LATEST POSTAL NEWS  

"No other public or private business in America"

 except for the U.S. Postal Service must fund 100 percent of employee retirement and retirement health costs in advance.   (11/11) |

OMB Responds to Rural Letter Carriers Petition To Save 6 Day Delivery

Official Office of Management and Budget Response to Preserve 6 Day Mail Delivery: ..: we are proposing to help the Postal Service reduce its excessive operating costs by providing the flexibility to gradually move to 5-day delivery, beginning in 2013. Under USPS' plan for how it would use this authority, post offices would still remain open on Saturdays, Express Mail deliveries would still be made 7 days a week, post office box deliveries would still be made on Saturdays, and USPS would continue to make Saturday deliveries in the busy weeks leading up to the winter Holidays."  (11/10) |

APWU- Full-time regular career Clerk Craft and Motor Vehicle Craft employees who work in an installation and functional area with Non-Traditional Full-Time assignments cannot be required to work overtime (except in an emergency), unless they are on the Overtime Desired List.  (11/10) |

21st Century Postal Service Act Clears Senate Committee

-PR note: Senate passes 2nd bill in 5 years to "rescue" USPS - After the P.L.109-435 bill passed in 2006 USPS said, "Our financial results in 2007 were a net loss of $5,142 million [billion] compared to net income of $900 million in 2006. These results were significantly impacted by P.L.109-435. Press Release " Today, Joe Lieberman wrote: "Bipartisan legislation to rescue the USPS from certain financial failure next year cleared the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Thursday by a vote of 9-1. Today’s Committee action is great progress and a huge step forward giving the Postal Service the authority it needs to restructure, modernize, survive, and thrive. We are giving the Postal Service the tools to achieve solvency once again.”. APWU: Senate Panel Approves Postal Legislation That Will Severely Weaken USPS | NALC: 21st Century Postal Act Is Deeply Flawed (11/9) |

Senate committee approves funding shift for postal buyouts

Federal Times - A Senate panel overwhelmingly approved bipartisan legislation Wednesday that would allow the U.S. Postal Service to tap part of a pension fund surplus to pay for a massive employee buyout program. The Postal Service predicts that it would need about $1.7 billion of that total to encourage up to 100,000 employees to leave, either through early-out incentives or to credit them with extra service years needed to qualify for retirement. (11/9) |

Mail Handlers: USPS Submits Harsh Proposals at Bargaining Table

Nonetheless, to this point the Postal Service has presented 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.  (11/9) |

USPS Announces Pay Freeze for Management & Administrative Employees

USPS News Link - To help reduce costs, the Postal Service today announced it is freezing Postmaster, manager, administrative and supervisor pay for fiscal years 2011 and 2012. USPS also is changing its sick and annual leave earnings formulas for new hires in these positions.  (11/9) |

USPS Issues Final Decision on Postmaster Pay Package for 2011-2015

NAPUS - The Pay Package includes a 6.5% increase in the minimum and maximum salary ranges of the EAS pay schedule from January 2013 through January 2016.  However, PFP Program ratings will be suspended and not be applied to salaries for FY 2011 and FY 2012.  A determination as to whether PFP ratings will be applied to salaried for 2013 through 2015 will be based on the economic condition of the Postal Service during those years.” Postal Supervisors Not Happy About USPS Pay Package . (11/9) |

An Urgent Call To Attend USPS "Public Input Meetings"

by Clint Burelson - USPS will soon be holding "public input meetings" regarding their proposals to close and/or consolidate mail processing plants all across the country. The Postal Service admits that if they are allowed to proceed with consolidating mail processing operations, the first class mail that is currently delivered the next day will instead take two to three days. The Postal Service does not intend to reduce the cost of a first class stamp to match the reduction in service. The delay in service problems will be even greater for those in rural areas. This is a dramatic, inappropriate, and unnecessary reduction of service to the American people. (11/8) |

Former Senior Exec For USPS Sentenced To Two Years in Prison for Bribery

A former senior executive with the U.S. Postal Service, was sentenced today to two years of incarceration on a bribery charge stemming from his acceptance of $15,000 in cash from a businessman he promised to reward with government contracts. As part of his plea agreement, he agreed to resign from the Postal Service. (11/8) |

Senator Tells PMG Alaska Post Office Closures based on outdated data

Senator Lisa Murkowski questioned USPS’s decision-making process behind the proposed closure of the Eielson Air Force Base, Fort Wainwright and Elmendorf Air Force Base post offices. In a letter to Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe, she pointed out that not only is the USPS using 17-year old population data to make the determination, but also that both Fairbanks locations made money last year, calling the entire process’ accuracy into question.  (11/8) |

Senator Sanders to offer bill to save Postal Service

“It is time for the Postal Service to move into the future, to offer Internet service, printing service, and all the other services appropriate for the modern age which are financially viable,” Sanders said.  

