Postal News March 2011

Home > Postal News Archives

Postal News

March 2011

3/31/11

Mail service changes underway in La Canada -

Longtime post office employees retiring -

Prior Lake Postal Carrier Charged in Theft of Mail -

Postal Service's 'No Fuel Surcharges' Ad -

Ending Saturday mail delivery could save billions, GAO says -

Mail delivery: More facilities on the chopping block -

Postal Retirement Q&A April 2011 -

3/30/11

Accident leaves postal truck flipped onto its side -

NAPUS Responds to Postal Service Plans to Amend Regulations on Post Office Closings and Consolidations -

Could USPS make money off of truck sensors? -

Postal Service debuts product sampling service -

Gas siphoned from postal truck in Essex -

Almost Three Years Later, US Postal Facility Still on Hold -

Opinion: Postal service ignores the little guy for corporate mailers -

McCain Amendment on Rural Service Explained -

Sen. Durbin meets with postmaster general -

GAO: Ending Saturday Delivery Would Reduce Costs, but Comprehensive Restructuring Is Also Needed | Keeping six-day delivery would mean 'difficult decisions' for USPS -

3/29/11

McCain amendment would make postal workers pay more for health insurance | Amendment (PDF) -

McCain amendment would provide USPS with greater authority to close post offices (PDF) -

McCain amendment would limit pay to USPS officers until all debt paid to USPS (PDF) -

Thompson's Station postal carrier routes being shifted: P.O. isn't closing -

Postal Service loses more than $1.1B in February -

Post office removes photos of namesake -

Big Sky: Future for USPS employees still unknown -

Logistics Does Not End at the Dock -

Why Rural Post Offices Resonate -

Postal service delivers bill of goods to taxpayers -

Postage Stamps Delivered Anthrax Suspect to FBI -

Proposed Rule Would Amend Post Office Closing and Consolidation Process (PDF) -

3/28/11

Deputy Postmaster General Named | Congressional staffer takes deputy role at US Postal Service -

Is Five-Day Delivery in the Future? -

DeMint Tells ThinkProgress He Wants to Strip All Federal Employees of Collective Bargaining Rights -

Woman's medical marijuana shipment goes missing in the mail -

How Does the Mail Get From the Post Office to the Mailbox? -

Postal employee marks a milestone -

Postal Service tweaks routes to save money -

USPS Retirement Mess: A Major Barrier to Downsizing -

3/27/11

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

Postal carrier delivered care and consideration -

Macroeconomics and the Mailing Industry -

3/26/11

Dennis Henry, former postmaster, admits role in Missouri sex slave case -

Leaders have "playbook" to prevent postal consolidation -

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

Game Changer at USPS: Flats Sequencing System Saves Money -

Re: This Full Mailbox -

Envelope factory weathers Internet storm -

Five SC residents indicted for fraudulently obtaining unemployment -

NALC frustrated by continued delays in complete annuity payments -

Self-sufficiency is a Long Way Away -

USPS Preliminary Financial Data February 2011 (PDF) -

U.S. Postal Post Digital Age (includes interview with Cliff Guffey, APWU) -

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

Norway Buys 20 Ford Electrics for Postal Fleet -

3/25/11

Discuss March 25th USPS Announcement -

APWU Tentative Contract (PDF) -

Why Mail Matters: L.L. Bean -

Postal Service Closing Providence District Office -

Postal service probing city postal carrier -

Washington Post: 'USPS plans to eliminate the jobs of thousands of postmasters and supervisors, many through layoffs' | About 3,000 Expected to Take Buyouts | Cut 7,500 Jobs | PMG: "There will be no layoffs for postmasters" -

Could Cutting Saturday Postal Service Save Money? -

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

3/24/11

GameFly Requests Expedited Decision on Rates (PDF) -

More Five Day Delivery Rumors -

Postal workers, residents remember 1995 shootings that left four dead -

Postal workers and consumers express anger at proposal to transfer Flint processing operations -

Look-alike postal service website not the real deal -

Explaining the Postal Service's job cuts -

Here's What Darrell Issa Actually Said - But Don't Ask What He Meant -

Issa orders hearing into "missed opportunity" USPS union deal -

3/23/11

House committee takes aim at U.S. Postal Service labor costs | Lawmakers question pay for USPS employees -

Why Didn't APWU Compensation Go Down? -

Gay spouses and government benefits -

Father and son in Henning Post Office murders were after $25,000, but escaped with only $63 -

