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Select News from Postalblog
USPS Seeks Private Companies
For New Priority Mail Care Package Program
Former USPS Contractor Nabbed
in NJ Postmasters Scheme
Postal Employees
Cry Foul Over Alleged USPS Privacy Violations
Photo: Semi-Automated
Postal Robotic Delivery Vehicle
USPS Deployment of Automated
Postal Centers Put On Hold
USPS Seeks Vendors for Postal Package Processing System
Video: USPS
Infomercial
Postal Supervisor’s Retaliation
Lawsuit Dismissed
Video: NALC Branch #709: Reno
Picket Against Contracting Out
New CSRS, FERS
Retirement System Goes Online in 2008
NALC, NRLCA Presidents Debunk
PMG Letter Justifying Contracting Out Mail Delivery
PMG: USPS Strongly
Opposes the 'Mail Delivery and Protection Act'
Photo: Postal
Window Clerk and A Very Strange Mail Package
OSHA partnership helps reduce
ergonomic injuries at USPS
USPS Customer
Satisfaction Questionnaire Website Launched
Court Affirms Enforcement of Unfair Labor Charges
Against USPS
Senator Collins Introduces Postal Resolution Reaffirming Protections
of Sealed Mail
NAPUS: Is Mail Service at Risk?
USPS Awards Contract to Protect
Employee Personnel Records
NALC Young: It’s time to stop
the ‘run amok’ OIG
Postal Service Awards $874.6
Million Contract for Flat Sequencing System
Unofficial Transcript of NALC Rap Session
Recent EEOC
Decisions Involving Postal Employees
Postal Employees Know Your Rights
Postal Worker Fired After Second Violation of USPS Zero Tolerance
Policy
Postal Employees Should Think
Twice Before Appealing Case to MSPB
Kenneth Jones
vs. US Postal Service,
illustrates why postal employees should think twice before
appealing their discipline to the Merit Systems Protection
Board.
New Book:
Beware of Cat: And Other Encounters of a Letter Carrier
Postal Worker Fired After Second
Violation of USPS Zero Tolerance Policy
Bush Plan Would Cut Tax-Free
Employer-Provided Health Insurance
MSPB Overturns Postal Worker’s Removal for $45,000 Stamp Stock
Shortage
Postage Rate Hike in 2008?
Postal Service: ‘Intelligent
Mail’ Fully Operational By 2009
Video:
Signed, Sealed and Delivered- Labor Struggle in the
Post Office
NPMHU Sues USPS, APWU To Overturn RI-399 Arbitration Award
USPS: New Postal
Law-The Financial Impact
Can Bush Open Mail Without
Warrant?
Former
Postal Worker Charged in FEHB Scheme to Defraud USPS and NALC
Un-Merry
Christmas
Postal Service Terminates Disabled Iraq War Veteran for Unacceptable
Attendance
Letter
to the Editor
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Mismanagement at Royal Oak
Carrier Unit
FedEx and DOT at Stalemate in
Dispute Over Disclosure of Postal Contract Data
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USPS, APWU Reach $5.3 Million
Agreement in Anthrax Travel Grievance
Postal
Worker Fired for Refusing to Work on DBCS Machine
Postal Nurse Charged With Defrauding USPS
Five-Year Postal Employees Stats At a Glance
Big Win For APWU in MS-47 Maintenance Case - "Custodial Jobs
Protected"
Emery Agrees to Pay $10 Million
for Submitting Fraudulent Billings to USPS
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USPS to Sell Segway Scooters to General Public
Former
Postmaster jailed for stealing over $50k
Postal Worker Sues USPS – Denied Permission to Work Off-the-Clock?
USPS OIG Paper:
Postal Officers Travel Expense Guidelines
USPS Mail Processing Facility Faces $44,250 in Fines for Safety
Violations
USPS
and GE Sign New Six-Year $100M Contract for Semi-Trailers
Man Pleads Guilty in Kickback Scheme to Pay Postal OWCP Specialist
APWU Initiates
Dispute Over Changes to USPS Computer Security Rules
Postal Worker Injured in Iraq Wins Job Back Under USERRA
USPS to Conduct Search for Sex
Offenders on Postal Payroll
Postal Supervisor Fired for Rewarding Employees With Non-Worked
Overtime Pay
Reader
Raises Concern Over USPS Revised Emergency Salary Authorization
Policy
USPS
OIG Audit Report: Pasadena P & DC Consolidation
MSPB Upholds Removal of Postal Worker Videotaped Abusing FMLA
USPS to remove stamp machines
by 2010
Postal Service Plans for More
Than $1 Billion in Cost Reductions
Carrier
Fired for Gambling Signed Last Chance Agreement
Mystery Shopper Evaluations Should Not Be Used to Discipline
Window Clerks -
National
Dispute Initiated Over USPS’ Improper Use of Casuals
APWU: Olympia, Tacoma and Everett Mail May Move to Seattle
Postal Service Lists 139 Facilities
As Potential Candidates for Consolidation
Postal Worker Fired for Violating USPS Zero Tolerance Policy
Court Backs USPS in Stamp Trademark
Lawsuit
Letter
- Postal Workers Injured on Duty Should Know Their Rights
USPS
Migrating Personnel Info to PostalPEOPLE System
Driving Postal Vehicle Without
Seatbelt May Get You Fired
USPS
Dragnet Continues to Sweep Up Injured Workers
Supreme Court Revives Postal Worker's Discrimination Suit
Number of Active Postal Employees
by Age, Years of Service (PDF)
Trenton APWU Excessing Update, Custodian Exam for Clerks
Federal Court Overturns Letter Carrier Removal for Breach
of Last Chance Agreement
Postal Window
Clerks Protect Your Jobs
USPS releases
April 2006 Financial and Operating Statements
North Carolina
Postmaster Reassigned After Assault Complaint
Postal Mail
Handlers in Talks to Stay With AFL-CIO
NIOSH Reports on DBCS at Denver
Postal Facility
USPS Proposing to Contract Out
Postal Vehicle Service
Federal Court Affirms USPS FMLA Return-To-Work Policy
Whoa…An Interesting
Supreme Court Case Involving USPS
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August 31, 2007-
Mass: Former
postmaster pleads guilty to embezzlement
Mailer pros
need to step up for the industry
Calif:
Benicia post office robbed
Post Office's Purple Hearts
Mail delivery source of confusion
Neighborhood honors retiring
letter carrier
Fake Money Order Scheme cost
Banks and USPS more than $200,000
Contract Carrier
Pleads Guilty To Embezzlement
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August 30, 2007-
Arbitrator Awards $50,000
for Postal Inspectors Misconduct
The
following are excerpts from an arbitration award [via
21cpw.com]
that documents abuse of a clerk by postal inspectors in Clifton,
AZ. The Union grieved under Article 2 and 17 of the National
Agreement and got $50,000.00 in damages. APWU was represented
by Steve Zamanakos, National Business Agent, Denver Region.
