"...One owner, Dr. James Frackelton (who would eventually become another member of the RIC), established his own post office there, under a little-known federal law that allows privately run posts where the government does not provide regular service. Frackelton's stamps are must-haves for collectors. The current owners are secret investors who bought the island for $4.6 million in 1998..."
"...Authorities have a person in custody in connection with the 12 packages containing suspected explosive devices sent to prominent Democrats and outspoken critics of President Trump this week, according to a law-enforcement official. The arrest was made in Miami, the official said..."
"...package found in the CNN mailroom appears to be a pipe bomb and police do not know yet if it is connected to the intercepted packages sent to Soros, Obama, or Clinton. A bomb squad was on the scene and the investigation is ongoing. Police Commissioner James O’Neill confirmed that the bomb squad removed the explosive device and that an envelope containing white powder was..."
"...The UPU treaty gives lower mailing rates to poorer countries, including China, which Trump and other critics say has let China flood the U.S. with dirt-cheap electronics and other goods, often sold online for rock-bottom prices with shipping included. About 60% of packages shipped into the U.S. come from China, the New York Times reports. That lets Chinese vendors unfairly compete with U.S. vendors..."
"...Postal Inspection Service is offering a $25,000 reward for information on the whereabouts of a pregnant mail carrier who has not been seen in two weeks. Kierra Coles, 26, was last seen Oct. 2 near her home on the south side of Chicago..."
"...The arrest came one day after Pentagon officials said two envelopes that tested positive for ricin were isolated at a Pentagon mail screening facility and sent to the FBI. The envelopes were addressed to Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and the chief of the Navy, Adm. John Richardson..."
"...at its root, the $15-an-hour minimum pay is an incentive for people to come work for Amazon -- rather than Walmart or Target -- as the retail industry gears up for the holiday shopping season amid historically low U.S. unemployment. Amazon plans to hire 100,000 temporary warehouse workers this year to help fulfill orders during the gift-giving crush, when it needs people most and when the job market offers many other opportunities..."
"...Two pieces of mail delivered to the Pentagon mail facility on Monday have initially tested positive for ricin, according to a US defense official..."
"...Wood fired a 12-gauge shotgun from near the roof of the Minneapolis Central Post Office across Hennepin Avenue and into the Federal Reserve Ban between 10 and 11:15 p.m. July 21, charges say..."
"...City mail carrier refused to be a victim Wednesday. While walking her route on Sept. 19 at 12:10 p.m. in the area of New and Rutgers avenues, a mail carrier was accosted by a woman who took from packages from her satchel and then walked away..."
"...CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - Police continue to search for a stolen United States Postal Service master key and one of the three suspects still on the run. Officials say Clarksville Montgomery county residents are still at risk of becoming victims but police are hoping someone knows where 29-year-old Katlin Paterson is hiding..."
"...The U.S. Postal Service, with more than 100,000 former military men and women on the payroll, ranks among the nation's largest employers of veterans, along with Wal-Mart and the Department of Defense. Veterans and disabled veterans collectively make up over 24 percent of the USPS workforce..."
"...Trump had issued an executive order on the night of April 12, calling for an evaluation of the USPS’s finances, after some analysts, a former Postmaster General and some news-service reports said Trump’s claim that the USPS lost $1.50 on every package it delivered for Amazon was not accurate. The due date for the task force’s report was Aug. 10. The fact that Trump has stayed “uncharacteristically quiet” on the post office since that date “suggests the recommendations were unsatisfactory to the administration..."
"...Two Federal Reserve officers say they heard three loud blasts coming near the top of the Minneapolis Central Post Office parking ramp the night of July 21. Investigators later discovered Wood, who's an employee of the post office, had..."
"...HONOLULU (KHON2) - In anticipation of the impact of Hurricane Lane, the U.S. Postal Service announced the following adjustments to its operations for Thursday, Aug. 23..."
"...Millennials get a bad rap for destroying everything from homeownership rates to fabric softener sales, but there's one important traditional industry they're enthusiastic about: the U.S. Postal Service. According to CityLab, a new USPS report (PDF) finds that..."
