Postal Reporter - Postal News

Statement of NALC President On Compliance with National Agreement - Let Let me make the following clear to one and all, including Postal Service management at headquarters and in the field, and all letter carriers, at every level in the union and in every post office: No one, at any level, has any authority to amend or violate the national contract, period. PMG Potter memo on honoring contract (PDF). It is up to each one of us to make sure that the changes we bring to the organization are changes for the better,” Potter recently wrote. Respecting and protecting the provisions of the collective-bargaining agreements will help us to do that |

NALC: There Are No Plans To Eliminate Six-Day Delivery

USPS: Declining Mail Volume Leads to Route Adjustments

Report: Employment of Veterans in the U.S. Postal Service - FY 2007

PRC Annual Report: Postal Execs Compensation

USPS Says It Needs To Eliminate 9,200 City Carrier Routes in FY 2009

Postmaster, Supervisor Groups Reject Pay Freeze (PDF)

Tight Times Strain Postmasters

USPS, APWU Reach Tentative Agreement On Four-Day Workweeks

USPS Wants Commercial Outdoor Advertising On Its Property

USPS to Implement Two Tour Initiative Nationwide

Re: Postal Employees Ordered to Stop Offering First-Class Mail

PMG Urges Leaders of Employee Organizations To Work With USPS

Flashback: Postal 1992 VER Cost $1.01 Billion

USPS To Launch Nationwide Program To Track Revenue Performance Of Window Clerks

Postmaster General Cautions of Perfect Economic Storm

Connecticut Congressman Presses Postal Service for Answers Regarding Meriden Route Changes

Appeals Court Upholds Firing Of Postal Carrier For Unsafe Driving

GAO: New Delivery Performance Measures Could Enhance Postal Managers’ Pay for Performance Program

Postal Manager Demoted Over Violation of NALC Contract?

Postal Worker's Self-Defense Claim Can't Save Job

NAPS Challenges USPS Network Plan, Questions USPS Outsourcing

USPS Posts $1.1 Billion Loss For Third Quarter

House Passes FERS Sick Leave Legislation

GAO: Data Needed to Assess the Effectiveness of USPS Outsourcing | Watchdogs question US Post Office outsourcing system

USPS Names Two Postal Execs To New VP Slots

USPS Releases Details Of Voluntary Early Retirement Offer

Burrus: Employees Would Be Best Served by Postponing Early-Out Decisions

NALC: Young Urges Congress to Reject Study for 5-Day Delivery

USPS Early Out Offer Excludes ETs - No Cash Incentives

PMG Potter Announces Reorganization At USPS Headquarters

House Committee Approves Study On Ending Saturday Mail Delivery

EEOC: Postal Worker Was Not Provided Smoke-Free Vehicle

ASFM-100 Work Awarded Back to Clerk Craft at Trenton P&DC

Court of Appeals Keeps Alive 14-Year-Old Lawsuit Against NALC

Postal Service Selects First-Ever Vice President of Sustainability

Video: Postal Workers Protest Terrorism On The Job

EEOC Rules USPS Must Process Class Action Complaint For Rehab Postal Employees

OPM Submits Proposal To Create Short-Term Disability Insurance Program

To Err Is Not Human for Demoted Postal Supervisor

USPS Resolves Dispute With Unions Over Computer Security Rules

USPS Selects Former Halliburton Executive As New CIO

Proposed FMLA Rule Changes Would Be Major Defeat For Workers

APWU: Proposed FMLA Regulations Threaten Medical Privacy, Other Protections

Bush Administration Seeking Changes To FMLA Regulations

USPS to Add Surcharge for Express Mail Delivery on Sundays and Holidays

Big Pay Increases Approved For Top Postal Service Officers

Letter: Expeditor dies after on the job fall in Denver parking lot

Postal Workforce Stats At A Glance

USPS Retail Cost Cutting (PDF)

Postal Watchdog Files Complaint Over USPS Elimination of Bound Printed Matter Rate -

Former Postal Public Affairs VP Jaffer Starts Own Consulting Business

Former Postmaster Wins Hostile Workplace Lawsuit - But No Money

USPS Wants To Automate Road Tests

Postal Service Updates Its Transformation Plan

EEOC: Postal Worker Has Claim For One-Time Incident of Discriminatory Harassment

Postal Worker Fails to Convince Appeals Court to Overturn APWU-USPS Settlement

Appeals Court: Evidence of Disability for Disability Retirement

NALC’S Young: Good Cop/Bad Cop - Right Here In The USPS

Rollout of PostalPEOPLE Initiative Completed

APWU: Casual Issues Disputed At National Level (PDF)

click here to read the award (PDF) | A Short Comparison of USPS Contracts With APWU, NPMHU, NALC and NRLCA |

