Postal News from January 2006:

January 31, 2006 -- According to the Rockford Register Star, "Postal officials agreed to reconsider studying whether to reroute mail service from Rockford, U.S. Rep. Don Manzullo said today in a news conference."

January 31, 2006 -- From the PR Newswire: "Pitney Bowes Inc. has announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire all of the outstanding shares of Emtex Ltd. for approximately US$41 million. Emtex's software and services allow large-volume mailers to simplify document production and centrally manage complex multi-vendor and multi-site print operations. Upon completion of this transaction, Emtex will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Pitney Bowes within its Document Messaging Technologies division."

January 31, 2006 -- The BBC has reported that "Postal deliveries in Belfast have been disrupted after workers at Royal Mail's main delivery office in the city staged a walk-out."

January 31, 2006 -- AThe CWU delivered the dead body of the 346 years old Postal monopoly to Postcomm Headquarters on 30th January 2005. The monopoly came to an end on January 1st 2006 when the Government implemented a recommendation from Postcomm. Billy Hayes, CWU General Secretary presented a Rest In Peace card to Postcomm directors at their offices near Waterloo. "The monopoly didn't die, it was murdered," he said. The body was given a full ceremonial tribute complete with pallbearers and chief mourner, dressed in Victorian postal costumes.

January 31, 2006 -- National Association of Letter Carriers President William Young told his members that "Postal reform legislation was on the brink of Senate passage January 25 when postal management unleashed a mind-boggling, and frankly embarrassing, attack on the bill. As the bill headed to the floor for Senate approval, the Postal Service issued a series of press releases with false and misleading information about S. 662, the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act. The USPS action, accompanied by adverse public comments by American Postal Workers Union President William Burrus, quickly chilled the atmosphere."

January 31, 2006 -- Angus Reid has noted that "Many adults in Austria are aware of their government’s proposal to partially privatize the Austrian Post Office, according to a poll by OGM. 49 per cent of respondents believe the plan is a significant event, while 35 per cent disagree. The Austrian government is seeking to place 49 per cent of the Austrian Post Office in the stock market, with the remaining 51 per cent remaining in the hands of the government."

January 31, 2006 -- The Belleville News Democrat has reported that "Rep. Don Manzullo, aiming to deter the U.S. Postal Service from a move that he says would endanger the postmark of the largest city in his Illinois district, threatened Monday to hold congressional hearings if he does not prevail. Expected to join Manzullo were local union leaders and aides for the state's senators, Democrats Dick Durbin and Barack Obama, and staff of House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., and Rep. Lane Evans, D-Ill. whose districts would have people affected by the plan under discussion."

January 31, 2006 -- In a letter to Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, Postal Service governmental affairs senior vice president Tom Day said:

"Because of confusion over the U.S. Postal Service's motives in opposing S.662, the Board of Governors has asked me to communicate the following information. First, this is not a last-minute reversal of position. Letters of concern about this decade-old legislative initiative were sent to the relevant committees by the Board of Governors as early as October 1, 1996, then again on March 2, 2001, on May 15, 2001, on January 8, 2002, on June 4, 2002, on February 24, 2005, on April 12, 2005, and on September 13, 2005....

"Second, the Postal Service has worked continuously, in good faith, to aid the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs in crafting a bill that would enable the Postal Service to perform well in a competitive environment and continue to offer universal service at reasonable rates....

"Third, the consequences of enactment of this bill, or the similar bill in the House, could be dire for postal customers....

"Fourth...This month's rate increase was the first in nearly four years — and was necessitated only by the failure of Congress to make available the escrowed funds representing years of overpayment into the federal retirement fund."

January 31, 2006 -- The Coalition for a 21st Century Postal Service has told its members:

Members of the Republican Steering Committee, particularly Senators Sessions and DeMint raised questions about the budget impact of S. 662 and the degree to which the bill met Administration reform objectives. These questions were substantive but approached in a spirit of developing more information on a significant piece of legislation that they were being asked to approve by Unanimous Consent....It appears that these concerns can be addressed.

Senator Harkin and other Senators who are concerned about he facilities closing process by the Postal Service wanted assurance that communities would be consulted as the Postal Service is making closing decisions. These concerns seem to have been addressed. Other Senate offices continue to raise questions about the process but there seems to be a level of satisfaction that community involvement will be enhanced adequate to address these concerns.

Senator Reid has substantive concerns over qualifications for the Board of Governors and perhaps other related matters. These issues are being addressed and discussed now....

The Small Business Committee Chair Olympia Snowe has raised concerns about Postal Service contracting policies. These issues are also being addressed and are not expected to delay consideration of the bill.

With the vote on Samuel Alito for the Supreme Court and the State of the Union address, no vote is likely on S. 662 before Wednesday. More likely the vote would come toward the end of the week if the remaining issues can be resolved. 

January 31, 2006 -- GovExec.com has reported that "Sponsors of sweeping postal overhaul legislation are optimistic the Senate will approve the measure by unanimous consent in the coming days, said a spokesman for Sen. Thomas Carper, D-Del. the bill's lead Democratic sponsor. Harkin's concerns about the Postal Service's proposal to consolidate a facility in western Iowa were assuaged when the bill's sponsors, Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Chairwoman Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Carper, added language requiring the Postal Service to solicit public comment before making consolidation decisions. The provision would apply retroactively to the Iowa proposal, a Harkin spokeswoman said."

January 31, 2006 -- National Association of Postal Supervisors President Ted Keating said in a statement that "The Postal Service’s intent to kill postal reform, which has been increasingly apparent for months, has now become patently obvious. The USPS strategy last week basically came down to this: score a quick KO on postal reform by claiming that the Senate’s postal reform bill will cause postal rates to rise by at least twenty cents The Postal Service’s clever scheme, though, didn’t quite work out. Instead of bringing down the bill, USPS blew its cover, and those who were once its biggest allies on Capitol Hill were hit by USPS’ friendly fire."

January 31, 2006 -- Japan Times has reported that "Japan Post Corp. will recruit private-sector experts in financial and international parcel delivery services before the privatization of postal services begins in 2007, company officials said."

January 31, 2006 -- Asahi Shimbun has reported that "Nippon Express Co., Japan's largest transportation company, next month will become the first private service to deliver "certain letters and documents" nationwide, company sources said."

January 30, 2006 -- According to InformationWeek, "consumers use smart phones for online shopping, not buying."

January 30, 2006 -- According to NewsMax.com, "Microsoft is proposing an inexpensive technology to bring computing to the developing world – turning a cell phone into a computer by connecting it to a TV and a keyboard." That oughta do something for universal service.

January 30, 2006 -- The Federal Times has reported that "The Defense Department is starting to move forward on a plan to outsource its billion-dollar-plus mail operation, which would be one of the government’s biggest privatization projects in recent years. An influential advisory group concluded doing so would save money, improve mail service and free up troops badly needed for war-fighting."

January 30, 2006 -- According to the Guernsey Press and Star, "Roy Bisson wrote to 18 companies, including Healthspan, MX2 and flower exporters, claiming that the States was set to sacrifice the VAT postal concession and did not appreciate the full value of the sector. The letter worried the exporters but Commerce and Employment has given reassurance that there is no danger."

January 30, 2006 -- Inside Indiana Business has reported that "This week the United States Postal Service and the Postal Inspection Service are launching a national campaign to make people more aware of different types of fraud."

January 30, 2006 -- The Financial Express has reported that "The Universal Postal Union (UPU), a specialised body of UNO, is organising a 3 day workshop, from 1st to 3rd February 2006, in collaboration with Department of Posts, at New Delhi. The event will focus on Direct Mail (DM) industry in India. DM can be defined as printed matter usually carrying a sales message or announcement designed to elicit a response from a carefully selected consumer or business market."

January 30, 2006 -- According to Failure Magazine, "The next time you contemplate sending a letter without a return address, think again. Every year more than 100 million pieces of mail pour into the U.S. Post Office's Mail Recovery Centers (MRC), virtually all of them lacking a valid address and return address. The vast majority of this mail never gets delivered, although it's not for lack of effort. The postal service goes to great lengths, at its own expense, to try to find each piece of mail's intended destination."

January 30, 2006 -- Window Book, Inc. has announced the launch of the Your First Priority System™ (www.YourFirstPrioritySystem.com) an innovative and cost-effective shipping and fulfillment solution to mail lightweight items and documents. The solution is well suited to the shipping needs of many eBay® Auction and Yahoo Store® online sellers."

January 30, 2006 -- The BBC has reported that "An 8,000-name petition has been sent to Post Office managers against plans to close their main Dumfries branch."

January 30, 2006 -- After 2½ years of construction, UPS has opened a greatly expanded, more automated package sorting hub in Europe that will accommodate the shipping needs of its growing customer base for years to come.

January 30, 2006 -- The Financial Times has reported that "The Post Office is launching its own directory inquiries service as it continues to expand the range of commercial services beyond its core postal business."

January 30, 2006 -- Al Bawaba has reported that "Empost, the UAE’s national courier company, has entered into a strategic partnership with Wall Street Exchange Centre, one of UAE’s biggest and oldest foreign exchange and money transfer companies. Empost will be the official courier service provider for Wall Street Exchange Centre. Empost offers a wide range of courier services that cater to specific segments of the society, such as Mandoub, Jawaz, EziPack, Ameel, Health Pack, LiteDox, EmDirect and EziMail. Empost has more than 65 stores in the UAE offering a comprehensive range of courier and postal services, including stationary, stamps and gifts."

January 30, 2006 -- WebIndia123 has reported that "Faced with stiff competition from courier companies, Kerala post will launch an early morning service, called 'Suprabhatam', in which mail will be delivered to people in the state capital as early as 8.30 a.m."

January 30, 2006 -- An update of the Mailers Council P.L. 108-18 escrow fact sheet has been posted on this site.

January 30, 2006 -- According to the Eldridge North Scott Press, "The shock has worn off, and McCausland residents are in combat mode this week after learning that the U. S. Postal Service (USPS) is planning to stamp out the town's post office. The offices of Senators Charles Grassley and Tom Harkin, as well as Congressman Jim Nussle, have been flooded with more than 500 letters."

January 30, 2006 -- DM News editor Tad Clarke wants to know: "What the blazes happened last week? I don’t know what officials at the U.S. Postal Service hoped to accomplish when they came out full throttle against postal reform legislation that the Senate was about to pass. If they wanted to completely and utterly alienate the lawmakers with direct oversight over their agency, then they succeeded. To say the least, bill sponsors Sens. Susan Collins and Thomas Carper are not pleased with the interference."

January 30, 2006 -- Chuck Muth, president of Citizen Outreach, said in a recent editorial that "a postal “reform” bill awaits congressional action when our representatives return from their extended winter recess (formerly known as Christmas Break) this week. And proving once again that politics makes strange bedfellow, I find myself on the same side as the post office in opposing the legislation - for entirely different reasons. The post office opposes the bill because it doesn’t loosen up the oversight USPS is subjected to. They want the freedom to set their own prices and run around loose without a leash, just like any other business. But they are NOT like any other business. And until/unless they give up their monopoly protections and benefits, they shouldn’t be treated as one. Which is why I don’t like the bill as drafted. Because this postal “reform” legislation does nothing to bring true, free-market reforms to mail delivery in the United States. There’s no provision for introducing competition to first-class mail delivery. And therefore, there’s no incentive for the local postal worker to unlock the doors 15 minutes after closing to provide first-class service to a paying customer. Absent such “reforms,” the bill is about as valuable as a 37-cent stamp."

January 30, 2006 -- Paul E. Evans, president of the Muskogee Area Local 007 of the American Postal Workers Union, wrote in the Muskogee Phoenix that "If the postal service was privatized, who and how many companies would be handling and delivering your mail to your home and business? Who and how many privatized post offices would suddenly appear around our city? Who would set the postal rate? Or would the privatized postal offices be at free will to set their own rate? If you were expecting a letter and had not received it, which of the many privatized postal offices would you call first?"

