Gas prices affecting the USPS

"...Every time gas prices go up a penny, it costs the U.S. Postal Service an extra $8 million a year. ..."    

Source: news10now.com

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New Stamps Salute State Flags

Ten new postage stamps featuring the U.S. and state flags went on sale Saturday — on the annual observance of Flag Day.

"...stamps salute the U.S. flag and the flags of Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, American Samoa, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut and Delaware. They're being sold in a roll of 50 stamps, with five stamps for each flag. The second set of 10 flags will be issued in September..."    

Source: news.aol.com

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Article on Express Mail Guarantee

USPS Says Guaranteed Overnight Isn't Guaranteed. What?

"... was told the guarantee does not extend to items left in the Express Mail box. It only applies if you bring the item to the counter. If that is the case, why would they even offer Express Mail via their website? When you purchase it online, you do so in an effort to avoid the lines at the post office. Also, nowhere on the website, while purchasing the Express Mail option did it state that items needed to be taken to the window/desk in order for the guarantee to apply. I asked her, "Where on the box does it say that?" She then told me she had handed my form over to her supervisor. I was given my full refund..."    

Source: consumerist.com

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Free Stamp Collecting Booklet: A Guide to U.S. Design Numbers (USD), 1847- 1947

PSE Unveils "Fresh" Stamp Collecting Format and Offers Free "U.S. Design Numbers" Booklet

"...Entitled, "A Guide to U.S. Design Numbers (USD), 1847- 1947," the new collection-building structure focuses on 435 regular-issue U.S. postage stamps that were issued from 1847 to 1947 and intended for use on letters or parcels. PSE has produced a full-color, 56-page booklet with photos of the stamps and a cross listing of the USD numbers and their corresponding numbers in the Scott Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue. The Scott numbers are used with permission of Scott Publishing Co., a subsidiary of Amos Press, Inc..."    

Source: www.psestamp.com

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Wal-Mart Goes Postal

Wal-Mart adds a new aisle – The Postal Service

"...Customers will easily recognize the presence of the Postal Service at our new Stamps on Consignment location by the exterior and interior signage,” said Customer Relations Coordinator Lori Thomas. “Postal customers..."    

Source: www.kpcnews.com

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Flags of Our Nation Stamps

New Three-Year Multi-Stamp Series Launched

"...The first 10 stamps in the new series will be presented during a first-day-of-issue ceremony on Flag Day at the National Postal Museum in Washington at 10:30 a.m. ET. Anchored by the Stars and Stripes, a perennial stamp favorite, the series salutes the state and territorial flags of Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, American Samoa, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut and Delaware...."    

Source: www.usps.com

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Bonnaroo Post Office

Bonnaroo: Tie-dye, Hacky Sack, Bikinis

"...a new little structure, a round hut made of clay, straw, bamboo and a layer of recycled tires that houses Bonnaroo’s own United States post office, complete with the festival’s own postmark. (It’s popular on the psychedelic-looking 27-cent postcard stamps.)..."    

Source: nytimes.com

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The dam stamps are finally available!

Marvelous engineering

"...The 2008 Express Mail and Priority Mail stamps, featuring the Hoover Dam and Mount Rushmore go on sale today..."    

Source: yourpostalblog.blogspot.com

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Going Postal - An Offensive Term?

Union Campaign Against Violent Stereotype Greeted with Silence by Postal Management

"...The union has learned that the Postal Service has designated a franchise business called — you guessed it — Goin’ Postal as a partner in the USPS Approved Shipper Program. The national union learned about the partnership from local editors Mike Mazurkiewicz, (Saint Paul’s Postmark) and Cathy Hanson (Minneapolis’ Northern Light), who ventured into a Goin’ Postal outlet in their area. When they identified themselves to a manager as postal workers offended by the company’s name, they were informed that the company plans to open 4,000 stores nationwide..."

