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October 31, 2010
For Postal Service Retirements, Slow Going Ahead
Here's some bad news for both
the U.S. Postal Service and postal employees who are eyeing
retirement: The federal agency that has caused months of delays
in processing retirement applications and issuing benefits
checks isn't going to clean up its act any time soon. Downsizing
the workforce through attrition, mostly retirements, is a
major part of the Postal Service's plan to fix its finances.
But the cumbersome process of getting accurate benefits estimates
and timely payments deters retirement-eligible employees from
calling it quits.)
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Mail Truck Crushes Car in Fatal Collision
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October 30, 2010
USPS
Changes Instructions On Excessing Supervisors Based On Workload
Credit Process
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NAPS Headquarters has been working with the Postal Service
to provide a timeline for NAPS branches at the local level
to review the results of SWC’s calculations that result in
the excessing of supervisors from Customer Service operations.
As a result of automated SWC calculations, and the desire
of local management to make immediate moves of EAS employees,
our members, in certain situations, are being required to
make decisions about applying for new positions in less than
a week.
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USPS
Suspends Acceptance Of International Mail From Yemen
This service suspension
has been issued in response to the potential threat posed
by suspicious packages arriving in the U.S. aboard international
flights originating in Yemen .The Postal Service has also
heightened awareness among its employees, and remains vigilant
in ensuring its security processes are adhered to in the acceptance
of international mail arriving in the U.S.
Yemen
Packages on UPS, FedEx Jets Show `Massive' Air-Cargo Security
Hole
Discovery of
the packages in the U.K. and Dubai, both bound for synagogues
in Chicago, triggered an examination of three United Parcel
Service Inc. planes yesterday and confiscation of a FedEx
Corp. parcel. Both companies halted service from Yemen.
Mail bomb plot shows lax cargo, parcel
security |
White House: Could be more mail bombs
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MSPB: USPS National
Reassessment Process Must Find Work For Injured Employees
In Entire Commuting Area
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More MSPB cases filed by Postal Workers were remanded during
the month of October. The cases were remanded because the
Postal Service’s job search under the National Reassessment
Process was limited to installations within a single district
and failed to include the entire commuting area as required
by 5 C.F.R. § 353.301(d).
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What
are we to make of Jack Potter’s decision to retire as U.S.
Postmaster General on Dec. 3? The U.S. Postal Service has
been in the news quite a bit in recent years, notably for
its mounting financial losses, massive declines in mail volume,
reducing workforce hours, trying to close under-performing
postal facilities, seeking five-day mail delivery, and requesting
Congress to address the prepayment of retiree health benefits.
Amid all of the workforce reductions, many “commenters” in
the blogosphere contend that Potter failed to address management
cuts in recent years.
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OPM Disability Retirement under FERS
or CSRS: While the Law may favor the Applicant, the
Process does not
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Editorial by Attorney Robert McGill - There is often a suspicion
that certain forums are “weighted” in favor of the government.
In speaking with Federal and Postal Workers who are contemplating
filing for Federal Disability Retirement benefits from the
Office of Personnel Management, a concern which often surfaces
repeatedly is that the Merit Systems Protection Board is “weighted”
in the government’s favor. While it may be true that
the MSPB may find in favor of the Federal Government and its
agencies in a majority of cases, this does not necessarily
mean that there is a bias on the part of the Administrative
Judges.
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Post office shootings still on the minds
of Henning residents
Why your mailbox is a chamber of political
horrors
Universal
service could be dropped by privatised Royal Mail if it becomes
too costly
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October 29, 2010
Appeals
Court Sets Schedule For USPS Appeal Of PRC’s Denial Of Rate
Increase
Postal
First Services Industry to Commit to CO2 Reductions
USPS Updates
Leased and Owned Facilities Data
Postal
Service called slow to exploit IT
Indiana: Mail merger talk incites critics
Retirement Planning - Trick or Treat
Do Young People Prefer Print Marketing?
Longtime Alameda postal worker retiring
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October 28, 2010
USPS
Using Temporary Schedule Changes To Avoid Paying Employees
Overtime
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It appears management
officials in many USPS offices across the country are using
“temporary schedule changes” to avoid paying Postal Employees
overtime.
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APWU President:
It is Not My Job To Be Fair And Balanced With Anti-Labor Politicians
As
president of the APWU, my responsibility is not to be fair
and balanced, but to align the union with legislators who
promote a pro-labor, pro-postal agenda. As
Rep. Issa’s editorial reveals, his agenda is extremely
hostile to labor — especially postal workers. If the Republican
Party takes control of the House of Representatives in the
Nov. 2 election, Rep. Issa will become chairman of the Committee
on Oversight and Government Reform, and will have extensive
influence over legislation affecting postal employees and
the Postal Service.
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Fake postage
stamps are real worry for Postal Service
Counterfeiters are inundating
the US Postal Service with fake postage stamps and inspectors
can't even say how bad the problem really is. A hundred-roll
of stamps went for $34, compared with the $44 that the real
things would set you back. The counterfeiters also give a
discount for bulk purchases -- if you buy a thousand stamps
the price goes down to 29 cents apiece. But the counterfeiters
apparently don't have much to worry about. Detecting fake
44-cent stamps is way down on the list of things overworked
Postal inspectors are concerned about.
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Ask President Burrus: Members Are Entitled To Know What's
Going On in Contract Negotiations
- I
do not believe that the negotiation process is advanced bargaining
publicly. Union members
have the right to review any tentative agreement the union
may reach with management, and have the right to vote to ratify
or reject such agreement. However, bargaining is so fluid
that the process is not well served through public posturing.
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NAPUS President Requests a Continuance
of DUO Moratorium
Postal
worker honored for delivering turkeys to needy families
USPS ranks
among brands Americans like best
Elections
2010 – One Lump or Two?
