February 9, 2010
DUE TO
WASHINGTON'S INCLEMENT WEATHER, TODAY'S MEETING AND TONIGHT'S EVENING RECEPTION SPONSORED BY THE ASSOCIATION FOR POSTAL COMMERCE
HAS BEEN CANCELLED.
The
Financial Times has reported that "Donald Brydon is hanging up his hat
as London Metal Exchange chairman in order to focus on the search for a new
chief at Royal Mail, which is losing Adam Crozier to ITV. Mr Brydon, who
became chair of the state-owned postal service at the start of last year,
has been chairman of the LME since 2003 and is also the chairman of Smiths
Group. The LME nomination committee - which includes LME chief Martin Abbott
, Catherine Claydon , Standard Bank's Jim Coupland and Michael Overlander of
Sucden - is responsible for identifying a Crozier successor."
USPS News
Link explains what the Postal Service has been doing to assist in Haiti.
In
his publication to his members, American Postal Workers Union President
William Burrus
explains "what APWU is doing to stop management from 'deliberately
destroying' the post office."
The Guardian has reported that "The national consultation that led to
the government's controversial post office closure programme was deeply
flawed and so ineffective that it was regarded by many consumers as "a
sham", a hard-hitting report will claim today. Research carried out by the
consumer champion Consumer Focus reveals that although record numbers of
people responded to the exercise, the Post Office failed to engage with them
and missed the opportunity to understand how the planned cutbacks would
destroy local communities."
The
Trinidad & Tobago Express has reported that "A new postal code system is
to be put in place to ensure the better delivery of your mail, reduce the
response time of the police and firefighters in finding your home and help
assist in land allocation at cost of almost half a million dollars. Cabinet
approved a proposal for the new system that will be based on a new postal
code model."
Legal Newsline has reported that "United Parcel Service Inc., one of the
nation's largest private shippers, is the target of a class action lawsuit
over its Air-In-Ground program. The complaint, filed in Denver, accuses the
Atlanta-based company of breach of contract, fraudulent inducement,
fraudulent nondisclosure, intentional misrepresentation, and negligent
misrepresentation, breach of implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing
and unjust enrichment. The "Air-In-Ground" program which UPS implemented in
1995 was designed to identify and sort "air" packages that could be
transported by "ground" transport and still arrive at their destination on
time."
Here is a summary of just some of the information that the
National Association of Major Mail Users
shares with its members. Do business in Canada? Then you ought to be a
member.
-
TRANSFORMING CANADA’S FOREST PRODUCTS INDUSTRY
A new study points to a promising bio-future for Canada’s
forest products industry. The Forest Products Association of Canada
(FPAC) released a comprehensive study on February 1st, that shows how
the industry can build on its world-class forest management practices
and emerge as an engine of growth in the bio-economy. The study, The
Future Bio-pathways Project, focuses on the triple bottom line: clean
energy, high employment, and economic recovery. According to Avrim
Lazar, President and CEO of FPAC, the results are clear – integrating
the production of bio-products and bio-energy into the existing industry
is a winner on all fronts. Lazar says this blueprint for change places
traditional products, especially lumber and pulp, at the heart of a new,
green business model that has the potential to make the Forest products
industry a pivotal force in Canada’s effort to become a clean energy
super power.
Learn more, click here:
http://www.fpac.ca/index.php/en/press-releases-full/391/
-
CANADA POST SPECIAL EXAMINATION REPORT RELEASED
The Financial Administration Act requires Crown corporations to undergo
a special examination of their financial and management systems and
practices at least once every ten years. NAMMU president, Kathleen Rowe,
was asked to contribute to the preliminary discussions with KPMG that
mapped out the scope and specifics of this special examination. The
basis for input was the 2008 NAMMU member survey of key issues, also
used as the basis for the Association’s brief to the Strategic Panel
review. The Special Examination report was released February 1, and key
emphasis is placed on the successful introduction of Postal
Transformation. NAMMU has a role to play in that success, as members
partner with Canada Post on the initiatives and process development
necessary to create The Modern Post. Click here to view Special
Examination Report:
http://canadapost.ca/cpo/mr/assets/pdf/aboutus/specialreport_en.pdf
-
POSTAGE SUBSIDY NOW PUBLISHERS’ SUBSIDY
The Canada Periodical Fund (CPF) provides financial assistance to the
Canadian magazine and non-daily newspaper industries so they can
continue to produce and distribute Canadian content in the face of
systemic disadvantages in the marketplace.
