June 30, 2005 -- AMEInfo has reported that "Emirates Post yesterday unveiled the 2005 Postcard Millionaire campaign, offering participants more chances to strike it rich with the purchase of a pack of postcards. Salem Al Shaya, Assistant Director General, Emirates Post, announced that a total of AED20million in cash prizes and other merchandise will be won during the campaign."

June 30, 2005 -- Transport Intelligence has reported that "The annual State of Logistics report for 2004 has been published by the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals. It provides an insight into the development of the industry in the USA including the growth of logistics costs. The report has revealed that during 2004, US business logistics costs rose by $71bn to $1,015 billion and were equal to 8.6% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This represents a jump of 7.5% compared with 2003. Transportation costs held steady for the third year in a row at 5.5% of GDP. As the author, Rosalyn Wilson states, this is an all time high for logistics costs, yet as a proportion of economic output the level has remained the same as the prior year. This is due to the rapid growth of the US economy which has kept pace with logistics costs."

June 30, 2005 -- Ireland Online has reported that "An Post are still missing service quality targets despite marginal improvement, the Commission for Communications Regulation said. The report shows that 76% of single piece priority mail - standard correspondence - was delivered within one working day throughout the State. The result still falls well short of the target set by ComReg of 94%."

June 30, 2005 -- Dow Jones has reported that "Demand from small and medium-sized companies is helping shipping giant United Parcel Service Inc. (UPS) post double-digit sales growth in Mexico, company officials said Monday. During the first quarter, UPS' export business sales from Mexico, the company's biggest Latin American market, grew by 30% versus the like-2004 quarter, building on a 60% annual expansion last year."

June 30, 2005 -- According to the Chicago Daily Herald, "The Mexican government has issued postage stamps depicting an exaggerated black cartoon character known as Memin Pinguin, just weeks after remarks by President Vicente Fox angered U.S. blacks. The series of five stamps released Wednesday depicts a hapless boy drawn with exaggerated features, thick lips and wide-open eyes. His appearance, speech and mannerisms are the subject of kidding by white characters in the comic book, which started in the 1940s and is still published in Mexico. Activists criticized the stamps as offensive, though officials denied it." See also MSNBC.com.

June 30, 2005 -- Posted on this site are two updated reports from the Congressional Research Service: "Pension Issues Cloud Postal Reform Debate" and "Postal Reform."

June 30, 2005 -- DM News has reported that:

• Instead of discussing next year's postal rate increase, Postmaster General John E. Potter talked to direct marketers about how mail can give a competitive advantage when it comes to reaching the U.S. consumer. He said mail works because it's measurable, and highlighted examples of companies using the mail successfully. See also Multichannel Merchant.
• Given the political success that do-not-call legislation generated for many politicians, some are seeking to latch onto direct mail in a ploy for short-term political gain, regardless of the consequences. Do-not-mail legislation is percolating in four states, including New York and Massachusetts. Perhaps resting on the hope that similar legislation will not pass because there is not the same type of public outcry against “junk mail” as there was against telemarketing, the direct marketing industry has taken a lackadaisical attitude so far toward these developments. Given the setbacks in telemarketing, this approach may prove foolhardy.
• The Direct Marketing Association and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service announced a nationwide consumer-education initiative yesterday telling Americans how to avoid being scammed by fraudulent sweepstakes.

June 30, 2005 -- The Daily Yomiuri has reported that "While many remain strongly opposed to postal privatization, the Liberal Democratic Party leadership hastily settled the dispute over a set of postal reform bills by putting the amended bills to a vote at the LDP General Council on Tuesday. The LDP leadership apparently was concerned about possible dissolution of the House of Representatives and a subsequent general election. LDP Secretary General Tsutomu Takebe stressed that the LDP leadership settled the dispute over the amended bills by crossing the Rubicon."

June 30, 2005 -- The Japan Times has reported that "The Liberal Democratic Party caved Wednesday to a demand from its junior coalition partner, New Komeito, and agreed not to put contentious postal privatization bills to a vote in the House of Representatives this week. The two parties made the deal during a meeting of their Diet affairs chiefs. New Komeito had been urging the LDP to abandon its goal of moving the bills through the Lower House by the end of the week, due to concerns it could negatively affect Sunday's Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election.

June 29, 2005 -- Air Cargo World has reported that "DHL Worldwide Express and Transportation Management Group, a reseller of transportation services worldwide, announced a partnership that will bring DHL's premium air express products to the TMG customer network of businesses. Under this agreement, small to medium sized businesses will benefit from DHL's market leadership in the domestic and international air express industries and TMG's competitive pricing typically reserved for large corporations. Together, the two companies will improve the efficiency and affordability of these express services for the small to medium sized market segment."

June 29, 2005 -- Le Figaro has reported that "French postal operator La Poste's calculated pension liability at 2004 has been revised upward by 13bn euros to a total of 70bn euros, an amount which will be difficult for the public sector company to cover. Last year, pension costs amounted to 2.139bn euros, according to the group's management."

June 29, 2005 -- The Monitor has reported that "POSTAL managers from the Common Market for East and Southern Africa (Comesa) member countries have started deliberations on how to transform the region's postal services into a robust and viable sector. Postal companies have progressively registered less turnovers as mobile and email use penetrates deeper almost eliminating the traditional letter writing. Postal organisations must transform their vast resource (labour, capital, materials and information) accumulated before the onset of ICTs into products and services that meet the needs of a value-added obsessed modern market. Zambia's Deputy Minister of Communications, Mr C.E Kasukumya, who officiated at the opening of the meeting, contended that the provision of postal services under monopolistic conditions should be discouraged."

June 29, 2005 -- The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner has reported that "Sen. Ted Stevens is bringing the Senate Commerce Committee and two top federal officials to Alaska next week for a hearing on a variety of aviation issues. Most Alaska villages do not receive a subsidy because the U.S. Postal Service's air-mail system in Alaska has preserved service by more than one carrier and relatively frequent flights."

June 29, 2005 -- After a robust first half, advertiser expenditures for mail are expected to grow strongly during the rest of 2005 according to Robert J. Coen, Senior Vice President and Director of Forecasting with Universal McCann, one of the world's largest advertising agencies. In his June 2005 Insider's Report, Coen says "restrictions on telemarketing calls have generated additional piece volume in the class of mail used mainly for direct response." "Mail advertising continues to grow," he explains, "as marketers search for alternatives to their former telemarketing programs. In later quarters of this year volume growth is expected to be further stimulated by extra prospecting mailings preceding the rate increases scheduled to take place in 2006." Coen said that total U.S. ad spending is expected to increase this year by 5.7% to a total of $278.8 billion. In December, however, Coen had projected total annual growth of 7.4 percent. Mail spending this year is forecast to increase 8.5 percent to $56.6 billion -- in total, one of every five dollars spent on advertising. Meanwhile local newspaper advertising is expected to grow 5 percent to $40.9 billion while national newspaper advertising will also increase 5 percent to $8 billion.

June 29, 2005 -- The Australian Broadcasting Corporation has reported that "Unions say Australia Post is curtailing free speech by stopping workers from promoting rallies against proposed industrial relations reforms."

June 29, 2005 -- PostCom President Gene Del Polito told a gathering of international postal leaders at Pochtovaya Troika 2005 (a conference sponsored by Russian Post) that "Posts across the world have tried to respond to many of today's these challenges, but, for the most part, their responses have been lacking. Most have opted to undergo extensive organizational transformations in the hope that evolving from a state-owned post, government agency into some form of corporate enterprise would prove to be an elixir for what is ailing modern posts. Corporate and organizational transformation, however, is often not enough to ensure the future well-being of any postal operator, particularly if those who run the post fail to understand the role they must be prepared to play in the 21st century."

June 29, 2005 -- Nikkei has reported that "Consolidating urban post offices with overlapping service areas is necessary to streamline mail delivery operations, but the Liberal Democratic Party's amended postal privatization legislation undermines such efforts. The nationwide post office network has 24,700 branches. The government has already conceded considerable ground to the LDP on whether the full range of postal services will be maintained for rural areas once operations are privatized."

June 29, 2005 -- Japan Times has reported that "Two months after the Cabinet of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi sent a package of postal privatization bills to the Diet, his Liberal Democratic Party's Executive Council decided Tuesday to back a revised version of them by a majority vote. It was the first time the party's top decision-making body reached a decision based on majority vote. Its usual practice is to reach unanimous consent."

June 29, 2005 -- The Gulf Daily News has reported that "Transportation Minister Shaikh Ali bin Khalifa Al Khalifa ordered a new strategy to overhaul the postal sector. It aims to bring postal services in Bahrain in line with national and international changes, said Post Directorate director Shaikh Badr bin Khalifa Al Khalifa. A new logo has already been launched, heralding a new era in services."

June 29, 2005 -- Gulf Times has reported that "A FOUR-member General Postal Corporation (Q-Post) team, headed by chairman Ali Mohamed al-Ali, has just completed a five-day tour of Bosnia and Herzegovina. During their visit, the team members held discussions with top Bosnian government officials and ministers, a Q-Post statement said. Al-Ali met the Bosnian minister for transport and communications Nedzad Brankovic and held discussions to strengthen postal co-operation. An exhibition of Qatari stamps was also held in Sarajevo during the team’s visit. A joint stamp was brought out by the postal corporations of the two countries to commemorate the Qatar delegation’s visit, the statement noted."

