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News from Postalblog
PMG Potter Names
New Chief Postal Inspector And Finance VP
Arbitrator Reassigns
Postal Supervisor For Violating Workplace Violence Policy
NALC Branch VP: Limited Duty
Carriers Suffer The Ultimate Harm
Gamefly Accuses
USPS Of Preferential Treatment For Netflix and Blockbuster
USPS Seeks
Suppliers For Electric Vehicle Conversion of LLVs
USPS Seeking Contractor To
Create New ID Cards For Postal Employees
USPS Cancels
Associate Supervisor Program
San Francisco
Passes First ‘Do Not Mail’ Resolution in Nation
Oakland APWU
Urges Congress To Investigate The Postal Service
PMG Potter Says
Reducing Delivery From Six to Five Days Could Save USPS $3.5
Billion Annually
USPS Closing Six Districts, Eliminating 1,400 EAS Positions
And Offering Early Retirement
USPS To ‘Outsource’ Change-of-Address Program?
Postmaster Setting Unrealistic
Expectations May Serve As Grounds To File EEO Complaint
USPS OIG’S Review Of Postal Managers
Unnecessary Purchases
Statement of
NALC President On Compliance with National Agreement
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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
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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
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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
Big Pay Increases Approved For Top Postal Service Officers
USPS Retail Cost Cutting (PDF)
click
here to read the award (PDF)
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A Short Comparison of USPS Contracts With APWU, NPMHU, NALC
and NRLCA
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Flat
Sequencing System (FSS) Strategy
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October 30, 2009
Georgia Postmaster ordered to
leave office under criminal investigation
Allegations involve
violating the Privacy Act - Jerry Schafer, who
was in charge of all postal operations in the city, since has
sought to retire voluntarily, but that retirement would not
preclude charges being brought against him later, said Sam Montalvo, a public information officer for the postal service’s
Office of Inspector General. Montalvo described the alleged
criminal matter as “misuse of postal government information,
which is a violation of the Privacy Act.”
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The Reinterpretation of William Burrus
Many postal workers have jumped to
the defense of APWU president William Burrus as a result of my
article,
Mathematically Challenged: Burrus Proposal Doesn’t Add Up for
USPS. But if many of these defenders are correct, they
should be angry at Burrus for garbling the message and
distracting people from the real issue.
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E-mail to save snail mail?
Wyandanch post office robbed at gunpoint
Grade Your Government:
USPS
Mailman pleads not guilty to killing jogger
USPS Petitions
Against Local Rent Increase
Ukiah postmaster wrapping
up 35-year career
Mail carrier wouldn’t pick up ballots
Postal carrier made change that kept mail
from Chesapeake couple
MS: Fondren post office boxes burglarized
Arrest made in robbery of St. Louis letter carrier
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October 29, 2009
Retiring
Postal Employee Pulls Gun on Postmaster
The main post office in Albany was
shut down Thursday afternoon when a retiring employee pulled a
gun on his boss. "We are locked down," said a Postal Service
employee. "We had an emergency and we are locked down." Just
after 12:30, a 52-year-old man, who's about to retire,
confronted postmaster Ron Bradley in the back parking lot of the
post office. Bradley was in his car and told police the mail
handler pulled a gun on him. Updated:
Postal worker pulls gun on Postmaster
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APWU:
Postal Service Relies on Incomplete Data, Discriminates Against
Underserved Communities
-An analysis of the
postal stations and branches being considered for closure shows
that the USPS study process “discriminates against communities
with high percentages of low-income, minority and
transit-dependent residents,” according to recent testimony
submitted to the
Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) by the APWU. In addition,
the union asserts, the Postal Service uses incomplete data to
support its conclusions.
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Victory! FERS Sick-Leave Credit Becomes Law
President Obama signed legislation
Oct. 28 that will allow postal and federal workers who retire
under the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) to receive
credit for sick leave when they retire.
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Rap Song: I'm The Mailman
From PostalReporter
reader: "Two yrs. ago I wrote a rap song called I'm the mailman.
Well last year I finally recorded it and has performed at our
annual holiday party, our state convention, and at a
picnic/rally for Chicago's local #11 union this pass summer. It's a great song and I think everyone that visit this site will
like it."
