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postal news archives»
05/17/12
Sen. Collins: USPS To continue operations at Eastern Maine facility, saving
150 jobs
Mid-Hudson mail facility to stay open for now
05/15/12
GSA Instructs Agencies to Presort Their Mail (PDF)
How Makers, Hackers, and Entrepreneurs Can Save the USPS
Iowa among top 10 states hit by reduced post office hours
Personal data for California home care workers, recipients lost in the mail
05/14/12
Postal Service Offering
$50,000 Reward In Robbery Case
USPS
Incents Commercial Mailers to Combine Mobile Marketing With Direct mail
Ex-postal carrier charged with fraudulently cashing $143,000 in disability
checks
05/13/12
Video: Postal food drive intercepted by
thieves
05/12/12
Video:
Postal big rig involved in deadly accident
Editorial: Capitol Hill, Slower Than Snail Mail
Postal workers can only wait, hope
Ohio postal workers accused of embezzling, throwing away mail
05/11/12
Teens Accused of Trying to Rob Postal
Worker in Detroit
05/10/12
APWU Urges
House: Address Postal Reform Now, Start With Senate Bill
The attention of lawmakers, postal workers and
customers shifted to the House after the Senate passed a bi-partisan postal bill
(S. 1789) on April 25, but, so far, House leaders have displayed no sense of
urgency in addressing the issue. As CNN Money reported on April 27, “Aides say
Republican leaders don’t feel pressured to take up the House bill right away,
because they’re not worried about postal closures.”
NAPS: When Will the House
Take Up Postal Reform? The plans
announced on Wednesday by the Postal Service to keep open thousands of rural
post offices has neutralized one of the most controversial provisions in the
House postal measure, backed by Congressman Darrell Issa (R-CA) and awaiting
floor action. Numerous problems with the House legislation yet remain, and
Republican House leaders have not yet signalled when they intend to bring the
Issa legislation to the floor, but it could come next month. Sen.
Carper: USPS Financial Losses Underscore Urgent Need for House to Act on Postal
Reform Legislation |
just when you thought it couldn't
get any worse: The Postal Service has a new plan for the post office
-
Save The Post Office - The Postal Service’s new plan —
awkwardly named "Post Office Structure Plan," or POStPlan — will reduce the
hours of operation at 13,000 small post offices from eight hours a day to six,
four, even two. And instead of staffing the post office with a career
postmaster, these offices will be run by a part-time worker with little or no
experience. It’s a deadly combination, and it will do more harm than good.
|
USPS Ends
FY Second Quarter With $3.2 Billion Lost – YTD $6.5 Billion
The Postal Service ended
its second quarter (Jan. 1 – March 31) with a net loss of $3.2 billion, compared
to a net loss of $2.2 billion for the same period last year. Despite ongoing
management actions that have grown and improved efficiency, the losses will
continue until key provisions of the Postal Service five-year business plan move
forward. The Postal Service continues to suffer from a severe lack of liquidity
caused by over $25 billion of cumulative net losses in the past five fiscal years which included $21 billion
of Congressionally-mandated payments for prefunding retiree health benefits NALC:
USPS reports that pre-funding accounts for $6.2B of the $6.5B in red ink. |
Video:
Postal workers put off by naked customers
Two
letter carriers are taking action against what they call a hostile working
environment. They say they are forced to deliver packages to unclothed
customers. It`s a culture clash between those who enjoy being naked and workers
who don`t want to see their nakedness. |
USPS Won't Ship iPads Overseas, And Techies Couldn't Care Less
05/09/12
Lawmakers React to News Of USPS
"POSTPlan"
Senator Sanders: Good News,
Bad News in New Postal Plan -
voiced reservations about a new plan to cut hours of operation.
Senator Carper Reacts to
PMG’s Announcement on Cost-Cutting Measures for USPS
- this solution doesn’t go far enough to encourage a responsible reduction in
its workforce.
Senator Baucus Skeptical of Postal Service Plan to Cut Office Hours
- , the proposal to cut hours does not make a dent in the Postal Services’
budget problems.
Senator Collins’ Reaction to
PMG’s Plans Regarding Small Post Offices
-I am cautiously optimistic that the Postmaster General has now devised a plan
that will help preserve some essential postal services for rural America,
|
New
Strategy to Preserve the Nation’s Smallest Post Offices
The
struggling U.S. Postal Service is trying to tamp down concern over its
wide-scale cuts, saying it will seek to keep hundreds of rural post offices open
with shorter hours.
