POSTAL NEWS FROM PEN
DECEMBER 2009
December 31, 2009
Obama:
Letter Carriers to Deliver Medical
Countermeasures
-
Postal
Service OIG Workers Compensation Fraud Campaign
-
December 30, 2009
Postal
workers, Andrews, take fight to save Logan USPS
facility to court - Also see
Union:
Leave mail jobs in Logan -
Postal
Accounting Snafus Might Be Bad News for
Publishers
Dead Tree Edition -
A Pathetic
Way to Treat a Public Service
“A picture may be worth a thousand words, but
when it’s a picture of a USPS retail-operation
facade, what does it represent? What does it
symbolize?” -
Head of
Pittsfield post office reassigned
A postal official confirmed Tuesday that the
officer in charge of the Pittsfield Post Office
is due to be reassigned to the Great Barrington
Post Office, but a formal explanation for the
transfer was not immediately available.
Original
Article -
Postal Service Announces Plans To
Consolidate CFS Sites -
Read USPS Letter -
December 29, 2009
Conn.
postal worker killed by tree felled by wind
-
USPS Loss
$255 Million In November and $476 Million So Far
in 2009 (PDF) -
W.Va. man
gets 4 months over bomb threat
-
December 28, 2009
OIG: Total
Factor Productivity (TFP) -
Postal
Service as Editorial Fodder
Courier, Express, and Postal Observer asks "Can
this system be saved? The answer is yes.
However, it cannot survive as it does now. It is
also clear from other countries that a postal
service can provide universal service, even
places as remote as the Australian outback and
the Arctic areas of Canada at a uniform price.
Put another way, is it time we privatized the
postal service? I think the answer here is yes
as well but not in the manner that you are
thinking." -
Less junk
mail means cuts for U.S. Postal Service
-
OIG:
Management Advisory – Saved Grade Status and
Temporary Assignments – Postal Service
Headquarters
Survey says - USPS HQ does no wrong. (What? were
you expecting another result?) -
I'm from
the government, and I'm here to help
You know the gig -- neither rain, nor sleet, nor
snow, blah, blah, blah. Or is it hah, hah, hah?
For the second year in a row, our crack Postal
Service had inexplicably switched carrier routes
at the busiest time of the year. -
December 27, 2009
APWU Wins
Work Assignment Dispute Against Mail Handlers
Union (PDF) -
Postal
Service isn't perfect, but is there a better
answer?
Asked if they would like to take over the postal
service FedEx said ''That's not something we
would comment on,'' a company spokeswoman, Ann
Saccomano, cagily replied. ''It's speculative.''
And UPS said "''We believe that the government
plays a role in terms of ensuring that every
mailbox is reached every day,'' he said. ''That
is not a responsibility that UPS would want.'' -
Mitigation
or Demotion for this Postal Supervisor?
-
December 26, 2009
Hacker
Valley post office sparks national inquiry
-
CALIFORNIA
PLANT REDUCES WINDOW OF OPERATIONS
-
December 25, 2009
Senate-Passed Health Bill Safeguards FEHBP
Risk-Pool, But Taxes Premiums
NAPUS Newsletter via PostCom -
Postal
Service deserves respect
San Antonio Express-News -
December 24, 2009
City
Delivery Efficiency Review – San Francisco
Napoleon Street Station
Now here's another must read for carriers. Did
you know that you may be wasting more than 7
minutes per day by not loading your satchel with
your first delivery? Or 2 or more minutes
waiting to use the time clock. Or...well, this
report should enlighten you. -
New Math
Equals to Prison Time for Former Part-Time
Carrier
OIG Site -
December 23, 2009
BREAKING
NEWS: Gunman holds hostages in Wytheville Post
Office
- Video at site
An armed man in a wheelchair took five hostages
Wednesday at a post office in western Virginia,
forcing officials to cordon off three blocks of
a downtown filled with holiday shoppers. Shots
were fired, but there were no reports of
injuries. -
NAPS
Accuses USPS of Lowering Managers Performance
Ratings (PDF) -
Rasmussen
Reports: 28% Using Postal Service Less This
Holiday Season -
December 22, 2009
Making
sure the US Postal Service delivers
Christian Science Monitor -
Holiday
Classic Tunes at a Post Office Near You
Mini-JCAM -
Profits Go to M.D.A.
The Florida State Association of Letter Carriers
in conjunction with The Central Florida Letter
Carriers are offering a Reduced Size 2009 JCAM
Bound with Larger Print. This Manual is UNION
printed. Please click link to view the flyer and
more information.
EDITORIAL:
Not going postal
The Washington Times says "This is
government bureaucracy at its worst. The Postal
Service cannot compete with private rivals FedEx
or UPS despite having nearly 700,000 subsidized
employees, a monopoly on first-class mail and
the sole right to use every Americans' mailbox."
