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September 30, 2010
Breaking News: Postal Regulatory Commission
Denies USPS Rate Increase Request
After careful consideration,
the Commission agreed with the Postal Service that the recent
severe recession, and the decline in mail volume experienced
during the recession, do qualify as an extraordinary or exceptional
circumstance under the law. However, the Commission finds
that the requested exigent rate adjustments are not due to
the recent recession, or its impact on mail volume. Rather,
they represent an attempt to address long-term structural
problems not caused by the recent recession. The Commission
finds, therefore, that the Postal Service has failed to meet
its burden under the law and the Commission is unanimous in
denying its request for an exigent rate increase..
Statements:
Senator Collins |
Senator Carper |
DMA
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Affordable Mail Alliance
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Statement
of Postmaster General John Potter on PRC Ruling
We are disappointed
to learn that the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) has denied
our price filing. But we are encouraged by their acknowledgment
and understanding of the larger financial risk we face through
the mandated prefunding of Retiree Health Benefits.
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ALC: GOP hostility
kills prefunding legislation, aided and abetted by misguided
USPS priorities -
"The Postmaster General and his
top executives wasted the entire year seeking unpopular measures
to eliminate Saturday delivery and stack the deck against
employees in collective bargaining rather than focusing on
the prefunding reform backed by mailers and the entire postal
community." Indeed, the Postal Service waited until mid-September
to prepare a request for a deferral. Senate staffers told
the NALC that postal management informed Senate leaders that
the USPS could make the prefunding payment if relief was not
provided. But making the full payment will leave the USPS
with a dangerously low cash position.
Congress declines to bail out Postal Service
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Postal Service close to going broke
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Alabama
Postal Workers Indicted For Mail Theft, Embezzlement
In separate indictments filed
in U.S. District Court, the grand jury charged five U.S. Postal
employees, two employees of postal contract centers, and one
individual not affiliated with the Postal Service with either
stealing, delaying or destroying mail.
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US Postal Center's
hotel serves public, postal employees
California Mailman Injured After Dog Mauling
Daytona postal facility gains allies
Missing a piece of mail? It might have ended up with one
Palo Alto resident
U.S. Postal Service going "pink" Friday
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September 29, 2010
Time Runs Out On Short Term Postal Fix
eNAPUS Legislative
and Political Bulletin - As the days before the election recess
ebbs, partisan politics seems to be overtaking Congress’ ability
to permit the Postal Service to defer the $5.6 billion payment
into the Postal Retiree Health Benefits Fund. The plan was
to attach the deferment onto a must-pass stop-gap appropriations
bill that needs to be signed into law by September 30. The
bill, a “Continuing Resolution”, is being pieced together
by the House and Senate Leadership and may come up for a vote
within the next 24-48 hours.
What if the Postal Service runs
out of money
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PMG canceled a meeting scheduled
today with reporters and is huddling with aides as he determines
what to do
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NAPUS: USPS Places
4 Week Moratorium on Delivery Unit Optimization Implementation
-
A national moratorium was implemented
last Friday for a period of four weeks. New instructions will
be provided to the field at the National Executive Conference
Operations Meeting,
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DEA: U.S.
Postal Workers in Puerto Rico trafficked drugs
The defendants in the first indictment
are charged with thirty-four counts, including conspiracy
to possess with intent to distribute heroin, cocaine and marijuana,
and using firearms during and in relation to a drug trafficking
crime. a U.S. Postal mail carrier, was the leader of the conspiracy.
From in or about 2003, several letter carriers abused
their positions as mail carriers for the U.S. Postal Service
to facilitate drug shipments between Puerto Rico, Texas, California
and Arizona. They were all assigned as mail carriers
at the 65 th Infantry U.S. Post Office in San Juan.
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OIG: The
Postal Service Can Survive at Lower Levels Of Mail Volume
The U.S. Postal Service has never
operated in an environment of persistently declining mail
volumes, and the last time annual mail volume was below 150
billion pieces was 1986. The critical question is whether
today’s Postal Service can remain solvent at much lower volume
levels.
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PRC to
Issue Decision Tomorrow on Extraordinary Postage Increase
Request
The Commission will announce
its decision on a closely watched case, the Postal Service
exigent price increase request filed on July 6, 2010, seeking
to increase prices by an average of 5.6 percent on its Market-Dominant
products, including, but not limited to, First-Class and Standard
letters and flats, Periodicals, and Standard packages.
(9/29)
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Video: Watchdog Report On Employment
Contracts At USPS
A
video featuring Washington Post reporter Ed O'Keefe on Monday's
Capital Insider on TBD TV discussing a watchdog report on
employment contracts at the U.S. Postal Service
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Armored
Car Service Hauls $260,000 Around In USPS Plastic Tubs
It appears that the popular USPS
plastic mail tubs is used for other reasons. Recently two
men pleaded guilty to bank larceny charges and sentenced to
over two years in prison. The two men robbed an armored car
carrying $260,000 in cash and stamps.
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USPS Focuses On Strong Start
In FY 2011
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September 28, 2010
Former Oklahoma Postmaster Pleads Guilty
to Embezzling $642,808 From Bulk Mail Customers
- Oklahoma - Elgin's former postmaster has pleaded guilty
to theft of public funds and filing a false tax return. U.S.
