November 30, 2002 -- Stars and Stripes wants to know: Exactly who is a "hero?"

November 30, 2002 -- On June 29-July 1, 2003 St.-Petersburg, Russia, will host the 6th International Forum "Postal Service Infrastructure of a Modern Society" (Pochtovaya Troika-2003) supported by the Ministry for Communications and Informatization of the Russian Federation. This year the Forum is part of the festivities celebrating the 300th anniversary of St.-Petersburg. "Pochtovaya Troika" is a traditional event for the Russian Post which embraces a conference and a specialized exhibition of postal technologies, courier services and achievements of the industry as a whole. The Forum is aimed at experience sharing and exchange of achievements by postal administrations in the sphere of development and efficient functioning of the postal service, application of up-to-date postal and information technologies in order to widen range and to improve quality of the services rendered; presentation of advanced technical developments and equipment for postal communications. For more information, contact: Tel: +7 095 1144633, +7 095 1144584, Fax: +7 095 1144570, e-mail: troika_forum@russianpost.ru

November 30, 2002 -- Looking for a schedule of upcoming postal events? Besides checking out this site, check in regularly with PostInsight.Com. It usually shows an updated listing of events on the right side of its home page.

November 30, 2002 -- Italy Online has reported that "the Government intends to extend the regime of subsidized mail rates for one year, until December 31, 2003. For this reason it has presented an amendment to the conversion bill of law decree 236 of 2002. The extension was necessary after the release of certain market developments. It has come to attention that there are no longer existing conditions to modify the current regime without that having serious implications over the whole system, particularly for publishing, a sector the government has always considered an indispensable source of wealth to the productive apparatus of the country."

November 30, 2002 -- Air Cargo World has reported that:

• The United States Postal Service is working on a range of operating improvements, including automated tracking and new security initiatives, that could restore some of the huge volume of mail that has left the commercial airlines over the last year. The initiatives come as the USPS prepares to issue new mail transport contracts in May under a new system that will replace the all-encompassing pact the USPS had with airlines with a new mix of price and service standards to mete out the mail on a lane-by-lane basis. The contract plan is part of a larger effort called Surface Air Support System to overhaul the postal transport operations. In a little more than a year, the effort has drastically changed the way mail moves in the United States and may eventually take in a range of new carriers across several modes and include USPS competitors.
• Danzas, one of the oldest active names in freight shipping, will step back from the freight forefront April 1 as cargo industry consolidation reaches a new level with the union of the far-flung businesses of Deutsche Post World Net under the single DHL name. DHL will be the guiding brand, with forwarding operations now known as DHL Freight, DHL Solutions and, most significantly, DHL Danzas Air and Ocean. It mirrors efforts made by DPWN's main competitors, FedEx Express, United Parcel Service and TNT Post Group, each of which has bought into the forwarding field and sought to sell a shippers on single-source transport service. The consolidation has wiped away some of the forwarding field's most familiar names.

November 30, 2002 -- Traffic World has reported that:

• Consumers, bogged down by the sputtering economy and the threat of war, will spend less this holiday season and transportation providers know it. Forrester Research predicts U.S. consumers will spend an average of $433 per person this holiday season, down from $463 per person last year. Online shopping also is feeling the pinch of bleak consumer confidence, with quarterly sales volumes showing a drop in the third quarter for the first time in history to $17 billion after two consecutive quarters of $20 billion in sales.
• DHL Airways may have been rubber-stamped by the Department of Transportation last May as a fit and able competitor to fly in the U.S. skies, but that isn't good enough for United Parcel Service and FedEx Corp. The two express giants have continued to hammer DHL with complaints, populating the still open file at DOT with "new" information about who or what controls DHL Airways, the lone U.S. subsidiary of DHL International, subsidiary of German postal conglomerate Deutsche Post World Net. Sen. John D. Rockefeller, D-W.Va., jumped back into the fray by echoing the plea of FedEx and UPS to appoint an administrative law judge to investigate how the department arrived at its decision.
• Airborne Express has been the transportation provider for Technicolor Cinema Distribution Services, one of two third-party logistics companies dedicated to the film industry. The other is Entertainment Transportation Specialists.

November 30, 2002 -- According to the Associated Press, "with its 'What can Brown do for you?" campaign, United Parcel Service Inc. uses its brown-garbed workers and brown trucks to remind people of its role in their lives. The ads try to show a different UPS, a one-stop problem solver that handles a range of chores for corporate customers. They're part of Michael Eskew's drive as chief executive to develop services to complement the bread-and-butter package-delivery business. Under his plan, more companies would hire UPS to serve as a distribution hub, an inventory warehouse, a high-tech repair shop, even a telephone call center for customer inquiries. 'He has clearly articulated this vision - no ifs, ands or buts about it,' said analyst Stephen Jacobs of U.S. Bancorp Piper Jaffray. 'It's an absolutely pivotal strategy for UPS.'"

November 30, 2002 -- According to the Press Republican, "The U.S. Postal Service is proposing to craft a deal with its largest first-class-mail customer to offer it discounted mailing once it reaches a certain threshold of use. That is counter to the interests of all other customers. We should all be charged equally for each piece mailed. No other customer, at this point, would be eligible for such a discount, meaning that America's biggest allowable monopoly would be given the right to offer disparate prices for favored customers. If the lower rate doesn't produce enough revenue to cover costs, other customers will eventually have to make up the difference in the form of a rate increase. The Postal Service has had numerous, well documented problems making ends meet in recent years, always to the detriment of the customers. How those customers stand to gain from sweetheart deals to the biggest mailers defies logic. The Postal Rate Commission must reject this proposition."

November 30, 2002 -- The Federal Times has reported that "the U.S. Postal Service has embarked upon two automation projects that, within five years, could save nearly $3 billion in operational costs annually and reduce its employees' workload by the equivalent of 37,500 full-time workers. One system will arrange magazines and other large, flat mail in the order it is delivered by carriers. A second system will combine flat and letter mail into a single sequenced package. If the technology, which has not yet been proven, works as hoped, the daily tasks of a letter carrier could be reduced by 20 percent."

November 30, 2002 -- According to the Washington Times, "The estimated cost of ridding the Brentwood Road mail facility of anthrax spores is rising as officials struggle to overcome technical difficulties that have delayed the cleanup. Top Stories The U.S. Postal Service originally estimated the cleanup cost between $20 million and $30 million, but officials yesterday said the final cost will be "considerably higher" because of extra preparations to ready the huge building in Northeast for chlorine dioxide fumigation."

November 30, 2002 -- The Tri-Valley Herald has reported that "throughout October 2001, the 20 students in Mary Schirer's Camarillo kindergarten class watched money grow in a five-gallon jug. Every day they would dump tiny handfuls of change into the plastic container because President Bush had asked children across the country to help needy children in Afghanistan. Schirer's school district sent off checks totaling more than $5,400. This summer, the district realized the checks were never cashed. When the post office sequestered mail after last October's anthrax scare, many checks from schools and parents didn't reach the Red Cross until spring -- long after they had expired. Since then, the Red Cross, which administers the America's Fund for Afghan Children, has mailed back more than12,000 expired checks. Because of the harsh anthrax decontamination methods used by the U.S. Postal Service, the Red Cross admits it has no idea how many checks were lost, destroyed or rendered illegible."

November 29, 2002 -- The Direct Marketing Advisory Board of the Universal Postal Union held a Market Development Workshop last week in Moscow. Participants included postal managers from different regions in Russia, representatives of Direct Marketing Agencies and other stakeholders in the country, and postal representatives from Estonia, Finland and Iran. Mr. Igor Syrtsov, recently appointed Director General of the unified Russian Post, opened the event, highlighting the importance of the workshop and evident benefit it will provide in view of on-going restructuring of the Russian Post. Oksana Kutcheriavaia, head of Marketing and Sales of the Russian International Post Office, noted that this was a very important step in the cooperation between the Post and the different Direct Marketing stakeholders in Russia, believing that the decisions made during the workshop will have a very positive effect on the strategies of the Russian Post for the sector, by paying serious attention to the requirements of this industry when carrying out the reform. For more information, consult the DMAB's full report.

November 29, 2002 -- The Waterford News Star (Ireland) has reported that "postal services in Ireland are getting back to normal with the threat of severely disrupted mail services in the runup to Christmas having finally been lifted."

November 29, 2002 -- NineMSN (Australia) has reported that "the [Australian] federal government will deregulate some of its postal services early next year but has admitted some of the work is already being carried out illegally by private contractors. The Australian newspaper reports Communications Minister Richard Alston will introduce legislation opening part of their reserved service to foreign competition early next year. Mail houses and courier companies could provide both document exchange and bulk mail services within the main cities, but most are already dealing with the big corporates in each state capital. The big courier and international mail operators with large Australian operations would also be poised to take a slice, capitalising on the business contracts they already have."

November 29, 2002 -- The San Francisco Chronicle has reported that "like hundreds of other U.S. Postal Service collection boxes around the Bay Area, blue neighborhood boxes in North Oakland have been yanked, recycled and special-delivered to mailbox heaven -- a victim of international terrorism, the changing culture and Postal Service budget problems. The exodus intensified after Sept. 11 and the ensuing fears about anthrax- laced packages. Fearing that a remote mailbox 'without a lot of eyes on it' could be attractive to terrorists, San Jose district spokesman Gus Ruiz said, officials started taking a harder look at which boxes they needed. The Postal Service's rule: If a box receives fewer than 25 pieces of mail a day, it gets a first-class ride to the recyling bin. Over the past two years, 514 mailboxes have been removed from San Jose ZIP codes."

November 29, 2002 -- India Business Insight has reported that "Blue Dart Express has entered into a sales alliance for outbound traffic with DHL. The company accounts for 38 percent of the express courier business in India."

November 29, 2002 -- BBC News has reported that "the Royal Mail is delivering more first class letters on time, but it says there is room for improvement. More than nine out of ten first class letters arrived a day after being posted between July and September, according to new figures. This was a 1% improvement on the same period last year. Second class mail performance was 98.6%. But the postal watchdog Postwatch said the figures could not disguise that a quarter of postcodes, many in densely populated urban areas, are still receiving a 'sub-standard" service.'"

