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TOP POSTAL STORIES OF THE MONTH
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March 31, 2007-
Private Carriers
Worry Postal Service Union
"It's not the good
old days where you know your postal carrier and he knows you and your
kids," said Paul Price, the business agent for the NALC's region 2,
which serves Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Utah and Washington. Where
the handbook used to say contract carriers could be employed in sparsely
populated areas, now it simply says "neighborhoods," Price said."
The post office performs background checks
and credit checks on its contract carriers, he said. But Price argues
that those precautions aren't strictly regulated, and when on vacation,
contract carriers can turn their routes over to whomever they please.
Comments
Related to Article
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Contract carrier makes plea deal
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March 29, 2007-
Going Postal in
Beaverton
Look what's
in an already-controversial mail delivery contract -
"Beaverton Postmaster
John Lee told the letter carrier's union in January that he was hiring
a contractor for delivery in a Beaverton-area suburb because he thought
it could save $33,878 a year. But that's hard to believe given that
records show the contractor, Christopher Onuliak, is getting $12,279
for a four-month "emergency contract." That means Onuliak is netting
$118 for each day of delivery to 20 mailboxes in the Arbor Parc suburb...
The deal is also a family affair. Onuliak is the son of Mike Onuliak,
a manager at the Beaverton post office."
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March 25, 2007-
They’ve Got Mail, but
Look Who Delivered It
(New York) The Shorehaven contractor, whose name the Postal Service
would not disclose, has a two-year contract, which started on Jan. 8,
for $16,800 a year. He works only about an hour and
a half a day according to a schedule prepared by the Postal Service
and provided by John Springman, NALC Branch 36 Executive VP. Another
tale of contract delivery:
Box Delivery Contractor loses security clearance 9 years after incident
(PDF) - A Florida Postal Service
box delivery contractor had her security clearance revoked in 2006 for
an incident that occurred in 1997. She had an otherwise unblemished
14-year career with the Postal Service While appealing
revoked security clearance she hired a replacement to deliver mail on
contract 2 routes.
Photo:
New Uniform for Postal Carriers?
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March 23, 2007-
Young, Potter Reach Agreement to Resume
Contract Negotiations
"NALC
President William H. Young and Postmaster General John E. Potter reached
agreement March 20 to resume bargaining for a new National Agreement.
They set April 6 as a deadline to reach a settlement. Young and Potter
also agreed that, in the event talks fail and an impasse remains, mediation
would be waived and the impasse would go directly to binding arbitration.
NALC continues to protests USPS’s ‘contracting out’ moves and plans
to take the issue to lawmakers in Congress." Young said he had received
official notice of the USPS’s intent to contract out the work of 10
existing full-time regular carrier positions in Reno, Nevada.
NALC News Bulletin (PDF)
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Contract Postal Carriers
Get More Routes
(Seattle WA) "One new
housing development at a time, more non-postal service mail carriers
are taking on routes across the nation, and the Puget Sound area is
no exception. A new 89-home development in Lake Stevens is likely to
be the most recent example. Though Pasadera Heights neighborhood near
Everett is still under construction, the U.S. Postal Service is planning
on contracting the route out this spring. Whether contracted carriers
eventually incite the kind of controversy they have elsewhere remains
to be seen."
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March 17, 2007-
Hundreds Protest Use of Private Mail Carriers
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"About 350 union letter carriers showed
up Thursday evening in front of Beaverton's Post Office to protest the
use of private postal delivery contractors in urban Washington County."
L.C. Hansen, president of the 1,800-member Branch 82 union said "the
decision really cuts into the career letter carrier’s “brand” as a reliable,
steady and conscientious professional who can be trusted to handle sensitive
and important mail. Private letter carriers could be a step by the Postal
Service to create a “Wal-Mart-type, low-pay jobs with no benefits,”
she said."