Paper Power: Why Campaign Mailers
Still Thrive in the Digital Age
Additional
postage has absentee voters licked
Indiana post office consolidation
plan meeting Thursday
Rhode Island mail carrier charged
with taking cash from mail
Rochester
MN postal employee faces mail theft charges
Postmaster learns from GM's woes
Postal Service Mails Fraud Warning to 129 Million U.S. Households
Arlington police ID postal worker slain while walking dog
outside apartment
Fed Power in a Close Election
Roanoke Post Office investigates brazen mail theft
No united front at Royal Mail
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October 27, 2010
Opinion: Postal supervisors should show how to speed up delivery
Letter carriers
in several southeastern Michigan communities are raising the
same concerns about a hostile work environment many raised
five years ago, in particular that they're being told to speed
up, to deliver the mail without overtime. We have an alternative:
Supervisors who complain about carriers who can't deliver
mail by 5 p.m. should show them — and us — how it can be done
by moving more quickly.
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$250 shot for retirees
Salinas man
convicted in 2008 slaying of /postal worker/girlfriend
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October 26, 2010
Burrus
Shocked, Disappointed By Retirement of PMG Potter
I have no inside
information about the reason for Potter’s decision, and no
reason to believe that his retirement was demanded by the
Board of Governors; but if it was, the Board has made a terrible
mistake. The Postal Service is at a crossroads, and its relevance
in American society is being questioned. The U.S. Postal Service
needs a leader like John Potter to ensure its continued viability.
NALC President on Potter Retirement
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Potter Quitting the Worst CEO Job in America
At the ripe age of 55, Postmaster
General Jack Potter announced his retirement today from the
worst CEO job in America. Some will no doubt speculate about
the reasons -- a coming change in Congress or perhaps the
failure so far to notch any major political victories on such
issues as rate increases, five-day delivery or retiree-benefits
reform. But I have my own theory.. The job stinks.
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Stealing money from greeting
cards gets postal carrier 2 years probation
USPS Recognizes Published Works On History
Of American Postal System
Michigan
Rep. Seeks Answers From PMG On Proposed Consolidation Of Carrier
Operations
New Jersey contractor charged
with dumping 32,000 pieces of mail
High school classmates remember slain
post office worker
Truck crashes into post office
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October 25, 2010
PMG Potter
To Retire Effective December 3, 2010
After nearly 10 years as
U.S. Postmaster General and CEO of the U.S. Postal Service,
John E. Potter today announced that he will retire on Dec.
3, after 32 years of service. The Governors of the Postal
Service named Patrick R. Donahoe, currently Deputy Postmaster
General and Chief Operating Officer, to succeed Potter
.
PMG discusses retirement
and his successor
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Potter to Resign as PMG; Mail Groups OK With Legacy
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“Shock and disappointment” as Potter
steps down at difficult time for USPS |
Letter From PMG To All Postal Employees
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Senator Carper Statement |
USPS's Donahoe |
Who is the new postmaster general?
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Management
negotiators seem to believe delay will maximize the pressure
on the union, because of the looming threat of arbitration.
How wrong they are!
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Postal
worker shot with BB gun while delivering mail
Former NY Postal Employee Admits Theft
Postal
Workers Rally in the Streets of Bowling Green KY
Foreign
websites using USPS to ship cigarettes
Full
Service Requirements and Risks
Ethics Program Review USPS June 2010
(PDF
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October 24, 2010
Rural Post Offices Lack Security
Henning tragedy shows dangers
when staffers work without cameras, guards or weapons In Henning
there were no security cameras to record images of intruders.
There was no silent alarm, no bulletproof glass, no panic
button, no security guard. Postal robberies are not a new
phenomenon. In 1921, Postmaster General William Harrison Hays
declared a campaign to try to stop a growing number of postal
robberies across the country. He provided weapons to all postal
employees "who may have charge of valuable postal shipments,
either on trains or in the Post Offices." The campaign included
$5,000 rewards to "any postal employee or other person who
brings in a mail robber."
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Henning, TN Says Goodbye To Slain Postal Workers
The search continues
for the person who gunned down two postal workers in Henning,
Tennessee Monday morning. Saturday afternoon, the tiny Tennessee
town said goodbye to 32-year-old Paula Robinson and 59-year-old
Judy Spray. Investigators said they're following up on several
leads but so far no suspects have been identified in the killings.
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Rural Carrier
Guarantee Period For 2010
Bad dogs lead to mail delivery
halt in Ohio city
Postal service may shift work from Greenfield,
Hudson Falls post offices
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October 23, 2010
Alabama Postal Clerk arrested after
post office fight
They were in a verbal altercation
that turned physical,” Billingsley said. “From the investigation,
we've been able to determine that they have had some kind
of ongoing argument or feud for a year.” He said the fight
took place in the post office sorting department Billingsley
said the man who was attacked was taken to Eliza Coffee Memorial
Hospital, where he was treated for several abrasions, bruises
and cuts to his head.
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Video: Who Knew -
Discover some of the most unusual places you can still send
mail…
Beechview postal worker avoids theft
charges
Salinas postal workers to rally to keep
local mail processing plant open
Postal service auctioning hundreds of
items in Jeffersonville
French Post Office Will Have 10,000
EV's In Use By 2011
Postal Service forces removal of newspaper
vending boxes
Massachusetts
GOP asks USPS to investigate Democrat's campaign mailings
Law Firm
Registers to Lobby on Postal Inspectors Overtime Pay
The dispute regarding overtime
pay for postal inspectors has waged for at least two decades.
In 2003, two inspectors filed a proposed class action in the
U.S. District Court for the Central District of California
alleging that they were improperly classified as administrative
employees and, therefore, ineligible to receive overtime pay.
The case is ongoing, and Osborn Law represents the plaintiffs
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October 22, 2010
USPS Sets Up
PO Box For Condolences To Slain Henning Postal Workers
A special PO
Box has been established for those wishing to offer condolences
to families of Judy Spray and Paula Robinson..
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USPS Updates
Policy On Workplace Harassment
Incorporates recent legal developments
that make it clear that an employer’s anti-harassment policy
must prohibit all forms of harassment that violate federal
anti-discriminations laws. Harassment is unwelcome verbal
or physical conduct, which is so severe or pervasive that
it interferes with or changes the conditions of one's employment
by creating a hostile, intimidating, or abusive working environment.