The arbitrator ruled that the Inspectors violated "Art. 2.1
& Postal Bulletin 21826: their conduct on May 27, 1999 created
a hostile work environment for the Grievant. They also violated
Art. 17.3, the MOU, a Step 4 Decision, & Inspection Service
protocols by denying the Grievant representation. [Postal
Inspector }Dent violated ELM provisions when he interjected
himself into the [OWCP] CA-1 process. The Agency failed to
adequately supervise the Inspectors, failed to cooperate with
the Union during the grievance process and failed to investigate
the Grievant’s sexual harassment claim in violation of Postal
Bulletin 21826."
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USPS, Postmasters Reach Agreement
on Pay Package
"A Postmaster’s pay will increase
by the percentage earned through the Pay-for-Performance Program.
The change to the minimums and maximums of all EAS grades
will be 2% for FY08 and FY09, and 2.25% for FY10 and FY11.
This is significant in light of the fact that the Postal Service
is mandated to operate under the Consumer Price Index (CPI).
The average increase to a Postmaster’s pay last year was about
5%. The raise to the minimum in EAS grades was the first in
about 10 years. From 2008 through 2011, the Postal Service’s
contribution to a Postmaster’s Federal Employee Health Benefit
Program will be reduced by 1% per year. This is in line with
the reductions experienced by craft employees through their
contracts negotiated this year."
Details of Pay Package
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Witness claims postal carrier
shot dog
Authorities are trying to find
out who shot Jack the Chihuahua. A witness told Greer police
that a U.S. Postal mail carrier shot the dog outside the Greer
residence on Tuesday, according to a police report of the
incident. From the way that the neighbor described it, he
basically pulled out an air rifle or a BB gun of some kind
and just shot at the dog until my dog started yelping," said
Tiffany Gorseth."
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Postal Bulletin 8/30/ 2007 Issue
USPS Bay-Valley District to Honor Postal
Employees Awarded Purple Heart
Chiropractic
Malpractice Postage Stamp Approved by USPS
Control your dogs first for front-door
mail
Post office
says 'ZIP!' and it's goodbye, Linda
Letter carrier bitten by dog
Postal Employee
Gets 25 years for fatal DUI
Postal Window Clerk Charlie Stout, more
than meets the eye
Post office
renamed after influential former postmaster
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August 29, 2007-
Mail carrier adds lifesaver to resume
Photo: Old Rural Postal Delivery
Wagon
Stupak,
officials discuss postal issues
Survey: Baby boomers the biggest 'junk
mail' target
Postal lines get longer
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August 28, 2007-
Notice: USPS Revised Rule for
Conduct on Postal Property
The Postal Service is amending
two provisions in title 39, Code of Federal Regulations, to
correct an outdated citation to a superseded Executive Order.
No employee while on property owned or leased by the Postal
Service or the United States or while on duty, shall participate
in any gambling activity, including the operation of a gambling
device, in conducting or acting as an agent for a lottery
or pool, in conducting a game for money or property, or in
selling or purchasing a numbers slip or ticket.
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Carrier's Address
is Big Source of Clinton's Campaign Cash
A letter carrier lives
in a modest house that is listed as the address as one of
the biggest sources of campaign donations to Presidential
candidate Hillary Clinton (D-NY).The six members of the Paw
family have donated a total of $200,000 to Democratic candidates
since 2005 according to election records. The donations closely
track donations made by a wealthy New York businessman in
the apparel industry who once listed the Paw home as his address
according to the Wall Street Journal.
Wall Street Journal omitted key information in article
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Man threatened to shoot his Postal
Worker wife inside PO
A Davidsville man was jailed
after he allegedly threatened to open fire at the Boswell
post office when his wife, an employee there, said she was
divorcing him, authorities said. In a criminal complaint,
Conemaugh Township police said James M. Stevanus, 39, of South
Main Street, became angry when Michelle Stevanus told him
she was filing for divorce. Stevanus threatened his wife and
her co-workers Thursday, saying he would take a gun to the
post office and “take you all out.”
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Postmaster Hears Delivery
Complaints
Distressed residents falling
under an ongoing request by Postmaster Tim Sullivan to install
curbside mailboxes were able to discuss one-on-one their concerns
at the Fredonia Village Board meeting Monday. Residents questioned
the reasoning, authority, and manner in which the change was
ordered. “I don’t stand to gain, or the post office doesn’t
stand to gain very much, if anything, economically by implementing
this,” Sullivan said. “I went as a safety issue.
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Postal machine chomps tax
bills
According to Poughkeepsie City
School District officials, an unknown number of this year's
school tax bills were damaged or destroyed by sorting ma-chines
at the Poughkeepsie Post Office. This is the second year in
a row the post office's machinery has jammed up on the city
district's tax bills, Wilson said. Tom Gaynor, spokesman for
the New York Metro Area U.S. Postal Service, said the problem
with the tax bill mailer is thickness. "The envelopes are
very thin," he said. "The fact they are so thin may be a problem.
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Postal clerk wants to spill secret
Hurdles ahead for federal pay
boost, tax cut
Rural carrier rescues elderly customer
Company introduces mail back
sharps program
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August 27, 2007-
Carried Away
Book will highlight unusual
stories from Letter Carriers Across America. Letter Carrier
Kate Drury and former mail carrier Lois McNutty are collecting
offbeat stories , cartoons and photos of unusual mailboxes
from letter carriers for a book. According to the website:
"We need your stories. We are the only people who still visit
each house in America every work day. We observe neighborhoods,
talk with customers, and perform our job in all kinds of weather.
We have a unique view of life in the United States and each
of us has a story or two to share. Proceeds will go to PERF
- Postal Employee Relief Fund - which benefits Postal Workers
in times of natural disasters."
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California Cities Respond
To Dog Attacks
At least
two cities in Southern California - Torrance and Redondo Beach
- are reviewing their laws governing vicious dogs following
this week's brutal mauling of a Torrance letter carrier by
a pit bull. Both cities will soon conduct hearings into violent
incidents involving pit bulls; in Redondo Beach a "potentially
dangerous dog hearing" that's open to the public is set for
Monday at City Hall. Meanwhile, fellow employees of letter
carrier Moon Choi, whose condition is improving although he
remains hospitalized, held a blood drive Friday at the main
Torrance post office."
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Retired Postal
Worker Opens Contract Station in City Hall
(Texas) It is now possible to
mail packages and letters in the George A. Purefoy Municipal
Center. Ken Richards of Little Elm will be running the city
hall Contract Postal Unit. He retired after working for the
post office for 39 and one-half years and decided that he
had to have a job again.
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NPR: Population
in Flux Redefines New Orleans
- On New Orleans' devastated east side, postal worker Michele
McMillan is the area's informal census taker, ambassador and
welcome wagon.
Flight 93 postmark
available on Sept. 11
Woman wins disabled access at NYC Post Office
Bird droppings stop mail on
Capitol Hill
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August 26, 2007-
You've got
mail!
Six million people know the experience:
You order a DVD from the Netflix website and a day or two
later it appears in a red paper envelope. You watch the movie,
mail it back, and soon another disc arrives. This cycle happens
in America 20 times every second and 1.6 million times every
day, making Netflix, the movie-rental company, a veritable
postal service within the postal service.
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Alabama
Letter Carrier Celebrates 50 Years On The Job
At 74 years old, he's still going
about his appointed downtown rounds. Recently, friends, family
and colleagues gathered at the Midtown Post Office to congratulate
Williams for all his service. He is credited with introducing
the nationwide letter carriers' food drive to the Mobile area
about 13 years ago, postal officials said.