Video: Post Office Looks To Privatize|
March 30, 2007-
Rate increases may permanently damage mail industry
DM News: Cary H. Baer, a direct marketing
consultant, says "the rate
increase has the possibility of doing permanent damage to commercial
postal users and therefore the U.S. Postal Service itself. The commissioners
and their staff just don’t understand the damage they may have done
to the postal service and the direct mail industry. The postal service’s
financial health depends on a growing volume of Standard mail. That
is particularly important, given both new reform legislation and recent
labor contract settlements."
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March 27, 2007-
USPS Implements Phase Two of National Reassessment Process
“On February 28th, the
Postal Service notified the APWU that they are ready to implement Phase
2 of the National Reassessment Process (NRP) in two USPS Districts.”
(Implementation began in the Dakotas District on March 6th and in the
New Hampshire/Vermont District on March 13th). “The Postal Service advises
that no other Districts have been approved for Phase 2 at this time.
There is no established District by District schedule. Districts will
be approved for Phase 2 when USPS Headquarters confirms that they have
completely and accurately completed Phase 1.” Phase 2 process is broken
into three phases: the Search Process, Job Offer Process, and the ‘No
Work Available (NWA) Process."
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Some Postal Workers Under Investigation Back On Job
More than four months
into an investigation of carrier mail-handling practices at the Battle
Creek Post Office, some of the 28 suspended letter carriers are back
on the job, a spokesman said Tuesday. “Some
employees who were investigated and placed on emergency suspension
have been returned to work,” said Jim Mruk, manager of public affairs
and communications for the U.S. Postal Service’s Great Lakes regional
office near Chicago. “There are others who have resigned or who we are
in the process of removing.”
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March 07, 2007-
NALC Branch To Protest USPS Plans to 'Contract Out' Mail Delivery
(Oregon)
The U.S. Postal Service plans to hire a contractor to deliver mail in
the Arbor Parc subdivision north of Beaverton, a move that is believed
to be a first for the Portland area but is criticized by the letter
carriers' union. In a letter to the union, Beaverton Postmaster John
Lee said the agency thinks it can save $33,878 a year by using a contractor
to serve the growing subdivision. L.C. Hansen, the branch president,
predicted the move would mirror those in other cities where contractors
have cut letter carriers' wages and benefits to cut costs. Short-term
contract employees might take security and other tasks less seriously
than long-term employees with health and retirement benefits, she said.
And it could erode the national postal delivery system. The union plans
an "informational picket" on the issue from 5 to 5:45 p.m. March 15
at the Beaverton post office.
Mail delivery
shouldn’t be contracted out
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Contract Mail Delivery
Routes - USPS & DOL Requirements
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March 31, 2007-
Just In Case You Missed it
Military reservists
who worked at the U.S. Postal Service between 1980 and 2000 could
be eligible for thousands of dollars in compensation because they
were improperly charged for their military leave.
Note: The
USPS has taken the position that they will not pay back pay for
nonscheduled days charged to military leave before FY 2002.
See
NALC
(PDF)
In the case of David Miller, what he won is discovery and a hearing.
Many veterans continue to hope the USPS will do the right thing
voluntarily.
Postal Employee Challenges USPS Over Military Leave
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Postmaster: Door slot request was
not an order
Postal officials say that a recent
request to customers in Riverside and Old Greenwich to move mailboxes
away from the house and to the curb is part of a national trend
to increase safety for carriers. Postmaster Bob Palmer's 22 postal
carriers aren't looking for a more convenient way to deliver mail,
he said. They are looking for a safer way. "They're not lazy," he
said. "It's a matter of safety.
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Postal Clerk Retires at Age 89
Postal clerk Carol Darwin is retiring
at age 89 after her shift tonight sorting letters at the U.S. Postal
Service's San Jose distribution center on Lundy Avenue. But what
makes the story amazing is that Darwin hasn't missed a day of work
because of illness since she began her career at the post office
Jan. 16, 1966. In that time, she's racked up 4,244 hours of sick
leave - a little more than two years' worth. In a statement from
the Postal Service, Darwin said she didn't miss a day of class in
college or high school, either. She credits her good health to eating
organically grown produce, getting plenty of rest and exercise and
keeping a positive attitude.
