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Association for Postal Commerce
1901 N. Fort Myer Dr., Ste 401 * Arlington, VA 22209-1609 * USA * Ph.: +1
703 524 0096 * Fax: +1 703 524 1871
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:
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 |