June 29, 2005 -- According to the Hindustan Times, "US postal workers called in the bomb squad after they mistook a parcel containing vibrators for explosives. According to Ananova, a police bomb squad flew in by helicopter after the alarm was raised at Bluffton post office in South Carolina. Post office workers were worried after noticing a suspicious looking white package laying by itself in a loading area. Bluffton Police Chief John Brown told the Island Packet, "When they went to check it out, it was vibrating."

June 29, 2005 -- RIA Novosti has reported that "Russia's postal service and an Israeli company signed an agreement on the construction of ground-based satellite equipment stations to provide communications and telephony to remote Russian regions."

June 29, 2005 -- As the Eldorado Times has noted, "Every day, thousands of American consumers receive sweepstakes promotions-but not all sweepstakes offers are legitimate. It's important to be able to spot the scams."

  June 29, 2005 -- From i-Newswire: "Deutsche Post is putting a sales format to the test which, with an eye to the exclusive license set to expire at the end of 2007, should be financially viable and at the same time adapted to significantly changed customer behavior. If Deutsche Post customers respond favorably, the intention is to extend the pilot project starting in the spring of 2006. Basic services such as postage stamps, parcel-post stamps and Packsets will be offered, but not special services with low demand ( e.g. COD, issuing warehoused items ) and banking transactions. Deutsche Post's cooperation partners receive a result-related remuneration. In the age of the Internet, this new outlet format accommodates the greater mobility of Deutsche Post customers and the increase in private correspondence."

June 29, 2005 -- From Canada NewsWire: "Canada Post Corporation today announced in the Canada Gazette a one-cent increase (2 %) in the domestic basic letter rate as well as its proposed increases for USA and International letter rates for implementation on January 16, 2006. Under the price-cap formula approved by the federal government in 2000, basic letter rate increases, when warranted, will not exceed 66.67 percent of inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index from May prior to the last increase to May of the current year. Increases will be implemented no more than once a year, in January, and announced six months in advance in the Canada Gazette Part I. The Consumer Price Index from May 2004 to May 2005 shows an increase of 1.6 per cent. Under the price-cap formula, 66.67 per cent of the CPI increase plus the unused portion related to the January 2005 increase, permits a one- cent increase in the basic letter rate. Even at the new rate of 51 cents, Canadians will still enjoy one of the lowest domestic basic letter rates among industrialized nations."

June 29, 2005 -- The Calcutta Telegraph has reported that "The efforts of the postal department to initiate business development of the sector a year back by diversification of core activities and reinvention has paid off with the department yielding a revenue of Rs 450 lakh in 2004-2005 for Jharkhand circle. The only exception was the strategic post. This plan was introduced to carry parcels weighing more than 50 kg to any destination, which failed to take off. The postal department is however facing its greatest challenge from the private courier agencies that have gradually grabbed the market share of the department of post in delivering mails. As per new business strategy, the introduction of business post was aimed at providing a complete mail solution for bulk mailers."

June 29, 2005 -- According to Ha'aretz, "It's been four years since the residents of the Akeb and Semiramis villages, located within the municipal borders of Jerusalem but beyond the Qalandiyah checkpoint, last received their mail. All letters sent to the residents of those villages are returned to the sender bearing the stamp, "Closed zone." Receiving mail has also become a nearly impossible mission in Beit Hanina and Shuafat, Arab villages in northern Jerusalem, after the postal workers decided to bring all mail to grocery stores in the area rather than delivering it to residents' homes."

June 29, 2005 -- People's Daily has reported that "The draft of China's anti-monopoly law has been finished and is now under revision and deliberation, Li Dongsheng, deputy director general of the State Administration for Industry and Commerce, said in Beijing Tuesday. The Anti-Monopoly Law, once approved, would cover many industries and sectors and focus on issues like regional blockades and administrative monopoly, Li said at an international symposium on competitive policies and legislation. Official statistics revealed that China's industrial and commercial authorities have cracked 5,200 monopoly cases in sectors like water, power and gas supply, railways, insurance, telecom and postal services over the past five years."

June 29, 2005 -- DM News has reported that:

• U.S. companies are sending more postal mail and e-mail to customers and prospects abroad, the Direct Marketing Association said at yesterday's International Day 2005.
• Now is a good time for direct marketers to enter overseas markets because so many countries have become richer, said Al Goodloe, president of Direct International Inc., New York. "Higher oil and commodity prices are pouring billions and billions and billions of dollars into Asia, Latin America and the Middle East," said Goodloe, who spoke at yesterday's International Day 2005 at the Harvard Club. "There are new economic giants that are rising literally from the ashes: China, India, Russia and Brazil. Now is the time to go, and now is the time for top management to get cracking to realize this opportunity.
• Most Canadians prefer receiving information and documents by regular mail and consider it far more secure and reliable than e-mail, according to a study released yesterday by research company BrandTrust for Pitney Bowes. According to the Canada 2005 Household Mail Preference Study, 58 percent of Canadian households with access to e-mail favor getting documents, letters and messages by mail while 30 percent prefer the electronic version. Also, 81 percent think regular mail is more secure than e-mail.

June 29, 2005 -- The Trinidad Express has reported that "The postal service has to prepare for change with the coming of the CARICOM Single Market Economy (CSME). This according to Public Utilities Minister Pennelope Beckles at the ninth Caribbean Postal Union (CPU) conference at the Crowne Plaza, Port of Spain, yesterday."

June 29, 2005 -- The Morocco Times has reported that "The Moroccan company in charge of postal services, Bareed Al-Maghreb, said on Monday following a board of directors' meeting that its 2004 profits increased by 59% year-on-year to MAD 118 million."

June 29, 2005 -- According to the Institute for Research on the Economics of Taxation, "At present, the Postal Service must seek prior approval from an independent federal regulator, the Postal Rate Commission (PRC), before changing the prices of its products. Two bills before Congress, H.R. 22 and S. 662, would loosen rate regulation. In markets the Postal Service dominates, the bills would give the agency much more rate-setting discretion, provided it does not raise prices faster than inflation. In competitive markets, the Service could set virtually any prices it wants, provided rates at least cover products’ costs, as measured by the Service. The bills’ fundamental assumption is that rate-cap regulation would motivate the agency to operate more efficiently. Rate-cap regulation, however, is poorly designed for a government-owned enterprise like the Postal Service. Government enterprises lack the market discipline provided by private owner/investors (residual claimants), who are eager to improve efficiency in order to increase profits."

June 29, 2005 -- As Traffic World has noted, "Amsterdam-based TNT, a global provider of mail, express and logistics services, is not participating in the sales process launched by the Belgian Government to sell a minority stake in Belgian De Post/La Poste. In spite of previous statements that under the right conditions it would be interested in a stake in the DP/LP, TNT said Friday it has now stopped investigating the possibilities of a partnership. TNT said it will continue to look closely at opportunities to acquire, under the right conditions, stakes in other postal operators."

June 29, 2005 -- The Evening Telegraph has reported that "The postal services watchdog has called on the Post Office to review its delivery procedures in the Dundee East postcode area after a catalogue of problems, writes Lynne Stewart. Postwatch Scotland raised concerns over the sustained problems of misdelivery and mail dumping in Dundee East after the situation was reported in the Evening Telegraph last week."

June 29, 2005 -- Uni has reported that it "has sent a letter of protest to the President of El Salvador over the treatment of postal workers who have been dismissed without compensation after many have devoted more than 27 years service to the civil service. Some members have commenced a hunger strike in protest and their health is is grave danger. UNI has called on the President to resolve this situation to end the hunger strike."

June 29, 2005 -- The Multichannel Merchant has reported that "The U.S. Postal Service and the American Postal Workers Union (APWU) on Tuesday reached a tentative one-year contract extension. Subject to approval by union members, the tentative agreement is scheduled to cover the period between Nov. 20, 2005, and Nov. 20, 2006, and includes a 1.6% wage increase that would take effect in March 2006. The agreement, which would affect more than 287,000 postal employees, also includes the continuation of a cost-of-living allowance and maintains members' current share of health-care costs."

June 28, 2005 -- Agenzia Giornalistica Italia has reported that "Italian Post CEO, Massimo Sarmi, said that the project to list Italian Post would continue, But the listing won't be made in 2005."

June 28, 2005 -- Australian IT has reported that "AUSTRALIA Post business unit EDI Post has not been uncompetitive in its pricing of mailhouse services, according to the federal Competitive Neutrality Complaints Office. The finding follows complaints from a Victorian database manager, which alleged EDI had used information from Australia Post to pick off its clients. An AGCNCO investigation has concluded there was no evidence to suggest EDI Post had obtained information from other parts of Australia Post about clients of mailhouse rivals that could give it a competitive advantage. It found EDI Post was setting prices in accordance with competitive neutrality principles."

June 28, 2005 -- According to Environmental Media Services, "Today marks the second anniversary of the National Do Not Call Registry. Now, Americans are taking aim at their mailboxes. The Center for a New American Dream , a non-profit, is launching a new petition asking Congress to build upon Do Not Call’s success and commission a registry to let citizens opt-out out of an equally relentless form of marketing – junk mail."

June 28, 2005 -- The Business Standard has reported that "The US-based $30-billion United Parcel Services (UPS), which plans to set up a network of retail franchise shops in the country under the brand name UPS Stores, may find the going tough. The company’s plans are likely to get stalled with the Centre’s recent reluctance to allow foreign direct investment in retail. A section of the government does see it as an attempt to gain an indirect entry into retail. Besides, the department of posts has objected to UPS’ proposal, viewing it as a violation of the Indian Postal Act, which reserves the mail delivery system as a government function."

