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March 2011 News

March 31, 2011
Guffey to Testify Before House Committee - Chairman Blasts Contract as Too Generous to Workers -

Postal Service Agrees To Big Incentive For Employees Who Join Union - Dead Tree Edition -

Postal Service wants to make it easier, faster to close local offices as it confronts losses - Washington Post - Also see Federal Times -

Soft Landing For Postmasters? -

Will PRC's Opinion Help or Hurt Five-Day Delivery Prospect?
Multichannel Merchant -

New PMG Brings a Refreshing Change to the USPS -

Postal Service debuts product sampling service -

School bus, postal truck collide -

USPS told to end cross-subsidy of monopoly mail services
Post and Parcel - Issuing its fourth annual review of USPS activities, the Postal Regulatory Commission said yesterday that the USPS should stop subsidizing loss-making monopoly products with revenues from elsewhere. -

CAROL STREAM, IL: U.S. Postal Service officials say a district office in suburban Chicago will close and 134 jobs will be eliminated. But it won’t have an effect on the mail processing center or mail service. -

Could USPS make money off of truck sensors?
Federal News Radio -

MN Postal Worker Charged In Theft Of Mail -

March 30, 2011
GAO: Ending Saturday Delivery Would Reduce Costs, but Comprehensive Restructuring Is Also Needed -

Also see: PMG Comments On GAO Report Regarding Five-Day Mail Delivery Readiness and Ending Saturday mail could save billions, GAO says -

PRC Issues Advisory Opinion on Postal Service Five-day Delivery Proposal - Lower Savings and Greater Impact on Service are Identified (PDF) -

Postal Service ignores the little guy for corporate mailers -

Postal Service seeking easier path to closing post offices
Federal Times -

McCain Amendment Would Require USPS to Pay Less of Employee Health Premiums -

NALC Issues and news from the Committee of Presidents meeting (PDF) - Please note - PEN is passing this information on to you F.Y.I. - we cannot address any issues or answer any questions regarding same - please ask your local NALC president. -

PRC: Postal Service Should Make Better Use of Pricing Flexibility in the Law (PDF) -

Almost Three Years Later, U.S. Postal Facility Still On Hold -

USPS denies city's request to inspect downtown office

NAPUS RESPONDS TO POSTAL SERVICE PLANS TO AMEND REGULATIONS ON POST OFFICE CLOSINGS AND CONSOLIDATIONS

March 29, 2011
Could UPS and FedEx Replace the Postal Service? -

Postal Services loses more than $1.1B in February -

Sen. DeMint Tells ThinkProgress He Wants To Strip All Federal Employees Of Collective Bargaining Rights -

Postage Stamps Delivered Anthrax Suspect to FBI -

Postal Service delivers bill of goods to taxpayers
Now a failing government agency is seeking its own bailout -

Deputy Postmaster General Named -

USPS February Financials -

March 28, 2011
USPS Retirement Mess: A Major Barrier To Downsizing
Dead Tree Edition -

Did one woman's pot go up in smoke? - USPS says they're looking for the shipment. -

Postal Service to eliminate 134 jobs at IL office -

And the Secret Word is: BUYOUTS!
Federal News Radio -

USPS: FAQs Related to the 2011 Redesign (updated)

March 27, 2011
Self-sufficiency is a Long Way Away
Courier, Express, and Postal Observer - The Postal Service released its monthly financials for February that showed an operating loss of $230. For the year to date operating income was $18 million, meaning that February will be the last month that the Postal Service shows an operating profit this year. -

Post office downsize sign of times -

Explaining the Postal Service’s job cuts -

Macroeconomics and the Mailing Industry
Courier, Express, and Postal Observer -

Ex-postal employee sentenced to probation -

Caledonia Post Office owners: 'We are willing to lower the price' -

Anthrax Redux: Did the Feds Nab the Wrong Guy? -

Postal carrier delivered care and consideration

March 26, 2011
PMG to NAPUS “THERE WILL BE NO LAYOFFS FOR POSTMASTERS” - NAPUS -

Union frustrated by continued delays in complete annuity payments - Federal Times - National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) officials said in an interview Friday that many of its members are facing financial hardships because they're not getting the pensions they were promised. -