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Roof collapses at Connecticut PO
NJ Senator wants answers from PMG on Philadelphia L&DC closing
Irrational Pricing at the Postal Service
Police: Suspect Shot at Mailman
Mailman wins $50,000 on 'Millionaire'
Mail carrier charged with delay and destruction of mail
Two postal workers plead guilty in thefts
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October 28, 2009
Congress Must Fix Funding Requirement;
USPS
Must Expand Goals, Burrus Says
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In a follow-up to testimony before a Senate subcommittee,
APWU President William Burrus explored alternatives to
station-and-branch closures, facility consolidations, and
five-day mail delivery — which the Postal Service is
proposing in reaction to a severe financial crisis. Burrus
urged lawmakers to encourage the
USPS
to expand its goals. The Postal Service’s financial
difficulties are caused by three major factors, Burrus
wrote [PDF] Oct 23: the requirement to pre-fund retiree
healthcare costs; the nation’s economic crisis, and
excessive workshare discounts.
|Comments (49)
Drew
Aliperto Named As New Pacific Area VP
Postmaster General Jack
Potter has announced the selection of Drew Aliperto as
vice president, Area Operations, for the Pacific Area. He
replaces Michael Daley, who will retire next month after a
37-year career with the Postal Service.
|Comments (63)
APWU Urges Locals to File
OSHA Complaints Over Electrical Hazards
Why doesn't the
USPS
want a price increase in 2010?
October 27, 2009
St. Louis: Postal Carrier Robbed at Gunpoint
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October 26, 2009
Congress in no
rush to cut mail delivery
Despite the U.S. Postal Service's persistent
financial distress, Congress appears unlikely this year to approve the
postmaster general's cost-cutting proposal to eliminate Saturday mail
delivery. Postmaster General John Potter, who proposed five-day delivery in
January, contends that ending Saturday delivery could save his agency up to
$3.5 billion annually. But a concurrent estimate by the Postal Regulatory
Commission put projected savings at $1.9 billion.
|Comments (81)
USPS ‘Incentive’ Program
Results In 19,000 APWU-Craft And 3,000 Mail Handlers Retirements
- Depending on whether they were
eligible for early or regular retirement, employees were required to apply
for retirement by Sept. 25 or express interest by that date. Some employees
can revoke their decisions until the effective date of retirement, so the
final tally could be significantly lower than the 19,738 reported by the
USPS.
|Comments (74)
USPS Policies Threaten
Postal Viability
New Heights – Of Absurdity – In Rate Setting - In
2010, the APWU will return to the bargaining table to determine future
wages, benefits and working conditions. It is expected to be a contentious
round of negotiations, with postal management attempting to recover from the
massive deficits experienced over recent years. Much of the revenue loss
could have been avoided through proper rate-setting, but it is anticipated
that instead of facing their mailing partners, management will turn to the
employees: Those who they praise will be asked for sacrifices so that postal
executives can continue to provide subsidized postage to their friends.
|Comments (41)
Update: Only 18,000 of 30,000 take USPS buyout
This early retirement offer was the most
successful yet of four made by the Postal Service in the past 18 months,
with a response rate of 6.6 percent. Few employees accepted previous offers:
The last offer, which was extended to 147,937 employees in June, was
accepted by just 2,505 employees — less than 2 percent. The previous offer,
which concluded in February, was accepted by 2.3 percent of eligible
employees. Yoerger, the postal spokeswoman, said the agency is hoping to
eliminate 93 million work hours this year, the equivalent of 53,000
full-time employees.
|Comments (104)
USPS Renames Mystery
Shopper Program
USPS has decided to refocus its Mystery Shopper
program to improve desired employee behavior and influence customer loyalty
and brand recognition. “To better align with the program’s objectives and
feedback from the field, the Mystery Shopper Program will become the Retail
Customer Experience”, said Dean Granholm, vice president, Delivery and Post
Office Operations.
|Comments (54)
USPS seeks change in financial reporting rules
The Postal Regulatory Commission's decision
will determine whether the Postal Service has to list its 2009 payment to
the retiree health benefit fund as $5.4 billion, or $1.4 billion, as
intended by the legislation.