June 28, 2005 -- From Free Press Release: 

• BCC Software has announced the release of another data-quality resource that can help companies refine their existing data, streamline outreach efforts and save money. ZIP FOURce™, a new Applications Programming Interface (API) developed by BCC, helps minimize bad data by verifying addresses at the point of data entry through a comparison against official United States Postal Service® (USPS®) data files. The ZIP FOURce API can be easily integrated into most Customer Relationship Management (CRM) programs or other systems programs that maintain address information.
• BCC Software has formed a strategic alliance with Direct Logistics, Inc. (DLI), that will result in Destination Entry drop-ship logistics services being made available directly to BCC customers. The first result of this partnership is the introduction of Truck Direct Mail (TDM), a free quote-generator interface that will be available in BCC’s user-exclusive online Customer Portal. TDM offers mailers a hassle-free way to evaluate the value of using a private carrier to transport mailings intended for Destination Entry drop-shipping. If the mailer accepts TDM’s logistics quote, DLI arranges for the specific shipment to be transported per the mailer’s instructions — at a savings of as much as 20 percent compared to standard United States Postal Service (USPS) shipping costs.
• BCC Software Inc, having recently produced a BCC Data Services Guide for exclusive use by BCC customers, will now make copies of the informative Guide available to all professional mailers, free of charge. The 20-page Guide offers a “tour” of the current Move Update landscape, which has seen extensive changes in recent years as the United States Postal Service (USPS) has struggled to reduce the costly industry-wide problem of Undeliverable As Addressed (UAA) mailpieces. The USPS currently enforces a Move Update requirement on First-Class Mail (TM), but the full spectrum of list-enhancement services covered in the Guide — USPS NCOALink (TM), Delivery Sequence File Second Generation, Suppression Services and more — can greatly improve deliverability and improve efficiency and economy for all classes of mail.

June 28, 2005 -- Cayman Net News has reported that "As the most badly damaged office in the wake of Hurricane Ivan, Seven Mile Beach Post Office finally re-opened its doors after almost nine months and a full make-over. At the opening ceremony the Hon Arden McLean, who will take responsibility for the Postal Service on 1 July took the opportunity to commend the work of the staff. “I must note that the Cayman Islands Postal Service ranks with the best of the region in terms of offering a high-quality, reputable and stable service,” said Mr McLean. “I believe," he said, "that the Post Office – a cornerstone for our economy in the early decades before banking and tourism – can still be a significant revenue earner."

June 28, 2005 -- The Guardian has reported that "The Jersey government has announced it is to crack down on UK retailers who have been using a European VAT loophole to sell cheap DVDs, CDs and a range of other products. Both Jersey and Guernsey have become a major centre for the supply of low value, price sensitive goods such as films, music, contact lenses, food supplements and computer equipment." 

June 28, 2005 -- Emilio W. Cividanes, one of the deans of privacy law, has joined Venable LLP as a partner in its Washington office. Mr. Cividanes brings his extensive experience in privacy regulations, counseling and litigation, helping to further round out Venable’s government and legislative practices. Mr. Cividanes concentrates his practice on helping companies meet their privacy obligations in a competitive and regulated marketplace. As a lobbyist, he also works to shape the very data protection laws and regulations that govern their operations. He counsels clients in a number of industries, including marketing, entertainment, electronic publishing, telecommunications, health care, pharmaceutical, financial services, and hospitality. He advises on how to address privacy challenges in product development, sales, and other business operations, both domestic and abroad.

June 28, 2005 -- The San Jose Mercury News has reported that "How do we love thee, post office . . . Five bucks says you can't name the postmaster general of the U.S. Postal Service. But for a few brief moments last week, John E. Potter was like a rock star in San Jose. Potter appeared on stage before a packed HP Pavilion during eBay Live, the San Jose company's annual gathering of eBay members and employees. EBay Chief Executive Meg Whitman invited Potter onstage to discuss new shipping services available to eBay sellers. To most people, mailing a package is about as interesting as running a load of laundry. To eBay sellers, mailing is their life. And anything anyone can do to make the chore easier is greeted with wild enthusiasm. So when Potter took the stage, the crowd gave him a hearty ovation. And when Whitman asked the crowd after his talk, ``How much do we love the Postal Service?'' eBayers let it rip."

June 27, 2005 -- For the first time ever, the chief executive of the Postal Service testified in a rate case proceeding. PMG Jack Potter testified in hearings today at the Postal Rate Commission, and he held to his position that the USPS needs the 5.4% across-the-board rate increase it requested to build the escrow costs into its base. The costs get bigger in later years, Potter noted. He continued to push for settlement of the case. But Potter promised that the issue of cumulative net income, which the PRC's Office of Consumer Advocate Shelley Dreifuss raised in her oral cross-examination, would be dealt with in the omnibus rate case that will follow this case should the USPS have a cumulative net income when it files that case.

June 27, 2005 -- From the PR Newswire: "Nine national organizations serving small business interests are among the founding members of the United States Postal Service's Small Business Marketing Council. The council's objective is to serve and address the postal needs of the nation's 20 million small businesses and will focus on developing this vital economic sector's ability to grow and prosper through the use of mail as a business and marketing vehicle. "The Small Business Marketing Council is an opportunity for the Postal Service to expand its outreach to the small business community," said Anita Bizzotto, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer. "Not only does it give us an opportunity to make this community aware of our products and services, it provides a forum where we can build a better understanding of the needs and challenges faced by small business across the country." Bizzotto will co-chair the council with Gene Del Polito, President, Association for Postal Commerce. "This council brings associations serving small businesses together with the Postal Service in a formal way," said Del Polito of the Association for Postal Commerce. "It strengthens the partnership between the mailing industry, the Postal Service and its business customers, and has the potential to open exciting and new avenues for growth opportunity."

June 27, 2005 -- According to Federal Computer Week, "Even as Congress and the Bush administration attempt to lasso privacy concerns by placing chief privacy officers in the saddle at agencies, few privacy officials toil to accomplish the same tasks....Chief privacy officer Zoe Strickland is in the midst of a massive overhaul of the U.S. Postal Service's records systems and record-retention policies. She is also making USPS' privacy policies more accessible by providing summaries and the full texts online."

June 27, 2005 -- The Polish News Bulletin has reported that "The European Commission is likely to probe into the state aid granted to Poczta Polska the national post service, according to the Polish News Agency (PAP). The agency has gained access to a document in which the EU Commission questions the amount of state aid to be allotted to Poczta Polska." See also Forbes.

June 27, 2005 -- Deutsche Post AG will this year open up to 300 new branches in rural areas in Germany, Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper said in a report to be published tomorrow, citing no sources. With the move, Deutsche Post wants to test to what extent it can offer basic postal services even after it loses its stamp monopoly in late 2007, the newspaper added.

June 27, 2005 -- Interactive Investor has reported that "Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi rejected a request by his own Liberal Democratic Party to amend a set of bills now under Diet deliberation for privatizing Japan's postal services, Kyodo News reported, citing Toranosuke Katayama, secretary general of the LDP upper house caucus. Kyodo reported that Koizumi told Kaoru Yosano, the LDP policy chief, and some other senior members: "If the bills fail to pass the Diet (the way they are now), it's OK with me to scrap them." See also the Japan Times.

June 27, 2005 -- Gulf Times has reported that "THE General Postal Corporation (Q-Post) recently held a two-day seminar on ‘Improving the quality postal services’ in the region in association with the Universal Postal Union (UPU). Eleven postal officials from the region participated in the deliberations of the seminar, held for the first time in the region.' 

June 27, 2005 -- MENA-FN has reported that "The Dubai Airport Mail Transit Hub of Emirates Post consolidated its position as the preferred regional mail distribution centre by handling 1,062,720 kg of international mail during 2004. Among the regular clients of the Hub are GATS UK, British Royal Mail and the UK and US offices of Deutsche Post. Swiss Post and Kuwait Post were the two major clients that joined the hub during 2005, in addition to several other postal organizations."

June 27, 2005 -- The Edinburgh Evening News has reported that "MIDLOTHIAN MP David Hamilton is calling for action to protect posties from back problems caused by letterboxes at the bottom of doors. He has backed the campaign by the Communication Workers to tackle the problem of low level letterboxes. The Labour backbencher has appealed to all MPs, Ministers and senior civil servants in a bid to prompt government action. It reads: "We note that there are around 3000 back injuries to postmen and women each year in Royal Mail. Delivering to low-level letter boxes at the base of a house front door forces postal staff to stoop to ground level whilst carrying a satchel of mail weighing up to 15kg (35lbs), which causes a serious risk of back strain." The motion also calls for the Government to implement rules specifying the height, position and design of letterboxes to ensure that posties can make deliveries without risk of injury."

June 26, 2005 -- Reuters has reported that "Dutch mail and logistics company TNT NV said it was no longer interested in bidding for a minority stake in Belgium's state-owned postal service. TNT, which changed its name from TPG in April and plans to drop its TPG Post brand in the Netherlands from 2006, said in a statement it would not bid for a stake in the postal service, called "De Post" in Flemish or "La Poste" in French."

June 25, 2005 -- The latest issue of the PostCom Bulletin is available online. In this issue:

• The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee this week passed S. 662, the Postal Service Accountability and Enhancement Act, out of committee by a resounding 15-1 vote.