Postmaster General Continues Efficiency Improvements -

USPS solvency plan has layoffs, closures
"Echoing my warnings, (Postal Regulatory Commission) Chairman Ruth Goldway acknowledged in her addendum to the opinion that five-day delivery would 'unfairly discriminate' against rural postal customers," Collins said in a statement. "These consequences simply must be addressed before consideration of such a significant service reduction." -

PMG Reacts To PRC Decision On Five-Day Mail Delivery -

Five postal employees charged with defrauding Fed Gov't
Five U.S. Postal employees from the Pee Dee have been charged in the first wave of indictments aimed to root out fraud by USPS workers. -

Carper: Congress should not become the Postal Service's 'Board of Directors' -

Postal worker sentenced in drug ring -

Guffey Defends USPS Viability, Tentative Contract Agreement on CNBC -

NALC: PRC Refuses to Endorse Five-Day Delivery Plan -

GameFly to USPS: higher postage than Netflix costs us $730K per month -

Postal service probing city postal carrier - William Wyda, 51, of Hazleton, a letter carrier and secretary-treasurer for the National Association of Letter Carriers Branch 253 in Hazleton, admitted to embezzling $14,081.51 while serving as an officer between January 2007 and March 2009. -

$50K reward offered after postal worker shot at in Phoenix

OSHA cites US Postal Service in Nashville, Tenn., with $50,000 fine for repeat safety hazard

March 25, 2011
USPS begins $20000 buyouts, early retirement processes
GovExec.com -

Why Didn't APWU Compensation Go Down? -

USPS Eliminating Seven Districts - Also see 2011 Organizational Redesign from The Letter Carrier Connection -

USPS closing Big Sky District office in Billings, eliminating 40 jobs -

APWU Contract: The APWU Tentative National Agreement can be downloaded without a password here - To see the bulk of the changes on PSEs and NT-FTRs, start reading on page 163. Nearly everything past there is bold print for new language. -

Burrus Defends His Stance Against Tentative APWU Contract -

US Postal Service announces sweeping job cuts, district office closures - Washington Post -

Savings from 5-day mail delivery overstated
CBS News -

Former Postmaster Pleads Guilty in Sex Slave Case - Also see Former Nevada postmaster admits torturing woman coerced as sex slave  -

March 24, 2011
Here's What Darrell Issa Actually Said -- But Don't Ask What He Meant -

NALC applauds PRC report
The National Association of Letter Carriers is gratified by the Postal Regulatory Commission's decision not to recommend a shift to five-day-a-week mail delivery. -

USPS Offers $20,000 VER Incentive But Not To Craft
USPS News Link -

Issa to Examine Postal Service Union Contract
House Oversight chairman calls USPS to Capitol Hill to answer questions -

Postal worker pleads guilty in plea agreement -

U.S. Rep. Dale Kildee and Mayor Dayne Walling say moving Flint postal processing would not save money, would affect service -

Man admits he and son killed postal staff -

Sioux City postal processing employees prepare to fight USPS

March 23, 2011
House Republicans plan to probe Postal labor deal
House Republicans are skeptical of the recent deal struck between the U.S. Postal Service and one of its largest labor unions and are inviting both sides to Capitol Hill to explain themselves. Also see Lawmakers question pay for USPS employees - Also see Federal Times -

Gay spouses and government benefits
Washington Post -

IT Disruptions at USPS - Business Customer Gateway Down
Postal Affairs Blog

Is Darrell Issa Getting Cold Feet About Postal Service Downsizing?
Dead Tree Edition -

Suspect in slayings of 2 Tennessee postal workers: He needed money, then ‘I lost it, man’ - Also see: Investigator testifies postal workers were shot multiple times during robbery in Henning -