Senators Urge Senate Leadership to Consider Rural Communities in Postal Service Reforms | More Than 300 Attend Vermont Senator’s “Save the Postal Service” Meeting (11/8) |

USPS Moving Forward With Exigent Pricing Relief Case

As a result of the Postal Regulatory Commission’s (PRC) Oct. 31 order denying a motion by the Postal Service to “stay” its request for exigent price relief until Dec. 15, 2011, the Postal Service today informed the Commission that it will continue to proceed with the case.   (11/7) |

Postal Unions Honor Military Veterans, Oppose Destructive Bill in New TV Ad

The APWU has launched a new TV ad that salutes our nation’s “real life heroes” and points out that a bill pending in the House of Representatives would force the USPS to fire tens of thousands of military veterans. NALC Video Ad: Letter Carrier veterans—Their service never ended (11/7) |

 Calendar/ Postal Holidays:

2012 Pay Periods and Holidays

What's New/Updates

«more postal news archives»

11/12/11

Customers, workers criticize plan to close Everett mail facility

First trial in works in USPS corruption probe

Mayor says USPS Shutdown Plan Unfair for Duluth

Priority mail appears not to have priority

Postmaster accused of embezzlement

11/11/11

Ex-postal worker: didn't know about theft charge

APWU member's complaint dropped in exchange for audiof Union finances

Virginia postmaster indicted for embezzlement

Thousands of veterans would lose jobs if Congress passes postal legislation
PRC Chair Addresses Key Postal Issues In Q&A

USPS Going Ape Over Missing Pallets

Occupy Duluth' Marches against Postal Service Cut Plan

11/10/11

Study: Postal relocation could drain $32M from local economy

DMA To Members: Fighting Postal Threats to Your Business

11/09/11

Deutsche Post New Labor Agreement – Could It Provide a Model for the USPS?

Hundreds attend meeting about moving New Orleans processing center  - New Orleans Times-Picayune

Lagging economy U.S. postal chief's biggest fear - Reuters

Comparing UPS, FedEx, and USPS: Which is Best Now? -Practical eCommerce

Congresswoman Says There Are No Current Plans To Close Any D.C. Post Offices

11/08/11

Senator introduces amendment that would allow states to implement a 'do not mail' option (PDF) - Senator Tom Coburn via Postcom: "To provide greater choice to postal customers by establishing a democratic processes for states to enter into a compact with the Postal Service to initiate a program to allow citizens residing in that state to choose to opt out of receiving non-addressed mail." Senator Coburn Proposes to Allow Americans to Pay Not to Receive Mail - Courier Express and Postal Observer  |

USPS completes phase I deployment of new “ring scanners”

CBO Report: Cost of Breast Cancer Research Semipostal Stamp

New service stops junk mail before it's sent

Opposition to USPS Pursuing Exigent Rate Case

USPS revamps returns services to boost parcel volumes

Area post offices effected by closed downtown post office

Future of New Orleans postal service processing center subject of meeting

Postal worker allegedly threw mail in dumpster at church

Signs of support for the post office

Comparing UPS, FedEx, and USPS: Which is Best Now?