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USPS Takes PRC
To Court Over Denied Request For Rate Increase
On October 22, 2010, the Postal
Service filed an appeal with the U.S. Court of Appeals for
the D.C. Circuit regarding the September 30, 2010 ruling of
the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) denying the Postal
Service exigent price request. The Postal Service is requesting
a review of the PRC’s interpretation of the law that governs
how prices can be set under “extraordinary and exceptional”
circumstances –an exigent” price increase. The Postal Service
is also requesting that the Court of Appeals confirm that
the Postal Service has the right to the exigent price increase,
as originally filed with the PRC.
Rate-Case Appeal Is a No-Lose Venture for USPS
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Postal Service Appeals PRC Decision
on Exigent Price Request
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NY Postal Supervisor
Found Guilty Of Operating $10 Million Illegal Gambling Ring
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5 other postal
workers previously pled guilty- From 2005 to 2009, a
USPS supervisor, along with several co-conspirators who worked
at the USPS and other state and local government agencies,
operated a "Lotto"-type gambling business (the "Lottery")
which tracked the numbers chosen for the New York State Lotto
drawings and paid out on a monthly basis prizes in the range
of $100,000 and more.
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Amazon.com quietly settles mysterious
postal investigation
USPS Rated Among Best Companies
for Hispanics
Hartford (CT) Letter Carrier
Robbed On Delivery Route
Colorado: Mail-In Ballots Will Be Delivered
Despite Postage Confusion
Dog attacks halt mail service to neighborhood
Netflix Streaming Officially Bigger Than DVD Rentals
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October 21, 2010
Retirement: 'High-3″ and service buyback
Community effort sought to keep mail-processing
in Alexandria
Magazines
dumping the Postal Service, dumping issues on doorsteps
Netflix 'now primarily a streaming company'
Special Delivery
- Mount Laurel Postmaster is Phillies batting practice pitcher
Tracking down
USPS life insurance benefits
Former USPS Contractor Ordered to Pay
$300,000 in Back Wages
USPS facing millions in fines for ‘willful’
safety violations |
Postal electrical problems pervasive
UPS 3Q
Earnings Climb 69 Percent on Revenue Growth of 9 Percent
Bring buddies Postal Scheme Tested by
Deutsche Post
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October 20, 2010
Henning Post Office Shooting: Employees'
Fight For Security Camera Denied-
Mary Hammock is
appalled at reports that a fake camera was installed at the
Henning post office. The same post office where employees
Judy Spray and Paula Robinson were found shot and killed Monday
morning. A postal union official tells us if employees had
their way, a camera would have been installed years ago. John
Sharkey is the vice president of the union that represents
the Henning post office. He says they've been fighting for
years to put a surveillance camera in place.
Postal Notes: Tragedy at West Tennessee
Post Office hard to fathom |
Mobile unit continues postal service
tasks outside scene of Henning post office murders
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USPS Office Of Inspector General’s Audit Plan For 2011
We plan to
review the requirements for the Postal Service to participate
in the Federal Employee Workers’ Compensation Program, problems
existing in the program, and the impacts to the Postal Service
of the current arrangement. Labor and Management – The Postal
Service must ensure its compensation and benefit costs are
effectively aligned in anticipation of further reductions
in revenue.
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Burrus: Notion that USPS Can’t Afford
Unions Is a Cheap Shot at Workers
APWU
President William Burrus has
again refuted assertions about the financial condition of
the Postal Service that appeared in a
recent column in The
Daily Caller: “The Postal Service Can’t Afford Unions.”
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California-based Mailing Firms to Pay $4.2 Million to Resolve
False Claims Act Allegations for Underpayment of Postage
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California-based companies Quicksort Inc., Quicksort LA Inc.
and Quicksort Sacramento Inc. have agreed to pay the United
States $4.2 million to settle allegations that Quicksort violated
the False Claims Act by falsely representing the level to
which it had pre-sorted mailings in order to obtain discounted
postage rates from the U.S. Postal Service, the Justice Department
announced today.
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Postal Worker
Indicted For Falsifying Eligibility To Run In NALC Local Election
Former election candidate of
NALC Branch 217 (located in Jackson, Miss.), was indicted
on three counts of allegedly submitting a false certification
of her eligibility for election to Branch 217, which she knew
falsely certified that she had not served as a supervisor
within two years prior to October 2008. Last year this same
NALC Branch was forced to re-run its local election due to
problems.
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Postal Service Slow In Delivering Ballots
Thousands of ballots destined
for Clark County voters sat waiting for sorting at a U.S.
Postal Service distribution center in Portland over the weekend
as postal workers scrambled to deal with an avalanche of political
mail.
State Official
Suggests Cutbacks in USPS Staffing, Service May Be Reason
For Delayed Oregon ballots
- Oregon has an all-mail election
system, and ballots for the Nov. 2 election had been promised
to voters by Saturday, Oct. 16. However, according to Benton
County Clerk James Morales and Elections Supervisor Jill Van
Buren, voters several; counties all had delays in receiving
their ballots because of a miscommunication or a mistake that
prompted some Portland postal officials to believe that they
had until Tuesday to send along those ballots. She suggested
that cutbacks in personnel and service might be at fault.
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Letter to PRC on Five-Day Delivery Plan
(PDF)
Postal workers picket at Lake Charles
post office
Postal
Service Denies Plans for Oshkosh Town Hall Meeting
Priority
Mail Flat-Rate Ad Campaign Expands
Postal worker admits stealing mail
Postcard from Washington
- Canada
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October 19, 2010
APWU: Second Early Out Payment Scheduled
for Oct. 29
Former postal employees who retired
or separated from the Postal Service in 2009 as part of the
negotiated Early Out Incentive agreement are entitled to receive
an additional $5,000, tentatively scheduled for Oct. 29, 2010.
Those who participated in the retirement incentive program
received $10,000 as part of the agreement in 2009. The final
$5,000 payment is scheduled to coincide with the Pay Period
22 payroll.