Flat Sequencing System (FSS) Strategy

May 31, 2009

OIG Says USPS Relocation Rules Were Not Violated In Purchase Of Employee’s Million Dollar Home - The OIG responds to a request by Senator Charles Grassley, Ranking Member of Committee on Finance to evaluate USPS' relocation benefits program. Based on review of the documentation associated with this relocation action, as well as controlling regulatory authority, the Office of Investigations did not substantiate the allegation that relocation rules were violated. |

APWU Publishes List of Non-Members Who Expressed Negative Reasons For Not Joining Union - In March I sent a letter to non-members, requesting that they join the union. Approximately one thousand decided to join, returning their signed applications; others chose to share their negative views about the union in the postage-paid envelopes supplied by the APWU. |

USPS OIG Audit: High-Risk Contract Postal Units

Host Post Offices, which are the post offices responsible for overseeing CPUs, did not provide sufficient oversight of the CPUs we reviewed, including collecting debts and putting information into the financial system. |

Letter To The Editor: Postal service better run in the past

..we forget that before 1969, the U.S. Postal Service was a government agency funded by appropriations, as are all other federal agencies. Post Office employees were treated as federal civil service employees, with comparable pay and benefits. Moreover, I wonder how many postal executives receive compensation greater than that of the U.S. Secretaries of state and defense? Perhaps the solution to the Postal Service's financial problems is to return it to the former system, in which service was the primary concern, rather than having to make money to pay for itself. |

Postal workers band together to clean up home of one of their own

Sunday morning brought an outpouring of compassion for a retired Algiers postal worker who was in serious need of help. Cleveland struggles with health problems and is unable to bend over to clean up his house. His former co-workers at the Algiers station saw Bill Capo's Action Report last week and wanted to help. In all, around 35 postal workers showed up, plus five retirees. |

Businesses tossing junk mail for more direct marketing

Budget cuts close San Leon's US Postal Service

Man Tries To Rob Post Office, Threatens To Detonate Bomb

May 30, 2009

50 years later, mail man still on job

When Ford Weatherford took a part-time job in 1959, he didn't realize it was the start of a 50-year career with the postal service. |

NY: State's first 'Green' postal truck in Huntington Station

Candidate's mail goes undelivered; probe launched

Postal worker hailed for kindness to customers

Former mail carrier gets three months for gift card theft

Town wins fight to keep post office

Rising costs make mailing efforts less popular

Postal service cuts funds that promote food drive

Idaho Courier Survives Postal Cost-Cutting

It's Time for the Postal Service to Wake Up and Smell the Coffee

May 29, 2009

USPS Reports Financial Loss For April 2009

The US Postal Service filed its April 2009 (unaudited) preliminary financial report yesterday with the Postal Regulatory Commission. USPS reported a net income/ loss of $385 million. Mail volume was down across all classes with an overall total decrease of 14.8%. The Postal Service continues to reduce its workhours with Mail Processing and Customer Services/Retail showing the highest reduction of 15.1% and 13.1% respectively. |

Too “Injured” to Sell Stamps, but Drywall and Hardware? No Problem!

a postal supervisor observed one of his employees, a Sales and Service Associate, working as a cashier at a home improvement store. Second jobs are not uncommon, especially in these economic times. But this employee was unable to work her postal job due to a claimed on-the-job injury to her right knee in March 2008. |

Northern Tier (PA) mail truck catches fire

Bandit dressed as postal worker robs check cashing store in Brooklyn
Letter carrier: Senators should support Employee Free Choice Act

Ex-Postal Supervisor sentenced for stealing $57,000 |

It's All in the Box: Priority Mail Flat Rate Boxes Simplify Shipping

Bob Hope honored on postage stamp

May 28, 2009

Develop Next Generation Postal LLV Using Stimulus Money for Electric Vehicles

by Erik Toomre of Mobility Future LLC -The USPS has demonstrated leadership with the size and mix of its alternative fuel fleet. It is in the national interest to make a highly efficient all-electric postal vehicle. Use stimulus money to create, test and validate “ideal” electric LLV to set specifications for lowest lifecycle cost replacement LLV in 2015.Timing is Perfect to use Stimulus $ for USPS Development & Trial prior to Mass Replacement. Also Electric Drive Vehicles For Mail Delivery: Identifying Key Issues. |

Post office refuses to deliver mail on one way street

PM says letter carrier would be required to make left-hand turn- Residents of Ocean Avenue Extension ante up their complaints over the town's decision to make the street one-way, as the York Village Post Office now refuses to deliver their mail. The post office will no longer deliver mail to Ocean Avenue Extension, said York Village Postmaster William Monagle, because to do so would require the driver to make a left-hand turn. Monagle said the U.S. Postal Service has a policy not to create new left-hand turns on its routes. |

Letter Carrier babysits while grandma, neighbor douse fire

Earlier this month, Steve Behling, a part-time rural route driver for the Laporte Post Office, went beyond the famous motto. |

Political candidate. and postal employee, under fire for violating Hatch Act

Zip code change riles Queen Creek residents

Mail carrier robbed at gunpoint

Graham Postal Worker Works A Million Miles

Newcastle to Postal Service: We're not Renton!