Attorney Sanford Coats says that between October 2005 and
September 2009, Draheim took money from postal customers for
bulk mailings but did not fully credit their account. Coats
says he then embezzled the difference. He has agreed to pay
$642,808 in restitution to the U.S. Postal Service and additional
restitution for taxes owed between 2005 and 2008.
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Fake USPS Emails Distribute Trojan Downloader
Under-fire USPS looking to make cost savings
USPS OIG Audit Report - Impact of Postal Accountability and
Enhancement Act Price Caps (PDF)
USPS OIG Audit Report - City Delivery Efficiency Review -
Atlanta District (PDF)
Postal
service employee saves two kids after carjacking
Woodbury CT
postal workers under investigation for theft
Yatron Postal facility could
lose some jobs
Mail Carrier
Says Attacking Dogs Keeping Her From Doing Her Job
Postal Service to Conduct
Study at Victoria Processing Center
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September 27, 2010
Senator
Collins: OIG Audit Shows Stunning Evidence Of Excessive Postal
Execs Perks
- The U.S. Postal Service pays 100 percent of health insurance
premiums for 835 of its top employees, an expensive perk that
occurs at no other federal agency, Senator Susan Collins said,
The findings of the [OIG] audits illustrated stunning evidence
of contract mismanagement, ethical lapses, financial waste,
and excessive executive perks that cost the Postal Service
more than $800 million a year in unnecessary costs.
Archive: Postal Execs Compensation &
Perks Reported Last Year | Audit:
Ex-Postal Service execs return as private contractors, make
more money
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Ex-postal executives
return for high-pay contracts
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FYI: Non-Dependent Children Can Join
FEHBP Next Year
Non-dependent children can join
FEHBP as of January 1st, 2011. The child doesn’t have
to be your own. It can be your gay partner’s or someone
else’s. If it is your own child, the child can be married
and have their own employer-sponsored insurance.
Netflix looks at US streaming-only plan soon
The Post Office
Hustle
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September 26, 2010
Don’t Blame ‘Overpaid Postal
Workers' for Rising Periodicals Costs
Congressman, city want more information on Oshkosh plant
closing
Post office accused of making
special deal for political fliers
He's no mainstream mailman
If you can't mail it, what's
the point?
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September 25, 2010
USPS Awards
Contract To Develop Business Skills Pilot Programs For Supervisors
USPS recently awarded
Bruce Mast & Associates, Inc. (BMA) the contract to develop
and deliver Pilot Programs for “Building Practical Business
Skills for Lean/Six Sigma Black Belts” to its supervisory
employees.
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Burrus Letter to
Washington Times: Don't politicize the Postal Service
No deal yet
on USPS retiree health payment
South Fort
Smith Post Office To Close
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September 24, 2010
USPS Reports $1.6 Billion Net Loss For
August 2010 – YTD $7.7 Billion
The US Postal Service
today filed its August 2010 (unaudited) preliminary financial
report with the Postal Regulatory Commission. USPS reported
a net income/loss of $1.6 billion. The total Fiscal Year to
Date loss is $7.7 billion.
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OPM Does
Not Have Authority to Reallocate USPS CSRS Overpayments
We believe that
the implication that OPM has the discretion to make basic
changes in the allocation method between the Postal Service
and the Treasury goes beyond the intent of, and the authority
provided to OPM in, the 2006 Postal Accountability and Enhancement
Act. After careful review by counsel, we have concluded that
OPM does not have the authority to make a reallocation in
the manner suggested in the Segal report. However, if Congress
determines that another methodology is more appropriate, OPM
will of course comply with any changes in the current law.
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OIG: USPS Noncompliant,
Insufficiently Supported Contracts Totaled $218,940,344
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Also, because data
used to support management decisions is incomplete and/or
inaccurate and the existence of unethical appearances could
result in negative publicity to the Postal Service, we are
also reporting non-monetary impact for data integrity and
goodwill/branding.
OIG
Report: Noncompetitive contracts, exec perks at USPS
-
"The U.S.
Postal Service awarded 359 contracts without competition to
employees who left the agency between October 2006 and September
2009. It covers 100 percent of senior executives' health premiums.
And it could not say how many contracts it had awarded without
competition, according to audits issued this month by the
USPS inspector general."
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Postal
Workers Sent Home Or Hours Reduced Under USPS NRP Can Apply
For Unemployment
- From APWU: "Injured employees who undergo the National Reassessment
Process (NRP) and are told by the Postal Service either that
there is only partial-day work available or that there is
no work available, should consider applying for unemployment
compensation. This temporary financial assistance can serve
as an important monetary bridge during the time that an employee
is waiting for his or her OWCP compensation to be processed."
note: Any Postal Employee can apply for unemployment
if: "An individual whose work or tours of duty are on an intermittent
basis" or placed in a non-pay status for more than 7 days
is issued an SF 8.
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Editorial:
The Postal Service simply must downsize
New
Hampshire Postal Workers Win $200K in Lottery
post office remains closed 5 months after mold was discovered
Congressman blasts USPS for study on Lufkin processing
plant
Police arrest suspect sought in July postal worker shooting
The
Effects of the Flats Sequencing System on Delivery Operations
- Mid-America District (PDF)
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September 23, 2010
OIG: USPS
Should Consider Eliminating 32 or More District, Area Offices
One option is to "Eliminate duplicative
staff positions and better position area management to work
strategically with headquarters by relocating all area offices
to headquarters. The Postal Service can save approximately
$33.6 million annually or $289 million over 10 years.