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E-NAPUS: Postmasters Hit Capitol Hill (PDF
Postal Supervisor arrested in USPS fraud case
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Persichilli installed as new Hornell postmaster
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March 30, 2007-
Area Where Postal Worker
Killed to Keep Home Mail Delivery
Residents of a neighborhood where
a postal worker was killed by a stray bullet successfully fought
the U.S. Postal Service's plan to replace home delivery with clusters
of mailboxes outside homes.
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Motorists sue over
junk mail from Bureau of Motor Vehicles
Motorists in several states
are suing Imagitas, Inc, a company that sends advertising in vehicle
registration notices, saying it violates a federal law that protects
their personal information. Note:
Imagitas Inc.,(
A Pitney Bowes company) also has a contract with USPS for
ad inserts that are included with Change of Address (COA) packets.
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Former Joplin postal employee convicted of damaging
van at PO
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Beloved Terra Linda
mailman to retire after 43 years
Postal Service may
move some operations to New Orleans
It's Official: APWU Contract Signed
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USPS Announces New Stamps for New Rates
USPS website has new look for Star Wars promotion
Pitney Bowes Launches Website for Rate Change
Mail carrier goes
the extra yard for his customers
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March 29, 2007-
New York Online Gambling Racket Goes Postal
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One of the alleged runners charged in the case include a
postal
worker who placed bets for bosses at a New York City post office
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Postal Employee
Health and Pension Benefits Shielded??
A hand shot up from the
audience at the National Postal Forum in Washington this week. A
man wanted to know why, in December's postal reform law, Congress
and the president didn't reduce health and pension benefits to make
the U.S. Postal Service -- where labor costs account for 78 percent
of expenses -- more competitive.
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MA: Letter Carrier arrested for distributing
drugs on route
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Postal Bulletin 3/29/07: PostalPEOPLE, more...
APWU: Arbitrator's 2001 Analysis Deserves Consideration
NALC: New MOU on appealing Rural/City
delivery disputes (PDF)
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Postal carrier goes above, beyond duty
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Former postmaster pleads guilty to stealing postal funds
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Rhode Island introduces do-not-mail
bill
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March 28, 2007-
Maryland: Oldest
Mailman In Area Set To Retire
Mail-boxed in a corner
- If
couple refuses to move mailbox, their mail could be returned to
senders.
PRC's Blair hopes for expedited decision on rate consideration
Writing Junk Mail. Somebody has to do it
First of new Star
Wars stamps revealed
Postal
Service admits ZIP code error
Live from National Postal Forum: PRC’s
Decision “Somewhat Anomalous”
Con men still seek a quick buck the
old way: By using snail mail
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March 27, 2007-
PMG Potter Keynote Speaker
at National Postal Forum
We're living in a new world. The new postal rates, the new postal
law, and increasing Internet access - will all have a direct affect
on the Postal Service and your business. We need to hear from you
about the new law, because our ultimate goal remains the same -
to provide you and the American public with quality, universal service
at affordable rates.
Potter:
Communication is key in new postal environment
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National Postal Forum: Potter Preaches Teamwork
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Nation Gets Sneak Peak
Of The Forever Stamp
The Forever stamp
goes on sale April 12 at 41 cents. Customers can begin using the
stamp when postage changes May 14.Once prices change May 14, the
Forever stamp will remain on sale at the 41-cent First-Class one-ounce
letter price until the next price change. The Forever stamp will
then be available at the new price.”
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USPS Star Wars Themed Pre-Paid Express
Mail Packaging
Postal inspector's tip leads to Georgia player's arrest
USPS TO Build on $1.9 Billion Share Of International Shipping Market
APWU, USPS Reach Tentative Contract on IT/ASC
Contract
APWU: National Election Committee Amends Rules
Car Collided Into Mail Truck, Portland
Police Say
Unleashed dog halts mail service to
entire neighborhood
Intelligent Mail bar codes available for flats
mail May 1, 2007
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March
26, 2007-
Online Video Shows Meltdown
at the Kensington Post Office
A Brooklyn post office branch
cited for horrendous service got another black eye after a customer's
postal behavior was signed, sealed and delivered to YouTube viewers.