Source: www.apwu.org

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Send Fathers Day Mail to Our Soldiers in Iraq from www.mymars.org

Free Father's Day Messages for Overseas Servicemen

"...Family members can easily send free MARSgrams overseas by entering their message on the web site www.mymars.org. The Army MARS WinLink system automatically relays the Iraq-bound messages to Hammer and his helpers, who produce printouts and envelopes and hand them on to the Military Postal Service for final delivery. A MARSgram travels much faster than ordinary mail and can be delivered wherever American troops serve..."    

Source: www.theleafchronicle.com and www.mymars.org

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A Look Back: Mail Data from 1999 Article

offthemap; Deck the Box - greeting cards - Statistical Data Included - Brief Article

"...If trends hold, Americans will send out more than 4.5 billion stamped cards and letters this holiday season, plus an additional 138 million parcels, comprising 28% of the annual mail volume, according to the U.S. Postal Service..."    

Source: findarticles.com

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Additional Benefits for Civilian Employees in Combat Zones

OPM Reminds Agencies of Additional Benefits for Civilian Employees in Combat Zones

Springer outlined a list of authorities currently available to agencies. These include, but are not limited to:

* The National Defense Authorization Act of 2008 provides for a higher annual maximum limitation on premium pay;
* The Department of State Standardized Regulations (DSSR) provide a number of important compensation entitlements, such as danger pay and hardship differentials;
* OPM regulations give agencies the discretionary authority to provide recruitment, retention, and relocation incentive payments (up to 100 percent of basic pay) to address difficulties in recruiting or retaining employees in combat zones;
* Agencies have the ability to offer time off awards;
* Agencies have the authority under DSSR to provide travel benefits for rest and recuperation equivalent to one trip every six months and after 90 days in the country; and,
* Agencies have the authority to grant administrative leave (excused absence with pay and without charge to leave).

For additional information on these and other authorities, Federal employees should contact their agency human resources office.

Reference: www.opm.gov

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Social Studies Teacher Blogs About Ben Franklin

Ben Franklin’s Post Office

"...have collected stamps off & on since I was in the 4th grade. I collect stamps from all over the world but I mostly enjoy United States stamps. I think the reason I love stamps is because there is history in stamps. Commemorative stamps do just that..."    

Source: history591twenty9.wordpress.com

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Royal Mail workers issue fresh strike threat

Union warns that it will push for industrial action unless Royal Mail gives assurances on the future of the business

"...The postal group halted its final salary pension for all employees in April, and replaced it with one based on career average earnings...."    

Source: timesonline.co.uk

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USPS Shipping of Live Animals

Animal cruelty or business as usual?

"...Since 1919, the Postal Service has retained statutes dictating the terms of shipment of live animals, including newborn and adult fowl, lizards, earthworms, snails, leeches, scorpions and even honey bees..."    

Source: www.malibutimes.com

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Stole gasoline from the U.S. Postal Service

Texas pair stole, sold postal gasoline

"...used postal service credit cards to buy gasoline for themselves, plus sell it to people in Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana. They have paid restitution of more than $47,000..."    

Source: www.chron.com

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How to retire in style

Neither rain nor heat nor gloom of night stops folks from living large at the unofficial retirement community of the National Association of Letter Carriers.

"...With an efficiency renting for under $75 in 1964, Nalcrest [Florida] was nirvana for postal retirees. It remains a bargain: A one-bedroom rents for only $305, and dinners at Jay Bee's II, the town's only restaurant, average $6. ..."    

Source: nationalgeographic.com

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Emergency Drill At Main Post Office

Workers Hold Emergency Drill At Main Post Office

"...The drill focused on response to a biohazard danger, including decontamination of volunteers...."    

Source: www.kypost.com

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Digital signage used by USPS to spark interest in kiosks

Digital Signage

"...focused on changing this customer behavior specifically by including a digital screen at the main entrance to each of the test sites. Nicknamed the “Stop and Turn” device, it is a 30-inch screen hung portrait fashion in a custom mount. The content on this screen is all very short (3-5 seconds), bright colors, and designed to catch the eye of customers as they walk into the post office. It’s also very direct in its messages. “Jump the line. Ship packages at the APC...."    

Source: www.selfserviceworld.com

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Favorite Fictional Postal People

Poll results - favorite postal character

"...Who is your favorite fictional postal character?..."    

