POSTAL NEWS

...from various sources.

12.29.2009

High winds strafe region; cause death of Bethlehem postal worker


"... U.S. Postal Service employee Barbara Satula, 52, of Naugatuck, died at the scene in Bethlehem on Tuesday morning when the winds apparently uprooted a tree, knocking it across the cab of her truck..."  
Source: www.newstimes.com




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Postal Service Brings Augmented Reality Down to Earth


"... seems the US Postal Service has deployed an augmented reality tool on their PriorityMail website that overlays a 3D box onto the webcam image, aiding you in choosing a box of proper size...."  
Source: www.vizworld.com




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12.28.2009

USPS Return Service - Returns at Ease


"... The U.S. Postal Service offers a selection of convenient returns services. Find the returns or label-printing program that best completes your mailing cycle from these great options!

Customers no longer have to bring returns to their local Post Office™ but can now schedule a pickup.
..."  
Source: www.usps.com




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Less junk mail means cuts for U.S. Postal Service


"... Faced with dwindling revenue thanks to the economic recession and something called the Internet, the U.S. Postal Service is cutting back. The cuts have come primarily through attrition, according to Menlo Park Postmaster Jeff Gaskill. He said that much of the decline in revenue had come with businesses cutting back on sending mailers...."  
Source: www.almanacnews.com




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12.27.2009

Four Suspects Arrested in Pot Mailed to Ohio Case


"...Clovis Police and U.S. Postal Inspectors say they were involved in an interstate drug operation ..."  
Source: abclocal.go.com




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12.26.2009

Hostage: Post office gunman was angry at government


"... Taylor, who has a criminal record and was registered as a sex offender in Florida, had no apparent connection to Wytheville, a town of 8,500. But after having a steak at Applebee's, he pushed his wheelchair through the door of the post office Wednesday,..."  
Source: www.statesman.com




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12.23.2009

Post office hostage taker caught

Police have apprehended a gunman who took five people hostage in a post office in the US, according to local media reports.


"... Police had tried to negotiate with the man in a wheelchair who reportedly demanded a pizza as part of his terms...."  
Source: www.heraldsun.com.au




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Receiving 14 pounds of marijuana in mail


"...contacted by agents with the United States Postal Service about a large shipment of marijuana that was being delivered to ..."  
Source: www.baxterbulletin.com




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Postal Service Internet Change of Address is Accurate, Secure and Green


"USPS no longer displays hardcopy change-of-address (COA) forms at its retail locations.

Hardcopy COAs — part of The Mover’s Guide — are only available behind the counter, where customers have to request them from a retail associate.

Why the change? The Postal Service wants retail associates to encourage customers to use the Internet version instead.

Internet Change of Address (ICOA) is a more accurate option. There’s no chance of error due to illegible handwriting. The higher degree of accuracy means reduced undeliverable-as-addressed mail volume and lower cost.

ICOA also is fast. On average, USPS processes 97 percent of all ICOA transactions into the Change of Address System within two days after they’re filed. In FY 2009, customers entered their changes of address sooner using ICOA than they did using hardcopy forms — with 60 percent entered on or before the day the customer moved compared to only 20 percent for hardcopy forms.

The sooner USPS knows about the customer’s move, the sooner the Postal Service can begin forwarding the customer’s mail.

Equally important, ICOA is a more secure option. USPS requires online customers to use a personal credit card or debit card for identity verification.

And it’s green. ICOA not only eliminates the use of paper, but this year, the Postal Service expects the ICOA share of all COA orders to increase more than 25 percent, generating about $2 million in incremental revenue. So the next time you speak with a customer about filing a COA, suggest the online option at usps.com/moversguide. "  
Source: liteblue.usps.gov




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12.21.2009

Report Finds 'Imprudent Spending' At Postal Service


"... Among the purchases were crab cakes, beef Wellington and scallops at an installation ceremony for one of several postmasters in the United States, the report says...."  
Source: www.wibw.com




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Postal Service union fights consolidation


"...Jim Alexander, the president of the Southern Oregon Area Postal Workers Union, argued Saturday that closing one of the county's two largest post offices could end up costing taxpayers more and hampering the timely delivery of their mail. ..."  
Source: www.mailtribune.com




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Paying More to Send U.S. Mail at U.P.S. Stores


"... At some U.P.S. Store franchises in Manhattan, however, clerks do not always tell customers that they may be paying a Grinch-like surcharge when they send something by the United States mail...."  
Source: www.nytimes.com




