Postal News Archives March 2020

What’s in the $2 Trillion Senate Deal (for the Postal Service)?
3.26.2020 – WSJ reports: “The financially strained U.S. Postal Service is getting a $10 billion Treasury loan to help the mail carrier during the pandemic. The Postal Service is only allowed by law to raise its net debt by $3 billion a year, so the bill loosens that restriction. But it does come with some strings attached. Mainly, the Postal Service can only use the financing for operating expenses and not to pay down outstanding debt. The bill also requires the Postal Service to prioritize medical shipments and allows temporary delivery points to protect workers and recipients of mail.” – NALC Statement – NPMHU Statement – Bill lets the US Post Office take a page from Amazon’s delivery playbook – Comments (Count)

With Dozens of Confirmed Coronavirus Cases, USPS Launches New Measures to Protect Employees
3.23.2020 – GovExec reports: “As more than three-dozen U.S. Postal Service employees have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, the agency is taking new steps to protect employees who remain concerned they do not have the proper resources to stay safe. USPS has struck memoranda of understanding with its employees’ labor unions, which give non-career workers access to 80 hours of paid leave, enable individuals to take leave if they are vulnerable to COVID-19 or to care for loved ones, and allow some groups of employees to work remotely.” – Comments (Count)

NPMHU: 13 Postal Employees Have COVID-19
3.20.2020 – NPMHU reports: “There are currently 13 postal workers who are confirmed to be COVID-19 positive. NPMHU representatives have been meeting on a regular basis with their counterparts to discuss the Postal Service’s response to the outbreak of the virus. Postal management has stated that they will follow the guidance of the “health experts” such as CDC and HHS.” – Comments (Count)

NY: Two White Plains USPS Employees Test Positive for Coronavirus
3.14.2020 – News 12 Westchester reports: “Many employees within the facility (Westchester P&DC) say they are concerned for their health and safety and are not looking forward to returning. “People have families to go home to,” says USPS maintenance mechanic Harold Brown. “We have kids. We have elderly people that we’re around, young people and it’s not right.” – New Orleans postal employee may have tested positive – COVID-19 Updated Supervisor and Management Guidance (Admin Leave, Sick Leave, Other Leave) – Mandatory Stand-Up Talk – Coronavirus Pandemic Policy – Postal Service Pandemic Influenza Plan (PDF) – Comments (Count)

USPS preps for coronavirus with updated pandemic flu plan
3.09.2020 – Federal News Network reports: “If coronavirus hits a local community, USPS urges facility medical personnel, working with installation heads or attendance control officers, to monitor sick leave for “observable trends that may indicate a COVID-19 outbreak among postal employees. Personnel who arrive at work obviously ill, or who become ill at work with COVID-19 type symptoms should be released from work,” the memo states.” – NALC postpones dinner celebrating 50th anniversary of the Great Postal Strike – APWU meets with USPS – Coronavirus Pandemic Policy – Postal Service Pandemic Influenza Plan (PDF) – Comments (Count)

3/31/20

Bernie Sanders Launches Inquiry Into Postal Worker Protections Against COVID-19 | Letter to PMG (PDF) | Petition cited in letter – Comments (Count)

‘There is no social distancing going on’: Ridgewood post office struggles to deliver mail during COVID-19 crisis – Comments (Count)

Bel Air postal worker gives neighborhood kids chalk, neighborhood responds by giving her hand sanitizer and other gifts – Comments (Count)

Postal workers among those on the front lines | Postal workers step up in our time of crisis – Comments (Count)

Longmeadow mail carrier bringing smiles to residents – Comments (Count)

Only 9 out of 61 employees working at a Manhattan post office – Comments (Count)

Mail delivery is safe in Aspen and elsewhere, USPS says – Comments (Count)

3/30/20

McHugh: USPS Shows Its Value – Comments (Count)

NYC’s rich are paying limo drivers to deliver their mail to their Hamptons beach houses – Comments (Count)

USPS employee at Cleveland P&DC tests positive – Comments (Count)

USPS warns it might have to shutter by June as $2 trillion coronavirus stimulus package provides no funding – Comments (Count)

UK: Postal worker dons fancy dress to lift spirits – Comments (Count)

About 2,000 postal workers nationwide are in quarantine, union says – Comments (Count)

USPS Extends Hold-Mail Period for Closed Businesses – Comments (Count)

3/29/20

USPS Gets $10 Billion in the Stimulus Act. It Needs the Help – Comments (Count)

