April 30, 2009

 Burrus: What's Wrong ... And What Can Be Done

The faltering economy is to blame for the severe loss of mail volume that threatens the foundation of the Postal Service. If the financial condition declines to such an extent that the Postal Service is unable to meet its obligations, the entire network will be in jeopardy. Employee paychecks are no different than electricity and transportation expenses and thousands of other obligations. The biweekly payroll costs the USPS approximately $2 billion. If the bills and obligations exceed the revenue and USPS borrowing authority, the options are limited: Someone does not get paid. The state of the postal service: You've got (no) mail   | Comments (92)

USPS: Clerks Excessed Into Carrier Craft Can Be Terminated If They Fail Driver Training - "The training requirements are contained in the EL- 804, Safe Driver Program. This training is given once the clerk is officially placed into the carrier position and a Form 50 is processed. Failure to successfully complete the training can result in termination of Postal employment. "   | Comments (105)

Postal Workers COLA May Be ZERO Again ?

After the second month of the six-month measuring period, and assuming the adjustment were based on the March index, the sixth COLA under the 2006 National Agreement and the Operating Services Agreement would be zero.   |

Comments (61)

Former Letter Carrier sentenced for attempted robbery

A former mail carrier at a U.S. Post Office branch on Tallevast Road, Peak told deputies during his arrest, “I’ve never done something so stupid before. I just needed $50. I have a good job, according to a Manatee County Sheriff’s Office report.   | Comments (33)

Postal Service may close New Castle PA mail center
Catalog Tracker: Mailings Scarce in February, E-mails Up

Staten Island Residents Sound-Off On USPS Plan At Public Hearing

A day in the life of Santa Monica Letter Carrier

Mail carriers aim to collect 1 million pounds of food

Postal worker's call prevents house fire

Letter carriers ask community to help 'stamp out hunger'

Jobs won't leave even if mail is sorted off Staten Island, postal workers told

IOWA: Bondurant sees end to post office impasse

USPS to hold public meeting in Arizona City

New Castle mail processing center under scrutiny by USPS

Postal carriers honored for safe driving

VA: Tiny Bath County post office will keep its doors

April 29, 2009

Chicago will have last 24-hour post office in U.S.

Soon Chicago will be the only city in the nation with full 24-hour postal service. New York's main post office plans on closing its overnight windows on May 9."Just about anything you can do at the counter, you can do at the automated postal center," said George Flood, spokesman for the U.S. Postal Service in the Manhattan area. He said the weak economy is to blame for shrinking hours of service at Farley as well as 10 other New York post offices.  |

25 chicks left at post office rescued
Letter : A novel way for Postal Service to cut costs
Mail Carrier Indicted On Mail Theft Charges
Letter carrier/robber sentenced
Residents grumble about North Port post office
Queens mail could get rerouted to Brooklyn
New Slim-Jim Standards to Kick In May 11
Don't close main Palm Beach post office, callers tell mayor

April 28, 2009

Another Delay for Intelligent Mail?

Court Favors APWU In Latest Round of AMS  Dispute

Mail Carrier Indicted On Mail Theft Charges

Swine Flu Guide for Federal Workers

Postal Service interested in selling historic Palm Beach post office

Soho: A Proposed Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

Macon man sentenced in beating of mail carrier

Hopkinsville Postal Worker Sentenced in Federal Court

Brazoria: Post office robberies connected

Air Force postal workers deliver pieces of home through mail

April 27, 2009

The OIG Wants to Know How You Feel about Sick Leave
The Postal Service cannot ignore the $1.4 billion spent on sick leave last year and recognizes that the best person to do the job is the person hired for it rather than a replacement. The Postal Service identified approximately 35,000 employees in 2008 with 20 or more unscheduled absences. That means 5 percent of its employees have nearly one absence for every paycheck! What is the impact on morale to the other 640,026 career employees? Is there something the Postal Service can do to reduce the number of unscheduled absences? We’d like to know how you feel about these issues.   |

APWU: Senate to Consider Legislation Giving Sick Leave Credit to FERS Retirees -The legislation would credit postal and federal workers with unused sick leave when determining the amount of their FERS annuity. Currently, only employees covered by the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) receive credit for unused sick leave. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has found that FERS employees approaching retirement use significantly more sick leave than CSRS employees.   |

