Postal News

January 2010

1/31/10

Change afoot at USPS -

Postal system much more efficient today than it was in days gone by -

Postal union: Use pension money to keep Whippany center open -

February Audiobooks Review by Jonathan Lowe

Cambridge postal driver robbed

Laundry, chickens and a post office

1/30/10

National League of Postmasters Takes Postmasters Working Condition Issues to Congress -

Lafayette: Consolidation talk stirs postal union -

USPS Notifies NRLCA With DPS Flats Implementation Procedures -

NRLCA wins DPS Review Issue With Arbitrator Bloch -

NAPS Alerts Congress to Possible Pay Abuse by USPS -

PRC Chair Goldway: Five-Day Mail Delivery Awaiting Advisory Opinion -

APWU: Springfield Area Local Reaches MTESC Agreement -

Firm seeks contract to supply USPS with electric cars

Wheeling Postal Workers Wait for Decision

1/29/10

Postal Service Updates Consolidation Initiative -

Intelligent Mail: USPS Finally Addressing Crossed-Out Barcodes -

Postal worker faces forgery counts over hospital excuse slips to obtain FMLA -

Action Line: What's the deal with post office signs? -

Residents, officials worry about losing the convenience of a Downtown Bay City Post Office -

Jackson: Residents question post office proposal

1/28/10

Atheist Group Blasts Postal Service for Mother Teresa Stamp -

Somersworth postal manager placed on administrative leave -

Carrier charged in $123K mail thefts -

Post office moving some jobs from downtown Dallas to Coppell -

FedNewsTonight Video: Sole Source Contracts by USPS Marketing Exec Bernstock -

Deal close for Haitian postman to accept donations -

Pocono Business Journal to cease publication - rising postal rates one reason for end -

Former postal worker convicted in fraud case -

Editorial: Our Mail on the Digital Trail -

From Postal Inspectors to Truck Drivers: The Men and Women Behind the Eagle

Postal carrier honored for 40-plus years of service

1/27/10

Worst Work Uniforms: US Postal Workers -

How to Save Time and Money at the Post Office (By Avoiding It!) -

Canadians taking advantage of USPS rates -

Transitional postal employee faces charges in connection with mail dumping -

WH Responds to WMD Report: Postal Service highly effective in antibiotics exercise -

$2,700 in donations to Haitian mail carrier still in limbo -

Bulletproofing Your Health Plan -

Neither snow nor rain help the mail

Hickory: Postal jobs to leave

Englewood: Letters, e-mails seek to save Broadway post office

1/26/10

USPS, Congress Moving Forward With Electric Vehicle Plan -

Could the Budget Kill Efforts to Save the Postal Service? -

RNC 'census' mailer draws fire -

Is the USPS Coasting on Green? -

USPS blocks gift to Haitian-born postman -

Post offices get reduced hours -

Racine: Mail carriers to move out of Downtown -

Bay City postal operations would move if downtown post office is sold

Yuma mail carrier returning job to sender

1/25/10

How Can the Postal Service Reduce the Costs Associated with Postage Stamps? -

Regulating the USPS into Financial Stability -

Export residents continue quest to get their post office back -

The Direct Mail Market: Structure and Success Factors -

Arbitrator rules in favor of Milford postal workers -

Scam: This letter is a real loser

Feds seek culprit who mailed 'Black Death' letters

1/24/10

Tupelo: Fuzzy facts surround fusing postal operations -

Lease canceled, and so is Earlville post office -

Why Italian Post Offices Are Always Crowded

Hanover Park family seeks missing postal worker

Englewood residents rally around post office and its mural

1/23/10

Majority of Union Members Now Work for the Government -

Man who harassed postal workers arrested -

Postal worker arrested for stealing drugs, caught with camera installed in truck cab -