List of Post Offices Affected
Under USPS New Plan |
Avalanche averted: Postal Service backs off plan to close thousands of post
offices| PMG
Announces POStPlan at Media Briefing
|
Updated: USPS offering $20,000 voluntary retirement
incentives to 21,000 postmasters -Postmasters
will have until June 22, 2012 to accept the offer and must agree to leave the
Postal Service effective July 31, 2012 |
PMG
Requests OIG Audit on Postal Employees Retirement Options
This report responds to a request from the
postmaster general. The Postal Service is analyzing the options available for
early retirement as it looks to reduce the size of its workforce. "|
Can
Part-Time Retirement Save USPS?
Govexec.com - As U.S. Postal Service representatives announced a
new plan for rural post office closures Wednesday, discussion continues on a
more comprehensive USPS overhaul. No matter the outcome or timeline for reform,
a lesser-known regulation already on the books could affect Postal Service
retirees’ pay and benefits in the near term.|
Fox News, Wrong Again In Story About USPS
The
piece is clearly designed to drum up support for a discredited House bill (H.R.
2309) sponsored by Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) and Rep. Dennis Ross (R-FL), and to
undermine support for a bill approved by the Senate on April 25. |
USPS, APWU Agreement Upgrades Level 6
Maintenance Support Clerks, Updates Staffing
Postal worker
wins $1 million from former NASCAR driver Mayfield in dog attack
05/08/12
USPS
Announces Final Postmaster Pay Package for 2011-2015
The revised pay package provides for a 9% increase
in contributions towards the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program (FEHP)
plan over a 3 year period, as opposed to a 9% increase over a two year period in
the original package. " |
Bring On
the Early Out – With Incentives
Burrus Journal - Something doesn’t add up. Congress has introduced
legislation authorizing the use of the retirement overpayment as incentives for
eligible employees to retire. The postmaster general repeatedly tells everyone
who will listen that he plans to reduce the work force through voluntary
retirements without replacing the employees, while tens of thousands of eligible
employees who meet the retirement eligibility await the announcement that
incentives are being offered. Yet, the USPS’ revenue is not sufficient to meet
its expenses. |
Missouri Letter
Carrier killed in head-on car crash
30-year-old Alanna Gierer was driving eastbound on the north service road when a
car pulling a U-Haul trailer in the westbound lanes of I-70 ran off the road and
struck Gierer head-on. " |
USPS
Ending Postal Employee Platinum Visa Card?
USPS is
ending its relationship with Chase Bank USA effective June 29, 2012. The website
postalemployeevisa.com is no longer working. |
APWU: Settlement Clarifies 204B Language
Senator Webb to PMG: Keep Post Offices
Open Until Postal Reform is Enacted
05/07/12
GOP Members of Congress Write to Boehner, Pelosi On Postal
Reform, Issa-Ross Responds -
Congressman Adrian Smith (R-NE) released the following statement after he and
sixteen Members of Congress sent a letter to Speaker John Boehner and Minority
Leader Nancy Pelosi regarding the Postal Service targeting rural postal
facilities as a means of addressing its massive budget shortfall: Issa-Ross:
"We will work with Representative Smith to enable him to offer an amendment
during floor consideration of H.R. 2309 that builds on the protections proposed
by Ms. Buerkle and further protects small post offices. A potential amendment
could place a permanent restriction in law stating that the Postal Service is
barred from closing no more than five percent of the total number of post
offices defined within Cost Ascertainment Group (CAG) K and L in any calendar
year." |
Northrop
Grumman Sues USPS Over $874M FSS Contract
Grumman claims USPS owes them $millions- Also
claims USPS breached the terms of the $412 million discount from the $1.3
Billion dollar contract (reduced to $874 million) . Plus, immediately following execution of the Production
Contract in February 2007 and continuing through the end of Program deployments
in mid-2011, the Postal Service improperly wrested design control from NGSC,
ignored the performance specifications on which the firm fixed-price Production
Contract had been based, persistently and pervasively imposed extra-contractual
design requirements on NGSC, and otherwise interfered with NOSC's performance. .
|
Burrus: To
Retire Or Not
Over the
past year, employees have been bombarded with information about the expectation
that the Postal Service would offer a $25,000 incentive to those eligible to
retire. This message has been targeted at the more than 100,000 employees who
have reached eligibility and it is assumed that an incentive will inspire them
to pull the trigger and that they will exchange their postal badge for a ticket
to leisure world. |
Looking back on postal reform: Where were you in 1976?
Save the Post Office - As the
debate over postal reform shifts to the House and the rhetoric
heats up a few more degrees, this might be a good time to take a
step back and look at a little history. In many ways, history
is repeating itself, and a look back may give us some sense of
where things are headed (or not). |
Going Postal
in Washington, D. C.