|Comments (11)
Grand Forks mailman accused of drunk driving placed on unpaid leave, could
face discipline
Workers Protest Changes At Steubenville Post
Office
USPS Working Out Details for Winter Sale
Mail is the workhorse of b-to-b marketing
Non-profits kick off holiday direct mail
efforts
Feds On a Winning Streak
Former postal worker appeals federal sentence in embezzlement case
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October 25, 2009
California: Postal
officials decide to spare American Canyon branch
More questions than answers at postal
hearing
North Dakota: Grand Forks
mail carrier arrested on DUI charge
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October 24, 2009
Congress should
preserve postal service
Financial burdens forced upon the postal
service and no one else in our nation, public or private, quash any chance
of the postal service staying out of red ink in this economy.
|Comments (50)
Postal facility to close, cost 86 jobs
APWU: Unions Protest As Health Insurers Plot to Kill Reform
Postal worker retires after 40 years
Post Office sees
decline in direct mail service
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October 23, 2009
Congress Approves
FERS Sick-Leave Credit:
"At long last! After a protracted
campaign, postal and federal workers who retire under the
Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) will receive credit
for sick leave when they retire. The new benefit was included
among a number of pay and retirement provisions in a compromise
version of the 2010 Defense Authorization bill, which the
Senate approved 68-29 on Oct. 22."
NPMHU: Victory on FERS Retirement Provision
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Dealing with postal employee's
fear
Steubenville May Lose The
Rest Of Its Postal Processing
Did anyone take the USPS buyouts?
Leave With Pay
Casual exception, Penalty
OT exclusion periods set
Bangor postmaster gets bail reduction
2,000 Coconuts Mailed to Postmaster General
Former postal
worker gets five years probation
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October 22, 2009
Mailers Council
Calls for Legislative Reform to Avoid Postal Service Insolvency
The Mailers Council’s white paper offers these recommendations
for addressing the Postal Service’s problems: The Postal Service
needs to be allowed to reduce its head count; It must be allowed
to close unneeded facilities and consolidate its retail network;
The Postal Service needs greater control over compensation.
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Postal Service
CFO Says More Lobbying Needed
The stop-gap legislation signed by President Obama on Sept.
30 reduced the U.S. Postal Service's $5.4 billion health-care
retiree payment for fiscal 2009 to $1.4 billion. That's a
big help, but the USPS needs permanent change, says Joseph
Corbett, its executive vice president and chief financial
officer... As far as the proposed five-day mail delivery schedule,
Corbett says the groundwork has been laid. Hypothetically,
he says, if no permanent structural changes are made regarding
prepayment of retirees' health-care benefits, the "spotlight
would grow brighter on five-day mail delivery.
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Lawmakers
say Senate health care bill could hit feds with new taxes
Virginia representatives Gerry Connolly and Jim Moran have
taken issue with an excise tax included in health care reform
legislation crafted by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max
Baucus, D-Mont. The provision in the bill would levy a 40
percent tax, beginning in 2013, on the overall value of health
insurance plans that cost more than $8,000 for individuals
and $21,000 for families. Though the tax will be imposed directly
on insurers, most analysts believe employers and consumers
ultimately will bear the price of the tax, as insurance companies
will charge more to make up for the fee.
NAPUS: Finance Committee Health Bill Could Hurt Postmasters
and Federal Workers
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Bangor, Pa.
postmaster charged with soliciting 3 girls, 2 women for sex,
drugs while checking collection boxes
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As the Bangor postmaster drove around checking collection
boxes Tuesday afternoon, he was also looking for sex and propositioned
two women and tried to lure three girls into his car, he allegedly
told police. Gregory George Schlegel was charged Tuesday afternoon
after the women and girls -- ages 12, 13, and 17 -- reported
the incident.
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Lantana
residents send message to PMG Potter - on coconuts
KC woman and son indicted for alleged assault of postal inspector
More Online Retailers Offer Free Shipping
Rethinking the Parcel Market
More Labor Problems at FedEx Ground
USPS OIG Audit Report: Carrier Optimal Routing (COR) System
(PDF)
UK postal workers begin two-day national strike
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October 21, 2009
Postmasters
Say USPS Management Styles Are Like Some Banana Republic Dictators
.......districts hounding Postmasters for having the courage
to stand up for other Postmasters, districts whose management
styles reflect something more in tune with some Banana Republic
Dictators than with what should be expected of Public Servants
treating their managers with respect, dealing with the threat
of a Postal Service turning its back on the American people
by wholesale closings of post offices and the constant shifting
of workload from hardworking clerks, carriers and supervisors
to the backs of Postmasters.