January 30, 2006 -- Investors Business Daily has reported that "UPS (UPS) has launched UPS Mail LogicSM, a new international mail service that allows customers to streamline their mail operations by relying on UPS's package delivery expertise. With UPS Mail Logic, businesses can simply gather their international letters, flats or packets into one parcel - no sorting by destination, metering or stamping necessary. Customers arrange for UPS pick-up along with any other small packages ready for delivery. UPS then transports the international mail to well-respected postal service entities that sort and ship the mail to the destination postal authority or other licensed party for final delivery.

January 30, 2006 -- AzerTaj has reported that "In accordance with the recently signed agreement with Azerbaijan Government, World Bank endorsed $12.25 million for development of the postal system of Azerbaijan. This money will be spent on complete modernization of the postal system of Azerbaijan. Postal offices are believed to provide banking, Internet and information services to the population and carry out money order, payment and other financial operations."

January 30, 2006 -- FederalNewsRadio's Mike Causey has claimed that "As Americans become increasingly mobile, moving from state-to-state, and as the population mix becomes more diverse, some people suffer from an identify crises. The result: We owe our allegiance not to a race, religion or region, but to our Zip Code. Postmarks and Zip Codes zip codes and postmarks are important and have a definite meaning for many folks. The American Postal Workers Union is using our affair with Postmarks and Zip Codes to fight proposed consolidations."

January 30, 2006 -- According to WCCO-TV, "Stamps.com is best known for selling postage stamps that you can decorate with your own pictures. The service may soon allow businesses to create their own personalized postage."

January 30, 2006 -- Jiji Press has reported that "Major Japanese transport firm Nippon Express Co. and shipping firm Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Ltd. will participate in a cargo joint venture to be set up by Japan Post and All Nippon Airways."

January 30, 2006 -- The Times has reported that "ROYAL MAIL is to begin a fresh round of cost-cutting that unions fear may trigger 40,000 job losses and a huge switch from full-time to part-time work. The move comes as senior government sources have also disclosed that Royal Mail has yet to make a formal detailed request for financial help, despite calling publicly for £2 billion." See also The Scotsman.

January 29, 2006 -- Japan Post will examine all 188,458 mailboxes across the country in response to complaints that they are inconvenient to use, with slots facing the road and unclear pickup times displayed, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned.

January 29, 2006 -- The Wall Street Journal has reported that "Economic growth slowed to its most sluggish pace in three years at the end of last year as consumers and businesses applied the brakes to spending. While a rebound is likely in the current quarter, the expansion after two brisk years appears to be moderating as higher energy prices and interest rates begin to bite. The principal cause was a slowdown in growth of consumer spending to a four-year low of 1.1%."

January 29, 2006 -- The Independent has reported that "The new chief executive of Business Post has started 2006 like his predecessor saw out 2005: with a profit warning that sent shares in the parcels delivery group sharply lower. Six weeks into his tenure, Guy Buswell, who was promoted after the board ousted Paul Carvell, admitted the group would miss profit forecasts for the year to April. It was the fourth time Business Post has warned on profits in 12 months and the second since November. Shares in the group slumped 14 per cent to 352p after it said profits would be 40 per cent lower than analysts had pencilled in at around pounds 9m.

January 29, 2006 -- From the PostalNews.com weblog: "Another day, another news story about rescuing an endangered postmark: “Local union leaders and Rep. Don Manzullo are heading into a meeting with top postal officials Tuesday in Washington, determined that Rockford will keep its postmark.” The story in today’s Rockford, Illinois Register-Star is similar to recent stories from Olympia Washington, and Sioux City, Iowa. In each case, as with all of the possible plant consolidations being discussed, there are real issues about productivity, jobs and service. But what is it about postmarks? Why is Tom Harkin worried about “the elimination of the 150 year old postmark of this proud and vibrant city”? Why is the state of Washington concerned about letters from the state capital being postmarked ‘Olympia/Tacoma’ instead of ‘Olympia’?...Lets get over the concern about postmarks, and start talking about the real issues!"

January 29, 2006 -- The Washington Post has reported that "Within the next two weeks, the White House and Congress will start setting priorities, and federal employees will have a stake in how some play out. Administration officials plan to renew a push for changes in the government-wide pay system. The plan would abolish the General Schedule by 2010 and move federal employees into more rigorous systems that would link pay raises to job performance. Congress probably will also revisit efforts by the Bush administration to contract out federal work, which has been stoutly opposed by federal unions."

January 29, 2006 -- Timothy Freeman, President of the Printing and Imaging Association, in a letter to the editor of the Elmira Star-Gazette, wrote: "Last July, the U.S. House of Representatives passed its version of the bill by a sweeping, nonpartisan 410-20 vote, but a similar bill is stuck in the U.S. Senate. Without a Senate vote on bill S.662, there is no hope for a legislative solution to the future postal rate increases faced by consumers and businesses. Therefore, I urge my fellow citizens to call or write our U.S. Sens. Charles Schumer and Hillary Clinton to urge them to vote yes on S.662 as soon as possible, giving us all a chance to put those two pennies back in our respective piggy banks."

January 28, 2006 -- CBS News has noted that "Citibank, HSBC, Bank of America, and other banks are seeking a piece of the $100 billion immigrants send home each year. Advanced electronic systems and widespread distribution networks — a product of mergers with banks in other countries — have enabled banks in the United States to provide money transfers for lower fees. Remittance fees average about 8 percent of the amount transferred, according to the Inter-American Development Bank. By charging less than the competition, banks are gaining in popularity among immigrants. According to a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report on remittances published in November, banks charged just $8.80 on a $300 remittance to Mexico, whereas the U.S. Postal Service charged $10, and money-transfer operator Western Union charged $10.70. Delgado Travel, which offers to pay out in U.S. dollars instead of pesos, thereby avoiding any negative exchange-rate fluctuations, typically charges $12. Despite the price disparity, wire-transfer companies still control 70 percent of the remittance market, which gives them a $4.2 billion slice of an estimated $6 billion in annual transactions fees. Western Union made $1.3 billion from money transfers alone in 2004."

January 28, 2006 -- The Sioux City Journal has reported that "While on the Senate floor Friday, U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin successfully included language in the Postal Reform Bill that would force the U.S. Postal Service to review the concerns of businesses and communities affected by mail facilities consolidations, a Harkin aide said. Friday's language falls on the heels of a Siouxland delegation that traveled to Washington D.C., to meet with Harkin, D-Iowa, U.S. Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, and Bill Galligan, senior vice president of operations for the Postal Service."

January 28, 2006 -- ThisIsStaffordshire has reported that "Royal Mail announced today it is seeking voluntary redundancies as part of a cost-cutting exercise. Around 100 call centre workers at Festival Park have been sent letters asking for people to volunteer for the cuts. The company is looking to make 40 people redundant across the UK's nine contact centres, which employ 2,000 people in total."

January 28, 2006 -- Les Echos has reported that "Banque Postale, the French postal bank, is expected to experience difficulty holding on to its financial advisers, as competitors are keen to lure them away."

January 28, 2006 --  The Los Angeles Times has reported that "With Southern California residents continuing to complain about mail that is delivered late at night or not at all, Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Los Angeles) wants the nation's postmaster general to provide extensive data about staffing levels, plant closures and delivery schedules. Waxman is expected to make more than a dozen requests Monday for information from John E. Potter, the postmaster general. Among other items, Waxman wants to know what percentage of mail in the Los Angeles area is delivered after 5 p.m. He also plans to ask for data on staffing levels over the last three years, copies of customer complaint logs and any analyses of cost savings related to plant closings. And he will request information about what effect plant closings have had on the transportation of mail in the region."

January 28, 2006 -- The Dallas-Ft. Worth Star Telegram has noted that "Sometimes postal carriers deliver mail to Historic Carver Heights in the afternoon. Sometimes they deliver at night. Sometimes, they just take the day off, residents say. When they do deliver the mail, the residents say, they often deliver it to the wrong address. So residents are becoming pretty good postal carriers."

January 28, 2006 --  The Colorado Springs Gazette has noted that "Dona Chon just wanted to get her mail when she moved into a westside cottage at 6½ N. 24th St. Instead, she stumbled into a littleknown U.S. Postal Service plan to turn the halves into halve-nots in Colorado Springs."

January 28, 2006 --  The Rockford Register Star has reported that "Local union leaders and Rep. Don Manzullo are heading into a meeting with top postal officials Tuesday in Washington, determined that Rockford will keep its postmark."

January 28, 2006 --  CBS4.com has reported that "CORAL SPRINGS For the past three years a Coral Springs neighborhood has had a recurring problem: They get other people’s mail. Dozens of pieces of mail reach the homes of residents of this neighborhood at the Tuscany at Heron Bay development everyday. Despite calls to the US Postal Service, they say nothing is being done. What is more disturbing is that the mail they get includes confidential documents such as bank statements and credit card bills- creating an ID theft hazard. Residents have also complained that they are not getting their own mail."

January 28, 2006 --  The latest issue of the PostCom Bulletin is available online. In this issue:

• PostCom takes look at the postal reform happenings of this very eventful week.
• The U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors told Senate Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Chairman Susan Collins this week that they oppose passage of Senate postal reform legislation. In a letter, the governors said they feel “critical elements [are] missing from this bill, as well as numerous burdensome provisions” that would effectively cripple the USPS’ ability to function in a competitive marketplace.
• Read the Postal Service’s latest news release on postal reform, issued January 25.
• American Postal Workers Union President William Burrus says his union has opposed pending postal reform legislation from the beginning.
• The presidents of two major unions that represent the country’s 330,000 active city and rural letter carriers – the National Association of Letter Carriers and the National Rural Letter Carriers Association – issued a joint statement this week urging passage of S.662, the Senate’s postal reform legislation.
• Senators Susan Collins and Thomas Carper of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee were visibly angered by the U.S. Postal Service’s actions over postal reform this week. The senators issued a biting statement criticizing the USPS over the “false, misleading, and inaccurate claims” it made about Senate postal reform bill, S. 662.
• The State of Missouri this week became the third state to introduce a Do-Not-Mail bill. It joins New York and Illinois.
• Bill McAllister of Linn’s Stamp News says Americans better get used to rising stamp prices because they “ain’t seen nothin’ yet.” McAllister says the U.S. Postal Service is facing a crisis unlike anything it has known since its founding in 1775 by the Second Continental Congress.
• The U.S. Postal Service’s Gerald McKiernan takes PostalWatch Executive Director Rick Merritt to task for his recent allegations that the USPS’ productivity numbers are false and that postal management is not taking costs out of the system.
• This New Jersey editorial examines the recent rate increase and blames most of the “mess” on Congress. And much of the disruption could have been avoided.
• In this perspective, postal commentator Gene Del Polito provides facts to use with legislators and reporters when countering the blitz of direct mail misinformation that finds its way into proposed new legislation this time of year.
• PostCom Vice President Kate Muth takes issue with newspaper columnists like to complain about the Postal Service, especially what they perceive as “unwanted advertising mail.” In this perspective, Muth urges action from newspaper columnists.
• San Gabriel Valley Tribune columnist Robert Rector recounts a number of instances of late and incorrectly-delivered mail in the Los Angeles area.
• This Oklahoma newspaper editorial roundly criticizes the Postal Service charging that “the USPS is more concerned with maintaining its special status among government agencies than providing a service for its customers.”
• USPS evaluates additional facilities as potential targets for consolidation. MicroStrategy salutes USPS’ Otto with Individual Excellence Award. Potter attending World Economic Forum annual meeting.
• EU urged to consider rural customers in postal liberalization. End to Royal Mail benefits contract by 2010 draw fire. Japan Post computer system might not be ready for 2007. Austrian union gets no traction on postal selloff. Poste Italiane, Finmeccanica to split mail control operation. Danish postbox fee causes customers to flee. Scottish posties warned to end red litter days. FedEx buying out Chinese partner.
• PostCom welcomes International Business Systems.