• Postal Service posts strong cash flow through May.

• Postmaster General Jack Potter last week told advertisers to include direct mail in every marketing plan.

• The USPS' Pricing and Classification Service Center reports that, to date, it has not encountered "any significant problems regarding the new eligibility standard, or any other particular standard."

• USPS public affairs executive Azeezaly S. Jaffer takes on the Lexington Institute's Sam Ryan in this letter to the editor of The Orlando Sentinel.

• Postal commentator Murray Comarow explains his reasons for not supporting the House and Senate postal reform bills.

• The Boston Herald urges the United States to follow other nations down the path of postal privatization.

• APWU, USPS consider contract extension. Pitney Bowes, Mailing Industry CEO Council commend Senate action on postal reform bill. FedEx show profit jump in fourth quarter. Judge rules UPS Sonic Air drivers are employees.

• Time Inc. exec looks to digital magazines.

• Deutsche Post, union call for subsidies if letter monopolies end. Postcomm pondering postal permission.

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June 25, 2005 -- According to the Associated Press, "Nationally, there are about 334,000 letter carriers. While their numbers are generally expected to decline in the next few years because of competition from alternative delivery systems and new forms of electronic communication, the demand for rural carriers is expected to increase. Because rural carriers are essentially post offices on wheels, they serve as an alternative to more post-office buildings."

June 24, 2005 -- The latest copy of the National Association of Postmasters of the U.S. electronic governmental affairs newsletter is available on the NAPUS web site.

June 24, 2005 -- The European Commission has posted on its web site a very fine paper by Neelie Kroes, Member of the European Commission in charge of Competition Policy on “Competition Law and the Liberalisation of the Polish Market” Dutch-Polish Chamber of Commerce Conference.

June 24, 2005 -- WhatTheyThink has reported that "The Electronic Document Systems Foundation (EDSF), the non-profit organization dedicated to the document communications industry, announced the publication of a landmark, co-branded research paper ("Document Communications---Industry Trends: 2005 Survey Results")  on industry trends with particular emphasis on buyers in that market. In part it said, "Timeliness, cost, and personalization of communications remain the top three concerns for buyers in the market. All three requirements lend support for the transition to digital delivery, as transit times can be cut from days to seconds, costs can be shaved from tens of cents to fractions of cents, and personalization continues to be limited only by the creativity of the hosting organization." 

June 24, 2005 -- SmartMoney.com has reported that "Mediators between UPS and its pilots union have called for a recess in contract negotiations that have been going on for three years as issues over pay and pensions remain unresolved. UPS said in a statement Thursday that the pilots cannot strike or take over action and are "legally obligated under the Railway Labor Act to continue working under the existing contract during any recess."

June 24, 2005 -- The Irish Times has reported that "Postal workers have threatened to go on strike and to punish the Government at the next election over An Post's refusal to pay the full terms of Sustaining Progress."

  June 24, 2005 -- Transport Intelligence has reported that "DHL, the express and logistics subsidiary of Deutsche Post World Net, is expanding its logistics location in Staufenberg (near Kassel) in Germany. About €44 million will be invested in a 50,000-square-meter multi-function logistics centre. Approximately 300 new jobs will be created as a result. The centre is scheduled to start operations at the beginning of October. DHL already operates a parcel centre, an express terminal and a fulfillment center in Staufenberg."

June 24, 2005 -- As Folio has noted, "The labyrinth that is Postal Service politics took a new twist this week when PostCom, the Web site for the Association for Postal Commerce, reported that the Postal Service management asked to withdraw the pending request for a 5.4 percent rate hike in January. PostCom president Gene Del Polito said that while they wouldn’t comment publicly, contacts within the Postal Service are not denying that the request took place. David Straus, postal counsel for American Business Media, doubts there will be a change with the rate increase case. “There are two postal service spokespeople who have said they are moving ahead with the rate case,” he says. “They’re not denying that the governors were asked but an official spokesperson said he doesn’t know what happens behind closed doors and he doesn’t know anything about it." Sounds like the old Hogan Heroes Sergeant Schultz defense...."I know nothink!"

June 24, 2005 -- The HomeTownChannel has reported that "After fighting to keep its mail from being moved to Northwest Arkansas, Fort Smith was fighting Thursday to keep the postal service from sending local distribution to Oklahoma. The U.S. Postal Service is studying the factors involved in moving the distribution of Fort Smith mail to Tulsa. If the processing center is moved to Oklahoma, mail going from one neighborhood to the next would have to cross state lines first."

June 24, 2005 -- The Asheville Citizen-Times has reported that "Some mail was sorted by hand and re-routed to Charlotte after a small fire and power outage at the U.S Postal Service distribution facility on Brevard Road on Monday and Tuesday. Power was restored sometime Tuesday afternoon, Asheville Postmaster Danny Jones said. The center processes mail for the 287, 288 and 289 ZIP codes, and about 150,000 to 200,000 pieces of mail were sent to Charlotte. Jones said delays in mail delivery have been minimal."

June 23, 2005 -- The Associated Press has reported that "High fuel prices and the cost of opening a new around-the-world air route that won't pay off for a couple of years held FedEx earnings below Wall Street expectations Thursday, and the company's stock took an immediate hit. The parent of the world's largest cargo airline also said competitors are aggressively going after its customers, and FedEx projections for 2006 earnings fell below the average of analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial. The company made money across its trucking and airline divisions, however, and FedEx officers said its future is bright."

June 23, 2005 -- According to DM News, The U.S. Postal Service generated net income of $1.8 billion from Oct. 1 to May 31. USPS net income was $1.4 billion over budget and revenue totaled $47.4 billion, which was $1.1 billion better than planned and up 1.5 percent from the year-ago period.

June 23, 2005 -- From USPS linkOnline:

• Pat Donahoe, the Postal Service’s 19th Deputy Postmaster General and Chief Operating Officer (COO), has taken his oath of office.
• Apple a Day and Beyond, a Greenville, SC, nutritional product supplier, switched from a USPS competitor — thanks to convenient and cost-effective Priority Mail Flat-Rate boxes.

June 23, 2005 -- From the Congressional Record from the HON. RON LEWIS Of Kentucky: "Mr. Speaker, I would like to bring to the attention of my colleagues a fantastic program aimed at boosting the morale of our soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Operation Slugger is a partnership between the Association for the US Army (AUSA), DHL Express, Louisville Slugger, USA Cares, and the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), focused on providing sporting equipment for recreational activities for our soldiers in the field. This partnership is a response to the numerous requests from US soldiers asking for sports equipment for use during their leisure time. These kits will consist of baseball bats and balls, softball and baseball gloves, hats, footballs, basketballs, rugby balls, and soccer balls. The donated goods, which are expected to exceed 20 tons, will be transported by DHL to Louisville Slugger Field and on to the U.S. troops serving in Afghanistan. As the men and women of our military put their lives on the line for us, I want to thank these organizations for giving something back to the troops. Please join me in thanking AUSA, DHL, Louisville Slugger, USA Cares, the VFW. and all of the people who have participated for their contributions to Operation Slugger."

June 23, 2005 -- The Postal Service has noted that in the "June 10, 2005, Federal Register announced the final rule and mailing standards for Premium Forwarding Service (PFS) that is effective on August 7, 2005. This is a two-year experiment designed for reshipping a customer’s mail from their primary address to a temporary address for a minimum of two-weeks and up to a maximum of one-year when they are temporarily away. For complete details, the new DMM standards are published in the June 23 Postal Bulletin and in the June 10 Federal Register."

June 23, 2005 -- Congressional Press Release: "“The health of the Postal Service is essential to the vitality of thousands of companies and the millions that they employ,” said Senator Collins. “Our comprehensive, bipartisan legislation will help put the Postal Service on more solid financial ground while strongly endorsing the basic features of universal service – affordable rates, frequent delivery, and convenient community access to retail postal services.” “If we want to avoid disastrous future postal rate hikes and the put the Postal Service on firm, financial footing, then we need to pass this bill,” said Senator Carper. “It's been more than 30 years since we've considered major postal reform legislation. We need to bring the Postal Service into the 21st century. This legislation would give the Postal Service the tools it needs to survive at a time when many of its customers enjoy multiple electronic alternatives to traditional hard-copy mail. Passage of this legislation will preserve the health of the nearly $1 trillion mailing industry and the millions of American jobs that depend on it.” The Collins-Carper postal reform legislation requires the Postal Service to establish a set of service standards for market dominant products, which will preserve the public’s access to postal services in all communities. It requires the Postal Service to report to Congress with a strategy for how it intends to restructure the Postal Service’s infrastructure to reduce excess processing capacity and space. It also requires the Postal Service to report annually to Congress about its success in these areas. Senators Collins and Carper succeeded in lowering the cost of the legislation, to $500 million over five years, which is $1 billion less that the House proposal. This is mostly accomplished by requiring the Postal Service to devote more resources to pre-fund retiree health care."

June 23, 2005 -- GovExec.com has reported that "The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee approved a sweeping postal overhaul measure Wednesday. The bill also gives the Postal Service access to money slated for an escrow account and shifts payment for the agency's military pensions back to the Treasury. The Bush administration's objections to that language kept a similar bill from reaching the floor of the Senate last year, although it was approved unanimously by the committee. Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., echoed the White House's argument, saying the agency had already agreed to pay for its military pensions as part of a law passed in 2003. After the hearing, Collins said she was optimistic about the measure's chances of reaching the floor this year, given its strong support in committee."