Postal Worker Loses Job, Gets Prison for Filing false information on tax returns

Postal Worker sentenced for false military leave claims

May 27, 2009

Postal Service Pursues Hassle-Free Consolidations

By shifting some mail handling from the Bronx to Manhattan recently, the U.S. Postal Service did an end run around union opposition and Congressional interference. Postal officials are increasingly using similar tactics around the country to bring about much-needed consolidation of their dropship network without stirring up local opposition. So far this year, flat mail has been redirected from six towns in Oklahoma, four in Pennsylvania, and facilities in New Hampshire, Connecticut, Tennessee, Mississippi, Arizona, and California -- in addition to the Bronx. Why USPS Must Consolidate Its Mail-Processing Network |

Rasmussen: 74% Say $1 Postage Stamp Likely in Next 10 Years
Seventy-four percent (74%) of Americans say it is at least somewhat likely that the price of a first class postage stamp will be $1 or more within the next 10 years. Forty-six percent (46%) say it’s Very Likely. |

USPS Responds to GameFly Complaint, Denies Giving Preferential Treatment to Blockbuster - The Postal Service strongly denied that it is providing preferential treatment, and claims that while it once manually sorted DVD mailers without charging a fee, its policy is now to sort all discs using automated machines. |

Postal Worker Honored For 54 Years Of Safe Driving

NY: Landlord's unpaid utility bill closes Childwold Post Office

WV Contract Mail Carrier Sentenced for Mail Heist

Elma businessman admits $350,000 postal scheme

Postal worker sentenced in fraud case

Postal Service offers free Military Care Kits

May 26, 2009

Bill To Rehire Federal Retirees Faces Uphill Battle

A bill that would allow agencies to rehire retired employees won approval of a Senate committee last week. But, despite measures designed to appease unions, it still faces opposition from labor groups. The bill would create a five-year pilot program allowing agencies to rehire retirees and pay them their full salary and their full annuity. Currently, personnel rules don’t allow retirees to collect their full salaries and annuities without special waivers from the Office of Personnel Management. The Senate bill would allow agencies to rehire retirees without having to get such waivers. |

Hey Wait a Minute Mr. Postman

Letter Carrier in Brooklyn Heights caught on tape showing how not to deliver a parcel... |

PA: School Bus crashes into Brogue post office

May 25, 2009

USPS Bay-Valley District To Implement Phase 2 of The National Reassessment Process - From Fred Jacobs, Oakland APWU President- the Bay-Valley District received Phase 1, National Reassessment Process (NRP) validation on May 8, 2009. A Phase 2 briefing meeting has been scheduled with the Unions and Management on Wednesday, May 27, 2009. Phase 2 will include: Evaluating the “necessity” of specific job duties; interviewing partially recovered employees; and then either renewing their existing job offer, providing new job offers, or referring the employees to OWCP. ..employees who are not given job offers will be provided with Forms CA 2a and CA7 (“Recurrence of Disability” and “Claim for Compensation”) and then sent home. |

USPS To Offer Greeting Cards In Post Offices

"The United States Postal Service (USPS) will partner with a supplier who has NATIONAL DISTRIBUTION AND WAREHOUSING CAPABILITIES to introduce a range of greeting card formats to be sold at postal retail locations." |

Memphians find warnings in mailbox instead of mail

Jocelyn Agnellini only gets her mail a couple times a week. The post office says when a car is parked in the proximity of her mailbox; they will not deliver her mail. On those days she finds a note in her mailbox explaining why she has no mail."So they're taking the time to put the note in the mailbox but they won't put the mail in the mailbox," says Agnellini. |

Postal Carriers Honored For Lifesaving Efforts

While working their regular routes, Robert Powell and Geraldine "Mikey" Showack-Pino found themselves in unique circumstances: In separate incidents in April, they rushed to the aid of two township residents who had collapsed and were unable to call for help. |

Augmented Reality Plays Role in Pushes for Postal Service

This week, the Postal Service will start running an ad campaign that touts a flat-rate shipping fee for its Priority Mail service. The online portion of the ad effort includes a "virtual box simulator" on the prioritymail.com site. The simulator allows consumers to hold an object, such as a cup or a book, in front of a Webcam and use the resulting 3-D image to determine the right size box for shipping the object. |

May 24, 2009

Rural Ypsilanti residents get creative to ensure mail delivery

New Deal artwork adorns post offices across the country

Shanksville post office chief helps tell Flight 93 story

Postal worker pleads guilty in weapons case

May 23, 2009

USPS Mail Dispute Settled

Slidell postal worker guilty in theft of mail

Postal Service considers relocation of Quincy operation to Syracuse

Downtown Pasco post office faces possible closure

Norwich post office lauds 'humble hero'

