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Postal News from April 2006:
April 30, 2006 -- The Telegraph has reported that "The seven non-executive directors of the Royal Mail have issued a dramatic ultimatum to Gordon Brown, the chancellor: approve a £1.5bn cash injection for the business or they will resign en masse in just two and a half months' time. They are backing Allan Leighton, the chairman of Royal Mail, who is proposing a rights issue in which additional shares would be sold to the Government, which already owns the company. Of the money raised, £1bn will be injected into the Royal Mail's pension scheme and £500m spent on automating the sorting of letters."
April 29, 2006 -- The Financial Post has reported that "The federal Minister responsible for Canada Post, Lawrence Cannon, says he will decide within days about the status of the country's international mail delivery sector. The Crown corporation has won court rulings that essentially gives it monopoly power over the $100-million sector and, as a result, could push private-sector providers out of business."
April 29, 2006 -- According to Les Echos, "The French financial press revealed yesterday that La Poste, the French postal services group, must make savings of 400m euros next year and more than 500m euros in 2008 in order to pay its 70bn-euro staff pensions bill. The extra funds are to come from a deductible employee contribution. The press report also revealed that La Poste will begin paying a dividend to the French state in 2008. The payment will amount to 15 per cent of its 2007 net profit, then 20 per cent of its profits for the following year. By 2010, the dividend payment will equal a quarter of the group's net profit."
April 29, 2006 -- The Associated Press has reported that "As UPS continues to expand internationally, the company is concerned about transportation infrastructure around the world and in the United States, a top executive at the world's largest shipping carrier said Thursday. UPS has been able to increase its global operations through its use of technology, and it believes it will continue to see strong profit margins internationally. "If we have a secret weapon in our strategy playbook, it's technology," he said."
April 29, 2006 -- The Dallas Morning News has reported that "A 20-year fight with the U.S. Postal Service ended Wednesday for Dallas executive William Moore when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that he cannot continue a retaliation lawsuit against five postal investigators. In a 5-2 decision, the court ruled that Mr. Moore hadn't shown that his 1986 indictment on bribery conspiracy charges lacked probable cause, even though a trial judge threw out the case in 1989 for lack of evidence."
April 29, 2006 -- Sify has reported that "The friendly neighbourhood postmen could be doing more than just delivering letters. In a unique alliance, the private cellular operators have struck a deal with the Department of Post to leverage its nationwide network to promote mobile services, especially in the rural areas."
April 29, 2006 -- As WBRZ has noted, "The U.S. Postal Service embargo on the delivery of magazines, newspapers and advertising mail to New Orleans-area mail customers will end Monday, eight months and two days after Hurricane Katrina struck, Postmaster General John Potter said Friday." See also the New Orleans Times-Picayune.
April 29, 2006 -- The Mainichi Daily News has reported that "A firm that is preparing for Japan Post's privatization on Friday outlined the privatized corporation's organizational structure and business plans. According to the blueprint drafted by the preparatory company, called Japan Post Corp., postal savings and insurance business companies that will be established at the start of the 10-year privatization process in October 2007 would not launch new lines of businesses initially. Japan Post Corp. is set to work out a final version of the organizational structure and business plans based on the draft and submit it to the government by the end of July."
April 29, 2006 -- The Guernsey Press and Star has reported that "A PUBLIC campaign to save parish post offices seems to have worked. The Office of Utility Regulation has announced that it will recommend that all current ones stay open. But the public could be forced to pay more and deliveries could be cut from six to five days a week. Collections would stay at six."
April 29, 2006 -- The Sioux City Journal has reported that "The effort to retain mail processing and distribution duties in Sioux City is going straight to the top next week when a local delegation meets with U.S. Postmaster General John Potter. After the April 20 meeting in which regional postal officials spoke on a feasibility study before 400 Siouxlanders, the disgruntled congressional delegation of U.S. Sens. Tom Harkin and Charles Grassley and Congressman Steve King sought a meeting with Potter. That has been scheduled for Thursday afternoon in the House of Representatives."
April 29, 2006 -- Learning the hard way....From the blog of Washington Post columnist John Kelly:
Clifton, Va.: Regarding one of your columns this week...