Push for public access to New Deal murals found in Philly Post Office

Four seriously injured in crash with postal truck

April 26, 2009

Oakland APWU May Sue USPS Over Improper Involuntary Reassignments - Management waited until Monday, April 20 at 11:00 p.m. to advise a number of employees of the specific detail of reassignment.  The employees were given in some cases less than a week in which to report to new locations. Many of these individuals are being required to report as far away as Sacramento and Fresno and other locations, which will require them to move themselves and their families . The current agreement specifically provides that employees are entitled to not less than 60 days advance notice of such relocation.  |

Appeals Court Overturns MSPB Decision To Uphold Postal Worker’s Removal - Mr. Cunningham served as a Mail Handler.  On February 11, 2007, Mr. Cunningham and another Postal Service worker were involved in a physical altercation on postal property after work. After an investigation, Mr. Cunningham was issued a Notice of Proposed Removal based on charges of Improper Conduct/Violation of Zero Tolerance Policy. Because the MSPB Board erred in overturning a demeanor-based credibility finding by the Administrative Judge, the court reversed the decision |

Liberating the Postal Service (PDF)

Commentary by A. Lee Fritschler, former Chairman of PRC: "Government bailouts of high profile private corporations have obscured the fact that one of the largest government enterprises, the U.S. Postal Service, is also in dire financial straits. Its requests for immediate relief, however, should be turned into long term, and long overdue, reforms that will strengthen a great national institution for the future."  |

Federal Court Orders Postal Service To Reconsider Mailing of Illegal Animal Fighting Magazines - A federal judge has ordered the U.S. Postal Service to reconsider whether the mailing of certain animal fighting magazines should be banned by the Postal Service because they violate the federal Animal Welfare Act.  |

Tulsa leaders fight for post office

Postal service truck hits sheriff’s deputy
Elko: Debate over mail delivery continues
Man attempts to rob South Bend mail carrier
Former postal employee indicted for workers comp fraud

April 25, 2009

Murray Comarow, former executive Director of the President’s Commission on Postal Organization, responds via Postcom to the article Going Postal - The Imminent Death of the U.S. Postal Service?

As volume of mail decreases, Postal Service drops collection boxes

PRC: A Word From the Chairman

NAPUS Hotline

The USPS is actively evaluating various alternative vehicle technologies for the eventual replacement of our fleet of delivery vehicles. One technology with a good potential is an all-electric drive train. The majority of our vehicles have a route length of less than 20 miles and park overnight for approximately 16 hours daily.   |

Post office's blue boxes not safe at night
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service tells The Watchdog that those blue collection boxes outside post offices are no longer safe to use at night. Why? People are "using a device to pull letters back out of the collection box," spokeswoman Amanda McMurrey said. "Postal inspectors advise that if customers miss the last posted collection time on the blue collection box, they should consider waiting to deposit the mail until the next day or go into the post office to deposit the mail," she said.  |

Gamefly Accuses USPS Of Preferential Treatment For Netflix and Blockbuster  GameFly has asked the Postal Service to give GameFly’s DVD mailers processing on terms and conditions comparable to the terms and conditions offered to two larger DVD mailers, Blockbuster and Netflix. The Postal Service has not done so.    |

Florida Rep. Calls for GAO Audit on Closing Polk Mail Center  |

City Wanted Post Office Building for Free - or for a Fee

Will Vehicle Cuts Really Help USPS?  |

Three local businesses open USPS kiosks

April 23, 2009

Federal Times: More Bad Numbers Ahead For USPS

- The Postal Service’s board of governors is meeting early next month to discuss, among other things, the financial results from the second quarter of 2009. There’s not much optimism about the numbers, considering USPS lost $384 million in the first quarter, which is traditionally the strongest of the year .  |

USPS ‘Clarifies’ Some Early-Retirement Deadlines

April 22, 2009

Chrysler Pushing New Minivans For USPS

Chrysler is celebrating Earth Day today by unveiling the first four of what will be a fleet of 250 battery-powered minivans for the U.S. Postal Service. The USPS will be using the vans for a variety of duties at locations around the country – including daily home delivery. The vans themselves are based on the concept Town and Country EV that was unveiled last Fall by Chrysler. However, because of the duty cycle used by the Postal Service, which generally amounts to only about 18-20 miles per day on a fixed route, these vehicles are being built without the range extender seen on the concept. Chrysler Debuts All-Electric Minivan   |

