PostalReporter.com - Postal Workers, Postal News, Postal Information News

   

Updated: Saturday | May 19, 2012  

Follow me on Twitter

 

Site Features

Official USPS, APWU 2010-2015 Contract Now Available  -2-9-12
Postal news blog
Postal Photos
Postal News
Postal Videos
Employee Resources
Know Your Rights
Editorials
Postal Attendance
Postal Links
Postal Rates
Flat Sequencing System (FSS) Strategy
Postal Retirement
Postal Handbooks
Postal legal cases
How to Read Paystub
Veteran Rights
About

Postal Topics

USPS Statement on Market Survey Research Filed with the PRC  |

 

USPS, Postal Supervisors Fail To Reach Pay Agreement  |

MSPB Issues Decision In Postal Employees NRP Cases  |

 

USPS paid out nearly $1 Billion In Overtime During FY 2012 First Quarter

Senators Announce USPS Agreement To Delay Postal Facility Closures For 5 Months

 

OIG Audit Finds Problems with application of criteria used by USPS To Select Post Office Closures - |

 

Edmond Walker vs USPS EEO Class Survey  |

OPM Announce Changes in Life Insurance Premium for 2012 |

 

New Website Lists USPS Properties for Sale   |

 

Senators Introduce 21st Century Postal Service Act  - A bipartisan group of senators announce plans to reform and bring savings to the USPS |

Postal Workers Allowed To Campaign Against Mail Changes

 

USPS Warning to Postal Employees About Campaigning Against Mail changes   |  

 

USPS Wants to Offer Eligible Postal Workers Early Retirement?

 I’m amazed anyone would retire right now without waiting to see what comes out of Congress by November 18th, the new deadline for USPS to make its $5.5 billion payment. |

 

USPS to Implement Nationwide Clerk Excessing In November - Info indicates there will be a nationwide excessing move date of Nov. 19, 2011. USPS, APWU MOU On Non Traditional Full-Time Duty Assignments |

 

 LATEST POSTAL NEWS  

Free the Post Office!

There is nothing ideological about fixing the post office. It’s not like the debt ceiling. The Internet notwithstanding, the country still needs a viable Postal Service. What is mainly required is for Congress to get out of the way and allow it to begin truly operating like a real business. And if it can’t? If Congress can’t do this one, nonpartisan thing, then it’s worth asking whether it can do anything at all.(05/19/12) |   

Does the Issa-Ross Bill Pose a Credible Threat to the USPS?

eNAPUS Legislative and Political Bulletin - As adopted by the House Over-sight and Government Reform Committee, the postal bill threat level, in Homeland Security par-lance, is Code Yellow, meaning “elevated” risk, rather than Code Orange or Code Red. In part, the risk assessment is based upon the potential for enactment, as drafted.   (05/18/12) |   

USPS List of Post Offices To Be Upgraded under POStPlan

Postmasters above the minimum salary of the level 18 will receive a 2 percent raise   (05/18/12) |      

Postal Money Pit: 

”The cash-strapped Postal Service is spending $200 million a year renting empty buildings, including a massive, nearly empty warehouse complex in Springfield that’s costing $2.6 million a year, a FOX Undercover investigation has found.”   (05/18/12) |     

Video: State of the Postal Service: Targeted Incentives and VER Will Be Offered -- A message from PMG to all postal employees. In the video Postmaster General says, ”Targeted incentives and VER will be offered. Information now being finalized.”  (05/17/12) |     

USPS List of first 48 Facilities to be consolidated Summer-2012

USPS will begin consolidating operations this summer — mostly transferring mail processing operations from smaller to larger facilities. Beginning next week, approximately 5,000 employees will receive notifications related to consolidating and other efficiency-enhancing activities to be conducted this summer.  APWU: ‘Modified’ Consolidation Plan Is More of the Same -USPS management announced on May 17 that it would begin implementing a “modified” consolidation plan immediately, but the “new” plan  employs the same essential strategy as the old plan: Impose drastic cuts to service and the mail processing network, and eliminate tens of thousands of jobs. The only difference is that the “new” plan will take a little longer to complete. (05/17/12) |     

Florida Rural Letter Carrier Convicted of Workers Comp Fraud

Evidence presented at the two-day jury trial established that, while claiming she was physically unable to fulfill her responsibilities as a rural letter carrier with the Postal Service, Myers competed in more than 80 athletic events in Florida and Georgia.  Although she claimed that she could only handle “light duty” in her government job, Myers was competing in 5K races, 10K races, triathlons, and marathons, including the Boston Marathon, which she ran in April 2010. 05/17/12) |   

