Tuesday, November 6, 2012

"Place Stamp Here" Cause Voting Postage Issue

U.S. Postal Service Considering Billing Board Of Election For Absentee Ballot Postage Confusion

"...The ballot turned out to be heavier than the board originally thought, and the postage required on them increased to 65 cents. Instead of noting on the envelop how many stamps are required, it just reads “Place stamp here.”..."    

This Article is From: www.10tv.com Read our latest posts! .

Postmaster General denies request to "cease this practice" of delivering postage-short ballots

In Oregon secretary of state's race, Brown and Buehler continue to spar over ballot postage issue

"...The issue arose in the last few days following the release of an Oct. 31 letter that Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe sent to Trout saying he was denying Trout's request to "cease this practice" of delivering postage-short ballots. ..."    

This Article is From: www.oregonlive.com Read our latest posts! .

Monday, November 5, 2012

Springfield, Oregon mail processing facility rallies for survival

Protesters rally to save postal facility

"...The plant has already scaled back their operations and are closed on Saturdays. The US Postal Service said that it plans to close the plant on April 14th, 2014; the day before tax day. The Post Office portion of the location would remain open...."    

This Article is From: www.kval.com Read our latest posts! .

Sunday, November 4, 2012

Improvements at poor performing postal facility

12 INVESTIGATES: Improvements at USPS Sandston plant

"...major problems with mail delivery in Central Virginia. Packages, bills, letters and magazines sitting at the Sandston Distribution Center, untouched and delivered weeks late. ..."    

This Article is From: www.nbc12.com Read our latest posts! .

Hurricane Sandy disrupts postal delivery

Sandy Swamps Post Office and Other Shippers

"..."The U.S. Postal Service is committed to the safety of its employees and the delivery of mail and packages to every address in America," Patricia Licata, a USPS senior public relations representative of told BusinessNewsDaily in a prepared statement. "We regularly deliver mail in adverse conditions and therefore, where it’s safe to do so, USPS will continue to deliver the mail in areas impacted by Hurricane Sandy. ..."    

This Article is From: www.livescience.com Read our latest posts! .

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Postal employees consider buyout

Postal workers consider buyout

"...The local eligible workers represent about 40 percent of the 395 members of the American Postal Workers Union Akron Local 120. They work at the Akron mail processing and distribution center on Wolf Ledges Parkway and at post offices, stations and branches in the Akron area...."    

This Article is From: www.ohio.com Read our latest posts! .

Birmingham, Alabama admits mail problem

Postal Service acknowledges Birmingham absentee ballot problem

"...She started asking questions and received concerning answers. USPS says mail processing equipment erroneously read the return address as the mailing address. They did not specify if the error occurred in Birmingham or in Montgomery, where the mail was post marked...."    

This Article is From: www.cbs42.com Read our latest posts! .

Monday, October 29, 2012

Postal Service doesn’t deliver to many Navajo Nation homes

TAGS: Universal Service Obligation

Democracy in 'Suspense': Why Arizona's Native Voters Are in Peril

"...Like most people living on the Navajo Nation, White uses a PO Box. The US Postal Service doesn’t deliver to homes because many of them are far off from paved highways where there are no streets—much less street names. The occurrence is so common that Arizona’s..."    

This Article is From: www.thenation.com Read our latest posts! .

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Marijuana shipped through the U.S. Postal Service

Cops arrest man after learning that candy is really marijuana

“Jolly Lolly” marijuana lollipops

"...detectives arrived to discover chocolate-flavored marijuana, hard candy containing marijuana, 640 “Jolly Lolly” marijuana lollipops and 5 pounds of regular marijuana, authorities said...."    

This Article is From: www.buffalonews.com Read our latest posts! .

Another postal property purchased

Fiber-optic data firm buys former Postal Service building in Nashua

"...In what could be considered a metaphor for changes rattling much of society, a building created to move physical pieces of mail in trucks will now be devoted to moving bits of data in fiber-optic cables...."    