I agree that receiving a bunch of mail that I did not ask for is somewhat annoying. However, it is, in the scheme of things, a minor annoyance. Also, I think you need to consider that this unsolicited mail is subsidizing the mail that you send and actually want to receive. The postal service makes a lot of money off the "junk" mail; without this income, the price of first-class mail would be substantially more. While this might not be a problem for some people, it could be a problem for others, especially when the costs of other daily necessities (gas) are ever increasing.
Just my 39 cents (one of the lowest rates for first-class mail anywhere in the world!).
-DISCLOSURE- My father was a USPS executive for his entire career so I can't claim to be completely unbiased when it comes to the postal service!
John Kelly: My column on "junk" mail prompted a firestorm of criticism. Remember that my initial complaint was that the Post Office wanted me to call it "advertising mail," and I recoiled at the Orwellian overtones of that. Well you woulda thought I'd criticized Mom and apple pie. Some people accused me being a shill for the newpaper-industrial complex, a known competitor of direct-mail marketers. Others pointed out, as you did, that what is now called "standard" mail (after having been called "third-class" mail and "bulk" mail) is what keeps first-class mail (relatively) cheap.
But debate rages on these issues. Other readers said the Postal Service should charge MORE for standard mail: That would help reduce junk mail and bring more money in. I didn't know I was stepping into such a maelstrom.
April 29, 2006 -- The latest issue of
the PostCom Bulletin is available online. In this issue:
April 29, 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.
April 29, 2006 -- –
Quad/Graphics announces the appointment of J. Joel Quadracci to President & CEO of Quad/Graphics, effective July 1, 2006, in anticipation of the yearend retirement of current Chairman & CEO Thomas A. Quadracci.
April 29, 2006 -- According to the latest
Postal Service DMM Advisory: "Effective May 1, 2006, the Postal Service will open a registration process so mailers can begin entering Periodicals and Standard Mail letters into the embargoed ZIP Codes in New Orleans. Mailers must cleanse their address lists before mailing to the embargoed ZIP Codes. For detailed information on the Mail Restoration Program, please contact the National Customer Support Center at 800-238-3150, Monday through Friday, between 7:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. CST. The restoration includes the following embargoed ZIP Codes: 70032, 70038, 70040, 70041, 70043, 70050, 70075, 70082, 70083, 70085, 70091, 70092, 70631, 70632, 70643, and all ZIP Codes in 701. Mailers must deliver drop shipments for SCF New Orleans 700 to 1844 Commercial Drive, Port Allen LA 70767-6105. Use Nass Code "707PA" to schedule an appointment in FAST."
April 28, 2006 -- Direct has reported that "More than six billion credit card offers were mailed to U.S. consumers in 2005, up 16% from 2004, according to Mail Monitor, the direct mail offer tracking service from Synovate. American Express was the primary factor in this increase as the company increased its direct mail credit card solicitation volume by 56% over 2004, but still received responses rates well below the industry's 2005 average of 0.3%, according to Synovate. This was more than two times the increase of any of the other top five credit card mailers."
April 28, 2006 -- According to KTHV-TV, "The Humane Society wants the postal service to stop allowing two cockfighting magazines to be sent through the mail. The magazines are mailed from western Arkansas. "The Feathered Warrior" is mailed from De Queen and "The Gamecock" is mailed from Hartford. The Humane Society said Thursday that the magazines should be barred under the Animal Welfare Act."
April 28, 2006 -- The Waterloo Record has reported that "About 25 postal workers angry about shift changes at the Trillium Drive sorting plant in Kitchener staged an impromptu walkout yesterday. John Wastell, president of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers Local 560, said the picket action was initiated by workers inside the plant."
April 28, 2006 -- From CanadaNews Wire:Monday May 1st, Canadian Union of Postal Workers President Deborah Bourque will hand deliver thousands of signed letters to her Canada Post counterpart, Moya Greene, calling on the Corporation to disclose its plans for public postal services."