November 29, 2002 -- The Kennebec Journal has reported that "conflicting letters from the United States Postal Service in Washington, D.C. have residents wondering whether or not mail boat service on Great Pond will end after next summer. The Great Pond route, featured in the Academy Award-winning movie 'On Golden Pond,' is being reviewed by Maine District postal officials who have jurisdiction over the Belgrade Lakes area operation. U.S. Sen. Susan Collins made an inquiry of Postmaster General John Potter on behalf of lake residents there are more than 100 of them who rely on the deliveries."

November 29, 2002 -- All Africa Global Media has reported that "the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST), in Cross River State has said that it is poised to sanitise the establishment and rid the system of fraudulent staff. Accordingly, it has called on members of the public to report to the appropriate quarters, workers found to be indulging in shaddy deals."

November 28, 2002 -- Reuters has reported that "Americans are increasingly skipping lines at teller windows to take care of their banking needs over the Internet, according to figures released Wednesday. The nonprofit Pew Internet and American Life Project found online banking is rapidly catching on, as an estimated 37 million Americans now pay bills and transfer funds on the Web, more than twice the number that did so two years ago. Younger Internet users were most likely to use online banking services, while those over 65 were the least likely. The practice was equally popular across racial and ethnic lines."

November 28, 2002 -- Be sure to check out the latest report on "Employment Trends in the EU Postal Sector which you can find on the PostInsight web site.

November 28, 2002 -- Computerworld has reported that "the automated package-tracking system used at WorldPort, United Parcel Service Inc.'s new $1.1 billion hub in Louisville, Ky., is speeding up the delivery of international shipments by allowing the U.S. Customs Service to process shipments by using any search query Customs officials choose. In addition, the system gives Customs officials new tools to identify and stop potentially dangerous or illegal imports, according to UPS."

November 28, 2002 -- Japan Today has reported that "the Diet enacted an amended Postal Law on Wednesday to expand the scope of damages the government has to pay when registered mail and parcels are incorrectly delivered. The amendment, which passed the House of Councillors in a vote at a plenary session in the morning after the House of Representatives endorsed it last week, will allow affected parties to seek state compensation for late and misdelivered items."

November 28, 2002 -- Datamonitor has reported that "as globalization redraws the competitive landscape for logistics providers, FedEx's recent link-up with Agere comes in part because of its extensive operations in Asia. Already highly ranked in customer satisfaction in Europe, FedEx now has to make top quality service the difference that keeps it ahead of its rivals in markets around the world. Agere Systems, a provider of integrated circuit solutions and formerly part of Lucent, has appointed FedEx Express as its partner for domestic and international express shipments. FedEx Express will use FedEx's AsiaOne network and its recently enhanced transcontinental flights."

November 28, 2002 -- Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (Germany) has reported that "the works council of Deutsche Post, Germany's postal service operator, estimates that management intends to cut more than 10,000 jobs worldwide as part of major cost reduction programme. A spokesman for the group announced yesterday that management had not yet decided how many members of staff would be affected by the cost reduction programme."

November 28, 2002 -- According to China Hand, "China Post, the country's sprawling state-owned postal service controlled by the State Postal Bureau (SPB), is losing market share of the country's lucrative express-delivery business to multinational players who are expanding their mainland operations. Foreign carriers have been investing heavily in China since 1984 when UPS started handling international express packages. Now nearly 60 overseas air companies provide cargo services in some 40 cities across the country. The reason for foreign interest is obvious. China's express-mail market is estimated at US$1.5bn a year, and has grown by an average of 20% annually over the last decade as the country's economy and international trade burgeoned. Foreign carriers have benefited most with business growing by 30% a year and many seeing record profits. Meanwhile, China Post's Express Mail Service (EMS), after growing by 20% a year in 1991-94, has watched this slow to just 2% a year."

November 28, 2002 -- SwissInfo.Com has reported that "Swiss newspapers have made much of the unions' triumphs, coming at a time of growing industrial action across much of Europe. "The Post Office caves in to the unions," wrote the 'Tribune de GenŠve', after Post Office chief Ulrich Gygi abandoned plans to merge sorting centres. The postal workers' success came just a fortnight after the Swiss Construction Workers Union (SIB) hammered out an agreement with employers over lowering the retirement age for construction workers. 'This success shows that the unions are gaining in importance. This tendency has been observed for several years,' Ewald Ackermann, spokesman for the Swiss Federation of Trade Unions (SFTU), told swissinfo. 'In Switzerland, the unions are only strong in certain sectors, like construction and public services.' But Beat Kappeler, a former trade union leader, says unions are failing to make their presence felt across all areas of the economy.

November 28, 2002 -- The Journal of Commerce has reported that:

• Bolstered by a surge in peak-season traffic and diversion of ocean freight to air because of problems at West Coast ports, air-cargo volume jumped in October, according to data released Wednesday by the Air Transport Association. Year-to-date volume is up just 2.2 percent, with a 6.6 percent gain in freight and express shipments barely offsetting a 39.9 percent plunge in mail. Mail has fallen sharply since the federal government banned small parcels passenger flights after Sept. 11. Also, the U.S. Postal Service has diverted first-class mail that used to fly on airlines to FedEx Corp. Traffic that moves on FedEx is listed as freight and express, exaggerating any increase in those categories as well as any decreases in mail.
• DHL Worldwide Express has named Mary Wood as senior vice president and chief financial officer for the Americas. Wood will oversee all of DHL's financial functions, including; accounting and reporting, financial planning and analysis, procurement and real estate, billing and collections, disbursements and internal audit. Wood reports to John Fellows, chairman and chief executive of DHL Worldwide Express Americas.

November 28, 2002 -- CNET News has reported that "Bank of America's customers are getting a crack at moving checks off the paper trail and into the digital realm, part of a trend that could end up saving banks millions of dollars. The bank announced on Wednesday that online customers in Georgia and Tennessee can view and print images of their canceled checks and deposit slips. This is a first step in a national rollout around the United States, planned for completion by March 2003, which would make the Bank of America the largest bank to provide online digital check imaging nationally. This emerging technique, known as check truncation, could help banks save millions of dollars in operating costs, according to the financial industry."

November 27, 2002 -- Eyefortransport.com has reported that :

• UPS Logistics Group has launched a new software version of Roadnet Transportation Suite. The application will allow users to enter information into a single database and share the information with the Roadnet 5000, Territory Planner and Fleetloader programs. UPS Logistics says Roadnet Transportation Suite provides the only seamless data transmission from routing to loading available today. It uses a single database for all three products, which allows for significant time saving during account maintenance.
• Effective from January 1st 2003, Deutsche Post is to take over the relocation and address registration service, ich-zieh-um.de GmbH. The firm's current majority shareholder, RWE Com GmbH & Co OHG, is selling all the shares it acquired in August 2001 to Deutsche Post, following the reorganisation of its investment structure. ich-zieh-um.de's service will make it easier for customers to register their new address and provides tips and advice on moving home. The take-over of ich-zieh-um.de GmbH rounds off Deutsche Post's service portfolio for businesses and private customers.

November 27, 2002 -- Yahoo News has reported that "FedEx Ground, the fast-growing parcel-delivery arm of FedEx Corp., on Tuesday said it expected to set new average daily volume records this week as retailers stock up for year-end sales. A direct rival of United Parcel Service, the dominant package carrier in the United States, Pittsburgh-based FedEx Ground has expanded rapidly in recent years and said this week was shaping up as its busiest ever."

November 27, 2002 -- The Scotsman (United Kingdom) has reported that " Royal Mail chairman Allan Leighton has written to all 659 Westminster MPs asking them to protest against the postal regulator's new price reforms. Leighton blasts Postcomm's proposals as 'disastrous' in the letter, claiming the former monopoly's recovery plan will be "fatally undermined" if the plans are followed through."

November 27, 2002 -- The BBC Monitoring Service has reported that "Poland has applied to the EU to prolong until 31 December 2006 the transition period for adjusting postal services to EU standards. The extension will give Polish Post a chance to reform the institution to adjust it to operations on the EU competitive market. The statement explained that the adjustment period will allow Polish Post to carry out development strategy between 2003 and 2006."

November 27, 2002 -- The Juneau Empire has reported that "Coke has come to town on commercial airliners, heroin has come in the mail, and meth has been made right here in Juneau. When it comes to drugs, Juneau is a pretty accessible town. Barge lines and transport companies bring tons of legitimate goods and supplies to town, the Postal Service and package services deliver millions of letters and parcels, and the airlines and ferries bring in thousands of people. Add fishing boats, private boats and planes and an enormous visitor industry and it's obvious that a few ounces - or pounds - of illicit substances can slip in undetected. In the summer of 2001, a suspicious package came to Juneau through the U.S. mail. An investigation led to the search of a Mendenhall Valley home that turned up about 20 grams of heroin, 45 grams of cocaine and about $3,500 in cash. Two people were charged with drug crimes. The post office is in the business of moving mail, not busting smugglers who mail drugs, said Juneau Postmaster Kent Eriksen. That falls primarily to the Postal Inspection Service."