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This mailman
delivers it all: Letters or punches
Mural contest
sends first-class package to old post office
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August 25, 2007-
Fatal Attraction Costs Letter Carrier Her Job
Victoria Shaffer, a letter carrier
was issued a notice of removal for threatening to
kill her co-worker/former married lover. The co-worker
called the Postal Inspection Service while on his route, reporting
that Shaffer had threatened him. He stated: After a 1 ½ year
relationship things got ugly today on my route. Vicky [Shaffer]
parked behind my truck at 4th and Clark. When I got out of
my truck and turned around, she grabbed my shirt, kissed me,
and said, “why did you do it?”[2] I replied, “I don’t know.”
She said, “I don’t understand.” I said, “I don’t either,”
and turned around and walked away. She got in her car and
left. A few minutes later she pulled up to the curb, rolled
down the window and said, “Next time I’ll put a bullet in
your head.” Shaffer filed a gender discrimination suit against
the Postmaster General. According to federal court documents
the case was recently dismissed.
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Postal
workers stole mail from North Texas P & DC, officials say
Frisco postal customers who have complained
about stolen gift certificates, opened greeting cards and missing
checks could soon see the arrests of those responsible. U.S. Postal
Service investigators say three postal workers stole mail at the
North Texas processing and distribution center in Coppell.
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Neighborhood
Protests Loss of Home Mail Delivery
The Windy Hill community is petitioning
the U.S. Post Office to reconsider pulling home mail delivery to
nearly 600 homes and businesses because of dog attacks. Earlier
this month cluster boxes were installed at several locations making
home mail boxes useless.
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Another APWU
Secretary-Treasurer
charged with embezzling Union funds
(Alabama) The FBI arrested Bridgett Cardall Hooks, 35, Thursday, and
unsealed an Aug. 15 indictment alleging she extracted the money
from the account of the American Postal Workers’ Union, Local
332, during a period of 14 months when she was the union’s
secretary/treasurer. According to the indictment, Hooks wrote
herself checks from the union checking account and made improper
purchases and withdrawals with her union debit card between Oct.
31, 2005 and Dec. 3, 2006. The total amount of money believed to
be embezzled is $10,820.17.
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Postal Contractor
Sought for Back Wages
A small trucking firm awarded
multimillion contracts with the U.S. Postal Service owes its
drivers nearly $1.4 million in back wages, the Labor Department
said this week. Alan Berman Trucking, based in Woodland Hills,
Calif., is accused of pay violations on at least eight
government contracts worth $10 million to haul mail for post
offices in Los Angeles and San Francisco, the agency said.
DOL Press Release
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CA: Postal facility likely will face hurdle in Aliso
Viejo
Local DHL center faces federal labor complaint
NY: Residents protest lack of delivery
Heavy rains affect Illinois post offices
City's postmaster got results as dedicated
straight-shooter
Letter: Postal Service needs more efficiency
Rubber band man fights on
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August 24, 2007-
FedEx, UPS Increase Donations to Democrats
UPS Spent Nearly $1.2M Lobbying
NALC Ratification Update
Pottsburg residents deliver hundreds of protest petitions to USPS
Pelham Post Office avoids eviction; will stay at present site for now
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August 23, 2007-
Stamp Machines
In Post Offices Head for Dump
Stamp vending machines in post offices
across the nation are going the way of the 5-cent post card. By
Sept. 15, the machines will be gone. Lesley Corban, information
officer for the Postal Service in Lakeland, said Thursday the machines
are headed for the scrap heap because they break down often and
are costly to maintain. "It really is not going to be that much
of a change. About
600 Postal Service vending machine technicians are being reassigned
as the machines go offline; 400 of them will be eligible for retirement
by 2010, USPS spokesman Gary Sawtelle said.
USPS To Remove All Stamp Vending
Machines in Western Area by September 2008
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Torrance mail carrier in fair condition after
dog attack
"A
Torrance mail carrier who was mauled by a pit bull while on his
route is recovering from his injuries, hospital officials said Wednesday.
Moon Choi was bitten in the face Tuesday by a pit bull named Chucky
who jumped over a 4-foot-high fence when Choi came to deliver the
mail at a home in the 700 block of Amapola Street. Rich Maher, a
postal service spokesman, told the Daily Breeze on Tuesday that
Choi had gone through reconstructive surgery." -
Carrier in intensive care after horrific pit bull attack |
Another mail carrier is recovering from a dog attack:
Police Dog's Attack On Postman Baffles
Department
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Postal Nurses Vote to Merge with APWU
In an overwhelming
vote of 51 to 9, on Aug. 17 the National Postal Professional Nurses
(NPPN) voted “YES,” in favor of merging with the American Postal
Workers Union. Pursuant to the APWU Constitution, the nurses will
become a part of the Support Services Division. The NPPN has had
collective bargaining agreements with the USPS since 1978, with
its latest contract expiring on Aug. 17. The APWU will represent
the NPPN at negotiations, which are set to begin Sept. 18.
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Million-dollar stamp heist
It took Edwin Cherry a lifetime to
amass his collection of thousands of stamps that could be worth
more than $1 million, according to his family. Less than two
weeks after his death, it is gone. According to a profile
interview with Cherry published on Sept. 23, 1999 in The Yuma
Daily Sun, he was a former U.S. Postal Service employee who
commemorated American history through his collection.
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Police
arrest postal worker for stealing mail
Police have taken a Albuquerque, NM
U.S. Postal Service employee Andrew Barka into custody after finding
stolen mail at his Rio Rancho home. Police swarmed the man's home
around 8 a.m. Wednesday, and found what they expected, three stolen
cars, but that is when the local investigation turned into a federal
investigation. Investigators removed several boxes full of mail,
and Federal Investigators confirm stolen credit and debit cards
were found in Barka's home
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Valassis Deal Weighs It Down
Valassis Communications Inc. sells
coupons, but it may be Valassis's shares taking a big discount
if it doesn't show payoffs from a recent acquisition. Buying
direct marketer Advo Inc. -- a lengthy, contentious purchase
that closed in March -- was supposed to broaden Valassis's
coupon business as a price war with competitors and shrinking
newspaper sales eroded profits. But Advo's business turned out
to be weaker than expected, and the early disappointing results,
coupled with the deal's hefty price tag, have weighed on
Valassis's shares. The company's market capitalization has been
sliced in half over the past year to less than $500 million.
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With second chance, Buffalo lands NRLCA convention
Mansfield-area mail carriers are back in action
Postal worker needs help
Willow Post Office
to be relocated from mobile home
Postal Service
CTO Otto to retire
Postal Service delivers $22 million networking
contract to AT&T
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August 22, 2007-
Ask President Burrus - Organizing Casuals
"Given that our national union
agreed to make casuals a permanent part of our workforce and
this decision was ratified by those voted for the contract, when
are we going to start pushing to make them members of the
bargaining unit? In light of the fact that the National
Association of Letter Carriers’ tentative agreement will convert
casuals to TEs, I am deferring making a final decision on
organizing casuals until we can discuss the option of
negotiating their conversion to TEs."