When your neighbor is the federal government -

Electric Postal Delivery Bicycle Unveiled -

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

APWU Local 95 Begins Public Awareness Campaign -

3/22/11

Investigator testifies postal workers were shot multiple times during robbery in Henning -

15 Ark. Post Offices face possible closure -

APWU: Tentative Agreement Available Online -

USPS Shares America's Pain at the Pump -

Postal worker accused of stealing, selling drugs from parcels sent to injured veterans -

Former APWU President Burrus comes out against tentative postal contract -

Postal Union preparing to picket USPS over Sioux City study -

Is Arbitration Better for the Postal Service? -

3/21/11

APWU: Union Officers Say, 'Vote Yes!' -

Howard Beach postal woman helps save a life -

Is the APWU Contract a Union Giveaway? -

Should the Postal Service monitor packaging supplies to control costs? -

Compensation Comparison Chart | Comparing Benefits to the Private Sector -

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

Sioux City: Postal worker urges congress to find another way to make cuts -

3/20/11

The Marshall Postal Museum -

A surprise package for mail carriers -

Agencies juggle rising fuel costs with cost-cutting -

Postal Sensor Fleet Idea Gets Tentative Nod From the USPS -

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

USPS: Five-Day Delivery is Part of the Solution -

3/19/11

Fake Postal Vehicle for Transporting Contraband? -

Comparable Wages -

St. James residents up in arms over postal carrier change -

Signed, sealed, delivered, closed -

USPS may move Puyallup carriers, won't close downtown post office -

Tiny Russell's post office in limbo -

3/18/11

Mail Carrier Accused of Raping Girl He Met Along Route -

Many rural post offices on the chopping block -

APWU: Briefings on the Tentative Agreement -

USPS pension puzzle (revisited) -

PRC Set to Advise on Five-Day Delivery -

Burrus: 'I would vote No' -

Mail thefts hit 300 in Queens Village: Resident -

Benefit helps 25-year-old postal worker -

Sioux City: Postal Service again considers moving sorting operation -

Is The APWU Eating Its Young? -

Senator Pryor concerned about possible post offices closings -

Videos: Pushing the Envelope - The Looming Crisis at the USPS Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 -

3/17/11

Is the APWU Contract Good for Creditors and Shareholders? (a lot of good info about the contract) -

USPS announces closure of Yardville office -

Polish Post reviews branch closures amid job cut protests -

Sales Taxes and the Mailing Industry -

Hawaii USPS Checks Japan Mail For Radiation (after mail in SF and NY showed low levels of radiation) -

PRC Lawyer's Postal Vehicle Fleet Sensor Proposal Featured in Popular Science Magazine -

3/16/11

Biohazard drill at post office gets area agencies in sync -

Armed Robbery at Chestnut Hill Post Office -

Texarkana Mail Processing Center to Close -

Finding joy in the mail: Longtime letter carrier honored for his service -

Canadian union members to vote on postal strike -

USPS warns of fraudulent mail, phone scams -

Injured Frederick mail carrier buoyed by outpouring from customers -

Rhode Island man accused of terrorizing mail carrier -

Court faults USPS in firing of decorated Afghan war veteran -

3/15/11

NALC Offers Aid to Japanese Postal Union (PDF) -

The APWU Contract and How the Process Compares -

Letter carrier delivers assistance -

A Postal Life: Part Four of a Series -

Adaption skills crucial for Kalispell postmaster -

Bronx: Police investigate postal carrier robberies -

3/14/11

Postal workers planning to picket closure of Flint's mail processing facility -

USPS Sent My Package an Extra 6,283 Miles -

Battle royal over federal worker pay -

Why the Postal Service Matters: UPS Surepost -

Bluefield: Distribution center closure will result in 'slower, less reliable mail service' -