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January 28, 2006 -- The Congressional Research Service has released its latest updates regarding the Postal Service:

• Pension Issues Cloud Postal Reform Debate

• Postal Reform

• Update on Revenue Forgone

January 28, 2006 -- The latest copy of the National Association of Postmasters of the U.S. electronic governmental affairs newsletter is available on the NAPUS web site. (Be sure to see NAPUS' comments on the hole the USPS has dug for itself on Capitol Hill.)

January 28, 2006 -- Cox Target Media, mailer of the familiar blue Valpak® envelopes, the nation’s largest mailer of saturation letters, has joined the Postal Service in opposition to S.662, the so-called “postal reform” bill.

January 28, 2006 -- According to the National Association of Postal Supervisors President, "The Postal Service’s motive to kill postal reform, which has been increasingly apparent for months, became patently obvious this week. The USPS strategy: score a quick KO on postal reform by suggesting that the Senate’s postal reform bill – poised for approval any time now – will cause postal rates to rise by at least twenty cents and blow the roof off. The Postal Service’s clever scheme, though, didn’t quite work out. Instead of bringing down the bill, USPS blew its cover, and those who were once its biggest allies on Capitol Hill were hit by USPS’ friendly fire."

January 28, 2006 -- Federal Computer Week has reported that "The U.S. Postal Service wants to convert its automated forms into intelligent documents that can validate data, perform calculations and accept digital signatures. A new solicitation posted on the Federal Business Opportunities Web site asks vendors to submit proposals for converting USPS’ old forms and developing new ones using Adobe LiveCycle Designer. USPS has a library of 752 forms in Adobe PDF format and 138 automated forms created with Adobe Form Client Version 5.0 software. Forms converted with LiveCycle Designer can be rendered as Adobe PDF files or HTML documents and be digitally signed."

January 28, 2006 -- Air Cargo World has noted that "TNT Freight Management, the international air and ocean logistics unit of TNT Logistics, joined Cargo 2000, the International Air Transport Association interest group focused on electronically streamlining the air freight delivery process."

January 27, 2006 -- WJBD Radio has reported that "Congressmen John Shimkus and Jerry Costello have sent a joint letter to the US Postal Service regarding the possible "consolidation" of the Centralia and Carbondale mail processing center into the St. Louis distribution center. The letter states the congressmen have discussed a possible consolidation and have determined it would have a negative impact on Southern Illinois. Shimkus says even though the Postal Service operates independently of the federal government, Congress must express displeasure when it makes proposals that will harm the region."

January 27, 2006 -- The Rockville Register Star has reported that "Congressman Don Manzullo, R-Egan, and two postal union representatives from Rockford will meet with top officials from the United States Postal Service in Washington, D.C. Tuesday to challenge a plan to reroute mail from northern and northwest Illinois through Palatine instead of Rockford."

January 27, 2006 -- The Albuquerque Journal has reported that "New Mexico's Postal Service is getting an earful this week from telephone hot line callers complaining about after-dark mail delivery and mail delays, a post office spokeswoman said Thursday. Albuquerque's customer service phones were averaging about 100 calls a day between Monday and Wednesday, said Margaret Romero, an Albuquerque postal manager. Santa Fe's postal service was getting 70 to 80 calls a day, and Las Cruces about 36 calls."

January 27, 2006 -- The Central Kentucky News Journal has reported that "As the U.S. Postal Service continues to mull over shutting down Elizabethtown's mail sorting facility, postal officials are debating the impact the closure could have on areas carrying the 427 zip code prefix."

January 27, 2006 -- The Santa Fe New Mexican has reported that "Santa Fe has trouble attracting and keeping postal employees because of the city’s high cost of living, and that has contributed to the city’s recent postal-delivery problems. That’s according to U.S. Rep. Tom Udall, D-N .M., who met Thursday with U.S. Postal Service officials in Albuquerque to discuss recent postal complaints. The officials told Udall it is difficult to recruit people to work in Santa Fe because of the high cost of living, he said."

January 27, 2006 -- From BusinessWire: "--FreshAddress, Inc., a leading email database services provider, released the results of its study "Email Address Validation Survey of Fifty Top Retail Web Sites." The sobering results show none of the tested websites successfully blocked the most common email address registration errors, thus allowing typos and undeliverable email addresses into their databases. The average cost to each of these retailers is $6.7 million dollars annually in lost sales. Further details and a copy of the Real-Time Email Validation study can be found at www.freshaddress.com/biz."

January 27, 2006 -- As GovExec.com has noted, "A sweeping postal overhaul bill that Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Chairwoman Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Sen. Thomas Carper, D-Del., had hoped to see approved by unanimous consent this week has been stalled after a handful of senators expressed concerns about the bill's budget impact and other provisions."

January 27, 2006 -- The DM Bulletin has reported that "Royal Mail is appealing against a High Court decision that it should pay up to £40m in compensation to business customers for missing service targets."

January 27, 2006 -- As Bloomberg has noted, "Business Post Group Plc, a U.K. postal delivery service, said for the third time in five months that profit for the financial year will fall short of analysts' estimates as a focus on bigger clients fails to pay off."

January 27, 2006 -- KTRE-TV has reported that "The postal service honored an East Texas grocery store Friday for its response during Hurricane Rita. After the storm, the post office quickly resumed mail service in damaged neighborhoods thanks to Brookshire Brothers. Even though Rita temporarily shut down dozens of stores, Brookshire's provided ice, water, and quick access to fuel for mail trucks."

January 27, 2006 -- The Contra Costa Times has reported that "In a dark corner of a warehouse on San Francisco's industrial Pier 96 an oddly foreboding 17-foot tree has taken root. Conceived by installation artist Dio Mendoza, the tree stands as a testament to one of modern life's most persistent irritations - junk mail. Scraggly and imposing, the once-was pine is built entirely of unsolicited "direct mail" advertising Mendoza collected over the course of about three weeks from just one of his San Jose neighbors. "Let's face it, we're a gluttonous society," he said at a news conference Thursday. "We consume a lot." The tree rises at Norcal Waste Systems' cacophonous Recycling Central, where 600 tons of bottles, cans and paper products leave for new lives every day. The tree drew a small contingent of reporters and photographers to the kickoff of a Bay Area anti-junk-mail campaign."

January 27, 2006 -- The Mailers Council has reported that "the Postal Service has identified following postal facilities for consolidation or for an Area Mail Processing study to evaluate them as potential targets for consolidation: (1)Alamogordo, NM Post Office into EL Paso, TX P&DC; (2) McAllen, TX Post Office into Corpus Christi, TX P&DF; (3) Waco, TX P&DF into both Fort Worth, TX P&DC and Austin, TX P&DC; (4) Bryan, TX Post Office into Houston, TX P&DC; (5) Cumberland, MD Main Post Office into Frederick, MD P&DF; (6) Batesville (AR) Post Office into Little Rock (AR) P&DC.

January 27, 2006 -- Business Mailers Review has reported that:

• The Postal Service’s efforts to block the bill, S. 662, clearly angered Senate Government Affairs Chair Susan Collins, R-ME, and Sen. Thomas Carper, D-DE, the two Senate architects of the bill. As BMR went to press, S. 662 was on the Senate calendar for consideration under that body’s unanimous consent rule. Under this rule a bill comes to the full floor for a vote without debate and amendment under the condition that no single senator objects to it.
• Postal officials argue that if S. 662 is enacted and the Senate caves into administration demands that USPS be responsible for about $27 billion in military retirement obligations it will lead to a far larger rate increase than the one in the mid-single digits the Postal Service has led mailers to anticipate.
• There is growing anxiety in the mailing industry that the long-awaited study of undeliverable as addressed (UAA) mail, several years in the making, will not be issued in time to be fully digested before the Postal Service files its next rate case.
• Proposed consolidations, known in Postal Service nomenclature as Area Mail Processing or AMPs are continuing to move forward with several more identified since we last reported on the topic. All in all Postal officials think they will need about 400 facilities longer term so over 200 will need to be closed.
• USPS is planning a redesign of its Centralized Account Processing System (CAPS) to address its own and industry’s problems with the system.
• Updates for the Postal Service’s Computerized Delivery Sequence (CDS) service, which organizes 145 million residential and business addresses by carrier route in delivery walk sequence, will now be available on a weekly basis.
• It’s common knowledge that Standard Mail growth is driving total volume growth in mail and that First Class volume is declining. But a snapshot of the past 35 years since postal reorganization suggests that Standard Mail growth is not as robust as it once was, either.
• A trend appears to be emerging in which remittance mail delivery performance is worse in the fall than in the spring, according to the latest semi-annual Phoenix-Hecht Postal Survey.
• The Postal Service Jan. 12 took another big step in its move to reduce use of sacks by issuing its final rule to implement a 24-piece minimum, rather than a 6-piece minimum.
• The New American Dream, a group that wants to cut down on unsolicited mail, is headed to Capitol Hill in February to lobby Congress to set up a “Do Not Junk” registry.
• The U.S. Postal Service has renewed its efforts to avoid regulation of the prices it charges for stamped stationery bearing the images of Disney cartoon characters.
• The new Philadelphia Processing and Distribution Center at 7500 Lindbergh Blvd. is now accepting mailer drop shipments.
   

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. For subscription information, check the BMR web site.

January 27, 2006 -- According to the Sioux City Journal, "Meeting with federal lawmakers and a top U.S. Postal Service official Thursday, local leaders learned they likely would have a chance to respond to a postal study that threatens to close Sioux City's mail processing center. Besides costing Sioux City up to 100 jobs and its 150-year-old postmark, local leaders fear the change would delay mail delivery and increase costs for some businesses. U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, arranged for the local delegation to meet Thursday with the USPS' Galligan. Fifth District Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, also attended, and Sens. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Ben Nelson, D-Neb., sent staffers."

January 27, 2006 -- The Wall Street Journal has reported that "United Parcel Service Inc. posted a 21% increase in fourth-quarter profit, fueled by a robust holiday shipping season that capped what it called a "remarkably strong" year for the economy and a continuing boom in non-U.S. shipments. But some investors wanted even more, pushing UPS shares lower. UPS said it gained some shipments from customers who defected from the DHL unit of Deutsche Post AG, which suffered mechanical breakdowns and other problems at its Wilmington, Ohio, air hub, causing its on-time performance to plunge in September. DHL has said its reliability has rebounded since then."

January 27, 2006 -- The Hartford Courant has reported that "The president and owner of an East Windsor company involved in the direct mail business has been accused of defrauding clients by dumping bulk mailings at recycling centers instead of shipping them to the U.S. Postal Service for delivery as promised. U.S. Attorney Kevin J. O'Connor said a federal grand jury has indicted Thomas J. Rueli, 47, of Springfield, and his company, Total Logistic Services Inc., on 14 counts of mail fraud."

January 27, 2006 -- The Slovak Spectator has reported that "THE SLOVAK Post Office, Slovenská pošta (SP), will begin offering a package of electronic services to its clients in July this year. The initial package of e-services should include the electronic administration of packages, payment of checks through the Internet, and hybrid mail, which means that people can write letters or postcards on their computers and SP will print them and forward to the addressees. Among other services, clients will also be able to reserve a P.O. Box through the Internet."

January 27, 2006 -- Reuters has reported that "Business Post Group warned on Friday that annual underlying profit would miss forecasts after the company failed to improve margins at its parcel services unit, sending its shares down as much as 19 percent."