At 121, Lacoochee Post Office is small-town information hub

May 22, 2009

Congressman Asks For Investigation Of USPS Falsifying Carriers' Timekeeping Records -In a letter sent Thursday, U.S> Rep Paul Hodes said the New Hampshire branch of the National Association of Letter Carriers has filed grievances at post offices in Milford and Manchester. He said the grievances cite the adjusted number of hours worked of letter carriers in more than 800 instances, deducting close to $12,000 from their paychecks. |

Postal Service Suspends Postmasters' Convention Leave

The Postal Service has decided to suspend Postmasters convention leave effective May 31, 2009 for the remainder of FY 2009 and FY 2010.Postmasters League President Responds To PMG over convention leave | NAPUS Sounds Off On USPS Suspending Postmasters Convention Leave |

Postal Service To Pay Less For Homes To Relocate Workers

The U.S. Postal Service will reduce the amount it pays for homes of employees who are relocating in the wake of a CNN investigation that found it was buying large homes for more than $1 million. The new policy, which is expected to take effect June 14, will set a limit of $800,000 for a home. The limit is now $1 million, but before February there was no maximum. |

House Panel Action on HR 22 Delayed, Congressional Interest In 5-Day Delivery Begins To Grow - NAPS - The House postal oversight subcommittee yesterday postponed approval action on emergency legislation to provide financial relief to the Postal Service. The delay is due to continued wrangling by Congressional supporters of the relief legislation with the Congressional Budget Office over how much the postal legislation will actually cost. HR 22 Should Be Law By Year's End |

Binghamton: Postal Consolidation Fears

Lawmakers urge halt to closure of New Castle (PA) mail facility

Where are all the catalogers?

Catalog Industry Broken

Maggie Simpson Wins Stamp Poll

May 21, 2009

USPS: We Can No Longer Afford 6-day Mail Delivery

William P. Galligan, a USPS senior vice president said yesterday that USPS "is prepared for strong congressional opposition to the five-day proposal, but he thinks it must be done. In the simplest words I can find, we can no longer afford the costs of six-day mail delivery," he said. "In my mind, it is no longer a question of if, but rather when, will economics require this change," he said." Potter Predicts Five-day Mail Delivery | USPS' Push To End Saturday Delivery |

Former Michigan Postal Worker Sentenced For Hoarding Mail

US Postal Service employee wins EPA award

NAPS: Function 3B (Maintenance) Restructuring

Chicago to lose last 24-hour post office
Watertown: Postal unions vow to battle consolidation

May 20, 2009

GAO: Network Rightsizing Needed to Help Keep USPS Financially Viable (PDF) - Maintaining USPS’s financial viability as the provider of affordable, high-quality universal postal service will require actions in a number of areas, such as (1) rightsizing its retail and mail processing networks by consolidating operations and closing unnecessary facilities and (2) reducing the size of its workforce. Further, rightsizing USPS’s retail and mail processing networks is needed to eliminate growing excess capacity and improve efficiency—action that is critical to maintaining affordable postal rates and streamlining USPS’s workforce, which generates close to 80 percent of its costs. USPS has consolidated operations through attrition and currently has about 160,000 employees eligible for retirement. Federal Subcommittee Testimony On Postal Service's Cuts in Operations and Network |

Burrus Assails USPS Response to Financial Crisis

The union president also condemned many of the USPS’ cost-cutting efforts. “Actions such as plant consolidations, employee reassignments in large numbers, [and] reduced retail hours are having a detrimental effect on service, and in many cases generate little or no savings,” he said during a hearing held by the House Subcommittee.. The cost-cutting initiatives are undermined by the Postal Service’s flawed rate strategy, Burrus testified, which “dramatically reduces revenue from major mailers without a corresponding reduction in service. USPS Vows it Won't Cut Service |

Liberating the Postal Service

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. In the case of the Postal Service, however, the fundamental problem is not money or credit, but its "business model" -- that is, the basic organization and purpose of the Postal Service. |

Gas prices are latest threat to USPS bottom line

Postal officials say the increases aren’t a problem yet. In fact, they are behaving normally: Fuel prices typically rise at the start of the summer driving season. But William Galligan, the Postal Service’s senior vice president for operations, said gas prices are cause for concern. |

USPS/NAPS May 2009 Consultative Minutes

Printed Direct Mail Declining

LL Bean Says Ye$ to Summer Sale

Providence: USPS cuts 24 local jobs as deficit looms

Calif.: USPS to hold meeting on Long Beach consolidation

Mail, packages scatter entire length of Indiana Toll Road

Arizona: Your Zip Codes May Change Soon

Utica: Postal workers criticize employer at hearing

The United States Postal Service & Power Company

Mail truck runs into creek, rural mail carrier dead

May 19, 2009

USPS OIG Suggests Using GPS Technology For Management Of City Letter Carriers Street Activities - More than 222,000 city letter carriers deliver mail for the U.S. Postal Service. In recent years, the U. S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General (OIG) Office of Investigations (OI) has found a small percentage of carriers engaging in misconduct, ranging from theft of time to inappropriate behavior, while delivering the mail. Management was not always aware of the misconduct for two main reasons. We also found opportunities for the Postal Service to use controls such as Global Positioning System (GPS) technology and the city letter carriers national labor agreement discipline and compensation provisions as options to thwart these occurrences. |