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Postmaster takes
'queue' from customer comments
Mail
carrier saluted for going step beyond
Feds: Contract Custodian stole mail at post
office
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Calif.: Dog mauls mail
carrier in Torrance neighborhood |
August 21, 2007-
We're Sorry, Mr. Postal Union Thug
Rush Limbaugh Responds to Letter From NALC President Young
- Rush says," I love getting letters from union
thugs. I just do." He also said,
"It's
amazing how many letter carriers today do not believe William
Young, the president of the National Association of Letter
Carriers."
NALC: Who Should Be President? (PDF)
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Mail Handlers Awarded $13.8
Million for Casuals Violation
On October 23, 2006 Arbitrator
Philip Tamoush awarded $12,799,200.00 to Mail Handlers in
Phoenix, AZ and $100, 800.00 to NPMHU Local #320 for lost union
dues. Mail Handlers received payment from the ‘casual in lieu
of’ settlement agreement on August 10, 2007 (Pay Period 16) .
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Company Tests Popcorn Vending
Machine at NJ Postal Facility
- Pop N Go, Inc. announced the test of its popcorn vending machine program with
the U.S Postal Service at their South New Jersey Processing and
Distribution Center. Frank Collepardi, President of Franco’s
Snacks, stated, “We service over 1,000 employees in this center
and based on the response to Pop N Go’s popcorn machine we are
looking forward to expanding into many other facilities.”
Personnel from other postal centers are planning to visit this
South Jersey location so they can witness the popularity of the
Pop N Go machine.
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Mail carrier is shot in face while on delivery route
Police say a 14-year-old pulled the trigger. "He was in a
truck delivering mail to a post boxes on the roadway, and while
he was doing so felt a stinging sensation in his cheek looked
up, didn't know what it was, saw some blood dripping down,"
Captain Dennis McBride of Ferguson Police says. A bullet or
pellet is now lodged in the carrier's nasal canal, he's resting
while police and postal inspectors are investigating the crime
and try to find out why someone was shooting at the mail truck.
The 52-year-old postal carrier told News 4 that he's had the
same postal route for 17 years and never had any problems.
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Postal
Worker Dies In Southwest Missouri Floodwaters
A postal worker in Laclede County
is dead after his delivery truck was swept off a bridge by
rushing floodwaters. Sheriff Richard Wrinkle says U.S. Postal
Service officials became concerned after 51-year-old Steve Allee
of Stoutland didn't return from his rural route Monday
afternoon. Searchers found Allee's body more than a mile
downstream from his vehicle and the bridge.
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USPS
withdraws plans for San Juan mail processing facility
U.S.
Postal Service officials announced Monday that they have
scrapped plans for a proposed nine-acre mail processing facility
near the city's northern gateway, following two weeks of heated
opposition from residents and city leaders. The Postal Service
will now focus on a 26-acre parcel of land in Aliso Viejo at 50
Liberty Road, Maher said.
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Post office flooded in Mansfield
Denver: USPS asks for help in stopping stamp selling scheme
Many have affinity for ZIP codes
LETTERS: Postal delivery
Three post offices closed
Master of his Domain
To Compete With E-Mail Greetings, Funny Cards Try to Be Topical
August 20, 2007-
Man marks his 56th year as a mail carrier
Post Office to remove
33 mailboxes
Pit bull dog attack leads to 4-hour surgery for
mail carrier
Post office employee
was more than happy to help
August 19, 2007-
Letter Carrier Charles McCann was set to retire shortly after Hurricane Katrina, but returned
instead to deliver mail to the entire Lower 9th Ward. "Who else is going
to know these streets?" he said. From the un-air-conditioned cab
of his clackety mail truck, McCann measures New Orleans'
recovery not by Sheetrock sold or coats of fresh paint applied,
but by envelopes delivered and mailboxes erected.
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Photo: Rhino Dressed in Postal Carrier Uniform
Mailman
goes above and beyond
Post
office keeps pace with the times
Postal
unions pitch vote-by-mail to top elections officers
Post Office
renamed in honor of Carrier killed in auto accident on
route
August 18, 2007-
"Kelly
Girl" Arbitration Award to Cost USPS Nearly $20 Million
The
Phoenix Metro Area Local has just received the arbitration award
regarding the “Kelly Girl” case. An arbitrator has awarded the
Phoenix Metro Area Local APWU nearly $20 million ($19,717,431.00
plus $128,142.74 in lost union dues).
Arbitrator Henderson ruled the Employer violated the Collective
Bargaining Agreement when it hired over 200 “Kelly Girl”
employees to work at the Phoenix Telephone Center in April 1996.
The Center remained open for just over 3 years. The APWU argued
the Telephone Center should have been staffed by Level 6 Phoenix
Clerks. The arbitrator agreed with the Union.
Payout not to exceed $9,694 will be made individually to 2034
Clerks.
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NALC Branch 34: Story on Carrier Route Adjustments Was Wrong
This letter written by Robert
Lind, NALC Branch 34 President in direct response to the recent
article,
“Mail Route Shuffle. " Management may control the data
inputted and the end result but not the actual delivery of the
mail. After all, it’s the letter carrier who is faced with the
task of providing service to our local patrons. The dismantled
Arlington letter carrier route’s delivery time has now been
disbursed amongst the remaining Arlington routes. Those in
postal management responsible for this smoke and mirrors facade
may look like heroes on paper but it’s the overburdened carrier
routes and customers that pay the ultimate price. Management’s
bonuses should be paid out as penalties to those adversely
impacted by this charade of supposed necessary changes."
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Former
Kansas City APWU Treasurer Sentenced for Embezzling From Union
William Kendrick of Grandview was sentenced today to five
years probation and six months home detention for embezzling
from the American Postal Workers Union Local No. 238 in Kansas
City, Kan. Kendrick also was ordered to repay the $26,235.94 he
took from the union. Kendrick, who was the local’s treasurer from
April 2003 through August 2004, pleaded guilty in May to one
count of embezzlement. He admitted that he and the local’s
president, Dwayne Giles co-signed checks from the union’s
checking account payable to Kendrick. They also made payments to
Kansas Payment Center to satisfy child support owed by Giles.
Giles has pleaded guilty [ to embezzling over $11,000 ] and is
scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 1.