The clip on the Web site - shot with a cell-phone camera at the
Kensington post office branch in December - shows an irate, profanity-spewing
man demanding to see a manager, but he's stopped by police instead.
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Photo: USPS Unveils New ‘Forever’ First-Class
Stamp
Talk of Postal Hikes Kicks Off Conference
Delivering Change at the Post Office
OIG Special Agent Says Miami Cop Attacked
Him
Postal Service hasn't earned right to rate increase
New company taking postal mail to the Internet
Postal inspector links 'Bishop' letters to KC
Mailers Council
calls on USPS board to avoid another rate case
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March 25, 2007-
St. Charles at odds with the postal service over slow mail delivery
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March 24, 2007-
APWU: Postal Service Continues Plans to Close AMCs
"As
part of an ongoing effort to outsource postal work, the USPS recently
outlined management's continuing plans to eliminate Air Mail Centers
across the country. Two letters to the APWU provide additional details
about plans management announced over the summer. In a
letter dated March 14, 2007 (PDF), the USPS notified the APWU
that management will continue to consider outsourcing operations
at 14 of 43 facilities management identified in July 2006. "This
decision continues a disturbing trend of replacing good-paying union
jobs with low-wage non-union workers," APWU President William Burrus
said. The majority of workers affected by the closing of AMCs will
be Mail Handlers, but some Clerks also will be reassigned."
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Ex-Carrier
and 'Pimp of the Year' Gets Near-Maximum Term
Former letter carrier Matthew Thompkins
ran a profitable prostitute ring while delivering NYC mail. He agreed
to forfeit four homes, eight vehicles and nearly $750,000. During
raids, investigators found 2 trophies proclaiming Thompkins "Pimp
of the Year."
Thompkins, a Bronx
native and former letter carrier, resigned from the Postal Service
after he plead guilty last year.
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Mail carrier puts
his stamp on grandson's birth
For 35 years, Ed Eskesen has delivered
mail for the U.S. Postal Service, but the grandfather's most special
delivery was delivering his grandson early Friday morning. Eskesen,
of Simpsonville, said his daughter, Leigh Ann, woke him up in labor
around 2:30 a.m. Her baby was coming too quickly to go to the hospital.
So Eskesen fought back his nerves and called a 911 dispatcher who
walked him through the birth. "I'd trade my 35 years delivering
mail for 15 minutes of delivering a baby," Eskesen said.
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NM residents petition USPS for mail delivery but must pay and install
centralized boxes
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Since the post office in Alamo closed
along with the general store, residents of Alamo and the surrounding
areas have been driving 30 miles each way into Magdalena to pick
up their mail. The residents got together another petition in November
2005 that got some results. The U.S. Postal Service finally dropped
off mailboxes but left the problem of setting them up to local residents
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Woman critical after postal vehicle bumps her -
Carrier ticketed for inattentive driving
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USPS to sell Historic James A. Farley Post Office in NYC for $230
million
- The Farley
building bears the inscription: "Neither snow nor rain nor heat
nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion
of their appointed rounds"
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My Trip to the Postal Service Bomb-Detection
School
Mail Mixup Costs
Family
Rep.
Susan Davis Introduces Bill to Track Mail-In Ballots
APWU: Senate to Hold Hearing on Employee Free Choice Act
Rochester, MN: Bombs in Mailboxes
MA: Forget about collection mailboxes in Dighton
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March 23, 2007-
Mail carrier puts
safety first
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Dave Leventry, acting
postmaster for the Kittanning post office awarded postal carrier
Roxanne Smerick a $50 U.S. Savings Bond and a plaque for completing
25 years of service without an accident.
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Readers, carriers
pan postal service
- "Wednesday's
story about mail delivery problems in New Lenox apparently struck
a nerve."