The fund of about $75 million essentially combines the existing
Publication Assistance Program (PAP, the postal subsidy) and the Support
for Editorial Content portion of the Canadian Magazine Fund. Both funds
are being shut down in favor of the new CPF. The CPF will be distributed
based on the number of eligible copies distributed in a year - including
newsstand copies – rather than on mailing costs as it was in PAP which
ends March 31. (see eView January 25)
Hellmail has reported that "DX Group, the UK & Ireland’s leading
independent mail, courier and secure logistics company, has entered into a
strategic agreement with Bar Select Limited. The deal will see the further
promotion of www.barselect.co.uk, the unique barrister comparison web site
which is designed for use by legal professionals."
Business Week has noted that "As analysts say rising demand for Internet
display ads will begin paying off for Google in 2010, one asks: "Is this a
$10 billion business?" Companies tend to use online display advertising to
raise awareness of a brand or product while they deploy search ads to
encourage customers to take a specific action—for instance, click on a Web
site or make a purchase. Because search ads are often cheaper and their
effectiveness easier to measure, budget-conscious advertisers flocked to
them during the recession."
The New
Nation has reported that "The condition of rural post office...is
shocking. The Postal Department has been losing its future in the district's
all upazillas following gradual deterioration of its service and for not
behaving well with those who go there for various reasons. The people have
lost their faith in the department because of the fact that the officers and
the employees appear indifferent to giving service to the clients and for
not paying heed to the complaints."
Gulf Times has reported that "the Advisory Council yesterday held its
regular session chaired by its Speaker HE Mohamed bin Mubarak al-Kholaifi.
The council reviewed the following two draft laws: 1- A draft law No. 16 of
2009 on converting General Postal Corporation (Q-Post) into a Qatari
shareholding company."
The
St. Louis Business Journal has reported that "Pitney Bowes plans to
close the Bridgeton, Mo., warehouse it operates under contract with the U.S.
Postal Service and lay off 59 workers. The closure, expected to occur by
early March, is part of the Postal Service’s larger plan to reduce costs and
consolidate operations, said Matt Broder, a Pitney Bowes spokesman. The
warehouse was used for inspecting and reconditioning postal equipment,
including the large mailbags and trays used in processing centers, Broder
said."
The
Wall Street Journal has reported that "United Parcel Service Inc. said
it plans to furlough at least 300 of its airline pilots as the world's
largest package shipper, by volume, cited a continued need for
belt-tightening amid a gradual economic recovery."
At the Postal Regulatory Commission:
The Postal Regulatory Commission has rescheduled its public forum on the
Annual Compliance Determination until 9:30-11:30 a.m. on February 17.
February 8, 2010
The
Los Angeles Times has reported that "Purchases of U.S. magazines at
newsstands and other retail outlets fell 9 percent in the second half of
2009, a slight improvement from the 12 percent year-over-year decline in the
first half of the year. Those figures released Monday by the Audit Bureau of
Circulations show how the weak economy continues to batter the magazine
industry at a time when consumers have plenty of free reading alternatives
available online."
DMM
Advisory:
PostalOne! Outage
The PostalOne!®
system has been down since 5:50 pm ET Friday February 5 and is projected to
be back up late evening on Tuesday February 9. During this outage mailers
cannot access mailing reports, balance, fees and transaction information.
Mailers cannot submit electronic mailing information or receive Full Service
feedback such as address correction information. Although the
FAST® system is operational only the online
FAST
application is available to schedule appointments. USPS acceptance
facilities are operating under contingency procedures.
