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TOP NEWS STORIES |
USPS revenue and volume continue to plummet
"According to preliminary financial information released
today for April 2009, the US Postal Service has seen a
year-over year decline of $764 million in operating revenue -
an 11.9% decrease from April 2008. Government appropriation
increased by $1 million from 2008 to 2009. Year-to-date USPS
revenue is at just over $41 billion. It was originally
forecasted to hit $45 billion, which was also the total
revenue at this point last year." -
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NALC's Young Defends Route Adjustment Decision
"President Young explained that we had four options,
considering the desperate situation the postal service faces.
We could give up our COLAs, we could give back our next raise,
we could face immediate layoffs, or we could work with the
postal service to quickly adjust routes to reflect the
dramatic reductions in mail volume." -
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Postal carriers charge managers shaved wages
"The New Hampshire branch of letter carrier's union, the
National Association of Letter Carriers, has filed grievances
charging that postal service managers in Milford and two
Manchester Post Offices have altered the hours worked by
letter carriers roughly 800 times in the past six years,
shorting the carriers a collective total of about $12,000." -
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Postal Service Makes Strong Push for 5-Day Delivery
"The legislative relief the Postal Service wants is permission
to change the way it funds retiree health-care benefits and to
cut the sixth delivery day, most likely Saturday. Legislation
the subcommittee is considering would allow the agency to pay
for the health benefits of current retirees out of its Retiree
Health Benefit Fund instead of its operating budget, saving
about $2 billion this year." -
Potter
Predicts Five-day Mail Delivery Will Be Reality - Eye
Opener: More Postal Woes - Working for
the Weekend -
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Printed Direct Mail Declining
"The rise of the Internet has taken its toll on a number of
media and is about to claim its third analog victim: direct
mail. The largest of the print media, printed direct mail will
decline 39 percent over the next five years with annual
spending dropping from $49.7 billion in 2008 to $29.8 billion
by the end of 2013, according to a study from Borrell
Associates." -
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OIG: Management of City Letter Carriers' Street Performance
(PDF)
"The Carrier Observation Program covered misconduct committed
by letter carriers who were on duty, in uniform, and in public
view. These investigations included - but were not limited to
- letter carriers purchasing or consuming alcohol, selling
illegal narcotics, driving with suspended state drivers'
licenses, and deviating from their routes to conduct
non-Postal Service business. In addition, Special Agents
reviewed Overtime Usage Reports and Managed Service Points (MSP)
Exception Reports to identify excessive early, late, or
missing scans that recurred over time for the same letter
carriers and compared workload and resource usage." -
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Potter likes USPS' chances despite recession
"We can't cut our way to success," Potter added,
referencing the major job cuts that the USPS has implemented
over the past two years. The organization also is looking to
cut the cost of its retiree health benefits. Potter said the
USPS would be going to Congress to ask for help in paying the
$7 billion tab on those benefits. It's also working with
unions to cut operational costs and is planning to borrow the
maximum amount allowed - $3 billion - to meet its financial
needs this year." - Postal Service
Expects Steeper Declines -
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Postal cuts rankle rural residents
"All told, more than 30 rural communities have seen their
mail carriers transferred so mail sorting could be
centralized. Mail still gets delivered in the rural areas, but
it often comes later in the day because the carriers are no
longer based locally." -
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Reassigned Postal Workers Facing Big Financial Hardships
"The United States Postal Service - historically a dependable
ladder into the middle class for African Americans - is
experiencing an unprecedented decline in mail volume and
revenue. As a result, thousands of postal workers nationwide
are being laid off, reassigned to jobs that can be several
hundred miles away or given the option to retire early." -
APWU: Excessing: Know Your Rights |
WSJ: Obama Admin Halts Plans To Alter US Postal Workers'
Benefits
"Kenneth Baer, spokesman for the White House Office of