Option 2, closing area and districts that have less than the
mean mail volume and workhours, the Postal Service can save
approximately $104 million annually or $894 million over 10
years." |
Sen. Carper
Introduces Comprehensive Postal Service Act
Today, Sen. Tom
Carper (D-Del.) introduced the Postal Operations Sustainment
and Transformation (POST) Act of 2010. The POST Act addresses
the current budget issues plaguing the U.S. Postal Service
by proposing a series of provisions including: easing postal
employee pension and retiree health costs; addressing postal
employee wages and benefits; allowing partnerships with state
and local governments; and giving the Postal Service leeway
to close post offices, market certain non-postal items, and
eliminate Saturday delivery.
NALC:
Carper Postal Legislation Includes Provisions We Cannot Support
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Senator Carper's Bill: D.O.A
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Editorial: Carper plan would
help stabilize US Postal Service
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Postmaster General
Hails Carper Legislation
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Postage Stamps, Like Shipping
Supplies, Better for Mother Earth
Study to look at moving postal
jobs from Alexandria LA to Shreveport
Three post office branches in Kansa City Area to cease
operation Nov. 19
Study: Close main Daytona post office
Ohio Postal Employee Charged With Theft Of Mail
ONE MILLION MILES: 3 city mail carriers
receive Million Mile Award
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September 22, 2010
Postal
Service reform bill to be unveiled
If
a key Senate Democrat has his way, the U.S. Postal Service
could soon end Saturday mail deliveries, close thousands of
post offices and open new ones in grocery stores. The agency
would also recover overpayments to a federal employee retirement
fund and use the money to provide health benefits for retired
postal workers.
Sen. Thomas R. Carper
(D-Del.), a longtime supporter of postal leadership, on Thursday
will unveil a bill designed to give the Postal Service more
flexibility on major operational and financial decisions without
congressional approval. It echoes proposals pushed by Postmaster
General John E. Potter, who is seeking greater independence
from lawmakers despite the Postal Service's quasi-government
role.
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Sen. Susan Collins: Rate hikes won't
help Postal Service
When it comes to the Postal Service’s
proposals for rate increases or service cutbacks, you might
have the same response that I do: Haven’t we seen this movie
before? It is a lot like watching “Groundhog Day,” in which
the same day repeats over and over again. Each time, when
seeking rate increases, service reductions or relief from
financial obligations, the Postal Service has assured Congress
that financial stability and a return to profitability will
result.
Which Way will PRC Rule in
Exigent Postal Rate Case?
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NALC Withdraws
Endorsement of Congressman Darrell Issa
The fact that he
could become the next chairman of our oversight committee,
if his party takes control of the House of Representatives,
made this endorsement of national importance. Unfortunately,
I am writing to you today to alert that the NALC is withdrawing
the endorsement of Congressman Issa.
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Struggling
Postal Service Seeks Wage Concessions
Child injured in postal service truck accident
Postal worker, customer part of kidney donation chain
Postal service offers seminar on becoming a contract deliverer
USPS
Out of Regular Mail, Only Fancy Mail Left
Missing Vacation Mail Mystery
Solved -- Sort Of
Public Input Sought in Postal Consolidation Plan for Beckley
WV
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September 21, 2010
GOP Rep. Darrell Issa: Time for another
government bailout
Postal employees
have incentives for holding tight to negotiating positions.
They correctly recognize that USPS is too important to shutter.
Moreover, they know that a deeply indebted Postal Service
leaves the federal government with no real alternative to
a taxpayer bailout as the situation approaches insolvency.
Indeed, a sheep's-clothes argument already is being put forward
by the postal lobby and some Democratic lawmakers for a $75
billion taxpayer bailout of USPS.
NALC responds
to recent media attacks on postal workers
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DPMG Donahoe:
USPS FSS Deployment On Track To Deliver Improved Efficiency
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According to Donahoe, more than
140 delivery units with 259 zones are now on-line with FSS,
and more than 4,100 routes are receiving sequenced flats.
By mid-December, USPS expects to have a total of 28 systems
operational in nine sites and all 100 systems will be operational
by the summer of 2011.
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Postmaster
Downgrade Due to Delivery Unit Optimization (DUO)
NAPUS: Effective
immediately, Postmasters in offices that are downgraded two
or more grade levels as a result of Delivery Unit Optimization
(DUO may voluntarily be placed non-competitively into other
vacant positions.
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USPS To
Phase-Out Postal Career Custodians?
In unconfirmed reports PostalReporter has learn that supervisors
are telling Union Stewards: "USPS will not re-post assignments
of custodians upon their retirement." It appears USPS plans
to outsource duties of custodians to private companies.
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Ex-postmaster pleads guilty
to stealing
Feds: Letter
Carrier Kept 13K Pieces of Mail
Windsor, Mass.,
Loses Only Post Office
Honey, They Shrunk Our FSA!
Alabama: Train hits postal
truck killing 64-year-old driver
California postal worker accused
of sexual battery while delivering mail
Postal workers, customers
worry about plans to close Huntington WV plant
Wichita Falls P&D Annex being
studied for consolidation
League
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September 20, 2010
USPS OIG: -Day Delivery? What About
3-Day?
