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POSTAL NEWS FROM PEN

JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2010

January 31, 2010
Trackstick Mini - GPS Tracker
PEN reader Don Cheney tells us that GPS tracking was recently installed in LLV's at his office - the Trackstick description says "The detachable weatherproof and shock resistant case, magnetic mount, and a small 3 1/2” figure make the Trackstick Mini ideal for covert deployment and use in harsh conditions." -

NAPS Alerts Congress to Possible Pay Abuse by USPS  -

Taking Control of the Board of Governors
Courier, Express, and Postal Observer -

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

January 30, 2010
PRC Chair Goldway: Five-Day Mail Delivery Awaiting Advisory Opinion -

Federal Eye: 162 sites may still close -

Sheriff's action not federal offense, postal inspector says -

PostCom: Obama nominates two to USPS Board of Governors - Paul Steven Miller -

January 29, 2010
Postal worker faces forgery counts
An Indiana postal employee was arrested Thursday after federal investigators said she forged hospital excuse slips to justify paid sick days she received. -

Cops: DVDs, caviar seized from mail carrier's home
Original story > Carrier charged in $123K mail thefts -

APWU: USPS Trims Closure List to 162
Also see:
Current List of Stations/Branches Under Review as of January 29, 2010 - Station/Branch Optimization/Consolidation (SBOC) Initiative - And Postal Service Updates Consolidation Initiative -

Springfield Area Local Reaches Mail Transport Equipment Service Center (MTESC) Agreement -

The National League of Postmasters are taking their working condition issues to Congress -

Intelligent Snail: USPS Finally Addressing Crossed-Out Barcodes - Dead Tree Edition -

Former U.S. Postal Service worker to appear in court for allegedly destroying mail -

January 28, 2010
NY Carrier charged in $123,000+ mail thefts -

Greenwood, IN postal clerk charged with misappropriation of funds -

Somersworth postal branch manager on administrative leave -

PostCom tells us - You might want to take a look at the video posted by FedNewsTonight on the sole source contracts issued by Robert Bernstock. -

Deal close for Haitian postman to accept donations -

January 27, 2010
Taking Advantage of Regulated Rates
Courier, Express, and Postal Observer
It's cheaper for Canadians to cross the border and use USPS -

U.S. Postal Inspectors to Aid Haitian Postal System Recovery -

$2,700 in donations to Haitian mail carrier still in limbo
The U.S. Postal Service Tuesday rebuffed an attempt by Bucks County Congressman Patrick Murphy to get a Haitian-born mailman a special exception so he could accept more than $2,700 in donations raised by his customers to help his family on the earthquake devastated island. -

Bill Would Grant Postal Service $2 Billion to Electrify 20,000 Delivery Vehicles -

TE carrier charged in connection with mail dumping incident -

January 26, 2010
Could the Budget Kill Efforts to Save the Postal Service?
Courier, Express, and Postal Observer -

Why USPS needs to step it up -

Salvation Hidden in Plain Sight
Presort -

Seattle council talks about junk mail, but what for? -

Mailman barred from accepting funds for trip to Haiti - Also see USPS blocks gift to Haitian-born postman -

January 25, 2010
Postal Service offers reward for info leading to mailer of 'Black Death' letters from Idaho -

Regulating the USPS into Financial Stability
Courier, Express, and Postal Observer -

Former Parish postal worker gets probation for stealing greeting card cash -

USPS and sustainability -

NALC: OIG bolsters case for prefunding reform - See NALC Fact Sheet (PDF 3.62mb) -

U.S.P.S. Senior Financial Managers’ Code of Ethics -

OIG: Policies Were Not Followed For High-Risk Financial Transactions, Cash, Stamp, and Money Order Accountabilities, CPU, and Master Trust Accounts -

The Direct Mail Market: Structure and Success Factors
Courier, Express, and Postal Observer -

January 24, 2010
Prosecutor: Postal Worker Stole Veterans' Drugs
Postal officials examined employee assignment records and attendance before determining that Schwomeyer, who drives a tractor-trailer for USPS, was working the distribution route on the likely dates the drugs were stolen. -

Texas postal inquiry doesn't satisfy its customers -

January 23, 2010
NALC wins arbitration case on use of DOIS to schedule letter carriers
 - scanned PDF file -

Fear, Anger and Health Care
NAPUS Newsletter (PDF) -

Majority of Union Members Now Work for the Government -

Former postal employee faces 156 charges in investigation -

January 22, 2010
TUNNE v. PADUCAH POLICE DEPT
Plaintiff files complaint against Paducah, KY police and the United States Postal Service/Paducah Annex (USPS); Beth Cluck and Russell McCuiston, USPS employees; and Andrew Zeman, a U.S. Postal Inspector. -