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New Burger King Commercial Featuring
Mail Carrier Promoting Breakfast Platter
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New Burger King commercial featuring
Mail Carrier promoting breakfast platter. In the commercial
the Mail Carrier sings, “With pancakes and eggs on my plate,
the mail has to wait.” note: I saw this commercial
on TV and thought it was in bad taste.
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European
Company Mails Fake Bags Of Blood In Its Direct Mail Campaign
A European company mails bags
of fake blood to prospective clients to emphasize its unrelenting
work ethic.
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OSHA Fines USPS $210,000
For Safety Violations At Columbus, OH Distribution Center
Heath Post Office hit by
vehicle again
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October 18, 2010
Updated:
Post Office Killings: Reward Increased; Rumors Running Rampant
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People in town don't
know what's going on with the investigation. While the cops
remain tight-lipped, rumors are running rampant. There are
rumors about the killings being the result of a gang initiation.
Two Postal
Workers killed in apparent
robbery attempt -
The two victims have
been identified as 34-year old
Paula Robinson
(clerk) and 59-year old
Judy Spray
(RCA) Two female post office workers were killed Monday in
a shooting at a post office in Henning, Tennessee during a
possible robbery attempt, authorities said. The Lauderdale
County Sheriff's Department said two female employees (rural
carrier associate and window clerk) were killed around 8:30
a.m local time in what may have been a robbery at the Henning
post office. A third postal employee (a female rural carrier)
escaped unharmed.
Memphis Commercial Appeal
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APWU |
$25K reward offered |
Community Shocked Over Postal Shooting
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Victim in Postal Shooting Described
as 'Always Happy' |
Scene
at Henning, Tennessee post office
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See Video
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Advice
Center Now Available for Retirees
Retired APWU members — or members
who plan to retire in the near future — can now e-mail their
retirement-related questions. The union’s expert
team of retirement counselors will answer questions regarding
military buy-back, disability retirement, Social Security,
Medicare, part-time regular calculations, supplemental annuity,
cost-of-living adjustments, reporting death claims, Windfall
Elimination and Government Pension Offset, or any questions
pertaining to retirement planning. |
Colorado Couple
Challenge USPS Ban Of Firearms on Postal Property
Attorneys are taking on the US
Postal Service's ban on any firearm on USPS property. The
Colorado couple presently intend to possess a handgun for
self-defense when traveling to, from, through, or on USPS
property but are prevented from doing so by USPS' ban of firearms
on postal property.
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New retirees
shortchanged: 6- to 12-month waits for full pension checks
OPM has informed some agencies
that they were now taking six to 10 months, or 12 months,
to complete retirement applications this year,' said Dave
Snell, NARFE's retirement benefits director. 'Normally, OPM
is very good about getting resources moved around to attack
these big workloads, but they may not have the resources to
handle all of these as timely as they'd like. .|
The OIG
Wants Your Help on Audits!
With the addition of the Audit
Projects section to our website, now you can provide feedback
while the audit is being conducted. The Audit Projects section
allows you to review the overview of an audit, contribute
information, and send documents during this crucial planning
phase. In essence, you become an audit team member for the
project!
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Walking
With The Mailman
Postal
Service Faces Major Changes
Lake Charles Louisiana
mail center may be in danger of closing
Indiana: Hearing set on consolidating
Lafayette, Muncie Mail Operations Into Kokomo
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October 17, 2010
Republicans
Have Little Love For Federal Workers
Just 2 percent of Republicans
think federal employees work harder than private sector workers,
and almost 6 in 10 think they work less hard. Forty-six percent
of Republicans believe federal workers are of a lower quality
than the private sector workforce. Democrats are much more
sympathetic, with 11 percent believing they work harder than
the private sector and almost 1 in 5 believing they're of
a higher quality.
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The increase in significant and
egregious cases demonstrates OSHA's commitment to aggressively
enforcing its standards when employers show indifference to
protecting the safety, health and lives of their workers.
In addition, inspectors are issuing a higher percentage of
citations for violations that seriously endanger workers or
show an employer's willful disregard for their safety. Also,
many referrals to other facilities within the same company
lead to more significant cases, such as the serious electrical
and other hazards found at many U.S. Postal Service facilities
across the country.
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The Rural Carrier was stopped
partially in the roadway and on the right shoulder in her
2007 Jeep Wrangler, delivering mail. Mrs. Wood, who was unrestrained
at the time of the crash, was air lifted to LSU Medical Center
in Shreveport with life threatening injuries.
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Mail bonding
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October 16, 2010
Congressman Issa: Where Are All Those Postal Supervisors?
Dead Tree Edition
- The response to an article two weeks ago that quoted Rep.
Darrell Issa as saying one in seven U.S. Postal Service employees
has stirred up an unprecedented amount of reaction. Without
doubt, the supervisory ratio within the Postal Service is
far, far higher than 1:7," said Louis M. Atkins, president
of the National Association of Postal Supervisors. Many comments,
though acknowledging that the Postal Service has too many
layers of management, also questioned Issa's numbers.
NAPS President Responds To Congressman
Darrell Issa’s ‘Trash Talk’
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New Orleans
Post Office Is Renamed To Honor Much-Loved Mailman
On Friday, the Uptown postal
station was officially renamed the Roy Rondeno Sr. Post Office
Building.. The beloved postman had worked for the U.S.
Postal Service for 37 years and was nearing retirement. He
died in October six days after being badly injured by a car
while standing at the back of his truck, sorting the mail
from the Uptown station.