Although eliminating Saturday
delivery has been heavily debated, reducing delivery to 5
days a week may not be enough. There has been some discussion
of whether the viable model for the U.S. Postal Service of
the future will incorporate 3-day delivery.
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Why OIG
And Postal Inspectors Can’t Prosecute Postal Execs??
Why? Because the
OIG and USPSIS report to the Executives. There is no external
unprejudiced Law Enforcement group that deals with such issues
within the US Postal Service.
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Senate Confirms Dennis J. Toner
To USPS Board of Governors
Why Tablet Based
Newspapers and Magazines Will Succeed
The Fight to
Keep 6-Day Mail Delivery
APWU: It’s Your
Union – VOTE!
Marylanders Frustrated
by Post Office Hours
Huntington: Postal
operations comment meeting set for Monday night
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September 19, 2010
Postal
Supervisor Must Work in a “Congenial Environment”
The supervisor had
a psychological condition related to derogatory comments that
Rochester (NY) P&DC employees had made about his fiancée.
His only work restriction was that he must work in a congenial
environment away from the Rochester P&DC. (9/19)
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NAPUS Attorney: USPS Is Being Controlled
By Bean Counters
“I’ve never seen
an organization that was going to be successful base its employment
on temporary, nonpermanent employees,” he said. “That is of
great concern to me; hopefully some things will change.”
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GOP strategist says Postal Service consists of 'unskilled
Nigerians'
Things got a little heated on
FBN’s Money Rocks last night while talking about the post
office. After GOP strategist Jack Burkman suggested the government
organization consisted of unskilled Nigerians.
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OMB
nominee says he would address USPS pension overpayment
If he gets the job of Office
of Management and Budget director, Jacob Lew will push the
Office of Personnel Management to respond to findings that
the U.S. Postal Service overpaid its pension obligations by
tens of billions of dollars, according to a written answer
he provided on a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental
Affairs Committee questionnaire.
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Post
Office Truck Driver Tied Up, Robbed; Three Suspects Sought
A 60-year-old contract
truck driver told sheriff’s deputies that he had pulled up
to the loading dock of the post office ...As the truck driver
walked back to his truck from the building, two men tackled
him, held him down and bound his hands with plastic “zip ties.
According to a sheriff’s report, the bags contained sales
receipts from six post offices in Kitsap County. The amount
of money was not immediately known.
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September 18, 2010
Foreclosure means change of address for Post Office
Windsor Post
Office closes for good today
Editorial: Saturday
mail is crucial to vote-by-mail success
Mail Missing After Placing
Vacation Hold
Collision with mail carrier's vehicle leaves man in critical
condition
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September 17, 2010
FEHBP Premiums, Co-Pays Going Up
And premiums won't be the only
thing insurance shoppers will need to consider during the
benefits open enrollment period. Insurance hunters will also
need to check new co-payment changes which could force policy-holders
to shell out more of their own money for medical services.
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FedEx Earnings - Implications
for the USPS
USPS sued for more than $1 million after truck hits vehicle
Postal worker accused of stealing gift cards, medicine
from mail
Postal worker celebrates 100th birthday
“Your Other Address”: USPS launches
PO box marketing test
Postal Service challenges
OSHA citations at Portsmouth NH facility
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September 16, 2010
Alaska
Sen. Murkowski Remarks On USPS Proposal For Five-Day Delivery
In addition to the
effect on the Postal Service’s customers, I am concerned about
the loss of jobs for our Alaskan postal workers. While the
Postal Service anticipates reducing their workforce by 40,000
people nationwide, they are not able to tell me how many Alaskans
will be out of a job if this proposal is adopted. And, while
the Postal Service hopes to be able to achieve their goal
by not filling the positions of soon-to-retire postal workers,
this is not guaranteed. In this economy, any loss of a job—indeed
the loss of any position that could be filled by a willing
worker, is problematic.
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USPS: No
re-opening Of California Post Office that burned
Hours,
pay may change for local letter carriers, postal workers
Oshkosh Postal
Workers Get Unanimous Support of City Leaders
Mysterious Packages Show Up At Allston Office
Local postal jobs at stake, union says
Post office
mural gets a shine
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September 15, 2010
Postmaster
General Addresses Need for Fundamental Change
In his annual state
of the business address to the mailing industry, Postmaster
General John E. Potter today stressed that long-term sustainability
for the Postal Service will be achieved through fundamental
change.
The Postal
Service must have the ability to manage its business, and
to adapt quickly to the needs of our customers and the marketplace,"
said Potter. "And our business model must change to reflect
the reality of a volatile economy and a communications marketplace
that has been undergoing a transformation as profound as anything
that has ever come before."
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How Does the Postal Service Discourage Early Retirement? Let
Me Count the Ways
- Poor communication
and actual miscommunication from the Postal Service were major
reasons that employee response was so low to some special
early-retirement offers last year. The National Association
of Letter Carriers filed a grievance (which is still active)
last year because USPS failed to provide mandatory retirement
counseling prior to the deadline for accepting one of the
offers.
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USPS Introduces 'Critical Mail' Product (PDF)
It is less than the cost of Priority
Mail but has all the attributes. Full Delivery Confirmation
Tracking and 2-3 delivery. It is in test phase with full ramp
up in January of 2011.