Following is a summary of the procedures to be followed
for business mailings during this outage:
Special Postage
Payment Systems. Mailers that have special postage
payment system agreements (SPPS) in place will follow the contingency plans
identified in the SPPS agreement. Mailers who have an authorized
DSMS agreement may provide a mailing log by day in lieu of hardcopy postage
statements. This log must include at a minimum the elements: Job ID#,
permit number, total pieces, and total postage. The clerk needs to annotate
the date of mailing for each line item on the log.
Feel free to contact your local Business Mail
acceptance personnel or the PostalOne!
Helpdesk at 800-522-9085 with your questions/concerns.
We apologize for the inconvenience. We are committed to restoring
PostalOne! as soon as possible
and will advise you once the system is restored so you can resume your
normal mailing procedures with the Postal Service.

T he latest blog entry has
been posted today on the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector
General’s Internet site “Pushing
the Envelope.” The public, mailers,
postal employees, and other stakeholders are invited to weigh in on the
online discussions taking place. To view
the site, visit
http://blog.uspsoig.gov/.
- What Does Apple’s New iPad Mean for the Postal Service? Will
magazines and newspapers migrate to devices like the iPad? What about
catalogs? Or is the immediacy of receiving a physical paper catalog
irreplaceable? What do you think?
You can visit Office of Inspector General’s public website at:
www.uspsoig.gov. You can also follow us on Twitter at:
http://twitter.com/OIGUSPS. If you have additional
questions, please contact Communication and Work Life Director Agapi
Doulaveris at 703.248.2286.
The
Courier Post has reported that "A 550-worker postal facility here is
expected to halt operations on Saturday, according to a union leader who has
fought to keep the plant open."
At the Postal Regulatory Commission:
Postal Regulatory Commission
RULES
New Postal Products, 6108–6112 [2010–2629]
[TEXT] [PDF]
The
Canberra Times has reported that "Australia Post has refused to consider
increasing the compensation it pays when it loses customers' parcels, even
though the pay-outs have been capped at the same amount for more than 22
years. The industry watchdog asked the government-owned company late last
year to review its compensation limits, pointing out that the $50 cap for
lost ordinary mail had been unchanged since 1987. Postal Industry Ombudsman
John McMillan said that, because of inflation, the real value of the pay-out
was now less than half of the 1987 amount. But Australia Post said there was
no reason to increase the maximum compensation, partly because it usually
paid customers less than the cap anyway." See also the
Sydney Morning Herald and
ABC Online.
February 7, 2010
The Telegraph has reported that "Royal Mail delivery staff are being
equipped with a device which releases compressed air and makes a hissing
sound designed to scare off dogs."
WJTV has reported that "Prairie City residents have filed a complaint
with the Postal Regulatory Commission to get their post office reopened. A
petition in support of the rural Perkins County post office, bearing 69
signatures, was filed Wednesday. Ruby and Herman VanDenBerg, who live south
of Prairie City, were among those who signed. They say the next closest post
office is in Bison, about 17 miles away from Prairie City. The U.S. Postal
Service closed the post office in December, citing environmental issues and
furnace problems."
Attention
PostalOne!
Users: The USPS technical teams continue to recover the PostalOne
database. This process is a lengthy process and not expected to complete
until late Sunday, 2/7/2010. USPS Headquarters Business Mail Acceptance has
advised acceptance units to follow the business contingency plan for
accepting mail during a PostalOne outage.
- For mailers who have been submitting electronic documentation
(eDoc), you will required to submit hardcopy postage statements
and qualification summary reports for your mailings during the
outage.
- The hardcopy statements will be retained in the BMEU/DMU and
will be used to validate against the eDoc submitted when the system
is restored.
As a reminder, the outage is being tracked under the Priority Urgent
Remedy Case #4276011. An updated status will be provided at approximately
Noon CT on 2/7/2010.
PostalOne!