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NALC Before the PRC: Six-Day To Five-Day Street Delivery And
Related Service Changes, 2010 (PDF)
- Eliminating
Saturday delivery may end NALC Food Drive
Statements before the PRC from
(PDF):
Mail Handlers
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USPS
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Contract
driver suit against USPS dismissed
Readers
Cry Foul Over Mailing Mag's Cover
Wisconsin:
Racine postal workers collect 1400 books for children
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October 15, 2010
APWU: Guffey
Elected President, Bell Wins as VP
Votes in the APWU election of
national officers are being tabulated by the American Arbitration
Association, under the supervision of the Election Committee
APWU Unofficial Ballot Results
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APWU Election Of National Officers Ballot Count
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USPS Plans
to Excess 14 More Jobs In Elmira, NY
West Virginia
postal employees exposed to hazards
Massachusetts
mailman spotted house fire, helped save dogs
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October 14, 2010
Postal
Service Echoes Enron Abuses
The need for reform at the top
and a complete overhaul of the current USPS culture is evident
when you look at the scandals revealed recently, including
the Bob Bernstock scandal in July, the resultant Office of
Inspector General investigation with its grave revelations
of high-level cover-ups, the lack of any ramifications to
the perpetrators and the candid explanations of fear of retaliation
offered by managerial employees. Only Congress can address
this cultural issue by changing the USPS. Remember, the scandals
and investigative revelations point to ineffective internal
"checks and balances" in the Postal Service. All the systems
that are supposed to guard against mismanagement and abuses
are nowhere to be found - the board of governors, the OIG,
the complacent officers - none are doing their job to control
the culture of abuse and manipulation of rules and regulations
that is destroying the USPS' viability from within.
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Postal
Employee’s USPS Official Personnel Folder Lost In the ?
From PostalReporter reader: USPS
cannot find my co-worker's OPF, she has tried calling
all around but they are giving her the run around. My co-worker
said she is unable to pull it up on the LiteBlue page it is
totally gone. Hopefully you might have some type of info that
you can relay back to me for her help. Does anyone have any
info on how this 27- year Postal Employee can a copy of get
her OPF?
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USPS Seeking Vendors To Create
Electronic Solution For Labeling Mail Transport Equipment
- The USPS is seeking
a solution that will eliminate the need for paper, ink, and
labor hours associated with the labeling of MTE in a USPS
mail processing environment.
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Customer:
Wilmington’s understaffed main post office is an outrage
On Tuesday, I visited the downtown
Wilmington (Delaware) Post Office at 8:30 a.m. There was only
one counter person and 20 people waiting in line. This is
totally unacceptable service from the United States Postal
Service. This is the biggest and busiest post office in the
state.
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OSHA fines
USPS $212,500 Electrical Hazards at Huntington, W.Va facility
The willful citations address
the facility’s failure to properly train employees, use safety-related
work practices when exposed to energized parts and provide
proper electrical protective equipment.
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Affordable Mail Alliance Argues
PRC Ruling Allows USPS To Exploit The Unused Rate Authority
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AMA’s members have a substantial economic interest in the
CPI price cap formula. The methodology adopted in the OGC
letter for computing the Postal Service’s unused rate authority
under the CPI cap could subject users of market-dominant products
to approximately $360 million per year in extra postage and
fees compared with the computation of the price cap formula
that AMA and the Postal Service believed was in effect until
recently. Mailers
Alliance Fights 'Nonsensical' Price-Cap Ruling
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2 arrested for allegedly pointing gun
at postal worker
Eight
Florida Postal and Contract Workers Charged With Mail Theft
USPS to hold public meeting on Muncie,
Lafayette IN consolidations
Letter:
Town needs its post office
USPS
‘Droop Test’ Snags Delivery of Kansas Weekly
Boston
DM: Postal Service doing its best during difficult times
Letter
Carrier Found Guilty Of Theft Of Mail In Cairo, Georgia
Canada Post to anchor a new online advertising
network
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October 13, 2010
APWU Sets
the Facts Straight on the USPS
APWU President William Burrus
has ridiculed assertions about the Postal Service that appeared
in a recent column in the E-Commerce Times: “There
were so many misstatements in your article,” Burrus wrote,
“I hardly know where to begin.” In the Oct. 8 article, Theodore
di Stefano, a managing partner at an investment banking firm,
said six-day delivery is probably a thing of the past, yet
failed to mention that the USPS is obligated to deliver mail
six days per week by legislation that will likely be renewed
by Congress.
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Getting USPS back to black
Postal regs delay newspapers
Federal agency says Postal
Service stinks
How Will The PRC Decision
Impact Small Parcels?
Letter carrier sues homeowner over dog
attack
Folks upset to lose Ardmore post office
MD: Postal Service Looks At Consolidating
Martinsburg Operations
Haslet postmaster bids farewell to her
job
UK Government Paves Way For Postal Privatization
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October 12, 2010
Michigan Letter Carriers Protest
Pressure To Work Faster
About 370 postal workers
petition Levin about ‘hostile work environment-
Postal employees say the pressure to deliver mail and return
to the office by 5 p.m. is mounting and the “unwritten rule”
is creating a hostile work environment.. About 370 letter
carriers in seven cities signed petitions asking U.S. Sen.
Carl Levin, D-Detroit, to investigate local and regional demands
to finish routes earlier or face discipline. “Many employees
are slowly witnessing a resurgence of 1991 when a fired letter
carrier went on a shooting rampage at the Royal Oak Post Office.
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Informal Ruling Makes Postage
Increase of 1.7% Likely In January
Dead Tree Edition - Postage rates
are likely to increase about 1.7% in January as a result of
a letter that the Postal Regulatory Commission's chief lawyer
issued today. Postmaster General Jack Potter promised not
to increase postage rates during 2010, but postal officials
seem eager to bump up rates once the calendar changes over
to 2011. The Postal Service only has to give 45 days' notice
before announcing price increases that comply with the rate
cap. So it seems likely that USPS will announce increases
by mid-November, and perhaps as early as Friday, that take
effect in early January.
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USPS OIG: Review of Wilkes-Barre Processing and Distribution
Facility Consolidation (PDF)
Car crashes into Savannah post office
USPS OIG: Southeast Area Processing and Distribution Center
Consolidations (PDF)
PRC Public Inquiry Log September 2010 (PDF)
APWU: National Officers Election Ballots Due Oct. 14
Pitney Bowes to Host U.S. Customer Summits At Mail Services
Facilities
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October 11, 2010
Post Office Shows Where US is Headed
If the growth rate of losses
projected over the next decade continues until 2030, it will
lose more than $1 trillion in that span
... the Postal Service is a great
jobs machine, employing 712,000 people at an average annual
compensation, including wages and benefits, of $83,000. And
those hefty pay checks are a great source of political contributions
for Democrats. In 2010, almost 90 percent of the approximately
$4 million contributed to campaigns by postal unions went
to Democrats. Take a guess where much of the opposition to
reform comes from. But high-priced labor, which accounts each
year for about 80 percent of costs, leads to high-priced mail
services, and even higher costs for taxpayers.
