July 30, 2009

Postal Service to review 1,000 post offices for closure

Federal news, government operations, agency management, pay & benefits - FederalTimes.com: "The U.S. Postal Service wants to study roughly 1,000 post offices for possible closure - the latest cost-cutting step from an agency that is scrambling to deal with a projected $7 billion deficit this year and larger losses in 2010."

Postal Service Is Pressed to Restructure

Postal Service Is Pressed to Restructure - washingtonpost.com: "Lawmakers on Thursday will consider various proposals to restructure the U.S. Postal Service, just days after government auditors warned that it must quickly address its financial viability"

July 28, 2009

FedEx Ground Drivers Win Group Status in Eight States

FedEx Ground Drivers Win Group Status in Eight States (Update1) - Bloomberg.com: "FedEx Corp. must face more state class-action lawsuits by contract drivers who claim they deserve benefits because the company treats them as full-time workers by mandating their clothing, hours and prices, a judge said."

July 25, 2009

National Association of Postal Supervisors Legislative and Regulatory Updates

National Association of Postal Supervisors Legislative and Regulatory Updates: "Legislation to provide emergency financial relief to the Postal Service was introduced in the Senate on Thursday and is expected to be cleared by a Senate panel within days."

July 19, 2009

White House pressured to fix postal budget crisis

TheHill.com - White House pressured to fix postal budget crisis: "Postal workers say a congressional plan to fix the budget shortfalls at the United States Postal Service (USPS) is short sighted and have asked the White House to broker a better solution."

July 16, 2009

Postal Worker Fired For Excessive Use Of Military Leave Wins Partial Court Victory

Postal Worker Fired For Excessive Use Of Military Leave Wins Partial Court Victory: "Richard Erickson, a distribution Clerk was removed from his position at Fort Myers Processing and Distribution Center (Fort Myers, Florida). Erickson filed an MSPB appeal under Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA), asserting that he was improperly removed because of his military service and requesting that he be reinstated. The MSPB administrative judge (AJ) found that USPS violated USERRA by removing Erickson from his position but nevertheless denied him any relief. The AJ’s decision was based on the determination that Erickson subsequently waived his reemployment rights under USERRA by abandoning his civilian employment in favor of a military career."

July 15, 2009

PRC Schedules Hearings For GameFly Discrimination Complaint Against USPS

PRC Schedules Hearings For GameFly Discrimination Complaint Against USPS: "The Postal Regulatory Commission has “initiated a case to address allegations of undue discrimination and other issues raised by GameFly, Inc. (GameFly) in a formal complaint related to sending and receiving DVDs. Accepting the case will provide an opportunity for review of pertinent issues.”"

July 14, 2009

Will Postal Rates Decrease Next Year?

Dead Tree Edition: Will Postal Rates Decrease Next Year?: "The many people who spent years crafting and redrafting the postal-reform law and its accompanying regulations overlooked a key issue -- deflation"

Can This Life Ring Save the Postal Service?

Joe Davidson - Federal Diary: House Committee Passes USPS Bill - washingtonpost.com: "A House committee has thrown the U.S. Postal Service a lifeline, but it won't be substantial enough to allow the agency to fully escape the financial quicksand pulling it under."

USPS prepares for five-day delivery

USPS prepares for five-day delivery - Federal news, government operations, agency management, pay & benefits - FederalTimes.com: "The U.S. Postal Service is drafting a plan for switching to five-day mail delivery — and for overcoming strong opposition to the idea from labor unions and Congress"

July 08, 2009

Firework destroys U.S. Mail

Illinois Valley News Vol. 72 No. 17 Dated: 2009.07.08: "Just after 5 a.m. Thursday, July 2, personnel at the Cave Junction Post Office, at 104 S. Hussey Ave., phoned the Josephine County Sheriff’s Office to report smoke coming from a postal drop box."

Post offices chopping hours

Cumberland Times-News - Post offices chopping hours: "The U.S. Postal Service is chopping hours at two Allegany County branches, the latest in a series of cost-cutting measures that some fear could cause hardships, especially for the elderly.

Starting Aug. 1, branches in Cresaptown and on Virginia Avenue in Cumberland will close at noon instead of 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, according to signs posted at each branch Monday morning."

750 local postal employees sign petition to protest consolidation

750 local postal employees sign petition to protest consolidation : Oxnard : Ventura County Star: "If the decision has been made to shut down the U.S. Postal Service’s mail processing facility in Oxnard, local postal employees want the decision reversed."

Postal workers weigh in on the possibility of five-day mail delivery

Postal workers weigh in on the possibility of five-day mail delivery - Grand Rapids News - The Latest News, Blogs, Photos & Videos – MLive.com: "A retired postal worker from Arkansas wrote: 'There are problems that need to be corrected, but that should start not on the bottom but at the top. There are too many management types running around trying to be important...It is not the cost of stamps that is driving the USPS into the poor house, but the salaries of these poorly trained managers.'
He predicted five-day delivery would most likely become a reality, but added that it likely wouldn't result in mass layoffs at the post office, because of a clause in the union contract that forbids laying off any letter carrier with more than six years' experience."

July 06, 2009

Mailman? Rapist? Or Both

The South Side's Morgan Park neighborhood is just one place police fear a serial sex criminal has been at work.Their suspect dresses like someone you could trust--a postal worker.

http://www.myfoxchicago.com/dpp/news/metro/mailman_serial_sex_criminal

Postal workers picketing in front of downtown Jackson post office

Postal workers picketing in front of downtown Jackson post office - Jackson News - The Latest News, Blogs, Photos & Videos – MLive.com: "Jackson postal workers are taking part in an informational picket this morning in front of the downtown post office to warn people about potential consolidation efforts they say will result in slower mail service and the loss of about 40 jobs."

Rolando Assumes Role As New President Of Letter Carriers Union

PostalReporter.com Blog » Rolando Assumes Role As New President Of Letter Carriers Union: "Fredric V. Rolando assumed the presidency of the 300,000-member National Association of Letter Carriers (AFL-CIO) today, following the retirement of William H. Young after more than 6 1/2 years as head of the postal union."

July 03, 2009

Senior VP Galligan Ends 39-year USPS career

USPS News Link - July 2, 2009: "Bill Galligan, senior vice president of Operations since 2005, will retire at the end of this month, ending a career that began as a New Haven, CT, letter carrier in 1970"

Area cries foul over post office closings

Area cries foul over post office closings- The New Haven Register - Serving Greater New Haven, CT: "News that the U.S. Postal Service is studying five New Haven area post office branches for possible closure and consolidation was met Thursday with opposition from community leaders and residents."

Should the Post Office go to five-day mail delivery?

The idea of dropping a day, however, is nothing new. Grand Rapids Postmaster Chris Tinkham acknowledged discussion of eliminating Saturday mail delivery continues.
http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2009/07/should_the_post_office_go_to_f.html