Postal workers win a round
An arbitrator is to decide the fate of a Logan postal facility that now is threatened with closing, a federal judge has ruled. The court order doesn't ensure the mail-transfer plant will stay open, but it offers hope for the facility's 550 employees, an attorney for the workers' union said Thursday. -

Viagra to the Rescue? Postal Regulations Are Taking the Life Out of Tabloid Magazines
Dead Tree Edition -

Englewood residents rally around post office and its mural -

January 21, 2010
APWU regarding:
OIG Says USPS Overpaid Federal Government $75 Billion -

NC Postal Employee Charged With Theft Of Veterans Prescription - Includes Video -

Postmaster General Appoints Award-Winning Poet and Designers - Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee Changes Announced -

Bristol, TN man indicted for attempted murder in relation to Wytheville, VA P.O. standoff -

Update: Inspector General continues probe at Somersworth post office -

Pensions: Another Government Rip-off of USPS
Dead Tree Edition - The U.S. Postal Service isn't a money-losing operation, just a victim of unfair pension accounting by the federal government, a report from USPS's Inspector General indicated today. -

PRC states (PDF) "The Postal Service states that it “remain[s] highly uncertain regarding the availability of cash in an amount that is sufficient to fund our required $5.5 billion Postal Service Retiree Health Benefits Fund payment on September 30, 2010.” Also see NOTICE OF PUBLIC FORUM AND OPPORTUNITY TO COMMENT -

Postal Worker Going to Prison - ordered to pay $156,462 in restitution to USPS -

Higher Health Premiums: Just Wait!
If you think the most recent FEHBP open season was a nightmare of high premiums and bad choices, just wait a couple of years! -

The U.S. Postal Service’s Financial Condition: Overview and Issues for Congress
Congressional Research Service -

January 20, 2010
New OIG Study Estimates USPS Has Been Overcharged for the CSRS Pension Fund by $75 Billion
A study just released by the U.S. Postal Service’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) shows that the current system of funding the Postal Service’s Civil Service Retirement System pension responsibility is inequitable and has resulted in the Postal Service overpaying $75 billion to the pension fund. -

Obama display at post office draws protests -

Courier, Express, and Postal Observer says "It is time that someone should examine the impact on the Postal Service of not being able to rightsize its network, management and labor using the same employment rules that apply in the private sector." -

Manager of Somersworth post office escorted from building
The manager of the city's Postal Service branch, who was recently found to have altered his employees' time sheets, was escorted out of the building by a representative of the Office of the Inspector General Tuesday afternoon, according to the president of the state postal union. -

Enshrining a Twentieth Century Postal Service
Courier, Express, and Postal Observer -

Taxing Your Health Premiums
Federal News Radio -

January 19, 2010
USPS Can’t Rationalize ‘Network Rationalization’
APWU Web News -

Dept. of Labor Recovers $1.8 Million from USPS Contractor -

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

OIG: For Better or For Worse
Has the workplace environment in the Postal Service gotten better or worse over the last 10 years and why? -

Postal carrier killed in Inlet shooting
Georgetown Times, SC -

USPS Report on PRC Rate and Service Inquiries for December 2009 (PDF) -

January 18, 2010
Current PRC Chairperson Once Advocated Privatization of the Postal Service -

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. -

U.S. Postal Service Delivering Green, Looking At Alternate Energy Delivery Systems -

Senators Collins and McCaskill Calls On OIG To Review USPS Contracting Policies -

January 17, 2010
Congress - let USPS run its own business
Editorial: Observer Publishing Company -

January 16, 2010
What’s wrong with Post Office
James Bertolone Pres. APWU Local 215 -

Postal Rate Cap Finishes Year in the Red
Dead Tree Edition -

Logan postal battle will move to arbitration -

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

January 15, 2010
NALC and Organized Labor Succeed In Obtaining Critical Improvements To Congressional Health Reform Bill (PDF) - Also see: White House, unions reach deal on taxing insurance coverage -  Also see The Cadillac plan tax compromise -

Federal Eye: Postal Service contracts questioned -

Not a Smooth Move: Postal Service Hides Change-of-Address Forms - Dead Tree Edition -

Postal workers say paper dust is destroying their health -

Postal Service should stop abetting tax evasion -

Panama City, FL Postal Workers Seek Answers in Public Meeting -

January 14, 2010
Sad End: Texas Search Group Finds Body of Missing Postal Employee In Creek, Family Furious -