USPS OIG Issues Report On Allegations Of Fraud, Delayed Mail In the Philadelphia District - Of the 18 allegations, one was substantiated; seven were partially substantiated; and 10 were not substantiated. The details of the substantiated allegation involving report falsification of delayed First-Class Mai and Standard Mail is covered in a separate investigative report.1 The remaining findings resulted from process failures, not from conspicuously bad conduct or intentional actions to misrepresent conditions. Report backs Philadelphia Daily News 'Dead Letter' stories |

Was Postal Manager Justified in Having Police Escort Supervisor Out of Facility? - A Postal supervisor of distribution operations in Atlanta, Georgia alleged that she was discriminated against on the basis of reprisal . The Manager of District Operations (MDO) ordered the Supervisor to be physically removed from facility by police escort for failing to follow instructions. The EEOC Administrative Judge (AJ) found discrimination and ordered remedial action against the Postal Service. The Postal Service argued that the decision should be reversed on public policy grounds because the decision discouraged managers from exercising their authority to remove employees who repeatedly fail to follow orders, thereby endangering workplace safety. |

Mail Carrier Attacks Dog?

A man says a postal worker attacked his dog, and left his pet in agony. |

Police investigating Hastings Post Office robbery - Money removed from cash register while employees were in another part of the office |

Letter carrier shoulders a lot with five children

May 18, 2009

Potter Likes USPS' Chances Despite Recession

Throughout his introduction and three short panel discussions, Postmaster General John Potter remained adamant that the USPS would maintain and even improve its service levels, in spite of economic difficulties. "This is not a time for us to panic as an industry," Potter said. NPF: USPS financial situation drives morning panel | PMG Jack Potter Delivers National Postal Forum Keynote Address | Postal Service Expects Steeper Declines |

PMG Potter Names New Chief Postal Inspector And Finance VP

William Gilligan has been named Chief Postal Inspector. Since October, Gilligan has been Acting Chief Postal Inspector. Potter also announced the appointment of Stephen Masse as vice president, Finance and Planning. |

USPS issues final, more-inclusive 'summer sale' guidelines

The U.S. Postal Service has finalized its plans for a “summer sale” on commercial direct mail, offering discounts on increased volumes of bulk mail and opening up the program to previously excluded companies. The USPS’ final rule provides for a discount of 30% on that portion of standard mail letters and flats mailed from July 1 to Sept. 30, 2009, that is above an individual company’s determined average. |

Postal Cuts Rankle Rural Residents

Consolidation of mail carriers in Oconomowoc, West Bend, Oak Creek and elsewhere has stirred complaints that mail is being delivered late and that residents feel neglected. All told, more than 30 rural communities have seen their mail carriers transferred so mail sorting could be centralized. Mail still gets delivered in the rural areas, but it often comes later in the day because the carriers are no longer based locally.. Congressmen help convince the Postal Service to drop rural cost-cutting measures |

Editorial: The USPS needs help |

Smoking package found at Salem post office sparks evacuation

Postal worker attacked on route in Gaithersburg

USPS OIG: Business Reply Mail

Greening your mail cuts costs as well

Postal union questions consolidation plan

Letter: Resident witnesses Postal Service waste

FERS & CSRS Disability Retirement: Understanding the Complexities of the Law

May 17, 2009

Raw deal: Pennsylvania artwork now under USPS copyright

Charity beats mail carriers to donations

May 16, 2009

NAPUS Asks USPS: Why Incentives Not Offered With VER

NAPUS asked why the Postal Service was not recommending to OPM incentives for the new VERA? Many more postal employees would opt to retire. The USPS response was that to ask for incentives they would have to go though Congress mandating them to act on the request. In these financial down times with the Postal Service, this request was not pursued. | Comments (162)

Postal Rate Hikes Unlikely Next Year

Inflation numbers released today made it increasingly clear that postal rates are unlikely to increase for two more years. | Comments (23)

Small Kansas Town Fights To Keep Post Office
Postage increase makes for pricier nuptials

May 15, 2009

House Panel to Examine Postal Operation Downsizing

NAPS Legislative Update - The Postal Service is expected to announce its latest thinking on plans to cut operations and network costs on Wednesday, May 20, when the House postal oversight subcommittee holds a hearing on the hard choices and tradeoffs that underlie the preservation of the nation's mail system. Subcommittee Holds Hearing to Evaluate the Postal Service’s Cuts in Operations and Network |

Postal Worker Benefit Cuts in the Works?