June 23, 2005 -- According to the Long Island Press, "If town governments were commercial solicitors, the Town of Hempstead would be Publishers Clearing House, Valpak and all the credit card companies combined. Several civic leaders, politicians and residents agree, claiming that Hempstead's supervisor is wasting time and money on mailings that cross a line from public service to political propaganda. The Community Alliance (CA), a Nassau civic group based in Elmont, recently kicked off the "Murray Mail Meter," which tallies the cost of mailings from the town that to some residents are clearly political and feature Town Supervisor Kate Murray's image."

June 23, 2005 -- From the Business Wire:

• Although jobs we once thought secure have been lost to outsourcing, that's also a convenient scapegoat," said UPS CEO Mike Eskew, addressing the Indiana Humanities Council's 2005 Leadership Summit. "The rhetoric exceeds the reality" because globalization is not something to be feared if you're willing to innovate.
• UPS has reinforced its ongoing commitment to balancing economic, social and environmental objectives by releasing the company's third annual Corporate Sustainability Report. The report demonstrates UPS is moving forward on a number of important goals, including increasing fuel efficiency, lowering aircraft emissions and reducing employee injury rates. Additionally, this year's report includes more global information than ever before.

June 23, 2005 -- Hoovers has reported that:

In a case that tested independent contractor arrangements, a Sacramento judge has ruled that a division of UPS Inc. should have classified its drivers as employees, which would have entitled them to disability and other payroll benefits. The legal fight has consumed years and has been fought by two different companies. The case began in the early 1990s when the drivers worked for Air Couriers International. The company, which later changed its name to SonicAir, was acquired by UPS in 1995.
The independent operation of United Parcel Service of America, Inc. (UPS) in China would not be necessarily a good matter, said Luo Kaifu, President of China International Freight Forwarders Association.

June 23, 2005 -- The Albany Business Journal has reported that "Another law firm has filed a class action lawsuit against AuthentiDate Holding Corp. of Schenectady."

June 23, 2005 -- The Washington Post has noted that "The telephone is insinuating itself more deeply into Web commerce, thanks to the way Internet telephony is lowering calling costs at a time when Web merchants are realizing they can boost sales by injecting a human voice into the sale of big-ticket items. Click-to-talk is popping up not only as a customer service tool on Web sites, but as a sales lead generator in online ads. Some systems require customers to dial a special toll-free number and reach a call center."

June 23, 2005 -- According to Revolution, "Many retailers could get more out of their web sites and boost sales through a multi-channel approach. These retailers have a transactional web site, as well as a store, mail-order catalogue or call centre. But many of them are losing sales by failing to use the site to promote their catalogue, according to the study. The research found that almost half (48 per cent) of the retailers surveyed offered both a mail-order catalogue and an online store but, of these, only a third allow customers to order the catalogue online."

June 23, 2005 -- Cayman Net News has reported that "Hon Arden McLean, People’s Progressive Movement (PPM) Legislative Assembly member for East End and Minister for Community Services, Youth, Sports and Gender Affairs has said that "The postal system should be able to be competitive and viable and compete with the courier system. The postal system should also go into agreements for the collection of bills, especially for those living in outlying areas. As well the system should be able to offer the service of picking up packages from companies.”

June 23, 2005 -- The Journal of Commerce has reported that "TNT Express Singapore has launched a next-day, door-to-door delivery service of diagnostic samples and clinical supplies for central laboratories in Asia to the United States."

June 23, 2005 -- Kyodo News Service has reported that "The set of bills to privatize Japan Post are "defective bills that would cause the society's mammoth (postal) system to collapse," DPJ Secretary General Tatsuo Kawabata said at an annual convention of the Japan Postal Workers' Union."

June 23, 2005 -- The Times of Zambia has reported that "POSTAL service providers in the region should embrace information communication technologies (ICTs) to meet the challenges of the changing business environment, Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) acting Secretary General Sindiso Ngwenya has said. Mr Ngwenya said the future of postal services would no longer be determined by the traditional postal business but by innovation and developments in ICTs. He was speaking in Lusaka during the official opening of a workshop for postal managers from the region."

June 23, 2005 -- The Daily Observer (Gambia) has reported that "The Chief Executive of The Gambia Divestiture Agency, GDA, Mama Marena, has disclosed that a new bill, Gampost Bill, will be tabled before the National Assembly this year, which seeks to transform the General Post Office into an autonomous body. “The rationale for this is to create a more efficient postal delivery service and venture into other services, e.g banking,’’ she said. She pointed out that the Gampost Bill is currently being reviewed by a cabinet sub committee and work has been completed on the final feasibility study and scheme of services. She noted that the Tradegate Way Project will lend support to government’s strategy of increasing private sector participation in services."

June 23, 2005 -- Borsen-Zeitung has reported that "Wulf Haack, the head of the association of towns and districts in the German state of Lower Saxony, has lodged an action for nullification against a resolution passed at the last general meeting of Deutsche Post, the German postal service operator."

June 22, 2005 -- From the PR Newswire:

• The Mailing Industry CEO Council commended the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee's approval of the "Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act" (S. 662).
• Pitney Bowes Inc. applauded today's action by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee in approving the Senate postal reform bill (S.662) by a vote of 15-1.

June 22, 2005 -- The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs has approved reporting out S.662 to the full Senate. The decision to move the bill forward was approved by an 15-1 vote (Sen. Coburn voting NO). The committee mark contains a number of amendments suggested by various committee members. Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-CT) also introduced an amendment supported by Collins and approved by the committee. The Lieberman amendment would allow the Postal Service to appeal to the Postal Rate Commission (PRC) the actuarial methodology the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) uses to calculate the USPS' pension obligations. It would then require OPM to review the PRC report and reconsider its decision, although it would not require OPM to change its decision. The House postal reform bill, HR 22, includes nearly identical language concerning this issue. The amended version of S.662 (minus the Lieberman amendment) has been posted on this site.

June 22, 2005 -- The Asahi Shimbun has reported that "In the fierce battle to get postal privatization passed in the Diet, leaders of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party have come up with concessions to win over more supporters in their own party. Party sources said the three main points in the draft revision are: (1) Clearly state that savings and insurance operations will be part of what the post office network company does. (2) Include in the bills the standards for establishing post offices in underpopulated rural areas rather than leave the specifics to the communications ministry. (3) State that post offices will handle administrative paperwork normally conducted by local government offices. Party executives believe that all but the most staunch opponents of postal privatization will likely fall in line behind the revisions and support the legislation."

June 22, 2005 -- Xinhua has reported that "Postal managers from the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) have gathered in Zambia's capital Lusaka for a week-long regional training workshop on postal sector reform and regulation. The training workshop held at the COMESA Secretariat will discuss major challenges faced by postal administrations in running their operations. Participants will also share experience and together identify best practices for regulatory structure and organization of the universal postal service."

June 22, 2005 -- CEP News (Courier-Express-Postal), published by the MRU Consultancy, has reported that:

Last Thursday, in a hitherto unique act of closing ranks the TNT Group and Deutsche Post jointly demanded in Brussels that the further postal market liberalisation take place "in step". At a joint press conference, CEOs Klaus Zumwinkel (Deutsche Post) and Peter Bakker (TNT) emphasised the importance of preventing some countries from pressing ahead while others might shield their market for years.
The Organisation of German Cities and Districts (DStGB) has demanded that the universal service obligation be tightened and has announced its intention to support legal action taken by district councils against the closure of postal agencies in rural areas.
As a result of investigations into Osterreichische Post's retirement procedures, Austria's audit office has not found evidence of any unlawful early retirement agreements nor ascertained "suspicions of punishable activities".
Posten Norge AS will spend over 41m euros on new sorting machines. The Norwegian post aims to increase the percentage of machine sorted mail from currently 59% to 84% by 2008.
Posten Norge AS will spend over 41m euros on new sorting machines. The Norwegian post aims to increase the percentage of machine sorted mail from currently 59% to 84% by 2008.
The board of Schweizerische Post has given its approval to a participation in Liechtensteinische Post AG.
The Swiss regulatory authority has granted the Geneva-based firm Courrex SA a licence for the handling of international mail.
The German trade union ver.di released a statement last Friday: its chairman Rolf Buttner demanded that the monopoly be extended. Rudolf Pfeiffer of the German Association of Courier, Express and Parcel Services said that jobs could not be secured through monopoly but only through making mail services more attractive again.
Parceline, the British subsidiary of GeoPost, intends to invest around 30m euros in six new depots. All six locations are due to take up operations in August this year
The Wall Street Journal reports that BAX Global is up for sale. The company, for many years considered the epitome of an integrator, introduced drastic cost cuts in 2002 following an extended period of losses.
DHL board member Peter Kruse has accused business rival Hermes of acquiring market shares through an aggressive price policy.
UPS appears to be gaining market shares from its European competitors. In an interview with the German daily "Die Welt", Wolfgang Flick, president of UPS Europe, said his company had gained 13% in turnover in Europe during the first quarter 2005 and a 15% plus in Germany.

The MRU, founded in 1992, is the only consultancy in the German speaking area, which has specialised in the market of courier-, express- and parcel services. For large-scale shippers and CEP-services in particular, the MRU provides interdisciplinary advice for all major questions of the market, as there are for example market entry, product design, organisation, and EDP. To learn more about the stories reported above, contact CEP News.