®
Customer Care Center, 6060 Primacy Pkwy,
Memphis, TN, tel: 800.522.9085
February 6, 2010
The
Courier, Express, and Postal Observer has told its readers that "Both
the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) and American Postal
Workers Union (APWU) report on their respective websites that President
Obama supports 6-day Delivery. This statement does nothing more than state
that the Obama administration plans to work with all postal stakeholders to
ensure that it remains viable over the long haul. This statement provides no
indications if President Obama's positions on postal policy are similar to
those of any stakeholder. At best all stakeholders, including the APWU, or
the NALC, can expect that they will have a seat at the table as more serious
discussions about the future of the Postal Service begin this Spring."
According to
Emirates Business 24/7, "In an industry specific report, Deloitte, a
global research and data analysing company, has revealed some very
unorthodox turns and stressed the changes that will be seen this year are
not temporary but here to stay and define the new structure of the media.
The report said: "Linear will prevail despite the proliferation of
technologies, such as digital video recorders, pay-per-view, on-demand
television, podcasts and online music services, all of which permit viewers
and listeners to opt out of the broadcasters schedule....While the future
may be defined by the technological innovations and emergence of new
platforms, but the report cautions against the imposition of new technology.
"The broadcast industry and equipment manufacturers should bear in mind that
consumers do not necessarily embrace the options given to them by advances
in technology," it said."
Business Week has reported that "Bar codes are getting hip. For decades,
retailers and manufacturers have used these patterns of black dots, lines,
and squares to encode pricing and other data onto products and supplies.
Now, bar codes are gaining currency as an easy way for cell-phone users to
view ads, coupons, and other information instantly."
According to
The Times, "Royal Mail simply cannot be trusted."
The
International News has reported that "Minister for Postal Services,
Israrullah Zehri has said that in some areas postal services are still not
satisfied due to different problems and urged the concerned officials to
review their performance to facilitate the customers....theft is endemic
within Royal Mail and that a small minority of staff are routinely opening
post that they think may yield some booty — such as brightly coloured
birthday card envelopes."
The
Danbury News Times has reported that "Pitney Bowes, the world's largest
maker of postal meters, shot up nearly 5 percent Friday after posting
fourth-quarter profit that topped analysts' estimates. The shares climbed
$1.04, or 4.5 percent, to $22.34 in New York Stock Exchange trading and
earlier increased as much as 7.9 percent, the biggest intraday percentage
gain since Feb. 6, 2009."
Attention
PostalOne!
Users: "We [USPS] have determined that
a critical disk error has occurred. This resulted in a PostalOne database
failure. We are in the process of performing a database recovery. At this
point we expect that recovery will take an extended amount of time. Sites
should follow the attached business contingency plan during the outage. Once
we have an ETA I will provide an update."
February 5, 2010
Job Opening: Job Title: Fulfillment Manager.
Department: Operations. Reports to: Vice President of Finance & Operations.
Check it out.
According to
John Buck, Vice President, Business Development, Parascript, LLC,
"lately a big red warning flag has been waving high above the Postal
industry. In a time when the industry is being affected by liberalization,
deregulation, and the opening-up of competition, growing concerns of cost
containment and improved efficiencies are heightened even more. While the
position of national posts as the sole providers of postal services is
threatened by other industries, Posts should look for opportunities that go
beyond their central activities and traditional geographical markets."
The latest issue of
the PostCom Bulletin is available online. In this issue:
-
President Barack Obama has announced his intent to nominate Paul Steven
Miller and Dennis J. Toner to the U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors.
-
According to the Courier, Express, and Postal Observer, "At a You Tube
forum, President Obama was asked, "'Mr. President, our deficit (national
debt) is higher than ever at $12 trillion. Will you consider allowing the
private sector to buy and take over the most troubled government-run
agencies such as the U.S. Postal Service?" The President's response suggests
that his administration has left him poorly prepared for questions about the
future of the Postal Service. As questions about the future of the Postal
Service will likely be on his plate over the next 9 months, it is time for
his staff to do the legwork that will have him better prepared. This post
reviews information that he needs so that he can develop the level of
understanding necessary to direct his staff in regards to future of the
Postal Service.