April 28, 2006 -- Dow Jones has reported that "a court in Nuremberg, Germany, recently decided that TNT may continue to use the word "post" in Germany. The court ruled against Deutsche Post and dismissed its claim against TNT Post."
April 28, 2006 -- DMNews has reported that "Business mailers are becoming less interested in working with the U.S. Postal Service on negotiated service agreements because a recent landmark case is taking too long to be completed, a USPS official said last week. "The length of time that is being consumed by the Bookspan case is having a direct effect on other customers' willingness or ability to engage in NSA discussions," said Mike Plunkett, USPS manager of pricing strategy. "We've had a number of Standard Mail customer discussions stall, and I believe strongly that some of those will never revive."
April 28, 2006 -- According to the Economic Times, "Even as the department of posts is trying to take shelter of a constitutional amendment to ward-off competition and stay afloat, its foreign counterparts in countries such as Japan, United States, UK, Canada, Germany, Australia, and New Zealand, are multi-billion dollar corporations that give a run for their money to private players such as Fedex, UPS and TNT in their markets."
April 28, 2006 -- CTV has reported that "Lou Laforet still can't believe the successful service he runs is being put out of business in Canada -- by a Crown corporation. "It's outrageous when you sit there and you look a customer in the eye that you have had for over twenty years and they tell you they can't continue to use your service anymore," said Laforet. He heads up the Canadian operation of Spring Global Mail -- a joint venture between several international postal companies. It ships bulk mail exclusively to destinations outside of Canada -- more quickly and economically than Canada Post -- according to Laforet."
April 28, 2006 -- WBRZ-TV has reported that "The U.S. Postal Service on Friday will officially re-open its New Orleans plant, the primary mail-processing facility for mail to and from Louisiana."
April 28, 2006 -- Ha'aretz has noted that "When the Postal Authority became a government corporation in March 2005, the CEO, Avi Hochman, declared a "labeling revamp," which would include a "facelift" for the familiar deer of the Shamir brothers, whose inspiration came from Jacob's blessing to his sons in Genesis. Surely no other animal in history underwent such abuse at the hands of its captors."
April 28, 2006 -- The agenda for the May 17-18 meeting of the
Mailers Technical Advisory Committee has been posted on this site.
April 28, 2006 -- The Postal Rate Commission's advisory staff will present a briefing on a Model for Designing Block Rates on Friday, May 5, 2006 at 10:00 a.m. in the Commission's hearing room. The briefing will discuss a model for designing declining block rates which might be employed in volume-driven Negotiated Service Agreements. The model does not require the Negotiated Service Agreement to include counterbalancing cost savings features. A question-and-answer session will follow the briefing. The meeting is open to the public.
April 27, 2006 -- From the PR Newswire: "According to a recent report by the National Association of Realtors, "home sales should generally level out," but "remain at historically high levels." This means that address changes filed with the United States Postal Service will also remain at historically high levels. Last year, in fact, there were 45 million address changes, according to Postal Service officials, up from 44 million the previous year."
April 27, 2006 -- AuctionBytes has reported that "eBay drop-off store franchise company QuikDrop International has signed an agreement with Universal Express to offer its proprietary hardware and software eBay kiosk technology to thousands of Postal Nation locations throughout the United States."
April 27, 2006 -- The most recent report of the Universal Postal Union's
Direct Mail Advisory Board had been posted on this site.
April 27, 2006 -- UPS has announced enhancements to a variety of Web-based technology tools to simplify the complexities of global trade.
April 28, 2006 -- The HeraldTribune has reported that "A tax break for businesses that mail advertising fliers, as long as they're neatly packed in an envelope, is moving toward approval by state lawmakers. One of the bill's primary supporters is Valpak, one of the largest direct-mail advertisers."
April 27, 2006 -- Suddeutsche Zeitung has reported that "DHL, the express and logistics subsidiary of German postal service operator Deutsche Post, is to open a new development centre near Bonn, which will begin operating in autumn 2006. The site will operate under the name 'DHL Innovation Center'."