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Industry mail center targeted again
in consolidation study
(Calif.) USPS considering moving
outgoing mail operations to Santa Ana or Los Angeles-
The latest study is the third to begin in the past two years,
and comes as the Postal Service begins its fiscal year this
month with $2 billion cash on hand, just enough to cover one
pay period, according to USPS spokesman Richard Maher. "The
mail volume continues to drop and our financial situation
continues to deteriorate," Maher said. "It's not economically
feasible to run a number of operations that are running under
capacity." The Industry center has more than 700 employees,
many of whom would be asked to relocate if outgoing mail services
are consolidated. Other positions could be trimmed through
attrition. The previous studies have prompted fears that the
Industry center could eventually close.
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Former Postal Worker pleads guilty to
theft
A former employee of one of the
U.S. post office branches in Granville (NY) pleaded guilty
last week in federal court to a misdemeanor charge for stealing
more than $3,500 while working at the post office. Federal
court records show the window clerk rang up 184 fraudulent
"service not rendered" refunds in the post office's computer
system over the 13-month period, pocketing $25 or less each
time.
Tennessee
postal worker arrested in connection with $90.000 theft
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Some Postal Employees Will Get 11 Paid
Holidays instead of 10 in 2010
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USPS New Year's Day Holiday 2011 falls on Saturday. Postal
Employees with Fri/Sat or Sat/Sun Scheduled Days off will
be paid for their designated holiday on Thurs. or Fri. (2010)
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Connolly: Congress must address USPS
problems
Petaluma mail
center would keep bulk mail
Postal
Service hiring temporary staff for Christmas holidays In Seattle
Area
Electronic
Postage Statements – Boon or Bust?
Pound Ridge Mail, NY Carrier Is Sentenced For Larceny
Postal
Worker pleads guilty in theft from North Dakota PO
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October 10, 2010
80%
of Post Offices Losing Money
One reason the U.S. Postal Service
is teetering on financial ruin: four in five post offices
lose money. And shutting any of the 32,662 outlets down is
nearly impossible. As mail volumes fall, the Postal Service
"does not have sufficient revenues to cover the growing costs
of providing service to new residences and businesses while
also maintaining its large network of retail and processing
facilities," Phillip Herr, director of physical infrastructure
issues for the Government Accountability Office, told a congressional
subcommittee last year. An added concern is that the Postal
Service can't afford to maintain its deteriorating buildings;
an earlier GAO report includes photos of deteriorating facilities,
including one Pennsylvania station that suffered a partial
roof collapse.
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Congress Approves New Postage Stamp To Benefit Species Conservation
Efforts
USPS tells
employees: be alert for campaign mailings and ballots
Residents
upset After USPS mistake
Lunch goes
postal: why I love the U.S. Postal Service
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October 9, 2010
Dunn Center
post office closing after Postmaster resigns
Mailman
makes going postal happy in central Pa.
Mail theft reports grow in Amarillo
Union rep says service, jobs would be
impacted if Alexandria LA postal center closes
Concerns about
service, jobs arise with talk of closing Alexandria postal
center
Minneapolis
City Council acts to protect mail carriers from dogs
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October 8, 2010
USPS Subcontracted
Online Employee Training Program Causing Problems
[The APWU] Clerk Division officers
recently reported on problems union members are facing since
management established OASys, the Online Employee Scheduling
and Assessment System. Many aspects of this program, which
requires employees to schedule typing tests and other exams
online, violate our Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).
Members have reported that although they are required to schedule
tests online, management often refuses to allow them to use
USPS computers for this purpose. Furthermore, many locations
are not conducive to testing, due to such problems as faulty
keyboards, cramped space, noise, and dirty surroundings.
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NAPS President
Responds To Congressman Darrell Issa’s ‘Trash Talk’
CA: Postal
Service considers cuts at Petaluma center
Postal Service customers in Florida
fight cutbacks
FL: Hundreds deliver big push to keep
postal facility here
End of
mail processing in Oshkosh may lead to higher rates
Michigan
postal employee accused of mail thefts resigns; may face prosecution
Dunn Center post office closing after
Postmaster resigns
Wytheville
Post Office Hostage-Taker Gets 40 Years
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October 7, 2010
USPS Revise
Its Policies on Rehiring Postal Execs
Last month
the
Washington Post
reported: The Postal Service has awarded
more than 2,700 contracts to former employees since 1991 and
awarded 17 no-bid deals to former executives between 2006
and 2009, according to one of the audits. Most of those executives
earned six-figure sums, the report said. One unnamed executive
received a $260,000 no-bid deal in July 2009 to train his
successor just two months after retiring. The Postal Service
has revised its Management Instructions (MI) on “Contracting
With Individuals or Rehiring Into Career Nonbargaining Positions”
effective immediately.
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USPS Adds
New Self-Service Retirement Application For Postal Employees
As announced in March of this
year, the Postal Service has added a new feature (eRetire)
to LiteBlue which will provide employees the option of using
self-service to begin the retirement process.
USPS Getting Its Retirement Act Together? Nope
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What Happened
to APWU National Election Ballots ?
Normally the APWU election committee
would be counting ballots this week, at the Four Points by
Sheraton Hotel downtown. But there has been a problem. So
far only 39,071 ballots have been received which is only a
small percentage of the union's membership and a much lower
total than in past elections.
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USPS Seeks
Guidance On Its Rate Cap
The U.S. Postal Service is asking
for a ruling on something that was supposed to be clear --
how much it can increase rates without getting special permission.
A Postal Service lawyer asked the Postal Regulatory Commission
today for guidance regarding how to interpret the price cap
on most mail products (including First-Class, Standard, and
Periodicals), which is based on changes in the Consumer Price
Index (CPI-U).
