pictured at right) a 21-year mail carrier had saved close to 800 neglected and abandoned animals along her route, paying with her own money for them to be rehabilitated and placed in loving homes. USPS had a less positive reaction. It sent one district-level and one regional official to discuss "safety issues" with Bland. But PMG John E. Potter's response late last month was to write a letter of praise to Bland, copy it to the district manager of customer service in Indianapolis, include it in Bland's official personnel file -- and effectively close what Bland considers an unpleasant episode in her life.   |

November 17, 2006 - Postal reform efforts likely to end at dead letter office
"Congress appears unlikely to reform the U.S. Postal Service this year or in the foreseeable future, blocking one of Sen. Susan Collins' legislative priorities. The goal of reform proponents such as Collins, R-Maine, is to make the post office more competitive with the Internet and premium shippers such as FedEx by reducing its reliance on rate increases for stamps. But Collins, chairwoman of the Governmental Affairs Committee, said opposition to compromise legislation in September left little hope for action when Congress finishes for the year in December." Postal Reform Unlikely to Come Up for November Vote   |

November 17, 2006 - Phone Card Drive for Troops Comes to End At NJ Post Office

It’s the end of the line for Operation: Phone Home, a project by employees of the Newton Post Office that resulted in 1,500 phone cards being donated to soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan during the past two years. The program finally came to an end, however, on Oct. 31, when the postal system stopped carrying the phone cards as part of its product line, said Newton postal employee Connie Martinez, who has a son in the military and organized the program.   |

November 17, 2006

Illinois: Postal Worker Announced As $ 7 Million Dollar Lottery Winner

Community helps mail carrier recover from house fire losses

APWU: Contract Deadline Looms

APWU: The Right Choice

Union Says Bronx Loses in Mail Consolidation

eNAPUS Bulletin  - “The Parting on the Left is Now the Parting on the Right" (PDF)

Postal Service Highlights Performance Scores

UPS raises 2007 rates for ground, air

USPS Retirement Planning Information Online

Brave Postal Workers Given Tall Salute

Postal Employee Charged With Opening Packages Containing VA Medication

Mediachase Launches the USPS ATLAS Management System

November 15, 2006 - USPS Ends Year With Record Revenues
Positive productivity trend continues - Record levels of revenue and volume helped the U.S. Postal Service conclude its 2006 fiscal year with net income of $900 million. But increases in fuel and labor costs limited our overall financial success. The FY 2006 year-end financial figures were released today by Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President Glen Walker during the November meeting of the Board of Governors. The Postal Service’s 2006 fiscal year began Oct. 1, 2005, and ended Sept. 30, 2006. Total revenue was $72.8 billion, and total expenses were $71.9 billion. The net deficiency, after including a $3 billion escrow allocation, as required by law, was $2.1 billion. Postal Service Ends Year in the Black  or  Postal Service ends fiscal year in the hole  |

November 15, 2006 - A Lame-Duck Revival for Postal Service Overhaul?
"Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said yesterday that she is not giving up on legislation that would overhaul the U.S. Postal Service and will try to win approval of the bill next month during the lame-duck session. Collins said she has met with the chief Democratic sponsor, Sen. Thomas R. Carper (Del.), and has talked with White House officials about how to revive the bill. Various proposals are being discussed by mailers and others to see whether modifications can be made to get the bill moving, she said. Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Calif.), who has worked on versions of the bill, has expressed concerns about whether Congress should dictate a rate-setting formula, which he worries might lead the post office to reduce services in tight economic times. Waxman also wants to ensure that mailer discounts do not become sweetheart deals."  Democrats unlikely to shift course on DM issues  |     

November 15, 2006 - Postal Workers honored for saving co-worker - Holyoke Postmaster Wayne O. Desroches recognized David C. Lundgren, Bradford J. Farrell, Christopher J. Boyle and Cynthia J. Houle last week as "Holyoke Heroes" by presenting them with citations for their roles in helping save letter carrier Patricia Clifford. Lundgren used CPR to save the life of fellow Holyoke post office letter carrier Clifford, who had stopped breathing when she went into cardiac arrest at the post office on Sept. 14. | 