Man Accused of Running Drug Ring at Post Office -

COLA For Retirees/Pay Raise for Postals! -

APWU Members to Vote on Tentative Agreement
Mailing Starts April 8; Ballots Due Back May 10 -

Also see: Tentative Agreement Available Online -

Postal closures, rate hikes, layoffs ... -

Write to me, FL Gov. Scott tells workers: 'I don't have email' -

March 22, 2011
Former APWU President Burrus comes out against tentative postal contract - Federal Times -

Is Arbitrations Better for the Postal Service?
Courier, Express, and Postal Observer -

Postal service defends policy for workers with DUI -

APWU preparing to picket USPS over Sioux City study -

Ex-postal employee pleads guilty to stealing cash -

A Changing U.S. Postal Service Workplace
Op-Ed by Ronald Williams -

Should the Postal Service Monitor Packaging Supplies?
OIG Blog -

No rain, sleet or snow, but mail goes missing -

Electric Postal Delivery Bicycle Unveiled -

March 21, 2011
Is the APWU Contract a Union Giveaway?
Courier, Express, and Postal Observer -

The postal contract: Return to sender -

Editorial: Congress is Postal Service's biggest roadblock to success
Federal Times -

APWU Union Officers Say, ‘Vote YES!’ -

March 20, 2011
Comparable Wages
Courier, Express, and Postal Observer -

Postal Sensor Fleet Idea Gets Tentative Nod From the USPS -

USPS: Five-day delivery is part of the solution to declining revenue, volumes -

March 19, 2011
Mail Carrier Accused of Sex With Young Girl
A postal carrier is behind bars for allegedly having a sexual relationship with a 13-year-old girl who lived along his delivery route. - APWU: Rank-and-File Committee Approves Tentative Contract -

PRC Set to Advise On Five-Day Delivery -

APWU: Questions & Answers On Conversion of Clerk Craft PTFs and PTRs -

USPS pension puzzle (revisited)
Federal Times -

Is the APWU Eating Its Young?
Dead Tree Edition -

The Effects of the Flats Sequencing System on Delivery Operations – Arizona District (PDF) -

Iowa City leaders, union reps prepared to fight for postal processing -

Former city official and postal employee sentenced on fraud conviction -

Briefings on the APWU Tentative Agreement

March 18, 2011
Former APWU President, Williams Burrus, Speaks Out Against Proposed Contract - This tentative agreement will turn back the clock and erase those years of struggle. Notwithstanding the rationalization, if this contract is ratified, future employees will suffer reductions in pay of more than $300 per pay, more than $600 per month and over $8,000 per year. Over a 30 year career these losses will exceed more than $250,000 and will continue into retirement when the annuity includes the salary reductions. -

Is the APWU Contract Good for Creditors and Shareholders?
Courier, Express, and Postal Observer -

US postal service to once again study Sioux City consolidation -

Bailout Coming for the Postal Service?
Who else...Cato -

No radiation detected from mail or people arriving from Japan

Saginaw post office jobs shift to Pontiac began Saturday; Wheeler station's fate unknown

U.S. Senator Mark Pryor issued strong words to the U.S. Postal Service Thursday in the wake of possible post office closures in Arkansas.

This Week In Postal Podcast

March 17, 2011
$50K reward in Chestnut Hill post office robbery - Also see Men Rob Chestnut Hill Post Office -

Mail carrier accuses man of road rage -

VERA Rules of The Road
What is a VERA? -

Texarkana Mail Processing Center to Close -

New Rule Could Lead To More Junk Mail -

7 Endangered Careers
Number 4 is mail carriers -

EDITORIAL: The postal service is losing business and looking for solutions -

Nassau arrests 17, including one postal employee, in $20M mortgage fraud

March 16, 2011
The APWU Contract and How the Process Compares
Courier, Express, and Postal Observer -

Privatizing the U.S. Postal Service
National Center for Policy Analysis and also see Restructuring the U.S. Postal Service from the Cato Institute -