June 22, 2005 -- EBay, EBay, EBay....Everybody wants to develop a shipping relationship with EBay. Here's a piece that talks about a different trend....Going it alone. As the Wall Street Journal has noted, "EBay's latest fee increases, in February, have intensified seller complaints about poor customer service and falling prices. One result: EBay sellers are helping one another declare independence. A recent conference of eBay merchants featured a workshop on "Developing your own Web site." For the first time, after a decade of rapid expansion, traffic to eBay's U.S. Web site declined in the first quarter, as revenue growth hit a record low. Reflecting the concerns, eBay shares have fallen 36% this year." So, who's pitching shipping services to these folks?

As the Monty Python gang used to say: "And now for something completely different."
If you're into something beyond the ordinary, check out some of the comments
that accompany various stories posted on postalnews.com.

June 22, 2005 -- In a letter to the editor of the Orlando Sentinel, USPS Public Affairs and Communications senior vice president Azezz Jaffer wrote: "After I read "Stamp It Out" on the Sentinel's op-ed page, I thought, if I didn't know better, I might believe Sam Ryan myself. After all, when he's identified as "a fellow of the Lexington Institute," one might conclude he's an open-minded student of public policy. But he's more than that. Sam Ryan also heads Keybridge Communications, a public relations firm that "ghostwrites timely op-ed articles on a broad spectrum of issues, for a variety of clients."

A place where you are free to "think globally."

June 22, 2005 -- Postal unions looked into the future at their conference in Oslo - to a European postal regime where traditional operators have to face competitive all comers and where someone, somewhere has to pay for a universal postal service or leave some citizens out in the cold. Postal services play a key role in the lives of citizens and in the smooth running of economies and unions remain concerned at the impact of plans to fully liberalise the European postal service by 2009. That's a target date set by the European Union - subject to a review and a further dose of de-regulation next year, which will reduce the protected area for traditional postal operators to below 50-gram letters. Some countries are removing protections to allow free-for-all competition faster than that - next year in the UK and 2007 in Norway. Sweden, Finland and Estonia are already completely liberalised. European postal unions have lobbied hard for a step-by-step approach to liberalisation to ensure services and protect employment.

June 22, 2005 -- Transport Intelligence has reported that "UPS has announced the expansion of a new product on trade routes between Asia and Europe. UPS launched Trade Direct outbound from Europe to the United States in January 2005 and plans to introduce Trade Direct for US to Europe by January 2006."

June 22, 2005 -- As PostCom vice president Kate Muth has noted, "While USPS net income through May 31 was about $1.8 billion, the Postal Service has a great deal more cash on hand this year than it did last year at the same time. In its May financial statement, the USPS reports cash and cash equivalents through May 31, 2005, of $2.5 billion. But cash includes other items such as depreciation. Because the Postal Service is relatively debt-free at the moment, it is not using cash to pay down debt as it has done in past years. While postal cash on hand is a hefty amount, it does not translate into an equal dollar-for-dollar net income. For this fiscal year (2005), net income is on track to exceed $1 billion."

June 22, 2005 -- From the U.S. Newswire: "The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) today approved the United States Postal Service (USPS) as the first federal organization in OSHA's "Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP) Corporate" pilot program. The Voluntary Protection Programs recognize and promote outstanding workplace safety and health management. USPS joins Georgia-Pacific Corporation as the first two organizations to be formally accepted in the VPP Corporate pilot program, which streamlines the application and onsite evaluation processes for corporations that have made a commitment to VPP."

June 22, 2005 -- The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) has "expressed strong support for S. 662, the Postal Enhancement and Accountability Act and urged the [Senate homeland security and governmental affairs] Committee to favorably report the bill to the Senate."

June 22, 2005 -- Interested in things happening over there? Then you might want to check out the Europe Economics Executive Briefing posted on the PostInsight web site.

June 22, 2005 -- ExpressIndia has reported that "In an era when postal services are becoming less popular, thanks to e-mail and cellular services, GPO Lucknow is re-inventing the so-called snail-mail service to suit the day's need. This door-to-door Speed Post service, introduced by GPO, Lucknow on June 10, is the first of its kind in the country. Detailing Express Newsline about the service, Chief Post Master O P Verma said, ‘‘Now if a person has three or more mails for speed post, he can call the Post Office and ask for the service. The postman will come and collect the mails from his doorstep.''

June 21, 2005 -- From Presswire: "Window Book Inc has announced the certification of its Post Master and DAT-MAIL mailing statements by the United States Postal Service's PAVE™ program. The Presort Accuracy, Validation and Evaluation (PAVE) program was designed by the USPS in order to evaluate presort software and determine accuracy according to the Domestic Mail Manual standards. PAVE is specifically designed for companies that develop presort software or manufacture presorting equipment. A PAVE certified presort software product requires a source code specifically written to operate on a particular platform or operating system. "

June 21, 2005 -- Borsen-Zeitung has reported that "Wulf Haack, the head of the association of towns and districts in the German state of Lower Saxony, has lodged an action for nullification against a resolution passed at the last general meeting of Deutsche Post, the German postal service operator. The complaint has been lodged at the district court of Bonn. The reason for the complaint is that there were errors in the procedures at the meeting, and that the rights of shareholders to information were ignored. Mr Haack says that he hopes to have the company's decision regarding the use of its net income for the year declared invalid. He wants Deutsche Post to draw up a proper strategy for each post office. If he is successful, Mr Haack says that Deutsche Post will not pay a dividend."

June 21, 2005 -- As ComputerWorld has noted, "It pays to be big. That's one advantage for United Parcel Service Inc. when dealing with software vendors."

June 21, 2005 -- According to ABS-CBN Interactive, "The Philippine Postal Corp. (PhilPost) should comply with certain procedures before its build-operate-transfer (BOT) project could be endorsed for approval. The Japanese information technology company, ROA Systems Co. Ltd., will undertake the seven-year comprehensive modernization program for state-owned PhilPost. ROA Systems will install public calling stations using Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), and introduce a "hybrid mail" system allowing the agency to consolidate all data coming from credit-card firms and government utilities. ROA Systems will recover its investment by getting a share of the revenue from transactions made during the seven-year period. PhilPost's modernization program is in line with a presidential directive encouraging the greater use of ICT in enhancing transparency and productivity in government under the 2004-10 Medium-Term Philippine Development Plan. The upgrade will also help boost PhilPost's revenues, decrease fraud, and increase revenues."

June 21, 2005 -- According to Dow Jones, "Japan's Cabinet Tuesday approved a set of fiscal and economic guidelines for this year, including a call for restrained fiscal deficit spending and effective deflation-fighting monetary policy from the central bank. The guidelines also commit to continued efforts to orchestrate a gradual shift to a "small and effective government" through privatization of government operations, such as postal services."

June 21, 2005 -- Socialist Worker Online has reported that "The debates over the CWU postal and telecom union's relations with the Labour Party continued to run throughout its conference last week. The debates went along similar lines to the one on whether to suspend funding to Labour if post privatisation went ahead. A motion called for the union to maintain funding to Labour, but only to give financial and practical support "to Labour candidates who are loyal to the aims and objectives of the labour movement".

June 21, 2005 -- The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) has posted on its web site its financial and operating statements for May 2005.

June 21, 2005 -- The American Postal Workers Union has told its members that "APWU President William Burrus announced June 20 that the union and management have reached "an agreement on a framework" for a one-year extension of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, with specific details still under discussion. The current contract is set to expire Nov. 20."

June 21, 2005 -- Direct magazine has reported that "The U.S. Postal Service is denying reports that it might be considering a withdrawal of the current rate case. "I don't know what happened behind closed doors but as far as I know the rate case is going forward," said USPS spokesman Jerry McKiernan. Sources said that because of the substantial improvement in USPS finances, postal management had asked the Board of Governors for permission to pull the 2005 postal rate case, but several members of the BOG balked at it, apparently concerned over how it may affect possible postal reform legislation now pending in the House and Senate. McKiernan conceded that when the USPS filed the rate case, it had originally estimated its fiscal year 2005 net income to be $1.64 billion. "But now we're projecting net income to be $1.68 billion," he said. Fiscal Year 2005 ends Sept. 30."

June 21, 2005 -- The Post-Tribune has reported that "Local postal workers say they aren't looking forward to the homecoming of Postmaster Brenda Holmes, a city native with a history of clashing with employees. Holmes, daughter of former City Councilwoman Shirley Bynum, has gotten a temporary promotion to postmaster, supervising the nine Gary area branches while postal officials shuffle administrators in the wake of the retirement of the region's top postal official. Holmes' reassignment to the larger Gary district comes after numerous clashes with employees at the Michigan City post office, and Gary workers say they are worried her promotion could be permanent."

June 21, 2005 -- The Charlotte Observer has reported that "Cards, cookies, even contraband, arrive by the ton each day at Baghdad International Airport, rolling out of the bellies of aircraft and into a vast distribution system run by N.C. troops. Flying also speeds delivery, an issue in military mail. In 2004, a U.S. General Accounting Office study found problems in postal operations for Operation Iraqi Freedom ranging from inadequately trained clerks to prolonged delays in delivery."

June 21, 2005 -- The Senate committee markup of S.662 is scheduled for tomorrow's committee business meeting.

