POSTAL NEWS

...from various sources.

10.26.2014

Robbery of postal vehicle scores prison sentence for three, but no fines

Three Houston men head to prison for robbery of postal vehicle

"... The three men had received information that the vehicle contained more than $2 million in cash and precious metals. Evidence at trial showed that the three men had been provided with a description of the vehicle, the route it would be taking and the time the vehicle would leave the post office in downtown Houston...."   
Source: www.yourhoustonnews.com

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10.23.2014

Guidelines for Mail Processing Closures: 'Handbook PO-408 - Area Mail Processing Guidelines'


Handbook PO-408 - Area Mail Processing Guidelines

USPS Area Mail Processing Guidelines
USPS Area Mail Processing Guidelines

"... When it is deemed necessary to reverse an AMP, the gaining facility must complete a narrative statement and provide detailed information on the need to change. The narrative is sent to the area office for concurrence. The area vice president (AVP) will send a letter to the Headquarters senior vice president (SVP) Operations with an explanation of the reasons for the reversal and impacts expected from the change.

The narrative must address the following:

* Service impact.
* Community impact.
* Staffing impact and requirements.
* Replacing budget hours and volume back into an office formerly consolidated into the gaining facility.
* Changes in automation utilization and impacts on the automation mailstream.
* Replacement of equipment.
* Impact of reinstating transportation.

The request must also include a detailed action plan, including a timeline of intended actions for accomplishing the reversal. ..."   
Source: usps.com

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10.21.2014

Postal service investigates missing mail

Postal service investigates missing mail

"... On Oct. 8, three letters were planted in his delivery to bait him. When he was confronted in his truck at about 10 a.m., three letters had been opened and an open can of beer was found. His mail from the previous day had not yet been delivered...."   
Source: www.news.ruralinfo.net

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10.13.2014

The Story of The Legendary Barefoot Mailman of Palm Beach County


The Story of The Legendary Barefoot Mailman of Palm Beach County

Barefoot Mailman
...most famous, of the barefoot mailmen was James E. “Ed” Hamilton, who had come to Hypoluxo from Cadiz, Kentucky (Trigg County) in 1885. Hamilton became the barefoot route contractor when E. R. Bradley quit in 1887. Hamilton disappeared while walking the barefoot route soon after October 10, 1887. Hamilton was not feeling well when he passed through Hypoluxo on October 10. When Hamilton had not returned to Lake Worth at the end of the week, a search was started. Hamilton's possessions, including all of his clothes, were found on the north bank of the Hillsboro Inlet. He had never arrived at the Hillsboro lighthouse, south of the inlet. The boat that Hamilton used to cross the inlet was missing. He was presumed to have drowned or been taken by a shark or alligator while trying to swim across the inlet to retrieve his boat from the far side. His body was never recovered.[12] A "stranger from the north", identified by Hillsboro lighthouse keeper Charles Coman, was suspected of having taken Hamilton's boat across the inlet and leaving it on the south side. The stranger was later charged with tampering with government property (Hamilton's row boat). Tried in Federal Court in Jacksonville, the "stranger" was acquitted and therefore his name was never entered in the court records... Reference: Wikipedia

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10.10.2014

Will Postal facility closures and mail service standard changes destroy the newspaper industry?


Newspaper Subscribers May Be the Unseen Victims in USPS Plant Closings

Investors Business Daily

"... The U.S. Postal Service should evaluate the impact of slower service to newspaper subscribers before proceeding with 2015 closings of mail processing plants, National Newspaper Association President John Edgecombe Jr., said this week. Edgecombe is the publisher of The Nebraska Signal in Geneva, NE...."   
Source: www.perryvillenews.com

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10.08.2014

Man caught on camera trying to break into post office boxes

Man caught on camera trying to break into post office boxes; in separate case, woman arrested for allegedly stealing mail

"... A would-be thief is caught on camera trying to break into post office boxes at the USPS site on 4th Avenue South...."   
Source: q13fox.com

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10.07.2014

Upcoming consolidations will harm businesses financially

Cherrybell postal center can still be saved

"... Our total sales are $200 million a year. If we lose two days in getting our billings paid (one for the bill to go out and one for the payment to come back), this could cost us $80,000 per year. This is more than we have made per year in half of the years in our history...."   
Source: tucson.com

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9.23.2014

Finally, a win for the American working class: Postal Service forced to hire/convert to full-time workers

Postal Service to Add Thousands of Union Jobs in 2014

"... Thanks to an independent arbitration ruling earlier this month, USPS will add or convert at least 9,000 jobs previously held by part-time, non-union employees to bargaining unit positions. At least 3,000 of those jobs will be filled by full-time, career employees, according to the American Postal Workers Union...."   
Source: www.govexec.com