"...closed until further notice pending “an assessment of possible health and safety issues with the building,” according to a news release from the USPS. Details about the issues were not specified..."
"...The executive order that created the task force, which Trump signed in April, gave the group four months to deliver its recommendations. That deadline was set for Aug. 10. The task force plans to deliver the report to the White House this week, a Treasury Department spokesperson told Government Executive, and will provide the president with a briefing next week when he is expected to return from New Jersey..."
"...How is the USPS doing here in Houston? So far, 2018's been a tricky year. Houston is the third-worst area in the country for package delivery..."
"...Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O) and other retail and logistics companies said on Wednesday they had started a new group to lobby to keep the U.S. Postal Service’s (USPS) package delivery services 'reliable and affordable...presidential task force, McHugh said. With the task force’s Aug. 10 report deadline looming..."
"...Caulfield asked around and learned Gathman worked at the Elgin Post Office from 1940 to 1973. Caulfield and his wife then used Facebook to track down Gathman’s son, Bruce, who lives in South Carolina. Caulfield sent him the letter via priority mail..."
"...The investigation began when U.S. Postal inspectors and SBI agents began investigating mailings of dozens of packages from Phoenix, Arizona to the Birmingham area in December 2016, according to court documents. The investigation began after postal inspectors in Arizona contacted inspectors in Alabama about a package they had intercepted and found to contain more than three pounds of methamphetamine. The package was addressed to a Birmingham-area home...the person who mailed that package as Deron Lee Green, a former Alabama resident with family in Birmingham..."
"...A dedicated employee with 28 years of service, and close to retirement, Peggy Frank had just returned to work from medical leave...Tragedy struck Friday, her first day of work in months after suffering a broken ankle, according to family. The 63-year-old was found unresponsive in her mail delivery truck as temperatures topped more than 115 degrees"
"...Dimondstein discussed the union’s general goals for bargaining: fair compensation, safe workplaces free of harassment, job security and opportunity to enjoy secure and dignified retirements. “Our members want an end to the divisive unfair three-tier wage and benefit structure,” he said. “We want an end to the situation where new hires do not, or barely make, a living wage, and where full-time career work has been undermined..."
"...Amazon today announced a new program designed to encourage entrepreneurs to enter into an agreement with Amazon to open their own Amazon-backed delivery service. In exchange for a $10,000 investment, Amazon will provide up to 40 vans and allow drivers to wear Amazon-branded uniforms. Entrepreneurs can earn up to $300,000 annually according to Amazon..."
"...Amazon says it has to build out its own services simply to handle the surging number of online orders that UPS, FedEx and the U.S. Postal Service can’t. More than $4 of every $10 spent online in the U.S. is on Amazon.com, and the number of its deliveries topped more than a billion last year, according to analyst estimates..."
"...The Trump administration’s blueprint for reorganizing a host of federal agencies and programs, released Thursday, contains no specific projections on the impact of federal employees working in them, although if carried out the plans could result in the loss of many federal jobs and the relocation of others. The “Delivering Government Solutions in the 21st Century” document..."
"...the nation’s largest strike in decades. On Tuesday, the union announced members voted more than 90% in favor of going on strike...One proposal on the negotiating table is to create a two-tier wage system that would take part-time workers who earn $15 an hour and make them full-time at the same wage. Existing full-time drivers now earn an average of $36 an hour, or roughly $75,000 a year. The Teamsters are divided on this proposal, which makes it harder to reach a deal and avoid a strike..."
"...William Burrus served as elected National President of the American Postal Workers Union, AFL-CIO from 2001-2010. He was the first African-American to be elected president of any national union in direct balloting by the membership. Prior to his assuming the presidency, William Burrus served as APWU Executive Vice-President for 21 years, from 1980 to 2001, working alongside APWU President Moe Biller. As a top national APWU officer, Brother Burrus helped negotiate substantial gains for the members with improved wages, and benefits, rightfully earning his reputation as a skilled negotiator and powerful advocate for postal workers..."
"...front lobby and postal box area of the post office remain closed as agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) continue to..."