Rate Increase Coming in 2011
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Q&A: PRC Chairman Goldway on Exigent
Rate Case Ruling
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USPS Collects $3.8 Million In
Price-Fixing Scheme by Several Airline Companies
Wytheville (VA) Post Office Gunman to
be sentenced
At Netflix,
the picture is darkening
Tennessee
Postal Worker charged in theft
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October 6, 2010
Postal
Worker Wins Discrimination Suit Against NY Postmaster
After complaint filed Postmaster
detailed to USPS District Manager of Operations- A federal
court jury has awarded a U.S. Postal Service employee about
$125,000 in back pay after finding that her full-time position
was eliminated because of complaints that she was being discriminated
against for being a woman.
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Zumbox to Showcase Platform for
Digital Postal Mail at Post-Expo 2010
Feds
keeping mum about Woodbury CT Post Office investigation
Postal Service plans more life for
its vehicles
Inspector general: Pension payment
reform could cure Postal Service financial woes
Exploring
NYC's (Nearly!) Empty Farley Post Office Building
FEHBP
Premiums: Burying The Skunk
Mooresville
Post Office gets special recognition
Rapides Parish Police Jury seeks keep
postal jobs in Alexandria
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October 5, 2010
Rep. Darrell
Issa Team: USPS Retirement Overpayment is a Myth
The overpayment is a myth dependent
on changing the law to conjure up an overpayment through backdoor
accounting. Twice, Congress has passed and the President has
signed laws that clearly define the retirement benefits obligations
of the federal government and the USPS. It was not until the
USPS began facing its current fiscal crisis (due to declining
revenue from a world-wide move to electronic over "hard" mail
communications and the USPS' extremely high fixed costs...labor
amounts to a full 80% of the USPS budget) that it began working
with Congressional allies to reverse both laws and create
an overpayment out of thin air.
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Court Denies
APWU’s Request Seeking USPS Pay For Performance Records
- APWU requested information
from USPS under the Freedom of Information Act on September
10, 2008. APWU requested “the most recent Pay for Performance
bonus and/or pay increases . . . ” APWU had requested disclosure
of USPS' decisions regarding bonuses and salary increases
for its employees. USPS denied APWU's request arguing that
such information is of a commercial nature and exempt from
public disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
In a recent decision, a federal court agreed with USPS and
denied APWU's request.
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Curbed enthusiasm: Macon post office
requests curbside mailboxes, confuses residents
USPS searches for break even point
Seattle: Postal Service hiring temporary
employees for the holidays
What Next for the Postal Service in
2011?
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October 4, 2010
PMG Potter: Give U.S. Postal Service The Freedom To Compete
In a letter to Wall Street Journal:
We operate within legal constraints that hamper our ability
to operate efficiently and profitably and therefore are seeking
legislative changes that: (1) enable us to alter frequency
of delivery; (2) allow us to close unprofitable post offices;
(3) restructure the obligation to prefund retiree health benefits,
an obligation not required of any other private or government
entity; (4) permit us to create and offer products and services
beyond mail; (5) assure that arbitrators consider the agency's
financial health when agreement cannot be reached with our
labor unions; and (6) resolve overfunding of our pension systems.
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Ohio Postal
employee arrested for pulling a knife on a customer
A post office employee has been
arrested after allegedly putting a knife to the throat of
a customer he thought was trying to rob him. The Postal Worker
has been charged with assault and aggravated menacing for
pulling a knife on a man at the Monroe Post Office Saturday.
Postal worker on leave after
knife incident
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Fort Worth Postmaster scrutinized in
Postal Service inquiry
The Fort Worth postmaster is
on paid administrative leave while the watchdog arm of the
U.S. Postal Service investigates the office, several sources
said. The inspector general is investigating possible problems
with the recording of mail volume, which can be a key driver
of budgeting and efficiency measures, officials said.
The Postmaster
said he continues to work on post office projects while on
leave and hopes to have the matter cleared up as soon as he
meets with the district manager.
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Postal worker delivers mail with one
leg
Bill Kuehling had to have his
leg amputated in 2001. Kuehling lost his leg in 2001 but he
has been working for the postal service since he was 18 years
old and is in his 29th year as a mail carrier.
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Why did federal health-care costs
increase?
Health insurance premiums for
federal workers will increase next year, but would have been
higher if not for the government's bargaining power, the Obama
administration's personnel chief said Monday. The government
announced Friday (without the fanfare of other years) that
health care costs for federal workers will increase at a far
greater rate than their pay next year, but still at rates
less than the premiums of many private-sector workers.
FEHBP Premiums: Burying The Skunk
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Apparently,
if you are a top Postal Service executive who wants a big
raise, the way to get it is to resign. The strategy has worked
for some, according to a report by the agency's inspector
general. Former Postal Service employees have been awarded
more than 2,700 outside services contracts by the agency since
1991, according to the report. Between 2006 and 2009, 17 former
executives were given no-bid contracts. Most of them received
six-figure payments. One was given a $260,000 contract to
train his successor.
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Sen. Akaka:
Impact of Eliminating Saturday Delivery In Hawaii
Should Saturday delivery be eliminated
in Hawai‘i, the alternative suggested by the Postal Service
is renting a Post Office Box at a local retail facility.
Unfortunately, in many areas in Hawai‘i, P.O. Boxes are already
scarce. Postal facilities in Hawai‘i are already understaffed,
stretching Postmasters, Supervisors, and other employees.
The Postal Service says that in order to make Saturday Express
Mail delivery, post office staff may be required to make special
deliveries, calling in to question how many staff will be
available at retail facilities on Saturdays.
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OIG: Summary of Substantial Overfunding
in Postal Service Pension and Retiree Health Care Funds (PDF)
USPS seeks innovative, legislative relief for financial woes
- Federal News Radio
APWU Members
March for Good Jobs, Change in America
PA.: Mail service shifting to Pittsburgh
CT.: 3 Postal
Workers removed from Woodbury PO Amid allegations of possible
theft
OK.: Mail Mix-Up Keeps Tulsa Man From
Getting Mail
FL: Postal
worker challenges council member in Clermont election
Letter Carrier Saves 3 Lives; Honored
In Washington
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October 3, 2010
Postal Workers
Lawsuit Requesting Class Action Charging USPS With Labor Violations
Is Denied -
A federal judge in Texarkana
(TX) denied a request to certify a civil suit filed by seven
U.S. Postal Service mail carriers as a class action lawsuit.