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9.22.2014

Postal Pot Bust

10-pound postal parcel of pot lands 2 men in jail

"...A 10-pound package of marijuana has landed two Ulster County men behind bars after they picked up the parcel at the local post office. ..."   
Source: www.troyrecord.com

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9.20.2014

Protest over 'Industry, California Mail Processing' plant relocation

Unions protest Postal Service processing plant relocation from Industry to Santa Ana

"...The union members, chanting that Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe wanted to “destroy” the postal service, said they came to send a message to Donahoe, who they say was supposed to tour the facility but canceled at the last minute. Plans to relocate the first-class mail processing to Santa Ana starting in January will affect 70,000 businesses and delay deliveries by days ..."   
Source: www.sgvtribune.com

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Stay Up-to-Date on the Fight Against Consolidations, Closures at this APWU link

Stay Up-to-Date on the Fight Against Consolidations, Closures

"... 09/19/2014 - To keep up with the latest developments in the fight against the consolidation and closure of mail Processing & Distribution Centers, check out the union’s website, www.apwu.org. Click on the Issues tab in the blue bar and select: Fighting Consolidations. ..."

Source: www.apwu.org

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9.16.2014

Donahoe sounds a bit out of touch, Given the growth of email and mobile advertising

Is USPS delusional in direct mail confidence?

"... Given the growth of email and mobile advertising as of late, Donahoe sounds a bit out of touch. Many marketers would say direct mail, and print advertising in general, is faltering...."   
Source: www.fiercegovernment.com

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9.13.2014

Congress and Postmaster General Continue Chopping Away Postal Services


Postal Service under attack

Destruction of the Postal Service
Destruction of the Postal Service

"... Send a message to Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe. His job is to preserve the USPS for the American public; not help beleaguered members of Congress dismantle it. Plans to move delivery to centralized locations and eliminate collection boxes to reduce the service, which is pivotal to the success of the USPS. It is the USPS’s ability to bring mail to patrons’ door that is the signature of our bond with the American public...."   
Source: www.rutlandherald.com

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9.08.2014

Postal Service lawyer: USPS has "federal immunity from state and local regulation." (No Parking Tickets)

Postal Service's big delivery edge: no parking tickets

"...The city of East Cleveland tried to collect some $700 in traffic fines from Uncle Sam last year, only to get a letter from a Postal Service lawyer reminding the municipality that the organization has "federal immunity from state and local regulation." ..."   
Source: www.sfgate.com

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9.05.2014

What's it take to get a new, 'real' post office? Oil

Yes, Fracking Way: A New Post Office in an Oil Boom Town


"... the oil boom town of Williston, North Dakota received as the Badlands Postal Store opened on July 1. (But what, you ask, about all these new Contract Postal Units (CPUs), Staples pretty-much-CPUs, and Village "Post Offices" (VPOs) USPS keeps opening up? No, we're not counting those, because those aren't staffed by actual USPS personnel. The Badlands Postal Store is..."   
Source: colossus-of-roads.blogspot.com

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9.01.2014

More Postal Service Cuts?

Postal Service forges ahead on job cuts, plant closures

"... the service wants authorization to further reduce its workforce. The agency has already shrunk by about 320,000 employees since fiscal 2000, but Donahoe has said legislation would allow the Postal Service to move from 485,000 career employees to 400,000 over the next few years...."   
Source: www.federaltimes.com

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8.22.2014

COLA Increase for APWU Employees Covered by the National Agreement and New Pay Scales

COLA Increase for APWU Employees Covered by the National Agreement

"...In July 2014, the Consumer Price Index (CPI-W) fell slightly to 698.580. The sixth COLA adjustment under the 2010 National Agreement is..."   
Source: www.apwu.org

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8.12.2014

The Postal Service Is Making Money from Operations

The Postal Service’s Best-Kept Secret: It’s Making Money from Operations

"... “Despite the good news, Postmaster General Donahoe continues to paint a desperate picture of postal finances to justify his push to privatize the U.S. Postal Service,” said APWU President Mark Dimondstein. “But USPS financial reports show the Postal Service is rebounding from the economic collapse of 2008 and can thrive as a public institution – if it is allowed to do so.”..."   
Source: www.apwu.org

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8.05.2014

The Postal Service should remain a function of the government

People Use Government to Stay Connected: The Post Office

"...Privatization proponents are also seeking to replace the jobs of well-paid postal service employees with non-union (and so lower paid) workers at retailers such as Staples. (Staples is now offering promotional discounts to U.S. Postal Service rates in order to draw business away from local post offices.) Such action would reduce the number of good, middle-class jobs and could lead to a reduction in mail service to places without certain commercial facilities. ..."   
Source: www.foreffectivegov.org

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7.24.2014

USPS service cuts are to blame for late evening mail delivery, says watchdog

Is your mail arriving after dark? USPS service cuts are to blame, watchdog says

"... Mail is being delivered after 5 p.m. more than two-thirds of the time to residents and businesses in the District and the Maryland suburbs, an investigation released Tuesday found, raising concerns about the safety of letter carriers and provoking a deluge of complaints from customers...."   
Source: www.washingtonpost.com

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7.22.2014

Ouster of PMG Donahoe is Needed to Save the Postal Service

Ouster of PMG Donahoe is Needed to Save the Postal Service

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7.17.2014

Postal Service / 'Staples' store announcement is a ruse, says Dimondstein

“This attempt at trickery shows that the ‘Don’t Buy Staples’ movement is having an effect.”