-
The U.S. Postal Service’s Office of Inspector General (IG) released it
findings this week on the USPS’ sustainability compliance for FY2009. The
IG’s report, Management Advisory - Sustainability: Promoting Energy and
Recycling Compliance Fiscal Year 2009, was a result of the USPS Vice
President, Sustainability, requesting the IG to review energy and recycling
compliance at the Postal Service.
-
The U.S. Postal Service continually updates it Area Mail Processing (AMP)
page on usps.com to let mailers know of any changes to its current studies.
-
Ragcontent discussed how the response provided by the USPS to the Commission
Information Request was horrifying and how Congress will truly need to “bail
out” the Postal Service from its own leadership and management.
-
Board of Governors to meet Feb 9. Co-opetition continues. Ask Obama. Nearly
20% of email campaign messages fail to deliver. Time for a parcel merger.
PRC Chair Goldway: Five-day mail delivery awaiting advisory opinion. USPS
venturing into music distribution. USPS shortens closure list to 162. UPS
turns in a good quarter. Netflix sees growth in mailed DVDs continuing for
several years.
-
Updates on postal matters published in the Federal Register.
-
An update on DMM Advisory notices issued by the U.S. Postal Service.
-
An update on business before the Postal Regulatory Commission.
-
A review of recent reports released by the U.S. Postal Service's Office of
the Inspector General.
-
A review of postal news from around the world.
-
Postal previews.
Hey! You've not been getting the weekly PostCom Bulletin--the
best postal newsletter anywhere...bar none?
Send us by email your name, company,
company title, postal and email address.
Get a chance to see what you've been missing.

The PostCom Bulletin is distributed via
NetGram
"The
iPad: A Natural Fit for Digital Magazines." According to
Publishing Executive, "For publishers, it is a special moment in time—a
chance to gain a new set of readers without abandoning the very special
realm of paginated media. Above all else, we need to take the concept of the
page where perhaps it was intended to go all along. Keeping the page format
empowers us to do what we have done for 100 years—sell advertisers our very
valuable real estate. The iPad is a natural digital magazine apparatus that
just might bring the luster and the profitability of the Internet age to the
publishing houses of the world. This, of course, doesn't at all mean that we
have to abandon the printed page, but rather that we now have an additional
pathway to monetize our franchise of content."
Here’s a WILDS event scheduled for February 18th.
http://www.shedelivers.org/index_files/events.htm Join Tina
Benavides, Vice President of American Greeting Cards and Nancy Cushman,
Print Production Manager at Crate and Barrel for a light lunch and an
interactive discussion on the subject of: “Marketing to Women – Our Core
Buyers” USPS headquarters (Room 1P410) 475 L'Enfant Plaza SW, Washington, DC
20260 February 18th -- 12:15—2:00 pm $12 for WILDS Members, $15.00 for
non-members

DMM
Advisory:
Express Mail Open
and Distribute and Priority Mail Open and Distribute Changes and Updates.
On January 29, 2010, we published a
Federal Register proposed rule
to revise standards to reflect changes and updates for Express Mail® Open
and Distribute and Priority Mail® Open and Distribute to improve
efficiencies in processing and to control costs by eliminating Label 23. We
also propose to discontinue the optional use of facsimile Tag 190,
Priority Mail Open and
Distribute-Destination Delivery Unit. Customers would be required
to use the USPS-supplied Tag 190, which is pink and easy to identify. This
change will help to ensure accurate and efficient processing of Open and
Distribute containers. We encourage mailers to comment no
later than March 1, 2010. For more details, go to Postal Explorer at
pe.usps.com, and click on
Federal Registers
Notices in the left frame.
The
APWU
President has posted a piece on "A Surprising Example of the Depth of
Deception ."
DM News has reported that "The Direct Marketing Association named Robert
Allen, former president and CEO of the Vermont Country Store, its interim
president and CEO effective February 5."