USPS Plans to consolidate 140 facilities in first phase

The first phase of activities will result in up to 140 consolidations through February of 2013. Unless the Postal Service’s circumstances change, a second and final phase of 89 consolidations currently is scheduled to begin in February 2014.  USPS Modeled Processing Network, Phase 1 List Of Facilities | Senator Lieberman: USPS Assured Us That No Mail Processing Centers Will Close This Year | Sen. Carper Reacts to PMG’s Announcement  | Senator Brown Applauds News That Toledo Mail Processing Center Will Stay Open  (05/17/12) |   

NAPS Statement on USPS Announcement Regarding EAS VERA

Postal Service’s announcement that there are no immediate plans to offer incentives or VERA to EAS employees will be received by some as a mixed message. 05/17/12) |   

USPS Announces ‘Modified Consolidation Plan’; Implementation to Begin This Summer, No Specifics Provided - The USPS notified the APWU today, May 16, that it has developed a modified network consolidation plan and, “Now that the moratorium has expired, consolidation activities will begin this summer.” However, postal managers did not provide the union with a list of which facilities would be affected and when. The information will be made available to the union on May 17, in advance of the public release, the letter says.   (05/16/12) |

USPS Release POStPlan FAQs

USPS has released Frequently asked Questions (FAQS) for HR Related POStPlan and POStPlan Questions.     (05/16/12) |

Postal Service launching digital enterprise

The U.S. Postal Service, an organization inextricably associated with the delivery of lots and lots of paper, is creating a new enterprise focused on the online sphere, Heading the group will be Paul Vogel, who has been USPS president and chief marketing/sales officer. Replacing Vogel as chief marketing/sales officer will be Coca-Cola executive Nagisa Manabe At the soft drink giant, Manabe served as vice president of new growth platforms, according to Donahoe’s memo.   (05/16/12) |

What are people — and the Post Office — for?

THE POSTPLAN is little more than a cruel joke.  It offers hope to those who thought they might lose their local post office.  In reality it is little more than an interim step towards closing 13,000 post offices, maybe more.  The fact is that the dramatic prescriptions originally offered by Mr. Donahoe could never have occurred at the rate initially announced. It would have been operationally infeasible to close offices at the rate Mr. Donahoe wanted — 15,000 in five years.  But just by threatening those closures, POStPlan looks like a reasonable alternative.It isn’t. The POSt Plan — combined with DUO (Delivery Unit Optimization to move carriers from one office to another) and other retail initiatives like the VPO (Village Post Office) — will simply provide a methodical way of degrading offices, reducing their revenue-generating potential, and starving them into oblivion. The plans will replace trained and committed career employees with low-paid, casual labor — the mantra of today’s economy. (05/15/12) |

Pennsylvania postmaster charged with theft of nearly $28,000 from post office

According to court records, Springer took $18,195 in unsupported postage meter refunds .He claimed more than $5,153 in custodial expenses without supporting documentation,  police said. .He also failed to account for $4,305 in post office box rent revenues,  He accepted those revenues, either in cash or check, and failed to account for them in his daily financial reports, records say. On Nov. 6, 2009, Springer failed to account for $150 in postage meter revenue he collected from post office customers, records say.  (05/15/12) |

Congressman Issa Having Trouble Getting GOP Support for His Postal Reform Bill - Republican leaders appear unable to muster votes for their preferred version-from House Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Darrell Issa, R-Calif.-but they are so far also unwilling to take up an alternative that the Senate passed last month with support from both parties. PR note: Maybe Issa can use the "find friends" feature on Facebook to help him out.  (05/15/12) |
Postal Supervisor Who Feigned Attack Admits Making False Statements To Postal Inspectors - Gogets staged an assault and robbery on his person while on postal property. The assault and robbery never occurred. Gogets self-inflicted a wound to his head.   (05/15/12) |

Korea memorial sculptor entitled to more money from postal service - An 87-year-old sculptor is entitled to more money from the U.S. Postal Service after it made tens of millions of dollars from using an image of his Korean War memorial on stamps and merchandise. The postal service sold 86.8 million of the stamps and licensed the image to retailers, reaping estimated revenues of $30.2 million, but failed to request Gaylord's permission for use of the image of his sculpture.   (05/14/12) |