November 15, 2006 - Wait for stamp cut to 5 years post-death
The wait before a notable person who has died can be honored on a U.S. postage stamp is being cut to five years, half what it had been. Postmaster General John E. Potter announced the change Wednesday at a meeting of the postal governing board. "For more than three decades we have had a rule requiring notable Americans be deceased 10 years before they could be recognized for commemoration on a postage stamp. We created this rule to make certain their legacy stood the test of time," Potter said.

November 15, 2006

APWU: Talks Continue at Discouraging Pace

Caught on tape: Mail carrier accused of throwing package | 

Humeston Post Office air quality unclear

Power saw attack victim speaks out

New woman postmaster is Grand Haven's first

Huge mail fraud case in Boise uncovered

Stamp diss: Post office trims barbers from list

New scanner rollout complete in Northern Virginia District

USPS Premium Forwarding Service has record first year
USPS Holiday Shipping and Mailing Guide Reaches 110 Million Households

Suspect Who Mailed White Powder to Celebs, Politicians Arrested

Updated postal network could expand global trade, says WTO head

Israeli delegation blocked from U.N. postal conference

November 14, 2006 - USPS OIG Review Supports Closing Sioux City Mail Processing Center
It appears the Sioux City mail processing and distribution center will be consolidated with another U.S. Postal Service center. Last December members of the American Postal Workers Union Local 186 in Sioux City related that the center and about 100 jobs could be moved to Sioux Falls. U.S. Sens. Tom Harkin and Charles Grassley and Congressman Steve King requested the postal service inspector general conduct review the AMP. The legislators reported Monday the inspector general has said "there is sufficient evidence supporting consolidation of the Sioux City processing center," said Grassley. USPS OIG Audit Report on Sioux City Mail Center  |   

November 14, 2006

November 12, 2006 - Postal Workers Caught on Tape

Fox 25 Undercover tracked down three letter carriers in a wealthy Boston suburb (Belmont) . Investigative reporter Mike Beaudet has the video. The reporter taped 3 letter carriers (10 days over a 3 month period) meeting in a high school parking lot, [joy] riding around town in one of the letter carrier's truck, and  on one occasion apparently smoking marijuana. One carrier resigned after confronted with the allegations. The other  two carriers were placed on emergency non-paid leave.  |   

USPS to Sell Segway Scooters to General Public

 The U.S. Postal Inspection Service has teamed up with Supply Management Investment Recovery in Washington, DC, to sell via auction 38 Segway scooters to the general public.  PostalReporter has received quite a few comments on USPS auctioning off Segway Scooters after posting it a few days ago. One PostalReporter reader offered another idea on how to get rid of scooters. Another reader concluded that "I assume this means the experiment failed" |     

November 12, 2006 - Postal worker loses plea to wear fun neckties

District official insists on regulation blue, a part of the uniform - After an 18-month bureaucratic odyssey that earned a written shrug from Postal Service headquarters in Washington, Window Clerk Steve Adams sees that he is powerless against his local superiors who want him to look like a U.S. Postal Service professional. Last month Adams, a small-town institution for the 10 years during which he wore wacky, colorful ties to the Soldotna post office, got the final word insisting that he stick to wearing standard-issue navy-blue ties with his striped postal shirt.  |   

November 12, 2006 - Florida Postmaster Cleared of Sexual Harassment

Marianna (Florida) Postmaster Willie Melvin has been cleared to return to work Monday following an investigation of a sexual harassment complaint. One employee asked what would be an immoral act," Breckenridge said. "Melvin said an example of that would be if a (male) supervisor told a female employee to take off her shirt. A female employee took offense to the statement and field a sexual harassment complaint." The investigative team was made up of postal officials from other post offices in the Panhandle. Melvin was placed on paid administrative leave while the investigation was under way.  |   

November 12, 2006  - Seattle antibiotics home delivery test goes well - In the first anti-bioterrorism test of its kind, 41 postal carriers accompanied by police officers delivered simulated packages of antibiotics to about 38,000 homes in Northeast Seattle on Saturday.