November 27, 2002 -- CEP News (Courier-Express-Postal) has reported that:

• When the Danish Post Danmark is transferred to private ownership next year, both the company management and the employees will clearly favour a strategic partner, such as Deutsche Post AG.Mr Fritz Schur, chairman of Post Danmark's supervisory board, said that 'a partner offering synergy options is better than to receive just a bag of money'. According to the Danish daily 'B"rsen' his view is endorsed by the trade unions HK Post and In an interview with the CEP News a Deutsche Post spokesman confirmed plans laid down in principle by his company's board of management for an expansion into the European letter market. The acquisition of shares was a further option of establishing oneself on a domestic letter market. At the next opportunity Deutsche Post would therefore carefully examine the possibilities of buying shares. Deutsche Post declined to either deny or comment any negotiations with Post Danmark.
• Schweizerische Post has been forced to withdraw plans for a new letter network structure, which had only been presented at the end of October. Endorsed by the company's administrative board, the draft was based chiefly on the shrinking of the number of letter sorting centres from currently 18 to three by 2008. The post claimed annual costs would thus be reduced by 136m euros, and 2,500 full-time members of staff would be made redundant. Apparently as a result of intense political pressure since the plans were published a few weeks ago, the post has been made to reconsider various alternatives ranging between 2 and 8 sorting centres.
• The removal from office of the Swedish post's CEO reveals some of the company's current problems. According to Mr Claes Anstrand, junior minister for Trade and Industry and member of the post's supervisory board, told 'TT' news agency that Mr Grabe was no longer thought to possess the qualities necessary to sort out the company's problem areas, i.e. letters and parcels. Mr Anstrand said a person showing strong commitment and enjoying a lot of support and confidence from within the company was required, features that no longer applied to Mr Grabe. During his four-year term of office rapports with trade unions and industrial associations had cooled off considerably.
• Last week the Belgian post put a new rate structure for its letter division into effect. Read more about it in the latest issue of CEP News.
• General Logistics Systems, the European parcel holding of the Royal Mail Group, enjoyed a positive development during the half-year ended on 29 September. Read more about it in the latest issue of CEP News.
• The increase in postage rates announced by the Swedish post could bring unexpected benefits to other mail companies in Scandinavia. According to a report in the Danish daily 'Jyllands-Posten' a number of Swedish book clubs have already begun to send their mail from Estonia or Finland. Apparently businesses in the south of Sweden plan to use the recent ™resund-bridge to bring their mail to Denmark for distribution. Such detours pay off for former clients of the Swedish post.
• A new service offer launched by the French post aims for better usage of hybrid letter services. La Poste announced that business customers can now send off registered mail without having to go to a post office. Read more about it in the latest issue of CEP News.

CEP News is without a doubt one of the best newsletters you can find that focuses on the courier, express, and postal market in Europe. For more information on a subscription to CEP News, contact the publisher. Also, be sure to check out "The TOP101 of the European CEP-Market". The bilingual (German/English) publication describes developments and trends on the European CEP market and presents individual profiles of the 101 biggest firms, including key figures pertaining to turnover and consignment volumes, staff numbers and depots. A direct comparison between different companies is made possible through league tables, which rank companies according to their turnover, consignment volumes and countries of representation. Descriptions of large company groups, such as Deutsche Post, TPG, General Parcel and DPD reveal the European market's ownership connections.

November 27, 2002 -- UPS is extending its small business solutions with the launch of the UPS Capital Visa Business card. The card, issued by Bank One, rewards shippers with credits toward UPS shipping services and provides small business owners with online tools to manage expenses, effectively giving them the ability to monitor and control individual employees' expenditures.

November 27, 2002 -- Detroit News4 has reported that "Residents of a Waterford Township community were surprised to find their mailboxes empty on Saturday. Postmaster Wayne M. Davenport sent a letter to homeowners in the area that asked them to move their mailboxes to the curb or have the Postal Service install lock boxes, according to the Oakland Press. The letter gave residents a deadline of Saturday to install the boxes, according to the paper. Only a handful of residents had the mailboxes installed and those were the only ones who received mail. The letter cited inclement weather as the reason for asking that homeowners move their mailboxes. The Postal Service was concerned that the subdivision does not have sidewalks and has some uneven terrain that has caused accidents for some of its employees, according to the paper."

November 27, 2002 -- The Fort Smith Times Record has reported that "Fort Smith residents are 'preaching to the choir' when they write Rep. John Boozman (AR) opposing a proposal to transfer local mail-processing services to Fayetteville, Boozman said Monday. The 3rd District congressman said he has received about 2,000 letters protesting a possible transfer. He encouraged letter writers to voice their opposition to Postal Service officials. 'I'm with you on that issue,' he said at a League of Women Voters forum at the Holiday Inn City Center. 'Our commitment is to do everything we can to keep the sorting facility in Fort Smith.' In August 2001, a U.S. Postal Service official first mentioned the possibility of consolidating Fort Smith's mail processing with one in Fayetteville to create a regional processing facility. Since then, Boozman said Arkansas' congressional delegation has fought against possible closure of Fort Smith operations. The delegation has been unable to get any further information about postal service plans, he said."

November 27, 2002 -- Among the business scheduled for consideration by the U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors at its closed meeting on Monday, December 9 is a USPS proposal for a new Parcel Return Service. This proposal is expected to be filed before the Postal Rate Commission shortly. At the next day's open meeting, the Board will be discussing (1) Fiscal Year 2002 Audited Financial Statements, (2) Postal Service Fiscal Year 2002 Annual Report, (3) Final Fiscal Year 2004 Appropriation Request, and (4) Capital Investments for: (a) Flats Recognition Improvement Program and (b) Flats Feeder Enhancement Program.

November 26, 2002 -- According to Business Europe, "companies will be able to buy postage over the internet under a pilot scheme unveiled by Royal Mail (RM) yesterday."

November 26, 2002 -- The Daily Telegraph (Australia) has reported that "Australia Post has been directed by the Federal Government to crack down on overseas parcels, under tight new security arrangements being introduced in the wake of the Bali bombings. Under the new security conditions, all outward mail weighing 500g or above will be subject to tighter scrutiny. The security review, conducted by the Transport Department, will also recommend stricter security arrangements applying to overseas couriers. Consumers will be required to produce proof of identification or face lengthy delays in sending parcels, in a move likely to cause significant delays in the pre-Christmas postal rush." See also The Australian

November 26, 2002 -- CargoWeb News has reported that "FedEx Freight, in cooperation with FedEx Trade Networks, will now offer less-than-container-load (LCL) service to and from Europe, via FedEx Trade Networks Ocean Transport Service and in cooperation with Frans Maas in Europe."

November 26, 2002 -- Stuff.co.nz has reported that "New Zealand Post's controversial subsidiary Transend has been losing money up until the last three months and is now trimming more staff and overheads to make it profitable."

November 26, 2002 -- According to DM News postal commentator Cary Baer, "if the law [governing the Postal Service's CSRS payments] does change and the postal service's pension contribution is reduced, the effect on ratepayers would be substantial. The USPS would reduce its FY 2003 and 2004 payments by a combined $5.5 billion. Postmaster general John E. Potter has said these reduced payments would let the postal service delay its next general rate increase until 2006. We could be entering a period of 'pax postal.'"

November 26, 2002 -- The Johnstown Tribune Democrat has reported that "a barometer of what this season holds might come from United Parcel Service. The package deliverer predicts its holiday business will be down about 1 percent from the fourth quarter of 2001 because of the national economic slowdown. 'We don't see an economic rebound,' said Vanessa Smith, spokeswoman for Atlanta-based UPS."

November 26, 2002 -- CMPNetAsia has reported that "FedEx and Motorola have built a PDA that FedEx plans to distribute to its drivers starting next summer. The PowerPad runs on the Microsoft Pocket PC operating system and includes Bluetooth and GPRS technology for wireless transmission of shipping data. The device can communicate via infrared signal with a portable printer carried by drivers. The PDA is roughly the size of a flip-flop and will capture, store, and transmit the signature to FedEx's database via a public wireless network or FedEx's private network." See also ComputerWorld.

November 26, 2002 -- DailyLocal.Com has reported that "a study by the Food Marketing Institute, an industry support group, found the interest in Internet grocery shopping remains small, but is growing. The percentage of shoppers who said their primary store offers online ordering rose from 9 percent in 2000 to 16 percent this year. Ten percent of respondents said they had ordered groceries online. In choosing where to shop, 20 percent of shoppers said online ordering is somewhat or very important."

November 26, 2002 -- Lloyd's List Logistics (U.K.) has reported that "Parcelforce Worldwide, the lossmaking express package arm of the British Royal Mail Group, is to relaunch an experimental evening home delivery service in the New Year."

November 26, 2002 -- The Financial Times has reported that "the newly-drafted amendment to the Postal Law is being challenged by major international courier-service companies such as FedEx, UPS, DHL and TNT. The dispute centers on some clauses in the amendment such as the definition of general services and the continued monopoly of some special services for the business arm of China Post. The draft is expected to enhance China Post's dominant position in the domestic market once it is passed by the State Council.

November 26, 2002 -- All Africa Global Media has reported that "Uganda post Ltd has changed its name and logo to Posta Uganda, to march global standards of services and introduce a competitive corporate image. The new corporate image was launched Nov. 22 at the General Post office premises in Kampala. The new logo is a vertical rectangle with a red circle in middle with blue and white stripes."

November 26, 2002 -- According to U.TV (Ireland), "pay offer made to postal workers in Ireland has been recommended for acceptance by the Irish Postmasters' Union. If accepted by the union`s members, the move will avert action which threatened to disrupt Christmas mail across the Republic. The announcement came after a compromise deal from postal service An Post was studied by the IPU executive."

November 26, 2002 -- The Journal of Commerce has reported that "A North American Free Trade Agreement tribunal has ruled that it has the authority to consider allegations that Canada Post uses its mail monopoly to cross-subsidize its competitive courier operations. In April 2000, United Parcel Service launched a $230 million lawsuit against the Canadian government, alleging that it breached Nafta rules by allowing Canada Post to subsidize its express-delivery operations with funds from its government-protected monopoly on first-class mail delivery. "This is an important step forward for UPS and also for Canada's 1,400 private sector courier companies that compete against Canada Post. It means that all of these Canadian-owned courier companies stand to benefit if UPS is ultimately successful on the merits phase of its Nafta lawsuit," said Susan Webb, UPS Canada spokesperson.

November 25, 2002 -- The Journal of Commerce has reported that "The U.S. Department of Transportation has granted four U.S. airlines interim authority to launch new all-cargo services between Hong Kong and other markets. United Parcel Service won the right to offer six weekly flights between Hong Kong and its Asian hub at the former Clark Air Force Base in the Philippines. Since opening its hub in April, UPS has been serving the route by using the rights of a Philippine carrier and an airplane operated by MNG Airlines, a Turkish operator. FedEx Corp. will use its rights to offer two additional flights to its Asian hub at Subic Bay in the Philippines, a route on which it already operates five flights a week, all with its own aircraft."

November 25, 2002 -- ThePolish News Bulletin has reported that "according to sources from the advertising sector, the proposed act on postal services offers solutions that would not be beneficial to the Polish Post, and could prove fatal to marketing companies.

November 25, 2002 -- Lloydslist.com has reported that "a senior British logistics executive has warned that acquisitive European post offices risk repeating the mistakes of leading shipping lines and freight forwarders."

November 25, 2002 -- According to the Salem News, "if you don't like the idea of the boss looking over your shoulder, pity the poor postman."