This Article is From: www.nashuatelegraph.com Read our latest posts! .

Friday, October 26, 2012

Check latest updates on USPS workforce changes

Check latest updates on workforce changes

"...USPS wants to keep its employees informed and prepared during times of change. That’s why it has developed dedicated websites to keep employees and managers current...."    

This Article is From: usps.gov Read our latest posts! .

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Postal Service officer received $61,250 performance bonus last year

Postal Service, IG at odds on whether top exec’s $306K compensation package over legal limit

"...The officer, who was not named, made a total last year of $306,250 in annual salary, pension and bonus, IG auditors found in a newly released report. That would be well above the maximum pay limit of $276,840..."    

This Article is From: federaltimes.com Read our latest posts! .

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Valpak: USPS putting its own financial health at risk

US direct mail giant urges rethink on Standard Mail pricing

"...rate increase set to come into effect on 27th January, 2013, will not be high enough to cover the costs of the Standard Mail Flats service. The company said in failing to meet its costs, USPS was breaking US postal law, and putting its own financial health at risk..."    

This Article is From: postandparcel.info Read our latest posts! .

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Postal Service cheaper services will lead to FedEx gains

FedEx predicts 13% record holiday gain led by cheaper shipment services

"...Cheaper offerings such as SmartPost, where the U.S. Postal Service makes the final delivery, and ground delivery will lead FedEx’s gains..."    

This Article is From: www.washingtonpost.com Read our latest posts! .

2012 Federal Benefits Open Season

2012 Federal Benefits Open Season

"...2012 Federal Benefits Open Season -- November 12 through December 10, 2012. ..."    

This Article is From: www.opm.gov Read our latest posts! .

Monday, October 22, 2012

Sunday, October 21, 2012

Octomom thinks postal mail carrier is spying on her

Octomom: I Think My Mail Lady Is Spying on Me!

"...Octomom believes her mail lady isn't just delivering the mail ... she's delivering information about her to other people ... and Octo wants her fired for it! Octo's rep tells TMZ her security caught the mail lady..."    

This Article is From: www.tmz.com Read our latest posts! .

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Postal Service sides with APWU represented craft on AFCS-200 assignment issue

Postal Service sides with Clerks on one of the AFCS-200 assignments

"...In a letter faxed to the NPMHU office on Friday evening, September 28, 2012, the Postal Service has outlined its intent to assign one “operator position” on the new AFCS-200 to the clerical craft. The primary craft for the induction activities on the AFCS-200 will remain with the mail handler craft. ..."    

This Article is From: www.npmhu.org Read our latest posts! .

Casuals in Lieu of - a history

Casual Control
A historical perspective by Mr. William Burrus, former APWU President

"...Resolution of a remedy was achieved and thousands of employees were provided payment for the assignment of work to improperly hired casual employees. Perhaps even more important was the system that was agreed to for future hiring of casuals. Prior to the union challenge, each office was free to employ casuals without respect to the number hired in other offices so there was no internal control over compliance with the 5% limitation. As a gesture to resolve the dispute postal management offered in arbitration to implement headquarters’ control to monitor the hiring of casuals. This voluntary means of control was incorporated into the arbitration award and the union achieved a means of monitoring the use of casuals to ensure that the contractual limits were not exceeded. ..."    

This Article is From: burrusjournal.org Read our latest posts! .

PSE's now permitted as vacation reliefs in small offices

APWU, USPS Sign Agreement For Offices Without a Local Union Structure

"...negotiated the changes in the memorandum, which now permits Postal Support Employees (PSEs) from nearby offices to be utilized in small offices in order to provide vacation relief...."    

This Article is From: www.apwu.org Read our latest posts! .

Monday, October 15, 2012

Post Office reductions eroding service?

Postal cuts meant to help small towns may still hurt

"...reductions as eroding a service that many in small towns have come to rely upon. As postmaster, Rust said she spent many nights at the Buffalo Post Office because she was snowed in, or because a blizzard was on its way and she knew she wouldn’t make it in the next day from her home in Casselton...."    

