Top Ten Postal Stories of 2005

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Top Ten Postal Stories of 2005
Top postal stories, as seen from our perspective, of 2005

PostalMag.com, 26 December 2005

1. Hurricanes Katrina and Rita
Dozens of post offices were severely damaged or destroyed, thousands of postal workers were displaced, and millions of postal customers have had their mail service disrupted because of the hurricanes. Complete coverage of this disaster can be found on our Hurricane Katrina Special Report page. Image: The Central Carrier Station in New Orleans sits in a sea of water. More aerial pics of New Orleans post offices...
Also see: APWU: USPS to Offer Early Retirement to Katrina-Impacted Employees

2. No Story on Postal Reform
The number two story of 2005 is actually no story at all. Though the House of Representatives passed a postal overhaul bill (HR 22) in July, a similar bill has been stalled in the Senate. Perhaps we'll see fruition in 2006?

3. Attacks Against Postal Employees
PostalMag.com has logged a number of stories about attacks against postal employees and post offices during 2005. From our vantage point, it appears that post office robberies are on the rise, and that postal employees continue to be the victims of random, and sometimes bizarre, attacks. Image: Police investigate the shooting of a letter carrier in Georgia.
A few of the many related stories include:
- Seattle Postal Carrier Brutally Attacked While Delivering Mail
- Postal worker beaten and robbed
- Man charged with assaulting postal carrier, cop
- Four indicted in Oakland postal worker attack
- Man Shoots Letter Carrier in Georgia
- Reward for Robbery of Mail Carriers
- Was attack on postal carrier racially motivated?
- Brazen Postal Robbery Shocks Coastal Community
- Mail carrier assaulted by high school students
- Postal worker robbed, bound, and discovered in Montara
- Drug-Crazed Man Attacks Postal Carrier
- Two Armed Men Attempt Houston Post Office Robbery
- Police Seek Suspects in Oakland Postal Attack
- Postal Worker Assaulted; Mail Bag Stolen on Detroit's West Side
- Barking Man Bites Louisiana Mail Carrier
- New Jersey Mailman Beaten Unconscious in Attack on Route
- Post Office Employees Robbed at Gunpoint

4. USPS Learns to Profit From the Internet
Instead of killing it, the Internet has actually breathed new life into the Postal Service. One of the primary uses of the Internet has become online shopping, and the USPS has worked hard to become the number one means to fulfill these orders!
- Mail Order Survives, Thrives
- eBay business is booming at local post offices
- Why the Internet Isn't the Death of the Post Office
- Ship Till You Drop - Internet Purchases Up 25 Percent

5. Automation Eliminating Clerk Jobs
Machines that sort and forward mail, as well as machines that sell postage are cutting into the number of clerks employed by the USPS. Related stories include:
- Unions oppose new machine at post office
- Automation Prompts Mail-Sorting Closure
- Management Overzealous in Efforts to Promote APCs

6. Postal Karaoke
No story this year at PostalMag.com generated more comments than our Postal Karaoke feature. The story was about injured Dallas postal clerk Leslie Terrell who couldn't work the window selling stamps but who was allowed to sing karaoke in the lobby of the Lakewood Post Office. The comments highlighted the controversies surrounding the "limited duty" status for employees injured on-the-job in the Postal Service.

7. Postal Operations Considered for Consolidation or Study
For the past several years, PostalMag.com has been peppered with employee questions about a supposed postal facilities closing list. Finally, we have an answer, sort of. The Postal Service has decided on a careful, measured approach to the situation of possible excess postal capacities, instead of a one-time, drastic cut of postal facilities.

8. Staffing Issues Causing Service Problems
PostalMag.com continues to log stories about late deliveries and undermanned post offices due to staffing shortages. A few of the many related stories include:
- Late mail deliveries have become common problem countywide
- Understaffed and Undermined? Mail Clerks Picket Eureka Post Office
- Letter Carrier Shortage Spurs Privatization
- Shouldering the Burden
- Staffing shortage delays extended hours at post offices
- Postal Workers Plan Picket Over Working Conditions
- It's a dark time for mail carriers
- Arizona: Mail Deliver Falls Short
- San Diego: Late mail leaves some residents in the dark

9. Postal Employee Embezzlement
Maybe you've heard the saying "perhaps the purpose of your life is to serve as a warning to others." Well, we've had plenty of stories at PostalMag.com this year about postmasters, clerks and others who have been caught embezzling postal funds. Yet, a few postal employees continue to make the decision to embezzle. Let the following stories be a reminder and warning that if you embezzle from the Postal Service, you'll probably be caught sooner or later.
- Postal embezzler sentenced
- Ex-postal manager admits stealing $163,000
- Federal authorities charge four former postal workers
- Ex-postmaster admits embezzling scheme
- Postal Accountant Sentenced on Fraud Charges
- Post office clerk charged with embezzlement
- Postal worker submits guilty plea in post office thefts
- Supervisor Charged With Stealing Post Office Funds

10. USPS Ends Year in Black and Debt Free
"The U.S. Postal Service concluded fiscal 2005 with a net income of $1.4 billion on record revenues of $70 billion and record volume of 212 billion pieces of mail. "Financially, we are in the best position we've been since the 1970s," said Postmaster General John E. Potter at the December meeting of the Board of Governors. Postage rates have remained stable since 2002, a direct result of three straight years of operating surpluses. The cash generated from the surpluses have been used to reduce the Postal Service's once $11 billion in debt to zero."

Bonus Story: Employee Revenge Against the Postal Service?
We're not sure how much there is to it, but several stories have us wondering if employee revenge against the Postal Service is a significant factor. One such story:

Alaska postal worker accused of letting bulk mail pass through for free
"An unhappy 29-year Anchorage postal employee may have put as much as $400,000 worth of bulk mail into the postal system without charging customers for it, according to charges filed with U.S. District Court. The employee, Michael Sargent, 47, was charged with stealing and disposing of public records."

Are there others out there like Michael Sargent?