November 25, 2002 -- According to the Jersey City Reporter, "thanks to the United Postal Service, Hudson Cradle, a Jersey City-based charity that cares for babies temporarily separated from their parents, will be able to improve its facilities. The UPS Foundation, the charitable arm of the United Postal Service, donated $25,000 to the organization."

November 25, 2002 -- According to Infoworld, "a new study shows that 11.7 percent of messages that were requested by an e-mail subscriber never reached the recipient's inbox. Six percent were incorrectly routed to a junk mail folder, and 5.7 percent never arrived in any form."

November 25, 2002 -- According to Hoovers Online, "United Parcel Service got its foot in the door in Asia last year when it began flying its own planes to and from mainland China. Advertisement: Explore Within This Space Now, the Sandy Springs-based transportation giant is trying to throw that door wide open. A new aviation treaty between the United States and Hong Kong is set to vastly expand the number of flights U.S. carriers can make to the commercial center and beyond. UPS wants U.S. permission to fly its brown-tailed planes 18 times a week between Hong Kong, its intra-Asia sorting hub in the Philippines and its European package center in Germany. Those routes would enable UPS to compete more effectively against FedEx and DHL in Asia, the world's fastest-growing air cargo market."

November 25, 2002 -- Posten, the Swedish Postal Service, has announced the winner of its prestigious "Posten Logistics Achievement Award." Bergman & Beving, a technology-trading group was presented the logistics honor at Posten's annual Visions & Reality idea conference. The award aims to recognize Posten's business customers whose logistics solutions provide enhanced efficiency and competitive power.

November 25, 2002 -- di-ve.com has reported that "customers of Maltapost seeking to mail parcels and other bulky postal items, will no longer have to rummage through their throw-aways in order to find the right container in which to pack their parcels. With the newly launched Maltapost Postage Boxes, customers now have a choice of three different sized boxes designed to fit all kinds of parcels and bulky postal items. All one has to do is, is take their postal article to any Maltapost branch, purchase the right sized box to fit the item being posted, write the address and post it."

November 25, 2002 -- OutlookIndia.com has reported that "Department of Posts will shortly launch its own e-mail services for those who do not have access to computers and internet. The 'e-post' service would enable people to send their e-mail, the hard copy of which would be delivered at the destination."

November 25, 2002 -- The Ottawa Citizen has reported that "the Canadian Union of Postal Workers will ask Privacy Commissioner George Radwanski this week to investigate the detailed claims of snooping by former operative John Farrell in the new book Covert Entry, by journalist Andrew Mitrovica. The epostal union is filing a formal complaint with the federal privacy watchdog over allegations Canada Post's security branch and the country's intelligence agency spied on mail workers."

November 25, 2002 -- The Irish Times has reported that "a consultant orthopaedic surgeon told the Irish High Court that delivering post through a low-level, letter-box posed a risk to postal workers."

November 25, 2002 -- U.TV has reported that "the Irish Post Masters Union today said that at first glance the proposals aimed at settling the rural postal dispute is the breakthrough they have been looking for."

November 24, 2002 -- Barbados Daily Nation has reported that "Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs, Reverend Joseph Atherley wants to see all members of the Universal Postal Union trained in security matters.

November 24, 2002 -- Traffic World has reported that:

• America needs a "very aggressive" push toward increased spending on transportation in the next Congress or else it faces the risk of giving in to terrorism, the nation's top business advocate charged next week. U.S. Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Thomas J. Donohue told the National Industrial Transportation League annual meeting Nov. 19 that the nation's economic recovery depends on its $1.75 trillion transportation system. Donohue is considering a lead role in the crafting of next year's reauthorization of the $216 billion highway bill." Well, that's the way mail users feel about the nation's postal infrastructure.
• FedEx Freight is not your grandfather's trucking company. Continuing its growth and diversification under the FedEx Corp. aegis, the $2 billion unit now is offering less-than-container-load service to and from Europe through a partnership with Koninklijke Frans Maas Groep N.V., a leading international freight forwarder, logistics and transportation company.

November 24, 2002 -- Dow Jones has reported that "Dutch postal and logistics company TPG NV (TP) Mail, said that TPG Post, via its subsidiary Circular Distributors, has signed an agreement with Safeway Stores Plc for a pilot scheme to run the door-to-door distribution of Safeway's weekly advertising leaflet."

November 23, 2002 -- Check out the article in Business Week entitled: "A Mass Market of One As custom online ordering moves into the mainstream, Web merchants learn to fine-tune their trade

November 23, 2002 -- Stuff.NZ (New Zealand) has reported that:

• Most posties work six days a week in all weather, cover between 12 and 25km a day and lug mail weighing up to 14kg. For this they are paid between $29,000 and $34,000. Posties wash uniforms at their own expense. More posties are also reporting work-related injuries, including back, shoulder, arm and wrist complaints. The Postal Workers Union believes this is due to extra pressure to perform their tasks faster and for longer periods.
• The company's [New Zealand Post's] annual report reveals 227 managers are now earning six-figure salaries - a rise from 123 managers well-paid managers last year. Such high pay for middle management in the public sector will raise questions when compared with private sector companies. NZ Post's highest earner was chief executive Elmar Toime, whose salary jumped from $540,000 to $770,000 and could further swell up to $1.1 million. Former board chairman Ross Armstrong's director's fees rose from $62,272 to $116,383. But the pay hikes have horrified the company's posties and mail sorters, some of whom earn less than $30,000.

November 23, 2002 -- The Examiner has reported that "a postal service plan requiring more than 100 Sugar Creek and Independence residents to install curbside mail boxes for drop-off service has been scrapped in favor of a compromise approach."

November 23, 2002 -- As USPS NewsOnline has noted, "PostalOne! enables an electronic link between USPS and its business mailers, allowing an exchange of information that benefits everyone involved with this type of mail. The fundamental design will provide customers a one-stop shopping experience for payment and other mailing information by offering them an electronic suite of services that dramatically impacts the mailing process. Nationwide deployment of PostalOne! will be completed by May 2005. For more information about PostalOne!, visit www.uspspostalone.com."

November 23, 2002 -- Canada Post has welcomed a "decision by a NAFTA tribunal to substantially reject the claim made by United Parcel Service of America (UPS) against the government of Canada with regard to Canada Post. This decision is just the latest in a long line of defeats for the claim that Canada Post is involved in cross-subsidization and anti-competitive behaviour. The arguments made by UPS are not new. This giant U.S. company has tried and failed repeatedly to prove these unfounded allegations. This latest attempt to misuse the NAFTA to make an end run around Canadian domestic law has now failed as well." See also the Wall Street Journal.

November 23, 2002 -- If you missed the POST EXPO 2002 Conference - you haven't missed it completely! For those of you who missed the conference, there is now an opportunity for you to gain access to the online conference proceedings at: www.ukintpress-conferences.com This website contains all of the materials from the conference, you can view all of the slides presented at the show, listen to the speeches, read a summary and biography from each of the presenters as well as gaining access to the attendee list and the contact details for speakers.

November 23, 2002 -- Reuters has reported that "security firm Securicor says the Royal Mail postal service has withdrawn its plan to outsource cash management and transport services to avoid disruptions to its customer base."

November 23, 2002 -- The Amarillo Globe News has reported that "the continuing drive to cut costs at the U.S. Postal Service is fueling a debate over the use of contract air carriers to carry mail between major metropolitan areas and mid size cities such as Amarillo. The Post Office contends that moving mail between Amarillo and Dallas by truck can be done as efficiently as flying it, but at a far lower cost. An organization formed by contract air carriers says the move to trucks will slow the mail, further eroding the amount of mail the Postal Service carries and its revenues."

November 23, 2002 -- Canada News Wire has reported that "the NAFTA Tribunal hearing the lawsuit filed by United Parcel Service (UPS) against the Government of Canada ruled today that UPS's allegations of unfair competition by Canada Post's express delivery services - Xpresspost and Priority Courier - are subject to NAFTA. The Tribunal rejected the Government of Canada's argument that the failure by Canada to ensure fair competition by Canada Post's express delivery services was outside the jurisdiction of NAFTA."

November 22, 2002 -- PostCom to Bush: "We need your help and support."

November 22, 2002 -- As the Washington Post has noted, "with average incomes rising, a retail explosion in Moscow has begun to transform this once-stolid Slavic capital into a genuine Western-style consumer culture. New supermarkets open every few weeks. Coffee shops have sprouted on many corners. From the beginning of this year until the end of the next, according to a leading brokerage here, retail space in Moscow will have tripled. 'Russia's one of the few booming economies in the world,' said Roland Nash, head of research at brokerage firm Renaissance Capital." If you want to know more about direct marketing opportunities in Moscow, contact the American Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

November 22, 2002 -- When Christine Virelli's husband was hurt in a car accident and unable to provide income or healthcare benefits for the family, Virelli, a stay-at-home mom for 16 years, knew she had to take matters into her own hands. She heard about part-time jobs at UPS that offered full healthcare coverage as well as a high starting wage, and jumped on the opportunity. Today, Virelli is a part-time supervisor overseeing 21 employees and is taking advantage of UPS's tuition assistance program--Earn & Learn--to further her education. Virelli is just one of 431 part-time UPS employees who entered the "What Has BROWN Done For You?" employee essay contest. Fifty-seven winners will receive cash prizes and recognition from UPS senior management. UPS held the contest in conjunction with the launch of its "What Can BROWN Do For You?" recruitment advertising campaign. The new ads extol the benefits of working at UPS and show how part-time employees are taking advantage of those benefits to reach their goals - having enough money to move into their own apartment, using tuition assistance to attend college or taking advantage of UPS's full medical coverage to manage their healthcare costs. The ads can be viewed at www.pressroom.ups.com.

November 22, 2002 -- Les Echos (France) has reported that "Christian Kozar has been appointed general manager of the mail activities of the French post office (La Poste). He was formerly general manager of Numericable, a subsidiary of the French film and pay-television group Canal Plus."

November 22, 2002 -- Business Line (India) has reported that "the Department of Posts will soon implement a performance and productivity-linked, fast track promotion scheme for its clerical and supervisory staff. An order to this effect has already been issued. Since the 1980s, postal staff at the clerical and supervisory levels have been getting time-bound promotions except in cases where the assessing authority has conclusively established that the person in question was unfit for promotion. According to informed sources, the initiative will go a long way in overcoming problems and hindrances that arise at the operational level on account of multiplicity of trade unions and trade union rivalry."