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Postal Service
Goes Mobile
Some of the most popular functions currently available on
usps.com are now available on cell phones and other mobile
devices. The new feature include Track and Confirm, Post Office
locator, and the most popular application, ZIP Code. The Postal
Service is also designing applications for "smartphones and
other mobile devices like the Apple iPhone, Blackberry and
iPod Touch which take advantage of additional capabilities
such as GPS. lookup.
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Camby postal carrier competes on 'Millionaire'
Community rallies to save postal branch
Postman Aces Test
Byrd, Rockefeller Defend Post Office
Teen flasher bares it all to letter carrier
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October 20, 2009
18,000 Sign
Up for Postal Service Buyouts
About 18,000 U.S. Postal Service employees are expected to
take $15,000 buyouts to leave their jobs this year - far less
than the 30,000 originally projected by the agency. Postal
officials say that figure isn't final. Employees were required
to sign up for the incentives by Oct. 16, but they can still
opt out of the program over the next few weeks. Most employees
have until Nov. 30 to opt out - but those close to retirement
age, called "optionally eligible" employees, must decide by
Oct. 31.
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APWU: Retirement
Incentive Offer Leads to One-Time Exception on Casual Cap
In
accordance with the agreement to provide a $15,000 incentive
to employees who retire or separate, the APWU and the USPS
have reached a
settlement [PDF] regarding the use of casuals in excess
of the limitations outlined in Article 7 of the Collective
Bargaining Agreement.
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Appeals Court Upholds Ban On Guns In USPS Parking Lots
the United States Circuit Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
upheld the conviction of a postal employee for possessing
a gun in his vehicle while parked on a non-public USPS parking
lot in violation of a federal regulation. Mr. Doroson had
appealed the conviction on the ground that the USPS gun ban
violated the Second Amendment. Both open and concealed possession
are prohibited, so storage of a weapon on a car parked in
a lot that is under the charge and control of the Postal Service
would be prohibited.
See decision
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Northern California: Sorting out the future
Postal Clerk Gets Probation In Theft Of Pain Medication
What is it about worksharing?
USPS Organizational Chart (PDF)
Long wait over: Female Auburn postmaster takes charge
Deltona losing curbside mailboxes?
Mail truck crashes into utility pole, injuring driver
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October 19, 2009
USPS
To Close 65 Stamp Distribution Offices
The Postal Service notified NAPUS President Dale Goff that
they will be consolidating its supply chain configuration
in order to reduce the total cost of distribution and fulfillment
for the Accountable Paper Network. The USPS
plans to consolidate and close 65 Stamp Distribution Offices
(SDO’s) and the
five Accountable Paper Depositories (APD’s).
The Postal Service will now consolidate the network into six
Stamp Distribution Centers (SDC’s).
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Postal Workers
to Receive Pay Increase November 21, 2009
APWU-represented employees will receive a 1.2 percent increase
in annual salaries effective Nov. 21, based on the grades
and levels in effect on Sept. 6, 2006. NALC: 1.9%,
NPMHU:1.2%,NRLCA:1.5%
APWU:
Nov. 21, 2009 Pay Scale
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Causey: USPS'
perky benefits
if you are tired of paying high health-insurance premiums
and sick about increases coming next year, here's a tip: Join
the service. The U.S. Postal Service, that is. Although the
USPS is losing money, handling fewer letters (can you say
e-mail and Twitter?) and trying to get thousands of workers
to take early retirement, it continues to pay a much larger
chunk of its employee health premiums than does the Justice
Department, General Services Administration or most other
federal agencies.
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Obama Nominates Kessler For Re-Appointment to USPS Board of
Governors
Career at post office a family tradition for postal clerk
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October 18, 2009
MSPB: USPS Zero Tolerance Policy Violation Is Not Automatic
Grounds For Removal
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A Postal Employee
appealed USPS’ decision to remove him based on a charge of
Improper Conduct/Violation of Zero Tolerance Policy after
the employee engaged in a physical altercation with a co-worker.
The MSPB sustained the removal, but the Federal Circuit Court
reversed the penalty determination and remanded the case.
The MSPB found that a 30-day suspension was the maximum reasonable
penalty, and therefore, ordered USPS to cancel the removal.