This Article is From: www.grandforksherald.com Read our latest posts! .

Sunday, October 7, 2012

Retirement incentive goal is to get eligible employees to retire

USPS, postal union agree on retirement incentives

"...“Our goal was to achieve an incentive for members who are ready to end their postal careers; to ensure that no groups of employees are excluded, and to lessen the hardships of excessing for those who remain,” Cliff Guffey, the president of APWU, said in a statement. “This agreement accomplishes those objectives.” ..."    

This Article is From: thehill.com Read our latest posts! .

Monday, October 1, 2012

APWU Retirement Incentive - Buyout

APWU, USPS Negotiate Retirement Incentive

"...The APWU has negotiated a retirement incentive agreement that awards eligible full-time career employees a $15,000 payment in two installments, President Cliff Guffey has announced. The first installment will be $10,000; the second will be $5,000...."    

This Article is From: www.apwu.org Read our latest posts! .

Postal Service will not make payment mandated by Congress

U.S. Postal Service will skip out on controversial payment

"...Last Wednesday, Sept. 26, the U.S. Postal Service announced that it will not make the scheduled payment of $5.6 billion to prefund retiree health benefits, which was due Sunday, Sept. 30. The payment was mandated by Congress under a 2006 law ..."    

This Article is From: www.ballardnewstribune.com Read our latest posts! .

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Union worker losses helped achieve one billion dollar annual savings

Missed Opportunity

"...Having achieved the one billion dollar annual savings from the APWU contract and anticipated cost reductions from service standard changes and consolidations, Congress is in no hurry to travel the political minefield of five day delivery and shredding of the negotiations process. ..."    

This Article is From: burrusjournal.org Read our latest posts! .

Monday, September 24, 2012

Romney would make deeper changes to the government workforce if federal employees weren’t unionized

Romney wishes some feds weren’t unionized

"... Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney intimated that he would make deeper changes to the government workforce if federal employees weren’t unionized, during secretly taped remarks at a recent private fundraiser in Florida...."    

This Article is From: www.govexec.com Read our latest posts! .

Friday, September 21, 2012

Please stop crashing into our post offices

Floridians Urged to Stop Crashing Into Post Offices

"...The US Postal Service has asked the people of Florida to please stop crashing their cars into its post offices...."    

This Article is From: www.newser.com Read our latest posts! .

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Postal Service Retirement - Best Time to Retire

Best time to retire from USPS

"...I am a CSRS USPS employee (age 56 with 35 years’ service) thinking about retiring at the end of the year. Do the same dates hold true for postal workers as federal employees? To maximize my benefits..."    

This Article is From: federaltimes.com Read our latest posts! .

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Romney: nearly half of Americans "believe that they are victims."

Mitt Romney: No apologies, but 'victims' comment not elegantly stated

"...Romney plans no apology for stating that nearly half of Americans "believe that they are victims." Instead, he is expected to respond to questions about the statement by reinforcing the message he delivered at a hastily called news conference Monday night, in which he said Obama favors "a government-centered society" with people dependent on public support...."    

This Article is From: www.newsday.com Read our latest posts! .

Monday, September 17, 2012

Postal employee goes home with no heart

Postal worker leaves hospital without heart

"...A 64 year old postal worker went home from the hospital, without his heart. Now the world's only artificial heart is keeping him alive. Leroy Hanes is now home, all because of a portable power supply..."    

This Article is From: www.koaa.com Read our latest posts! .

Friday, September 14, 2012

Carriers: Restoration Hardware catalog a whopper to deliver

Restoration Hardware catalog a huge feat

"...The new Restoration Hardware catalog has been landing – with a thud – in mailboxes across the country, weighing in at a whopping 5 1/2 pounds...."    

This Article is From: www.news.ruralinfo.net Read our latest posts! .