The Armenian News
Network has reported that "the Armenian government approved the draft on
making an addition to government decision No 1656-A of 30 November 2006, by
which the list of services provided by HayPost company has been expanded. In
particular, henceforth the company will carry out customs intermediary
activity."
Check out this video that gives a behind-the-scenes look at how
thousands of orders are fulfilled every day for Sprint customers. UPS
handles 85% of direct-to-consumer orders in U.S. after competing with 8
other companies to win the business.
The
Cumberland Times-News has reported that "Area residents in need of
postal services may find a convenient solution close at hand as PharmaCare
West on Greene Street becomes a contract postal unit. A CPU provides all the
services of a traditional post office aside from money orders and post
office box rentals. “Everything else from a change of address card to
registered mail can be done through us,” said PharmaCare public relations
representative Jennifer Hare. “You can do all your shipping, domestic or
international, here. You can buy your stamps here and we have daily pickup a
couple times a day,” she said."
WHBF has
reported that "People in Port Byron, Illinois had one day of notice before
their one and only post office closed down. Severe roof damage and asbestos
is keeping the office from reopening and there are no plans in place to have
it fixed. In the mean time, people in town have to drive to Hampton,
Illinois to get their mail, but are not happy about it."
According to the
Altona
Echo, "The Altona post office has run out of postal boxes and Canada
Post isn't planning on adding any to the facility anytime
soon.Representatives of Canada Post met with town staff recently saying that
the present postal building has maxed out on postal boxes and that there are
numerous people waiting for a box. Altona has 2,760 boxes. They are
considering installing "super mail boxes" in newer developments or interior
mail boxes for apartment blocks. In apartment dwellings alone, this would
free up about 460 mail boxes."
The
Lac du Bonnet Leader has reported that "Canada Post is not being sold to
the private sector just yet, but the Crown corporation is in the midst of
selling the public on its view of today and its vision for the future. This
vision includes some privatization and more post office closures. In recent
months, Canada Post has been featured in news stories that paint a picture
of a post office in need of a major tune up. The corporation has been
telling anyone who will listen that volumes and revenues are down, in part,
due to the recession. According to senior management, business is difficult.
The post office faces increased competition from electronic communication
and its machines and plants need to be upgraded and repaired. Not to worry,
Canada Post says it has a plan to deal with its challenges. The problem is
it needs the federal government's support to fully succeed."
Macauhub has
reported that "Portuguese postal company CTT-Correios de Portugal is due to
start operating in Mozambique before the end of the first half of this year,
the chairman of the group, Estanislau Costa said Wednesday in Porto,
Portugal. Costa said that “adaptation work for the shops we are going to
open in Mozambique,” was underway as well as “choosing the teams that will
prepare the information systems for the company’s launch.” The company was
officially set up in November of last year. “We signed the contract in
November last for the Correio de Moçambique company, which is 50 percent
owned by us and 50 percent by the Mozambican national postal company,” said
Costa on the sidelines of the signing of a cooperation protocol with the
Portuguese Business Association, AEP."
Balkans.com Business News has reported that "State-owned PTT Srbija
(Serbian Postal, Telegraph and Telephone Service) posted revenue of 3.9
billion dinars (39 million euros) in 2009, up 1.2 billion dinars (12 million
euros)."
Post & Parcel has reported that "CTT Correios of Portugal has been
ranked first in the Climate Responsibility: ACGE Index carried out by the
Euronatura Environmental Law and Sustainable Development Centre."
The
Express and Star has reported that "Trading Standards officers in
Staffordshire are supporting a nationwide campaign which aims to help end
the scourge of mass marketed scam mailings in the UK."
WJAC-TV has
reported that "Reduced hours at a Cambria County post office is causing a
big inconvenience for some residents. The U.S. Post Office in Wilmore cut
its hours from 24 hours a day to 8 hours."
The
Chicago Herald has
reported that "U.S. Postal Service officials announced this week over union
objections that plans to move certain operations from Palatine to Carol
Stream - and reassign 130 employees - are moving forward. Beginning in
April, some mail processing operations that currently take place at the
Palatine Processing and Distribution Center on Northwest Highway will be
relocated to a similar facility in Carol Stream."