November 22, 2002 -- According to the Wall Street Journal, "Amazon's surprising formula [for success this holiday season] is exactly what helped ruin many other online businesses and once added to the gush of red ink at Amazon itself: aggressive discounting and free shipping. To pay for those goodies, Amazon is behaving like every other successful mass retailer and slashing its costs wherever it can. A smarter system of processing orders means fewer errors. It has cooked up imaginative ways to cut shipping fees by consolidating orders. And it has a lucrative new business selling new and used goods online on behalf of other merchants. Amazon collects commissions on those third-party sales without the risks and costs of owning the inventory."

November 22, 2002 -- "Tried to mail a letter on your lunch break lately?" asks the Lakeland Ledger. "You're not losing your mind. There are fewer big blue boxes these days. E-mails, security issues and less letter-writing may make the stand-alone mail box as trendy as a hitching post. 'I think the good, old fashioned box on every corner is a thing of the past,' Lakeland Postmaster Junior Short said. Convenience has simply become impractical.

November 22, 2002 -- The Telegraph (U.K.) has reported that "Royal Mail Group yesterday appointed four new non-executive directors from the commercial world, illustrating the postal organisation's attempt to move away from a civil service mentality. Chairman Allan Leighton said that the appointments of Richard Handover, Mike Hodgkinson, John Neill and David Fish would 'hugely strengthen' Royal Mail's board.Mr Handover is the chief executive officer of WH Smith, Mr Fish is joint president of Masterfoods Europe, Mike Hodgkinson is chief executive of airports group BAA and John Neill is chief executive of the Unipart group of companies.

November 22, 2002 -- As DM News has reported that:

• The General Accounting Office is examining the U.S. Postal Service's funding of a retirement plan to see whether the USPS has contributed more than previously expected to the Civil Service Retirement System. The request comes as the postal service works to get a change in the law that would allow it to lower contributions to the CSRS after a review last month revealed that it has almost fully funded future obligations for postal employees and retirees in the system. The request for the review came from former House postal subcommittee chairman John McHugh (R-NY).
• Advo officials unveiled initiatives planned for next year at an investors conference here yesterday. Myron Lubin, president of Advo's diversified business group, said the company hopes to start a shared-mail program in Canada, building on its purchase of Toronto-based FACC Corp. FACC distributes more than 250 million pieces of ad mail to targeted segments of Canada's 11 million households. These mailings are solo mailings, not shared-mail packages.  We have the potential now to pick up business from U.S. clients who have stores in Canada," he said. The company is looking at other international opportunities in the United Kingdom and France, said Lubin, who meets next week with Deutsche Post. Chairman/CEO Gary Mulloy said that Advo is in preliminary talks with the U.S. Postal Service about a negotiated service agreement that could be similar to the recent Capital One announcement, but for Standard mail.

November 22, 2002 -- Ireland Online has reported that "postal workers were today being balloted over action that threatens to disrupt the Christmas mail service. The Irish Postmasters' Union hopes to escalate action in December after talks with An Post failed to resolve a three-month old pay dispute. Sub-postmasters said the company's offer on issues including pay and overtime did not go far enough. Christmas mail could be paralysed if IPU's members vote to extend action to a national level from December 2." See also the Irish Examiner.

November 21, 2002 -- The Seattle Times has reported that "big screens, small gadgets and fast wireless connections have received much attention at the Comdex technology trade show this week, but a mundane product quietly unveiled at Microsoft's booth may have more of an impact on the average computer user. On display was an electronic stamp the U.S. Postal Service plans to sell to certify authenticity and delivery time of e-mail."

November 21, 2002 -- Financial Times Deutschland has reported that "Verdi, the German trade union, has threatened Deutsche Post (DP), the German postal service operator, with protest action during the crucial Christmas period, over possible branch closures."

November 21, 2002 -- Le Monde (France) has reported that "Jean-Paul Bailly, the new chairman of the French post office, La Poste, has appointed Dominique Blanchecotte as head of his office. It is reported that Mr Bailly is to appoint Christian Kozar as director of the mail division, which generates a revenue of 10bn euros. Both Ms Blachecotte and Mr Kozar have been working at the Paris public transport authority RATP."

November 21, 2002 -- According to postal commentator Gene Del Polito in a perspective prepared for Direct magazine, it is absolutely essential for all within the business mailing industry "to urge the President to tell Congress it is essential to it approve as quickly as possible the OPM-drafted legislative remedy that will change the manner in which the Postal Service will fund its postal-retiree obligations."

November 21, 2002 -- La Tribune (France) has reported that "Jean-Paul Bailly, chairman of the French post office (La Poste), has promised what he calls real concertation with France's local authorities over La Poste's plans to close or restructure post offices in various parts of the country. Mr Bailly made these remarks as France's mayors gathered in Paris for their annual meeting. While there are no official plans to close any of France's 17,000 post offices and sub-post offices, La Poste has acknowledged that it is reviewing their situation. Any decision will, however, depend on the outcome of the multi-year-plan contract which La Poste is currently negotiating with the French state. The details of contract are expected to be revealed at the end of the year. At present, 61 per cent of French post offices are located in areas with fewer than 2,000 inhabitants."

November 21, 2002 -- Read about issues related to women in the postal service and postal reform in the latest issue of the UPU's flagship magazine, Union Postale -- the UPU's flagship magazine. It is published four times a year and covers topics of current interest to the larger postal and related industries.

November 21, 2002 -- What to know which country's postal system is doing what? Then query the UPU's postal statistics database.

November 21, 2002 -- DM News has reported that "shoppers in a recent survey who said they expect to make holiday purchases from catalogs plan to spend an average of $1,233 on gifts this year compared with an average of $1,037 for shoppers overall. The overall figure is down slightly from $1,052 last year. Of a reportedly random sample of 1,100 adults nationwide surveyed Nov. 15-18 by American Research Group Inc., 44 percent said they plan to make holiday gift purchases from catalogs. This is up from 40 percent in 2001, but down from 50 percent in 2000. Twenty percent [of those surveyed] rated the economy as getting better; 45 percent said it is staying the same and 33 percent said they think it is getting worse. Fifty-six percent said they think the economy will be better a year from now, while 43 percent said the current economy is good and 38 percent said it is bad."

November 20, 2002 -- Asia in Focus has reported that "Australia Post is not expecting postal reform and competition legislation introduced by the government to cause a decline in its revenues. But the company does expect to revise down its planned US$27.88 million financial return from its pilot franchisee programs. Australia Post corporate secretary Michael McCloskey told a Senate committee that there is no reason to believe that any of the proposals will have any adverse effect on post.  Laws for postal reform were expected to be introduced early next year, Communications Minister Richard Alston said." See also Asia Pulse.

November 20, 2002 -- In a letter directed to Postal Rate Commission Chairman George Omas, postal board Chairman Robert Ryder wrote in part:

On October 15,2002, Consumer Action (CA). a non-profit consumer organization, requested the Commission to initiate a proceeding to investigate representations concerning several services being offered to the public that the Postal Service considers "non-postal." The Commission's Office of the Consumer Advocate (OCA) joined CA's petition. CA and the OCA state that the services have not been lawfully recommended by the Commission and established by the Governors....The Board of Governors takes these assertions very seriously. In particular, we regard with utmost concern the suggestion that the Postal Service might have failed to comply with a clear obligation to seek the Commission's guidance, or to request recommendations for the services listed in the petition. The Postal Service is currently undertaking an internal evaluation of its non-postal service offerings....Accordingly, I respectfully request that the Commission defer action on the petition during our consideration of the matters raised by the petition. I anticipate that we will be able to complete the review by early January of next year.

In response, Chairman Omas told Chairman Ryder:

We are reassured by your affirmation that the Board of Governors takes very seriously any suggestion that the Postal Service might have failed to comply with its obligations to raise matters before the Commission. You may be certain that the Commission will continue to strive to provide ample opportunity for all concerned to comment before acting on sensitive issues bearing on its complementary responsibilities with the Postal Service.

November 20, 2002 -- PostInsight.Com has posted an interesting paper entitled: "India Post Reform: Transforming Postal Infrastructure." Be sure also to check out the Mailing Industry Task Force subcommittee reports, which are also posted on this site.

November 20, 2002 -- According to Bloomberg News, "the most joyful holiday refrain since 'Ho! Ho! Ho!' is 'Click! Print! Ship!' thanks to UPS Internet Shipping. By logging on to 'MyUPS.com,' all UPS customers - including individual consumers shipping for the holiday or any other time - can print labels on a regular sheet of paper and charge their shipments to a credit card."

November 20, 2002 -- Le Figaro (France) has reported that the "French union SUD has called for a moratorium on closures of post offices. This year, the union says, more than 600 fully operational post office branches have been converted into additional activities or postal agencies. Jean-Paul Bailly, chairman of La Poste, the French national postal services group, said recently that real efforts would be made to maintain a network of local post offices. He defended the idea of innovative solutions to the problem such as postal service counters within existing shops."

November 20, 2002 -- Responding to a misleading editorial in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch about the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS), USPS Public Affairs and Communications VP Azeezaly Jaffer said, "This news was not the result of an accounting error by the Postal Service or any other agency." "It's about adhering to the law — the Postal Service pays into CSRS an amount determined by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM)," he continued.

November 20, 2002 -- According to the Dodge City Globe, "if you're in a hurry to shop for gifts so you can get them in the mail to be delivered overseas, don't despair. There's still time to avoid the holiday rush. The Postal Service offers a myriad of international mailing choices ranging from two- to three-day certain guaranteed delivery to low cost airmail that can still get there if mailed by December 9."

November 20, 2002 -- The Irish Examiner has reported that "leading [Irish] industrial relations mediator Phil Flynn will attempt to break the deadlock in the worsening dispute between 540 rural postmasters and An Post. Mr Flynn has offered to chair a Dublin meeting between representatives of the Irish Postmasters Union (IPU) and An Post in a bid to secure a compromise deal in the dispute which has escalated over the last two weeks. The dispute centres on the postmasters' demand for more pay to provide their premises for sorting post and also for supervising the job."