November 12, 2006 - West Virginia : Glady Post Office to shut down Dec. 1 - The U.S. Postal Service is ending Glady's 120-year-old service in December. The Glady Post Office lacks restrooms and running water, which are required by law, and does not generate enough revenue to continue operations, local postal officials said. Post office assistant Calvin Shiflett and his wife, Mary Francis, who had served as post master for 30 years, both retired on Oct. 28. Trudy Sponaugle is serving as officer in charge until the post office closes on Dec. 1.
 

November 11, 2006 - Power outage hits San Bernardino Mail-Processing Facility
..a mail-processing plant in Redlands bustles with machines and people sorting 5 million pieces of mail. But at around 3 a.m. Friday, a power outage caused work to come to a halt, delaying the delivery of some items until Monday. The San Bernardino General Mail Facility, as it is known despite its Redlands location, sorts mail for ZIP codes starting with the numbers 922 through 925, said Mike Cannone, U.S. Postal Service spokesman. Because the Postal Service will observe Veterans Day today, carriers will deliver any mail left over from Friday to their customers on Monday, Cannone said. Cannone said employees at the plant prioritized first-class and priority mail. "Most delays will be with the nonpreferential mail," he said. "The advertisement mail and stuff like that." |   

November 11, 2006 - NALC: Wal-Mart aims for always lower salaries

November Postal Record - Last year, Wal-Mart raked in profits of $11.2 billion—that’s $11,200,000,000—on $312 billion in sales. This year, in a bid to surpass that mark, top managers at the mammoth retailer have set their sights on capping workers’ pay. Using such corporate code words as “workforce flexibility” and citing the need to “maintain competitiveness,” a confidential Wal-Mart management memo circulated in August revealed the company’s plans to cap employee wages by cutting back hours and pushing workers onto lower pay scales. Wal-Mart employees aren’t likely to find much assistance in their unionizing efforts from the National Labor Relations Board, even though the board’s 1935 charter states that its mission is to enforce a policy “of assuring free choice and encouraging collective bargaining.” Lately, the board, controlled by a pro-business bloc, has taken a decidedly anti-worker, anti-union stance on most of the issues brought before it..  |   

November 11, 2006

November 10, 2006 - They deliver: 36 Postal employees honored for military service
The Stamford Veterans Committee yesterday honored those who have delivered for their city and their country. The committee presented 36 postal employees with Connecticut Veterans Wartime Service Medals during a ceremony at the Stamford Postal Facility to commemorate Veterans Day, observed nationwide today. "I do believe the postal service is one of the largest importers of veterans in America," said presenter Archie Elam, a Gulf War veteran and a U.S. Military Academy graduate. Report: Veterans working for USPS dwindling | Postal workers to receive flags for military service  | Brave NY Postal Workers Given Tall Salute  |   

November 10, 2006 -

November 09, 2006 - Postal Groups React to Dem Wins in House and Senate

APWU: Union Headquarters Celebrates 'Great Day for Democracy' - This is a great day for democracy, a great day for the labor movement, and a great day for us,” Burrus said . NPMHU: Election Letter to All Mail Handlers -The American people turned out in great numbers, and have sent their collective message, loud and clear, to the Washington ... eNAPUS: Earthquake Hits US Capitol With Lingering Aftershocks (PDF) - On Tuesday, an angry electorate exerted their political energy, bestowing a vote of “no confidence” on the President and his party..|   

November 09, 2006 - Portland APWU Rains on Potter's Parade - More than 100 APWU members picketing in a steady, cold rain greeted senators Susan Collins (R) and Olympia Snowe (R), who had planned to help mark the opening of the new state-of-the-art mail-processing center in Scarborough, ME. When union protestors told them about severe understaffing at the new facility, the negative effect the lack of personnel would have on service, and shabby treatment of the area's postal workers, the senators decided to stay away from the ceremonies, opting instead to visit with APWU protesters and answer media inquiries