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Company Announces USPS GPS Tracking
Compliance Solution For Highway Contract Routes
- On-demand
solution to enable carriers to comply with the United States
Postal Service (USPS) requirement to track and report to the
USPS the status of active highway contract routes.
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Postal
worker hit by police cruiser in Pr. George's dies
Car strikes mail truck, letters
litter street
Edina
Postal Worker Says She Had Habit of Stealing Mail
Chicks
Die After Post Office Delivery
Annapolis
residents fear planned closure of post office
Magazine
Readership Off Sharply Among Affluent
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September 14, 2010
Editorial:
No Saturday mail delivery is a bad idea
Dependent Children Join FEHBP
Cops: Man flashed Greensboro (IN) post office workers
Hoyer: Feds shouldn't look for lower health premiums anytime
soon
The
stolen packages kept coming and coming
Woman
pleads guilty to mail thefts: Part of a gang that stalked
mail trucks
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September 13, 2010
Postal Pundit
Says Postal Unions Will Certainly Blast USPS Efforts To Reduce
Labor Costs -
The favored position of postal
unions in respect to health premiums and life insurance is
more extreme than the editorial indicates. USPS employees
pay 20% of their health care premiums; other feds pay 28 percent.
Life insurance is free for USPS employees; other feds pay
33% of the premium. What theory of poublic policy can support
this? The Postal Service may not be doing itself or its customers
justice by its negotiating stance. Its chief labor executive,
Anthony Vegliante, recently remarked that the last thing the
USPS wants is arbitration becuase “then a third party is making
decisions for you and your business.” Don’t think for a minute
that the unions won’t exploit that. Their members reportedly
average more than $80,000 a year in wages and benefits. It
will take skill and determination to bring this down, even
moderately.
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Postal
Worker Waited Too Late To Submit Doctor’s Note — Loses Job!
The Postal Service sent Taylor
a directive informing him of the results of the medical assessment
and ordered him to report to work or be considered absent
without leave (“AWOL”) and face removal. Taylor never reported
or responded to this directive. On April 8, 2008, the Postal
Service issued a notice of proposed removal based on the charge
of “Unsatisfactory Attendance – AWOL.” After the ten-day deadline
to answer the notice, Taylor submitted a letter from his physician
that stated that Taylor was still unable to work -- but it
was too late. The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal
Circuit upheld MSPB's decision.
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Postal
Service Begins Rural Letter Carrier Contract Negotiations
The Postal Service needs flexibility
to adjust to the nation’s changing mailing trends,” Vegliante
continued. “Our dedicated employees are committed to their
mission to deliver for America. We have a good working
relationship with our unions and know they want to keep
us strong in this changing environment. Our goal is to negotiate
a contract that’s fair to our customers and employees and
meets our financial and operational needs.” archive:
Management’s Grievance Strategy:
Defer and Delay
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Closing Post Offices And Ending Saturday
Mail Delivery Not On Congressional To Do List-
Washington Post:
Lawmakers are set
to tackle several big issues in the coming weeks before packing
up and going home for reelection campaigns. The future
of the Postal Service: Two things to watch -- and
neither involves ending Saturday mail delivery or closing
post offices -- two no-go options in an election year.
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Postal
worker gets 5 years probation for dumping 371 pieces of mail
Questioned by postal
inspectors, Dronet admitted what she had done and told authorities
that she was having trouble completing her mail route on time.
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USPS Continues
Carrier Pickup Expansion
With the addition of 471 new
ZIP codes — a 2-year project that ended this month — the free
Carrier Pickup service offered by USPS is now available at
99.97 percent of all mail delivery addresses in the nation.
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25 years,
Lisle employee has put the 'service' in postal service
Not only does Bob Hurst know
the United States Postal Service like the back of his hand,
he knows its customers. Such knowledge comes with his dedicated
25 years of work with the postal service, almost all at the
Lisle Post Office.
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USPS Board Of Governors Agenda
For Next Week’s Closed Session
Got weird mail? Tell the Postal
Service
Contract Post
office closing, residents upset
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September 12, 2010
Postal Worker Loses Everything In California Gas Explosion
Survivors Glad To be Alive -
The Salinda family home of 15 years, a three-bedroom, two-bath
house with new hardwood floors and marble tile, was in ashes.
Ricardo Salinda was discharged from the hospital with bandages
on his neck and legs covering second-degree burns. His son
had flame-red blisters on his arm.
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Case against New York Postal
Worker moves to higher court
Many hold onto the a dying art — letter writing
Former Texas Postal Employee
Charged With Theft Of Mail Matter
New York Postal Worker Gets Two Months For OWCP Fraud
September 11, 2010
U.S. District
Court Upholds Post Office Ban on Petitioning on Interior Postal
Sidewalks
Postal
service finds new outlets for products
USPS Offering
Flight 93 Cancellation
Postal
Worker Survives California Gas Explosion
Postal
Service consolidation uproots workers
After
43 years, mail carrier Bob Chiasson is hanging up his mail
bag
Former
postal worker: I'm going to Disneyland, jail
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September 10, 2010
Proposed Legislation
Floating Around Senate Could Make It Easier To Close Post
Offices -
National League Of Postmasters - The League believes that
such provisions are not in rural America’s best interest,
and will do what is necessary to see that these provisions
do not become law.