5 things feds should know about Roth TSP
05/06/12
Reform Bill an Important Step in
Preserving U.S. Postal Service
Postal reform is among the most
significant issues we will consider this year. It touches every
town and village, every person and every business across our
nation. The Postal Service’s universal service obligation – the
obligation to ensure that all Americans have access to an
affordable, efficient postal system in order to communicate with
one another – is among the most important obligations any agency
or department has. It sets the Postal Service apart from
private-sector firms that are under no obligation to serve all
markets. The Postal Service’s first obligation is not profit. It
is service. |
Iron Range town fighting for more than the
mail
Postal Service struggles; senator tilts at
windmills
It's Time for
Liberals to Rethink USPS Downsizing
05/05/12
Former Postal Inspector Sentenced To
Prison for Perjury and Obstruction of Justice
-
The Postal Inspector was sentenced
to one year and one day in prison, to be followed by two years
of supervised release and a $4,000 fine. On Jan. 26, 2012, McGonagle pleaded guilty to perjury and obstruction
of justice. |
Postal inspector helped deliver justice to The Bishop
Hundreds jam-pack Cuvier Club to fight for La Jolla legacy
Vehicles obstacles to postal service at Oak Lawn mobile home community
Editorial: Delivery time for postal bill
Letter carriers fear tax criminals
POSTNET
Barcode Discontinuation (PDF)
05/04/12
PMG: We Never Used the Word ‘Closure'
’In an interview
televised on C-SPAN on April 27,
Postmaster General Patrick R. Donahoe down-played the threat of
post office and mail processing plant closures and suggested no
major changes would take place anytime soon.“ ‘Closure’ is a
word we’ve never used,” he said. Really?|
Senator Collins Thanked By USPS IG For
Progress On Postal Reform
U.S. Senator Susan Collins, one of
the lead sponsors of bipartisan, comprehensive postal reform,
received praise for her leadership on the issue from the U.S.
Postal Service Inspector General. David C. Williams wrote to
Senator Collins to express his appreciation for her work to put
the Postal Service on a financially viable path. |
San Francisco Ex-letter carrier gets 4 years
for attacking supervisor who fired him
-
A former letter
carrier for the U.S. Postal Service was sentenced today to four
years in state prison for ramming his former supervisor with a truck
near his Albany home seven months after the supervisor fired him.
Police said Lu and Bustamante both worked at a post office branch
in San Francisco and that Lu had worked for the Postal Service for
15 years before he was fired.|
Board of Governors Chairman and PMG To Release
Plans for USPS Soon
We hear plenty of opinions about
how to move forward, but there is no doubt that we need to
resolve our business model issues quickly.. |
APWU, USPS Agree On New Lead Clerk Jobs
The APWU and USPS agreed to job
descriptions for new Lead Clerk positions on May 4, and agreed
to the process for posting and bidding the new positions. |
Romney rips 'unfairness' of federal pay, benefits
Postal Service officials keep pressing for
their own reform plan
Editorial:
Solve it- Congress has to find ways to help post office save itself
The U.S. Postal Service is doing
a little better (uh-oh)
Days Before Death Junior Seau
Celebrated Life of Postal Carrier at memorial
Postal Service ad creates national
buzz for small West Michigan company
Lawmakers push for vote to limit
post office closures
Senate postal reform falls short
05/03 /12
43
Senators Call on PMG To Extend Moratorium On Post Office Closures
U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.)
today joined a bipartisan group of 43 Senators in a letter urging
the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to extend its current moratorium
on post office closures until after a postal reform bill is signed
into law. The current moratorium is scheduled to expire on May 15.
Senators lobby
both sides of postal moratorium
|
GOP Senators Urge PMG To Move Forward With
Cost-Saving Measures
Noting the unlikelihood that Congress
will reach an agreement on postal system reforms anytime soon and
that the postal service is on track to lose $21 billion annually
by 2016 without changes to its business model, U.S. Senators Bob
Corker, John McCain, and Tom Coburn today wrote to Postmaster General
Patrick Donahoe urging him to “move forward with cost-saving changes.”
( 05/03/12) |
Lawmakers push for vote to limit post office
closures
CNBC - A bipartisan group of lawmakers
is trying to drum up support in the House of Representatives to
vote on a Senate-passed bill that would make it tougher for the
Postal Service to close some facilities, in part by targeting representatives
who may lose postal facilities and jobs in their districts.
|
The truth about Postal Reform
.National
Newspaper Association - Now that the U.S. Senate has passed S 1789
to reform the ailing U.S. Postal Service, critics are trying to
disable the bill on its way to the House of Representatives.