Baltimore Mail Carrier Sentenced to 3 Years Incarceration for Stealing Over $100,000 in Treasury Checks -

Mail litters Six Mile Cypress in Fort Myers, FL -

PRC Orders USPS to Terminate Two Nonpostal Services and Clarifies Guidelines for the Sale of Licensed and Nonlicensed CDs and DVDs - Also from the PRC see PRC Extends Initial Public Comment Period to February 16 in its Investigation of Suspended Post Offices -

Leaving the Mailstream One Customer at a Time
Courier, Express, and Postal Observer -

U.S. Postal Service Investigating Missing Worker -

Postal Service Inefficiency Drives Up Periodicals Costs
Dead Tree Edition -

Court Reporter Says Postal Inspector Bullied Her, Looking for Dirt on Criminal Court Judges -

January 13, 2010
APWU: Can Parcels Save the Postal Service?
Burrus Update -

PRC Chair Wants To Hear From You -

Man Pleads Guilty To Bribing Postal Official
When interviewed by FBI special agents Ashvin Shah, a Postal Service Architect/Engineer, denied being involved in bribery while serving as a Postal Service Architect/Engineer, however, he committed suicide within 12 hours of being interviewed. -

Where Is The $250 I Am Supposed to Get as a Federal Retiree?

Postal worker sentenced to 8 months for drug distribution -

APWU: USPS Medical Units Phase-Out Begins -

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

Former Georgia carrier admits to stealing letters after sting -

Nine-Million-Member Union Coalition Calls For Defeat Of Cadillac Tax -

January 12, 2010
What a Surprise - USPS General counsel finds USPS executive Robert Bernstock broke no contracting violations - Read Original Story -

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

New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli calls for investigation into lost pension checks -

Amarillo.com reports that Emma Crain, an Amarillo, TX postal employee, was sentenced to six months in federal prison after pleading guilty to misappropriation by a postal employee. Crain was sentenced to six months in prison and ordered to pay a $1,000 fine. Crain was charged with stealing $15,059.93 while working as a postal employee in Amarillo, according to the federal indictment. -

Firms Hold Fast to Snail Mail Marketing
Wall Street Journal -

January 11, 2010
PRC report values one-day-per-week Postal Service delivery cut in billions -

Changing Culture and Contracting Violations
Courier, Express, and Postal Observer -

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. Read Previous Story on Bernstock -

2 postal carriers held up on job -

OIG: Top 10 Postal Stories of 2009 -

“Do not mail” registry? Seattle City Council vote tomorrow - Also see Should City Council Kill Junk Mail? -

Former Postmaster sentenced to prison -

January 10, 2010
Glitch leaves 20,000-plus rural mail carriers without paycheck -

January 09, 2010
At funeral, postal workers deliver special tribute -

Lima postal ‘study’ doesn’t add up -

Thousands of New York state pension checks remain lost in mail -

AFL-CIO Stays Out Of Fight to Oust Miami Mayor - APWU does not -

January 08, 2010
Woman sentenced in plot to bomb 8 Minnesota post offices
-

NY Comptroller Rips Postal Service For Missing Checks -

January 07, 2010
Mail Carrier Rated as One of The Top 10 Worst Jobs for 2010
Due to a very poor hiring outlook, its physical demands, and its moderately high levels of stress, the job of mail carrier was rated tenth-worst in the CareerCast.com survey. -

Would A Lottery Bail Out the Postal Service?
Dead Tree Edition -

Postal carrier charged with failure to yield in fatal accident -

Mail carrier charged with assault on elderly neighbor -

Ex-postal worker admits bins theft, gets probation -

January 06, 2010
PAY PROBLEM FOR 4,370 RURAL CARRIERS
PEN News -

Mail safeguards on Capitol Hill don't extend to politicians' district offices
Ever since a 2001 anthrax scare, all mail sent to congressional offices on Capitol Hill is zapped with radiation to kill spores and other potentially lethal bugs before delivery. No such precaution is in place for letters addressed to lawmakers' district and state offices, U.S. Postal Inspection Service spokesman Peter Rendina confirmed Tuesday. -

APWU: Representing Members in Small Offices: Size Not a Factor – Nor Is Location -

Re-regulating the Postal Service?
Courier, Express, and Postal Observer -

Postal workers irked by slow response to defibrillator request -

Postal workers: Leave our mail alone -

550 postal workers begin transfer process -

Going postal as New York pension checks lost in mail - Also see: New York Pension Checks Are in the Mail...Really -