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Postal
Service Charts Course for Sustainable Future
With a large national presence
and more than 33,000 facilities, the Postal Service takes
steps daily to minimize its environmental impact. By achieving
the goals outlined in its Strategic Sustainability Performance
Plan, the Postal Service maximizes resources, reduces costs,
and benefits its employees, customers and the communities
it serves.
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Ballots
to be Mailed in Election of APWU Officers
Election of APWU National Officers
are being mailed Monday, Sept. 13, to Wednesday, Sept. 15.
Every member in good standing as of June 15, 2010, will receive
a ballot. Ballots must be received by the APWU National Election
Committee in the designated post office box by 2 p.m. on Tuesday,
Oct. 5.
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Missouri
Postmaster Indicted In Sex Slave Case
The indictment alleges
that a young, mentally deficient woman was sexually abused
and tortured for several years in a Lebanon, Mo., home, and
forced to work as an exotic dancer at local strip clubs.
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Postmaster suspended without pay
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Dennis Henry
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Postal
Workers Owe More Than $283 million In Back Taxes
Government Executive ...According
to
IRS data
nearly 28,000 Postal Service workers owe more than $283 million,
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Former
Oregon postal worker gets 18 months for stealing more than
$200,000 in money orders
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Postal Worker: I'm going to Disneyland,
jail. A U.S. Postal worker was sentenced to prison time
and ordered to pay back more than $200,000 to the agency in
return for stealing money orders to pay for family cars, trips
and expenses.
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Pushing the Envelope – with Envelopes
– in a Digital World
Government:
Sell Or Privatize Royal Mail
Color-Coding of Standard Mail at Austin P&DC (PDF)
Former Portland postal worker
charged with theft
Texas Postal Employee Indicted
West Jersey P&DC will stop handling
mail later this month -
over 200 postal employees affected
Postal carrier killed in
his garage
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September 9, 2010
Postal Employee
Who Retired Under Early Retirement Is Challenging OPM Over
FERS Annuity Supplement
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"The issue is an employee who retires under their MRA under
FERS is eligible for the FERS Annuity Supplement when retiring
on VERA." OPM's position is that you have to be
MRA to collect the FERS Annuity Supplement. The difference
without the Supplement is $1000.00 per month in retirement
income.
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Louisiana
Postal Worker shot while delivering mail
Sgt. Don Kelly with the Baton
Rouge Police Department says the postal worker told police
he heard a noise behind him, like a click. Police say
when the man turned around he was facing a 12-gauge shotgun
held by a young man. Kelly says the carrier told them
the gun was pointed at his chest, and the man told him to
"give it up. "Witnesses say when the man cocked the gun, the
mailman grabbed the gun and pushed it down.
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You know, if the postal service
were allowed to account for its pensions the same as anyone
else, it would be in fine financial shape and there'd be no
talk of killing off Saturday service. So why not privatize
and let them? Because of the universal service requirement,
of course. If you allowed private competition in first class
mail, someone would very quickly snap up delivery in dense
urban and suburban areas for less than 44 cents an ounce.
The postal service, stuck with its universal service requirement,
would then have to raise rates astronomically until eventually
it would have virtually no business left except for rural
areas at two bucks an ounce or something. So much for universal
service.
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USPS Priority
Mail Ads Cost May Have Been Misreported
Two
recent reviews by the Postal Service's office of inspector
general have raised concerns about whether postal officials
understated advertising costs to promote Priority Mail. The
reduced ad expenses could make Priority Mail appear more successful
in reports submitted to postal regulators and, in turn, to
the public.
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Benefits, Retirement on the
Chopping Block?
A Decade of Postal Mismanagement
Is Costing Publishers and Catalogs
Letter carrier is grateful
for what she’s got
Greenwich
Avenue post office hitting the market
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APWU Denounces
USPS Attempts to 'Work the Refs'
American Postal Workers Union
President William Burrus has denounced efforts by the Postal
Service to influence the outcome of contract negotiations
by issuing demands in public forums." It is extremely disappointing
that the Postal Service is attempting to circumvent the bargaining
process through the issuance of demands in the media,” Burrus
said.
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USPS May
Be Undercharging House Of Representatives For Official Mail
The Southern Maryland BMEU did not count and report individually
franked mailpieces presented by the House mailroom operator
as required by Postal Service policy. Instead, the Postal
Service relied solely on reports from the House Finance Office
to prepare monthly invoices. As a result, the Postal Service
billed the House $3.2 million for mail from January 3, 2009,
through January 2, 2010, without verifying the charges were
accurate.
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Arbitrator
Denies Union's Grievance To Pay Employees Sunday Premium While
on Administrative Leave
In a recent national decision, Arbitrator Byars denied the
APWU’s grievance challenging management’s refusal to pay Sunday
premium pay to an employee while on administrative leave.
Arbitrator Byars ruled that an employee who is on administrative
leave is not entitled to Sunday premium pay for hours he or
she would have otherwise worked on Sunday.
(9/08)
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Click here for decision
Postal Service Plans More Life
for Vehicles
Most of the U.S. Postal Service’s 142,000 Long Life Delivery
Vehicles have been in service 20-24 years. But replacing the
fleet is a significant investment. Until the Postal Service
decides what kind of vehicles will best serve its growing
base of customers—at the lowest cost—USPS is taking a series
of steps to extend the lives of its current vehicles.