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Customers Will
Miss Letter Carrier Lorene
Veterans challenge plan to name post office for Iraq war soldier
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August 17, 2007-
Faulty refund process may cost USPS $500,000
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Another Omaha Postal Worker Is Threatened With A Gun
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Early morning fire destroys Postal Worker's home
Mail carrier finds body at
house in Brooklyn
Alpine postmaster receives top honor by national
organization
August 16, 2007-
USPS BOG
Chairman Gets Blue-Collar Name Tag
At the Aug. 8
meeting of the United States Postal Service board of governors,
chairman James C. Miller III was back at the podium wearing a
blue uniform shirt similar to those worn by Postal Service
workers. But something was different this time. He was sporting
an employee name tag, which he had not been able to get from
Postmaster General John E. "Jack" Potter previously. "A New York
team came through," Miller explained, as he showed off his name
tag inscribed "Jim."
|
Postal Supervisor Saves Clerk's Life With
Heimlich Maneuver
Maria Lemos, 45, was honored Wednesday
by the office of Rep. Grace Napolitano, D-Santa Fe Springs, for
using the Heimlich maneuver on a co-worker who was choking. On May
31, Lemos was at work as a postal supervisor in Huntington Park
when she found clerk Latisha Keyes gasping for air. She did not
realize Keyes was choking until the woman clutched at her arm and
started changing color. ". An 18-year postal worker, Lemos grabbed
the other woman and started applying the Heimlich maneuver as she
had seen in the movie "Miss Congeniality."|
PRC Proposes
Ratemaking Regulations
The Postal Regulatory Commission has published proposed regulations
to implement a modern ratemaking and classification system
for market-dominant and competitive mail products." The commission’s
goal is to make this new system of rate adjustment advantageous
for all stakeholders, enabling the Postal Service to price
its own products, ensuring the lawfulness of competitive rates,
providing increased transparency, and maintaining universal
service at affordable rates,” the document said. “Fulfilling
these objectives requires that competing interests be carefully
balanced.
Order Proposing Regulations to Establish System of Ratemaking
(PDF)
|
Postal Worker Faces Mail Fraud Charges
A 10-Year postal worker in Bladen
County is in jail on charges of mail fraud.45-year-old Brenda
Lewis worked at the post office in Clarkton. Authorities say
she stole personal information, medications and even graduation
money from envelopes. Lewis was initially arrested on embezzlement
charges, but was arrested again when law enforcement found
stolen drugs at her home. Lewis is in the Bladen County jail
on a more than $1 million bond and is facing local and federal
charges.
|
180 Flint postal jobs could move to Pontiac
|
Private Companies Would Stamp out the Post Office
|
APWU: Latest COLA Will Yield $686 Annual
Increase
Postal Worker
Injured in Hit and Run Accident
Rural Carrier
Honored for 50 Years of Service
Postal Bulletin 8/16/07 Issue
Mail delivered by horse, buggy to mark
anniversary
August 15, 2007-
Mexico to upgrade shoddy mail
service with USPS help
The Mexican government signed
an agreement with the U.S. Postal Service on Tuesday aimed
at improving Mexico's notoriously inefficient mail agency.
Transportation Secretary Luis Tellez said the Mexican Postal
Service, or Sepomex, has been neglected for years, while the
USPS is "an example of modernity, efficiency and quality."
USPS Press Release
|
Ask President Burrus:
APWU Health Plan
When I first read that the USPS
will pay 95 percent of healthcare premiums for APWU-represented
employees enrolled in the APWU Health Plan, I thought, “What
a smart move.” I loved the ingenuity. As I read further, I
became disappointed to learn it was for only the APWU Consumer
Driven Plan. I also thought this was in violation of the resolution
we passed recently in Philadelphia.
|
Family says letter carrier saved man's
life |
Letter
carrier to the rescue
Porch steps will stop the mail
|
Cremated Human Remains Found in Mailbox
|
AFL-CIO President Salutes APWU For Work on ‘Solidarity’ Campaign
Lease dispute may leave Pelham without
a post office
August 14, 2007-
USPS Evaluate Responses
to Postal Unions Request for Information
Seeking
suppliers who are experts in Statistics - The supplier
will provide the U.S. Postal Service Law Department professional
services to evaluate Postal Service responses to requests
for information from postal unions to determine (a) the frequency
that the Postal Services receives such requests (b) the mean
and median lengths of time for supervisors/managers to respond
to requests; (c) the completeness of responses; and (d) related
matters as may be requests. The supplier will also determine,
if possible, why responses take more than 14 days in some
instances. The supplier will also provide professional services
to evaluate the Postal Service responses to determine (a)
the number of such requests; (b) how often such requests are
satisfied (i.e., granted or not granted); and (c) related
matters as may be request. The services will consist of consultation,
analysis, a written report and /or testimony before judges
and /or arbitrators.
|
Capistrano officials don't want postal facility
Mail carriers don't pick up her outgoing mail
August 13, 2007-
Flat
Sequencing System (FSS) Strategy
FSS
will reduce city carrier work load by 85 per cent. Three-fourths
of city carrier volume is flats, most City Carriers spend
2 hours in office and 6 hours on street with 30 minute fixed
office time break. FSS will reduce office time and increase
street time. The Memorandum of Understanding included in the
USPS, NALC proposed contract agreement states "FSS Implementation
that stipulates that once FSS is fully implemented in a delivery
unit, management will determine the methods to estimate the
impact of FSS and adjust routes accordingly."
See video of FSS in action, photos, deployment and other
information.
|
Worker complaints up at post
office in Virginia
The work environment
at the Harry J. Parrish Post Office in Manassas has disintegrated,
according to carriers, clerks and union representatives. And
they don't want to take it anymore. Their anger stems primarily
from what they see as a hostile work environment in which
confrontational supervisors and an overly demanding postmaster
have intimidated and bullied a large percentage of the work
force. "There are impossible deadlines being forced upon carriers
and clerks each day, causing many to skip lunch and regular
breaks to avoid reprimand. "I [Former carrier Matt Wright]
told a supervisor before I left that in a year in Iraq, I
was treated with more respect and dignity than when I was
at the post office," Wright said.
|
Ex-postal worker admits defrauding
workers' comp out of $392000
-
A former New York U.S. postal worker admitted in federal court
this morning that he defrauded the federal government out
of $392,000 in workers' compensation payments over the past
16 years. David P. VanDeusen, 56, pleaded guilty to fraud
in obtaining workers' comp benefits. VanDeusen went out on
workers' comp in 1991 with a back injury he says he suffered
on the loading dock at the U.S. Postal Service's distribution
center on Taft Road. To collect workers' comp, he had to sign
a form every year saying he was not collecting income from
another job or a business he owned. He admitted in court that
he falsely claimed he had no other income.
|
Granny Going Postal
|
Mailboxes at center of controversy in Darlington
|
Sidak to address FTC regarding USPS
|
|
August 12, 2007-
Court Excludes AMS Specialist
Position From APWU Bargaining Unit
NAPS - "On August 7, 2007,
the US District Court of the District of Columbia granted
the USPS motion for summary judgment based on the NLRB’s clarification
decision excluding the AMS Specialist position from the bargaining
unit.In short, the court ruled that the February 2007 National
Labor Relations Board (NLRB) Award (that the AMS Specialist
position is excluded from the bargaining unit) supersedes
(based on “Superior Authority”) the arbitrator’s placement
of the position and therefore makes that decision unenforceable."
|
Postal Supervisor Fired For Rewarding
Employees Non-Worked OT Loses Appeal
The
Postal Service charged the supervisor with giving employees
credit for time not worked in order to reward them for their
speed and efficiency. The second charge also related to the
Supervisor’s actions regarding time and attendance records,
both his own and those of his subordinate employees. Whelan
was also charged with improper access of the Times and Attendance
Control System (TACS) in order to add or manipulate the clock
rings of letter carriers by using the passwords of two supervisors.