November 20, 2002 -- Ireland Online has reported that "disruption to mail services looks set to worsen after the Irish Postmasters' Union rejected an offer by An Post. After a day of crucial talks An Post agreed to a complete review of the postmasters' pay and conditions. However IPU general secretary John Kane said the union was unhappy with the offer and would tomorrow go ahead with a ballot of its members in a bid to escalate action."

November 20, 2002 -- FedEx Corporation has announced rate changes for FedEx Express and FedEx Ground effective January 6, 2003. FedEx Express will increase list rates an average of 3.5 percent for shipments within the U.S. and for U.S. export shipments. The FedEx Express price changes also include an increase in the delivery area surcharge to $1.75 from $1.50 and an increase in the Saturday pickup and delivery surcharges to $12.50 from $10. FedEx Ground will increase rates an average of 3.9 percent. The 2003 FedEx Express list rates will be available to customers on fedex.com beginning Dec. 7. FedEx Ground list rates will be available on fedex.com beginning Dec. 14.

November 20, 2002 -- For those who are interested, WTOC-TV has posted on its web site the text of a two-part story on "How Fedex Delivers." Check out Part One and Part Two.

November 20, 2002 -- The Virginian-Pilot has reported that "Federal Judge Robert G. Doumar has summoned U.S. Postal Service workers to his courtroom to explain how they allowed nearly $680,000 to slip through their fingers."

November 20, 2002 -- The Santa Fe New Mexican has reported that "a spokeswoman for the U.S. Postal Service denied a claim by a postal worker that there is a "severe delay" of mail at the main Santa Fe post office. 'There is no delayed first-class mail,' said Margaret Romero, who is with the USPS in Albuquerque. But Romero added that there is a delay of a day or two of what the USPS calls "standard mail," which includes advertising fliers, non profit mailings and other non-priority mail. Romero was responding to a question from a reporter about an anonymous e-mail from a postal worker to The New Mexican that also said the local post office had 'excessed,' or reassigned, many postal workers."

November 20, 2002 -- The U.S. Postal Service has reported that "Gary McCurdy, Eastern Area vice president, yesterday announced he will retire from the Postal Service Jan. 4. McCurdy will be taking a position as Executive Vice President with MBNA in Wilmington, DE."

November 20, 2002 -- Die Welt has reported that "Deutsche Post, Germany's postal service operator, intends to take legal action against the German finance ministry regarding illegal subsidies which it has to pay back. The group claims that the ministry is asking for 906m euros instead of the formerly agreed 850m euros. Deutsche Post is convinced that the difference of 56m euros is the result of an incorrect interest calculation. The postal service operator is expected to pay the sum by 1 January 2003. Deutsche Post has covered the 850m euros with reserves. The EU commission has backed the German finance ministry, claiming that the group has to pay back 906m euros. The German state still holds a majority stake in Deutsche Post."

November 20, 2002 -- Newspaper advertising expenditures for the third quarter of 2002 totaled $10.7 billion, a 1 percent increase over the same period last year, according to preliminary estimates from the Newspaper Association of America. Retail advertising spending rose 2.7 percent to $5.1 billion, and national ad spending increased 5.2 percent to $1.7 billion while classified dipped 2.9 percent to $3.9 billion. "These numbers are encouraging, and they are in line with what we were expecting as the economy begins to show signs of turning around," said NAA President and CEO John F. Sturm.

November 20, 2002 -- dBusinessNews has reported that "DaimlerChrysler Vans LLC, the U.S. distributor of Sprinter Vans, announces the addition of 1,800 Sprinter vans to UPS's U.S. fleet."

November 20, 2002 -- Business News Americas has reported that "Brazil's federal post office ECT expects to end 2003 with 4,176 Internet access terminals in operation across 3,200 municipalities, local press reported. During the first year of operations ECT expects its terminals to provide Internet access for some 3 million people that would not otherwise have access, ECT Internet operations director Antonio de Paula Branquehais said. Eventually this and other projects should provide Internet access to 42 million people."

November 20, 2002 -- AtNewYork.Com has reported that "e-mail change of service firm Return Path announced it had acquired Re-Route, a provider of e-mail forwarding services to Internet service providers (ISP). With Re-route's technology, which allows a user changing ISPs to ensure uninterrupted e-mail delivery, New York-based Return Path will expand its e-mail services offerings, which include helping e-mail marketers keep their databases free of dead addresses."

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November 19, 2002 -- Be sure to review the "PostCom CSRS Fact Sheet"  and  the "PostCom CSRS Questions & Answers" on the Postal Service and its Civil Service Retirement System payments.

November 19, 2002 -- The U.S. Postal Service is proposing revisions to the Domestic Mail Manual (DMM) that would provide new mail preparation standards for co- packaging and co-sacking flat-size Bound Printed Matter. The standards for co-packaging would be optional, while the standards for co-sacking would be mandatory beginning on June 1, 2003. Prior to that date, the use of the co-sacking standards would be optional. Also proposed is a change in the minimum weight for Presorted Bound Printed Matter flats claimed at the destination delivery unit (DDU) rate. The minimum weight for such pieces is proposed to change from "more than 1 pound'' to "more than 20 ounces.'' Submit comments on or before December 19, 2002.

November 19, 2002 -- There is a very strong "rumor" that the White House will be announcing the appointment of a Presidential Commission on the Postal Service sometime around December 4. Many postal insiders are accepting it as gospel.

November 19, 2002 -- The folks at Swiss Post have come up with something no international direct marketer should be without, i.e., a calendar showing all the major holidays celebrated in most of  Europe's direct marketing-intensive countries. Check it out, and get a copy.

November 19, 2002 -- Newgistics Inc., a company specializing in returns management solutions for direct retail companies, released today new consumer research that shows that 75 percent of consumers who are likely to use SmartLabel(tm) -- the company's convenient on-invoice return label program -- are more likely to buy more from that direct retailer.

November 19, 2002 -- Ireland Online has reported that "action by postal workers could lead to severe disruptions to Christmas deliveries across the country. Protests by sub-postmasters could escalate in December if a meeting tomorrow between An Post and the Irish Postmasters Union fails to resolve the dispute."

November 19, 2002 -- "Shippers such as FedEx Corp. and United Parcel Service Inc. are touting new, streamlined Web services that promise to make it easier to overnight things from home. The Web sites offer to let you generate postage-paid address labels on your printer and track your packages' progress from your desk. For anyone with a pile of outgoing holiday gifts, it seems like a simple way to ship. But," asked the Wall Street Journal, "can the online shippers deliver? Overall, FedEx came closest to delivering on its promises. Signing up was relatively simple, and printing a bar-coded mailing slip was a cinch. Unlike most other sites, the well-designed 'My FedEx' page let us track our letter's progress without having to take the extra step of keying in a tracking number."

November 19, 2002 -- Dow Jones has reported that "Deutsche Post AG has said that the German government has demanded EUR906 million in repayment of state aid, much more than the postal operator had originally expected. Deutsche Post will appeal in court against the payment demand from the Finance Ministry because the interest calculation is wrong. The company has no plans to increase the provision. 'We're sticking with the EUR850 million,' a spokesman for Deutsche Post said."

November 19, 2002 -- Neue Zurcher Zeitung (Switzerland) has reported that "top postal management's preliminary decision to replace the Swiss Postal Service's 18 existing mail processing centers by 2006 with three modern facilities situated along the midland axis drew sharp reactions, compelling postal officials to rethink the proposition. Last Thursday, in preparation for talks with labor unions and the municipalities and cantons concerned, they presented a report in which a single-axis model with up to five midland centers, and a variant with between five and eight centers, are analyzed from the standpoint of operating efficiency as well as economy.

November 19, 2002 -- The Irish Independent has reported that "the completion of a new business partnership between An Post and AIB came online yesterday, with 1000 post offices now providing a one-stop shop for basic banking services for AIB customers. An Post will offer AIB clients a range of over-the-counter transactions, including credit card payments, business deposits and personal deposits and withdrawals."

November 19, 2002 -- The Mirror (U.K.) has reported that "Royal Mail has been forced to shelve plans for a single daily postal delivery until next year. The controversial experiment, designed to save the firm £350m a year, was expected to roll-out last month, but has been so poorly implemented in the 13 pilot areas it will not be extended until next year."

November 19, 2002 -- See http://www.postinsight.pb.com/ for any of the following:

• The Reform of India Post: Transforming a Postal Infrastructure to Deliver Modern Information and Financial Services is a recent study by the World Bank (courtesy of the World Bank; used with permission).
• Presentation by S.C. Dutta, Director General, India Post.
• Presentation by Phil Lemay, Executive Vice President, Canada Post Corporation.
• Presentations from UPU Strategy Geneva, Post-Expo, Fall National Postal Forum, Mail-Order Moscow, UPU CCK Nairobi, World Mail & Express, Foro Postal Madrid, IEA European Postal, UPU GATS Seminar, Mail Express Americas and Oracle Postal Forum conferences can be accessed via the Home Page. 

Click on the "Presentations" button on the left menu bar and select the name of the conference.

November 19, 2002 -- The Department of State Report on the Meeting of the Council of Administration of the Universal Postal Union (UPU) Bern, Switzerland, November 4-7, 2002 has been posted on the State Department's web site.

November 19, 2002 -- The EMA Foundation for Paper-Based Communications has launched an Institute for Postal Studies to conduct a comprehensive research and education campaign on postal reform. Learn more about the Institute.

November 19, 2002 -- The Virginian-Pilot has reported that "big rigs increasingly have an electronic eye on the sky as well as 18 wheels on the road. By communicating with satellites about 11,000 miles overhead, onboard Global Positioning System units help shipping companies track deliveries, calculate fuel economy, and even protect their trucks from theft -- or from use as a weapon. By attaching a GPS unit to a big-rig tractor or trailer, shipping dispatchers can determine the location of a load and its probable time of arrival. Analysts say the technology is invaluable for time-sensitive businesses."

November 18, 2002 -- The Associated Press has reported that "a dozen congressional offices are involved in a pilot program to try and speed up mail delivery to Capitol Hill.  Following the anthrax attacks, all mail heading for Capitol Hill is first irradiated far off site and then checked again before being sent on to members of congress. That means it often takes four to five days for a letter to reach a lawmaker. Before the anthrax attacks the norm was one or two. The pilot program involves digitizing the mail once it has gone through security. The letters then show up on the computer screens of offices involved in the test."