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Several postal service uniforms stolen, beware of impostors
Top 50 Mailers of 2010
Public Input Sought For Stamp
Designs
PRC To Meet September 9, 2010
To Consider Postal Rate Case
Office Depot
Offering 50% off USPS Shipping Today
To drum up awareness of its new
U.S. Postal Service offerings, Boca Raton retailer Office
Depot is offering 50 percent off the shipping price of one
USPS package.
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USPS,
APWU Await Arbitration Decision In Move To Close Philly L
& DC
Third-party arbitration between
the United States Postal Service and the American Postal Workers
Union has come to an end and the two parties are awaiting
a decision. More than 500 jobs were relocated when
the Philadelphia Logistics and Distribution Center at the
Pureland Industrial Complex in Logan Township was closed in
February. The former employees claimed the Postal Service
did not perform an area mail-processing study before they
closed the facility.
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USPS Proposes
To Utilize Mobile Fueling Contractors To Fuel Delivery Vehicles
- The Postal Service proposes to utilize mobile fueling contractors
to fuel vehicles on-site at select postal facilities located
throughout the United States. The program would focus on,
but not be limited to city and rural delivery units with 30
or more routes using vehicles owned by the Postal Service.
Based on these criteria, it is anticipated that up to 1,100
sites may be eligible to convert to mobile fueling.
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USPS Updates
Flat Sequencing System Deployment Information
A list of zones
and their anticipated live mail dates for each site and corresponding
machine(s) activated up through November 29, 2010. Zones for
all sites as of September 7, 2010.
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Editorial:
The Postal Service has a strong case for union concessions
Having slashed costs in almost
every way Congress will allow, the Postal Service now seeks
concessions from its employees in labor negotiations that
began last Wednesday. Given that labor costs, at $56 billion
per year, make up 78 percent of the company's budget, we think
that management has a strong argument. No one would contend
that postal workers lead a cushy existence. But their compensation
is, in some respects, more generous than that received by
others in comparable situations.
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Hey, Postal
Service: “What’s the Big Deal?”
Affordable Mail Alliance: Union
Challenges Existence of Postal Service Financial Crisis- Underscoring
the recklessness of the massive rate increase proposed by
the United States Postal Service on July 6, American Postal
Workers Union President William Burrus made clear on Friday
that his Union does not believe the Service is currently in
an unprecedented financial position. He made it clear that
the Union will not back away from its contract demands during
the current round of negotiations with the Postal Service,
despite its supposed financial crisis. This furthers the case
against the Postal Service request for a rate hike 10 times
the rate of inflation.
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91-Year-Old
Letter Carrier Says He Would Rather "Work" Than Be Idle
Morris Wilkinson, a tidy man
with snow white hair and silver-framed glasses, arrives at
a Birmingham, Alabama, post office promptly by 7 a.m. In his
six decades working for the U.S. Postal Service, he's accumulated
enough sick days to take a vacation for more than a year.
At the end of the day, Wilkinson admits, he leaves the job
"pretty tired." "I may retire some day," he says. "I guess
I'll retire one way or another."
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Letter carriers deliver their
message
- Protest of postal cutbacks
highlights parade
Greenwood SC Post Office set to reopen today
New Hours At Clifton Post Office Put residents in bind
Dual-purpose building houses last Delaware post office
of its kind
Car crashes into parked tractor
trailer at Postal Service Center
Valpak stays relevant in the digital age
September 6, 2010
Labor Day: Workers' fight still
right -
Editorial by Bruce
Clark, APWU President of Dubuque (Iowa)
Greenwood Post Office To Reopen
Tuesday
New postage stamp honors Mother
Teresa
Understanding discontinued service
retirement
Mailman hangs up his bag after
41 years
Not properly vetted?
elected Postal Worker claims
he never heard of the Hatch Act
Letter carriers collecting books
for Cops 'N Kids
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September 5, 2010
Heat May Affect Your Mail
Order Meds
Dog Owners Upset About Postal Problems
Netflix: What is Driving It
Out of the Mail?
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September 4, 2010
Drive-In Post Offices
Ohio: Car crashes into Heath
post office
Former San
Diego postal carrier found guilty of mail theft
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September 3, 2010
Cape Coral, FL Postal Workers not
amused by "poop" cake baked by Station Manager
- Workers at
the Cape Coral Post Office say their manager baked them a
dessert that looked like something you'd find in a toilet.
The attempt at bathroom humor backfired in a big way. Workers
at the Cape Coral Post Office were not amused by the cake
crafted by the post office manager. The manager made the cake
to look like poop because the office received a score of
48 from a mystery shopper.