April 27, 2006 -- WebIndia123 has noted that "After selling insurance products recharge coupons for mobile companies, the Indian Postal Department is now selling tea packets through 20 of its postal outlets. Postal department sources told UNI here that the department has signed an MOU with United Nilgiris Tea Estates Company to sell their Chamaraj Tea and Korakundah Organic Tea. Ten varieties of teas, including organic, dip tea, herbal teas like sugar balace tea and cold tea will be sold through these outlets. The sale of tea has been arranged in the head post offices of Dharmapuri, Erode, Hosur, Namakkal, Salem, Tirupur, Mettupalayam, Thirupathur and all the postal outlets in Coimbatore, including the central post office."
April 27, 2006 -- According to the Sioux City Journal, "House Majority Leader John Boehner declined an invitation Wednesday to intervene on Sioux City's behalf in its dispute with the U.S. Postal Service. "I've got my hands full," Boehner told local officials in Washington. The Ohio Republican motioned to 5th District Rep. Steve King, seated next to him at the podium, and said, "I'm sure he'll take care of you," Boehner said. "You've also got two U.S. senators." Boehner's remarks followed a request for help from City Councilman Jim Rixner, who related the city's frustrations with the Postal Service consolidation study. Local leaders fear the agency will close the Sioux City mail processing center and move the work and some 50 jobs to Sioux Falls. Member of Iowa's congressional delegationhave requested a meeting with U.S. Postmaster General John Potter. The lawmakers have been critical of the Postal Service for its refusal to release an Area Mail Processing study, and for failing to consider local public input."
April 27, 2006 -- RTE News has reported that "The Commission for Communications Regulation has confirmed that consultants hired to examine the possible introduction of postcodes have withdrawn from the project. The National Postcode Project Board was set up to examine the need for the introduction of postcodes ahead of the planned liberalisation of the postal market in 2009."
April 27, 2006 -- ChannelNewsAsia has reported that "SingPost has posted a 12 percent jump in full-year net profit to S$123 million. This was achieved on the back of record revenues of over S$400 million. For the fourth quarter alone, the postal services company chalked up a 16 percent rise in income to S$31 million. SingPost says it is positive on its growth prospects over the next 12 months, despite the decline in mail volumes. It has been diversifying its business to prepare for the potential deregulation when its exclusive licence for basic mail services expires next March. It has done this by rolling out more financial services and leveraging its distribution network to offer higher value products and services to its customers."
April 27, 2006 -- Construction and Maintenance has reported that "DHL, the world's leading parcel and express delivery service, has awarded a contract to the Postal Automation Division of the Siemens Industrial Solutions and Services Group for the supply of 140 ParcelDepots. These units are to be set up throughout Germany as part of the DHL Packstation project. By using the free Packstation services, DHL customers will have the option of picking up and dropping off parcels at any time day or night without having to wait in line at service counters during normal business hours. This contract for more units follows a successful test program involving 10 Siemens ParcelDepots in Leipzig."
April 27, 2006 -- Continuity Central has reported that "BOWE BELL + HOWELL, a US-based provider of document processing and postal solutions, has announced the expansion into the business continuity market and the opening of a facility in Bethlehem, Pa., dedicated to providing print and mail business continuity services."
April 27, 2006 -- Cayman Net News has reported that "The Cayman Islands Post Office is encouraging its customers to "Help us wake up and smell the coffee" during a week-long survey."
April 27, 2006 -- The Prague Daily Monitor has reported that "The European Commission has launched an inspection at Ceska posta to learn whether the company is abusing its dominant position, Ceska posta spokesman Ladislav Vancura told CTK today. The check concerns so-called direct mail, or deliveries of advertisements to addresses, including the delivery of magazines to subscribers."
April 27, 2006 -- The New York Sun has reported that "The United Nations is facing accusations that it illegally sold off its historic stamp collection for rock-bottom prices. The United Nations' own investigating arm, the Office of Internal Oversight Services, is close to finishing a report into the sale of more than a ton of stamps and stamp-making material belonging to the U.N. Postal Administration in Geneva in 2003."
April 27, 2006 -- The Sydney Morning Herald has reported that "The cost of processing cargo imported by air or post is set to rise by 33 per cent next month."