January 05, 2010
APWU: We Want to Hear From You
Postal employees in small offices whose hours have been reduced while managerial hours have been increased are being asked to complete and return a union-sponsored questionnaire [PDF] on the subject. Work-hours for part-time flexible clerks at many small offices have been slashed, APWU President William Burrus noted in a column in the January/February issue of The American Postal Worker magazine. -

Former postal workers sentenced for stealing gift cards worth nearly $25,000
Charged were: James Rosciano III, 49, an emergency management coordinator and Alyse Mordoh, 56, a confidential secretary to the district manager of the U.S. Postal Service in Central New Jersey. Mordoh was responsible for buying, tracking and handing out gift cards provided to postal employees. Between May 2005 and December 2007 they stole 562 gift cards valued from $20 to $100 that provided employees with clothing, restaurant meals and books. -

OIG Blog: Pricing and Price Caps -

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

Negotiating Changes in Retiree Health Payments
Courier, Express, and Postal Observer -

January 04, 2010
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. -

Also see: Paying Postal Executives
Courier, Express, and Postal Observer
Also see PEN's Opinion: Postal Executive Pay
-

January 03, 2010
A Bad Move for Small Mailers: Postal Expert Questions Move Update Surcharge
Dead Tree Edition -

January 02, 2010
The Postal Service and the President Obama
Courier, Express, and Postal Observer -

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

January 01, 2010
Police capture woman in stolen mail truck after chase from Portland to Washington -

Former Postal Employee Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison for Selling Crack Cocaine -


Custom Search

January 31, 2010
- YouTube: Bus vs Mail Carrier Truck
- Church offers mail service for more than 200 homeless
- Change afoot at USPS

January 30, 2010
- Info sought on Fayetteville, GA post office robbery
- WV Postal Workers Wait for Decision

January 29, 2010
- Residents protest closing of GA post office
- USA Today says USPS is building the largest green roof in New York City on a seven-story mail-processing building
- TN residents question post office proposal
- Photo: High Water Strands Rural Central Texas Mail Carrier

January 28, 2010
- Rally ’round Bay City’s downtown post office, and find a way to keep it open
- WHITE-SQUIRE v. U.S. POSTAL SERVICE
- From Postal Inspectors to Truck Drivers: The Men and Women behind the Eagle
- Atheist Group Blasts Postal Service for Mother Teresa Stamp
- Post office moving some jobs from downtown Dallas to Coppell

January 27, 2010
- Neither snow nor rain help the mail -
- Postal jobs to leave Hickory, NC
- Mail is fun, but is it necessary?

January 26, 2010
- Cutting the costs of postage stamps
- Bulletproofing Your Health Plan
- East Lansing post office seeks dismissal of snow removal suit
- WH Responds to WMD Report
- Liberty City residents protest possible post office closure
- U.S. Postal Service Issues Olympic Winter Games Stamp

January 25, 2010
- 2009 USPS Tax Information: Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement
- OIG: How Can the Postal Service Reduce the Costs Associated with Postage Stamps?

January 24, 2010
- Opinion: Postal gift cards expensive perks
- Houston #1 for Dog Bites

January 23, 2010
- NV: East end post office to close Feb. 19
- Hanover letter carrier disappears, family seeks information
- Elmira, NY postal worker positions to be eliminated next month

January 22, 2010
- Postal inspectors issue warning about mail box break-ins near Dallas Fort Worth
- Safety concerns cause emergency suspension of Port Byron, IL Post Office

January 25, 2010
- 2009 USPS Tax Information: Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement
- OIG: How Can the Postal Service Reduce the Costs Associated with Postage Stamps?

January 24, 2010
- Opinion: Postal gift cards expensive perks
- Houston #1 for Dog Bites

January 23, 2010
- NV: East end post office to close Feb. 19
- Hanover letter carrier disappears, family seeks information
- Elmira, NY postal worker positions to be eliminated next month

January 22, 2010
- Postal inspectors issue warning about mail box break-ins near Dallas Fort Worth
- Safety concerns cause emergency suspension of Port Byron, IL Post Office

January 21, 2010
- Suspect in Mail Carrier's Death Put on Suicide Watch
- Union members to protest closure of Liberty City post office
- DM News: USPS Inspector General says agency was overcharged $75B for pension fund
- Postal Service to Test Electric Truck

January 20, 2010
- Postal truck flips over in Hendersonville, NC
- Congress will debate TSP contributions this session
- Ex-mail carrier facing felony theft charge
- Memories of a rural mail carrier
- "Going postal." What do you think about the expression?