Although an administrative judge reduced the removal to a
demotion, MSPB reversed the decision and sustained the initial
removal. The Federal Court upheld MSPB's decision.
|
Presidential Hopefuls Respond to NALC Questionnaire (PDF)
NALC Asks Members "Who Should BE President"
“This election will
be important for all Americans but especially for letter carriers,”
NALC President Bill Young said. “The Postal Service continues
to face serious challenges, and we cannot leave to chance
the political leadership that will either help our employer
face the future or hamper our efforts to survive and thrive
in the 21st century.” To help assess the presidential contenders.
To help assess the presidential contenders, the NALC Legislative
and Political Department in late May sent a questionnaire
to all declared Republican and Democratic candidates -- at
the time, 10 Republicans and seven Democrats. The questionnaire
noted that candidates' responses to the questions "will weigh
substantially in considering NALC support."
|
"Dirty
Birds" Stop Mail Delivery in Southeast DC
Bird droppings are everywhere -- on the sidewalk, on garbage
cans, even the solar lights in front yards are covered. Residents
said their stretch of Potomac Avenue in one part of Southeast
D.C. is filthy. Aimee Mavragis said it has to be a health
hazard. And it seems the U.S. Postal Service agrees. Last
week, mail stopped coming to homes there. Mavragis said her
postal carrier told neighbors it's because all the droppings
on the sidewalk are unhealthy.
|
Illinois: Dongola
Postmaster killed in motorcycle accident
Now and Then
: Backwoods post office delivered more than mail
Cracking the
mail market
Congress may
give workers more time off
|
August 11, 2007-
Post Offices
Hit By New Breed of Identity Theft
Automated Postal Centers targeted
by credit card thieves- Armed with at least 27 stolen
credit-card numbers, federal prosecutors say, Artem Danilov,
Stephan Melkonyan and Karapet Kankanian fraudulently purchased
more than 3,200 books of stamps worth nearly $24,000 from
Seattle-area post offices in just more than a week. A federal
grand jury Thursday charged the men with an assortment of
crimes. The illegal stamp-buying scheme appears to be a novel
breed of identity theft, one that blends high-tech thievery,
online commerce and the retro currency of the U.S. mail. Customers
used to be able to buy dozens of books of stamps per transaction
from the automated postage machines, but the Postal Service
has since limited the number to try to fight such fraud. The
Postal Service has uncovered illegal stamp-buying schemes
in Washington, Oregon, Arizona and Colorado.
|
Postal Service: Our building is not for
sale
Postmaster enjoys his job
Little mail carrier gets his wish
USPS Stamp News: ‘Flags of Our Nation’
Stamps Unfurled
Gilbert Post Office evacuation turns into
a fishy story
Post office delivers despite fire damage
Postal carriers come to rescue
|
August 10, 2007-
Editorial: USPS
Rolls Over to Union - Again
by Charles Guy - Apparently,
the Postal Service would prefer to cave in to union demands
rather than confront the long-term challenges of its burgeoning
labor costs. USPS also capitulated earlier this year in its
negotiations with the American Postal Workers Union, its largest
union. By all accounts, the NALC achieved a major coup for
its member. Meanwhile, the Postal Service has reportedly proposed
in its negotiations with the National Rural Letter Carriers
Association (NRLCA), to establish a locality-based pay system,
under which carrier pay would vary based on their geographic
location.
|
Former Postmaster In Trouble With the Feds
(Missouri) The U.S. Attorney's
Office says 57-year-old Janet Elliott of Humphreys, the town's
former postmaster, waived her right to a grand jury and pleaded
guilty to a charge of fraudulently issuing money orders. Elliott
admitted that, from Sept. 27, 2003, through Sept. 7, 2006,
she issued 185 money orders without having paid the full amount
of money for them. Elliott generally issued personal money
orders to pay creditors, household bills. The total loss incurred
by the U.S. Postal Service during the three years Elliott
fraudulently issued money orders was $21,442. In addition
to those 185 money orders, which were for Elliott’s benefit
or for her mother’s benefit, Elliott reported 103 customers’
money orders late.
|
Letter Carrier finds $685 on route - Turns Money Over to Police
(Wisconsin) Kathy Schroeder,
a U.S. Postal Service carrier for 13 years, saw "some dollars"
near some bushes near a walkway on Friday. Schroeder said
she did not count the money, which was later learned to be
$685.Schroeder took the money to the Delafield Police Department.
|
Wasp woes halt mail
Residents in Oceola
Township's LakeShore Pointe subdivision were buzzing once
they found out their mail service was suspended after their
carrier was stung for the second time in a week in their community
by a yellow jacket wasp.
|
Woman Says USPS Won't Send Package to Officer
An Aurora woman said the United
States Post Office has failed her daughter, who is serving
in the Persian Gulf, because attempts to send a care package
have ended in frustration. Natalie Plotkin claimed she got
no help and rude treatment when she tried, more than once,
to send the care package out to her naval officer daughter
overseas.
|
Photo: Post
Office Tioga West Virginia
Postal Workers Brave the Heat
Five Million Dollar Contract Awarded for
New LWR Post Office
Hundreds without mail after post truck
stolen
What's in a name?
Postman
aids seniors
Last call for post office at Elizabeth
Teen Arraigned In Vermont Mailbox Bomb
Case
FedEx contract
delivery lawsuit could cost $630 million
|
August 09, 2007-
USPS: Boston District's New Mystery Shopper Board Game
the Boston district’s retail team has developed a creative
twist to boost its Mystery Shopper scores. The district recently
launched a contest based on Monopoly ...Retail associates
who participate in the contest collect game points based on
their mystery shop score. “This will help employees understand
that excellent customer service is the object of the game,”
District Manager Charles Lynch said. “The only way to win
is to pass Go, which happens when the clerk earns 100 percent
on a mystery shop.” When the contest ends on Sept. 30, the
retail area with the most points wins a trophy, a gift certificate
and complimentary coffee and doughnuts — not as big a deal
as buying Park Place, but worth the effort.
|
Postal Carrier Back On Job
A mailman fired
a year ago for refusing to deliver to a Jackson couple is
back on the job. An arbitrator reinstated letter carrier John
Boehmke, without back pay, but with his 11-year seniority
in tact. Arbitrator said Boehmke, the Jackson post office
management and customer Pete Varga were all "partially at
fault." Postal managers in Jackson condone discarding some
third-class mail and delaying some deliveries of first-class
mail, and told Boehmke to hold Varga's mail while the complaint
was addressed, a violation of policy.
|
Chicago Mail Delivery- 'Most
improved' - But Still Worst
Since the Sun-Times reported
that people in 38 of 50 wards had complained about mail to
their aldermen, the Postal Service says it: Hired, trained
and assigned 246 new letter carriers; Overhauled about 63
percent of its letter processing machines; Had postal inspectors
walk all 2,464 city delivery routes and corrected more than
143,000 address discrepancies; Launched community advisory
committees at post offices in neighborhoods with the most
trouble.
|
Proposed San
Juan Capistrano mail processing center met with opposition
Premium Forwarding Service changed from
experimental to permanent
Gardnerville resident named National Postmaster
of the Year
Neither Rain, Nor Sleet, Nor
Heat!
Tucson mail carrier gets 1 year in prison
for theft
Rate hikes
spur transpromo use
Presidential task force assessing import
safety tours USPS facility near O'Hare
|
August 08, 2007-
Who's to Blame for Mail Delivery Problems ?