POStPlan: Map, Charts, & More

On May 9, the Postal Service released POStPlan, its new plan for small rural post offices.  The plan will impact 13,000 post offices.  Over the coming months, the Postal Service will begin holding community meetings to discuss the options: replace the post office with a “village post office” (a postal counter in a private business), close the post office and switch to rural delivery, or keep the post office open at reduced hours — two, four, or six hours per day, depending on the office’s revenues.  Full-time careeer postmasters will be replaced by part-time workers at these part-time offices.  Details about the plan are here.   (05/14/12) |

 Calendar/ Postal Holidays:

USPS 2012 Calendar (PDF)  

 

2012 Pay Periods and Holidays

What's New/Updates

 

 

 

 

«more postal news archives»

 

05/19/12

Postal Service's next deadline: Aug. 1

To help itself, Postal Service willing to hurt old friend newspapers

Postal service’s biggest problems are business plan, management

Revised Network Rationalization: Map & user-friendly list

 

05/17/12

Former Southwest Virginia Postmaster gets prison time

Gambling mailman’s luck soured when inspectors caught him stealing mail

Sen. Collins: USPS To continue operations at Eastern Maine facility, saving 150 jobs

Mid-Hudson mail facility to stay open for now

 

05/15/12

Postal Decisions to Be Announced Thursday

Final word on processing plants - The Postal Service will announce changes to its distribution network Thursday, a representative with the agency tells NewsChannel 5.A self-imposed moratorium on potential closures within its mail processing network ended Tuesday." Prior to public release of any additional information, our top priority, as is standard operating procedure, is to ensure our employees are notified first,” said Tom Rizzo, a Postal Service spokesman.  |

 

GSA Instructs Agencies to Presort Their Mail (PDF)

How Makers, Hackers, and Entrepreneurs Can Save the USPS

Iowa among top 10 states hit by reduced post office hours

Personal data for California home care workers, recipients lost in the mail

 

05/14/12

NALC Grieves NTFT Clerks Excessed into Letter Carrier Craft

The 2011 APWU National Agreement created a new category of clerks called non-traditional full-time (NTFT) clerks. Many of these NTFT clerks have a regular schedule of fewer than 40 hours per week. Management has begun to excess some of these clerks into full-time letter carrier jobs. The NALC believes that a clerk who works fewer than 40 hours can only be excessed into another part-time regular position, not into a full-time letter carrier position. |

 

Postal Service stalls plan to close 600 urban and suburban stations

 U.S. Postal Service spokesman Richard Watkins says the agency is stalling plans to close 600 urban and suburban postal branch offices and satellite stations. Watkin’s announcement Monday follows the agency’s decision last week to halt the planned shutdown of hundreds of rural post offices, saying they can remain open with shorter hours. The stations are manned by APWU-represented employees |

 

What’s Next on Postal Reform

While the Senate has approved a postal reform bill, there is no rush in the House, as no postal reform legislation is on the schedule again this week.And since the House will be taking another 10 day break at the end of this week, no postal legislation could even reach the floor until June.Postal Service officials promised another announcement this week - it wasn't immediately clear whether there would be announcements of shut downs in mail distribution and sorting facilities nationwide. |

 

Editorial: Imperfect postal decision doesn't sit well with Montana delegation
Shame on the Postal Service for playing games with numbers. Shame on Congress for playing politics with post offices that are highly important to communities. We think that the Senate bill would do a sensible thing by getting the Postal Service out from underneath an onerous multi-billion-dollar requirement to heavily pre-pay health costs. That's not something that other federal agencies are required to do. Post Office Hour Reductions, Called a “Win-Win,” Feel More Like a Lose-Lose |

Postal Service Offering $50,000 Reward In Robbery Case

USPS Incents Commercial Mailers to Combine Mobile Marketing With Direct mail

Ex-postal carrier charged with fraudulently cashing $143,000 in disability checks

 

05/13/12

Ill worker fights postal service over toxic mail

The package, now missing, has created a mystery — and solving that mystery could be the key to saving Lill’s life. In the weeks after his exposure to the package, Lill fell devastatingly and inexplicably ill. He suffers from extreme fatigue, tremors, and liver and neurological problems consistent with toxic exposure. He has become so sick that he cannot work and now must be cared for his by mother in New York. Lill’s doctors say they have no way to treat him without knowing what chemicals were inside the package.All the while, the Postal Service has refused to investigate, stating through lawyers that the incident never occurred. But the Florida Center for Investigative Reporting, in partnership with the Investigative Reporting Program at the University of California-Berkeley, uncovered related documents and interviewed two whistleblowers who confirm what happened on Feb. 4, 2011 — showing that the Postal Service has refused to investigate not only the potential cause for the illness of an employee, but also what could have been a chemical weapon in Florida. OSHA probing former Florida postal worker's illness claims |  After Package From Yemen, Questions About Worker Illness and Government Response    |