January 27, 2006 -- Dow Jones has reported that:

Argentina has extended the deadline for returning the postal company to private control for the third time in a year and a half, though there are few signs that the government intends to relinquish state control of the service. According to a decree published Wednesday in the Official Bulletin, the new date for calling a public tender for Correo Argentino is now June 30. The old deadline was Dec. 31, 2005. The extension is designed to give more time for "operations to be consolidated" at Correo Oficial de la Republica Argentina SA, which is what the company was renamed.
Singapore Post Ltd., the city-state's dominant postal operator, Friday reported a 17% rise in third-quarter net profit led by gains in its logistics and retail businesses. The company earned S$32.8 million in the three months to Dec. 31, 2005, up from S$28.0 million a year earlier, as operating revenue rose 7.4% to S$107.98 million from S$100.51 million a year ago.
TNT N.V. and the French cargo transport operator Malherbe said Friday that they have signed an agreement for the sale of the remaining activities of Logistiques Nicolas, part of the activities of TNT's French subsidiary TNT Logistics Holdings SAS.
TNT N.V. said Friday that on Jan. 26, 2006, it purchased 335,000 TNT N.V. ordinary shares at an average price of EUR26.9539 per share. It is TNT's intention to cancel the repurchased shares.

January 27, 2006 -- Mailers Council executive director Robert McLean has told his members that:

For those who missed it, today's Postal Service media event with Dick Strasser and Tom Day was a collection of confusing, circular comments and more than a few misstatements.

In the short briefing, postal officials warned that passage of S 662 would guarantee one last, huge rate case under current law, followed by years of additional high increases. Questions about how such increases would be possible under a price cap were answered by confusing rhetoric and warnings about the Statement of Administration Policy (rather than the bill the Senate will, we hope, soon consider). Strasser warned, "I'm not sure our mailers and employees understand the full ramifications of these bills."

Day, responding to a question about whether postal officials were violating the laws prohibiting them from lobbying, stressed that he wasn't even close to such a violation, but instead was fulfilling an obligation to educate the Senate and correct misimpressions on the Hill. Most notably, he wanted to let the Senate know that not all the postal employee groups support S 662. The APWU, which he said was the largest postal employee union, opposes the bill. APWU President Bill Burrus, Day stressed, believes the legislation is flawed and "not in the best interests of the members he represents." (And that is wrong; last year the NALC became the largest union because most of the 100,000 postal jobs eliminated belonged to APWU members.)

Late today Sens. Collins and Carper reacted to postal letters, news releases and media statements with the following statement. As you'll see, they are not happy. The Postal Service has damaged its relations on the Hill in a way that may be impossible to repair, at least with the current oversight committee leadership.

See also the Postal Service's side of the story in what's been distributed to postal employees.

January 27, 2006 -- Leaders of the two major unions representing the nation’s 330,000 active city and rural letter carriers issued a joint statement today urging Senate passage of postal reform legislation. Following is the statement by William H. Young, president of the National Association of Letter Carriers (AFL-CIO), and Donnie Pitts, president of the National Rural Letter Carriers Association: “On behalf of 330,000 active postal employees who deliver mail on city and rural routes across America, we urge the United State Senate to swiftly pass S. 662, the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act. The NALC and the NRLCA believe this long-overdue legislation will ensure the strength and viability of the U.S. Postal Service for decades to come.”

January 27, 2006 -- The U.S. Labor Department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recognized the U.S. Postal Service facility in Huron, S.D., for excellence in their employee safety and health program at a ceremony Jan. 24. The mail processing and distribution facility was designated a VPP "Star" site, the highest level of recognition that OSHA's Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP) offer. To qualify, a site must meet all the safety and health program elements for the VPP program, which far exceed minimum OSHA standards.

January 26, 2006 -- The Kildare Nationalist has reported that "IRELAND East MEP Mairéad McGuinness has welcomed comments made by the EU internal market commissioner Charlie McCreevy that he is conscious of the need to provide a service to rural dwellers, in the framing of plans to liberalise postal services in the EU."

January 26, 2006 -- The Free New Mexican has reported that "Two postal managers who the U.S. Postal Service said were replaced after statewide complaints about mail delivery say they had asked to be transferred for personal reasons. The two former New Mexico managers also contradicted a Postal Service spokeswoman’s statement that they had received promotions. Paul Nistler, former manager of the U.S. Postal Service mail-processing plant in Albuquerque, said in an e-mail that he asked to be transferred to Milwaukee, Wis., because his parents are aging and his father has cancer. And Steve Harden, former customer-relations manager in Albuquerque, said in a telephone interview that he left Albuquerque four months ago because his father died and he wanted to be closer to his aging mother in the Midwest. Harden would not specify where he works now. Nistler and Harden’s statements contradict those of U.S. Postal Service officials in the past week."

January 26, 2006 -- Led by a strong 21.5% gain in worldwide revenue, UPS today reported net income of $1.05 billion and a 25% increase in diluted earnings per share for the fourth quarter.

January 26, 2006 -- Actually, the hold placed on S. 662 was by Sen. Sessions (R-AL) born, ostensibly, from the concerns expressed by the Board of Governors of the Postal Service, not Sen. Harkin as was previously reported.

January 26, 2006 -- According to Direct, "Mailer groups were generally pleased at reports the Senate postal reform bill S. 662 was finally going to move forward after months of delay."

January 26, 2006 -- More on the fireworks regarding postal reform from GovExec.com.

January 26, 2006 -- American Postal Workers Union President William Burrus has told his members that "While APWU believes that release of approximately $3 billion from an escrow account and the transfer of responsibility for military retirement expenses are positive provisions of the pending bill (S. 662), they are outweighed by other stipulations, including proposals that would give excessive authority to a Postal Regulatory Board and that would reduce Workers’ Compensation benefits. The intent of postal reform supporters has been to control costs at the expense of service to the American public. The major mailers are unconvinced that postal management will take the steps necessary to reduce costs — including labor costs — without outside intervention. Legislation was thus written to remove from postal management responsibility for the core decisions involved in operating the postal system."

January 26, 2006 -- The Postal Service apparently pulled out all stops to prevent S. 662 from passage by telling its employees why the Board of Governors was opposing the bill. As the Washington Post has noted, "The bill's sponsors, Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Thomas R. Carper (D-Del.), said they were "outraged that the Postal Service would mislead senators." In a statement, they said, "Nothing in the bill would lead to rate increases. Collins and Carper said, "We are extremely troubled and disappointed that at the very last minute, the Postal Service is attempting to block action on our bill." They added, "It is ironic that the Postal Service -- which has been forced to raise rates four times in five years because of its inability to control its costs and respond to the new economic landscape -- is accusing us of putting the health of the postal system at risk."

January 26, 2006 -- The Whittier Daily News has asked: "IS there anything more revered or reviled than the post office? Revered, because we depend on their ability to handle millions of pieces of mail daily, a formidable task by any yardstick. Besides, how can you dislike the guys who sponsored Lance Armstrong? But reviled because they continue to boost rates at the same time they provide a level of service that might be politely considered Third World...and getting worse. Late and misdelivered mail, once an occasional problem, is now becoming commonplace. The chorus of complaints is becoming ear splitting."

January 26, 2006 -- The Muskegee Phoenix has concluded: "Let’s privatize postal service. It should have happened long ago in the United States. Other countries have done it with success. In New Zealand, prices went down, and in Australia, on-time delivery went up, according to reports."

January 26, 2006 -- DM News has reported that "Missouri is the latest state to introduce a do-not-mail bill, joining New York and Illinois. Missouri's bill, HB1531, sponsored by state Rep. Trent Skaggs, was reintroduced yesterday. It would set up a registry at the Missouri attorney general's office for people who wish not to receive commercial mail. A similar bill, HB834, died during the last session."

January 26, 2006 -- Panatagraph.com has told its readers that "The state would be wasting its time and our money attempting to ban junk mail. The broad, overreaching law proposed by two state representatives tosses out the good with the bad, while not addressing the real problem."

January 26, 2006 -- Peter Moore Software has introduced the 3541 Generator XP. The 3541 Generator XP is a Windows-based program that allows a user to simply create USPS 3541 postage statements from keyed input. It maintains a database of jobs, publications, and related statements for historical purposes, as well as to ease the burden of data entry on repetitive jobs, such as are common in the world of Periodical mailings. This easy to use program permits the user to create simple mailing jobs consisting of a single statement for one publication, or to create complex mailing jobs comprised of multiple publications, multiple versions, and multiple entries. The program sells for $245, with a guaranty of satisfaction, and is available immediately. Please contact: Peter Moore Software, Inc 6019 Brigadoon Dr Niwot, CO 80503-8832 (303) 641-6000 E-mail: PJM@PeterMoore.com

January 25, 2006 -- Think things are all hunky-dory in the field? Think again. Here's an excerpt from a recent communication from the President of the National League of Postmasters that came "over the transom."

"Here at LEAGUE Headquarters frustrated Postmasters are flooding me with calls from all around the country. These are good Postmasters but they are upset for several reasons. The number one reason is not being able to fill authorized positions due to lack of hiring. We are working our employees six days a week, 10-12 hours a day. That can only go on for so long. We are encountering not only poor morale but also increased sick leave and safety issues.

"Another issue is Postmasters are being micromanaged to death. The Areas blame the Districts, the Districts blame the Areas, and Postmasters are left with the work and aggravation. We are aware that many Postmasters are not being treated with dignity and respect. The same dignity and respect that we are expected to give our employees.

"Service is also taking a beating in a number of areas throughout the country because of hiring issues. Box sections are not up on time and there are long lines at the windows. Many carriers are out until 9:00 p.m. or even past 10:00 p.m. delivering mail and in many areas of the country Postmasters are being required to be present to open their office as well as be present when the last carrier returns."

January 25, 2006 -- From the PR Newswire: "A senior U.S. Postal Service official warned today that passage of pending postal reform legislation, when coupled with the Bush Administration demands on military retirement costs, could increase stamp prices by as much as 20 percent in the near future. "Under current law, the Postal Service has managed to keep the cost of postage below the rate of inflation," said Tom Day, Senior Vice President for Government Relations. "But this bill not only strips the Postal Service of much of its management authority but almost guarantees a hefty rate increase." Day said that should final legislation require the Postal Service to pre- fund retiree health benefits and retain a $27 billion obligation to fund military retirement benefits for its employees, postage rates could increase by up to 20 percent. That would be in addition to any rate increase necessary to fund postal operating costs. The postage rate increase that was effective on Jan. 8 was implemented solely to generate the $3.1 billion necessary to fund an escrow account resulting from 2003 legislation."

January 25, 2006 -- The National League of Postmasters has told its members that "The LEAGUE expects that the Senate will act quickly later today, January 25, 2006, on S. 662, the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act. This follows an agreement reached by Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), chairman of the Senate committee for this bill, and Sen. Kit Bond (R-MO) who had placed a hold on the legislation for the last six months in regard to the "fair and equitable" provision."

January 25, 2006 -- As the Associated Press has noted, "After more than a year of seeking legislation to update how the post office is run, postal management said Wednesday both the House and Senate bills should be scrapped and the whole process started over. Failure to win approval of provisions opposed by the Bush administration could lead to as much as a 20 percent increase in postage rates, postal officials said."

January 25, 2006 -- As the Federal Times has noted, 'The U.S. Postal Service’s penchant for experimenting with new products and services without the benefit of oversight from an outside body appears to have been severely curtailed by a Postal Rate Commission ruling. The commission, in a decision posted Jan. 4 under Daily Listings on its Web site, www.prc.gov, redefined what is a “postal service” in such a way as to include numerous recent Postal Service initiatives, thus underscoring the commission’s contention that it can define what a “postal service” is and its contention that it has the authority to approve — or not approve — many USPS initiatives."

January 25, 2006 -- From PR Newswire: "MicroStrategy® Incorporated, a leading worldwide provider of business intelligence software, today announced that it has selected Robert Otto, CIO/CTO of the U.S. Postal Service, as the recipient of MicroStrategy's Individual Excellence in Business Intelligence award. Mr. Otto was recognized today at MicroStrategy World 2006 in Miami, Florida."