NAPS Legislative Update - Although the Obama Administration has pulled the plug on initial proposals to bring postal service employee benefits in line with those of federal workers, it has signaled that it has not backed off of interest in potentially reducing postal employee benefits. |

APWU, Mail Hauler Agree to One-Month Contract Extension

Man sentenced to 3 years for dumping, hiding undelivered mail

Ohio: Rural Mail Carrier accused of ID theft

Attacking Bird Keeps Mail Carrier Away

Bowmansville Postal Carrier to the Rescue

May 14, 2009

APWU: Excessing: Know Your Rights
In response to significant reductions in mail volume and revenue, postal management is aggressively adjusting employee complements. These modifications are generating thousands of excessing notices to local unions and employees, indicating that junior full-time employees will be reassigned to other crafts or more distant facilities. Through collective bargaining, the union and management have established rules governing the reassignment of employees, and it is important that the rules be followed. Unfortunately, management seems to be engaged in a dangerous game of “chicken” with workers — hoping to reduce the complement by coercing employees to resign. Management is attempting to accomplish this insidious deed by “reassigning” employees to non-existent positions in facilities far from the employees’ homes. |

Reassigned Postal Workers Facing Big Financial Hardships

"The United States Postal Service – historically a dependable ladder into the middle class for African Americans – is experiencing an unprecedented decline in mail volume and revenue. As a result, thousands of postal workers nationwide are being laid off, reassigned to jobs that can be several hundred miles away or given the option to retire early." |

Arbitrator Reassigns Postal Supervisor For Violating Workplace Violence Policy - "Grievant asserts that Mr. Aldana told him to go back and get a gun because that is what thieves do when Grievant approached Mr. Aldana’s desk and requested PS Form 3996 for auxiliary assistance. PS Form 3996 is a form that Letter Carriers request from their Supervisors when the postal carrier thinks that he/she will require overtime to complete their mail responsibilities for the day. Grievant asserts that he felt threatened, intimidated and provoked by the comment." |

Five Massachusetts postal workers arrested on illegal prescription drug charges - According to police, the postal employees had obtained fraudulent prescriptions from a local doctor's office which they then filled at area pharmacies for narcotic pain killers. They used the drugs themselves, police said. Video: Postal workers caught in drug sting escorted to jail |

Ohio: Postal worker indicted for stealing credit card applications
Syracuse Ex-Postal Worker gets probation for workers comp fraud
Postal increase forces businesses to cut more

Truckload of mail found in carrier's home

Jenkins to try to keep its post office
R.R. Donnelley Stalks Quebecor World

p: 0; margin-bottom: 0; margin-left:7" align="left"> May 13, 2009

NALC Branch VP: Limited Duty Carriers Suffer The Ultimate Harm

the USPS has just launched their brand, spanking new “Limited Duty Pilot Program”. Thanks to this particular pilot, many of the Sierra-Coastal District’s already injured Letter Carriers are now suffering from new injuries that are being inflicted upon them by USPS Management. The good news is that this disastrous “Pilot Program” is only being tested in 4 USPS Districts in the entire country. The worst news is that USPS Management will probably embrace the havoc wreaked by the Pilot Program and eventually implement it across the nation. |

Chamber critical of postal merger

Postage increase produces long waits

Letter carrier accused of running over firefighter's foot

May 12, 2009

Former Postal Fleet Manager Charged In Kickback Scheme

The man charged with maintaining the postal service's fleet of vehicles in Northeast Ohio bilked the government out of about $190,000 for work that was never done and took kickbacks for selling vehicles for less than they were worth. Postal Manager Charged With Bilking USPS Out of $190,000 |

Postal Worker charged With Stealing/Selling $19,110 in Stamps On eBay to Help Pay Mortgage - Postal agents confronted John Auito on April 30 outside his home. He told agents that he typically sold the stamps at a 15 percent discount. Auito contacted people who had participated in stamp auctions on eBay. Auito is charged with stealing stamps that were being shipped to retailers in his delivery area. |

3rd Circuit: When Serving Post Office, Don't Rely on Mailbox Rule

Ontario postmark still on hold

Junk Mail's Endless Summer

USPS Launches National Enforcement Initiative Against Business Mailers

Despite rate increase, opportunities abound to deliver efficient, cost-effective direct mail campaigns

May 11, 2009

Obama Admin Halts Plans To Alter US Postal Workers' Benefits (Wall Street Journal) "Kenneth Baer, spokesman for the White House Office of Management and Budget, said the administration stalled the proposal because "we didn't want to propose anything that violated collective-bargaining agreements." Baer said following through with the proposal would have subjected the U.S. Postal Service to lawsuits. The administration is reviewing USPS workers' benefit policies. "A more comprehensive package of reforms will be coming down the pike," Baer said. |