November 18, 2002 -- The Europe Intelligence Wire has reported that "Hays, the UK's main rival to the Royal Mail, is threatening to sue over the Royal Mail's exemption from as much as GBP500m (E785m) of value added tax (Vat). Hays and the Royal Mail's other competitors including Business Post, Dutch operator TNT and the German carrier Deutsche Post are upset that they have to pay Vat on their business post services which compete with the mail, which is so far excluded from paying it. The companies have made an initial plea to regulator Postcomm. If it does nothing they will take the case to the European courts on the grounds that the Royal Mail's exemption is anti-competitive."

November 18, 2002 -- AFX (Europe) has reported that the Dutch " government is proposing freezing postal tariffs until 2007 when full liberalisation of the post market is expected, the deputy minister for economic affairs said in a letter to parliament. This follows an evaluation of the current tariff management system by the competition authority NMa and the postal and telecoms watchdog Opta as well as a study by the National Economic Research Associates. The government said it is in favour of a phased liberalisation of the post market with the process complete in 2007. This is under the condition that Germany and the UK follow a similar timetable in liberalising their postal markets. The tariff freeze is largely expected to benefit consumers, with postal operator TPG NV reacting disappointedly at the government's decision, saying it will put further pressure on the profitability of its mail operations."

November 18, 2002 -- DM News has reported that "the U.S. Postal Service, mailers and the Bush administration are confident Congress will approve legislation that could keep postal rates steady until 2006, but passage may be a tougher fight than first thought."

November 17, 2002 -- The Daily Yomiuri (Japan) has reported that "the public postal corporation to replace the Postal Services Agency in April is to be unofficially called Japan Post."

November 17, 2002 -- Mad.co.uk has reported that "The postal regulator has hit back at accusations from Royal Mail that the new terms and conditions for liberalisation, revealed this week, will give foreign competitors an unfair advantage. Royal Mail criticised the regulator for opening up the market more quickly here than in the rest of the European Union, saying that new applicants TPG and Deutsche Post would use domestic profits to gain an advantage in the UK market."

November 17, 2002 -- Pe ople's Daily (China) has reported that "a market war is underway among express delivery firms in China as foreign and domestic firms battle for a share of the lucrative market."

November 17, 2002 -- The Rapid City Journal has reported that "the U.S. Postal Service plans to cancel its contracts with regional air-cargo airlines that transport mail between Western towns at the end of the year. The air route between Rapid City and Sioux Falls will be among the flights eliminated. Postal officials say the move to truck transportation is a way to cut operating costs at a time when mail volume is dropping. But the air carriers are crying foul."

November 17, 2002 -- Ulster TV (U.K.) has reported that "Irish postmasters are to ballot for the withdrawal of mail services from the entire network if a resolution to the ongoing dispute with An Post is not reached next week."

November 16, 2002 -- The Independent (U.K.) has reported that "the postal regulator Postcomm is set to climb down over price controls on the Royal Mail after warnings that its proposals could put the organisation out of business. Martin Stanley, the chief executive of Postcomm, said yesterday that he expected the regulator to come up with a modified set of proposals which would be acceptable to Royal Mail."

November 16, 2002 -- The Houston Chronicle has reported that "a retired engineer may have started a national movement. Just recently, Frank Williamson was thwarted in his bid to display posters depicting the national motto, "In God We Trust," at Montgomery County post offices. Now, not only will he see the phrase in his local county; it will be placed in all 38,000 post offices across the country. On Friday, Williamson received word from authorities in Washington that the U.S. Postal Service designed its own poster depicting the national motto and would cover the cost to distribute it to every post office in the country."

November 15, 2002 -- In a letter to Comptroller General David Walker, PostCom Chairman James O'Brien said that "on behalf of Postcom and the mailing industry we want to express our sincere appreciation for your efforts in pursuing a resolution to the USPS’ retirement cost dilemma. Without GAO's diligent pursuit of this cause, we would be facing continued rate escalation and corresponding volume decline that neither the Postal Service nor the mailing industry can afford to absorb."

November 15, 2002 -- Dow Jones has reported that "the U.S. Postal Service plans to add 'enhanced discussion of performance' to its periodic financial reports. Postal Service Chief Financial Officer Richard Strasser said the Service, starting this fiscal year, will provide 'explanations of material events or transactions and their projected impact on current operations and financial results.'"

November 15, 2002 -- Traffic World has warned its readers that "shippers take note: the price hikes are coming."

November 15, 2002 -- A letter from OPM director James to House Speaker Denny Hastert regarding the Administration's request that the Postal Service's funding for civil service retirees be changed has been posted on this site.

November 15, 2002 -- The American Postal Workers Union (APWU) has told its members that "the Postal Service’s recent announcement that the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) would soon be "overfunded" has caused confusion among many postal workers. Unfortunately, the Postal Service has not sufficiently informed its employees of the issues involved and the impact overfunding would have on workers whose retirement is covered by the fund. Many employees have understandably – but mistakenly – concluded that correcting the overfunding will generate additional revenue for the Postal Service, and therefore expect management to share the surplus with employees in the form of higher wages and improved working conditions. USPS news releases on the subject have focused on the need to pass legislation that would permit the Postal Service to reduce their funding, but have not addressed the issues of concern to many postal workers."

November 15, 2002 -- The Guardian (U.K.) has reported that "Allan Leighton (chairman of Royal Mail, formerly Consignia) yesterday hailed the first signs of financial stability at the Royal Mail despite losses of £1.1m a day for the first six months of this year. Mr Leighton said the figures provided 'early signs that we are starting to stabilise the business'.  Mr Leighton said the biggest threat to the company was from the retail price index-related controls proposed by the regulator. 'Postcomm's price constraints could choke this company,' he said. Failure to make them less punitive would lead to Royal Mail seeking a judicial review and would trigger a default on the company's national loan fund repayments." See also the report in The Independent.

November 15, 2002 -- The Glasgow Daily Record (U.K.) has reported that "a threatened [British] postal strike was averted yesterday when Securicor withdrew plans to buy the Royal Mail's cash-handling business."

November 15, 2002 -- U.TV (Ireland) has reported that "efforts are continuing to try to prevent a postal dispute that has disrupted deliveries in the west of Ireland spreading to other parts of the Republic of Ireland."

November 15, 2002 -- Japan Today has reported that "foreign nationals will be eligible to take a recruitment test and land jobs at a new public entity to be established next April to take over the three postal services."

November 15, 2002 -- China Daily has reported that "the world's four major express delivery companies have applied for new approval certificates with the State Postal Bureau (China Post) before the set deadline despite their protests."

November 15, 2002 -- According to The Globe And Mail (Canada), "retailers are poised to deliver virtual sacks of holiday e-mail."

November 15, 2002 -- DM News has reported that:

• Even though direct mail campaigns promoting online billing increased 151 percent from January to September, less than half of Americans who use the Internet know that online billing services are available, according to a report released yesterday by Chicago-based media monitoring company Mintel's Comperemedia. Mintel's consumer research found that the number of people unaware of online billing peaks among those in the 18-24 age group, which is among the highest percentage of Internet users. 
• U.S. catalog shoppers averaged 15 catalog purchases last year, according to "Customer Audit of Catalog Performance," a study released yesterday by the Direct Marketing Association. Last year, 30 percent of catalog shoppers made six to 10 purchases, 31 percent made 11 to 25 purchases and 11 percent placed 26 or more orders. Consumers spent an average of $135 on their most recent catalog order. Catalogers generate more than 37 percent of their annual sales during the holiday season.

November 15, 2002 -- In its most recent report, the U.S. General Accounting Office told Congress:

Transparency is particularly important because the Service is the hub of a $900 billion mailing industry and is a vital part of the nation’s communications network. Its recent financial difficulties have accentuated the need for stakeholders—including the Congress, Postal Rate Commission (PRC), and mailers—to be well apprised of the Service’s financial situation and understand how future operating results may be affected by impending events. Further, we recently reported that the Service’s financial situation is significantly impacted by its pension and postretirement health obligations and that the Service should reassess its accounting treatment and reporting of these obligations. We also reaffirmed our previous recommendation that the Service disclose the full amount of the accrued postretirement health benefits earned by its employees and retirees in notes to its financial statements. The importance of these obligations was recently highlighted when the Service announced the results of a new analysis that could significantly reduce its CSRS pension liabilities if Congress takes related legislative action. This change would improve its overall financial condition and provide opportunities to address other key financial issues, such as its postretirement health benefit obligations and outstanding debt.

November 15, 2002 -- The Richmond Times-Dispatch has reported that "nationally, the IRS is holding $80 million in undelivered refund checks for 96,792 taxpayers. Refund checks often go unclaimed because taxpayers move and fail to notify the IRS or the U.S. Postal Service of address changes, she said. Checks sent to old addresses are returned to the IRS."

November 14, 2002 -- Tony Hammond and Ruth Y. Goldway have been confirmed as Commissioners of the Postal Rate Commission.

November 14, 2002 -- The National Post has reported that "Canada Post Corp. is going head to head with retailers from Staples to Indigo Books at its newest retail outlet, which will allow consumers to buy, wrap, and mail a gift, or apply for a passport or a student loan."

November 14, 2002 -- At Comdex 2002, AuthentiDate, Inc., a subsidiary of AuthentiDate Holding Corp., and Microsoft will demonstrate the United States Postal Service Electronic Postmark functionality incorporated into Office XP software.

November 14, 2002 -- Universal Express, Inc. has announced the appointment of Mr. Thomas Chernoff, an experienced marketing executive, as Director of the Private Postal Network (PPN).

November 14, 2002 -- icCoventry (U.K.) has reported that "postal workers have overwhelmingly voted in favour of strikes in a dispute over the sale of the Royal Mail's cash handling business to a private firm." See also the Electronic Telegraph.

November 14, 2002 -- CargoWebNews has reported that "Deutsche Post is to streamline the management of its Express Corporate Division's production branches. Initially, the Regional Business Departments Operations, Express Germany will be closed down and the number of heads of branch reduced from 33 to 13 with effect from 1 January 2003."

November 14, 2002 -- Business First has reported that "the board of directors of United Parcel Service Inc. has declared a regular quarterly cash dividend of 19 cents per share on all outstanding Class A and Class B shares."