PR note: Now this does not mean employees
can hit t co-workers without fear of getting fired. It only
points out getting fired for violating the zero tolerance
policy should not be a blanket penalty. |
EEOC Proposes
Broader Definition of Disability
The Amendments Act makes important
changes to the definition of the term “disability” by rejecting
the holdings in several Supreme Court decisions and portions
of EEOC’s ADA regulations. The effect of these changes is
to make it easier for an individual seeking protection under
the ADA to establish that he or she has a disability within
the meaning of the ADA.
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Stolen Postal Van Recovered
383 Magazines Closed Jan-Oct.
Fix postal deficit by getting real
5 QUESTIONS for Dean Granholm, V.P. of
delivery and post office operations for the U.S. Postal Service
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October 17, 2009
National Officer
Changes At APWU Headquarters
It has been reported that
APWU Secretary-Treasurer Terry Stapleton will be leaving
soon to take a position at AFL-CIO National Office. Northeast
Region Coordinator Elizabeth Powell will be appointed to the
position. John Dirzius, President of Greater Connecticut Area
Local will take over Ms. Powell's position as Coordinator.
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Postal Service says no jobs
will be lost in Elmira
Hickory: Workers, community leaders are trying to save USPS
center from closing
USPS truck driver kidnapped, robbed in Taft
York postal carrier retires after 41 years
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October 16, 2009
Postal Service
OIG Says Workers' Time Sheets Altered
Managers at three southern New Hampshire post offices manipulated
employees' time sheets, causing some people to be underpaid,
the inspector general of the U.S. Postal Service said. The
inspector general's office launched its investigation last
spring at the request of Democratic U.S. Rep. Paul Hodes,
who was asking on behalf of the National Association of Letter
Carriers"
From
PostalReporter Reader: USPS OIG Letter To Congressman Paul
Hodes
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Congressman:
New Hampshire Postal Workers Cheated Out of Wages
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VP Vegliante On End of Year Pay For Performance (PDF)
Congressman: Full-court press
is on to save Elmira mail-processing center
In Digital Era, Marketers Still Prefer a Paper Trail
Late mail symptom of postal tweaking
Postal
union claims consolidation will cause delays
USPS first agency to release data on greenhouse gas emissions
Ex-mail handler admits theft of video games in envelopes
Hey, Mr.
Postman
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October 15, 2009
PMG
Says No Pricing Increase For Market Dominant Products in 2010
While increasing
prices might have generated revenue for the Postal Service
in the short term, the long term effect could drive additional
mail out of the system. We want mailers to continue to invest
in mail to grow their business, communicate with valued customers,
and maintain a strong presence in the marketplace. Changes
in pricing for our competitive products - Priority Mail, Express
Mail, Parcel Select, and most international products - are
under consideration. Simply
stated, there will not be a price increase for market dominant
products including First-Class Mail, Standard Mail, periodicals
and single-piece Parcel Post. There will be no exigent price
increase for these products.
Why Potter Is Freezing Postal
Rates, And What It Means For 2010
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Mailing
Industry Executives Tell Workers to Sacrifice
It was shocking, however, to
read that the president of the
Association for Postal Commerce suggests that “the time has
come for postal employees to start sharing some of the sacrifices.”
As APWU members know, postal employees have made tremendous
sacrifices as the USPS confronts financial difficulties. More
than 40,000 jobs have been wiped out in the last year; thousands
of employees have been reassigned to work sites hundreds of
miles from their homes; and part-time employees have had their
hours slashed.
Postcom:
APWU has launched an attack on us
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USPS first agency to release
data on greenhouse gas emissions
Postal Service pursues changes at Elmira office
Businesses urged to get involved in USPS restructuring
October 14, 2009
APWU President Issues Challenge To PMG
Over Mailers Postage Discounts
The Postal Service’s precarious
financial condition has prompted APWU President William Burrus
to issue a challenge to Postmaster General Potter: Discontinue
the exorbitant postage discounts that are offered to large
mailers — which are currently as high as 10.5 cents per letter
— and allow members of the APWU to perform all mail-processing
functions at the rate of 10.4 cents for every letter and flat.