June 21, 2005 -- Publish has noted that publishers are "facing some serious pressures from our distribution channels; the U.S. Postal Service is presenting rate cases that are difficult for us and probably untenable for many, many publishers. They've announced a 5.4 percent rate increase and then next year it's going to be perhaps more than that. So, the cost of producing magazines with rising distribution, fairly unstable paper supply, paper market, competition with more than magazines—catalogues are our biggest competitor for that resource—so that the overall cost of producing magazines is becoming a serious issue."

June 21, 2005 -- From i-Newswire: "Esker Software, the leading provider of intelligently automated document delivery solutions and services, today announced it has received a patent ( US Patent 6,906,817, issued June 14, 2005 ) for the technology behind its DeliveryWare Rules Engine, an innovative mechanism for enabling content-based document delivery. The DeliveryWare Rules Engine forms the heart of the Esker DeliveryWare document delivery platform. As electronic documents and data are captured by Esker DeliveryWare, the patented technology automatically recognizes and extracts data from electronic documents to determine formatting, conversion and routing actions that need to take place, as defined by previously-built rules."

June 21, 2005 -- The Albuquerque Journal has reported that "Employees at the main post office in Tucumcari were evacuated Monday before the office opened for business after a worker spotted a white powder from two envelopes. A hazardous materials team that was called in determined the substance was not hazardous, said Lisa Guevara, U.S. postal inspector in Albuquerque. However, a lab will still have to determine exactly what the powder was and that could take a while,"

June 21, 2005 -- WQAD-TV has reported that "A powdery substance leaking from a package prompted authorities in downtown Rockford to close off several streets today. But tests later showed that the powder is harmless, and Winnebago County Sheriff's Deputy Scott Andrews says it appears to be laundry soap. A postal worker noticed the powder when he removed the package from his truck outside the Winnebago County Jail. The box had been shipped from the state prison in Canton to an inmate jailed in Rockford."

June 21, 2005 -- According to WEBCommentary, "The threat of bioterrorism had been recognized for a considerable time in the United States, as well as internationally. Long before the anthrax incidents, several hoax letters indicating the presence of anthrax had been mailed to federal and state agencies, as well as to private sector organizations. In calendar year 2000, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) responded to about 250 cases potentially involving weapons of mass destruction. Of these, 200 were related to anthrax, although all turned out to be hoaxes." See also Montana News Association.

June 21, 2005 -- Handelsblatt has reported that "German postal services provider Deutsche Post is embroiled in a row with its rivals on the German market over the ending of its monopoly. Deutsche Post, along with German trade union ver.di, has tried to extend its letter monopoly, which is set to end in 2008, by saying that jobs will be lost and prices will have to increase. Klaus Zumwinkel, head of Deutsche Post, has said that all markets in Europe should be liberalised at the same time. The EU is aiming to liberalise letter deliveries in 2009."

June 21, 2005 -- Japan Times has reported that "The political battle over the government-backed postal reform plan took a new twist Monday when Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi rebutted an accusation by the main opposition party that he had consumed alcohol before a key House of Representatives plenary session last week. The accusation came after the Liberal Democratic Party fired a similar volley at the Democratic Party of Japan late Friday." It's getting ugly over there.

June 21, 2005 -- The DM Bulletin has reported that "There has been a fall in spend on direct mail during the first three months of the year, down by 7.2% to £636m according to figures released this week, the biggest fall of any medium surveyed."

June 21, 2005 -- The Malay Mail has reported that "Despite the Government's five-day week, there will be no change in our postal services on Saturdays from next month," said a Pos Malaysia official yesterday."

June 21, 2005 -- As New Straits Times has noted, "GIVEN the increasing cost of traditional media advertising, especially the humongous hike in postal rates, going online with your ads can help you stretch your budget. The trick is getting noticed. One thing's for sure: if you are looking for a bit of online real estate to park your advertising billboard, there's plenty of choices when it comes to location. Advertisers opt for one of two basic strategies: they either target a specific market or advertise to as many people as possible."

June 21, 2005 -- Transport News Network has noted that "Manufacturers such as Fiat, Iveco and Renault Trucks are teaming up with robotics and fleet management specialists such as Cybernetix and MIZAR Automazione, as well as logistics companies DHL Express and TNT Innight to pilot the development known as FIDEUS (Freight Intelligent Delivery of goods on European Urban Spaces). Under FIDEUS, three new vehicle types are being developed and tested: an innovative electric freight transporter for sensitive areas such as pedestrian zones, an enhanced 3.5-ton transporter and a 12-ton truck, optimised for city traffic. All three of the vehicle types are equipped with high-tech drive, loading and communication technology. Communication technology enables improved interactive communication with municipal traffic directing centres. For instance, trucks would be able to register to use specific loading zones, or react promptly to a sudden disruption of access."

June 21, 2005 -- According to Ananova, "Royal Mail chief executive Adam Crozier was top of the public sector pay league with a salary and incentive package worth a potential £814,000, said the report." That translates into $1,480,193.55. Now THAT'S incentive pay--strong regulator or no.

June 20, 2005 -- In its response to an interrogatory from the Office of the Consumer Advocate, counsel for the U.S. Postal Service said: "The Postal Service does not have more cash than that reflected in the current filing....In fact, the average cash balance estimated for May 2005 ($3.2 billion) was approximately $400 million more than the Postal Service's actual experience ($2.8 billion)." The USPS said no further errata on this matter would be filed.

June 20, 2005 -- Kyodo has reported that "In view of planned privatization in 2007, Japan Post is stepping up efforts to sharpen its competitive edge, with thousands of its staff taking exams to obtain a license to sell risk-bearing financial products The move comes ahead of Japan Post's plan to begin selling mutual funds at 575 of some 25,000 post offices from October."

June 20, 2005 -- Australian IT has reported that "AUSTRALIA Post has signed a deal with EDS Australia to renew its Microsoft desktop and server equipment. EDS will migrate more than 10,000 users as part of the 12-month deal."

June 20, 2005 -- From the PR Newswire: "Quick, easy, convenient -- and effective. That's all customers need to know about eBay and the United States Postal Service. eBay buyers and sellers now have a new option when choosing to send their items through USPS: co-branded, Priority Mail(TM) flat-rate boxes."

June 20, 2005 -- The DM Bulletin has reported that "Postcomm, the postal services regulator, is beginning a 30-day consultation on whether to issue a long-term licence to Royale Research to provide bulk mail services. The consulation kicked off last week with a decision expected on July 15."

June 20, 2005 -- Direct Marketing Intelligence says: "Go figure. Print catalog sales remain the highest priority for most catalog companies. But just a minority intend to invest in increased mailing frequency, and many will put their dollars online. Those are among the findings of a new study by Transcontinental Printing Catalog Group. The report was released at the 2005 Annual Catalog Conference in Orlando, FL in May."

June 20, 2005 -- FinFacts Business News has reported that "According to reports this morning, An Post unions say talks on a new partnership deal could be in serious trouble unless the postal service is forced to pay staff the full terms of the Sustaining Progress agreement. Talks on a new national agreement expected to begin in the autumn but staff at An Post are still waiting for pay rises due since November 2003."

June 20, 2005 -- Business Europe has published an interesting piece on Alan Johnson, the former postal worker who now serves in the Blair administration.

June 20, 2005 -- DM News has reported that "The U.S. Postal Service's push for a rapid settlement on its proposed 5.4 percent across-the-board rate case has hit a few snags, and some of the resistance is coming from influential members of the mailing community. Many mailers fear that a delay in the rate case could cost the industry more money in the long run. However, others are not convinced that bringing the case to an expedited conclusion is in their best interest."

June 20, 2005 -- As Reuters has noted, "Many in Japan's ruling party hate it, voters find it worthy but dull, and critics say an obsession with the topic is distracting Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi from pressing matters such as deteriorating ties with China. Nonetheless, Koizumi is staking his political legacy on achieving his dream of privatising the postal system -- including the world's biggest bank -- for reasons that are a complex weave of reformist economic logic and decades-old political rivalry."

June 20, 2005 -- The Herald Asahi has reported that:

• Uncertainty looms over outcome of postal bill.
• The privatization of Japan's postal services has been gathering widespread attention not only in Japan, but also overseas. That is largely due to the theory that when, and indeed if, Japan Post is privatized, more than 300 trillion yen would be unleashed into the private sector, providing irrefutable business opportunities. However, according to Allan D. Smith, a vice president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan, the proposed legislation on this issue, which the coalition government is now trying to push through the Diet, is too broad. It covers only principles, he says, meaning that details would be determined once the bill has been passed into law.

June 20, 2005 -- Asia Pulse has reported that "Korea Post, South Korea's state-run postal agency, Monday said it will start selling coins produced in commemoration of the 2006 World Cup soccer finals in Germany."

June 20, 2005 -- Transport Intelligence has reported that "Express company DHL has published the latest findings of its UK Quarterly Export Indicator. According to its research, support for the euro among UK exporters has hit its lowest level in over a year. Just 41 per cent of exporters believe economic integration with Europe would be beneficial to their business, down by eight per cent since the beginning of the year. A further 38% are apathetic to the euro, saying Britain joining the single European currency would make no difference to trade. The indicator also find that the UK export community is nervous about trade prospects."