"...The Executive Order calls for a full report within 120 days to provide a “thorough evaluation of the operations and finance” of the USPS to include:
"...A retiree may have to pay another $1,600 or more per year in Medicare premiums, according to Thissen. “A Postal Service Medicare eligible annuitant subject to this section may not continue coverage under the Postal Service Health Benefits Program unless the Postal Service Medicare eligible annuitant enrolls in Medicare part A, Medicare part B and Medicare part D,” the bill said..."
"...The United States Postal Service (USPS) had filed a patent last September for a system with public and private keys and a “block chain [sic] component” for authenticating user information, according to a patent filing released yesterday, March 22, by the US Patent and Trademark Office. The patent, titled “Methods and Systems for a Digital Trust Architecture..."
"...A package bomb blew up at a FedEx Corp distribution center near San Antonio on Tuesday, officials said, and the FBI was investigating whether it was linked to a series of four homemade bombs that hit the Texas capital of Austin this month..."
"...Authorities say they've arrested the man who sent an envelope of white powder to the Manhattan apartment of Donald Trump Jr. and his wife Vanessa last month. Federal prosecutors in Boston said Thursday morning the 24-year-old man, Daniel Frisiello, mailed five envelopes filled with powder to..."
"...Postal workers voiced their concerns at Wednesday night's meeting. Postal worker and Huntsville resident Ray Dunavant said if the measure passes, Huntsville will lose its historic postmark; something that Dunavant says is an emblem of a community.
Dunavant also worried about medications being sent without an overnight delivery option.
"Basically it will be slowed where you will not have your next day delivery for first class mail in particular. This again, will have an impact on medication as far as diabetics...where mail is delivered in cool packs. Medication may end up melting and the medication may not end up being good," said Dunavant.
The Postal Service will ..."
"...at least 11 people fell ill because of a letter containing suspicious material. Five people reportedly suffered nose bleeds and burning sensations said to have been caused by an unidentified substance..."
"...A U.S. Postal Service worker was found fatally shot inside a mail truck along a busy highway in Dallas on Monday, and investigators are treating the case as a homicide, according to police. Officers found the worker’s body inside the government..."
"...This COLA increase is based on the upward change in the relevant Consumer Price Index (CPI) following release of the January 2018 Index, and provides an annual increase of $520 for all Steps in..."
"...Vanessa Trump, daughter-in-law to US President Donald Trump called 911 on Monday morning (NZT Tuesday) after opening a letter addressed to her husband, at their midtown Manhattan apartment. Police say she said she was coughing and felt nauseous afterwards..."
"...Authorities say a man and a woman took a personal vehicle belonging to a mail carrier, who was delivering mail at the apartment complex at the time of the theft..."
"...AP reporters found multiple sellers willing to ship carfentanil – an opioid used as an elephant tranquilizer that is so potent it has been considered a chemical weapon. The sellers also offered advice on how to evade screening by U.S. authorities..."
"...Through wiretapping, DEA agents say they listened to calls and read texts between Garcia and Cruz where they arranged for deliveries. Cruz lives in Worcester, and neighbors say they are shocked to hear the quiet postal worker was involved in such an elaborate scheme. "I knew he was a postal worker..."
"...suspicion of trafficking methamphetamine on their mail routes. Lake County Sheriff Don Bell says 62-year-old..."
"...took mail from his rural postal route in Louisiana to his home in Pitkin, where from Dec. 1, 2016 to May 1, 2017, he burned at least 20 tubs of mail..."
"...According to charging documents filed with the Circuit Court in Riverton, the United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) International Mail Facility at LAX Airport in Los Angeles, California intercepted a mail parcel declared as “beauty products” on December 23, 2017. A “more intrusive examination” was then performed and resulted in the discovery of bottles marked as Proviron, Dianabol, and 16 vials marked as Tren-Mix 200. All items are known to be Anabolic Steroids..."
The Postal Service is making a Voluntary Retirement Offer to eligible mail handler and clerk employees. However, much to the chagrin of workers, there are no incentives to entice employees to make a move in that direction. This has left employees questioning the move as they see their federal employee brothers and sisters last year being approved by congress for a pilot program that increased Voluntary Separation Incentive Pay (VSIP) for DoD civilian workers to $40,000 for one year. The typical VSIP is maxed out at $25,000. However the Postal Service has consistently offered much less in their last three offers and now an offer of no incentive.