Source: yourpostalblog.blogspot.com

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Mail Package Shipping Test:

FedEx, UPS, and the Postal Service - A shipping test

"...We sent three packages via Fed Ex, another 3 through UPS and the last
batch we handed over to the Post Office..."    

Source: www.abcactionnews.com

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Postal worker charged in jewelry theft at work

"...U.S. Postal Service worker was arrested Sunday night and charged with stealing thousands of dollars in jewelry from the mail while working at a distribution center in Bethpage,..."    

Source: www.newsday.com

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Early Retirements in Many Industries

While many postal workers speculate on a Voluntary Early Retirement offer, many are pondering if other industries are facing the same. Below you will find links to articles that will quench your thirst.

Taking a Buyout to Leave a Job You Love   Source: www.usnews.com

NYSE Offers Retirement to 450 US Workers, CEO Says   Source: www.bloomberg.com

St. Petersburg TimesTo Trim Staff   Source: www.theweeklychallenger.com

Continental to cut 3000 jobs, slash domestic flights   Source: www.tradingmarkets.com

Buyouts taken by 300 at GM Wentzville   Source: stcharlesjournal.stltoday.com

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Postal Technology

Connected: Postal Service technology can be helpful

"...the Postal Service has recently installed imaging equipment specifically to expedite the return of undeliverable checks -- and there was a picture of my check near the bottom of the page!..."    

Source: www.post-gazette.com

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A Look Back to June 8, 1959: Missile Mail

While the Post Office Department had no official mail rocket program, unofficial mail rocket launchings made occasional headlines

"...the postal service and defense department cooperated in an experiment using missiles to carry mail in 1959. On June 8 of that year, a missile carrying 3,000 letters was fired from Navy submarine U.S.S. Barbero to a Naval station at Mayport, Florida, one hundred miles away. On hand for the service was Postmaster General Arthur E. Summerfield, who boasted that missiles would be able to speed mail across the U.S. and oversees. Among the pieces of mail carried was a letter from President Dwight D. Eisenhower..."    

Source: www.postalmuseum.si.edu

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Saturday mail delivery

Langford, to save fuel, urges an end to Saturday mail delivery

"...Langford last week announced a four-day work week for 4,000 Birmingham city employees, effective July 1. That plan received national and international attention. Langford was featured on Fox News Channel and ABC World News Tonight in stories detailing how the nation is coping with near $4 a gallon gas prices..."    

Source: al.com

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U.S.P.S. earned its second consecutive Certificate of Excellence award

An Exceptional Encore

"...The U.S. Postal Service’s (USPS) international mail facility in Chicago has earned its second consecutive Certificate of Excellence award from an international organization dedicated to improving global postal services..."    

Source: www.usps.com

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Post Office: Mooresville, AL 35649

Mooresville Alabama Post Office

"...Oldest Post Office in Alabama still in the original building, circa 1840..."    

Source: www.postmarks.org

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Post Office: Hinsdale, NH 03451

* Hinsdale NH Post Office Claims to be the Oldest Continuously Operating PO in America-1816.

"...Around the turn of the century, the post office was robbed twice. Thieves blew up the safe both times, destroying valuable records. That's the reason to this day, no one knows who was Hinsdale's postmaster for a 19 year period. (1826-1845) Prior to 1905 people had to come to the post office to pick up mail that was put in "call" boxes. Then, in that year, a rural route was started..."    

Source: www.associatedcontent.com

Further Information:
Source: http://www.usps.com/communications/newsroom/postalfacts.htm
* Oldest Post Office is in Castine, ME. This office has been in continuous operation since 1814.
* Second Oldest Post Office is in Hinsdale, NH. This office has been in the same building since 1816.

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Rhinebeck Post Office

Post office forever linked to FDR

"...There is a great deal of history here with regard to President Roosevelt, who was very involved in the creation of our post office building," said Barton, a 42-year employee of the U.S. Postal Service who has been with the Rhinebeck Post Office since 1995...."    