January 25, 2006 -- According to SearchDataManagement.com, "The USPS reported that it spent $1.8 billion dollars processing undeliverable as addressed mail in 2001. The main culprit was incorrect and outdated addresses on business-to-consumer mail. Since this kind of mail accounted for 80% of the mail stream last year, the USPS is working with companies to clean up corporate mailing lists. Their goal is to reduce undeliverable as addressed mail by 50% by 2010, and they hope to achieve this through new USPS technology, education and policy change. Even companies that don't do a lot of mailing could potentially get help with their data quality initiatives."

January 25, 2006 -- According to Business Day, "Customers benefit from sales force automation United Parcel Service works with its largest accounts to negotiate service agreements at a corporate level."

January 25, 2006 -- Forbes has reported that "The European Commission said it is examining a complaint made by several newspaper suppliers over alleged state aid earmarked by the government for a new distribution system set up by Belgium's postal service."

January 25, 2006 -- According to Political Affairs magazine (self-styled as the Marxist thought online), "UNI global union plans to enroll 900 unions world-wide into a programme to force big corporations to improve their behaviour. The aim is to sign up multinationals to observe labour and other rights wherever they operate in the world. UNI has just become a stakeholder in UN agency the Universal Postal Union and talks are well advanced on an Understanding that would promote social dialogue between postal employers and unions worldwide and give greater transparency in the world trade round on services (GATS) which includes postal and courier services."

January 25, 2006 -- Dow Jones has reported that:

Goldman Sachs, Erste Bank AG, and Raiffeisen Centrobank AG have received a mandate to act as advisers for the initial public offering of Austria's postal operator, Oesterreichische Post AG.
European governments are increasingly turning to buyout houses to finance and manage companies that are providing essential public services, from mail delivery to waste incineration.

January 25, 2006 -- The Asahi Shimbun has reported that "Yoshifumi Nishikawa, head of a new company set up to organize the privatization of Japan Post, said he would lobby the government to remove its 10-million-yen cap on postal deposits."

January 25, 2006 -- According to the San Francisco Chronicle, "To draw in new customers or drum up business with established ones, a small business can't afford to overlook direct-mail marketing. It can be affordable, highly targeted and fairly easy to do."

January 25, 2006 -- As Mike Causey has noted in the Washington Times, "As more companies go belly up, convince employees to take pay cuts and/or eliminate pension plans, 401(k) plan contributions and health insurance, the government -- for all its warts -- looks like a very good place to work to a lot of people."

January 25, 2006 -- The Arkansas News has reported that "William Henderson will stay on as a board member at Acxiom Corp. after he was named the new chief operations officer at the world's largest movie rental service."

January 25, 2006 -- According to the Edinburgh Evening News, "ROYAL Mail chiefs have been urged to crack down on postal workers littering Edinburgh's streets with red rubber bands. The problem has become so bad that city council leader Donald Anderson has issued a warning to Royal Mail bosses that the litter louts are putting the city's clean reputation at risk." See also The Scotsman.

January 25, 2006 -- According to the Outer Banks Sentinel, "Stumpy Point residents have been informed by a letter from the U.S. Postal Service that their post office will be closing due to the cost-prohibitive nature of paying a lease and utilities on a building that now boast only six rented postal boxes."

January 25, 2006 -- CEP News (Courier-Express-Postal), published by the MRU Consultancy, has reported that:

Germany's public service workers' union ver.di has announced that it will demand wage and salary increases of up to 4.5% for transport workers this year.
Last week, over 600 turned out to follow the protest march appeal launched by the Austrian postal workers' union. Popular opinion appears to be against privatisation of the post.
Poste Italiane is investing around 60m euros in a new mail control centre in Naples. According to an official statement from the post, the new centre - operated jointly by the post and the Finmeccanica group - will provide centralised supervision of the post's entire production, including mail and parcels, and will be at the cutting edge of technology.
Competitors appear to be put off by the limited opening of the Swiss mail market. Peter Sutterlati, president of the Swiss Association of Private Parcel, Courier, Express and Mail Operators (KEP & Mail) shares Mr Kaiser's views: "The 100 grams limit for mail is unattractive to operators who want to set up a mail distribution network". Market observers expect a mere 11% of addressed mail to be subject to competition.
Post Danmark's announcement of a new fee for post office boxes from 1 February has resulted in a wave of cancellations. The post intends to charge 80 euros per year for a service that was hitherto free.
Schweizerische Post and the Swiss association KEP & Mail have opened a new chapter in the CEP market history by signing an agreement. The framework agreement allows the joint use of parcel sorting centres and transport. It also regulates the direct feeding of parcels into transhipment platforms and the handing over of items with a post office box destination at the corresponding post office.
The French post's subsidiary GeoPost has acquired a majority of the Greek CEP service provider Interattica Courier Network S.A.
Leading Japanese parcel service Yamato Transport Co. Ltd has lost its case against Japan Post. The Tokyo District Court refused to issue an injunction against the co-operation between Japan Post and the retail chain Lawson.
The German low fares airline Air Berlin appears to have established a successful business model with its practice of taking on board freight and parcels. Typical goods included newspapers, printed matter and small consignments.
Last week, FedEx carried out a ground-breaking ceremony for its new Asia-Pacific central hub in Guangzhou.
In view of postal market liberalisation, the matter of satisfactory and cost-covering postal services in rural areas has become a topic of intense discussion. Switzerland is approaching the problem from a different angle.
The Netherlands are the most dangerous region in Europe for lorry drivers. The AVC Foundation states that more than half of all lorry and cargo thefts happen in the Netherlands. The Netherlands have taken over Italy's leading position when it comes to lorry and cargo theft.

The MRU, founded in 1992, is the only consultancy in Europe, 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.

January 25, 2006 -- Government Computer News has reported that "After nearly five years of defending FirstGov.gov’s search engine prowess against constant criticism, General Services Administration officials believe they have an engine that will quiet detractors. Users of FirstGov.gov now can search about 40 million federal, state and local government pages, as well as tribal and other government Web sites."

January 25, 2006 -- The latest issue of eView (National Association of Major Mail Users) lists a number of personnel changes at Canada Post.

January 25, 2006 -- The Governors of the U.S. Postal Service have told Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee chairman Susan Collins (R-ME) that they oppose Senate passage of S. 662. See also the USPS press release.

January 25, 2006 -- According to SocialistWorker.com, "Royal Mail management is making an outrageous attack on postal workers’ right to strike. It requires a national response."

January 24, 2006 -- According to the Henrico Citizen, "Henrico County continues to lose between $5 million and $7 million each year in tax revenue because of a postal identity problem that has some county officials frustrated with the U.S. Postal Service. Because much of Henrico County is identified as "Richmond" by postal mailing addresses, some businesses (primarily those with out-of-state headquarters) mistakenly pay their taxes to the city instead of Henrico. U.S. Congressman Eric Cantor, whose Seventh District includes much of Henrico, has been working with Postal Service officials to seek a resolution to the issue, but talks so far have not resulted in anything definite, Robinson said."

January 24, 2006 -- From BusinessWire: "Western Union, a worldwide leader in money transfer services, announced that its subsidiary Western Union MT East has entered into an agreement with Russian national postal operator Federal State Unitary Enterprise, known as "Russian Post," to provide international money transfer services. Russian Post has one of the largest branch networks in Russia comprising more than 40,000 outlets. Through this agreement, Western Union Money Transfer(R) Services will be available in up to 2,500 post office outlets across Russia serving both rural and urban populations."

January 24, 2006 -- Postmaster General Jack Potter is participating at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Attending also are representatives from UPS, DHL, and Pitney Bowes.

January 24, 2006 -- From the PR Newswire: "Stamps.com(R), a leading provider of Internet-based postage services, applauds and thanks President Bush and Congress for amending a century-old law that clears the way for the U.S. Postal Service to allow businesses to use PhotoStamps(R). In particular, Stamps.com wishes to thank Rep. Darrel Issa (R-CA), who championed the legislative initiative and was instrumental in Stamps.com's efforts to pass this amendment."

January 24, 2006 -- The Free New Mexican has noted that "The U.S. Postal Service has set up hot lines in Santa Fe, Albuquerque and Las Cruces to address recent complaints about its service."

January 24, 2006 -- Here's one from the geeks at CNET: "What do you call mail via the Postal Service? A real slow download."

January 24, 2006 -- The Communication Workers Union has announced that "All individual members employed within Royal Mail are today receiving a pamphlet on the Royal Mail letters strategy and the CWU’s vision and aims for the future. The pamphlet tells members of Royal Mail’s plans, but most importantly, sets out the way the union intends to shape the future of jobs within the industry. The pamphlet also sets out the union’s pay strategy for 2006 and beyond. The union is measuring the success of its future pay strategy by comparing Royal Mail workers’ pay against the UK national average. Postal Workers’ pay currently lags £80 per week behind the national average. The full pamphlet can be downloaded from the following link: CWU The Whole Story Pamphlet."

January 24, 2006 -- Transport Intelligence has reported that:

Global express company FedEx Corporation has announced that its FedEx Express unit had signed an agreement with Tianjin Datian W. Group Co., Ltd. (DTW Group) to acquire DTW Group's 50% share of the FedEx-DTW International Priority express joint venture and its domestic express network in China for US$400 million. According to the company the acquisition will include DTW Group's 50% share in the International Priority express joint venture, converting the joint venture into a wholly FedEx-owned company. In addition to this it will include the DTW Group assets used to perform International Priority services and DTW Group domestic express assets from 89 locations.
Singapore Post Limited (SingPost) has announced the launch of a premium express courier service, Speedpost Express. The service provides customers a time-sensitive, door-to-door international express delivery service with track and trace features. The new product has been developed in conjunction with partner DHL combining the domestic network of 62 post offices and 70 local agents, together with DHL’s international delivery network.

January 24, 2006 -- From Business Wire: "UPS's global trade technology has been selected to showcase customs compliance this week at an annual conference of the American Association of Exporters and Importers (AAEI)."

January 24, 2006 -- The San Diego Union Tribune has reported that "After a barrage of complaints about late mail delivery, Southern California postal officials issued a directive Friday telling carriers and post office managers that mail must be delivered no later than 6 p.m. The directive apparently offered few specific recommendations about how to speed up deliveries, other than to instruct managers to divvy up the workload so carriers aren't given more mail than they can deliver in their regular shifts."

January 24, 2006 -- AMEInfo has reported that "Emirates Post Corporation today announced record net profit of Dhs. 133 million for the year 2005, an increase of 6 per cent over the previous year."

January 24, 2006 -- The Washington Post has reported that:

• The Postmasters Benefit Plan has been dropped from the federal employee health insurance program, the Office of Personnel Management announced yesterday. In a two-paragraph statement, OPM said the Postmasters plan "will no longer participate" in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program. Last month, OPM launched an inquiry into the Postmasters plan because of concerns about its solvency and its handling of insurance claims.
• Granted, the Postal Service realized a profit in 2005, but it was only about 2 percent of operating revenue. The organization's goal is to break even, yet despite an enormous effort by its executives, management and employees, it has managed to achieve that goal only a few times since reorganization 35 years ago.

January 24, 2006 -- The Aberdeen News has reported that "A proposal to sort more of Aberdeen's mail in Huron could result in job losses and longer shipping times for businesses, union and other officials said. No decisions have been made, but the idea is included in a study of how to make mail processing more efficient in the area. Union officials estimate the Aberdeen post office could lose between 12 and 20 jobs under a plan to send more mail through the automated mail-processing center in Huron. The Aberdeen office currently employs 89. Officials also fear Aberdeen could lose its postmark."

January 24, 2006 -- NewIndPress has reported that "Postal union leaders strongly condemned the alleged move to privatise the postal department and vowed to fight it tooth and nail. National Postal Employees Union, Karnataka zone president P Wilson, claimed that the Union government on the one hand was helping private courier services to expand their activities, whereas the postal department was discouraged in all aspects."

January 24, 2006 -- AllAfrica.com has reported that "Posta Uganda is locked in wrangles with domestic and international courier firms over what they call infringement on their reserved areas of operation. The General Manager of Posta Uganda, Mr David Kitongo at the launch of their website recently, said that private courier companies are now offering services like letter posting, a service reserved for Posta Uganda under the Communications Act 1997. He also blamed the industry's regulator, Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) for failing to implement the act."