-
Former
postal worker accused of threatening to blow up
post office -
A Clear
Picture
Burrus Update: A
recent study [PDF]
by the Postal Service proudly reports the low
cost of processing automated letters: just $6.17
per 1,000 pieces. What the analysis neglects to
mention, however, is the wide disparity between
USPS processing costs and the discounts the
Postal Service grants major mailers for
“worksharing.” -
The Cost
of Reducing the Workforce
Courier, Express, and Postal Observer -
December 21, 2009
Paying
More to Send U.S. Mail at U.P.S. Stores
Posing as customers, reporters for The New York
Times visited several U.P.S. stores last week
looking to mail an item by Priority Mail — one
of the postal service’s signature offerings. In
nearly every instance, they were quoted prices
well above the government postal rate, and only
one of them was told they were paying a premium
for the convenience of using a U.P.S. Store. -
CATO
Institute says "Postal Employees Live It Up"
These are not rare lapses by a usually frugal
USPS management. The inspector general has
issued fourteen audits in the last three years
with similar findings. -
Two
Postmasters Indicted by Grand Jury
-
December 20, 2009
USPS Plans
To Root Out Sex Offenders
-
SICK LEAVE
CREDIT FOR FERS EMPLOYEES
USPS News Link -
Why does
the U.S. Postal Service exist?
PEN Ed: Sorry readers, I removed this articles
link. I just could not send more visitors to
this persons blog and have her earn any
additional income from your visit. -
Time to
privatize the Postal Service?
LA Times -
December 19, 2009
Report
finds 'imprudent spending' at Postal Service
More on this story from CNN Special
Investigations Unit -
Customers
question postal service's efficiency during
holidays
Dayton Daily News -
House bill
invests $2B in electric vehicles for USPS
Federal Times -
December 18, 2009
Trying to
get answers from Postal Service frustrating
Berkshire Eagle - If you can't get
concrete answers from your local post office,
who do you call for help? That may be the
$64,000 question. -
Wal-Mart
backs off extra charge for APO/FPO shipping
See original story:
Some
retailers inflating costs to ship to APO
addresses -
USPS
cutting losses, targets Saturday delivery
FederalNewsRadio.com - Leaders at the
Postal Service say they're going to ask Congress
to end Saturday mail delivery next year in order
to save money. The formal proposal could come
soon in the new year. Pat Donahoe, Deputy
Postmaster General, told the Federal Drive the
Saturday elimination is what the customers would
rather have. -
Mamas, don’t let your babies grow up
to be mail sorters
PEN broke this story 12/15 -
Postal
Clerks Included In The 30 Occupations With The
Largest Employment Declines, 2008-18
-
Postmasters: Closure of mail sorting
center won't slow service -
December 17, 2009
Post
office supervisor pleads guilty to embezzlement
and theft charges
Audry Mae Simmons, 57, of Sacramento has ended
her 22-year career with the U.S. Postal Service
not with a retirement party but a guilty plea to
charges she stole cash from the customer counter
drawers of the Perkins Station Post Office in
Sacramento. -
A holiday
message from PMG Jack Potter
-
Postal
Service's National Reassessment Process
Federal News Radio - Listen to Phil Herr - the
Director of the Physical Infrastructure Team at
GAO, which reviewed the Postal Service's
"National Reassessment Process." -
Former
Contract Carrier Sentenced to Prison
Also see
Ex-postal
carrier given probation for not delivering mail
-
Postal
supervisor stole student mail
-
Make the
appointed rounds
Editorial: Berkshire
Eagle
If the United States Postal Service
can deal with wind, rain, sleet and snow it
should be able to handle darkness. The inability
of the Postal Service to deliver mail to some
sectors of Pittsfield in a timely fashion is
indefensible, the challenges of the Christmas
season notwithstanding.
Original Story - PEN Ed: Yes,
and turkeys should be able to fly long
distances right around the end of November each
year. -
December 16, 2009
Postal
workers handling holiday mail worry their jobs
are fragile -
USPS Cuts
List of Stations Considered for Closure to 168
-
Connecticut Post Office Hiding Mail
-
APWU Appeals to Arbitration USPS
Decision to Subcontract FSM 1000 Modifications -
December 15, 2009
USPS Seeks
Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Investigators
-
Taxing
Your Health Premiums
Federal News radio says ""The bottom line is
that the Senate bill will NOT increase premiums
paid by federal workers. In fact, it will
decrease them. And it will decrease premiums by
more than it reduces benefits. Most workers and
annuitants will come out ahead, many far
ahead!," he said." -
Postal
Clerks Included In The 30 Occupations With The
Largest Employment Declines, 2008-18
-
Costa
Mesa's T3 Motion delivers 'green' mail service
-
GAO Study:
The Program for Reassessing Work Provided to
Injured Postal Employees Is Under Way, but
Actions Are Needed to Improve Program Management
-
December 14, 2009
Fewer Than
170 Offices Remain Candidates for Consolidation
-
Neither
rain, wind stop postal protest
-
It's The
Busiest Mailing Day Of The Year
-
Congress and the Postal Service
Courier, Express, and Postal Observer -
Rep.