November 09, 2006 - Over 40 Postal Employees At Two Post Offices Under Investigation for Delaying Mail -  "Two West Michigan post offices are the focus of a major federal investigation. There are accusations that employees tampered with the delivery and intentionally delayed bulk mailings at offices in Grand Rapids and Battle Creek. Managers inside the two locations prompted the investigation. 24 Hour News 8 has received numerous calls from mail carriers who say they had been recently ordered to cut junk mail in order to save time, and now they believe they are taking the fall. Many of them are now on unpaid leave. .....as many as 20 employees at the Grand Rapids facility have been disciplined and possibly fired." Postal workers accused of throwing away mail - The postal workers are accused of not delivering "first class occupant mail", which is bulk mail that should go out to all addresses. The federal Office of Inspector General has been looking into allegations of fraud for five weeks using surveillance with the cooperation of postal management. The U.S. Postal Service says as many as 28 Battle Creek postal carriers were suspended without pay. Wednesday over allegations of improprieties at the local post office. Grand Rapids Letter Carrier: management is delaying deliveries to curtain OT | Video: Carriers Blame Clerks |   

 November 09, 2006  - 39 Postal Employees Treated for Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

(Virginia) The employees were exposed to the carbon monoxide at the Main Post Office  They were running generators outside because of an overnight power outage, said Capt. Jim Judkins, spokesperson for the Suffolk Department of Fire and Rescue. The post office was without power Wednesday morning when employees arrived for work. They placed generators on the back loading dock of the building so they could begin the day’s work. The wind blew fumes from the generators inside the building through the large garage-style back doors, Judkins said. |   

November 09, 2006 - Accident Kills Massachusetts Postal Worker

A 58-year-old U.S. Postal Service employee died last night after the driver of a tractor-trailer backed into him at a loading dock of a mail distribution facility on Brookdale Drive, police said.  |   

November 09, 2006

Postal Worker honored as a veteran

Election Day Post-Mortem for Marketers

Postal Bulletin: 2006 Benefits Timeline, more...
Federal Register: USPS Revise Postage Meter Rules

November 08, 2006 - NPMHU Contract Update: USPS Submits Laundry List of Harsh Proposals - "The Postal Service has proposed several work rule proposals that, whether considered individually or collectively, would effectively re-write large portions of the current National Agreement to the detriment of all mail handlers.  These proposals include the following, among others:  |   
1. Total elimination of protection from layoff
2. An increase in the part-time flexible workforce to 30%
3. An increase in the employment and utilization of casuals by eliminating the "in lieu of" clause from Art. 7
4. Allowing casual and part-time flexible employees to be scheduled for overtime prior to exhaustion of the Overtime Desired and Volunteer Lists
5. Eliminating extra pay for the Christmas holiday
6. Eliminating completely Article 30 provisions on local implementation, as well as all currently existing Local Memoranda of Understanding"

November 08, 2006 - Campaign mailers spelled overtime for letter carriers
"Letter carriers and beleaguered residents finally got some relief on Election Day after days of campaign fliers and stuffed mailboxes. On Tuesday afternoon, several customers said they were glad the junk mail nightmare was nearly over. "We are so sick of it," said "over-50" Escondido resident Ellen Griffith, a registered Republican. "And it isn't just our party -- all the other parties (have been) sending it to us, too." She said her husband got so fed up with the number of campaign fliers that were filling up their mailbox everyday that he would simply throw them all in the trash." |   