District postal manager points
finger at city, city councilors and postal employees -
In explaining mail delivery problems in Rio Rancho at a town
hall meeting Tuesday morning, Albuquerque district postal
manager Victor Benavides blamed Boniello personally and the
city in general for approving confusing street names and subdivisions
without proper infrastructure. But Benavides also had other
arguments to explain the mix-ups. He blamed both a lack of
training and employees he could not fire. While he did not
give details on what training was needed and who was responsible
for providing it, he was clear on difficulties he said the
post office unions place on dismissing employees. Benavides
said, "When you work in a government business like we do,
it takes an act of Congress to get rid of someone."
|
USPS Performance Scores at Record Levels
Reports Net Loss of $659 Million for Third Quarter
- National on-time performance scores for the delivery of
First-Class Mail were at all-time highs in the third quarter
of fiscal year 2007 for all three of the categories the Postal
Service tracks. Also during today’s Board of Governors meeting,
Chief Financial Officer H. Glen Walker said revenue for the
third quarter totaled $18.4 billion, up 2.9 percent from the
same period last year. Expenses for the quarter totaled $19.1
billion, including $878 million that is attributable to the
implementation of the Postal Accountability and Enhancement
Act, signed into law the end of last year. The result was
a $659 million net loss for the third quarter.
Overall mail volume still up despite rate increase
|
NALC: Agreement
ballots in the mail
Ballots were placed
in the mailstream beginning August 6 to 217,505 NALC active
letter carrier members in good standing as of April 13, 2007
and must be received by the Ballot Committee by 11:59 p.m.
on August 27 in order to be counted.
|
Former Scheller postmaster pleads guilty
in federal court
Dogs rout
delivery of mail to 639 addresses
Tasley Post
Office robbed
Dyker Heights Carrier Aids Elderly Ladies
Postal
worker rescues woman, contains fire
Good Question:
Why do stamp prices keep rising?
Contractor
allegedly stole gift cards from mail
Another mail carrier threatened in Omaha
'Mailing it in' for 30 years
Postal Service extends Relm Wireless contract
Postal Service right to delay Wyandanch
project
|
August 07, 2007-
Postal Service
destroys millions of letters to try to stop scams
Some of your mail may have disappeared
-- not at the hands of thieves but at the hands of law enforcement.
Since 1994, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service has destroyed
more than 20 million pieces of mail, a practice that continues.
The service hopes it’s protecting people from getting scammed.
We've been working with Customs to seize suspicious letters
coming through borders to the United States mail stream,”
said Postal Inspector Dan Taylor. It's all in an effort to
protect people from foreign lottery scams aimed at stealing
thousands of dollars.
|
Photos: Oklahoma Postal employees honored
Postal worker
facing charges
|
Dog bite leads to 4-hour surgery
for mail carrier
|
Former 27-Year postmaster admits drug offense
|
Postal Employee suspended for alleged off-the-job
theft
|
|
August 06, 2007-
Postal Manager Gives Life-Saving
Gift To Postal Clerk
Diagnosed with
kidney disease at age 18, Postal Clerk Debbie Pastor's condition
gradually worsened over the years until last year, at 54,
she needed dialysis and, as soon as possible, a kidney transplant.
Her boss at the U.S. Postal Service in Jamestown, Randy Sherrick
offered her one of his kidneys after a June 2006 meeting.
Sherrick said he has always taken a ‘‘people-first’’ approach
as manager. ‘‘You can make decisions that are tough and business-like
but at the end of the day, people are all that matters. The
best resources are humans, not machines.’’
|
Former California Postal Supervisor
Pleads Guilty to Mail Theft (PDF)
A former California
[SF] Bulk Mail Center (BMC) Supervisor pled guilty in U. S.
District Court to one count of Theft of Mail on May 8, 2007.
The investigation by Office of Inspector General (OIG) Special
Agents began last year after postal managers discovered 10
to 12 opened Amazon.com boxes with missing contents. The parcels
were received in an open condition from the California BMC.
OIG video surveillance showed the BMC supervisor stealing
electronic items from the mail. In searches of the supervisor’s
residence, Special Agents recovered hundreds of electronic
items determined to be stolen from the mail. The estimated
retail value of the items recovered is approximately $40,000.
|
Mail jobs may
leave Flint site
(Michigan) Workers,
politicos decry shift to Pontiac facility - Nearly 150
Flint postal jobs could head south under a plan revealed to
local employees. The proposal by the U.S. Postal Service calls
for up to 148 clerk, maintenance and mail handler jobs to
move to a new processing center slated to open in May in Pontiac.
The new $224-million facility in Pontiac will consolidate
mail from Genesee County all the way to northern metropolitan
Detroit, though some local mail officials question how much
money the proposed arrangement will save. Don Kister, president
of National Mail Handlers Local 307, which represents about
60 workers at the Flint center, said the decision to keep
a Royal Oak center in a rented space that costs more than
$1 million a year erases any savings.
|
Rural postal
route a tall job
The Upside of Double-Dipping
New Mexico: A post for managing mail
PRC, Senate postal subcommittee discuss service standards
|
August 05, 2007-
Postal Districts Added to Phase
Two of National Reassessment Process
The Postal Service
continues to implement Phase 2 of the National Reassessment
Process (NRP) in USPS Districts across the country. There
is no set schedule that establishes a date when a particular
District will begin Phase 2.
Every USPS
District should have already implemented Phase 1 of the NRP,
which is the “information-gathering” phase. When a District
completes this initial phase, they contact Postal Service
Headquarters to seek approval to move forward into Phase 2,
which is the “interview and decision-making phase.”
|
Letter carriers
thank returning vets
Giant
quilt promoting suicide awareness hanging at Gurnee PO
New USPS Policy Means The Camden Herald Not Being Delivered
On Time
USPS: "Too dangerous to deliver mail in Sahuarita"
'Pops'
Earns Special Delivery
|
August 04, 2007-
USPS To Remove All Stamp Vending
Machines in Western Area by September 2008
USPS notified APWU on August
2, 2007 of its intent to remove all stamp vending machines
within the Western Area by September 2008. The removal of
the stamp vending machines will impact Clerk and Maintenance
craft employees who service the machines.
|
NALC's Young: Where we stand on contracting out legislation
I have asked Congress
through my testimony both in the House and in the Senate to
pause on any floor action until the close of the 6 month moratorium
on outsourcing related to the Article 32 Committee. I believe
at that time NALC will be in a much better position to offer
our guidance on whether a legislative fix is needed or not,
and if so, what it should entail. In the meantime, I ask you
as activists to continue to educate your members of Congress
on the dangers associated with contracting out and encourage
them to co-sponsor H.Res 282 and S. 1457.