The current USPS offer begins Jan. 8. There will be three (3) effective dates in which eligible employees may choose in the Vonluntary Early Retirement offer. Those dates are: Jan. 31, Feb. 28 and March 31. Eligible employees should receive letters making the offer soon. To read more on the offer go to the following URL: https://link.usps.com/2018/01/04/voluntary-early-retirements/
The Voluntary Early Retirement offer with no incentive leaves one to question the intent of an offer that will most likely only derive a very small number of takers. Some may question whether this is simply an offer that is made to satisfy union obligations to reduce numbers with the least disruption to employees in the event of more consolidations/closures should something like that take place in the future. However, it is highly unlikely a no-incentivized offer would satisfy any union requirements with an offer that would seem unrealistic in generating much movement out the door. If you would like to follow the conversation or join the conversation, Federal Soup offers a great forum for doing so at: https://forum.federalsoup.com/default.aspx?g=posts&t=79888
"...At the time, pay raises for postal workers were almost unheard of: After 21 years on the job, noted The New York Times, a letter carrier would only earn $2,266 more than their starting salary. Though unionized, postal workers were forbidden from negotiating for pay raises due to cost of living. There was no chance to earn overtime, and many workers had to find a second job to make ends meet..."
"...Amazon regularly uses the Postal Service to complete what’s called the “last mile” of delivery, with letter carriers dropping off packages at some 150 million residences and businesses daily. It has a network of more than 20 “sort centers” where customer packages are sorted by zip code, stacked on pallets and delivered to post offices for the final leg of delivery. While full details of the agreement between Amazon and the Postal Service are unknown -- the mail service is independently operated and strikes confidential deals with retailers..."
"...UPS had to supplement those workers this year by calling in employees from various desk jobs with little notice. Some are delivering packages using their personal vehicles. A shift to online shopping coupled with a tight market for seasonal workers left gaps in manpower across the delivery network..."
"...Police say a naked United States Postal Service employee shot a supervisor to death early Saturday morning at a post office before attacking and killing another supervisor at her home..."
"...Shipping giant UPS announced this morning that it has pre-ordered 125 all-electric Tesla Semi trucks. The order is the largest yet for the truck, trumping last week’s order of 100 vehicles from PepsiCo. It adds to a growing list of big-name companies who have signed on for the truck..."
"...Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) acknowledged that the Republican drive to cut taxes for the wealthy is the prelude to a larger attack on Social Security and Medicare. On Wednesday, he told a group of lobbyists that hiking the deficit with the GOP tax bill is the first step in dismantling the programs. Responding to a question from Politico interviewers about how to address the federal deficit, he replied, “We have to do two things. We have to generate economic growth which generates revenue, while reducing spending. That will mean instituting structural changes to Social Security and Medicare for the future...Sen. Rubio may have just told a secret that he was not supposed to spill,” said Joseph Peters, Jr., Secretary-Treasurer of the Alliance. “The GOP strategy of increasing the debt and then saying we need to cut Social Security and Medicare usually flies under the radar..."
"...United States Postal Services worker died after being shot in the head Monday night, Channel 2 Action News reported. The shooting occurred outside a post office..."
"...Specifically, Amazon officials have told several food brands that the USPS had delivered an unreliable experience to customers with too many late or missed deliveries, according to people familiar with the discussions. With no other good delivery options for fresh food in these areas, Amazon decided to shut down the service..."
"...almost impossible not to be amazed at how cheaply China-based merchants are selling products for: xlr cables for $.99, a necklace for $.78, 10 watch batteries for $.78 -- all with postage included. Perhaps you may feel a little suspicious or even a touch indignant about these low prices, as you know that ..."