NALC President Young Says Frequent Postage Increases Can Be Avoided - "Future postage rate increases could be delayed or even avoided on a regular basis if Congress would act to rescind some of the onerous financial shackles imposed on the Postal Service by the previous administration," Young said. |

Peel and Weep: First Class Stamps Rise 2 Cents

The post office wants two more pennies for your thoughts. The price of a first-class stamp for mailing a letter — or paying a bill — climbed to 44 cents Monday, though folks who planned ahead and stocked up on Forever stamps will still be paying the lower rate. |

Simpsons Stamps Rouse Ire

Rep. Mike Honda (D-Calif.) is not exactly delighted about seeing Homer Simpson and his family in the stamps that the U.S. Postal Service released last week. Honda wants the Postal Service to issue stamps honoring the estimated 20,000 Nisei, or second-generation Japanese Americans, who enlisted with the U.S. Army during World War II. The Postal Service issued the guidelines after it featured stamps honoring the Buffalo Soldiers in 1994. Since then, the USPS has been bombarded with requests from military groups to be also featured in stamps. David Failor, executive director of stamp services. “To honor one group of veterans over the other is not the right thing to do.” |

Postal service launches direct-mail promotional campaign

Using the very same tactics it recommends to marketers, the U.S. Postal Service has launched a direct-mail promotional and educational campaign touting the advantages of direct mail in a down economy. |

Monkeying Around With Postal Pallets

The Postal Service spends millions of dollars annually replenishing the supply of pallets, tubs, mailbags, and the like because so many get diverted to other uses each year. Pat Donahoe, USPS's COO, explained to the Mailers Technical Advisory Committee (MTAC) recently that, sometimes, getting the pallets back is no easy matter. |

More Than 3,500 sign petitions supporting Plant City, FL post office

May 10, 2009

Harrisburg museum delivers collection of post office art
Man plows into East Anchorage post office

Post Offices Closes, Town Mad

May 9, 2009

Lower mail volume forces Postal Service to regroup

Forever Stamps not lasting long

APWU Initiates Dispute Over Revisions to Contract Postal Unit Handbook

Postal workers in Arizona help find missing child

May 8, 2009

Picketers Protest Possible Post Office Closing In New Castle, PA

Postal Worker may have foiled bank robbery

APWU: H.R. 22 Gains Support From 25 More U.S. Reps

Man sentenced for stealing golf pro's ID - -Scam uncovered by Postal Worker

USPS mulls cost-cutting plan to sort letters in East New York

After Postal Plus closes, customer sorts own mail at Spring Hill post office |

The Simpsons Get ‘Stamping Ovation’ To Tune of 1 Billion Stamps

May 7, 2009

UPDATE: USPS Agrees To Pay Insurance Claim On Lost Laptops

After our story about USPS losing a reader's five insured computers then only valuing them at $74 generated a lot of response (and turned into a vowel-less debate on health care), a couple readers sent us the contact info for the insurance agent who denied our reader's request - USPS: Your Five New, Insured Laptops That We Lost Are Worth $74 - The US Postal Service lost five new Lenovo laptops that Pedro's friend bought and shipped to him. Pedro expected that this might happen, so he wisely insured the package for $3,000. After stalling for about two months, USPS finally agreed to pay his insurance claim, but reduced the payment, claiming his merchandise was only worth $74. |

Ex-police chief gets probation for DUI while driving for the Postal Service

Postal Service reconsiders; contract renewed for Idaho wilderness pilot
NY: Watertown AMP study suggests changes

Feeding America's Hungry

APWU Local in New Castle, PA to Picket Friday

USPS: Ve Haf Vays of Making You Use Our Barcode

Busted pipe damages 5,000 pieces of mail

Postal worker arrested for alleged misappropriation of funds

May 6, 2009

Postal Service Ends Second Quarter with $1.9 Billion Loss

The U.S. Postal Service ended its second quarter (Jan 1 – March 31) with a net loss of $1.9 billion, as the economic recession and longer-term financial pressures, such as the diversion of letter mail to electronic alternatives, continued to reduce mail volume and revenue. Despite aggressive actions to reduce costs and grow revenue, the Postal Service will likely face a cash shortfall of over $1.5 billion at the end of the fiscal year. The Postal Service has incurred net losses from operations in 10 of the last 11 fiscal quarters. The year-to-date net loss is $2.3 billion, compared to a loss in the same period last year of $35 million. Postal Service suffers more losses in second quarter | PMG Letter To Congress |

‘FMLA Restoration Act’ Introduced

A bill intended to reverse changes to the Family and Medical Leave Act regulations that were implemented just before President Obama took office has been introduced in the U.S. House. |