Online Media Daily has reported that "Email service provider ExactTarget
released a study this week showing marketers plan to boost spending in
email, social media and other non-traditional outreach channels this year.
Advisory firm Econsultancy conducted the research along with the
Indianapolis-based ESP. The study of 1,000-plus marketers shows 54% of
marketers said they will boost budgets for email marketing, and about 66% in
social media (even though about 80% of those acknowledged the difficulty in
tracking ROI in the medium). Delving deeper in social media, the research
showed the medium is the "fastest growing digital marketing channel." That
includes venues from Facebook pages to blogs. More than 70% are boosting
spending on so-called "off-site" social media offerings such as Facebook and
Twitter, and about 65% in "on-site" areas such as "blogs or ratings and
reviews." [EdNote: Yup, and in about five years, mail will be
considered the LEAST INSTRUSIVE of all advertising media.]
Media Daily News has reported that "Newspaper Web sites have attracted a
substantial online audience, but face some major obstacles to monetizing
their readership with advertising, according to several new studies.
However, online publishers and advertisers outside the newspaper business
must also confront the same issues."
The
National Association of Letter Carriers
has noted that "President
Obama’s fiscal 2011 budget proposal requires the continuation of six-day
delivery by the Postal Service. The administration also promises to work
with postal unions and other stakeholders to keep the Postal Service strong
for years to come. In setting the amount for “revenue forgone” to cover the
costs of free and reduced rate mail, the spending plan says payments will be
made “provided that 6-day delivery and rural delivery of mail shall continue
at not less than the 1983 level....” Looking to the future, the proposal,
submitted to Congress on February 1, states, “The Administration will work
with the Postal Service, its employee unions, the Congress, and other
stakeholders to make sure the Postal Service (remains) a pillar of the
American economy and a vital public resource through the current crisis and
over the long haul.”
From
PRWeb: "Valassis, one of the nation’s leading media and marketing
services companies, announced today the display of a new call-to-action
poster in 33,000 post offices across the country. The poster asks the public
to get involved in the search for missing children – a cause featured across
its RedPlum™ portfolio. RedPlum is the consumer brand of Valassis. Posters
in USPS Lobbies Send Message That Missing Children Aren’t Always Hidden The
poster of a child at a birthday party with a message that missing children
aren’t always hidden will be displayed through the end of May. The poster
will be visible in United States Postal Service (USPS) lobbies nationwide to
celebrate the 25th anniversary of Valassis’ “Have You Seen Me?®” Program in
partnership with the USPS and the National Center for Missing & Exploited
Children (NCMEC) and to raise awareness for this important effort. The
posters, created by Valassis, provide a call to action for the public to
look for the “Have You Seen Me?®” photos in RedPlum products and online at
redplum.com."
ISRIA has
reported that the "Armenian postal service (Haypost) quality is due to
improve."

The Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum launches its new featured
collection “Playing to Win: American Sports & Athletes on Stamps” on its
award-winning Web site Arago at
www.postalmuseum.si.edu/ARAGOSportsOnStamps.
The United
States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit: Set for
Monday, February 8, 2010 9:30 AM Judges Tatel, Silberman and Williams
09-1032 USPS v. PRC 15 min per side.
According to
Rag Content, "Some have asked whether or not the Postal Service’s plan
to modify delivery/operations is for operational necessity or a political
ploy to get what it really wants – a new postal law or at least permanent
retiree health payment relief. Either way, the Postal Service is not meeting
its true potential as intended under the PAEA. The Postal Service was to act
more like a business, enabling to react to market conditions faster and
allow it to compete like UPS and FedEx. Yet, a REAL business would have a
short-term and long-term plan for fiscal solvency."
At the Postal Regulatory Commission:
"The
Postal Regulatory Commission will convene a public forum at 10 a.m.,
Wednesday, February 10 at Commission Headquarters, as part of Docket No.