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12.14.2009

Postal Service Employees Owed $300M in Taxes, IRS Data Shows


"... it's "important" to consider that the percentage of those owing taxes at the postal service is "relatively small" compared with other agencies. The postal service is the largest federal employer outside the military..."  
Source: www.foxnews.com




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12.13.2009

USPS Responds to Postal Workers Claims

United States Postal Service Statement regarding the Proposal to Consolidate Mail Processing from Elmira to Rochester


"... The Postal Service is looking to react appropriately to mail volume declines while improving service and efficiencies. One of the initiatives under consideration is the consolidation of automated mail processing from Elmira to Rochester. Though the plan has not been finalized, here are a few key..."  
Source: www.weny.com




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AT&T Government wins VPN contract extension from USPS


"... U.S. Postal Service has just signed, sealed and delivered a four-year, $120 million network contract extension to AT&T..."  
Source: www.fiercetelecom.com


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Mail carrier attacked in Dorchester, USPS offers award


"... Dorchester letter carrier was hospitalized yesterday after she was knocked to the ground and slashed by an armed thug who tried to rob her as she kept her appointed rounds, police and U.S. Postal authorities said...."  
Source: www.bostonherald.com




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12.03.2009

Clemmons investigated by drug enforcement authorities after he moved


"... the U.S. Postal Inspector Service investigated Clemmons for a case involving shipments of marijuana between Seattle and South Dakota, said Jerry Styers, a spokesman for the postal inspector's office in Seattle...."  
Source: seattletimes.nwsource.com




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12.02.2009

USPS Fantasy Land


"...Because workshare discounts are a joke, as president of the APWU, I can extend the following offer: APWU members will perform all mail sortation for .01 less than the discounted rate of 10.5 cents major mailers enjoy for performing a small portion of the process. The USPS will save money, and every APWU-represented mail processor can benefit from a modest raise. ..."  
Source: www.apwu.org




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11.30.2009

Postal Service future gets input from First Coast

As delivery bundles shrink, experts seek possibilities to keep the agency afloat

"...after spending a career with the Postal Service, spent much of the summer looking at what the future business models for the Postal Service might look like. Slentz worked 30 years for the service, moving up through several regional postmaster positions before retiring seven years ago as manager of strategic operations for the entire U.S. Postal Service. ..."  
Source: jacksonville.com




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11.25.2009

USPS/NAPS Announce New Interim Supervisor Selection Program


"... NAPS and the Postal Service have collaborated in the establishment of an interim program to identify and select initial level supervisors in Customer Services and Processing & Distribution..."  
Click here for the announcement
Source: naps.org




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11.23.2009

Postal Service employees will receive pay raise in December


"...Postal Mail Handlers unions will receive a 1.2 percent pay raise. Members of the National Rural Letter Carriers' Association and the National Association of Letter Carriers will see 1.5 percent and 1.9 percent ..."  
Source: www.govexec.com




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Economy, Internet mean lighter load for post office


"... Last week the U.S. Postal Service announced that it lost $3.8 billion in the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30. It delivered 26 billion fewer pieces of mail, a drop of 13 percent...."  
Source: /www.app.com



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11.20.2009

Four Memphis post office branches still on possible closure list


"...Sixteen Tennessee post offices remain on the list, including one in Knoxville, three in Nashville, four in Chattanooga, three in Clarksville and one in Jackson...."  
Source: www.commercialappeal.com




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U.S. Postal Service reinstates Santa Claus letter program

"... The U.S. Postal Service announced Friday it would reverse a decision to cancel its annual Letters to Santa program because of security concerns...."  
Source: www.canada.com




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11.19.2009

USPS: The Grinch who stole Santa's letters


"... Postal Service is dropping a popular national program begun in 1954 in the small Alaska town of North Pole, where volunteers open and respond to thousands of letters addressed to Santa each year. Replies come with North Pole postmarks...."  
Source: www.delcotimes.com




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11.17.2009

the Suncoast Scoop: a blog designed for all Suncoast District Postal Employees


"... The "Scoop" is a way to spread the word about the special people, events and life as Suncoast District postal employees. We will accentuate the positive and strive to recognize the good things people are doing during these difficult economic times. Got a photo, story, event for the Scoop? email it to: The Suncoast Scoop!..."  
Source: suncoastscoop.blogspot.com




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North Pole Postmark 2009


"... Get the North Pole Santa Postmark for your Santa Claus letters. Check this out to get your free North Pole Postmark. Also you can print a letter from Santa to use with the postmark ...and it's all free..."  
Source: northpolepostmark.blogspot.com