|
ID
Theft Ring Used COA Forms to Scam Stars
Suspect
in letter carrier's shooting to be charged as adult
Postal
Inspectors Bust Credit Card Fraud Ring
Sandy's
postal prankster
APWU:
IT/ASC, Operating Services Contracts Signed
Direct
Mail Boosts Online Commerce |
Also:
White Paper on Package Research PDF |
White Paper on Catalog Research PDF
A brave whistleblower |
Ronald Williams Jr.'s Continuous Gripes Against USPS
|
August 03, 2007-
USPS Seeks Private Companies
For New Priority Mail Care Package Program
"The
United States Postal Service is seeking information on beginning
a Priority Mail Service Care Package program that would allow
customers to send selected items to military personnel, college
students, campers, the elderly, and others. These Care Packages
will be supplied, packed, and shipped by interested companies,
and target marketed to military personnel, students, campers,
and their families via the U.S. Postal Service web site (www.usps.com)."
|
Ex-postal worker gets 8-day
sentence in theft
Postal service considering
options for mail delivery in some Waco areas
Commentary: Postal regulation
reform may need a second look
USPS’s workgroups to improve
service, measurement
Testimony from yesterday's
Senate Committee hearings
USPS’s Cochrane: Soft package
marketplace will recover
APWU: Union
Members to Question Presidential Candidates
He delivered more than the mail
|
August 02, 2007-
Lawsuit Over Personal Data
Brings Out Postal Workers
More than 100 want restitution
- Four days after a Seattle law firm accused the U.S. Postal
Service of selling the personal information of employees without
consent, more than 100 postal workers have come forward saying
they want restitution. But for now, postal employees just
have to "sit tight," said Steve Berman, managing partner of
Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro. The firm filed the lawsuit Monday,
and it's not likely to go before a judge for certification
until fall. If it's determined that the Postal Service has
violated federal privacy policies, all postal employees could
be compensated for so-called "junk mail" that shows up in
their mailboxes with the Postal Service logo on it.
Postal Employees
Cry Foul Over Alleged USPS Privacy Violations
|
USPS looks
to union to help curb costs and avoid contracting
The U.S. Postal Service is asking
for the cooperation of its unions in holding down costs if
it is to avoid contracting out work, Postmaster General John
Potter said last week. “The only way we’re going to be successful
… is to have all 700,000 people in the Postal Service begin
to focus on revenue,” Potter said at a July 19 hearing on
postal outsourcing held by the House Oversight and Government
Reform subcommittee on the Postal Service. While postal
unions and some congressional Democrats remain opposed to
almost any outsourcing, Potter said postal managers, when
asked to cut costs, need the discretion to outsource functions.
|
Postal
Regulator Tells Congress of Failures in Consolidation Planning
"In a rush to redesign
its nationwide network of facilities, the Postal Service acted
on several misguided and poorly rationalized assumptions,
a Postal Regulatory Commission official told Congress in late
July. In testimony before a House of Representatives subcommittee,
John D. Wailer also cited a lack of consistency in how proposed
consolidations are reviewed; a failure to develop criteria
for approval or disapproval of proposed consolidations; a
failure to seek public input; and "severe tardiness and errors
in analysis in post-consolidation reviews."
|
Postal
Service Targets Southern California Land for New Mail Processing
Center - The United
States Postal Service is interested in purchasing 75 acres
in San Juan to build a 15 acre mail processing facility in
an area targeted by city leaders for possible open space acquisition.
The postal service wants to construct a 418,000-square-foot
facility, along with a 375 stall parking lot, according to
a memorandum from Bill Huber, a city consultant. Operations
at the facility would take place around the clock, with 300
employees on site and at least 200 truck deliveries taking
place daily, the memorandum said. San Juan Capistrano is a
city located in southern Orange County, California, located
approximately 23 miles southeast of Downtown Santa Ana.
|
Postmaster accused of discarding mail
(Ohio) 133
pieces in trash were undeliverable, she said -After a substitute
postmaster took over last winter, some people in Harrisburg
began to notice that they weren’t getting all their mail.
Federal agents say it’s because she was throwing it away,
and now she’s in trouble with the U.S. government. Elizabeth
T. Simonian, 49, is accused in federal court of pitching mail
into the trash at the post office in May. Some of her customers
say she was fed up with the way the mail was addressed. Simonian
told postal agents she threw away only mail that was not deliverable
or that had been left at the post office with no forwarding
address.
|
Ex-mail carrier charged with
postal theft in Beaver County
Postal Carrier held at gun point |
Man attempts to rob postal
worker
NALC Postal Record: Contract accord features wage hikes, job
protections (PDF)
|
Postal Bulletin 8/02/07 Issue
Controversial
Wyandanch post office weighed in DC
Service standards workgroup to make recommendations to USPS
Ex-postal worker on probation for failing to deliver mail
Teen arrested in letter carrier shooting
Stake in safety has earned steak for postal workers
Residents must move mailboxes to ground level
Norwich residents upset post
office telling them to move mailboxes
Catalogers turn to postcards
Mailbox bombs rattle a Washington
County borough
Clifton marks anniversary of
rural mail route
Fire In Postal Service Truck
In Windham Destroys Some Mail
Senate Subcommittee Hearing: Are Postal Customers Getting
What They Paid For?
|
August 01, 2007-
Return
to Sender: Mail Scattered on Interstate
Atlanta:
"There was an absolute mess on a crowded metro interstate.
Thousands of pieces of mail and unopened credit card applications
with names and addresses in plain view were scattered all
over Spaghetti Junction. A contractor hauling undelivered
junk mail from the North Metro Post Office facility in Duluth
overturned, spilling envelopes everywhere. The credit card
applications were never delivered to the addressee, but they
sat on the side of the interstate unattended for at least
a couple of hours. Channel 2's John Bachman spoke with the
post office spokesman. He told us the mail was all junk mail
and had no value."
|
USPS OIG Report: Color-Coding of Standard Mail at the Mobile
P & DC
The Postal Service cannot ensure
the timely processing, dispatching, and delivery of Standard
Mail if it is not properly colorcoded. Additionally, the Postal
Service cannot readily track service standards to ensure compliance.
Without a date and time on the tag, the Postal Service cannot
determine whether employees processed Standard Mail using
the first in, first out (FIFO) method. In addition, when an
operation does not meet its clearance time, facility managers
cannot determine what role the arrival time played. Also
Area Mail Processing Initiation Process
|
Former NJ Postmaster
pleads guilty in theft
Charles Lynch, 56, became the
city’s postmaster in 1991, after 19 years with the Postal
Service. Part of his duties were to monitor the inventories
and keep accounts and records of stamps and money in three
stamp vending machines — two at the Absecon post office and
one at The Store’s machine in Galloway Township. He admitted
in court Tuesday that in the first half of 2005, he entered
false entries into the accounts and records of stamps put
in The Store. The loss to the post office was more than $30,000
but less than $70,000, he said.
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Former USPS Contractor Nabbed
in NJ Postmasters Scheme
Letter carrier wounded by
shotgun pellets
Lessons Learned from a Visit
to the Nation’s Largest Post Office
Eagan Postal
facility remains on track
Hayward Postal Worker Attacked
By Pit Bull
Postal
worker hangs up mailbag after 40-plus years
U.S. Postal
Inspectors post reward for mailbox explosion info
No plans to
expand crowded Tahoe Vista post office
Sauer found perfect job as postmaster
Postal inspector and letter carrier testify in SF Politician's
case
Free Flow of Information at Risk
Perfect Postage Fills the Niche
for the Growing Demand of Designer Wedding Postage
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