June 20, 2005 -- The National Association of Major Mail Users (NAMMU) has warned its members of the consequences of Canada Post's most recent effort to establish its exclusive privilege (monopoly) over all inbound and outbound international mail. "Many Canadian companies have offices and client lists in the United States, or could easily be part of a corporate global strategy to balance wokload efficiently amongst its resources, or have successfully competed against many other service providers to provide the service demanded by the client - including sophisticated sortation, downstream entry, compliance with USPS domestic requirements. It is absolutely transparent to the ultimate customer where the piece was manufactured – it is not Canadian mail, but items manufactured by Canadians. To interfere with this spells disaster for Canadian businesss." If you do business in Canada, BE SURE TO READ THIS.

June 20, 2005 -- Forbes has reported that "Deutsche Post AG will only provide basic postal services to private clients when markets open up and it loses its monopoly by end-2007, CEO Klaus Zumwinkel said in an interview with Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. 'We consider providing services to all parts of the country makes sense only for private customers. The big companies do not need that,' he said. He indicated that the cost of servicing the needs of all private customers throughout the country would require higher prices."

June 20, 2005 -- The BBC has reported that "An international courier firm has suspended deliveries to some of the UK's inner-city areas because of thuggish behaviour by gangs of youths. DHL has put parts of London, Glasgow, Manchester and Birmingham off limits because of complaints from its drivers." See also The Guardian and the Evening Standard.

June 20, 2005 -- The Daily Star (Bangladesh) has reported that "Monitoring drawbacks by authorities over courier and parcel services have now given rise to a new fear brewing among city dwellers. Free flow of illegal drugs and explosives through courier and parcels has taken precedence in the current bad phase of the law and order situation. Courier and parcel service providers do not fall under the purview of any ministry nor are they under any government policy, said Joint Secretary, Ministry of Posts and Telecommuni-cations, Md Nuruzzaman Khan."

June 19, 2005 -- According to the Boston Herald, "The service (USPS) tries to be efficient - employee headcount has fallen 6 percent in two years. But it still embodies the traits of a government organization: high wages, a monopoly on carrying letters,and no money set aside for employee pensions (a $70 billion obligation). The only way to get maximum efficiency from this huge $69 billion, 700,000-worker enterprise is to make it compete. Sweden and New Zealand already have privatized postal services. Member countries of the European Union are supposed to do so by 2009. The United States could gain substantially by making use of their experience."

June 19, 2005 -- The Telegraph has reported that "Official figures show that the postal service is hitting targets for when mail should be delivered, although anecdotal evidence shows that many customers are still dissatisfied."

June 19, 2005 -- Kyodo news service has reported that "Liberal Democratic Party Secretary General Tsutomu Takebe suggested Sunday the ruling party may not endorse those who vote against postal privatization bills in a general election following a possible House of Representatives dissolution."

June 18, 2005 -- According to the Michigan City News Dispatch, "No one's popping champagne corks and throwing confetti yet, but the announcement that Brenda Holmes was being re-assigned to the Gary Post Office was welcome news to the letter carriers and clerks in Michigan City. Even though the re-assignment is billed as temporary by Postal Service bureaucrats, any respite from Holmes' dictatorial management style is cause for celebration."

June 18, 2005 -- The Wall Street Journal has reported that "Google Inc. this year plans to offer an electronic-payment service that could help the Internet-search company diversify its revenue and may heighten competition with eBay Inc.'s PayPal unit, according to people familiar with the matter."

June 18, 2005 -- WTOP has reported that "The federal government is owed nearly $2 billion by its own employees. According to an IRS report obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, thousands of federal workers and retirees didn't pay their taxes last year. The largest employer of tax delinquents -- the United States Postal Service. More than 50,000 of its employees owe more than $290 million."

June 18, 2005 -- According to the Socialist Party, "THE THREATENED privatisation of Royal Mail has dominated this year's Communication Workers' Union (CWU) conference. General secretary Billy Hayes pointed out to delegates that Labour's manifesto pledges to keep Royal Mail in the public sector. But the majority of postal workers are totally convinced that Allan Leighton, backed up by Blair and ex-CWU leader Alan Johnson, will start the process of privatisation over the next few months. Delegates demanded the immediate launching of a campaign amongst postal workers and the general public to prevent Royal Mail being taken over by big-business vultures. The more militant members of the postal section argued again and again in the general conference that unless the Labour government gave a new categorical statement that Royal Mail will not be privatised then the CWU should stop financing New Labour."

June 18, 2005 -- Financial Times Deutschland has reported that "Deutsche Post, the German postal service operator, is demanding that the German government subsidise its services for the delivery of letters even after the end of the company's monopoly on this market at the end of 2007. After this, the company will no longer be obliged to provide a blanket service for the whole of Germany. However, Deutsche Post says that it does not intend to stop providing basic services. When the market is liberalised, each German citizen will still be guaranteed access to the postal network; however, it is not yet clear how this blanket coverage will be guaranteed. Experts believe that it is possible that rivals of Deutsche Post could take over responsibility for deliveries in some regions."

June 18, 2005 -- Die Welt has reported that "German trade union Ver.di has called for an extension of the monopoly held by Deutsche Post, the German postal service operator, on the market for the delivery of letters in Germany. According to the current laws, Deutsche Post will have a monopoly on the market for letters weighing less than 100g until the beginning of 2006; after this, the maximum weight will be reduced to 50g until the monopoly comes to a complete end in 2008. Ver.di says that other countries such as France are not planning to liberalise their postal markets, and that, unless all countries in Europe can harmonise the liberalisation of their markets, the German market should not be opened up."

June 18, 2005 -- AllAfrica.com has reported that Nigerian "Minister for Communication, Chief Cornelius Adebayo, has said all post offices across the country would be equipped with V-SAT (satellite facility), to provide electronic and internet-related services." 

June 17, 2005 -- The latest issue of the PostCom Bulletin is available online. In this bulletin:

• The Postal Service Board of Governors instructed the USPS to file a negotiated service agreement for a new baseline case in Standard Mail. The board also approved the HSBC functionally equivalent NSA.
• The Postal Service named four new officers this week: Tom Day, senior vice president, government relations; Walt O'Tormey, vice president, engineering; Ellis Burgoyne, vice president, delivery and retail, and Doug Tulino, vice president, labor relations.
• The Postal Service is doing better than it predicted even a few months ago. The service filed an amendment to previous testimony saying its financial situation is better than it originally estimated at the rate case filing in April and much better than indicated in last year's operating budget.
• The National Taxpayers Union, which claims 350,000 members, has gone on record with lawmakers as opposing H.R. 22, the House postal reform bill.
• A new analyst report notes that USPS has gained ground on United Parcel Service in the domestic ground delivery market.
• Formidable challenges await House postal reform bill. House, Senate to act on postal reform this month. Conservatives waiting for response from Hastert, DeLay. American, US airways resume mail carriage. Harry Pearce elected chairman of National Defense University Foundation.
• Survey finds business still loyal to word processors, spreadsheets for business documents and postal mail for delivery.
• Privatization debate heating up in Japan. Deutsche Post will retain Postbank control. Yamato entering international document delivery lists. TNT buys Slovenian transport firm.

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June 17, 2005 -- Business Mailers Review has reported that:

• Fiscal conservatives in the House are now lining up against the House postal reform bill, H.R. 22, and the changes they want to see before the bill is something they can support would clearly fracture the fragile coalition of Democrats and Republicans that has moved the measure forward in the House up to this point. As a vote on H.R. 22 is reportedly getting closer, an increasing number of groups, such as the National Taxpayers Union, have been contacting influential members of Congress, and Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-IL, in particular. They've been expressing concerns about the cost of the bill to the U.S. Treasury, as well as about provisions considered by conservatives to be "pro-labor," such as a little-noticed provision of the bill that gives postal labor organizations the right to select the person to fill the first vacancy on the postal Board of Governors.
• Worksharing, which in 2004 enabled the Postal Service to avoid over $14 billion in costs and provided U.S. mailers with net savings of over $11 billion from discounts, may be the most effective means to increase productive efficiency in the postal sector, according to a group of Postal Rate Commission (PRC) experts. Worksharing discounts have resulted in volume growth, particularly in advertising mail, but also in First Class and parcels. Worksharing expanded the number of categories of mail for every subclass where it was used. Advertising mail, now the largest class, is virtually all workshared and is the class most deeply presorted anddropshipped. This class grew from two categories before worksharing discounts were introduced in 1976 to 178 today and the class grew 10% in the past two years alone. First Class letters and cards categories grew from two to 12 since the introduction of discounts.
• Analysts at Morgan Stanley are seeing a more competitive USPS parcel segment in the business-toconsumer market making inroads against United Parcel Service and Federal Express and making it harder for those private carriers to raise prices. FedEx, which gets $1 billion in annual revenues under the contract. The Morgan Stanley analysts say they think the contract is likely contributing 8-10% of FedEx's earnings per share.
• FedEx Corp. is expected to transport more domestic ground shipments than domestic air shipments this year, for the first time in its history, according to projections of Atlanta-based The Colography Group Inc. Slightly more than 50% of FedEx's 2005 domestic shipments will move either via its ground parcel services, FedEx Ground, or its less-than-truckload (LTL) subsidiary, FedEx Freight. Colography said 48.9% of FedEx's domestic shipments will move in ground parcel services, with slightly more than 1.1% moving via LTL.
• The Postal Service's new purchasing regime is likely to reduce transparency and accountability and Congress needs to keep "very close tabs on what the agency is doing, argues a new report by the Institute for Research on the Economics of Taxation (IRET).

Business Mailer's Review is an award-winning, independent biweekly newsletter covering issues of importance to the business mailer. It is regularly cited as among the best sources of postal information.