 

POStPlan by the numbers

The plan would reduce the total number of operating hours per day at these 13,000 offices from about 100,000 hours to 57,000 — a reduction of 43,000 hours or 43%.  Over the course of a year, hours of operation would be reduced by over 11 million hours (43,000 x 260 weekdays — the plan doesn’t deal with Saturdays).The country has 32,000 post offices.  Figuring they operate eight hours a day (not all do), five days a week, the total operating hours for the USPS retail network comes to about 66 million hours.  POStPlan would thus reduce that by 11 million hours, or 16%.  |

 

Senator Schumer: The Buffalo Processing Facility Will Be Open For At least 3 Years -Today, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer announced that the Williams Street Processing Center, which would have been eligible for closure when the current post office and facility moratorium expires on May 15th, will remain open for at least three years. Throughout the postal reform debate, Schumer lobbied the Postmaster General to keep the processing facility open, in order to preserve overnight mail service in Western New York and the facility’s 700 jobs.  |

 

GOP Votes Pay Cut For Postal, Federal Workers

The House of Representatives voted for a 5 percent cut in postal and federal workers’ pay on May 10 by approving an increase in employees’ pension contributions. Republican members of the House provided all 218 votes in favor of the measure, while 183 Democrats and 16 Republicans opposed it.  |

 

Video: Postal food drive intercepted by thieves

 

05/12/12

Video: Postal big rig involved in deadly accident

Editorial: Capitol Hill, Slower Than Snail Mail
Postal workers can only wait, hope

Ohio postal workers accused of embezzling, throwing away mail

 

05/11/12

More Than 100 Members of Congress Seek Extension of Moratorium on Mail Processing Facilities -Recently the Postmaster General has said there won’t be a large number of closures as soon as the moratorium expires, but he has not agreed to extend the moratorium.But postal workers, along with many lawmakers and postal customers, are unwilling to rely on his public reassurances that closures will be handled methodically and will not be disruptive. |

 

USPS Moving Forward on Plant Consolidations–Announcement Coming May 17th Although no wholesale closures are immediately in the works, “we’ll have some consolidations in the summer, the majority after the first of the year.” Donahoe said.  |

Teens Accused of Trying to Rob Postal Worker in Detroit

 

postal news

Advertisements  

“Glenn L. Smith is a former-postal attorney specializing in representing postal employees before the MSPB & EEOC nationwide.”  Visit http://www.uspostallawyer.com

Robert R. McGill, Esquire.- Representing Postal and Federal Workers for FERS & CSRS Disability Retirement

California Federal And Postal Attorneys, MSPB, EEOC

The OWCP Attorney
Melville Johnson, PC, Aggressive Advocacy for Postal Employees
postal uniforms
FedDoctor.com

Send Info

click here - to send news, suggestions or press releases

Quick Clicks

* Website Displays Postal Employees Names, Salaries, Position, Date Hired And Work Facility

* 'LiteBlue' Extranet

* Class Action Lawsuits

* eReassign-Transfer
*
Light Duty Request

* PTF Assignment

* Job duties to assist physicians

Support PostalReporter

Amazon Shopping

Discounts

Postal News Links

* Courier, Express & Postal Observer

 

* Dead Tree Edition

* Federal Times

* PostCom
* DMNews
* Postal Bulletin
* USPS News
* Save The Post Office

USPS Info

* PS Form 3982

* Wash-Up Policy

* FMLA
*
50-mile radius rule
* Sick Leave
*
Annual Leave

* Life Insurance

* Health Benefits
*
USPS Forms
*
PS 3971
* Thrift Savings Plan

* History of a 204-b


Postal Union Resources

* APWU

* NALC

* Mail Handlers

* Rural Carriers


Postal Forums

 * Automation

* Bulk Mail Center

* City Carriers

* Clerk Craft

* Consolidations

* EEO Issues

* Injured on Duty
* Mail Handlers
* Maintenance
* Motor Vehicle

* Part-Time Reg.

* PT/FT Flexibles
* Postmasters
* Postal News
* Rural Carriers

* Supervisors
*
Veterans
*
Window Clerks

 

 Postal Reporter.com - Copyright © 2001-present -All Rights Reserved

PostalReporter.com is not affiliated with the U.S. Postal Service or any other organization. Opinions expressed in articles linked to and from this page are those of the authors. Feature are those of the authors and not PostalReporter.com. Postal Reporter provides postal news, postal resources and other postal information for Postal Workers, Postal Employees and other Postal related communities.