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Editorial: Unions and the U.S. Postal
Service
If you ask me, government
workers shouldn’t be allowed to unionize, but they are; however,
federal workers aren’t allowed to go on strike. Well, here’s
the latest evidence that public-sector unions are a bad idea:
According to the Washington Post, the U.S. Postal Service
is on track to be at least $7 billion in the red this year...That
makes sense, considering that labor costs accounts for 78
percent of the Postal Service’s budget (that’s $56 billion
in FY 2009, and it’s far more than what the employees of private
competitors UPS and FedEx get in wages and benefits). If your
business is down and you want to keep the customers you have
left and start making a profit again, you have to cut costs.|
Affordable Mail Alliance: Don’t
Allow the USPS to Continue Costly Business Practices
Three Goofs: How USPS Undercut
Its Case for Exigent Rate Increases
USPS OIG: Advertising Cost
Reporting (PDF)
USPS OIG: Electronic Postmark
Program License Fees (PDF)
Mail to resume at Detroit seniors'
complex after bedbug halt
Mail carrier delivers help
along the way
Former Texas USPS Contract Carrier
Arrested For Mail Theft
Car crashes into Walnut Creek
CA Post Office
- A vehicle crashed
into the Ygnacio Valley Station Branch yesterday
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September 2, 2010
Postal
Service seeks key concessions as contract talks open with
largest union
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In addition to concessions
on wages, health benefits and working conditions, the Postal
Service says it must pare its full-time workforce and expand
the use of part-timers to stay afloat. Postal officials said
that with declining workloads -- Americans have sent 20 percent
fewer letters and packages since 2007 -- they can no longer
guarantee eight-hour shifts for clerks, mail handlers, carriers
and other workers. Negotiations could last six months to a
year, Postal Service officials say. If arbitrators step in,
the Postal Service could ask Congress to pass legislation
that would require them to consider the agency's financial
condition.
Video: APWU-USPS 2010 Contract
Negotiations Opening Session
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Economist To
PRC: Ending Saturday Delivery May Give Business To Private-Sector
Competitors -
Michael Crew: ... by ending
Saturday delivery, the Postal Service would be abandoning
a valuable part of its enterprise, giving existing or future
private-sector competitors the opportunity to fill the gap
in service. By allowing others to take part of its business,
the Postal Service’s plan to implement five-day delivery could
aggravate, rather than ameliorate, the Postal Service’s financial
condition and in the long-run could threaten the Postal Service’s
viability.
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USPS to
Deploy Retail Discontinuance Model in FY 2011
USPS OIG Audit Report:
Management stated they are developing a decision tree-based
retail discontinuance model to mitigate the inconsistency
and subjectivity identified in our review. The project is
currently in the design phase. Management plans to complete
and deploy this model in FY 2011.156 Stations and Branches
Remain Under Review For Possible Consolidation Under the Stations
and Branches Optimization and Consolidation Initiative as
of March 2010. 144 Stations and Branches were reported by
USPS in February 2010.
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Neighbors, businesses steamed over San
Rafael postal route changes
(California) San
Rafael residents and businesses say recent postal route changes
have severed years-long relationships with their letter carriers
and resulted in unreliable mail delivery. Local union representatives
worked with management on the adjustments, but her office
was unaware there were complaints until late in the process,
she said. The union will meet with the postal service on Oct.
18 as part of a standard evaluation of the route changes,
she said.
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Postmasters:
PRC Denial Of Rate Increase Could Compel USPS To Cut Services
Provided To American Public
- A number of intervenors and commenters have suggested that
the Commission should reject the Postal Service’s request,
since the federal agency has not exercised such cost-cutting
strategies as freeze, furlough and fire. Those who have associated
with these views have a total disregard for the impact on
the service provided to the American public, the affect on
the postal workforce, and the long-term implications for the
future of the Postal Service’s universal service obligation.
It
would be shameful if those who argue for furloughs would have
the unintended consequence of advocating against our veterans
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NALC: Mailers
And Senator Collins Misreading Congress’ Intent Of USPS Seeking
Rate Increases
- Although she now opposes USPS’s exigent rate request, Senator
Collins, in an April 6, 2007 letter to the Commission that
she co-authored with Senator Carper explained that Congress
meant the PAEA’s exigency exception to apply to “significant
and substantial” declines in mail volume caused by events
beyond USPS’s control. he AMA devotes much of its comment
to arguing that current circumstances cannot qualify as an
exigency because, it claims, USPS’s private-sector competitors
weathered the economic storm .. This argument ignores the
fact that, unlike USPS, its private-sector competitors have
no universal service obligation nor do they bear the unique
burden of having to pre-fund retiree health benefits.
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Saginaw
postal office official says moving work could eliminate 200
regional jobs
-
About 200 regional
jobs are on the line as the U.S. Postal Service conducts a
feasibility study that could put processing Saginaw mail in
the hands of a Pontiac postal office, officials say.
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Driver crashes into postal truck,
flees
Saginaw postal workers 'picket'
outside South Washington office
Postal Service Faces $8,000 In
OSHA Fines At Binghamton, NY Mail Facility
USPS Creates New Structure For
Maintenance Operations
Bedbugs put stop on mail delivery
Postman Convicted of Stealing
Mail
Netflix Adds Polish With Apple
Deal
Workers picket outside of
Oshkosh post office
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September 1, 2010
APWU, USPS
Begin Contract Negotiations Today
The U.S. Postal
Service begins contract negotiations today with the largest
of its four unions, the American Postal Workers Union, AFL-CIO
(APWU).
Contract Negotiations Begin Between
USPS And APWU
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U.S. Postal Service Seeks to
Pare Full-Time Workforce in Talks With Union
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All Rural
Carrier Postings, Bids and Awards Available Online
Previously, not
all rural carriers had access to the online bidding process.
But now, all 120,000 rural carriers will have access to the
automated bidding system, 24/7
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OSHA Fines USPS for Safety
Violations at Cincinnati BMC
Milwaukee Postal Worker Robbed
Saginaw postal workers set
for informational picket
Post Office seeks Phoenix
retailers
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