Tiny Ind. post offices keep wary eye on future -

Neither Rain, nor Snow, nor Earthquake, nor Tsunami -

USPS spokesman denies rumors of an agreement between USPS and APWU -

3/13/11

4 sent to hospital from Bethesda post office -

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

Fire Department Responds to a Postal Vehicle Fire -

West Virginia is the Test Case for PMG Donahoe's and Congress's Resolve -

3/12/11

Mail carriers often 'eyes and ears' of neighborhoods -

Seagoville post office to close -

Postal jobs moving from Saginaw to Pontiac -

3/11/11

Yes, the Postal Service intends to cut 30,000 positions this year -

Man admits stealing more than $300,000 in gas from USPS -

Are 30,000 Enough? -

Bomb Squad Destroys Packages at Jackson Post Office -

Safe taken from Wharton Township post office -

Ex-postal workers indicted in fund misappropriations -

Ukiah: Group rallying support for post office -

Postal carrier voted top Service Person -

3/10/11

Postal worker indicted in workers comp fraud -

Despite reports, Postal Service not cutting 30,000 jobs -

Suds 'N' Stamps -

APWU: Governor's Attack on Wisconsin Workers Must Serve as a Wake-Up Call | NALC: Rolando denounces Wisconsin ambush on worker rights -

Union Files Grievances on Behalf of Drinking Mailmen -

Dundee postal worker 'always was smiling' | Homeowners will not be charged -

Postmaster Retires After 48 Years With USPS -

Postal Service ordered to pay fees in case of discrimination -

USPS losses continue, but cost-cutting leads to improvement -

Wis. GOP bypasses Dems, cuts collective bargaining -

March Audiobooks Review by Jonathan Lowe -

3/09/11

Video: APWU Members Demonstrate at White House -

WV: Delegation shows concern over USPS -

US cities take aim at junk mail -

Expansion of Purolator International -

PRC Public Meeting To Be Held Today at 11:00 AM (Eastern) -

The #1 Problem With E-commerce: Shipping Costs -

Rising Fuel Prices: Another Stumbling Block to Self-Sufficiency -

PRC Chief FOIA Officer Report (PDF) -

Dundee postal carrier dies in freak accident -

3/08/11

Postmaster General sued by letter carrier for racial discrimination -

Rural post offices may face possibility of closure -

Jersey City doctor accused of double billing for treating USPS workers pays $2.25 million to settle case -

No decision yet on Oshkosh, Green Bay postal consolidation -

Flint mayor says city's mail facility 'needs to stay open to keep jobs in our community' -

New life for Depression-era murals -

Plans to Close 3,000 Post Offices Never Existed, USPS Says -

Dogs put down after attack on postal worker -

3/07/11

USPS Response on Post Office Emergency Suspensions (PDF) -

Alaska: In rural communities, postal delivery varies greatly -

Swedish Postal Service Unveiling Text Message Stamps -

Postal Service's #2 must have political, media savvy -

APWU Presidents Gather in Washington -

Mail's snail pace has senders in Lima area irate -

Postal carrier returns to work after 392 days of rehabilitation -

More than just mail -

Wisconsin: Mail carriers have their rally day at Capitol -

Today's Question: Do you need the USPS? -

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

3/06/11

Illinois Postal Carriers Head North to Wisconsin -

USPS To Send Service Out of Arkansas Town -

3/05/11

USPS Overtime on the Rise -

The Return of the 'Catalog' Retailer -

Politicians have Post Office Consolidation Concerns -

Birmingham's Return Mail Inc. sues USPS -

3/04/11

Herald Weekly Owner Banned From Post Office -

Employees at Jack post office robbed -

eNAPUS: House Subcommittee Explores Looming Postal Crisis (PDF) -

Video: Is the Post Office Obsolete? -

USPS outlines plan to re-route mail to Birmingham -

USPS exploring possibilities of digital postal mail -

Offering sensor network services using the postal delivery vehicle fleet (PDF) -

McDavid Postmaster Arrested on Sexual Assault, False Imprisonment Charges -

3/03/11

Postal Service Cuts $9 Billion in Costs -

Court rules in favor of National Guard vet fired by Postal Service -

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

Elmhurst post office closes -

Should Mail Service be Reduced to Five Days a Week? -

Social Security Administration Offers Early Retirement to its Workers -

Zumbox Expects Record Growth in 2011 -

3/02/11

Transferring Commercial Standard Mail Parcels to the Competitive Product List (PDF) -