November 14, 2002 -- According to the Journal of Commerce, "Frederick W. Smith, founder, chairman and chief executive of FedEx Corp., on Wednesday outlined a five-point plan for stimulating business investment. Smith called for cutting business taxes, passing terrorism insurance and enacting litigation reform. Such a stimulus package would 'jumpstart a stalled economy,' he said in a speech to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce."

November 14, 2002 -- The Wall Street Journal has reported that "federal and state law-enforcement officials are stepping up efforts to rein in bulk e-mailers, expanding the types of practices regulators consider fraudulent. The Federal Trade Commission, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and several state attorneys general announced Wednesday a new set of law-enforcement actions related to bulk e-mail. They also sent more than 100 warning letters to e-mail marketers whose practices appeared to be deceptive."

November 14, 2002 -- Reuters has reported that "Royal Mail has reported a narrower half-year loss but says turnover has slipped for the first time in a decade and that it is still losing more than a million pounds a day. The state-owned postal service on Thursday reported a loss of 147 million pounds for the six months to end September, a third narrower than the 219 million loss in the same period last year. Royal Mail Group, which returned to its former name after a period of calling itself Consignia, said turnover slipped 14 million pounds to 3.993 billion pounds." See also the report in The Guardian.

November 14, 2002 -- The Western Mail (U.K.)  has reported that "postal workers are expected to vote in favour of strikes, in a dispute over the sale of the Royal Mail's cash-handling business to a private firm. About 3,000 members of the Communication Workers Union have been balloted on industrial action, in protest at plans to sell the business to Securicor. The union fears that jobs and working conditions will be hit if the move goes ahead and it is expected to name dates for strikes later in the week if there is a Yes vote. The Royal Mail will be given at least seven days' notice of any action in the cash-handling business, which delivers and collects cash to post offices across the country."

November 14, 2002 -- Computing (United Kingdom) has reported that "Jersey Post, the Channel Island's postal service, has introduced electronic mail delivery services. It launched the service through its ProMail division at the end of last year, and is already offering an online rates payment service to citizens in three of the island's 12 parishes. It is talking to the island's utilities and banks in the hope of signing them up to eBill, so more of Jersey's 85,000 residents can take advantage of the service. The organisation is looking to process as many transactional items of post as possible, such as bills and statements. It believes 30 per cent of all the physical post it handles is made up of potential candidates to be moved online."

November 14, 2002 -- AFX (Europe) has reported that "the Royal Mail workers will each receive an 800 stg 'dividend payment' if the loss-making postal service makes a profit of 400 mln stg by the end of 2004/05 financial year, chairman Allan Leighton said.".

November 14, 2002 -- Forbes has reported that "Ion Beam Applications, a Belgian maker of particle beam accelerators, said on Wednesday it had renewed a contract with the U.S. Postal Service to sterilise mail sent to U.S. government offices. The company said the contract had been extended for a six-month period and was worth almost $5 million. It can be renewed at the end of the term."

November 14, 2002 -- The Australian Broadcasting Corporation has reported that "Nepal's notoriously slow postal service has kept a woman in jail for six extra years, after it failed to promptly deliver a Supreme Court order for her release. Nepalese newspapers have reported 34-year-old Padma Maya Gurung had been jailed for murder in 1993, before the Supreme Court agreed to commute her sentence in 1997. However, the letter only reached the remote district about 270 kilometres from Kathmandu last June." Good grief!

November 14, 2002 -- Moscow Times (Russia) has reported that:

• The Russian and Norwegian governments on Tuesday signed an agreement on cooperation in the postal, telecommunications and information technologies sectors, Interfax reported Wednesday. The agreement aims at extending business contacts between postal and telecoms businesses and creating more joint ventures between Russia and Norway.
• Tariffs for several postal services, including mailing post cards, letters and packages, will be increased on average by 13 percent starting December.

November 14, 2002 -- The Detroit Free Press has reported that "through sun, breeze and bright of day, your postal tubs are coming back. On Wednesday, post office patrons and carriers were grabbing the first of 20 million mail tubs missing nationwide, and returning them to mail centers, officials said. Countless tubs had been converted by postal customers for -- shall we say? -- alternative uses. One metroDetroit hospital has stored medical records in themand a moving company used them to haul household goods, a postal spokesman said. Across the area and the nation, folks had been squirreling away the white-plastic tubs in offices and homes." A good idea that's paying off.

November 13, 2002 -- The latest issue of CEP (Courier-Express-Postal) News is available from the publisher, the M-R-U Consulting Group. Ask for a copy. Tell 'em PostCom sent you.

November 13, 2002 -- The following information has been posted on this site regarding the Postal Service's "overpayment" into the Civil Service Retirement Fund (CSRS):

• A letter from OPM Director Kay Cole James to Postmaster General John Potter
• The USPS press release concerning the letter from OPM
• A fact sheet concerning the CSRS Liability
• Questions and Answers concerning the USPS and CSRS
• A proposed bill to revise USPS funding of CSRS
• A section-by-section analysis of the proposed bill

November 13, 2002 -- The Guardian (United Kingdom) has reported that "Dutch postal group TPG, its subsidiary TNT and Hays DX opened talks yesterday with the postal regulator about competing with the Royal Mail through long-term licences. The biggest threat yet to the state-owned grip on postal services through Royal Mail came as Postcomm unveiled its plans to award seven-year permits from January 1."

November 13, 2002 -- Neue Zurcher Zeitung (Switzerland) has reported that "the Swiss Postal Service has declared that it will reconsider its controversial decision to reform its mail processing system. As its CEO, Ulrich Gygi, told media representatives in Berne, after talks with the trade unions the Postal Service has decided to examine alternatives to a project which would reduce the present 18 letter-sorting centers to only three facilities."

November 13, 2002 -- The Board of Directors of UPS has opened its regular quarterly meeting in China, marking the first time the group has formally met at a site in the increasingly important Asia-Pacific Region. During this week's visit, the 12-member Board of Directors plans to meet with a number of government officials; visit UPS's joint venture partners, and tour UPS facilities in Beijing. The Board routinely travels to UPS facilities each year.

November 13, 2002 -- The Financial Times has reported that "Royal Mail Group yesterday accused Postcomm of giving an unfair advantage to its foreign competitors after the postal regulator published the terms and conditions for its new long-term licences."

November 13, 2002 -- Dire ct Newsline has reported that "Viking Office Products has started a direct mail business in Portugal. The new endeavor, which is targeted to the small-to-medium-sized business, is the 14th Viking has launched overseas. Viking Office Products, a wholly owned subsidiary of Office Depot Inc. in Delray Beach, FL, will handle Portugal operations across the border in Spain. Customers in Portugal will be serviced through Viking's call center in northwest Spain. Portuguese-speaking employees have been hired to serve the new customers. Some 5,000 products are to be introduced in Portugal. A Web site www.vikingdirect.pt serving the area will debut in 2003.

November 13, 2002 -- DM News has reported that "United Parcel Service Inc. has unveiled its new automated package distribution hub in Maple Grove, MN. It features new technologies for material handling and a sophisticated sorting system, UPS said. The 335,000-square-foot building can sort 20,000 packages an hour. It will house 272 delivery vehicles when at full capacity and have a retail customer counter in 2003."

November 13, 2002 -- APWU President William Burrus has announced that the union and the Postal Service have reached a tentative agreement on a two-year extension of the National Agreement, which is due to expire Nov. 20, 2003. "This is a tremendous opportunity for our members," Burrus said. "A year from now, the economy may still be soft, mail volume is likely to be low, and postal debt will remain high. By then, President Bush's appointees to the USPS Board of Governors will be in place." The new board members favor privatization, Burrus noted, and "It's the Board of Governors that determines management's negotiating strategies." "The recently announced overpayments to the Civil Service Retirement System don't add a dime of revenue to Postal Service coffers," Burrus added. "The tentative agreement secures wage and cost-of-living increases, and maintains members' current share of health-care costs. We believe it provides needed stability for our members during a time of severe financial difficulty and turmoil for the Postal Service. See also the report in the Wall Street Journal.

November 13, 2002 -- While the Postal Service has dramatically improved efficiencies to sort letter mail, the key to mirroring this success for magazines, catalogs and other flat mail is linked to the mailing community’s commitment to prepare flats for automated processing as they have for letters. “To meet the pledge of keeping mail service affordable for flats, we are committed to replicating the breakthrough productivities we achieved with letter mail,” explained Senior Vice President, Operations, John Rapp. “Productivity in our letter operations increased 83 percent from 1993 to 2001. We expect similar results as we implement our Corporate Flat Plan.”

November 13, 2002 -- The Associated Press has reported that "investigators trying to follow the sketchy trail of false names, counterfeit checks and unpaid bills left behind by the con artists who perpetrate identity theft scams will soon have a new weapon: a powerful computer database. The Identity Theft Information Database, to be operated in Philadelphia by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, would be the first of its kind, officials said."

November 13, 2002 -- According to Japan Today, "a public entity to be established next April to take over the three postal services may find it difficult to achieve earnings targets under the current deflationary pressure."

November 13, 2002 -- The Wall Street Journal has reported that the "U.S. Postal Service and American Postal Workers Union reached tentative agreement on a two-year contract extension that the union said would provide financial stability for workers during the economic slowdown. The union, representing 366,000 postal clerks and other post office employees, said the deal includes 1.3% wage increases next year and in 2004, as well as four cost-of-living boosts by late 2005. The union said its members would have lost about $180 each if the cost-of-living adjustments were negotiated under the normal bargaining schedule." [The Mailers Council has produced a very fine summary of key postal employee compensation milestones.]

November 13, 2002 -- The Pales tine Chronicle has reported that "the Saudi government yesterday announced plans to privatize 20 vital economic sectors. The sectors to be privatized also include water and sewage department, construction of highways, airport services, postal services, grain silos and flour mills, seaport services and industrial city services.

November 13, 2002 -- Canada Post will share the warmth of the holiday season by supporting the Salvation Army's Family Services Fund. Canada Post will donate $1 from the sale of every exclusive "Write to Santa" ornament and "Bear Mail" toy sold at participating post offices, in aid of The Salvation Army's 254 family service centres across Canada.

November 13, 2002 -- The Irish Times