Massa: Postal Service not being honest about
Elmira consolidation -
Richmond-area nonprofits express concern about
Postal Service delivery problems
-
December 13, 2009
Union leader claims Waterbury post
office overwhelmed, hiding leftover mail in closets -
Mail Carrier Haunted By Brutal
Attack On Job -
See video:
Mail Carrier: Heavy Clothing Saved
My Life
December 12, 2009
Senate Democrats Focus on FEHBP as
Potential Vehicle for “Public Option”
- NAPUS Newsletter -
Updated: The Unofficial Guide to
Flats Sequencing
Dead Tree says "Is the Flats Sequencing System going to revolutionize the
Postal Service’s handling of catalogs and magazines or is it destined for
failure? Good question. The evidence is mixed, partly because USPS has
been forthcoming about some aspects of FSS but secretive about others."
-
Department of Labor to Reconsider
Bush’s Last-Minute FMLA Changes -
Mail carrier attacked on Dorchester
route
Boston.com -
Postal Service Processes Billionth
Intelligent Mail Piece -
Is the Future in Letter Mail?
Courier, Express, and Postal Observer -
Here We Go Again!
See related article:
Is the Future in Letter Mail? -
OIG: Making a Point – About Delivery
Point Sequencing -
APWU, Other Federal Unions Assail
Senate Bill’s Excise Tax on Healthcare -
Also see:
NALC Joins Teamsters, CWA, NEA and
UFCW In Urging Senate to Drop Tax on Health Plans
MPD Chief's Brother (a letter
carrier) Pleads Guilty To Drug Charges -
USPS employee? Filed a grievance?
Federal Times is looking for postal employees who have filed grievances
against USPS. Don’t care what the outcome was - whether you won, you lost,
or the complaint is still pending. -
More than a dozen postal workers
don't know where they'll be working at the end of this month
-
Revenue Protection
USPS OIG Blog -
OIG Audit Report – Imprudent
Purchases and Management Instruction on Expenses for Internal and External
Events
OIG states...Based on our review of judgmentally selected transactions, we
identified over $792,000 in purchases that were not made in accordance
with Postal Service policy and over $54,000 in imprudent purchases. PEN
Ed: This report is a MUST read - you will not believe the money USPS spent
on meals, hotel rooms, and other perks. -
Ex-postal inspector illegally mails
booze, ammunition -
3-Car Bronx Crash with Mail Truck
Kills Woman and Leaves Tom Brokaw and Wife Unhurt -
Most Wanted Posters Not Wanted By
Post Office -
'Dear Santa' letters are being
shredded at post offices
...just 35 of 38,000 post offices nationwide are participating in
Operation Santa -
Joan Najbar Incident Reflects Badly
on the United States Postal Service -
Google Launches FREE Holiday
Postcard Service
Google says..."This holiday season, as a token of our appreciation to our
most enthusiastic fans, we'll snail-mail a free holiday postcard on your
behalf. Yes, through the mail and everything."
Send Your Card -
USPS goal: Reduce petroleum use by
2% a year
Federal Times -
Dead Tree Edition Not Dead Yet!
Rural carrier associate charged with
27 counts of burglary -
BOLD STEPS NEEDED TO PREVENT POSTAL
SERVICE INSOLVENCY - (PDF) Mailers Council -
Post Office Reviving Santa Letters
NY Times -
Rag Content says the Future Business
Model report submitted by USPS is just "More of the same"
-
Michigan postal workers in limbo
from consolidation -
Flats Sequencing Forecast: Cloudy
With a Chance of Bravado - Dead Tree Edition
- Also see
The Unofficial Guide to Flats
Sequencing -
Financial Insolvency
Courier, Express, and Postal Observer -
THE TASK AHEAD: A DEFINITION OF
NEEDS
Perspective offered by Gene Del Polito -
USPS Report on the Future Business
Model of the Postal Service
The United States Postal Service® is facing the most urgent financial
challenge in its history. Unfortunately, the tools it has to respond to
the challenge are not sufficient. Constraints imposed by current laws and
regulations make it nearly impossible for the Postal Service to
successfully respond to the combined effects of the economic recession,
the diversion of mail to electronic alternatives, and the statutory
requirement that it pre-pay $5.4 to $5.8 billion every year through 2017
to a future retirees’ health benefits fund. Fundamental restructuring of
the Postal Service’s business and regulatory framework is essential. -
FEHBP Premiums: Only Half The Story
Federal News Radio -
Delivering Dreams One Letter at a
Time
USPS & Disney Make Holiday Wishes Come True -
Soldier's mother sues government and
USPS
A Duluth peace activist is suing the federal government and the U.S.
Postal Service for negligence and intentional infliction of emotional
distress after a letter she mailed to her soldier son in Iraq was
allegedly returned to her with the word “Deceased’’ stamped in red ink on
the envelope. -
Carrier Driving Drunk Hits TN State
Trooper Head-On
Related:
Vehicular Assault
-
We “Advertise” for You?
The OIG blog asks "In these times of doing what it takes to maintain
fiscal solvency, what if the Postal Service started selling its prime
advertising real estate to generate revenue? -
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