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Postal Workers Protest, USPS
Weighs In
No distractions cited in accident that
led to death of local postman
Pitney Bowes Accuses Zumbox of Patent Infringement
Gamefly and USPS Still Locked in Legal
Battle
Postal Service center in Moreno Valley
takes load off San Bernardino hub
Man learns
tough lesson when insulin delayed in mail
Post office refuses to deliver mail after
man puts up new box
The Courier,
Express, and Postal Business and the Nobel Prize
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October 13, 2009
Postmasters
League No Longer Support USPS Voice Of Employee Survey
Recently your National Board
met and decided that the League would no longer support the
VOE survey. While the intent behind the survey may be good,
the fact of the matter is that the work situation for Postmasters
continues to deteriorate.
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Is This
Postal Window Clerk Getting Forced Out of USPS?
In a nutshell,
Postal Window Clerk Liz Jones submitted a request to change
her work schedule for 3 hrs. once a week and 8 hrs. on Saturday
(another window clerk offered to exchange her day off with
Ms. Jones) for 4 months to attend school. Ms. Jones wanted
to prepare herself for employment outside of USPS due to the
excessing taking place in Walnut Creek. The excessing would
require Ms. Jones to travel up to 200 miles away from her
duty office. Management denied her request in the month of
August stating that she could not be spared from the window.
Also, one month later (September) a letter was issued notifying
her that she will be excessed from Walnut Creek effective
12/5/09. The following is a letter that Ms. Jones sent to
several lawmakers about management's refusal to grant her
request to attend school. |
Sick Leave Phase In...
Under a phase-in plan okayed
by Congress, FERS employees who want to get full credit for
unused sick leave will have to wait until January 1, 2014
to retire. They can leave earlier than that, but if they do,
they will get only partial credit toward retirement under
the phase-in rules.
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Carrier suspended; post office investigating
Postal
Workers Picket at Scottsville Rd. Office
Postal
Service Seeks Extension in GameFly Complaint
October 12, 2009
USPS Issues Management Order For Additional Cleaning In Postal
Facilities During Flu Season
- The Postal Service
issued MMO-109-09, titled “Influenza Cleaning Contingency”
for facilities to impose ADDITIONAL cleaning methods to reduce
the spread of infection during the current 2009 to 2010 Influenza
(Flu) season which includes H1N1 influenza.
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Through rain, sleet, snow and even 50
years
Paul McNeil, who turned in a
butcher's smock for a large, leather pouch when he was 20,
first started on his appointed rounds in the city in 1959,
and the Hattiesburg native, who turned 71 today, said he has
no intention of stopping anytime soon.
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USPS Issues Management
Order For Additional Cleaning In Postal Facilities During
Flu Season
- The Postal Service issued
MMO-109-09, titled “Influenza Cleaning Contingency” for facilities
to impose ADDITIONAL cleaning methods to reduce the spread
of infection during the current 2009 to 2010 Influenza (Flu)
season which includes H1N1 influenza.
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Postal Employee Charged With
Theft of 450 Netflix Movies From Mail
Two Alabama postal workers
charged with delay or destruction of mail
Valpak opens up mobile local couponing with iPhone application
Digital marketing shift speeds up
Why Email No Longer Rules...
Federal Faces: Ruth Goldway
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October 10, 2009
eNAPUS Legislative
& Political Bulletin
Mailman
saves life of Brook Park man, 71, who was in diabetic shock
Employees protest closing of N.J. distribution center
Daytona Beach postal facility
could lose jobs
Big turnout in Hanover as Postal Service mulls West Jersey
closure
Postal carrier pleads guilty
to stockpiling mail
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October 9, 2009
Potter Doesn't
Want to Hike Postage Rates in 2010
Postmaster General Jack Potter
has been telling mailers’ groups in recent days that he does
not plan to raise postal rates next year, a reliable source
tells Dead Tree Edition. Worried that price increases would
backfire and cause mail volumes to drop further, Potter is
telling mailers that any increase in 2010 would be “very small,”
the source says.
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Mail Carrier: Stress Led To Jail Trip
Veteran Carrier Is Accused
Of Assaulting Bosses- A mail carrier accused of assaulting
her bosses on the job says a heavy workload and a lot of pressure
to deliver pushed her to the edge. Vasquez said she didn't
realize how angry she was when she pushed her supervisors,
but they went flying. Police investigators said both supervisors
fell hard and one broke her wrist. "(The supervisor) did have
3-inch heels on. Probably didn't help her balance any," Vasquez
said.