11/07/11

Congressional meddling force carriers to work through the night to Deliver Mail - Easy Reader News-  Letter carriers are working late into the night, sometimes until 10PM in Redondo Beach. A new sorting technology (FSS) combined with route adjustments, later starting times and carriers helping on other routes are being blamed for the late deliveries.   |

Senate Committee To Vote On 21st Century Postal Service Act

The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs will begin its mark up on Nov. 9 of 21st Century Postal Reform Act (S. 1789).   |

More Than 300 Attend Vermont Sen ator’s “Save the Postal Service” Meeting

Sen. Bernard Sanders held a town meeting Sunday inside a packed Montpelier High School cafeteria to discuss major cuts proposed by the U.S. Postal Service. He said the financial problems “can be corrected, the Postal Service can remain strong and jobs that are threatened can be saved.  |

PMG to reveal plans for fixing USPS’s finances at Nov. 21 luncheon

Video: Pennsylvania postal workers protest USPS reductions

Video: Unlocking the mystery of mail

11/06/11

OIG Recommends Outsourcing USPS Custodial and Motor Vehicle Jobs

The report responds to a request from Representative Darrell E. Issa. We recommended the Postal Service seek exemption from the McNamara-O’Hara Service Contract Act (SCA) of 1965 to allow flexibility to negotiate contract rates closer to market rates. We also recommended the Postal Service review the benefits of outsourcing cleaning/janitorial service positions and Postal Service vehicle driver positions and restructure those positions to achieve the most cost effective solution.  Management  stated the new APWU agreement provides for the establishment and use of non-career employees on a much wider scale than previously permitted and new employees will be paid at rates much lower than current career rates and, in some cases, lower than SCA rates  |

USPS Need Not Disclose Psych Tests to Union

Courthouse News - The U.S. Postal Service was justified in refusing to let its National Mail Handlers’ union access the confidential test scores of 22 employees without written consent, the 1st Circuit ruled. Though the National Labor Relations Board had found that the union’s collective bargaining interests outweighed employees’ privacy interests, the Boston-based federal appeals court disagreed. archived: NLRB: Postal Mail Handlers Union Entitled to Test Scores of New Hires |

Audit: Center that could process local mail plagued with delays

The Virginian-Pilot - The Richmond-area center that the U.S. Postal Service has proposed using for processing Hampton Roads mail has been plagued with delivery delays and is among the nation's least efficient postal hubs, according to a recent internal audit by the agency.   |

USPS Seeking Info On Direct Mail & Technology Integration

The USPS is requesting capability information, from those in the technology industry as well as the mailing industry, on any service offerings (both front end and back end) that allow consumers to interact and be engaged with their direct mail as a result of a technology component – a service that will help “blur” the lines of offline and online and further entrench direct mail as a valuable and impactful medium for all businesses both small and large. |

Will postal workers join the ranks of the unemployed?

Examiner.com - In Lynchburg, assuming that the planned consolidation takes effect, over 100 lives will be permanently changed.  In Roanoke, over 300 employees will be impacted.  Nationwide, the number of affected employees is staggering. Many of these workers have spent most of their adult lives working for the Postal Service and are proud to be identified as Postal employees.  They have raised their children in a middle-class environment as a direct result of employment with the US Postal Service.  |

The Valpak Brief

Save The Post Office - Valpak depends on the Postal Service to deliver those Blue Envelopes, but the company isn’t very interested in post offices and postal workers. Its primary concern is keeping postal rates down and profits up. Cox mails the Blue Envelope to 40 million households each month, 500 million a year. With that kind of volume, even the smallest increase in rates quickly adds up and cuts into profits. That’s why the big mail industry stakeholders like Valpak and the Direct Marketing Association favor cuts to the postal workforce, processing plants, and retail network.  |

The mailman and his monsters

Charlotte Observer - James Robert Smith is a mail carrier by day, and a novelist on his time off. He has now sold his fantasy thriller, "The Flock," to a major movie producer. Once filming starts -- if filming starts -- he won't have to deliver mail anymore.  |

Congress didn’t do US Postal Service any favors

Chemical spill shuts down Ohio post office

South Jersey's small, rural post offices often serve as town hubs

Prosecutor to parents: Mailing chickenpox illegal

11/05/11

New Website Lists USPS Properties for Sale

USPS awarded CB Richard Ellis a contract in July 2011 to serve as its exclusive provider of strategic corporate real estate solutions nationally. “CB Richard Ellis will provide transaction management services for USPS, including leasing and disposition.”  The website listing USPS properties for sale is operated by CB Richard Ellis Group.   |

Hallmark, DST, other KC companies rely heavily on U.S. Postal Service

Mail carrier leaps into action to put out fire

W. Va. post office explosion was popping light bulb

Communities work to send a message to the postal service

No Jail for Mail Carrier in Theft From Union

Delivering: USPS Focuses on Core Function

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