Source: www.dailyfreeman.com

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Cozad, NE original Pony Express Station

Cattle Towns: Cozad, Nebraska

"...Malalley Ranch became not only a trading post for Indians but also a camping place for wagon trains because there was water available and wood for repairs and fuel. Later it became known as the Willow Island station and was used as a stage and Pony Express station during the Pony Express April 1860..."    

Source: www.cattlenetwork.com

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1976 Mail Bomb Mystery

Woman searches for grandfather's killer 32 years after death

"...It was May 13, 1976. Ivend Holen was assistant postmaster in Kimball, Minnesota. He was sorting through packages when one of them exploded. Holen was killed. No one was ever arrested. The explosion remained a mystery..."    

Source: www.kare11.com

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Canada Post paid pre-retirement leave

Canada Post and Canadian Union of Postal Workers have a great benefit:

"...a regular employee who attains fifty (50) years of age and completes twenty (20) years of continuous employment or, attains sixty (60) years of age and completes five (5) years of continuous employment, shall be entitled to be paid a pre-retirement leave of one (1) week..."    

Source: www.hrsdc.gc.ca

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What is a VSIP?

VSIP is an acronym for Voluntary Separation Incentive Payment. Sometimes a VSIP is called a buyout

"...Under VSIP, agencies may pay up to $25,000, or an amount equal to the amount of severance pay an employee would be entitled to receive, whichever is less...."    

Source: postal-edaily.blogspot.com

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Post Office Hours

"...Locate a Post Office and look-up the Post Office hours at USPS.COM..."    

Source: www.usps.com

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postal codes canada

Canada Postal Code Look-Up

"...Take a look at the Canada Postal-Code Lookup with a reverse search feature..."    

Source: www.canadapost.ca

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digital postal scale

Postage Scales Buying Guide

"... Postage scales can help increase mailing efficiency by reducing overpayment on outgoing mail, saving the typical business 10% to 15% on postage..."    

Source: ebay.com

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US Postal Service Contract

U.S. Postal Service Awards Rivermine Telecom Expense Management Contract

"...Rivermine will deliver its patent-pending solutions to automate the U.S. Postal Service's existing TEM processes..."    

Source: www.earthtimes.org

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The Next Mail Handler Cost of Living Adjustment

The effective date of the next Mail Handler COLA

"...the next adjustment will be effective the second full pay period after the release of the July 2008 Index..."    

Source: AGREEMENT between National Postal Mail Handlers Union, 2006-2011

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GPS Letter Tracking

Tiny gadget delivers a letter’s route

"...The U.S. Postal Service commissioned Burlingame-based TrackingTheWorld to create the world’s first letter-tracking GPS device that will ensure letters never again are lost in the postal Bermuda Triangle. Dubbed the Letter Logger, the device stores GPS coordinates throughout its journey and stores information on its micro-SD flash memory card so the post office can keep tabs on the letter’s location...."    

Source: www.examiner.com

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CFC Raises $273 Million in 2007

Federal Employees and Military Personnel Set Fifth-Consecutive Record Tally

"...praised federal and postal employees, and members of the United States military for their generosity. "The CFC is about people helping people," Springer said of the campaign now in its 47th year. "Federal employees feel good about the work they do for America, and I do believe their attitudes about work are part and parcel of their personal desire to support organizations that do so much good in their local communities or on a national basis..."    

Source: www.opm.gov

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NALC Food Drive

Food Drive tally breaks record

"...The nation's Food Banks are now breathing easier thanks to the efforts of 1,300 Post Offices and employees thanks to the 2008 NALC Food Drive...."    

Source: yourpostalblog.blogspot.com

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APWU Testimony Kicks Off Controversy

...about the Postal Service’s obligation to provide “universal service” to all Americans seems to have stirred up a controversy.

"...The PRC has hired contractors who favor privatizing essential USPS operations, Reid testified, noting that the individuals selected have expressed hostility to fundamental elements of universal service — the postal monopoly and uniform rates...."    

Source: www.apwu.org

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A site promoting the positive side of the postal service

Your Postal Blog is a production of the U.S. Postal Service Western Area Public Affairs and Communications team..."    