ACR2009, to allow interested parties to comment on Postal Service plans for
achieving financial stability to enable it to provide effective universal
mail service to the Nation in 2010 and beyond. The Commission is conducting
the public forum as part of its legal responsibility to determine Postal
Service compliance with the requirements of the Postal Accountability and
Enhancement Act during the past fiscal year."
From
PRNewswire: "A series of federal lawsuits filed this week in Colorado
and California allege that United Parcel Service has been improperly
charging high air-transportation rates for next-day and two-day deliveries
that were actually sent by far-cheaper ground transportation. According to
the suits, UPS has been deliberately transporting some customers' "Next Day
Air" and "2nd Day Air" packages by ground rather than by air and billing
customers for the more expensive air shipping option. The suits assert that
UPS has even named the practice internally: the "Air-in-Ground" program."
DVIDS
has reported that "U.S. postal inspectors have arrived here to conduct
security assessments and help prepare to set up an Army post office, as well
as to assist with the restoration of mail service to the earthquake-ravaged
country. According to a U.S. Postal Service press release, this experienced
team of postal inspectors has sharpened their skills in the aftermath of
such large-scale disasters as Hurricane Katrina. Re-establishing postal
services in Haiti requires close coordination with the Department of State,
the U.S. Agency for International Development, and various components of the
Department of Defense. The process of setting up an Army post office is a
joint effort between the Department of Defense, the U.S. Postal Service, and
the liaison between the two - the Military Postal Service Agency."

The
agenda
for the February 16 - 18, 2009 of the
Mailers’ Technical Advisory Committee
(MTAC)
meeting
has been posted on this site.
February 4, 2010

From Steve Kearney, USPS MTAC co-chair: "Last July, Sam Pulcrano, VP,
Sustainability, and I began a series of outreach meetings to discuss the
concept of five-day delivery and get much-needed input from our major
stakeholders. We followed more than 30 group meetings—both in person and
through webinar technology—with a survey of MTAC membership. We shared the
results of that survey with you. Through questions and comments, MTAC
members and other customers brought to our attention an extensive list of
issues. We have shared that list with you. Sam and his core team have
worked to resolve or mitigate, to the extent practicable, the issues you and
your peers identified. Through extensive cross-functional consultation, the
team has made changes to the original concept. They will present their
updated operational plan at our upcoming meeting, February 17. Sam and the
team will then hold webinars for those in your offices not attending our
meeting. The dates and times follow. If you would like your company to have
a seat at a webinar, please send an e-mail to
Connie.Totten-Oldham@usps.gov
with the date you prefer. She will send an invitation along with
instructions for viewing the presentation and joining the conversation.
Friday, February 19, 2:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Tuesday, February 23, 2:30 - 4:30 p.m.
Wednesday, February 24, 2:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Friday, February 26, 1:30 - 3:30 p.m.
According to the
Courier, Express, and Postal Observer, "The Postal Service's
presentation of its 5-day delivery proposal appears to be on a fast track
for presentation to the Postal Regulatory Commission."
The
Barcelona Reporter has noted that "In a statement, Swiss Post said its
bid for Spain is one of the objectives of its strategy for growth in key
international markets. The Swiss company has purchased ABC Mail and Mail
Partners, companies controlled by the group Dutchman Mail and ABC. The
templates of the two companies will be integrated into International
Swisspot. The operation is part of the strategy of international expansion
of Swiss Post and its goal of becoming the first private operator in Spain,
positioning itself in the postal sector which will be opened in 2011."
The
Evening Telegraph has reported that "postal workers are today delivering
a huge backlog of mail following an hour long power cut which brought chaos
to Peterborough's main sorting depot. Homes and businesses across the city
were without post yesterday (3 February) after the blackout had left Royal
Mail staff unable to sort out hundreds of items of mail overnight ready for
the morning deliveries."

The following reports
have been posted on the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General
website (http://www.uspsoig.gov/). If
you have additional questions concerning
a
report, please contact Agapi Doulaveris
at 703.248.2286.
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