November 08, 2006 - Former Postmaster jailed for stealing over $50k

The former U.S. Postmaster in Cochranton (PA) will serve five months in jail for stealing more than $50,000 worth of money and stamps during a two-and one-half year period. Larry Alan Robison, was sentenced to five months in jail followed by five months home detention and then three years probation. [per court documents] The Postal Inspectors initially went to post office to investigate reports that Robison was receiving pornography through a post office computer. But eventually they discovered he was stealing by pocketing money from some stamp sales. Postal Inspectors also discovered Robison was using a Post Office box to receive the pornography. Porn Addiction Drove Postmaster to Steal   |   

November 08, 2006

November 06, 2006 - APWU Presents Economic Proposals; Burrus Assails 'Lack of Progress' in Talks - After offering a blunt assessment of the first two months of negotiations, APWU President William Burrus presented the USPS with economic proposals, calling for raises and upgrades that are commensurate with union members’ performance over the six years of the contract that expires Nov. 20. Economic proposals for a contract of three years duration include : Basic annual salary increases of 4 percent, effective Nov. 25, 2006, Nov. 24, 2007, and Nov. 22, 2008; Upgrades; Return of Night Differential to 10 percent of the basic hourly straight-time rate; and Conversion of the current uniform and work-clothes allowances to a centralized purchasing and distribution system for required on-the-job clothing.  |   

November 06, 2006

November 06, 2006 - Supreme Court To Decide If Federal Employees Can Be Sued

The Supreme Court heard arguments on Oct. 30 about the extent of federal  employees’ immunity from on-the-job lawsuits. Under the 1988 Westfall Act, federal employees are immune from suits so long as the Attorney General certifies that they were doing their job when the incident in question occurred. The government then substitutes itself as the defendant. In the case Osborn v. Haley, the high court must decide whether the Attorney General can certify an act as job-related simply by denying that the incident ever occurred. If an employee is sued for an act clearly not in his or her job description, can the government defend the employee anyway if they believe in the employee’s innocence? |   

November 06, 2006 - Mail carrier finds attitude powerful weapon against disease

At first Jackie Sandefur thought he was having a bad case of flu. Then the longtime local mail carrier concluded that the strange things happening to him were worse than influenza. "I thought I was having warning signs of a stroke," he says of that period nearly three years ago. It had never occurred to him that his difficulties might be due to a disease called multiple sclerosis. The carrier who continues to work five days a week delivering mail half on foot, half by car on his northend route, said his life as an MS patient truly changed when he became involved with the Tri-State Multiple Sclerosis Association.  |   

November 06, 2006 - Commentary: It’s Time for a ‘No Junk Mail Registry’ - Since June 2003 we have had a “Do Not Call Registry” and thanks to enforcement by the Federal Trade Commission, Federal Communications Commission and state governments, my unsolicited telemarketer calls that came mostly during dinner have nearly stopped. I am most concerned about first class mail addressed to me. Conversely, the U.S. Postal Service, because of greed, is more interested in delivering junk mail. But every time the USPS needs to balance its budget, first class mail, not junk mail is the first rate to be increased. The USPS has conspired with the all powerful direct mail lobby to give priority rights to the junk mailer.

- Not all junk mail goes right into trash |   

November 05, 2006 - Political mail reaches ‘phenomenal’ levels with current election cycle - Friday alone, more than 5.2 million political mailings were sent out of the Cincinnati district of the United States Postal Service, which services several zip code areas, including Mason County. Described as a "phenomenal amount of mail" by Bonni Manies, the manager of consumer affairs for the USPS, this year's political mail is more than twice in volume than the political mailings of the last major election. Processing the amount of political mail that goes through the system daily is both a blessing and a curse. Manies said the mailings do put more money into the system. However, it has made the jobs of many workers more difficult. |   

November 05, 2006 - Post office brass offers mea culpa
(Colorado Springs) Post office officials have apologized for poor downtown service during the past few months and say a process is in place to correct delivery problems. “The service was not meeting customers’ expectations. What they deserve is consistent, reliable service,” said Al Desarro, U.S. Postal Service spokesman for the West. “We apologize for that, and our intent is to get service as good as possible, and hopefully this will be permanent change.” The main post office is in the process of making route changes in order to improve service.  |   

November 05, 2006 - Study: People Prefer Junk Mail Over Spam - A new study by researchers from the University of Georgia Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication revealed that most people preferred junk mail rather than spam, when given an option to select the lesser of the two evils.