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Only 2,952 Mail Handlers take small buyout incentive, while almost 20% of postmasters take larger buyout cash

3,000 mail handlers accept buyouts

"...More than 4,100 career postmasters — almost 20 percent of the total — signed up for $20,000 buyout and early retirement offers, the Postal Service said last month. Almost 3,800 had left by the end of July; another 330 are set to go by the end of September...."    

This Article is From: www.federaltimes.com Read our latest posts! .

Will congress halt damaging postal plant closures?

Congress faces continuing resolution, sequestration and postal reform

"...Amid the election-year politicking, the list of unfinished business also includes legislation to restructure the financially ailing U.S. Postal Service and a cybersecurity bill that aims to safeguard the nation's critical infrastructure...."    

This Article is From: www.federalnewsradio.com Read our latest posts! .

Friday, September 7, 2012

Opinion: Postal Service ought to be serving and negotiating with all direct mailers in a nondiscriminatory manner

Valassis' sweet deal a sour pill for everyone else

"...Suddenly — and "suddenly" is the appropriate word since the USPS' deal with Valassis was made effective immediately — newspapers, and everyone else in the direct mail business, found themselves in competition with a company that had secured a sweetheart arrangement with a government agency...."    

This Article is From: tdn.com Read our latest posts! .

Thursday, September 6, 2012

New Haven, CT MPO - Mechanical & Building Automation System Upgrade

New Haven, CT MPO - Mechanical & Building Automation System Upgrade

"...There will be a pre-proposal for this project held on September 12, 2012 beginning at 10:00 a.m. on site. Attendance is not mandatory but is strongly recommended. On-site visits may be arranged by contacting Richard Bryant, Manager, Maintenance, at (203) 782-7351. Technical inquires are to be addressed to Project Architect Evelyn Cole Smith of CME Associates, Inc. at (860) 928-7848 or USPS Project Manager Robert A. Giulietti at (860) 285-7176...."    

This Article is From: govwin.com Read our latest posts! .

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Mail Carrier dies due to heat

Missouri Mail Carrier’s Death Due to Heat

"...Watzlawick’s wife, Kay, said her husband had been feeling ill from the heat the day before he died and asked to be relieved from work early. But he told her a supervisor said no because he had been on vacation the week before when he was recovering a medical procedure on his knee. ..."    

This Article is From: stlouis.cbslocal.com Read our latest posts! .

Old postal manuals found

Postal manuals from 1940s donated to national museum

"...Buried in the corner of an unused closet for at least 35 years, the book was recently found by Clermont Postmaster Sandy Perkins, who was looking through a dust-covered box at the post office building...."    

This Article is From: www.courier-journal.com Read our latest posts! .

Sunday, September 2, 2012

Postal worker helps bust alleged oxycodone...

Postal worker helps deliver suspect to cops

"...Carl Desert, 30, was arrested Friday in the courtyard of his apartment complex, where police and the postal inspector say he identified him-- self as the occupant of the address and even signed for the package. Inside were 1,345 oxycodone pills hidden..."    

This Article is From: bostonherald.com Read our latest posts! .

Friday, August 31, 2012

Federal Duck Stamp Program

Duck stamps that boost wetlands, birds aren’t just for hunters

"Federal Duck Stamp... The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says 98 percent of proceeds from sales of the stamp are used to acquire and protect vital wetlands supports hundreds of species of migratory birds, wildlife and plants. The stamps can be purchased from the U.S. Postal Service, from some sporting goods shops and online. Since the program’s inception in 1934, Federal Duck Stamp sales have raised more than..."    

This Article is From: www.spokesman.com Read our latest posts! .

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Employment Verification Number for Postal Workers

USPS Employment Verification Number Help

"...he Postal Service Employment Verification. The following will provide you with the information needed to verify employment with the U.S. Postal Service. We are not affiliated with the U.S. Postal Service or..."    

This Article is From: Employment Verification Number Read our latest posts! .