The USPS Must Evolve Its Business Plan
NAPUS - Gene Del Polito, president of the Association for Postal Commerce, warned NAPUS members they may get a polite reception during their visits to Capitol Hill, but House Republicans have no intention of refunding or correcting USPS overpayments to its retirement and benefits funds. He said he has met with Hill staff who are unsympathetic and feel, “That’s not my problem, it’s the Postal Service’s problem.” -

Rhode Island man accused of terrorizing Rehoboth mail carrier -

Court faults USPS in firing of decorated Afghan war veteran -

NALC Offers Support to Japan Postal Group Union (PDF) -

Injured Frederick mail carrier buoyed by outpouring from customers

Custom Search

More Postal News

March 15, 2011
APWU, USPS Reach Tentative Agreement on New Contract -

Also see: Highlights of the Tentative Agreement | Video Message from President Guffey | Postal Service Negotiates Tentative Contract with APWU - USPS Press release | Federal Times | NALC | AFL-CIO | GovExec.com -

Wisconsin slashing of collective-bargaining rights jars federal unions - Washington Post -

Police: Postal Workers Targeted In Bronx Robbery Spree -

Does the Treasury owe the US Postal Service $75 billion? -

Why the Postal Service Matters: UPS Surepost
Courier, Express, and Postal Observer -

Postal employee arrested for exposing himself at a Publix supermarket -

March 14, 2011
Editorial: Postal blues -

Agencies struggling to meet Obama's order on FOIA
USPS? they stated it had “no responsive records.” -

March 13, 2011
United opposition Postmaster general should listen to lawmakers -

Four Postal Workers Contaminated By Unknown Substance - Also see 4 sent to hospital from Bethesda post office -

Saginaw post office's jobs shift 'abhorrent,' councilman says -

March 12, 2011
Yes, the Postal Service intends to cut 30,000 positions this year
Federal Times -

Are 30,000 Enough?
Courier, Express, and Postal Observer -

Collings Lakes man admits defrauding postal service out of $335972 -

Study looking at consolidating Terre Haute, Indy Postal Service processing -

Mail carriers often 'eyes and ears' of neighborhoods -

Post office has lost personal touch

March 11, 2011
Guffey: Governor’s Attack on Wisconsin Workers Must Serve as a Wake-Up Call -

Rolando denounces Wisconsin ambush on worker rights -

OIG: The Postal Service did not effectively manage financial operations at this VT Post Office (PDF) - (OIG) Specifically, we determined the unit did not properly manage financial differences,2 advance deposit accounts,3 money order accountabilities, SmartPay® transactions,4 cash and stamp accountabilities, unit closeout,5 and payroll. -

The Food Marketing Institute believes that USPS should stay out of the gift card business (PDF) -

Saginaw post office jobs will move to Pontiac -

Postal Officials Lie About Processing Delays
Opinion - Fort Smith, Ark -

Ex-postal workers indicted in fund misappropriations -

Bomb Squad Destroys Packages At Jackson, MS Post Office -

Postmaster Says U.S. Postal Service Needs Law Change To Survive -

March 10, 2011
Despite reports, Postal Service not cutting 30,000 jobs
Washington Post -

NALC: PMG, NALC: Without pre-funding, USPS would have shown profits (PDF) -

Postal Service ordered to pay fees in case of discrimination -

Another Stumbling Block to Self-Sufficiency
Courier, Express, and Postal Observer -

Former postal worker indicted for worker's comp -

Union Files Grievances on Behalf of Drinking Mailmen -

Federal Times tells us "Postal Service to cut 7500 positions this month, 30000 by year's end" - BUT - Post and Parcel says "...today the Postal Service denied press reports from this morning that suggested it was looking to lay off 30,000 staff this year." And Federal News Radio USPS to reduce workforce by up to 30,000 in 2011  - PEN Ed: It seems USPS keeps the media just as confused as their employees. -

Akron Postal Carrier Indicted on Charges She Stole Gift Cards from Mail -

OPM, Republicans spar over federal pay - Also see Federal workers overpaid, get too many bonuses, say Oversight Republicans -