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| NLRB charge |
"...Each year, Veterans' Day is celebrated on Nov. 11. For 2017, the holiday falls on a Saturday. There has been some confusion about when the Postal Service will observe the holiday because it has a six “business” day week. For clarification, USPS Retail and Delivery will be closed on Saturday, November 11, 2017. It will be business as usual on Friday, November 10, 2017...UPDATE: Veterans’ Day is not one of the negotiated holidays PSEs receive pay for..."
"...The nearly two-thirds of enrollees covered by a Blue Cross/Blue Shield plan will pay $7.17 more per biweekly pay period next year than last year for self-only coverage; $17.04 more for self plus one other person and $17.72 for self and family coverage..."
"...elimination of supplemental payments to employees who retire before age 62; A switch to a defined contribution pension plan for new federal employees; reduce the G fund’s rate of return..."
"...The family of mail carrier Ed McDaniel, who was shot in West Charlotte on August 31st while just doing his job..."
"...In accordance with the 2015-2018 Collective Bargaining Agreement, career employees represented by the APWU will receive a 13 cents per hour cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) effective September 2. The increase is the result of an increase in the Consumer Price Index (CPI-W). The increase will appear in paychecks dated September 22, 2017 (Pay Period 19-2017), and will total $270.00 per year..."
"...A two-cent cut in the price of a first-class stamp, which cut Postal Service revenue by $500 million in the last three months and $1.5 billion in the first nine months of its current fiscal year, put USPS back in the red so far this fiscal year, a top postal union leader says. Had the cut not slid through, due to inaction by postal management last year, the service would have earned almost $1.4 billion through the first three quarters of the year, rather than losing $55 million in that time, adds National Association of Letter Carriers (link is external) President Fredric Rolando..."
"...To enhance FDA's ability to detect opioid analgesics illegally entering the country via the mail, the agency is deploying roughly three dozen employees to international mail facilities run by the U.S. Postal Service, according to FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb's recent internal remarks..."
"...As anticipated, the 2018 House Budget is in the same mold as the White House budget – it punishes workers and the working-class, while giving big payouts to the rich. The resolution instructs the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee (which has jurisdiction over the Postal Service and postal/federal employee annuity benefits) to cut $32 billion in the programs and agencies they oversee during ten years. Like the White House proposal, the House budget recommends big pay cuts to postal workers through increased Federal Employee Retirement System pension contributions and eliminating the special retirement supplement (which helps federal retirees who retire before they are eligible for Social Security benefits). These two proposals alone will take thousands of dollars out of the pockets of postal workers and retirees. Even more egregious, the House plan calls for replacing guaranteed pension benefits..."
"...Postal Service has stopped delivering mail to a neighborhood in Glassell Park once considered among the most dangerous in Los Angeles after a carrier was nearly shot there last month, a USPS official said. “Our primary goal is to ensure the safety of our employees..."
"...New Orleans detectives have recovered a U.S. Postal Service truck and five other stolen vehicles at a "chop shop" where thieves disassemble stolen cars for parts..."
"...United Parcel Service Inc. plans to freeze pension plans for thousands of nonunion employees in an attempt to help a retirement fund that’s straining under a $10 billion deficit. The package delivery service is expected to announce measures to corral the rising pension obligations to its workforce Wednesday, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing people people familiar with the matter..."
"...Sources tell ABC7 News at least three people were shot at the facility and have multiple victims have been transported to the hospital. San Francisco police are advising residents in the area to shelter in place..."
"...The U.S. Postal Service automatically deleted customer complaints on social media just before Christmas, according to a recent audit. A report released last week by the inspector general found the Postal Service has poor management of its accounts on Facebook and Twitter..."
"...A reoccurring mantra is shared again and again from federal employees, “I don’t know what to do or where to go to find the answers I need.” What training they do receive seems to come late ..."
"...Residents can participate by leaving a bag of nonperishable food next to their mail boxes before delivery on May 13. Letter carriers will collect the food and volunteers will sort, pack and deliver the donations to the food bank’s main warehouse...."
"...The sketch of one of two armed robbers who targeted a postal worker in Fort Lauderdale was released Wednesday.
U.S. Postal Inspection Service officials are offering a reward of up to $25,000 for information leading to an arrest of the two suspects...."