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USPS Continues
Review of Stations and Branches
The U.S. Postal Service announced
today that 371 retail stations and branches remain
under consideration for possible consolidation. Today's announcement
updates a review process begun earlier this summer that examined
approximately 3,600 stations and branches in urban and suburban
areas across the country, focusing on facilities in relatively
close proximity to one another, to determine where consolidations
might be feasible, while maintaining customer access to postal
services.
Click here
for the list of stations and branches currently being reviewed
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Update on Gamefly Complaint
With USPS That Netflix and Blockbuster Get Preferential Treatment
Postal Service
Pays Some Workers To Do Nothing
Package leaks
mercury at Wichita post office
Remote Encoding Center Closes
in Charleston
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October 8, 2009
PMG Potter: No More 'Business As Usual'
Plans to
shutter some post offices and branches, which will be announced
on Friday, may save $20 million to $100 million, a fraction
of the $5 billion annual budget gap the Postal Service needs
to fill. Options to put the Postal Service back in the black
include allowing it to cut back on traditional mail delivery,
reduce its workforce and sell more than stamps at its retail
outlets. The Postal Service could save about $3 billion a
year by eliminating Saturday mail delivery, an option that
Potter said has to be considered given the declines in U.S.
mail volume. Using post
offices to sell cellular telephone services, or as an agent
for banks and insurance companies, is another option that
the Postmaster General wants to pursue.
Times Are a-Changin' for Postal
Service
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Postmaster General Begins National Dialogue
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FERS Sick
Leave Credit Passes House-Senate Conference Committee (No
More FERS FLU)
The final agreement
would allow federal agencies to re-employ federal retirees
on a limited, part-time basis without offset of annuity; permit
Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) workers to initially
credit half, and later all, of their unused sick leave toward
retirement; and provide for retirement equity for Federal
employees in Hawaii, Alaska and the U.S. Territories.
The Conference Agreement is expected to pass the House and
Senate.
FERS
'flu' cure a "done deal"
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Editorial: USPS
Saving $356,540 On East Bay Station Closures–Losing $10 Million
-
by APWU East Bay Area Local President Stephen Lysaght - The
irony of the Postal Service’s anticipated closure of these
stations is that they yielded $10,462,613 in revenue in 2008
and are projected to yield $9,672,090 in 2009 --a reduction
of only 7.5%. The lease costs for the buildings are $549,237
per year, which represents less than 6% of the revenue expected
this year. Additionally, canceling the leases early would
cost the Postal Service an additional $192,697 in penalties,
decreasing the true cost of operating the stations to only
$356,540—less than 4% of the expected revenue for 2009.
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APWU Letter to
USPS Regarding Minimum Qualifications for Cross-craft Reassignments
It has been
brought to the union's attention that APWU bargaining unit
employees may have been improperly reassigned to city letter
carrier positions for which they did not meet the minimum
qualifications (driving test), and may have been subsequently
disciplined for failing to meet those qualifications. It is
the Union's position that an APWU bargaining unit employee
must meet the minimum qualifications before being reassigned
to a letter carrier position.
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Missing mail found at Passaic
post office
Council: Don't stamp out postal plant in Hickory, NC
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October 7, 2009
USPS Distribution
Center in Logan Township closing doors in 650-job cut
The United States Postal Service
will be closing its Philadelphia Logistics and Distribution
Center in Logan Township's Pureland Industrial Complex by
March, according to the freeholder. The Logan Township facility,
which processes upwards of 250,000 pieces of priority mail
each day, was the product of a merger several years ago, according
to prior reports. Eleven other facilities were condensed into
this one building in order to improve efficiency.
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For Periodicals,
The Postal Service's Math Doesn't Add Up
Jim O’Brien and David Straus
have been arguing about Periodicals postage rates for years,
but they definitely agree on one point: The Postal Service
has goofed when it comes to measuring the costs of handling
periodicals.
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Hawaii
Post Offices to Cut Hours
Hunt for postal worker's murderer continues
The Postal Service - The Myth
of Independence
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October 6, 2009
Mailers Fear
New USPS Reform May be Needed
Gene Del Polito, president of
the Association for Postal Commerce, thinks the time has come
for postal employees to start sharing some of the sacrifices."
Despite all the terrible things that are happening to companies
all over the United States, there hasn’t been a single layoff
in the postal service and there hasn’t been a single solid
facility closure,” he said. “We’ve suffered, and they haven’t.”