Goldway letter to Post Office Preservation Committee (PDF) -

Pit bulls attack Fulton postal worker -

Spring postal carrier suspected of bicycle theft -

Woods Park postal station will close -

USPS representatives meet face to face with Middleville residents -

3/01/11

After 31 years, postal carrier Bob Pelli retires -

USPS-OIG responds to the OPM-OIG -

Postal customers loyal to small Montana facility -

Dueling Inspector Generals or Revenge of the Creditor -

How Deep Could USPS Regional Management Cuts Be? -

TOP NEWS STORIES

USPS told to end cross-subsidy of monopoly mail services
10 Market Dominant Products Failing to Pay for Themselves
"For the first time ever, the Commission said one of the USPS products - Standard Mail Flats - was not in compliance with US law. It has ordered the USPS to rectify the situation "as soon as practicable". The report said the losses from the 10 market dominant products added up to a $1.7bn hit to USPS finances during 2010. This included a $577m loss from flats deliveries and a $611m loss from periodicals, as well as losses from non-profit mail." - PRC Press Release (PDF) - PRC Report (PDF) - Archives: Bush Library "Non Profit" Letter With Five Cents Postage -

Divided PRC Presents Its Opinion on Saturday Delivery
"A divided Postal Regulatory Commission issued its advisory opinion on whether the U.S. Postal Service should be allowed to discontinue Saturday delivery. After a complex analysis, each commissioner wrote a separate opinion suggesting that the commissioners agreed that USPS's projections regarding cost savings are too rosy. But they could not agree on whether it should be allowed to switch to five-day delivery." - PRC Advisory Opinion (PDF) - Ending Saturday Mail Delivery Won't Save Amount Cited, Regulator Says - PRC Throws Red Flags - PMG Reacts to Decision -

PMG Announces Redesigned Postal Service
Voluntary Early Retirement, $20,000 Incentive Program Offered for Some Management Employees
"Postmaster General Pat Donahoe today announced a newly redesigned Postal Service, one that is better positioned for growth, reflects further alignment within the organization to achieve core business strategies and, when fully implemented, by March 2012, will eliminate almost $750 million in costs to the organization. Seven districts will be closing (to be announced March 24). Voluntary Early Retirement (VER) and financial incentive programs will be offered to eligible career non-bargaining employees in targeted groups at Headquarters, Headquarters-related Field Units, Area Offices and Customer Service District Offices (Administrative)." - VER Offering for 2011 Organizational Redesign - $20,000 Special Incentive Offer FAQs - 2011 Organizational Redesign - PMG Letter to Officers: Seven Districts Are Closing (PDF) - List of Closings -

APWU, USPS Reach Tentative Agreement on New Contract
"A new, entry-level salary will be added to the pay scale for future employees in Levels 3 through 8. Casuals and Transitional Employees will be eliminated as a workforce category. To provide the USPS with flexibility, the parties agreed to create a new position for Non-Career Assistants, who will comprise up to 20 percent of workforce in most functional areas in the Clerk Craft and up to 10 percent in both the Maintenance and Motor Vehicle Crafts." - Some Questions - and Answers - On the Tentative Agreement - Rank and File Committee Approves Tentative Contract - NALC Statement - USPS Press Release - Federal Times -

USPS Will Announce New, Reorganized Structure on March 25th
"USPS will announce its new, reorganized structure on March 25 along with District closures. If applicable, information about a voluntary early retirement (VER) and/or reduction-in-force (RIF) will also be part of the information provided at that time. Plans for a VER offering as well as any possible incentive have not been solidified but all new information will be announced with the new organizational structure." - Postal Service to cut 7,500 positions this month, 30,000 by year's end - Organizational Changes: Streamlining for Operational Flexibility -

Post office faces cash shortage by end of year
"The Republican-controlled House opened the envelope of postal finances on Wednesday and what it pulled out wasn't pretty. Unless things change, the post office will run out of money by the end of the fiscal year in October, Postmaster General Patrick R. Donahoe told the House Oversight subcommittee on the postal service." - Excerpts - Hearing Documents - USPS financial rescue may not stop 'death spiral' - Regulators work overtime on USPS bid to drop Saturday delivery - Postal Service pleads it case to Congress - Congressmen call for job-cutting priority at USPS - The Postal Oversight Hearing: A Program -

Watchdog: Postal Service proposals could undermine funding of retiree benefits
"U.S. Postal Service proposals to change how retiree benefits are funded could adversely affect those programs and would not help the agency out of the red, according to a new report from the Office of Personnel Management's inspector general. The study, which is expected to be discussed during a Wednesday hearing on Capitol Hill, warned USPS against "using the federal retirement program as a vehicle through which to implement policy objectives unrelated to the federal retiree benefit programs," OPM said in a statement." - Could Postal Employees Lose Retiree Health Benefits? -