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Early outs (VER) offered to 3,300 more postal employees

USPS offers early outs to 3,300 workers

"...With consolidation plans moving forward, the Postal Service is further trimming its workforce. To avoid lay-offs, this week the mail agency offered early outs to more than 3,300 employees who will retire Dec. 31, 2012. ..."    

This Article is From: www.federalnewsradio.com Read our latest posts! .

POStPlan implementation to begin ...welcome to the new Postal DisService

Trouble ahead: The PRC gives POStPlan a green light

"...point of interest in the advisory opinion. The PRC ran some numbers and produced a list of ten post offices it considered misclassified as Level 2 and 4 because the Postal Service had not correctly calculated the distance to the nearest post office. The Commission suggested that these post offices be reclassified as Part Time Post Offices (PTPO), open six hours a day. ..."    

This Article is From: savethepostoffice.com Read our latest posts! .

Saturday, August 25, 2012

The postal service brought radical change to American retailing

How the postal service revolutionized American retailing

"...at a time when Americans were increasingly attentive to the way high distribution costs were driving up prices, a low-cost parcel post seemed like an obvious way to make the average family better off.

The ascension of Progressive Republicans and Democrats in the 1910 congressional election sealed the deal. President William Howard Taft endorsed the parcel post, and Congress directed the Post Office to begin carrying packages as of Jan. 1, 1913...."    

This Article is From: www.post-gazette.com Read our latest posts! .

Friday, August 24, 2012

Elaborate doping program on Armstrong's Postal Service teams

US doping agency erases Lance Armstrong's titles

"...USADA, which announced its investigation in June, said its evidence came from more than a dozen witnesses "who agreed to testify and provide evidence about their firsthand experience and/or knowledge of the doping activity of those involved in the USPS conspiracy," a reference to Armstrong's former U.S. Postal Service cycling team...."    

This Article is From: www.hanfordsentinel.com Read our latest posts! .

More big mailer discounts as postal service goes broke

Postal commission OKs ‘junk mail’ discount plan

"...“NAA believes this decision is contrary to law, and will challenge it immediately and vigorously,” said NAA Chairman James Moroney, the publisher of The Dallas Morning News. The commission dismissed the newspapers’ damage estimate, saying in its order that “newspapers’ claims of harm..."    

This Article is From: www.dailyherald.com Read our latest posts! .

Thursday, August 23, 2012

Social Security can be docked for unpaid student loans

Feds Dock Social Security for Unpaid Student Loans

"...retirees are learning that defaulting on student-debt can threaten something that used to be untouchable: their Social Security benefits...."    

This Article is From: socialsecuritynewsgroup.blogspot.com Read our latest posts! .

USPS ZeroTolerance Arb Award 7-13-12

Arbitrator: Postal Service covered up misconduct by Redondo Beach supervisor

"...The U.S. Postal Service covered up years of serious misconduct by a supervisor at the Redondo Beach post office and ignored complaints made by employees there, an independent labor arbitrator has ruled. ..."    

This Article is From: www.dailybreeze.com Read our latest posts! .

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Congressman Paul Ryan and his UPS connections

What can Brown do for you? Congressman Ryan's UPS Express

"...In addition to visiting UPS headquarters on UPS’ dime, Ryan has received significant campaign contributions from the shipper. According to OpenSecrets, in 2000, UPS gave him $10,000, making it his fourth-largest contributor for the election cycle. Over the course of his career, Ryan has received over $48,000 from UPS, which puts the company in his top 20 contributors (Koch Industries is sixth, with $63,000). ..."    

This Article is From: savethepostoffice.com Read our latest posts! .

PMG should focus on growing the business, not reducing services and delivery standards

Postmaster gives direct message about mail's future
"...Donahoe’s policies should focus on growing the business side of the U.S. Postal Service instead of cost-cutting measures, expected to cost about 100,000 workers their jobs across the nation. To make matters worse, Blaisey predicted Donahoe’s drastic measures would alienate rural citizens and others who depend on the U.S. mail. ..."    
This Article is From: www.columbian.com Read our latest posts! .