Changes to FMLA: New Rules Increase Time Off for Military-Related Care -

Former postal worker faces 156 charges -

eNAPUS: Health, Anger and Healthcare (PDF) -

1/22/10

Wytheville post office standoff suspect indicted on 6 federal counts -

Not all post offices on board with USPS recycling program -

Safety concerns cause emergency suspension of Port Byron Post Office -

USPS OIG: Capital District Financial Risk Audit (PDF) -

Postal Regulations Are Taking the Life Out of Tabloid Magazines -

Postal employees' heroic actions save co-worker's life -

Postal Service to Test Electric Truck -

1/21/10

Inspector General continues probe at Somersworth post office -

Higher Health Premiums: Just Wait! -

Union members to protest closure of Liberty City post office -

Killeen: Residents go for months without mailbox -

Postal Worker Going to Prison -

Who let the dogs out? Getting blacklisted by the USPS -

Postmarked Romance

1/20/10

Postal worker embezzled funds to feed gambling addiction -

Obama display at post office draws protests -

Algarin v. Potter -

NALC President: In this new year, one battle on two fronts (PDF) -

Manager of Somersworth post office escorted from building - altered employee time sheets? -

Postal truck flips over in Hendersonville -

Enshrining a Twentieth Century Postal Service -

1/19/10

USPS OIG: For Better or For Worse -

APWU: USPS Can't Rationalize 'Network Rationalization' -

More TSP Investment Options? -

MLK Celebration Highlights Springfield's First Black Postal Worker

Otsego's new postmaster James Hillen is postal service veteran

Man attempts suicide at Athens post office

1/18/10

Linda Welch Named Acting Vice President, Southeast Area -

Post office leaves stamp on downtown -

Leaving the Mailstream (Follow-up) -

1/17/10

Congress - let USPS run its own business -

New! QuickTopic Politics Forum - A place for postal workers to talk politics

Coakley backs plan to unionize FedEx -

Company sues East Lansing post office for snow removal - landscapers seek $63,000 -

New procedure isn't helping post office -

Singing Mailman Wins $25,000 on Millionaire

1/16/10

Logan postal battle shifts -

What happens to the junk mail? -

Postal Rate Cap Finishes Year in the Red -

1/15/10

Update: 82-year-old drove truck into post office -

Fabisiak v. USPS -

Postal Service Holding All Mail to Haiti -

Rockefeller Urges USPS to Keep All Wheeling P&DC Employees -

Burrus Update: Helping Haiti -

At One Post Office, Slogan Is: 'We Mis-Deliver For You' -

Letter Carriers trudge through mounds of snow to deliver mail -

White House, unions reach deal on taxing insurance coverage -

Panama City: Postal workers seek answers in public meeting - Locals oppose USPS consolidation -

Wheeling postal jobs heading to Pittsburgh? -

Postal employee wears many hats

1/14/10

Bad Service At Brooklyn Post Offices Here to Stay! -

Postal Service Inefficiency Drives Up Periodicals Costs -

Vehicle crashes into Stokesdale Post Office -

Update: Body of missing postal worker found in creek -

Former postmaster enters plea in theft case -

Postal Service rejects hand delivery of mail in downtown Upton -

USPS Investigating Missing Postal Worker -

Intelligent Mail Volume Triples in Four Weeks -

PRC Annual Report to the President and Congress (PDF) -

Court reporter claims postal inspector threatened her for info -

USPS wants publications to pass 'droop' test -

1/13/10

Man Pleads Guilty to Bribing Postal Official -

Leaving the Mailstream One Customer at a Time -

Burrus: Can Parcels Save the Postal Service? -

NY comptroller wants probe of lost pension checks -

Former Georgia carrier admits to stealing letters after sting -

APWU: USPS Medical Units Phase-Out Begins -

USPS Station Closings and Impact on ZIP Code -

Grand Forks postman sentenced for driving a mail truck while drunk -

Police are looking for a 49-year-old postal worker missing since Thursday

TSP Balances: Size Counts

Lynn postal worker sentenced to 8 months for drug distribution

Mail Carrier to Be on 'Millionaire'

1/12/10

Union Coalition Calls for Defeat of Cadillac Tax - Federal Employee Groups Oppose Tax -