"...The U.S. Postal Service is retrofitting its boxes with slots instead of pull-down "snorkels" in an attempt to thwart folks who "fish" for cash or checks in the mail..."
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Houser Post Office: Mail on the Farm |
," and features a goat postal carrier who delivers mail to the other farm animals.
"The book was inspired by the Chicken and Egg Festival..."
"...The 2017 APWU Deaf/Hard of Hearing Conference will be held in Washington, DC at Kellogg Conference Center at Gallaudet University on May 2, 2017. This one-day conference will address the unique problems and concerns in the workplace, union, and society that deaf and hard of hearing members face. The goal is to open doors for better communication, better representation, better training, a better workplace, a better union, and building friendship...."
"...modified contract is expected to generate revenue of approximately $1.5 billion per year for Fedex express * Says contract modification extends agreement through September 29, 2024..."
The newly proposed postal reform bill, known as 'H.R.756 - Postal Service Reform Act of 2017' has many different aims and goals, one of them being the radical change to the healthcare options for postal workers and the apparent removal of a postal workers opportunity to participate in a multitude of plans in the federal healthcare insurance options. It appears the reform bill will force employees into postal employee only plans or plan. Of course, we know very little on this attempt by the Postal Service to develop their own plan and then, upon retirement, place retirees in a medicare plan. What does all of this mean to the postal worker and retiree? Will out-of-pocket expenses for the postal worker/retiree radically rise over time? We know that medicare forces people to pay larger fees in many circumstances. We feel this will drastically reduce competition and increase prices due to fewer healthcare options for postal workers as well as opening the door to future changes to health care plans for for federal workers. The reform plan will force postal workers to enroll in a postal plan. That scares us. Do you think this plan will help postal workers and retirees get better and less expensive care with good coverage or do you think the goal is to place more expense on the worker/retiree in an effort to lower agency costs? You can look at it as similar to the changes that took workers/retirees out of CSRS and then placing them in FERS. If you think that was a good change, you may like it. However, you may see it as a big problem for the working class in the end. Our bet is that the plan helps corporate America more than the worker.
"...Buffett revealed that he has bought $12 billion of stock for his company Berkshire Hathaway Inc since the Republican Donald Trump beat Democrat Hillary Clinton in the Nov. 8 U.S. presidential election..."
"...Beware of putting your mail in the U.S. Postal Service blue boxes. Even though the collection boxes are on federal property and breaking into them is a federal crime, that hasn't stopped the thieves. I've heard from a few people including Inez, Dennis, and Shirley in Colorado Springs. They were forced to change their bank accounts, cancel credit cards, and contact merchants to have late payments forgiven..."
"...Allen Kane had zero experience in museum administration when he became director of the National Postal Museum in 2002. He wasn’t a stamp collector, either. But Kane knew the U.S. Postal Service, having spent 30 years working there..."
Postal Newsgroup: As a postal worker you are representative of skilled blue collar union jobs in America. Why are your wages rapidly losing ground to average wages while you work for an organization who leads in the U.S. parcel delivery market? We don't have the answers but these are the questions that should be pointed at your management team as well as your unions. The following article details the status of jobs and wages in the U.S., but does the data accurately report the stats of the average worker. Something must be lost in the details ...or is it computer GIGO theory? Garbage In, Garbage Out.
"...Check out the official NORAD Santa Tracker to see the countdown clock, play games, track Santa and more..."
"...After the carrier complied and handed them some rubber bands the suspects jumped him, punching and kicking him onto the ground. They then pistol whipped him with a handgun and stole his mail satchel, shoes, phone and wallet, which had $10 inside, Wagner said. The mail carrier suffered a cut to his right eye..."
"...The Postal Service commissioned 97 studies between 2009 and 2015 that were supposed to improve operations, yet the agency doesn’t have a system to track the studies, so there is no way for the OIG to determine how effective the reports were. The Postal Service could not even find 30 of the 97 studies when the OIG asked to see them..."
"...Special agents with the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General (USPS OIG) responded to this issue as soon as it was brought to our attention,”/' said Scott Balfour, a spokesman for the U.S. Postal Investigation Service in an emailed statement. 'The individual in the photographs was identified and will be dealt with appropriately by postal management after a thorough review of all the facts.'..."