Business Week recently cited unhappy stakeholders, including postal
unions, postal management and some Republicans who mistakenly believe
the bill burdens taxpayers. Rep. Darrell Issa, R-CA, whose own bill
awaits action in the House, blasted “special interests.” But Business
Week says, “Considering how many people are unhappy with the bill,
it isn’t clear which special interests Issa is referring to.” |
Revised Estimates
for Network Rationalization: Where have all the savings gone?
Save the Post Office-
The Network Rationalization plan to consolidate some 260 mail processing
plants may be running into problems. Not all the plants were
approved for consolidation, so this week the Postal Service submitted
revised estimates to the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC).
|
Ex-Iowa letter carrier accused of sending
dud pipe bombs represents himself at trial
Bloomberg View: Congress Delivers for the
Postal Service
State Lawmaker Running for Congress: I know
how to fix the post office
Tussle Over
Connecticut Post Office Goes On
Costs, savings of Postal Service changes in
Erie become clearer
Manchin: ‘Nothing
more American than the post office’
05/02 /12
USPS May 15th Deadline is Approaching, So
What Happens Next?
What about an early out? That too is
still up in the air, as the Postal Service does not appear ready
to make a final decision on its Voluntary Early Retirement Authority
(VERA) until the agency knows which plants may close or be consolidated,
and how many employees that may affect. And, as always, the Postal
Service has to negotiate about the VERA with the Union before it
can be implemented.
|
Video: New York letter carrier smashes van
into parked car, and then fled the scene -
Luckily, there were witnesses. One
even snapped a picture of the accident scene. The white postal van
backed into the Maxima so hard the 2 bumpers attached. A witness
says a postal supervisor responded. |
USPS Southwest Area has changed its name to
Southern Area
Explaining the change, Southern Area
Vice President Jo Ann Feindt notes, “With territory that spans the
entire Gulf Coast and other southern states, we felt Southern Area
was our most accurate description.” |
The truth
about the U.S. Postal Service
They say the U.S. Postal Service (USPS)
is broke. But just six years ago, it generated a small profit, paid
for itself and wasn't a burden to taxpayers. In fact, contrary to
right-wing rhetoric, the USPS hasn't taken a dime from taxpayers
since 1971. So what happened? |
Fate of Postal
Service Awaits Action in House
Jonesville Post Office step closer to staying
open
Swansea postal worker retires with a million
miles on the road
Rearranging the Deck Chairs at the Postal
Service
PRC Dismisses Complaint in SF SRO Case (PDF)
USPS OIG Report on the Future of First Class
Mail (PDF)
New York Letter Carriers plead guilty to workers
comp fraud
Postal Worker
pleads guilty to theft
Senate Authors of Postal Reform Seek Delay
Of Postal Closings From Postmaster General
05/01 /12
Video: PMG on State of the USPS
Postmaster General Patrick R. Donahoe’s
message to employees on state of the Postal Service
|
PMG Donahoe: Post office closings to be spread
out
Only a few post offices will close
soon after May 15, when a moratorium on consolidation plans expires,
U.S. Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe said. Donahoe said many
of the branches at risk of being shuttered could stay open for months.
Video: PMG Patrick R. Donahoe on C-SPAN
|
Senate Postal Leaders Urge House Leadership
to Act Quickly on Postal Reform Legislation-
In
a letter to Speaker of the House John Boehner and Democratic Leader
Nancy Pelosi, the Senators call on the House to act on legislation
before May 15 so that the two chambers can reconcile their bills
to turn around the Postal Service's daily loss of $25 million, prevent
the unnecessary wholesale closing of regional mail facilities and
local post offices,
Sen. Carper Launches Countdown Clock to Critical
USPS Deadline |
Mikulski Calls
on Maryland GOP Lawmakers to Push for House Passage of Postal Reform
Bill |
NAPUS: House Timeline Not Linked to End of
Postal Closure Moratorium on May 15 |
APWU, USPS Settle Dispute on Covering Custodial
Absences
The APWU and Postal Service have settled
a grievance regarding the proper procedure for covering absences
of custodians, Maintenance Craft Director Steve Raymer has announced.
|
Senators
urge no more postal closings
The Hill - The four original sponsors
of Senate postal legislation are urging the Postal Service to extend
a moratorium on closing facilities until Congress finishes its work
on the issue. But while the Senate has passed its legislation, the
House has yet to schedule floor time for its Republican-sponsored
measure. The postmaster general added that, for the coming months,
his agency was looking more at installing shorter hours at certain
local post offices than closing them.
Editorial: Thoughtful
postal reform
|
Iowa letter
carrier assaulted
USPS offering
reward for attempted armed robbery of Detroit letter carrier
Ex-Sioux City
mail workers adjust to new life
Draft bill would boost TSP contribution for
new feds
|