January 24, 2006 -- According to the Malibu Times, Malibu is experiencing late mail deliveries. Mail sorting operations for western Los Angeles County have been moved from a postal sorting facility near Marina del Rey to a large facility at Central and Vernon avenues in South Los Angeles. As a result, trucks bound for Malibu are getting stuck on the Santa Monica Freeway, and arriving later each morning, letter carriers said.

January 24, 2006 -- According to MSNBC, "Businesses eyeing China stand to benefit from UPS Worldport hub's presence."

January 24, 2006 -- The Asahi Shimbun has reported that "Preparations for postal privatization scheduled for October 2007 got under way Monday as Japan Post Corp. began operations under President Yoshifumi Nishikawa, a veteran banker."

January 23, 2006 -- The agenda for the February 21-23 meeting of the Postmaster General's Mailers Technical Advisory Committee (MTAC) has been posted on this site.

January 23, 2006 -- Federal Computer Week has reported that "Members of the Postal Rate Commission said they hoped that their new ruling on the definition of the term "postal service" would make it easier for the commission to settle complaints that the U.S. Postal Service competes unfairly when offering new services. But the commission's final rule might not be the last word. USPS officials argued during the rule-making process that the rate commission was overstepping its authority by issuing such a rule. In the rule's broad definition of postal service, which includes electronic services, the commission claims authority to approve or disallow such services and to regulate what USPS charges for them."

January 23, 2006 -- African News Dimension has reported that "Chief Cornelius Adebayo, minister of communications, has charged the leadership of the Pan African Postal Union (Papu) to develop new products and adopt new advances in technology into the postal network in the African continent. Adebayo, who gave the challenge at this year’s Pan African Post Day celebrations, in Abuja, stressed the need for the organisation to provide the needed technical assistance to its members to enable them to meet the challenges posed by strides in technology."

January 23,  2006 -- DM News is claiming that "Senators may have worked out a compromise on postal reform legislation stuck in limbo for the past six months, DM News has learned. Sources said the bill may reach the Senate floor for a vote as early as this week."

January 23,  2006 -- The National Postal Forum has announced that the NPF promotional brochure and workshop schedule are now available on the NPF website! Visit the Forum at www.npf.org/reg6 and learn about the latest tools and insights you’ll need to succeed from the mailing industry’s premier event. Attend the mailing industry’s premier event featuring 100+ fast track workshops, 5 symposiums, exhibits and networking opportunities -- in the heart of Orlando’s entertainment zone!

January 23, 2006 -- The Edinburgh Evening News has reported that "THE performance of the Royal Mail has been criticised by Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce. Responding to a review of the company's delivery rate and pricing by Postwatch, the UK watchdog for postal services, the chamber's deputy chief executive Graham Birse hit out at "errant" delivery times and Royal Mail surcharges."

January 23, 2006 -- According to the Asahi Shimbun, "Japan Post, the public corporation set up in 2003 to make postal services more efficient, is now moving to restructure the system of privileges currently enjoyed by the 19,000 or so special-status postmasters around the country."

January 23,  2006 -- The Las Cruces Sun-News has reported that "The U.S. Postal Service has set up hot lines as one of the ways to improve service for New Mexico customers who have been complaining about slow mail service. Sens. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., and Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., met with U.S. Postmaster General Jack Potter this week. He agreed additional employees were needed to counter delivery and processing problems."

January 22, 2006 -- Americans for Tax Reform claimed that the "USPS has always been suspected of using its monopoly on first class mail to cross-subsidize its package delivery service. By cross-subsidizing its package service, the USPS can offer artificially low prices for their delivery services enjoy an unfair advantage in competitive markets. “Before undertaking yet another moneygrab, the USPS might consider cutting the size of its workforce to be effective in the 21st century. If you look at the size of their workforce, it is bigger than any two branches of the armed forces."

January 22, 2006 -- According to postal commentator Gene Del Polito, "Those charged with stewardship over the welfare of the direct mail industry dread the beginning of every new legislative year. I'm somewhat undecided as to whether this time of the year should be characterized as the start of "silly season" or the start of just something stupid. For this is typically the time when those who should know better in state legislatures across the nation embark on a campaign to besmirch those who do business by mail. Usually this takes the form of legislation to limit (or cripple) the value and utility of using the mail as a means of business communication and commerce."

January 22, 2006 -- According to Kyodo, "The new company, known in Japanese as Nippon Yusei Kabushiki Kaisha, or Japan Post Co., will become a holding company on Oct. 1, 2007, the date when the nation's postal services begin a step-by-step 10-year privatization process. The public corporation will be split into four units under the holding company. The newly established Japan Post Co. will focus on plans to manage 260,000 employees and assets now controlled by Japan Post and study possible business models for the four operating companies."

January 22, 2006 -- Hoovers noted that "Small parcel carriers UPS and FedEx recently released 2006 rates and for the first time, FedEx released its air express rates before UPS. UPS followed-up by releasing rate information in November showing a 3.9% price increase for ground shipments and a 5.5% increase in air and international rates. The increased rates will likely drive even more shippers to look for opportunities to shift from air to ground whenever possible."

January 22, 2006 -- According to the Rutland Herald, "Sugarmakers learned mail-order tricks at a maple conference."

January 22, 2006 -- From i-Newswire: "ZIPCodeWorld.com is glad to announce the release of PostalCodeWorld Mexico Gold Edition Postal Codes database. The database provides complete table of Mexico postal codes, colony name, city name, state name, latitude, longitude, area code, time zone and daylight saving indicator. The complete PostalCodeWorld Mexico Gold Edition database contains over 58,000 records from 28,000+ complete postal codes in Mexico."

January 22, 2006 -- Mobiledia has reported that "A new market study from Portio Research predicts that 50% of the world's population will be using a cell phone by the end of 2009, and Africa now boasts the fastest growth rate in the world, forecast to add 265 million new mobile subscribers over the next 6 years. Among the top 25 growth markets ranking list (2006-2011) there are a few surprises. India wins the top spot, just ahead of China, and almost equally in 3rd place are Brazil, Indonesia and Nigeria."

January 21, 2006 -- According to The Guardian, "It is easily forgotten, but five years ago the high street banks were strong-armed by the government into pumping pounds 200m into the Post Office. The cash, payable over five years, was intended to help plug the Post Office's gap in revenue when benefits payments were paid directly into bank accounts. The banks regarded the pounds 200m as a windfall tax in disguise. They paid up without complaint for fear of something worse, but one or two feel that even money extracted with menaces should be spent wisely. It's a fair point."

January 21, 2006 -- The Hindu has reported that "India Post is going high-tech, in a limited way to start with. Chief Postmaster General, Karnataka, Meera Datta launched here on Friday the instant money order service called iMO. The money order you send will reach the other party within half an hour."

January 21, 2006 -- Nouvelles St-Laurent has reported that "Close to 600 employees were evacuated from the Canada Post sorting station on Jan. 12, following fears that a toxic substance in one of the packages was making people sick."

January 21, 2006 -- The latest copy of the National Association of Postmasters of the U.S. electronic governmental affairs newsletter is available on the NAPUS web site.

January 20, 2006 -- The latest issue of the PostCom Bulletin is available online. In this issue:

• Details are sketchy but there are late-breaking reports that Sens. Susan Collins and Kit Bond are working toward an agreement over language in S.662, the Senate postal reform bill that most in the mailing industry considered dead.
• Two members of the Illinois House of Representatives have introduced legislation to create a state registry similar to the national Do-Not-Call List. This proposed bill would curb the amount of direct and advertising mail targeted at consumers in the state.
• American Postal Workers Union President William Burrus sent a letter to the editor of The Christian Science Monitor to dispel claims by Sam Ryan of the Lexington Institute about the causes of this month’s postal price increase.
• Postal commentator Gene Del Polito looks at what 2006 could hold for business mailers.
• Two-cent stamps were hard to find in Manhattan the day before this month’s rate increase. In fact, one New York newspaper called it an “ordeal” that left New Yorkers waiting for up to 90 minutes to buy the stamps.
• There have been a number of media reports about the scarcity of two-cent stamps when the postal rates changed January 8.
• In this legal article, David Hendel of the Wickwire Gavin law firm examines the rationale behind and the impact of the U.S. Postal Service’s recent conversion of its purchasing regulations into “non-binding” guidelines.
• Federal Register: Sack preparation changes for periodicals mail final rule. Former PMG Henderson to join Netflix. Businesses get okay for custom postage use. Western shippers scramble for an edge in China. UPS will offer letter delivery from Europe. UPS might have lost another tape.
• Private German TNT takeover bid ‘almost ready.’ Japan Post to tackle powerful hereditary postmaster establishment. Ceska Posta raises some rates, cuts others. Austria to sell 49 percent of postal service. Consortium takes a half stake in Belgium’s La Poste. Finnish Post gets Latvian assignment. Court holds up Chronopost restructuring. New Zealand customized postage stamp honors Chinese Communist ‘quitters.’

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January 20, 2006 -- WebIndia123 has reported that "The Department of Posts today launched three innovative schemes-instant Money Order Service (iMO), Children's Postal Insurance Scheme and Oriental Insurance's Accidental Death Insurance Coverage for Postal Savings."

January 20, 2006 -- The Free New Mexican has reported that "The U.S. Postal Service has replaced New Mexico's management team in an effort to improve the state's mail-delivery service. U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., and U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., met separately Thursday in Washington, D.C., with U.S. Postmaster General John "Jack" Potter to discuss problems with late and missing mail in Santa Fe and throughout the state. Potter told Domenici he was aware of the problems and recently had replaced the state's management team at the Postal Service's southwest-area operations center in Texas, said Matt Letourneau, Domenici spokesman."

January 20, 2006 -- The Financial Times has reported that "Royal Mail is lobbying the government to reverse a decision to end a £1bn contract for the payment of benefits through post offices. Subpostmasters have asked Tony Blair to intervene personally to overturn the move by the Department for Work and Pensions, which they warn would "inevitably accelerate the decline" of the post office network, closing thousands of branches. The government was yesterday forced on to the defensive over its move to end funding for Post Office card accounts, used to pay pensions and benefits to more than 4m people, when the contract ends in 2010."

January 20, 2006 -- American Postal Workers Union President William Burrus answers the question as to whether the APWU has been caught off-guard by the Postal Service's facility consolidation efforts.

January 20, 2006 -- As DMNews has noted, "The U.S. Postal Service looks to change how flats mail is addressed in a move that could save time and energy but would affect magazine, newspaper and catalog design."

January 20, 2006 -- The House Committee on Government Reform is slated to hold a postal oversight hearing on February 16.

January 20, 2006 -- Stabroek News has reported that "The Guyana Post Office Corporation (GPOC) is part of the global postal family that is seeking to reinvent itself in the face of the threat to its viability, perhaps even its existence, posed by the "onslaught" of contemporary communication technology. Once the symbol of a mundane but none-the-less indispensable public service, the postal service is struggling to sustain its relevance in a world where Air Mail has been swept aside by e-mail and where the traditional services provided by the postal system have been devoured by the emergence of service providers whose multi-million dollar marketing methods have prevailed over the colourless public service image projected by the postal service's marketing methods."

January 20,  2006 -- The Periodical Publishers Association has reported that "Royal Mail has announced details of the price changes for Presstream, due to come into effect on 3 April. Dependent on the weight of the item, the changes will see Presstream 1 prices rise between 6.3 per cent and 6.9 per cent and Presstream 2 prices increase by between 5.5 per cent and 5.9 per cent."

January 20,  2006 -- The Guardian has reported that "the government came under fierce attack yesterday from opposition MPs, small business organisations and campaigning groups over its decision not to renew a pounds 1bn pensions and benefits payments contract with the Post Office. The Liberal Democrats demanded the renewal of the contract to run the Post Office card account while the Conservatives accused ministers of inflicting "death by a thousand cuts" on the 14,000-strong Post Office network."