USPS Notifies APWU of Flu Guidelines

Letter carriers also accepting pet food in food drive

Are sales pitches by window clerks required ? |

Du Quoin Post Office Earns Perfect 100 on VOE

May 5, 2009

NALC: President William Young Announces Pending Retirement - NALC President William H. Young surprised many in attendance (at the 2009 National Rap Session) by announcing that he plans to retire soon - probably before the end of the year - at which time under the Constitution he will turn the reins of the union over to Executive Vice President Fred Rolando. |

Postal Workers Allege USPS Supervisor Treats Them 'Inhumanely' - Three postal workers have filed grievances alleging their supervisor denies the workers bathroom breaks and does not allow them to fill their water bottles before their routes, records show. The workers have filed complaints with the USPS Local Safety Office and the National Association of Letter Carriers saying Los Alamitos Post Office supervisor Maria Esparza treats them "inhumanely" and that their working conditions are unsafe. |

DOL Policy on FMLA Notice and Call-In Procedures

Wild USPS Mail Delivery Services

SF City Attorney Sues Postal Service on Behalf of SRO Tenants

Glendale REC: Postal detectives crack the case of messy, missing addresses

Redplum mailer lets marketers dissect why some mail practices are not ideal

Tax filers say post office didn't deliver on postmark

Drunk (UK) mailman threatens mayhem, grounded for half decade

May 4, 2009

News Experiment Finds Pricier Priority Mail Isn't Faster Than 42-Cent Stamp

The special-delivery service costs more than 10 times as much as first-class mail, but doesn't get a letter to its destination any faster in many cases. In eight of 10 tests conducted last month, letters sent priority and first-class were delivered to the same location on the same day. Even the cash-strapped Postal Service admits that paying $4.95 for a flat-rate priority envelope won't guarantee faster delivery than a 42-cent stamp. U.S. Postal Service sends junk mail |

No one at fault in rural mail carrier's death
Post office stamped out after losing lease

Small post offices hang in
As mail dwindles, post office struggles
As postal service swims in red ink, cost of sending mail to Mexico to jump nearly 10%

May 3, 2009

Irritation Rises At Old Stamping Grounds

The U. S. Postal Service now sells a stamp it calls “Forever” because it can be used regardless of what happens to postal rates. As far as Chris Parks is concerned, the stamp is appropriately named: Forever is how long it takes to buy a stamp at the post office. Managers, Mazurkiewicz explained, do not get contractually guaranteed raises like union represented workers. Their increases depend on meeting budgetary, employee and customer service goals. |

FedEx lawsuit alleges UPS 'most reliable' ad is false

May 2, 2009

Postal Workers and Paper Dust

"One of the drawbacks to the increasing mechanization of postal facilities is the increase in paper dust. The machines doing the grunt work loosen the dust and send it airborne where workers can breathe it in copiously. Contrary to what management and the union may say, paper dust can be a hazard to postal workers, causing and exacerbating respiratory problems. Sorting machines could also theoretically disperse contaminants (such as anthrax) intentionally sent through the mail into postal facilities, further adding to the risk of the job." | Comments (88)

NALC: Details of MOU Regarding Route Adjustment Process

A training document jointly developed by the NALC and the Postal Service (M-01703), which details the parties' mutual understanding of the provisions of the Memorandum of Agreement, Re: Modified Interim Alternate Route Adjustment Process - 2009 (M-01702), is now available. M-01703 | Comments (40)

It's Official: Postal Service Proposing 'Summer Sale'

The U.S. Postal Service late today released its long-rumored proposal for a "Summer Sale" that would provide postage rebates of up to 30% on certain direct mail and catalogs. PRC opens comment period on USPS 'summer sale' | Comments (23)

Mail Service Cuts Coming?

USPS: New TV Show for IT Solutions

eNAPUS: Congressional Budget Plan Recognizes Postal Challenge, But... (PDF)

Postal Inspectors Probes Security Breach

Postmaster sentenced for DUI

Postal Window retires after 48 years

Oregon wants Postal Service to delay stamp hikes in future

APWU: Slide Show Boosts Labor’s Top Priority

Red Cross honors mail carrier for saving Grandville family's dog from fire

Calif. postal worker opened cards, stole money

Go postal on buttleggers: Congress must shut down mail-order cigarette tax cheats

May 1, 2009

Pitbulls Maul Postal Carrier, Owner Laughs
David Holland owns the dogs and says they got loose through the back fence. He says neighbors should have told him they were loose... Holland was laughing and joking looking at the yard smeared with blood. Police say they have been called to the house 28 times and the history extends past today's two dogs. Investigators say their parents were put down. | Comments (72)

Waxman asks postmaster general about mailbox removals | Comments (2)

Pitbulls maul postal carrier

Mail carrier caught with meth

Bainbridge postal clerk missing

APWU: Arbitrator Grants Postal Nurses Raises, Job Security | Comment (1)

The Postal Service, whose carriers could be needed to deliver medications in a pandemic, has no antiviral medications stocked