"...Ensuring those serving in the nation's armed forces and diplomatic service receive their presents, care packages and cards in time for the holidays is a priority for the U.S. Postal Service and for friends and family members of military and diplomatic personnel serving their country around the world...."
"...Delayed mail processing increased nationwide by 51 percent compared to the same period in 2014, while two-day and three-day first-class mail weekly scores declined by as much as 7 percent and 34 percent, respectively. What’s more, management could firmly demonstrate that it achieved only 10 percent of the annual savings of over $805 million it had projected from making those changes...."
"...During Holidays and other times throughout the year, the USPS is extremely busy processing packages and mail. To help keep up with the flow of mail, the USPS often hires part-time, non-exempt employees to help with the rush and keep a backlog down. It was discovered that one of these over-flow employees in Memphis was stealing packages that contained firearms..."
"...The incomes of typical Americans rose in 2015 by 5.2 percent, the first significant boost to middle-class pay since the end of the Great Recession and the fastest increase ever recorded by the federal government, the Census Bureau reported on Tuesday..."
"...The APWU won an important arbitration case on Aug. 18, when Arbitrator Shyam Das ruled that the Postal Service violated the Collective Bargaining Agreement by notifying the union of subcontracting awards after they have been let. Arbitrator Das ordered the Postal Service to cease and desist from such violations and to comply with provisions of Article 32.2.B before renewing Highway Contract Routes (HCRs). He also instructed the USPS to convert the 110 routes that remain in service to Postal Vehicle Service (PVS)..."
"...For UPS and FedEx, Amazon's been great for business. Now it's taking business away from them..."
"...the most fragile of all parcels, children, were mailed, with appropriate postage stamps on their outer clothing. Most times the journey was short, as in the instance of an infant delivered to an address about a mile or so from home. But for longer distances, it was much cheaper to use parcel post (just a few cents) than to buy a seat on a passenger train..."
"...The United States Postal Service has filed a lawsuit against Berkeley, contending that the city passed the Civic Center Overlay ordinance just to thwart the government’s sale of the building..."
"...The acting manager of two D.C. post offices and two of his employees took bribes in exchange for illegally delivering packages of marijuana, according to an indictment filed Thursday in D.C. federal court..."
"...President Barack Obama’s deputies will insert a rule in federal regulations on Friday to prevent federal facilities from operating single-sex bathrooms..."
"...Career employees represented by the APWU will receive a one-cent per hour cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) effective Sept. 3, in accordance with the 2015-2018 Collective Bargaining Agreement. The increase is the result of a slight increase in the Consumer Price Index (CPI-W). The increase will appear in paychecks dated Sept. 23 (Pay Period 19-2016), and will total $21 per year..."
"...Excluding a change in accounting estimate recorded during the quarter, the U.S. Postal Service reported operating revenue of $16.6 billion for the third quarter of fiscal year 2016 (April 1, 2016 - June 30, 2016), an increase of $117 million, or 0.7 percent, over the same period last year ..."
"...Reece said, “The package in question has been deemed ‘suspicious’ because it appeared to be damaged and was leaking some form of liquid that burned a postal worker.”..."
"...'We have gained many positive results in these difficult times,' APWU President and lead negotiator Mark Dimondstein said. 'We, as a union, should be proud of the results. We made some real progress on most of our major goals. We gained an all-career workforce in our Maintenance and Motor Vehicle Crafts. We secured real general wage increases. We preserved our COLA and no lay-off protections. We strengthened conversion opportunities for PSEs and improved PSE wages and benefits. We strengthened job security by limiting subcontracting, particularly in relation to MVS. We achieved a temporary moratorium on new plant closings and consolidations. We laid the basis for better protecting retail services and for expanding postal services. While we were unable to stop management’s demand that employees pay a greater share of health insurance premiums, we successfully fought back the main concessionary demands of postal management-- for increased percentages of non-career employees, a new tier of lower- paid career employees, the elimination of COLA and the weakening of our no layoff protection.'..."