Pending Route Adjustment Effective Dates -

Ensuring smooth sailing for mail sorted by machine -

APWU: President Burrus on Mail Handlers -

Opt-in Information for the 2010 Mail Count -

Postal Inspector calls 911 after shooting wife, then kills himself -

Firms Hold Fast to Snail Mail Marketing -

Miller v. Potter -

1/11/10

Payroll glitch: "Check is in the mail" for postal workers -

"Do not mail" registry? Seattle City Council vote tomorrow -

USPS OIG: Top 10 Postal Stories of 2009 -

PRC report values one-day-per-week Postal Service delivery cut in billions -

Detroit: Postal Carriers Alerted After Two Robberies -

Dedicated delivery -

2011 Pay Raise Poker Chip -

Postmaster promises more attention will be paid to Old Glory -

Former Postmaster sentenced to prison -

1/10/10

Glitch leaves 20,000-plus rural mail carriers without paycheck -

Oklahoma City letter carriers are able to deliver even in cold -

Magnolia keeps post

1/09/10

Frosty delivery -

Weather slows down deliveries -

Some postal carriers add another responsibility to their route -

At funeral, postal workers deliver special tribute -

Lawmakers lobby to save Elmira postal jobs -

1/08/10

Erie letter carrier injured when awning falls on him -

Wear uniform with pride -

The online-retail trend is not what you think -

UPS Cuts Jobs Without Public Hearings - Cutting Management at UPS -

Editorial: Keep Mail First Class -

Postal Worker is Mourned After Bethlehem Accident -

Mail carrier rescues injured man on frigid afternoon

Steamboat Springs: Postal fight lives on

New Breed closing GSO postal facility

1/07/10

29,000 misaddressed cards shipped in Post Office snafu -

Update on Rural Carrier Pay Problem... as many as 14K could be affected -

Ex-postal worker admits bins theft, gets probation -

Community questions post office consolidation -

Logan postal staff preps for exit -

Bronx post offices still in danger -

Would a Lottery Bail Out the Postal Service? -

Butterfly Stamp for Cards With Irregular Shape Requiring Additional Postage

Arson investigated in SF USPS mailbox fires

Minneapolis Station Manager is Contestant on The Biggest Loser

1/06/10

Postal Workers' Facebook Page Back Online

Postal colleagues irked by slow response to defibrillator request -

Spring Sale Option for the USPS -

Re-regulating the Postal Service? -

Postal deficit may lead to less delivery -

Logan: Postal workers begin transfer process -

Florida: APWU to Picket at USPS Public Meeting -

A plague of hoaxes -

Postal workers: Leave our mail alone -

Lost in the mail: 60,000 pension checks -

Postal carrier bids farewell after 30 years

Comic Stamp of Disapproval

1/05/10

TSP Rates of Return December 2009 - All TSP Funds See Gains in 2009 -

Alabama: Letters prompt anthrax scare -

The Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act: Overview and Issues for Congress (PDF) -

Ohio: Closing of postal center proposed -

1/04/10

Former postal worker sentenced to 180 days for stealing $24K in gift cards -

Bowling Green: Public Expresses Concern Over Possible Move -

USPS OIG: Pricing and Price Caps -

1/03/10

iPhone Community Gets Post Office -

USPS Executive Bonuses for 2008 -

Negotiating Changes in Retiree Health Payments -

Bomb squad called to El Sobrante post office -

Working in the Cold -

Postmaster calling it quits

Postal worker delivers herself a new lease on life

A firefighter in postal workers' clothing saves boy

San Mateo postmaster retires early

1/02/10

Video: USPS 'Creepy Clown' Commercial -

APWU Sues USPS To Halt Closure of Philly L&DC -

A Bad Move for Small Mailers: Postal Expert Questions Move Update Surcharge -

Wilmington artist uses postal labels to gather thousands of mini masterpieces

PostalMag.com Website Technical Issues -

The Postal Service, President Obama, and the Budget -

Post office hostages recall captivity -

U.S. Postal Inspection Service watching mail for illegal drugs

It's a family business for new Palo Alto postmaster

1/01/10

South Dakota: Mail Carriers Working Long Hours -

Detroit: USPS Letter Carrier Robbed -

Postal Worker Outraged by Racist Voicemail on Internal Post Office Employee Late and Sick Call Line -

UK: Private post operators clean up as customers switch from Royal Mail -

Police capture woman in stolen mail truck after chase from Portland to Washington -

Make the most of stable postal rates -

USPS offering $50,000 reward in robbery of Reseda postal carrier

New postmaster appointed for Buffalo, suburbs

Postman wins national award

The man behind the mail

TOP NEWS STORIES

Obama Nominates Two to Postal Board of Governors "Paul Steven Miller is the Henry M. Jackson Professor of Law at the University of Washington School of Law who is an expert in workplace and employment law. Professor Miller spent the first nine months of the Obama Administration as a Special Assistant to the President in The White House. Prior to joining the University of Washington in 2004, Professor Miller had been one of the longest serving commissioners of the EEOC. Dennis J. Toner has directed policy, public and political affairs for over 30 years for then-Senator and now-Vice President Biden." - Paul Steven Miller Wiki - Professor fighting discrimination step by step - Taking Control of the Board of Governors -