"...A Staples announcement on July 14 indicating that the company is terminating its no-bid deal with the U.S. Postal Service and replacing it with an “approved shipper” program is a ruse. Staples and the USPS are changing the name of the program, without addressing the fundamental concerns of postal workers and postal customers. ..."   
Source: www.apwu.org

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7.15.2014

Politicians in one State are actually attempting to save their postal mail processing facilities while others remain silent to the destruction of the Postal Service

USPS aims to close facilities in Duluth, St. Cloud, Mankato, Bemidji

"...U.S. Sen. Al Franken, who stepped in last time to help Duluth's center earn its reprieve, weighed in again Tuesday. "If these processing centers are closed, a letter sent from Duluth to Hibbing would travel all the way to the Twin Cities, and then back up to Hibbing," Franken said. "That doesn't make any sense. This will hurt rural Minnesotans, drive customers away from the Postal Service and undercut financial savings. I'll be urging the Postmaster General to reconsider these closures." ..."   
Source: www.twincities.com

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7.11.2014

Internet conversations between co-workers get the same protections as do face-to-face conversations about wages, hours, and working conditions.

Facebook Organizing: Legal Do’s and Don’ts

"... If you work for the government, you’re not covered by the NLRA unless you’re a Postal Service employee. But most public employees are covered by federal, state, or local laws modeled on the NLRA...."   
Source: labornotes.org

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7.08.2014

Thought Round 1 of the U.S. Postal Services “network consolidations” caused problems in delivery services?

Editorial: Congress fails to deliver on mail woes

"... If you thought Round 1 of the U.S. Postal Services “network consolidations” caused problems in delivery services in Lima and most of Ohio the past few years, brace yourself. Mail service to most parts of the country is likely to get worse..."   
Source: www.limaohio.com

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7.07.2014

Birmingham Postal Worker Allegedly Throws Packages Into Ravine

Video of Birmingham postal worker throwing packages into a ravine leads to resignation

"...The poster, who said a co-worker's boyfriend actually filmed the incident, said the incident occurred on 17th Avenue South on Birmingham's Southside – a very hilly area overlooking Birmingham's skyline. ..."   
Source: www.al.com




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7.03.2014

What does the Postal Service Do When They Claim They Are Going Broke? Lower Business Rates on Priority Mail

USPS to Reduce Business Rates on Priority Mail

"... The U.S. Postal Service this week filed notice with the Postal Regulatory Commission that it intended to reduce rates on Priority Mail for businesses and other customers using Commercial Plus and Commercial Base online shipping services. ..."   
Source: www.dmnews.com

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7.02.2014

Great comments from the postal affairs blog on the deconstruction of the postal mail processing facility network

Rationalization of our Network of Mail Processing Facilities…and a Deconstruction

"... The Postal Service will provide detailed information about its network rationalization planning in the coming weeks. One of two things could be in play here…They don’t know and don’t actually have a plan, or it’s a big secret. Or they will blame the unions or that old favorite standby scapegoat SOX.

The Postal Service expects the completion of this phase of network rationalization will generate an additional $750 million in annual savings.
Unfortunately USPS estimates are always overstated, with service implications understated...."   
Source: postalaffairsblog.intelisent.com


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7.01.2014

PMG: Mail processing plant closures announced again

PMG: Mail processing plant closures announced again

"...After recently announcing a two year moratorium on plant closures, the PMG has recanted that idea and has again announced a return to shuttering hundreds of much needed mail processing facilities. The PMG cited a three year decline in first class mail volume as well as exigent price increases or a lack thereof as the reasoning. In a short video to employees, the PMG OFFERED NO DETAILS on what impacts the new closures will have on employees. It appears the postal service is unsure of what it is going to do, but they are going to do it anyway.

via The Postal Newsgroup: PMG: Mail processing plant closures announced again. ..."