November 04, 2006 - Senators Urge PMG To Address Concerns Raised By Postal Workers Union - (Maine) "We are writing to draw your attention to concerns raised by the Portland Chapter of the American Postal Workers’ Union (APWU), Area Local 458. Its grievances include the belief that it will be facing the consolidation of over 70 day shifts to 22, and the transfer of junior clerks into other job crafts including maintenance and mail handler duties. The union is also concerned that some postal workers may lose the seniority benefits they have spent years attaining in their areas of expertise."   |   

November 04, 2006

'Save Our Service' is theme of postal rally in Minnesota

Senators Request GAO To Assess Progress on Biodetection Technologies

Neighborhood’s mail held hostage by dog

Post Office Box in family 66 Years

eNAPUS: Vote, Then Join NAPUS on Election Night 2006 (PDF)
Crackup Between Postal Truck and Livery

November 03, 2006 - APWU: Contract Talks Take a Discouraging Turn

..."management presented a series of proposals that, if adopted, would drastically demean postal employment. The subjects included: Elimination of no-layoff protection; Increased use of casuals; Expansion of part-time employment; Elimination of local negotiations; Modification of holiday scheduling and pay; Expansion of work and/or time standards; The union’s response is straightforward: These proposals are “dead on arrival.” The USPS decision to submit such outrageous suggestions can only hinder negotiations. Clearly, management knows the union would never entertain such regressive proposals."  |   

November 03, 2006 - NALC: USPS Makes Regressive Proposals; Stalls Serious Contract Negotiations - USPS proposed the elimination of time and one-half pay for work on Christmas Day, and other retrograde holiday premium and scheduling provisions; an increase in the number and usage of low cost non-career employees; elimination of key protective provisions of Article 34 (time and/or work standards); mandatory use of travel credit cards, with individual employee responsibility for payment, for travel on official USPS business. Coming out of the October 31 session, Young issued a warning: “If today’s Postal Service effort is any clue to what they are thinking about in basic economics, and they come to us with a stale and discredited formula of wage freeze, or lump sums or worse; increased letter carrier cost of health insurance; elimination or capping of COLA; elimination of No Lay Off protection — it will be a monumental confession of management failure — and an abdication of responsibility to their employees, to their customers, and to the American public.”  |   

November 03, 2006 - Postal Worker Sues USPS – Denied Permission to Work Off-the-Clock? - In his complaint to the New York District Court, 29-Year Postal Worker George Shamoon alleged that he was discriminated and retaliated against by the Postal Service and his former supervisor when he was: denied 32 hours overtime; not permitted to work off-the-clock (during his lunch and breaks, and (As a result of “working off the clock,” Shamoon received a letter of warning, followed by a notice of suspension that was later rescinded and; not given a $500 award “for achieving over 3000 sick hours” ( He received only a certificate in recognition of his achievement).  |   

November 03, 2006 - USPS Awards Siemens Contract Expansion for Delivery Bar Code Sorters - Siemens announced that it has been awarded a $109.4 million contract modification from the United States Postal Service (USPS) for additional mail sorting equipment. The scope of the award encompasses an additional 211 Delivery Bar Code Sorter (DBCS 6) machines to expand USPS’ existing fleet of letter sorting equipment. The company will provide installation and associated integrated logistics support services for the new machines in addition to carts used to transport trays of sorted mail. Production and installation of the DBCS 6 order is expected to be completed by Dec.1, 2007.

November 03, 2006

USPS encourages mailers to use electronic documentation
USPS reiterates CASS/DPV plan

ARK: Postmaster retiring after 37 years

USPS On Rolls and Paid Employee Stats PP 20-2006 (PDF)

Post office gets Star Status for safety