USPS Taps Optimization Software to Slash Transportation Costs

Generating more efficient mail routes helps the post office reduce fuel use by 615,000 gallons per year.  |

Rural carrier killed in crash with farm tractor

Authorities say Muncie trio makes mail theft a family affair

Letter carrier charged with theft of mail
Postal workers awarded for safety records

Detroit Letter Carrier Robbed at Gunpoint  

New Jersey postal worker accused of using stolen credit card info to steal $7,500

April 21, 2009

To Save the Postal Service, Congress Must Approve H.R. 22
A new PowerPoint slide show about H.R. 22, a bill of critical importance to anyone concerned about the Postal Service, is now available to local, state, and national officers for use at union meetings. The slide show explains the significance of H.R. 22 in staving off a financial collapse of the USPS. “We hope union activists will use the slide show to inform rank-and-file members about the legislation,” said APWU President William Burrus. “This bill is essential to the viability of the Postal Service — and to our jobs.   |

USPS To Reduce Fleet by 10,000 Vehicles
According to Donahoe, the year-end goal is to remove 10,000 vehicles from the existing fleet of 220,000 vehicles. This will involve transferring some 3,000 right-hand drive vehicles to rural routes, redistributing under-utilized vehicles to where they are needed, and selling surplus vehicles. Area and district offices also will re-evaluate their needs for administrative vehicles and share resources.   |

APWU Initiates Dispute Over USPS Failure to Furnish Notice of Changes to PS Form 1723   |

BookSwim: Netflix for books

Putting Off Retirement

April 20, 2009

USPS Seeking Contractor To Create New ID Cards For Postal Employees - All Postal Service career employees will be issued a uniform identification and access card that may be interoperable with Postal Service physical access control systems (PACS) depending on the PACS type. It will be the official identification of the Postal Service and allow for entry to all Postal Service facilities (based on an employee’s access needs)  |

 Don’t sweat EEOC complaint after discipline if you can prove process was fair - Kent Neely, who is black, worked for the U.S. Postal Service handling mail. Neely, however, struggled with attendance; he was late or absent 83 times one year. When he was warned he could be terminated if his attendance didn’t improve, he filed a discrimination complaint, alleging his female supervisors were harassing him because he turned down their romantic overtures.

APWU-Led Consolidation Protests Gather Steam, Gain Public Support  |

Changes coming for Lafayette's mail delivery  |

Mail carrier signs, seals and delivers 50 years of service |

The Postal Service's Green Initiatives

Postal contract worker accused of theft

Post Office Robbers Caught

Mail Bans, Postal Woes

New Deal art filled post offices

Postal Service offering $50,000 reward for info about Jacksonville robbery attempt

April 19, 2009

Going Postal - The Imminent Death of the U.S. Postal Service?

For all its inability to stay in tune with changing consumer trends, technology advances, a warming planet and a deep economic crisis, the leadership of the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) might as well have given all their mail carriers Hummers to drive on their appointed rounds in recent years. As it turns out, the USPS and Hummer’s parent company, General Motors, have a lot in common these days. A better idea would be to recognize the failure of USPS senior management, and do to it, for far more justifiable reasons, what the White House has recently done to the senior management of General Motors: Change it.The ever-optimistic USPS senior management, starting with Postmaster General Potter, continues to make hallucinatory predictions that mail volumes will magically recover once the economy recovers.1 It is hard to find any industry expert outside of the USPS management or its union leaders who agree with Potter’s math, or the logic underlying it.   |

Lysander Spooner and the United States Postal Monopoly

State lawmakers keeping postal workers busy and mailbags brimming

April 18, 2009

WV Congressman Working to Maintain Six-Day Mail Service

Norristown man held for trial in beating, robbery of postal carrier

UPS, DHL end negotiations over $1 billion contract

April 17, 2009

USPS Cancels Associate Supervisor Program

On April 10, 2009 Susan M. LaChance, Vice President Employee Development & Diversity, USPS notified the Managers, Human Resources, Area that the Associate Supervisor Program (ASP) is being canceled because of the current business conditions.   |

One of the Oldest Mail Carriers In The Country To Receive Award - At 83 years old, Rudy Tempesta is the oldest active letter carrier in North Carolina and one of the oldest in the country, and on Tuesday will be recognized for a unique accomplishment very rarely given to octogenarians: no motor vehicle accidents in 60 years.   |