   
Source: postalaffairsblog.intelisent.com

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5.20.2014

CPI-W for April 2014

CPI-W for April 2014

COLA adjustments for craft employees are tied to the CPI-W figures put out by BLS. Even though the cost of living seems to be hitting us all much harder than is identified by the manipulated figures of CPI-W, it does identify the rise in the cost of living. Yet with the wages of postal workers becoming nearly stagnant over the past several contracts, the COLA's do at rare times and add tiny increase in wages. It appears that may be the case this upcoming COLA period, but we still have a couple of months to go. Here are the latest figures:

"... The Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) increased 2.0 percent over the last 12 months to an index level of 233.443 (1982-84=100). For the month, the index rose 0.4 percent prior to seasonal adjustment. ..."   
Source: www.bls.gov

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5.13.2014

Postal APC kiosks in some areas may have skimming devices attached by credit/debit fraudsters

Postal Service: Beware Stamp Kiosk Skimmers

"...It is not clear what type of skimming devices may be used in this fraud scheme, but the APC kiosks appear to be custom-made by Wincor-Nixdorf, a major ATM manufacturer. As such, many types of skimming devices sold in the cybercrime underground and made for Wincor ATMs may work just as well with this kiosk. ..."   
Source: krebsonsecurity.com

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5.08.2014

To Hell in a Handbasket; Welcome to the New Postal Service

We don’t care, we don’t have to, we’re the Postal Service

"...The plant consolidations have resulted in delayed mail, late delivery, and countless other service problems. Under POStPlan, service has declined due to reducing hours at post offices and replacing experienced postmasters with poorly trained and underpaid personnel. The shift from door and curb delivery to cluster boxes has confused and angered thousands of customers. When customers try calling to complain, they can’t even get hold of their local post office. ..."   
Source: www.savethepostoffice.com

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4.29.2014

FedEx Shooting

Kennesaw FedEx shooting suspect dead

"...Police say the suspect in a shooting at a Kennesaw FedEx facility... At 9 :20 a.m. Fiedler issued a new statement saying: "We can confirm that an incident occurred early Tuesday morning at a FedEx Ground facility in Kennesaw, Georgia. Our thoughts and prayers are with those affected, and with their families and friends. We are grateful for the assistance of law enforcement. The situation is now stabilized..."   
Source: www.13wmaz.com

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4.22.2014

Historic Post Offices being sold, some with extensive art works of historic value

Preserving Historic Post Offices

"...Despite continued public outcry, post offices around the country remain slated for closure, placing many historic buildings and community anchors at risk. ..."   
Source: www.laconservancy.org

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4.13.2014

Robert Neumann: One of the Postal Service's longest-serving employees retires

Postal worker retires after 61 years

"...Sixty-one years after Robert Neumann began sorting mail while trying to keep his balance in a fast-moving train car, he retired Friday as one of the U.S. Postal Service's longest-serving employees. ..."   
Source: www.chicagotribune.com

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4.11.2014

What caused FedEx tractor-trailer to cross a grassy center divide and kill 10 people?

Authorities Seek Cause of Deadly California Bus Crash

"... The authorities on Friday were investigating what caused the driver of a FedEx tractor-trailer to cross a grassy center divide and slam into a chartered bus carrying high school students..."   
Source: www.nytimes.com

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USPS begins 'Load Leveling' in spite of PRC advisory opinion against immediate implementation

PRC tells USPS Load Leveling not ready for prime time

"... possibility is that mailers might simply change their mailing practices to preserve desired delivery dates. If the mailers feel a need for Monday delivery and alter their operations so that they can enter the mail on Thursday instead of Friday, the peak loads on Monday will continue. ..."   
Source: www.savethepostoffice.com

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4.08.2014

Why protectors of America's Postal Service Don’t Trust Paul Ryan

The Real Reason Postal Workers Don’t Trust Paul Ryan

"...“Considering Ryan’s privatization zeal and his wife’s UPS lobbyist connection,” Brinkley wrote, “it’s clear he will not act in a way that’s in the best interest of the Postal Service.” That sums up the way worried postal workers still feel today. ..."   
Source: www.businessweek.com

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4.01.2014

'Corrected' Inverted Jenny stamp is a rare opportunity


'Misprinted Stamps Escape Postal Vault'

"... Unique to this stamp issuance, all sheets were individually wrapped in a sealed envelope to recreate the excitement of finding an Inverted Jenny when opening the envelope and to avoid the possibility of discovering a corrected Jenny prior to purchase. "We are leveraging the incredible story behind the rare collectible as a creative way to generate interest in stamp collecting ..."   
Source: www.prnewswire.com

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3.28.2014

Hector Asselin, postal clerk passes


Hector Asselin – a very Vineyard life

"... In November 1958, Hector was hired to work in the Vineyard Haven Post Office as a postal clerk. The post office at that time was in the building which now houses Rainy Day. Hector became a familiar face behind the counter for many years. He retired in 1983, after 25 years, finishing at the relocated site at Five Corners...."   
Source: www.mvtimes.com

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