USPS Says 54 Percent of Employees Completed Their VOE Survey -

Update: Homeowners will not be charged regarding incident that killed U.S. postal worker -  Previous story Letter carrier falls through porch, crushed by concrete slab -

Formula for success
USPS News -

March 09, 2011
Letter carrier falls through porch, crushed by concrete slab
A letter carrier delivering mail in the Village of Dundee, Mich., fell to her death Tuesday afternoon after a concrete porch collapsed and a large broken slab fell on top of her, village police said. -

Postal Service loses $451 million in January
DM News -

Hearing on Financial State of the U. S. Postal Service
C-Span video - Witnesses testified on the U.S. Postal Service's fiscal year 2012 budget request and the overall financial state of the service. Video is 1 hr. 53 minutes -

Federal employees who don’t pay their taxes should be fired -

Does the PRC Have Subject Matter Jurisdiction to Hear An Appeal of a USPS Station Discontinuance? -

W.Va. Officials Question Postmaster About Mail Studies -

Ashton Kutcher: Has Texting Killed Romance? -

Woodbury Postal Credit Union employee sentenced in $388,000 Cisco scam case

March 08, 2011
Postmaster General sued by letter carrier for racial discrimination -

USPS January 2011 Financials (PDF) - $451m loss -

Former postal worker pleads guilty to stealing mail, gift cards -

Plans To Close 3,000 Post Offices Never Existed, USPS Says
Dead Tree Edition -

Former postmaster admits stealing funds -

Jersey City doctor accused of double billing for treating U.S. Postal Service workers pays $2.25 million to settle case with no admission of guilt -

Crystal Linn Butler, 38, pleaded guilty to delay or destruction by mail of a United States Postal Service employee -

Potential Flint postal service consolidation could affect more than 100 jobs -

Postal Service's #2 must have political, media savvy
Washington Post - The headhunting firm SpencerStuart is in hot pursuit of an incredibly experienced political and media pro to serve as deputy postmaster general alongside U.S. Postmaster Patrick R. Donahoe. -

New American says "The Founding Fathers clearly envisioned a federal postal service, but they did not envision a Post Office monopoly." -

Postal workers protest at Capitol, while pro-Walker bus tour stops at Alliant -

What’s the best way to ensure that containers transported by air are full? - Pushing the Envelope -

APWU Presidents Gather in Washington

March 07, 2011
USPS: 2011 Organizational Redesign FAQs
Also read Organizational Changes -

Watchdog: 18 months later, humans prevail over postal automation -

MN Public Radio asks "Do you need the U.S. Postal Service?" -

Post Office Records a Loss Due to Health-Care Payment
Wall Street Journal -

USPS National Payroll Hours Summary Reports
PRC - click on each PDF file for each pay period -

4 Years Later And Chicago Mail Delivery STILL Worst In Nation -

March 06, 2011
USPS Overtime on the Rise
Dead Tree Edition - Many Postal Service employees report working longer hours recently, and the statistics back them up: Overtime hours have increased more than 11% this fiscal year versus the same period last year even though the workforce is smaller. -

GAO report: Modernization and Restructuring Needed to Address Financial Challenges (PDF) -

Durbin, Kirk, Manzullo Express Concern Over Rockford Post Office Consolidation -

Guilty plea entered in contractor fraud
A Westmoreland County woman pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge of presenting false claims for payment to the federal government (USPS). -

Mail carrier wins cruise in lottery

March 05, 2011
The Return of the "Catalog" Retailer
Courier, Express, and Postal Observer -

House Subcommittee Explores Looming Postal Crisis
NAPUS Newsletter (PDF) -

OMB, oversight committee fail to connect
Federal News Radio -

Is PMG Testimony an Empty Gesture?
The Big Fat Marketing Blog -

Postal workers rally against closing of mail processing in Utica -

Letter: Cheap shot against Postal Service disregards its efficiency, self-sustaining nature