January 20, 2006 -- The Financial Times has reported that "Japan Post will not be able to develop a new computer system by October 2007 when Junichiro Koizumi, prime minister, has pledged to split it up into four separate units in preparation for full privatisation, according to its president."

January 20, 2006 -- AllAfrica.com has reported that "The African Day of the Post was celebrated yesterday under the theme, "the Post in the Face of Technological Development". All hopes of rekindling Cameroon's postal system seem to hinge on Information and Communication Technology (ICTs). This is the impression participants at the sixth edition of the African Day of the Post left with yesterday at the Yaounde Hilton."

January 20, 2006 -- The buzz about town is that some movement may have been made by the principals in the dispute involving S. 662 to permit the bill to come to the Senate floor for consideration. Stay tuned.

January 20, 2006 -- The latest issue of the IMAG Bulletin has been posted on this site.

January 20, 2006 -- The latest Postal Service DMM Advisory is available on this site.

January 20, 2006 -- In a letter to the Santa Monica Mirror, Mail and Jobs executive director Peter Miller wrote:

The Mirror asks whether it occurs "to anyone that we could heat and light our city by burning the junk mail Santa Monica residents throw into the trash?" ("Neither Snow Nor Rain…Well, Maybe Catalogs," Jan. 18 - 25, 2006) Here are some other questions that might be asked: How come the Mirror does not tell readers that newspapers compete with the mailstream for advertiser dollars? Why is it that your editorial does not say the term "junk mail" was invented by newspapers to defame a rival medium? The Mirror complains about an "avalanche" of mail, but is not growing postal volume evidence of success, value and public acceptance? Or does the Mirror believe it's better to have declining subscription levels such as those recorded year-after-year with newspapers nationwide? Can the Mirror explain how an ad sent through the mails is any different than the same ad, on the same paper, from the same advertiser when inserted in your paper? While the editorial complains about multiple ads sent through the mailstream, is it not true that you give discounts for those who advertise repeatedly in your paper?

January 19, 2006 -- Harte-Hanks Trillium Software has been recognized as a ‘Market Leader' for information quality software."

January 19, 2006 -- The DM Bulletin has reported that "The DMA (UK) has recruited Alex Walsh, who handled Royal Mail's relationships with mailing houses and trade associations, as head of postal affairs. While Walsh has already started work, the DMA is still looking for candidates for the more senior role of director of media channel development, to whom Walsh will report. The two roles were created to replace the single role of director of industry development and postal affairs, left vacant when David Robottom left in October to set up his own consultancy. The division recognised the increased importance of channels other than mail in the industry."

January 19, 2006 -- The Las Cruces Sun-News (via BlackEnterprise) has reported that "Arrangements are being made to give Las Cruces residents a chance to voice their concerns about mail service and post office operations. Mail delays have plagued residents for several months, and there is growing frustration among many. Postal Service employees have said they are short-staffed, and mail problems elsewhere have compounded the problems."

January 19, 2006 -- USAToday has reported that "Inflation rose at the fastest pace in five years in 2005 as higher costs for energy, housing, education and medical care drove up prices. The closely watched consumer price index rose 3.4% last year, up from a 3.3% increase in 2004 and the biggest gain since 2000."

January 19, 2006 -- As Gazette.net has noted, "For some a ZIP code is just a ZIP code. For many residents of Camp Springs, however, it's something greater than a five- or nine-digit number one writes down on an envelope or fills in on a form. It is a way to be recognized as a community."

January 19, 2006 -- According to the Asahi Shimbun, "In preparations for privatization scheduled for 2007, Japan Post is launching an offensive against a group of postmasters who wield the power of feudal lords."

January 19, 2006 -- From the PR Newswire: "ADVO, Inc., a leading direct mail media company and owner of the nation's most comprehensive residential and business mailing list, has become the first company to add weekly address updates now available from the U.S. Postal Service (USPS). The new process trims up to seven weeks from the current procedure, and makes ADVO's residential mailing list the nation's most deliverable address file."

January 19, 2006 -- The Prague Daily Monitor has reported that "Postal services operator Ceska posta will as of February 1 raise postage for letters sent to European countries and reduce postage for letters sent by airmail to countries outside Europe."

January 19, 2006 -- According to the Sioux City Journal, "As supporters work from a number of angles to keep the Sioux City mail processing from being farmed out to Sioux Falls, the Iowa Senate on Wednesday passed a resolution to keep it in Sioux City. The resolution noted Sioux City is the fourth-largest city in the state, that the distribution center employs 150 people and that current arrangements result in "one-day service locally and national service in two days." The resolution said the loss of the mail center "would degrade service to two days for the Siouxland area and to three days for other parts of the country." Warnstadt said the unanimous voice vote "is a statement that this is not just a Siouxland issue, but a statement on the importance of the issue to all of Iowa."

January 19, 2006 -- Gulf Times has reported that "Q-POST will host a seminar of Arab postal corporations on quality management at the General Post Office next month. The five-day meet, where officials from over 20 Arab postal corporations are scheduled to attend, will start on February 5, a Q-Post official said yesterday. Some Universal Postal Union (UPU) consultants too are expected for the meet."

January 19, 2006 -- Cyprus-Mail has reported that "DESPITE some improvement in efficiency, the postal service is still failing to meet the delivery targets set by the European Union. For this failure, the service was fined £20,000 by the Regulatory Committee for Posts and Communications, which monitors whether EU delivery targets are met."

January 19, 2006 -- Transport Intelligence has reported that "TNT has announced that it has completed the acquisition of TG+, a leading Spanish domestic distribution company, after obtaining all regulatory approvals. The acquisition was previously announced on 6th December 2005. Through the acquisition of TG+, TNT hopes to expand its domestic express business and strengthen its international express business in Spain."

January 19, 2006 -- According to the Santa Monica Mirror, "Postal officials are promising to adjust start times for carriers and train additional supervisors, and will soon open a new processing facility in Santa Monica. But I think we need to look at the overall volume of postal mail. Does it occur to anyone that we could heat and light our city by burning the junk mail Santa Monica residents throw into the trash?"

January 19, 2006 -- AllAfrica.com has reported that "POSTA Uganda on Tuesday launched a new website www.ugapost.co.ug designed to enable customers access information and provide an interactive communication link between Posta Uganda and her stakeholders world over."

January 18, 2006 -- The Association for Postal Commerce welcomes its newest member:

PostCentric, Inc. represented by President and CEO Lee Garvey. PostCentric provides management and administration services to companies in the web-based printing and mailing business.

January 18, 2006 -- The U.S. Postal Service has announced that "The new Philadelphia Processing and Distribution Center located at 7500 Lindbergh Boulevard is now accepting mailer drop shipments. We encourage mailers to begin using this facility for drop shipments destined to Philadelphia PA 190. With the release of the Drop Ship Product on February 15, all drop shipments for Philadelphia PA 190 must be entered at the 7500 Lindbergh Boulevard location. Drop ship appointments are available Monday through Friday, 7 AM to 9 PM. Beginning January 30, availability will expand to Saturday and Sunday, and the hours will extend from 7 AM to 12 AM. To schedule an appointment through the Facility Access and Shipment Tracking System (FAST), use NASS Code 19176. Drop shipments destined to BMC Philadelphia PA are not affected by the opening of this new plant."

January 18, 2006 -- The latest issue of PostCom's PostOps Update has been posted on this site. In this issue: (1) USPS to implement caps redesign by September 2006; (2) New FSS focus area for MTAC; (3) Periodicals sack preparation changes.

January 18, 2006 -- From the PR Newswire: "Netflix, Inc. has announced the appointment of former U.S. Postmaster General William J. Henderson as chief operations officer of the world's largest online DVD rental service. He assumes his new role on January 23 and succeeds Tom Dillon, who is scheduled to retire in April.

January 18, 2006 -- According to Line56.com, "Paying bills is just one of those irritating things we all have to do. Do you know anyone who enjoys the monthly ceremony of sitting down with mounds of paper, tearing off remittance slips, and then writing, sealing and licking envelopes and stamps? Not to mention the frightening experience of realizing how little money you have left after you pay all your bills. That disappointing insight is beyond the scope of this article. However, I am here to help you with this bill payment process. By paying your bills electronically, not only will this aggravating monthly ritual be easier, convenient, and provide you better record keeping but will also provide you greater legal protections than writing paper checks."

January 18, 2006 -- As the International Herald Tribune put it, "President George W. Bush's ordering the National Security Agency to eavesdrop on Americans without warrants contradicts a long evolution toward the secrecy of communications. Centuries ago, people in England, France and the German states fought for the right to send letters without their being opened by the "black chambers" of absolutist monarchs. Martin Luther, whose letters had been opened by the Duke of Saxony, raged that "a thief is a thief, whether he is a money thief or a letter thief."

January 18, 2006 -- From MarketWire: Firstlogic, Inc., a global provider of commercial mail and enterprise data quality solutions and services, today launched a new Commercial Mail weblog (blog) to share information and education on mail-focused topics of interest to anyone involved in mailing processes for small business, quick print businesses, or large multi-faceted printing operations. The blog is hosted by Firstlogic Commercial Mail Market Director Chris Lien, a popular educator and leader in the mailing industry. Available at http://lien.weblogs.firstlogic.com , the blog offers a discussion forum on the current trends and developments in processes, software and services for mailers of all levels of experience.

January 18, 2006 -- Kyodo has reported that "Japan Post President Masaharu Ikuta unveiled Wednesday a set of draft measures to reform small designated ("tokutei") post offices that have often drawn criticism for their vested interests, including handing down top positions through the generations within a single family."

January 18, 2006 -- CEP News (Courier-Express-Postal), published by the MRU Consultancy, has reported that:

Hamburg-based private equity entrepreneur Cornelius Geber has again confirmed his interest in taking over the Dutch TNT.
As expected, the Austrian Council of Ministers reached the decision required for privatisation last Thursday.
Media reports claim that Poste Italiane's web site has considerable security leaks.
The Greek post bank is heading for privatisation.
A consortium consisting of Post Danmark and British investors CVC Capital Partners formally secured a stake in Belgium's La Poste.
TNT has just launched a mail service in Hamburg, Germany's second biggest city. The company claims to be creating up to 400 new jobs; 260 employees are already busy handling business mail in Hamburg. The postage rate is calculated according to consignment size, not weight.
Morgan Stanley analysts believe that DHL Express could become a real growth factor within the Deutsche Post group over the next few years.
DHL has launched its own forwarding company in Sweden: DHL Akeri AB.
Finland's Suomen Posti Oy is the new contractual partner of four leading German mail order companies in Latvia. At the beginning of January, the Finnish post announced its extensive co-operation agreement with Quelle, Neckermann, Otto and BonPrix, which is said to include the delivery of millions of catalogues, order forms as well as freight consignments and hundreds of thousands of parcels.

The MRU, founded in 1992, is the only consultancy in Europe, 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.

January 18, 2006 -- From the PR Newswire: "The U.S. Postal Service -- one of the nation's largest employers of people who are deaf or hard-of-hearing -- is offering new technology to allow its employees to better communicate with each other. Two types of video interpreting services are being installed at postal facilities across the country, allowing approximately 4,000 postal employees who are deaf or hard-of-hearing to communicate with supervisors, co-workers and others in real-time without having to bring in on-site interpreters or rely on text-based telephone systems."

January 18, 2006 -- NBC5-Dallas-Ft. Worth has reported that "The future appears in doubt for more than two dozen employees of United Parcel Service of America Inc. The delivery workers fled New Orleans because of Hurricane Katrina and many have settled in North Texas. The employees now are concerned that the company might issue them an ultimatum: return to work in New Orleans or lose your jobs. Many of the relocated workers lost their residences in the city that served as home before the storm."