April 16, 2009

April 15, 2009

APWU: 'Summer Sale’ Will Discount Our Future

In response to declining mail volume and deteriorating financial circumstances, the Postal Service has announced plans for new price incentives for major mailers. The Summer Sale follows on the heels of another discount bonanza, the Saturation Mail Incentive Program, which proposes a rebate of 2.2 to 4 cents per piece on “incremental business” during the 12-month period beginning May 11.I am sure the officials and shareholders at Pitney Bowes, National City Bank, LL Bean, and other major mailers appreciate the savings generated by reduced postage, but the United States Postal Service is the loser. Perhaps they will nominate PMG Potter for Man of the Year; but I nominate him for _______________. You fill in the blank. USPS: New Incentive Program for Saturation Mailers |  Postcom Runs Numbers for Summer Postage Discount Program  |

Editorial: Last-minute filers will find post offices closed tonight
U.S. Postal Service gets a thumbs down for not staying open late tonight. Blame the economy. As in the private sector, the federal government is keeping closer tabs on overtime. But cutting back on service must be weighed against consumer complaints.  Late Tax Returns, Angry Tax Payers After Post Office Closes |  Tax Day lines dwindle at post office  |  

NALC: Voluntary Retirement Update  |

USPS Signs 68,000-SF Lease in Las Vegas

USPS plans to test the LTL market

Despite rally, Postal Service planning to move some processing off Staten Island

April 14, 2009

Summer Postal Rate Rollback May Make Big Mailers Big Winners

 "If a proposed test rollback of mail rates this summer goes through, listen for the sound of corks popping in Plano, TX. That’s because J.C Penney Co., which makes its headquarters there, was the biggest mailer during summer 2008, and stands to reap the largest benefit. While the details of the program are still being worked out, discounts are expected to be between 20% and 30%. Mailers Like Postal Discount Idea, Balk at Timing | Catalog Mailers Like Mailing Discount, Probably Won’t Use It "  |

Postal Service users face bulk mail delays

Video: Effort to stop junk mail meets resistance

Nashville man convicted of robbing postal worker

USPS Delivers a New Discount

E-filing of taxes takes strain off postal service

April 13, 2009

April 12, 2009

Pinehurst post office hours cause emotional mail storm   |

April 11, 2009

Spam Replacing Postal Junk Mail?   |

April 10, 2009

 USPS Playing 'Let's Make a Deal'
"To counteract it's declining revenues, the U.S. Postal Service is rolling out incentives to certain organizations that increase the number of items they mail. Postal officials are reportedly working on a "Summer Sale" program to encourage businesses and non-profit groups to send more direct mail, catalogs, and other Standard-class mail this summer. Sources say it would offer rebates of 20% to 30% for mailers that increase their Standard mail during July, August, and September of this year." USPS Proposes 'Summer Sale' For Many Standard Mailers   |

April 9, 2009

Two USPS VPs Announce Retirements - USPS Names 4 New VPS

Tony Pajunas, who has served as vice president, Network Operations, since 2006, will retire in May. Kathleen (Kathy) Ainsworth, who was named vice president, Retail Operations, in February, 2008, will retire in July after 34 years of service. New VPs via postcom.org: Vincent DeVito is the new vice president, controller; Anthony Morrow will serve as acting vice president, Finance and Planning and Tim Healy is the new vice president of Retail Products and Services and Jordan Small assumes the expanded role of vice president of Delivery and Post Office Operations. Updated:  USPS Names Two New Acting Vice Presidents  |

MSPB Affirms Firing Of Postal Worker With No Prior Discipline For Irregular Attendance - On May 30, 2008, the appellant filed a Board appeal challenging his removal. After holding the appellant’s requested hearing, the administrative judge issued an initial decision affirming the removal. She found that the agency proved its charge, i and that the penalty of removal was reasonable and promoted the efficiency of the service. In her analysis of the penalty, the administrative judge referred to testimony from the deciding official that she had considered the appellant’s 14-day suspension in making her penalty determination. The administrative judge found that the deciding official’s consideration of the appellant’s prior disciplinary record was consistent. The 14-day suspension was removed in arbitration.   |