March 04, 2011
Postmaster General calls for fixes, not bailouts, for USPS -

Rolando testifies before Congress (PDF) -

Postal Service Cuts $9 Billion in Costs -

Lawmaker: USPS must re-examine labor agreements to lower costs - Federal Times -

McDavid, FL Postmaster Arrested On Sexual Assault, False Imprisonment Charges -

World War II-era letter with Montgomery, AL postmark delivered in California 70 Years After It Was Mailed -

Court cases reaffirm law prohibiting discrimination against workers serving in the military - Former postal employee Richard Erickson could be entitled to hundreds of thousands of dollars in back pay, damages and lawyers' fees from the Postal Service, said his lawyer. - Also see Federal Times article -

Employees at Jack, AL post office robbed
POM Revision: Carrier Release Program Changes - Also see Handbook M-41 Revision: Carrier Release Program Changes

March 03, 2011
Bronx mail carrier gets two years in jail for cocaine sales -

USPS financial rescue may not stop 'death spiral'
Federal News Radio - Some members of Congress are poised to give the Postal Service some relief to its crushing financial requirements. But it's far from a done deal. -

Regulators work overtime on USPS bid to drop Saturday delivery - Post and Parcel - Regulators in the US are set to provide an advisory opinion to Congress “shortly” concerning proposals by the US Postal Service to move to a five-day delivery week. -

PRC Chairman Goldway Responds to NAPUS Regarding Post Office Closings (PDF) -

Testimony of Ruth Y. Goldway, PRC Chairman, Before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, U.S. Postal Service and Labor Policy (PDF) -

USPS Seeks Change To Five Day Service And Legislative Change
Hell Mail - ...the USPS says it could break even without a bail-out and become profitable again if it was able to make commercial decisions in its own right and be free of its current mammoth obligations to medical benefits. -

USPS Roadmap For Change -

Postal Service pleads its case to Congress -

Bronx mail carrier gets two years in jail for cocaine sales -

Congressman Ross Says Cutting USPS Staff By Attrition and Early Retirement Not Enough -

Excerpts from the House Oversight and Government Reform hearing on the Postal Service - Postcom - Also see House Oversight Committee Hearing on the USPS -

Return Mail, Inc. Files Patent Infringement Lawsuit Against US Postal Service -

Post Office Faces Cash Shortage By End Of Year -

A judge has declared a mistrial in the case of a man accused of killing a Marshall County postmaster because of a lack of jurors - 

March 02, 2011
USPS-OIG responds to the OPM-OIG
Courier, Express, and Postal Observer - "This is not about the financial condition of the Postal Service, but that the Postal Service was overcharged and subsequently overpaid into benefit funds." -

A Study of the Risks and Consequences of the USPS OIG's Proposals to Change USPS's Funding of Retiree Benefits (PDF) Could Postal Employees Lose Retiree Health Benefits? - "Absent an emergency appropriation from Congress, it is possible that the OPM would have to exercise its regulatory authority to disenroll USPS employees and retirees as a class in order to continue providing health care coverage to all other FEHB program participants." See page 8-9 of report. -

Postal Service aid plans would jeopardize federal retirement funds, watchdog says - Washington Post -

Obama's Mixed Bag - Budget supports 6-day delivery, falls short on pension relief - (PDF) NALC -

The Postal Oversight Hearing: A Program
Courier, Express, and Postal Observer -

Valpaks' COO says "It is neither fair nor equitable for mailers of other profitable products to be required to continue subsidizing Flats’ catalog mailers - particularly not at 8 cents for each catalog sent.." -

Accused postal killer makes first appearance in federal court -

Spring postal carrier suspected of bicycle theft
USPS sued over carrier's collision with motorist

March 01, 2011
Watchdog: Postal Service proposals could undermine funding of retiree benefits - GovExec.com -

How Deep Could USPS Regional Management Cuts Be?
Courier, Express, and Postal Observer -

Dueling Inspector Generals or Revenge of the Creditor
Courier, Express, and Postal Observer -

OMB Not Testifying at Postal Service Hearing - Also see Who Represents the Administration on Postal Policy? -

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