The suit alleged the carriers had been forced to work more
than 40 hours per week without overtime compensation, had
timecards altered to their detriment by a supervisor, been
forced to work through lunch to complete their routes and
been required to work off the clock. USPS argued that it does
try to build in a thirty-minute lunch break into City Carrier
routes although there is no guarantee a particular city carrier
will get the break
Archive:
Postal
Workers Lawsuit On Labor Violations Covers 5 States
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Former Tanacross, AK postal worker accused of theft
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October 3, 2010
Postal Workers
Lawsuit Requesting Class Action Charging USPS With Labor Violations
Is Denied
A
federal judge in Texarkana (TX) denied a request to certify
a civil suit filed by seven U.S. Postal Service mail carriers
as a class action lawsuit. The suit alleged the carriers had
been forced to work more than 40 hours per week without overtime
compensation, had timecards altered to their detriment by
a supervisor, been forced to work through lunch to complete
their routes and been required to work off the clock. USPS
argued that it does try to build in a thirty-minute lunch
break into City Carrier routes although there is no guarantee
a particular city carrier will get the break
Archive:
Postal
Workers Lawsuit On Labor Violations Covers 5 States
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Former Tanacross, AK postal worker accused of theft
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October 2, 2010
USPS Has Too Many Supervisors And Too Many Employees, Congressman
Says -The U.S. Postal Service
could cut its workforce by one-third and its supervisory ranks
even more, a leading Republican Congressman indicated this
week. "The Post Office has 200,000 people who should be retiring,"
Rep. Darrell Issa said in a speech Wednesday to The Heritage
Foundation. USPS had 568,301 employees at the end of August.
"When I say retiring I mean we don’t need them. But let’s
bear in mind it’s just not the guy at the post office; it’s
the thousands of people who are doing maintenance at post
offices that we don’t need to have so many of."
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Potter defends free health insurance for USPS executives
Postmaster General John Potter
is standing by his agency’s policy of paying the full cost
of health insurance premiums for senior executives. According
to a recent audit, the U.S. Postal Service could save
about $577 million in fiscal 2011 if its contribution rate
for those employees matched that of the federal government
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Rough
Week for USPS Highlights Importance of Bill to Fix Finances
“The PRC ruling fully justifies
the APWU’s objection to the PAEA, and stands as stark evidence
that the supporters of the legislation erred in their decision
to require the Postal Service to pre-pay billions of dollars
in future healthcare costs while severely limiting its opportunity
to increase revenue,” he said.
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Did
the PRC’s Decision Send a Message to the USPS?
Will the financially strapped
USPS think twice in the future about proposing an exigent
rate case increase given the PRC’s resounding consensus?
Can PRC
Decision Change Postal Practices?
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Undelivered Mail Found In Home Of Deceased
Arkansas Postmaster
The U.S. Postal
Service reported Friday that it is preparing to deliver some
500 letters found in a home in Hartman, a town of about 600
people. Merlin "Bucky" Walters worked until his death at age
89. He was reportedly the last postmaster to receive his position
by presidential appointment, she said.
Postal Service says mail found at home of deceased Arkansas
postmaster to finally be delivered
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Shipping
rate hikes: Postal Service is out, FedEx is in
FedEx Express intends to increase
its rates by an average of 5.9% effective Jan. 3, though a
drop in its current fuel surcharge will result in a net average
increase of 3.9%, the company says. But FedEx Express is also
changing the formula under which it figures air and ground
shipment rates by package dimensions, a step that can increase
the rates for some packages by more than 15%. “For a lot of
shippers, that will be a significant hit,” Sailor says.
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US Postal Truck Slams Into Home
Postal
Service on track to 'run out of cash' in a year
Living in a Post-Post
Office World
Mailman arrested for theft of cellphone,
obscene pictures
USPS says droopy newspapers to cost
more to mail
USPS
may consolidate Batesville AR plant into Jonesboro
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October 1, 2010
Postal Service expects $6 billion year-end loss
Despite the tough news, Potter
said USPS remains committed to seeking Congressional approval
to cut Saturday mail delivery and close unprofitable post
offices. "We have not changed in terms of what's next," Potter
said. "We need to try and grow revenue. We'll continue to
use any tool that we can."
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Rolando:
Key GOP lawmakers playing “Russian roulette” with USPS
USPS pays another $5.5 billion for future retiree health
- "It is very disappointing that GOP members of the Senate
who have oversight responsibilities with regard to the Postal
Service would take a party-line stance in this irresponsible
action," National Association of Letter Carriers President
Fredric V. Rolando said.
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Federal employees' health insurance
premiums to increase 7.2 percent
For postal workers, premiums
will grow $6.10 per pay period for individual coverage and
$12.73 per pay period for family plans. According to OPM,
the increase is due to changes in the health care market and
added plan features, such as tobacco cessation incentives,
preventative screenings at no cost to enrollees and extending
coverage to adult children age 26 or younger.
HMO: US. Postal Rates (PDF)
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NAPS Legislative
Update: Postal Service Suffers Three Stinging Defeats
Collective Bargaining
Repercussions.
Pessimistic cash flow forecasts and other signs of problems
on the horizon with strengthen Postal Service management’s
hand in its contract negotiations with APWU and the rural
letter carriers that currently are underway. The unions know
that they will need to make painful concessions in pay, benefits,
and jobs. The only question is how deep those concessions
will be and in what combination. Those contract talks are
likely to end up in the hands of an arbitrator next year.
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TSP shows strength in September
Indiana
mail carrier flees burning SUV
USPS set to become “broadcast medium”
as First Class mail declines
Tired of waiting, Marine raises new
flag over post office
Ohio
leads on Post Office closing list
Post
Office Says It's Too Cool To Abide By Credit Card Merchant
Agreement
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