|
TOP NEWS STORIES |
House Subcommittee takes first step towards financial relief
for Postal Service
"The Postal Service and its bleak financial situation is
starting to get some much-needed attention on Capitol Hill.
For the USPS, that's very welcome news. By a vote of 8-1, the
House Subcommittee on the Federal Workforce, Postal Service,
and the District of Columbia, approved legislation that would
require the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to review the
Postal Service's Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS)
liability using a new methodology - a recalculated formula
which could yield a $50 billion surplus in the CSRS system." -
|
Senator: Panel will block mail delivery cut
"Sen. Jon Tester says the lawmakers who oversee the
budget of the post office will block a proposal to reduce mail
deliveries to five days a week. The Montana Democrat said
eliminating Saturday deliveries would be a hardship on people
living in rural areas without producing major savings for the
Postal Service. Tester, a member of the Senate Financial
Services Appropriations Subcommittee, said in a statement
Wednesday that he was able to assure that provision will be
continued." -
Senate panel votes to keep
6-day delivery -
|
Atlanta postal supervisor stabbed, co-worker under arrest
"Atlanta police say a supervisor at a bulk mail center
was stabbed and a co-worker is under arrest. Police say the
attack took place about midnight Sunday. Atlanta police Maj.
John Dalton said the supervisor, whose name has not been
released, was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital after being cut
on the face and ear, and stabbed seven times in the back."
- Police Arrest Claudius Mapp
- Supervisor Joseph Jose stabbed multiple
times with a knife and screwdriver -
News video: Suspect makes first court appearance -
Headline: Mail Worker 'Goes Postal,' Stabs
Supervisor - June 16th: Postal Worker
Stabs Boss 7 Times at JFK -
Postal worker
charged in repeated stabbing of supervisor -
|
Markup of USPS Retiree Benefits Bill
"Postal stakeholders who want to change the retiree
obligation calculations during this session of Congress face
the challenge of a limited number of legislative days
available to handle new legislation, particularly in the
Senate. It would seem that even if the bill passes the House
prior to the end of the fiscal year, it is likely that final
passage will require action in a lame duck session." -
Subcommittee Approves Bill -
|
Wrinkles found in Postal Service pact
"When the U.S. Postal Service's top marketing officer agreed
to hire Goldman Sachs nearly two years ago without a written
contract, top executives inside postal headquarters scrambled
to make the unauthorized deal square with postal procurement
rules. But the no-bid contract they eventually awarded to
Goldman Sachs was backdated and was for the wrong kinds of
services: The company was hired under a banking services
agreement, but Goldman Sachs' postal work didn't have anything
to do with banking, records show. And the idea to hire the
banking giant came from a top former postal executive who also
served on the board of directors for a company where Goldman
Sachs was a big investor." - Claims
against USPS exec expose clash of public-private rules -
|
Postal Service tech investigated for selling $500K worth of
stolen government goods on eBay
"A U.S. Postal Service computer tech is being probed for
peddling $500,000 worth of stolen government equipment on eBay
- and using the money to buy Knicks tickets. Gregory Giordani
scammed the Postal Service procurement system for seven years,
ordering computer parts, tools, ink toner and even motorcycle
parts which he then sold over the Internet, according to a
search warrant affidavit unsealed in Brooklyn Federal Court." -
|
'The Decision Part II'
"Catalogers would receive a 5.1% increase in postage if the
U.S. Postal Service's proposed exigency rate case is approved
by the PRC. The USPS is in a horrible financial state, losing
billions of dollars a year, with five-day delivery a distinct
possibility. If Congress waives the Postal Service's annual
$5.5 billion payment for retiree health benefits before its
scheduled Sept. 30 adjournment, Steve Kearney, senior vice
president, customer relations for USPS, has said withdrawing
the exigent rate case "might be something to consider." -
|
Labor Department jolts Postal Service over electrical
work-safety violations
"These
are bad times for the U.S. Postal Service. It's struggling
mightily to stay afloat financially. Now, according to the
Labor Department, it's also a place that can be electrifying
-- literally. The Labor Department said the USPS may have
serious electrical work-safety violations at all of its 350
processing and distribution centers." -
|
Postal Service Proposes Price Changes
"Faced
with plummeting mail volume traced to the recession and
increased use of the Internet, the Postal Service is
projecting a deficit of nearly $7 billion for the next fiscal
year. Despite eliminating millions of work hours and reducing
expenses by more than $1 billion every year since 2001, a
budget gap remains. The proposed price changes, if approved,
will raise about $2.3 billion for the first nine months of
2011. Postmaster General John E. Potter said he does not want
customers to bear the burden of dramatic price increases.
Instead, Potter announced in March that pricing would be one
in a series of solutions the Postal Service is pursuing to
become financially sound." - Request
(PDF) - Stamp prices going up again - Affordable
Mail Alliance: Proposed Stamp Price Increase is a "Tax" Hike -
|
Sides Form Over Threat to Saturday Mail Service
"The
real communication networks have to be 24/7," Ms. Goldway
said. "The Postal Service in fact should be expanding its
accessibility and delivery capability to meet those needs. The
long-term future of the Postal Service may be limited by their
interest in reducing service today." A recent joint hearing of
Senate and House committees offered a preview of the debate
expected to play out before the commission. Executives from
several businesses that make heavy use of the post office,
including Mr. Hall of Hallmark and Mr. Rendich of Netflix,
disagreed on the long-term viability of a five-day delivery
plan." -
|
USPS to File Rate Case Tuesday: Mail Groups Question Legality
"Mailer
groups expect the U.S. Postal Service to file a case for an
exigent postal rate increase Tuesday. Under the Postal
Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006 (PAEA), the USPS is
entitled to receive annual rate increases based on the rate of
inflation. But this law also entitles USPS to file "exigent"
rate cases under extraordinary circumstances and Postmaster
General Jack Potter said last year the postal service might do
so. Some question its legality and necessity." -
|