Tornado strikes Jonesboro post office, tears off frame of postal truck and tosses it a block away | Video | Photo – Comments (Count)

NYC: Postal Workers Say Letter Carriers Are Calling Out Sick – Comments (Count)

3/28/20

Congressman: “Trump personally objected to any assistance for the Postal Service” – Comments (Count)

We’re lucky to have jobs, but at what cost? | I’m worried, but no one’s freaking out – Comments (Count)

Plastic shower curtains being placed at some clerk windows – Comments (Count)

CNN: Postal Service forced to keep working despite shortages of cash and protection – Comments (Count)

DFW: Union Leaders Concerned After Two Postal Workers Test Positive for COVID-19 – Comments (Count)

USPS seeks to hire retired employees, temporary workers as coronavirus takes toll on workforce – Comments (Count)

NALC Food Drive Postponed – Comments (Count)

3/27/20

Chicago: Postal worker shot in cheek while delivering mail in Brighton Park – Comments (Count)

DFW: Postal Worker at Coppell P&DC Tests Positive for Coronavirus – Comments (Count)

The Nation: The Postal Service is Breaking Down – Comments (Count)

GovExec: Postal Workers Increasingly Concerned the Agency Isn’t Protecting Them From Coronavirus – Comments (Count)

3/26/20

Bronx Letter Carrier Passes Away From Coronavirus – Comments (Count)

USPS Creates COVID-19 Response Command – Comments (Count)

The Postal Service was in trouble before COVID-19: Now it’s fighting for its life – Comments (Count)

Postal Retirement Q&A March/April 2020 by Roseanne Jefferson – Comments (Count)

3/25/20

PRC Releases 2019 Annual Compliance Determination (PDF) – Comments (Count)

The Postal Service’s Surprising Role in Surviving Doomsday – Comments (Count)

Tyler Main Post Office Employee Tests Positive for Coronavirus | Portland | North Syracuse | Ohio – Comments (Count)

How (Not) to Retire During a Pandemic – Comments (Count)

Lexington: COVID-19 Assistance to the Postal Service: Three Things to Know – Comments (Count)

USPS OIG Audit Report: Management Structure at the Postal Service – Comments (Count)

After 33 years, postal worker takes long walk into retirement – Comments (Count)

‘We’re not going anywhere’: A mail carrier reflects on the impact of coronavirus – Comments (Count)

Postal workers hoping for community donations to meet sanitizing needs – Comments (Count)

Post offices stay open, take safety measures in light of COVID-19 – Comments (Count)

3/24/20

Georgia postal worker hits 60-year-old woman with truck – Comments (Count)

Postal workers say they lack supplies, training to protect themselves from coronavirus – Comments (Count)

Macon carrier receives heartwarming note on toilet paper – Comments (Count)

USPS needs 1,000 workers in the Bay Area to keep up with delivery demands – Comments (Count)

House panel warns coronavirus could destroy Postal Service by June – Comments (Count)

November could turn into ‘election by mail’ due to coronavirus – Comments (Count)

Virus can linger on some surfaces up to 17 days (cardboard no more than 24 hours) – Comments (Count)

Pelosi counterproposal includes $20 billion for U.S. Postal Service and forgives USPS debt | Townhall: Pelosi’s hare-brained scheme – Comments (Count)

USPS Issues Statement on the MOU on Liberal Changes of Schedule and Leave – Comments (Count)

POSTAL DISTANCING: A Letter Carrier’s Plea – Comments (Count)

Maintenance worker at Hamilton mail center that survived anthrax attacks positive for COVID-19 – Comments (Count)

Employee at USPS distribution center in Bethlehem Township tests positive for coronavirus – Comments (Count)

YET ANOTHER U.S. Mail Truck Gutted by Flames – Comments (Count)

3/23/20

The million-mile mailman: 50 years and going strong – Comments (Count)

NYT: As Postal Workers Fall Sick, Colleagues Keep Working. And Worrying. – Comments (Count)

Louisville postal employee tests positive for COVID-19 – Comments (Count)

3/22/20

Ohio: Beachwood mail carrier tests positive for COVID-19 – Comments (Count)

‘Terrified’ package delivery employees are going to work sick – Comments (Count)

Amazon France stops ‘non-priority’ delivery – Comments (Count)