January 18, 2006 -- According to the BBC, "Postal workers are being urged not to drop their elastic bands to help keep the streets of south London clean. Lewisham Council estimates up to 5,000 elastic bands are dropped in the borough by postal workers every month."

January 18, 2006 -- The Caymanian Compass has noted that "A senior postal official says a large volume of mail is being returned because it is incorrectly addressed. Deputy Postmaster General of Operations, Anthony Williams said many letters and packages are undeliverable because they only show street numbers. Mail must include the post office box number and suffixes of local recipients."

January 18, 2006 -- DM News has reported that "The Association of Publishing Agencies joined with Royal Mail to build awareness of custom magazines in the United Kingdom and continue to drive growth of the market, the group said yesterday. APA is working with Royal Mail sales teams to promote custom magazines as a cost-efficient, effective marketing tool."

January 18, 2006 -- The Nigerian Tribune has reported that "In recognition of their contributions to the development of literacy and creative writing in Nigeria and across the world, three outstanding literary artistes will receive honours today in Abuja courtesy of the Nigeria Postal Service (NIPOST)."

January 18, 2006 -- Transport Intelligence has reported that "Global express and mail carrier UPS has revealed that it is to commence international mail services in Europe. The new service will be established in February, building on a successful pilot project which involved moving mail between the UK and Belgium, Netherlands, France and Germany. The operation will involve collecting unsorted mail from customers and passing them on to the carrier's postal partner, Swiss Post International. However neither the company nor analysts think that UPS intends to enter into full blown competition with postal operators such as Deutsche Post. The service addresses only a very small part of the market although the fact that UPS has been successful to date shows that there could be potential to leverage its brand."

January 18, 2006 -- In an op-ed pice to the Christian Science Monitor, American Postal Workers Union President William Burrus wrote that "In a Jan. 6 op-ed, Sam Ryan of the Lexington Institute, a conservative "think tank," claimed the Postal Service should cut postal workers' pay and benefits instead of increasing postage rates, and "outsource" more of its operations to corporate mailers. Ryan is entitled to his views, but his byline should have disclosed the he runs a PR firm, Keybridge Communications, that ghostwrites and places op-ed pieces for right-wing, anti-labor organizations.

January 18, 2006 -- BusinessNorth.com has reported that "Minnesota Diversified Industries, Inc. (MDI) announced today that it has been awarded contracts for the production of six million bulk mail trays and four million letter mail trays for the United States Postal Service's (USPS) mail handing operations. The contracts, valued at over $35 million, represent a 40% increase over last year's contracts."

January 18, 2006 -- From CarolinaNewswire: "BÖWE BELL + HOWELL, a leading provider of document processing and postal solutions, has received the Training magazine Top 100 award for a fourth year."

January 18, 2006 -- From the BusinessWire: "Accenture has honored three women who have pioneered the journey to high performance in the public sector by bestowing each with a 2006 Accenture Government Women's Leadership Award. One of the three: Government Rising Leader Category: Robin Ware, manager, Business Service Network Integration, United States Postal Service."

January 18, 2006 -- The Financial Times has reported that "The cost of a first-class stamp is to rise from 30p to 32p on April 3, Royal Mail will announce on Wednesday. Second-class stamps will go up from 21p to 23p under the new tariff, implemented under draft four-year price controls set out last year by Postcomm, the regulator. The price increases will hit smaller businesses, many of which use franking machines. The impact will be offset somewhat by the decision to extend from first-class to second-class the 1p discount offered for franked mail, compared with stamped mail, for items of up to 60g."

January 18, 2006 -- SocialistWorker.co.uk has said that "Royal Mail's cost-cutting is creating the conditions for a possible national dispute. Across Britain offices are being asked to make "savings" that will impact on the service, on jobs and on earnings."

January 18, 2006 -- Handelsblatt has reported that "German investment company Aurelius Investkapital is to acquire German accommodation company Deutsche Post Wohnen (DPW), a subsidiary of German postal services provider Deutsche Post. The takeover is to take retrospective effect from 1 January 2006. DPW operates eight hotels, ten guest houses and four conference centres."

January 18, 2006 -- Les Echos has reported that "Philippe Lazare, the director of purchasing, cost control and property at French postal operator La Poste, is to become the head of La Poste's new personal services division."

January 18, 2006 -- The Daily Times has reported that "The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday issued notice to the attorney general of Pakistan and the Punjab advocate general on a petition challenging the increase in postal rates."

January 18, 2006 -- As one writer for Australian Doctor put it: "With the widespread use of lightning-faste-mail in recent years, one might question the ongoing role of the humble post office. In times past, the core business of the post office was simply the delivery of post. With this activity now referred to as ?snail mail? by many people who demand written material be transferred in mere nanoseconds, it might seem logical to think post offices would go the way of the dinosaurs. Not so."

January 18, 2006 -- The Australian Financial Review has reported that "Australia Post has won contracts to provide identification cards for maritime workers in Victoria, accreditation cards for professionals working with children at the Department of Community Development in West Australia and competency cards for traders under the Workcover NSW. The Federal Government-owned postal services provider said the deals accelerate the firm's efforts to diversify as revenues from traditional snail mail and bill payment services continue to drop. The contracts also follow the completion of a $200m upgrade of Australia Post's online protocol network and Netpos real-time payment system."

January 17, 2006 -- From MarketWire: "Firstlogic Inc., a leading global provider of enterprise information quality software and services, and SOLIDPartners, a leading Brussels-based consultancy service company that delivers total and integrated data warehouse and business intelligence solutions, today announced a distribution agreement that brings Firstlogic data quality software to leading companies in Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxemburg."

January 17, 2006 -- IDTechEx has reported that "Growth in passive RFID will be driven by the tagging of high volume items - notably consumer goods, drugs and postal packages - at the request of retailers, military forces and postal authorities and for legal reasons. In these cases, the primary benefits sought will be broader and include cost, increased sales, improved safety, reduced crime and improved customer service."

 January  17, 2006 -- According to Pantagraph.com, "Legislation being proposed in the Illinois House would create the equivalent of a do-not-call list for junk mail in Illinois." See also CBSNews Chicago.

 January  17, 2006 -- Steve Barr at the Washington Post has reported that "Neal Denton , executive director at the Alliance of Nonprofit Mailers, will join the American Red Cross Feb. 1 as vice president for government relations. Denton has worked for the alliance for 20 years and was named executive director in 1992. His newsletters have consistently turned a dry issue -- postal rate procedures -- into an understandable and even funny topic."

 January  17, 2006 -- From PRWeb: "Shipwire.com (http://www.shipwire.com), a leading online shipping service, today introduced a suite of services for managing envelopes, packages, freight, packaging, order fulfillment, and relocations, all from the Shipwire Web site. This suite brings together over 40 partners, and nearly 2 million square feet of storage space nationwide. In December, its final month of beta release, the Shipwire Web site coordinated over 10 thousand shipments. The combination of 15 services beyond FedEx and UPS, accessed through one central Web site and phone number, delivers on the dream of a sophisticated shipping and receiving department, with discounts significantly greater than a merchant could negotiate directly; all delivered with the full benefits of "on-demand."

 January  17, 2006 -- The Free New Mexican has reported that "Santa Fe postal workers said they had to work overtime Sunday and Monday in preparation for a top postal official's visit, which they expected this week. The workers, who declined to be identified, said the visit is the result of numerous complaints about Santa Fe's postal system in recent weeks. They said they had to work overtime Sunday and Monday to clear up a backlog of mail for the visit."

 January  17, 2006 -- A reader of the Elmira Star-Gazette has written: "Elmira postmaster Bernard Czechowski wrote of a postal utopia in Elmira. In his dreams. Since our sectional center was moved to Rochester, we have had one big mess. I have had more lost mail and received someone else's mail every time the same substitute has been on for the past 24-plus months. If I reiterated every problem this household has had since the mail has gone "to the highly automated Rochester Processing and Distribution Center," this letter would fill this page. It may have saved the United States Postal Service a few dollars, but the cost to the people that depend on this service far outweigh any savings to the Postal Service. Give us back our local service."

 January  17, 2006 -- dBusiness News has noted that "Newgistics, Inc., the leader in returns management solutions for retailers, today announced that internet retailer Overstock.com(R), has selected Newgistics SmartLabel(R) and Newgistics ReturnCart to manage the company's returns process. In addition to giving customers a hassle-free returns experience, Newgistics' solutions provide multi-carrier functionality, dynamic tracking and pre-sorting of returned goods, which helps increase visibility and improve inventory management."

January 17, 2006 --  The Star Phoenix has reported that "The Sex party is suing Canada Post for refusing to deliver the party's political leaflets. John Ince, head of the party -- which has no candidates in the January 23 election -- said the Crown corporation won't distribute what he calls tasteful, artistic and informative pamphlets to voters. "There's nothing smutty about it," Ince said. "It's what you'd see in the newspaper." He said Canada Post refuses to handle any ad mail with a sexual content." See also the Edmunton Sun.

January 17, 2006 --  Dow Jones has reported that "investment banks will begin vying Tuesday for the contract to handle the initial public offering of Austria's state postal services operator Oesterreichische Post AG."

January 17, 2006 -- Business First has reported that "As the Westernization of the Chinese economy speeds along and an increasing amount of goods is transferred daily between the United States and China, shippers such as United Parcel Service Inc., FedEx Corp., and DHL International GmbH are in the catbird seat. And those companies need shippers to keep goods flowing between the United States and China and within the borders of the Asian country, which has a population of more than 1.3 billion."

January 17, 2005 -- According to Les Echos, "French banks Societe Generale, BNP Paribas, Credit Agricole and Groupe Banque Populaire are considering appealing to French courts to obtain the right to distribute the French national savings account, Livret A. At present, the right to distribute the account is limited to the French post office, La Poste, and the French co-operative savings bank group Caisses d'Epargne. The four banks have already appealed to the European Commission on the issue on state-aid grounds, given that La Poste has been given permission to create its own banking subsidiary, Banque Postale."

January 16, 2006 -- Kyodo has reported that "The government on Monday appointed Hiroshi Okuda, chairman of the Japan Business Federation, and four other business leaders as outside board members of a company to be founded next Monday to prepare for privatizing Japan's postal services. The other four leaders are Uichiro Niwa, chairman of Itochu Corp., Haruo Ushio, chairman of Ushio Inc., Takashi Nishioka, chairman of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. and Reiko Okutani, president of The R Co."

January 16, 2006 -- From the Canada NewsWire: "Today, a coalition of private Canadian and international mail companies is strongly urging the next federal government, once it takes office, to rein in immediately Canada Post which has sought injunctions against a number of private postal providers in a bid to expand its monopoly over international mail delivery and effectively kill thousands of Canadian jobs linked to Canada's thriving $100-million outbound mail industry. It also calls for a parliamentary review of the exclusive privilege provisions of the Canada Post Corporation Act as soon as Parliament gets back to business. "It is totally unacceptable that, after over 20 years of open and fair competition, Canada Post now says it has a monopoly over outbound mail and is trying to put us out of business," says Gwyneth Howell, spokesperson for the Canadian International Mail Association which represents the interests of a number of private mail companies such as Key Mail Canada and Spring Global Mail, smaller letter shops operating all across the country, as well as some of Canada's biggest printing companies. Clients include small, medium and large Canadian corporations from all across the country."

January 16, 2006 -- The Gaylord Herald Times has reported that "It's that same old line we hear from the government every day: “We need to be more efficient.” All the time our government (primarily state and federal) thinks it's making all the right moves to become more efficient, Murphy's law kicks in and taxpayers end up with more bureaucracy - and the end result is less efficiency and rising costs. The U.S. Postal Service is in the midst of one of its “surveys” at the Gaylord 497 Zip sectional sorting center, trying to give its customers (you and me) the misguided impression it's all in the name of efficiency and cost savings. It's the same old ruse practiced by government in which they announce a “survey” when, in fact, a decision already has been made in Washington or some other place where bureaucrats hang out."