US Postal Inspectors to Aid Haitian Postal System Recovery "To support recovery efforts and help address the immediate needs of the Haitian people, the U.S. Postal Service already has shipped 17 pallets of water and is currently securing much-needed medical supplies. Additionally, the Postal Service has prepared two large trucks, generators, mail-sorting cases, and mobile post offices for deployment to Haiti, with additional equipment to be identified and shipped following the Postal Inspectors' on-the-ground assessments in Haiti." - Related: Haiti Photos One | Two -

USPS Improperly Used DOIS to Set Carrier Start Times "The Postal Service improperly utilized the Delivery Operations Information System (DOIS) figures to set the carriers' leave and return times in violation of the M-39 Handbook. In addition, the improper use of the DOIS figures created a hostile work environment for the carriers." -

New OIG Report Shows USPS Overcharged for CSRS Pension fund by $75 Billion "The OIG estimates that if the overcharge was used to prepay the Postal Service's health benefits fund, it would fully meet all of the Postal Service's accrued retiree health care liabilities and eliminate the need for the required annual payments of more than $5 billion. Also, the health benefits fund could immediately start meeting its intended purpose -- paying the annual payment for current retirees, which was $2 billion in 2009." - APWU: A Stunning Announcement - 'USPS isn't a money-losing operation, just a victim of unfair pension accounting' -

OIG, USPIS Launch Workers' Comp Fraud Initiative "The Office of Inspector General (OIG) and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service have launched a joint year-long initiative to combat workers' compensation fraud. This effort, building on last year's prevention and awareness campaign launched by the OIG, will commit increased investigative resources to identify fraudulent claimants." -

Not a Smooth Move: Postal Service Hides Change-of-Address Forms "USPS no longer displays hardcopy change of address (COA) forms at its retail locations," the Postal Bulletin stated in an issue released today. The Postal Service publication reminded USPS employees of new rules requiring them "to keep Mover's Guide copies behind the counter so that they are inaccessible to customers without the help of a retail associate." -

Did top postal exec break contracting rules? "The U.S. Postal Service's top marketing executive directed more than $1.3 million in sole-source contracts to former business associates since July 2008, according to documents obtained by Federal Times. Robert Bernstock, president of the Postal Service's Mailing and Shipping Services division, approved $600,000 to consultant Lynne Alvarez, $412,500 to consultant Richard Sorota, and $324,975 to consultant Kimberly Wolfson, all of whom Bernstock worked with in the private sector prior to joining the agency in June 2008." - Update: General counsel finds no contracting violations - Postal boss moonlights for cash from corporations - Changing Culture and Contracting Violations -

USPS OIG: Status Report on Network Rationalization Initiatives (PDF) "The most immediate challenge is to dramatically reduce costs and eliminate inefficiencies fast enough to enable the Postal Service to meet its financial obligations, while complying with its Universal Service Obligation. The economic downturn and resulting mail volume declines continue to complicate this difficult financial situation." -

APWU: Representing Members in Small Offices "We have initiated a series of national-level grievances seeking to have the work returned and to make affected employees "whole." If we are successful, and individual employees are compensated for all hours denied through the improper transfer of work, the payments could total millions of dollars. Some employees have had hours reduced to two hours per week; others have been forced to travel to distant offices; many have surrendered - and terminated their employment. In most instances, these reductions should not have taken place." - Two clerks are not enough at the post office -

Postal boss moonlights for cash from corporations "The financially troubled U.S. Postal Service pays Robert F. Bernstock a $232,500 salary to oversee its shipping and mailing division, but a little-known hiring provision allows the executive to earn even more money from outside corporate sources. Mr. Bernstock took home more than $270,000 in cash and other compensation combined in fiscal 2008 by serving on the corporate boards for weight-loss giant Nutrisystem Inc. and Pantry Inc., which runs the Kangaroo Express convenience store chain, according to U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filings." - Nutrisystem uses UPS and FedEx for Shipping - Paying Postal Executives -