3/21/20

Metro Detroit postal workers concerned about safety conditions (Same complaints found elsewhere, including in Dallas, to include close working conditions and no cleaning of facilities.) – Comments (Count)

Hold My Mail, Please! – Comments (Count)

3/20/20

Oklahoma: Possible issues with mail delivery due to alleged staffing shortage amid COVID-19 – Comments (Count)

NALC: New Procedures for Customer Signatures (PDF) – Comments (Count)

As deliveries soar, UPS drivers say coronavirus precautions may not keep them or customers safe – Comments (Count)

Brooklyn Letter Carriers Balk at Entering Post Office After Supervisor Tested Positive – Comments (Count)

Rep. Connolly, postal unions back USPS coronavirus stimulus funding to maintain ‘essential service’ – Comments (Count)

Coronavirus in Colorado: USPS Hiring as Thousands File Unemployment Claims – Comments (Count)

Concerns over possible COVID-19 case(s) at Capital Region USPS distribution center – Comments (Count)

California governor issues statewide order to ‘stay at home’ effective Thursday evening | USPS is an essential service in regards to shelter-in-place orders – Comments (Count)

3/19/20

Postal Service gave me a form to sign – and handed me a pen – Comments (Count)

USPS temporarily closes two Salt Lake post offices after earthquake – Comments (Count)

PMG Brennan allows more USPS execs to work from home – Comments (Count)

Statement From NALC President Rolando on the COVID-19 Pandemic (PDF) – Comments (Count)

Postal Unions: Stimulus Proposals to Support the USPS (PDF) – Comments (Count)

NPMHU: New Memorandum Establishes Expanded Sick Leave for Dependent Care During COVID-19 | Additional Paid Leave for Mail Handler Assistants | APWU Signs Leave Adjustments With USPS – Comments (Count)

3/18/20

Nearly 6,000 missing packages: East Bay mailman gets probation for hoarding mail – Comments (Count)

Letter Carriers Say the Postal Service Pressured Them to Deliver Mail Despite Coronavirus Symptoms – Comments (Count)

Raleigh Postal Worker Tests Positive – Comments (Count)

USPS: No Evidence COVID-19 is Spread Through Mail | Can it spread through the mail? | Coronavirus can persist in air for hours, on surfaces for days – Comments (Count)

Senior community misses mail delivery over the coronavirus – Comments (Count)

3/17/20

Search for Next Postmaster General Continues – Comments (Count)

USPS urges supervisors to grant ‘liberal sick leave’ during coronavirus pandemic – Comments (Count)

The Military Can Reinforce The Postal System if COVID-19 Causes Delivery Disruptions – Comments (Count)

Federal Employees Worry Their Agencies Aren’t Keeping Them Safe from Coronavirus – Comments (Count)

US tells older people to stay home (Should USPS allow special leave considerations for older postal employees?) – Comments (Count)

San Francisco issues shelter-in-place order | Mail delivery to continue – Comments (Count)

3/16/20

Crash involving postal vehicle leaves mail scattered on road – Comments (Count)

How a Mailman Still Carries On During Coronavirus – Comments (Count)

Mail services including USPS and FedEx will continue delivering despite coronavirus – Comments (Count)

Amazon warns of delivery delays, running out of items – Comments (Count)

NZ Post couriers stop taking signatures to avoid spread – Comments (Count)

3/15/20

‘Temporary national lockdown’ being considered to combat coronavirus | Post Office remains open in Italy despite nationwide shutdown – Comments (Count)

Czech Post to Help the State by Delivering Food – Comments (Count)

3/14/20

Royal Mail: Changes to doorstep parcel deliveries to minimize coronavirus risk – Comments (Count)

London postal workers take strike action over coronavirus concerns – Comments (Count)

Mail carrier in viral dog chase video calls for increased awareness of postal worker safety – Comments (Count)

Coronavirus: USPS reports that it’s still operating on a regular schedule – Comments (Count)

After much community outcry, USPS held its first public meeting for its controversial Oak Creek mail facility – Comments (Count)

3/13/20

Archives: USPS plan to deliver antibiotics to residences in an emergency – Comments (Count)

Does the USPS have a plan for mass absenteeism due to the coronavirus? – Comments (Count)

A Postal Worker Loved His Job. But An 8-Day Postal Strike Was a Dignity Thing – Comments (Count)

Trump nominates two transportation executives to USPS board of governors – Comments (Count)

3/12/20

Kari Wiskow retires after 35 years as mail carrier – Comments (Count)