Source: yourpostalblog.blogspot.com

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Does the USPS provide information on early retirement or do I have to get my information from the OPM site?

The USPS has a link for information about early retirement

"...Questions and Answers on Benefits, Pay and Leave Under Voluntary Early Retirement Authority (06/28/04)... Summary of Benefits and Leave Provisions Under Voluntary Early Retirement Authority (06/28/04) ..."    

Source: www.usps.com

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USPS Intelligent Mail® Barcode Resource Download Site

Intelligent Mail

"... The Intelligent Mail® barcode (formally known as the 4-State Customer Barcode) is the next generation of USPS® barcode technology used to sort and track letters and flats. Intelligent Mail® barcode technology, among other things, combines the capabilities of the POSTNET barcode and the Planet Code® barcode into one unique barcode..."    

Source: http://ribbs.usps.gov/

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TSP Returns for May 2008

TSP Returns for May 2008

Source: tsp.gov

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Mailers Prefer Plastic Pallets To Wooden Pallets

"...Mailers were very happy to hear one MTAC report, regarding plastic pallets. Mailers have been facing challenges posed by the wooden mail pallets the USPS has been distributing. The wooden pallets can weigh up to 60-70lbs, skewing tare weights and posing safety problems for mail handlers. The USPS announced that they have purchased and are testing a half million new plastic pallets, that are both lighter and less expensive than the older plastic pallets. Real-world testing, including some pallets implanted with GPS devices, is being conducted with these pallets right now. ..."     [<- This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 28th, 2008 at 6:58 pm]

Source: plasticcontainerblog.com

Further Information: MTAC Notes - Plastic Pallets

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Stamp Collecting: The Inverted Jenny Stamp

Extra! Extra!

"...serious stamp collectors know that one of the rarest stamps in the world is the inverted Jenny. The Jenny stamp was issued by the U.S. postal office on May 10, 1918 in which the image of the Curtiss JN-4 airplane was accidentally printed upside-down, making this postal error one of the most famous of all time...."    

Source: www.canyon-news.com

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Postal Service's dispute with Eagan, Dakota County over mail-sorting facility escalates

USPS -v- Dakota County

"...The lines of communication between the principal players in Dakota County have reached a new low, with the latest impasse forcing the cancellation of a three-way meeting that had been scheduled for May 19. "We canceled it because of our deep frustration with the Postal Service," Dakota County Commissioner Tom Egan said. Egan has been speaking with Republican Sen. Norm Coleman's office, ..."    

Source: www.twincities.com

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Voluntary Early Retirement Authority

OPM Reduction in Force Portal

"...Voluntary Early Retirement Authority (VERA) allows agencies that are undergoing substantial restructuring, reshaping, downsizing, transfer of function, or reorganization to temporarily lower the age and service requirements in order to increase the number of employees who are eligible for retirement. The authority encourages more voluntary separations and helps the agency complete the needed organizational change with minimal disruption to the work force. By offering these short term opportunities, an agency can make it possible for employees to receive an immediate annuity years before they would otherwise be eligible..."    

Tags: VERA, RIF, Early Retirement

Source: www.opm.gov

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OPM to remove RetireEZ from the web

OPM suspends contract for electronic retirement system

"...One federal source said the prime vendor for the contract and OPM have had concerns regarding aspects of the program that the vendor says are out of the scope of the contract. A former OPM employee also said there has been problems with data cleansing for the system, noting that annuity calculations have not consistently been correct as a result...."    

Source: www.govexec.com

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spouses' federal retirement benefits

New CRS reports on spouses' federal retirement benefits

"...A state court can award a former spouse a share of the employee's retirement annuity, a survivor annuity, or both. A court also can award a former spouse of a federal employee a portion of the employee's Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) account balance as part of a divorce settlement...."    

Source: lawprofessors.typepad.com

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Postal Workers Protected from Retaliation for Age-Discrimination Complaints

"...This is an important victory for postal and federal employees,” APWU President William Burrus said. “The ruling makes clear that postal workers enjoy the same protection against retaliation as employees in the private sector..."    

Source: www.apwu.org

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