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11.08.2009

Guess This Tool Revealed: The Graphotype


"... Patented in 1917 as a "Machine for Making Printing Plates",the Graphotype was a mainstay of the mass mailing industry until the 1960's. This machine and its partner, the Addressograph, were developed and manufactured by the Addressograph company of Chicago, IL (and later the Address-Multigraph company of Cleveland, OH)...."  
Source: www.popsci.com




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11.05.2009

Ouch! Health Care Premiums Take Huge Jump

Take a look at the huge increases in the Postal Premium Rates for the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program for the Fee-for-Service Plans (FFS) in 2010. For example, one of the largest increases in the fee-for-service plans comes from the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Service Benefit Plan, second only to an increase in the Mail Handlers Benefit Plan. The increase in the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Service Benefit Standard Family Plan is an explosive $22.11 Biweekly. This will or nearly will virtually negate the November 2010 contractual pay increase of bargaining unit employees.   
Source: www.opm.gov




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11.01.2009

Smith Electric Vehicles to partner with AM General on USPS EV

"... AM General is building the chassis for the prototype and Smith is providing the electric powertrain. In the urban and suburban environments where the LLV..."  
Source: green.autoblog.com




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Man detained for killing his wife

"... on the day of the attack Mrs Davidson, who worked in Penrith's Crown Square Post Office, had asked her husband to leave after finding out he had failed to apply for state benefits...."  
Source: news.bbc.co.uk


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10.31.2009

USPS now offering Hallmark greetings


"...Postal Service has begun a yearlong program testing the sale of Hallmark greeting cards in about 500 post offices, including the Port Columbus station in Columbus and the Zane Street station in Zanesville. ..."  
Source: www.columbusdispatch.com




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10.22.2009

USPS WAIVER WAVE-OFF REMINDER — SIGNATURE MAY NOT BE REQUIRED


"... USPS is reminding employees that a mailer can instruct the Postal Service to deliver an Express Mail Next Day Delivery or Express Mail Second Day Delivery item without obtaining the signature of the addressee or the addressee’s agent...."  
Source: liteblue.usps.gov




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10.21.2009

[APWU] Incentive Offer Leads to One-Time Exception on Casual Cap


"... No employees may be excessed from an installation while the relaxation of the casual restrictions is in effect. Casuals in excess of the cap must be terminated prior to March 2, 2010. ..."  
Source: www.apwu.org




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10.20.2009

Mail Handlers Union Prevails in National RI-399 Arbitration

APWU APPEAL DENIED IN ALL RESPECTS

"... In a national award rendered on September 7, 2009, National Arbitrator Joseph M. Sharnoff determined that certain assignments on the Small Parcel and Bundle Sorter (SPBS) machines were properly assigned by the USPS to the Mail Handler Craft...."  
Source: www.npmhu.org




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10.19.2009

More USPS Executive Positions? What about craft programs...


"...The Corporate Succession Planning (CSP) Open Season is well under way. Employees EAS 22 and above across the country are applying ..."  
Source: liteblue.usps.gov




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10.13.2009

FERS Sick-Leave Credit Included In Defense Authorization Bill


"... The compromise legislation also includes a provision that would make it easier for federal agencies, including the Postal Service, to rehire retirees (for a limited time) without forcing them to take a cut in their annuity checks. “This provision will help eliminate the USPS objections to APWU’s efforts to return postal retirees to employment,” Burrus said. “If the bill is passed, the union will renew our discussion with management on this issue.”..."  
Source: www.apwu.org




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10.10.2009

Wichita Post Office Finds Package Leaking Mercury


"... the mercury contaminated 170 nearby small packages, which have been isolated and withdrawn from processing due to safety concerns. The Postal Service is currently working with local health departments, as well as private companies certified to work with hazardous materials, to determine whether the affected packages can be decontaminated and delivered. Virtually all of the packages were mailed from within a 50 mile radius of Wichita...."  
Source: www.kake.com




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10.08.2009

Postal Service announces final list of closures


"... expected to release its final list of post offices and other postal facilities that it plans to close nationwide. ..."  
Source: www.federalnewsradio.com




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10.03.2009

Post office stab suspect believed dead; cops say he likely committed suicide


"... Kelly said the two men bumped shoulders and walked past each other, but kept exchanging words, then stopped and squared off. Gutierrez, 20, took off his jacket and assumed a fighting stance, Kelly said. McCaulla then strode toward him, brandishing a knife at his side.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2009/09/30/2009-09-30_post_office_stab_suspect_took_own_life_cops.html#ixzz0SuswpOS6
..."  
Source: www.nydailynews.com




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