Misdelivered Mail Sparks Fraud Fears
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Photo: Stony Brook, NY Post Office
Flapping Eagle Wings Landmark
Lawsuit Over Postal Regulation Banning
Solicitations on Post Office Sidewalks Still Alive
PRC seeks mailer input on postal reform
Direct Mail Goes Digital
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March 22, 2007-
USPS
OIG Report on Delivery and Retail Standard Operating Procedures
(PDF)
The report summarizes
an OIG review of Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for City,
Rural Delivery operations and Function 4 operations
in nine USPS areas. According to the report in part:
In the Houston District the OIG observed carriers retrieving mail
from the staging area before the supervisor could record mail volume
which created the potential for mail volume distortion. "The condition
existed because the supervisor's primary focus was getting the carriers
to the street, not following the SOP for measuring mail volume.
"
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Postal Clerk Sues
USPS Over Forced Lunch Break
(Florida)
Kenneth M. Fox says his painful arthritis requires him to keep moving,
but his bosses are forcing him to take lunch breaks. Fox, a 55-year-old
military veteran from Pinellas County, is suing the U.S. Postal
Service under the Americans with Disabilities Act, claiming the
mandatory lunch breaks are a violation of his rights under the law.
Fox has worked since 1997 as an automation clerk at the airport
postal facility, according to a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court.
The lawsuit, which asks for an injunction and attorneys fees, says
allowing Fox to work through lunch is a “reasonable accommodation”
required under the ADA.
Fox to work through lunch is a “reasonable
accommodation” required under the ADA.
Fox also asserts
in his suit that other postal facilities "permit employees
to choose whether or not to utilize the offered lunch break."
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Forever Stamp Debuts At National Postal Forum March 26
"Monday: The Forever Stamp is unveiled for the first time. The
value on these stamps will always be the one-ounce letter rate and
can be used for any future one-ounce letter mailing without extra
postage. Tuesday: John E. Potter, Postmaster General, and Sir Martin
Sorrell, CEO, WPP, address the Forum. Sessions on the newly established
rates and a discussion on the new postal law will be held. Wednesday:
Why mailboxes around the country were dressed up like R2D2 will
be revealed with a new stamp unveiling."
National Postal Forum.
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Postal worker faces charges in identity theft
(PA) Kim McKnight Jimenez, 48,a passport
clerk at the Gus Yatron GMF in Muhlenberg Township unlawfully obtained
18 credit cards by using postal customers’ names and Social Security
numbers.. Jimenez surrendered to authorities Wednesday to face 18
counts of identity theft, police said. According to investigators:
A mail clerk alerted Deborah Beatty, branch supervisor, that credit
cards in other people’s names were being mailed to the three post
office boxes and Jimenez’s home address.
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EEOC Brief: A Postal Employee alleged that he was subjected
to harassment based on his sex when his supervisor used the word
"ladies" when addressing all of the window clerks, including the
employee and when supervisor addressed the employee as "Ma'am."
The EEOC found that "a reasonable fact-finder could not conclude
that the challenged incidents, taken together, were sufficiently
severe or pervasive to establish a hostile work environment." Therefore,
the EEOC affirmed dismissal of the Postal Employee’s claim. Salisbury
v. Potter
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Photos: USPS/Star Wars Promotion Hits Light Speed
Mailbox product intended to alert customers --not startle letter
carriers
Bayonne losing last local-only mailboxes
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Dog poop too much for Canada Post
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New R2-D2 mailboxes are not a bomb
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USPS puts its stamp on wedded bliss
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March 21, 2007-
Misdelivered mail sparks fraud fears
"The
pink plastic card that arrived in her neighbor's mailbox Saturday
underscores Jeanne Sidler's complaint with her mail service. The
card, a note to the carrier from a supervisor, reads, "Misdelivery
problem here Verify mail before deliveryi (sic) Customer is very
upseti (sic) Do not deliver this card. "Not only did they deliver
it, but they delivered it to the wrong house," Sidler said.
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North Carolina: Two Postal facilities among safest
in U.S
Al Gore to Deliver Postcards to Capitol Hill
Courteous postal clerks
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Would-be postal thief caught in the act
Elderly woman drives into post office
The mail keeps coming late
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Comply or face regulation, says DMA chairman
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Postal Service looks at delivery change after | | | |