He said he hopes that when the USPS and employee unions go
into collective bargaining next year they need to come up
with a plan “that makes sense if the postal service is to
survive.”
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Political Costs of the USPS
Elmira postal workers fight plan to move jobs out of area
Postal Service offers $100,000 reward in mail truck driver's
slaying
Postal officials deny late opening is linked to closure
study
Kaneohe
Post Office Roof Collapses
Hailey bids farewell to longtime postmaster
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October 5, 2009
Over 40,000
Less USPS Career Employees Reported In FY 2009
On Rolls and Paid Employee Statistics
(ORPES) published last week shows that USPS career employees
have decreased by 40,110 since Same Period Last Year
(SPLY). Over a 3-year period there are 61,151 less
career employees. The chart provided covers the last
3 years from 2007 through Pay Period 20 2009 (September 25,2009).
note: USPS Fiscal Year ended September 30,2009.
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Do all these post offices really need to be open?
Newsweek: Flying
Like an Eagle? Seven ways to fix the USPS
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October 4, 2009
What's Happening
To The Post Office?
CBS News Andy Rooney - In 1900,
there were 77,000 post offices around the country. Today with
four times as many people, there are only 37,000 post offices
- 40,000 fewer post offices for 230 million more Americans.
No wonder it wasn't in the mail. We have a lot of things that
need cutting, but post offices are not among them.
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Carrier Who
Lost Legs in Accident Dies
Rondeno, 57, a beloved mailman in the Uptown area, was struck
by a careening car and then pinned between two vehicles on
Sept. 26 . He lost both legs as a result and was in the hospital
working toward recovery. But his heart stopped Friday shortly
after 3 p.m., said John Gagliano, chief investigator for the
Orleans Parish coroner.
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Contract Driver Murdered at Postal Facility
in Camp Hill, AL
Postal Retirement and Plant Consolidation
Fire Destroys
Post Office
Cumberland Protestors Picket Post Office
Closure
Some postal
employees beat relocation
Public hearings to begin on NJ post office
closings
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October 2, 2009
Eye Opener:
23,000 Postal Workers Opt for Buyout
Approximately 5,000 full-time Postal Service employees eligible
for retirement ended their Postal careers this week, accepting
$15,000 buyout offers as part of a cost-cutting move. Another
18,0000 full-time workers have also accepted the offer, but
have until Oct. 31 to complete the paperwork or opt out.
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NALC: Separation For Disqualification Of ‘Letter Carriers'
(PDF)
We have seen several cases in
which clerks are being reassigned under Article 12 into the
letter carrier craft, failing some aspect of the EL-804 driving
tests, and being administratively separated for failing the
test. The language is clear. An employee reassigned into the
carrier craft must pass the initial road test prior to being
reassigned.
Archive: Postal Clerks Excessed Into Other Crafts
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USPS OIG Audit Report: Management of DPS Percentage Increases
for City Delivery (PDF)
Increasing the
DPS percentage for city delivery is a top priority for the
U.S. Postal Service and an important cost reduction strategy
for delivery operations because it reduces the amount of mail
employees must manually sort.
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Illinois: Post office death
was from natural causes
USPS refuses mail delivery for 'safety reasons'
Former postal workers admit theft of gift cards
Hickory postal employees rally to stop job losses
Postal
Worker Cleared in Pepper Spray Incident
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October 1, 2009
Burrus Charts
Ambitious Course for Union’s Future
Urging conference participants
to meet the daunting challenges facing the APWU — from the
USPS financial crisis to upcoming contract negotiations and
a shrinking workforce — Burrus asked members to draw strength
from the union’s many achievements in recent decades and to
recommit their efforts to the tasks that lay ahead.
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EEOC 2009 Annual Report On USPS
While the United States Postal
Service constituted 27.6% of the work force, it accounted
for 47.1% of all EEO counselings, 36.6% of all complaints
filed, 36.9% of all completed investigations and 40.8% of
all complaints closed in FY 2008. USPS agreed to pay a total
of $5,777,740 plus other benefits for 669 complaint closures
through settlement agreements, final agency decisions, and
final agency orders fully implementing AJ decisions. For the
443 complaint closures with monetary benefits, the average
award was $13,042.
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Texas: Postal Worker Delivering
Mail Robbed
Post Office wins and woes
Cuts eyed for Whippany postal center
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