January 19, 2010
- Man attempts suicide at Athens post office
- More TSP Investment Options?
- The future for intelligent mail is bright
- Former postal employee pleads guilty to felony mail crime

January 18, 2010
- Delivery workers are often rescuers
- LINDA WELCH NAMED AVP - Southeast Area
- Area mailboxes broken into, but no one’s talking

January 17, 2010
- Postal Workers Union Launches Survey Of Small Office Employees
- Praise for postal service
- U.S. Postal Service Adds Digital Mapping Capabilities to Operations
- What can Scott Brown do for Dems? UPS ships off legal salvo

January 16, 2010
- Postal Service Holding All Mail to Haiti
- Pit bull dogs corner mail carrier
- Former Durant mail carrier sentenced to probation for stealing mail
- Singing Mailman wins $25,000

January 15, 2010
- Mich. snowplow service wants postmaster to pay up

January 14, 2010
- Residents Fight For Postmark and Postal Jobs
- Postal Service rejects hand delivery of mail in downtown Upton
- There's more than just two carriers in the small parcel market
- What to do with Periodicals?
- Mail carrier earns 'Millionaire' appearance with musical audition
- Postal Service will deliver ‘simulated grenades’ if sent as registered mail
- 2010 Rural Mail Count Guide Full Version
- Wheeling postal jobs heading to Pittsburgh?
- NY Postal contractor to pay back wages
- Should You Elect a Survivor Benefit for Your Spouse?
- ELM Revision: Responsibilities of the Office of Inspector General
- USPS 2009 Tax Information: Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement

January 13, 2010
- Grand Forks postman sentenced for driving a mail truck while drunk
- TSP Balances: Size Counts
- Woman finds trash bags full of unopened mail
- Mail Carrier Admits to DUI
-
Proposed Florida postal move would cost local jobs
- Senators step up for Sundance post office
- San Antonio: Decision to close post office was flawed
- Atlanta’s postal operations shifting to Duluth?
- Officials may close Columbus mail processing center

January 12, 2010
- Ex-mail carrier awaits delivery of sentence
- State pension checks, at last, land in Syracuse-area mailboxes
- Got USPS mail? There's an app for that!

January 11, 2010
- USPS Proposes New Standard For Mailing Replica Or Inert Explosive Devices
- Pitney Bowes: Many mailers not taking advantage of Postal Service mandate changes

January 10, 2010
- Deal keeps Hamburg post office open
- State Asks Retirees to Request Another Pension Check

January 09, 2010
- Mail Handling Center Closure May Slow Service
- Erie Mail Carrier Hurt in Awning Collapse
- Even with Winter Storms, Post Office Still Delivers
- Cutting Management at UPS
  Courier, Express, and Postal Observer

January 08, 2010
- Commission against Postal Service move
- USPS Board of Governors; Sunshine Act Meeting
- Mail carrier rescues injured man on frigid afternoon
- Steamboat Springs postal fight lives on
- In sleet, snow and frigid temperatures the mail is still delivered

January 07, 2010
- Florida Consolidation Proposal Raises Concerns
- Pitney Bowes: Many mailers not taking advantage of Postal Service mandate changes
- Logan postal staff preps for exit
- Community questions Ohio post office consolidation
- Postal situation puzzles residents
- U.S. Postal Service to honor carrier who helped save 10-yr-old boy trapped beneath car
- 29,000 misaddressed cards shipped in Post Office snafu
- Postal employee accused of stealing credit cards
- Post office finds pension checks for some in western N.Y.
- Keep Mail First Class
- Former Baltimore Carrier Sentenced In Theft Of Treasury Checks
- S.F. police investigate mailbox fires

January 06, 2010
- Your 2010 Lucky Numbers
- Mail Machines To Move Out Of Elmira Next Month
- Postal deficit may lead to less delivery
- US Postal Service targets youth with iPhone app
- USPS Study Says Wheeling Processing Center Should Close
- 60 to lose jobs when postal service center closes
- Group Works With Postal Service on Acquisition
- Mailwoman killed by fallen tree remembered
- Postal worker charged in Christmas Eve traffic death
- Former postal worker gets probation for theft
- SPRING SALE OPTION FOR THE USPS

January 05, 2010
- Letters prompt anthrax scare in Alabama
- Registration under way for 2010 NALC Food Drive

January 04, 2010
- Bomb squad called to El Sobrante post office

January 03, 2010
- Midwest Watchdog - US Postal Service Scams
  PEN thinks - faked evidence -

January 02, 2010
- Change Postal Service Plan - Wheeling, WV

January 01, 2010
- Postal Service considers move Bowling Green to Nashville
- USPS offering $50,000 reward regarding robbery of Reseda postal carrier

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