Management and Budget, said the administration stalled the
proposal because "we didn't want to propose anything that
violated collective-bargaining agreements." Baer said
following through with the proposal would have subjected the
U.S. Postal Service to lawsuits. The administration is
reviewing USPS workers' benefit policies. "A more
comprehensive package of reforms will be coming down the
pike," Baer said." -
Postal Worker
Benefit Cuts in the Works? -
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Starting Monday, it costs more to mail
"Unless you've got a stash of Forever Stamps sitting
around, it might be time for a trip to the post office. The
price of mailing a letter jumps 2 cents Monday. First-class
mail will now cost 44 cents for the first ounce. Large
envelopes cost twice that, 88 cents. Mailing a postcard will
cost 28 cents. The Postal Service said the price increase,
announced in February, is necessary because of rising
production costs." - AP: Peel and Weep -
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Postal Service Ends Second Quarter With $1.9 Billion Loss
"The Postal Service has incurred net losses from operations in
10 of the last 11 fiscal quarters. The year-to-date net loss
is $2.3 billion, compared to a loss in the same period last
year of $35 million. A significant portion of the losses over
this period can be attributed to an unprecedented decline in
mail volume. In the second quarter, mail volume totaled 43.8
billion pieces, down 7.5 billion pieces, or 14.7 percent,
compared to a year ago." - Postal
Service Suffers More Losses in Second Quarter -
On Track to Lose $6.4 Billion This Year
(Postcom) -
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Postal workers allege supervisor treats them 'inhumanely'
"LOS ALAMITOS Three postal workers have filed grievances
alleging their supervisor denies the workers bathroom breaks
and does not allow them to fill their water bottles before
their routes, records show. The workers have filed complaints
with the USPS Local Safety Office and the National Association
of Letter Carriers saying Los Alamitos Post Office supervisor
Maria Esparza treats them "inhumanely" and that their working
conditions are unsafe." -
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NALC Bulletin: President Young Announces Pending Retirement
(PDF)
"NALC President William H. Young surprised many in
attendance (at the 2009 National Rap Session) by announcing
that he plans to retire soon - probably before the end of the
year - at which time under the Constitution he will turn the
reins of the union over to Executive Vice President Fred
Rolando." -
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News Experiment Finds Pricier Priority Mail Isn't Faster Than
42-Cent Stamp
"The special-delivery service costs more than 10 times as
much as first-class mail, but doesn't get a letter to its
destination any faster in many cases. In eight of 10 tests
conducted last month, letters sent priority and first-class
were delivered to the same location on the same day. Even the
cash-strapped Postal Service admits that paying $4.95 for a
flat-rate priority envelope won't guarantee faster delivery
than a 42-cent stamp." - Archives:
Mystery Shopper Program Runs Amok -
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Irritation rises at old stamping grounds
"As far as Chris Parks is concerned, the stamp is
appropriately named: Forever is how long it takes to buy a
stamp at the post office. "I had to wait in a long line to get
a single, solitary stamp the other day. They took out the
automated stamp machines in the lobby. It's ridiculous. It
wastes everybody's time," Parks said outside the Main Post
Office on William Street. "Now they have signs saying go to
the supermarket, but who wants to go to a supermarket to buy a
stamp?" -
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Pitbulls Maul Postal Carrier, Owner Laughs
"David Holland owns the dogs and says they got loose
through the back fence. He says neighbors should have told him
they were loose... Holland was laughing and joking looking at
the yard smeared with blood. Police say they have been called
to the house 28 times and the history extends past today's two
dogs. Investigators say their parents were put down." -
Pit bulls put down day after attack -
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Burrus: What's Wrong ... And What
Can Be Done
"Postal management's response to the dismal situation has been
in keeping with its historic knee-jerk reaction: Excessive
discounts for major mailers, a reduction in the number of
employees and postal facilities, and other drastic cost-saving
measures. If this is the entirety of the plan for saving
postal services, it is doomed from the outset." -
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