NAPUS: PRC Monitoring USPS Post Office Suspension Process

April 4, 2009

Postal Financial Reform and Beyond, By Stephen Musacco   |

Rhode Island: Postal Service to trim 30 jobs across region   |

NAPUS Hotline: VERA, Privacy of Public Records....   |

Tulsa postal closure defies customer survey results

A legendary mailman's final day

April 3, 2009

APWU Local President Warns Postal Clerks About Falsification Of PO Box Distribution Time - by Stephen Lysaght, President, East Bay Area Local #47.  I encourage any member required to falsify the time by which all committed mail is distributed to report it to your Shop Steward or the Union Office. Supervisors and managers should be held accountable and punished for fraud, just as any bargaining unit employee would be.  |

USPS on the lookout for Protestors mailed teabags  |

USPS to kick off market test for less-than-truckload network  | '

April 2, 2009

Postal Service Closing Three REC Centers, Eliminating 1,490 Jobs - The US Postal Service says it's closing three mail processing centers and eliminating approximately 1490 jobs in (Charleston) West Virginia, (Fort Wayne) Indiana and (Glendale) Arizona. Centers in Wichita, Kan., and Salt Lake City will remain open. The cuts will save approximately $4.9 million.  Postal Service closing Glendale coding center | Charleston Center | Fort Wayne Encoding Center   |

USPS Agrees To Make Changes in Timeline For District Consolidations and EAS Impacts - An agreement was reached on 04/02/09 with the USPS to make changes in the timeline for District consolidations and other EAS impacts. USPS Agrees to Slow Down District Consolidations | USPS Revised timeline (PDF)  |

Woman charged with punching out New York Postal Worker  |

The Next Postal Rate Hike: Less Than 1%?

It's Time For Another Postal Product Epiphany (Business Reply Mail)

Postal Service plans to cut Idaho backcountry airman's route

Study: Relocation of mail sorting would save $1.5 million

Woman charged in S. Minn. post office bomb threats

Postcard Mailed In 1950s Finally Arrives

TSP funds come back to life in March

APWU Members Urged to Join Marrow Donor Program

Politically Direct: Economic Pinch Impacts USPS

Postal workers honored

Ex-postal worker pleads guilty to theft

April 1, 2009

House Approves Bill To Give Sick-Leave Credit to FERS Retirees - The House of Representatives approved legislation on April 1 that would give employees covered by the Federal Employees’ Retirement System (FERS) credit for unused sick leave when calculating their retirement benefits. The Federal Retirement Reform Act of 2009 (H.R. 1804), introduced by House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Edolphus Towns (D-NY), was approved by a voice vote.  |

San Francisco Passes First ‘Do Not Mail’ Resolution in Nation

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors passed a resolution calling on California to create a Do Not Mail Registry giving its citizens the choice to stop receiving unwanted junk mail. Though non-binding, the resolution represents the first time American lawmakers have withstood pressure from the direct mail industry and the U.S. Postal Service to side with the majority of Americans.  Workers and Small Business Oppose San Francisco's Job-Killing Do Not Mail Proposal  |

 Awarding Winning Postmaster Indicted for Stealing $42,374

The former PM was the first female president of the city's Chamber of Commerce. In 1999 she received the "I Believe I Can Fly" award for outstanding performance as an employee of the U.S. Postal Service. In 2000 she was named Woman of the Year by Missouri Business and Professional Women.  |

Albany post office paying $10K a month for storage

The U.S. Postal Service has paid $10,000 a month for years to store old equipment in a building it leases  in Albany, Oregon. Initially, carriers worked out of the building at 2995 Ferry St. S.W. after advanced sorting machines were installed around 2000. Soon after, however, the entire operation closed down. Since then, the building has been used only for storage, said Ron Anderson, the customer relations coordinator in charge of the Portland Postal District. |

Letter Carrier Pleads Guilty To Delaying, Opening Mail

Payson postmaster charged with DUI

Move plans on hold for Milton mail carriers

Postal Service reschedules public hearing on potential consolidation

Small Parcel Shippers Shocked by USPS Rate Hike

Opinion: Congress must let Postal Service change
Three Manhattan Post Offices Could Close This Year
Postal Service Confirms Closure of Lakeland Processing Center
Letters’ link soon to be lost?

Iowa Post Office to Close its Doors

She's going fishing: rural postal carrier to retire

Elko: Delivery not delayed by changes
State employee information lost in the mail