How Europe Travel Restrictions May Impact Major Shippers – Comments (Count)

USPS Will Stick To Stamps – Comments (Count)

USPS seeks definition of its universal service obligation – Comments (Count)

Trump nominates Donald Lee Moak to be a member of the USPS Board of Governors | Lee Moak – Comments (Count)

3/11/20

Mail Handler sentenced for stealing almost 150 Express Scripts packages – Comments (Count)

GAO: Postal Banking Is Unlikely to Improve USPS Finances – Comments (Count)

Bronx residents in Belmont want post office to clean up – Comments (Count)

Kansas APWU president pleads guilty to concealing records – Comments (Count)

Hawthorne residents say postal mail now completely unreliable – Comments (Count)

USPS provides update on shipments to Italy – Comments (Count)

3/10/20

A look at an early 1900s rural mail carrier’s experiences – Comments (Count)

Through wind and rain and snow for 40 years – Comments (Count)

USPS Recognized as 2020 Top Federal Agency for Multicultural Business Opportunities – Comments (Count)

GAO: Expanding Nonpostal Products and Services at Retail Facilities – Comments (Count)

USPS OIG Audit Report: Options to Reduce Unfunded Retirement Liabilities – Comments (Count)

Multiple mailbox break-ins in North Austin – Comments (Count)

3/09/20

Postal worker suspended after harassing his boss – Comments (Count)

WSJ: Postal Service has activated its pandemic flu preparedness plan – Comments (Count)

Mail bonding: Is the postal service the future of voting? – Comments (Count)

Lafayette residents deliver post office opinions – Comments (Count)

3/08/20

Postal worker airlifted to hospital after mail truck accident – Comments (Count)

Former Acting IG Indicted for Stealing Federal Employees’ Personal Data (including USPS) – Comments (Count)

3/07/20

Mailman goes above and beyond in wake of tornado – Comments (Count)

Postal Service Coronavirus Pandemic Plan – Comments (Count)

3/06/20

Postal Service refuses to pay for repairs after mail carrier fleeing dogs leaps on truck – Comments (Count)

Sealed with a kiss: Morton mail carrier takes final step – retirement after 40 years – Comments (Count)

Dearborn Postal Annex in Taylor honors carriers with 30 years of safe driving experience – Comments (Count)

Another mercury spill! USPS isolates section of Scarborough processing center – Comments (Count)

Undelivered packages from West Miami-Dade USPS office causes concern – Comments (Count)

3/05/20

Amazon tells Seattle HQ employees to work at home due to coronavirus – Comments (Count)

USPS OIG Audit: Mail Delivery and Customer Service Operations at the Chatsworth Post Office – Comments (Count)

Man arraigned on charges in postal worker’s fiery death – Comments (Count)

USPS Contractor Purchases Propane Delivery Trucks – Comments (Count)

Union: New sorting initiative at Saco facility slows postal delivery – Comments (Count)

3/04/20

Battle lines forming over setting of U.S. stamp prices – Comments (Count)

Postal trucks were parking illegally. So Jersey City started ticketing the postmaster – Comments (Count)

Bloomberg, Sanders and Warren want to use post offices as banks – Comments (Count)

Mysterious parcel lockers appear on Main Street – Comments (Count)

Safety Issues Again Cited at Postal Facilities – Comments (Count)

Arlington Heights residents are fed up with lost and late mail – Comments (Count)

Aspen postmaster leaves for USPS position elsewhere – Comments (Count)

3/03/20

Muskegon postal worker sentenced for ‘thoughtless, stupid’ mail thefts – Comments (Count)

Major shipping companies taking precautions to avoid spreading coronavirus through mail service – Comments (Count)

What takes Asheville snail mail so long to be delivered? – Comments (Count)

Navistar to start work on new order of postal trucks in Springfield – Comments (Count)

USPS fixes broken mail equipment after neighbors turn to TV station – Comments (Count)

3/02/20

Woman, two men kidnapped USPS mail carrier over suspected stolen package – Comments (Count)

Postmaster General Reduces Work Hours to Cut Costs – Comments (Count)

Washington’s new mailbox damage policy delivers in first winter – Comments (Count)

APWU: MVS Updates (CBD use, more…) – Comments (Count)

3/01/20

USPS employee in Washington state tests positive for coronavirus | Federal Way USPS employee tests positive | Woman in her 50s had recently traveled to South Korea – Comments (Count)