April 27, 2006 -- According to Khaleej Times, Gujarat's 950-odd courier companies have protested the federal government's move to restrict under-300-gram packages only to postal department, saying the step will snatch the bread out of the mouth of thousands of youths. The all-Gujarat courier association president Ram Mokaria told this correspondent today that as much as 95 per cent of the private courier business related to document envelopes which weighed not even 100 grams." See also The Hindu.
April 27, 2006 -- According to the http://www.chitralnews.com/LN238.htmChitral News, "Even calling it snail mail would be over rating it. The state of postal service in Chitral can be well judged from the fact that parcels booked in November last year are arriving now at the chitral post office."
April 27, 2006 -- Transport Intelligence has reported that "World Courier has announced that it has expanded its company-owned network to 50 countries worldwide. The express carrier now has company offices in 137 locations and corporate representation in over 600 cities around the globe."
April 26, 2006 -- Congress Daily has reported that "House Government Reform Chairman Davis is asking the U.S. Postal Service to hold off on its next rate increase until issues surrounding postal overhaul legislation are smoothed out. In a letter this month to Postal Service Board of Governors' Chairman James Miller, Davis wrote that "It would be prudent to delay filing for the next rate increase" until overhaul legislation awaiting conference "is closer to resolution."
April 26, 2006 -- The U.S. Department of State has issued an updated rule on Extraterritorial Offices of Exchange (ETOEs).
April 26, 2006 -- 24dash.com has reported that "The Post Office relaunched the postal order today, 125 years after the product was first introduced. The new-style postal order has been redesigned to make it more convenient and quicker for consumers to use. The product now looks more like a cheque, with each one containing an individual barcode, and customers can have the exact value they want printed on a single postal order up to £250." See also The Guardian.
April 26, 2006 –Distribution Postal Company has announced their certification as a participant in the U.S. Small Business Administration's 8a development programme.
April 26, 2006 -- Check out the report on the timeliness of international mail service as reported by the International Post Corporation.
April 26, 2006 -- The APWU has filed a complaint in U.S. District Court charging that the Postal Service violated the Postal Reorganization Act in implementing its "network realignment" plan, known as Evolutionary Network Development (END). The complaint seeks a judgment that management violated the 1970 law, as well as an injunction against future violations. The court filing alleges that the Postal Service violated Section 3661 of the Postal Reorganization Act, which requires the USPS to seek an advisory opinion from the Postal Rate Commission (PRC) "within a reasonable time prior to the effective date" of a proposal that would change the nature of postal services on a "nationwide or substantially nationwide basis." (A copy of the
APWU filing has been posted on this site.)
April 26, 2006 -- As The Advocate has asked: "What was Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Bruce Nolop of Stamford-based Pitney Bowes Inc. doing at middle school? Serving as an auxiliary teacher of sorts. Nolop yesterday taught business history to a group of 19 eighth-graders at Dolan Middle School in Stamford. This six-week program, JA Business and Economics, was fostered by the Pitney Bowes Literacy and Education Fund, which awarded $1 million to Junior Achievement to develop a curriculum. Nolop led the middle-schoolers through the development of business communications in parallel with the growth of America, highlighting the Pony Express, the telegraph and the postal service."
April 26, 2006 -- In his latest column, DM News postal commentator Cary Baer wrote: "I attended the U.S. Postal Service's annual Postal Forum earlier this month. Though specific attendance figures were unavailable, turnout appeared substantial for the event, held in Orlando, FL. It also seemed that the exhibit hall was similarly full of vendors, but that's a subjective judgment. There did appear to be a subtle difference in the kind of vendors in the hall, however. My observation was that in the past, software suppliers were the plurality. This year, there seemed to be more hardware suppliers exhibiting. I'm not sure about the significance of that observation, but it was interesting."
April 26, 2006 -- The Gulf Daily News has reported that "BAHRAIN Post has been named best in the Gulf for quality of service and distribution. It won the top position in a survey conducted by the International Postal Federation."
April 26, 2006 -- Directions Magazine has reported that "The 2006 Editions of Germany, Austria and Switzerland contain all postal and administrative units as well as many topographical map levels such as streets, railway lines, city areas and elevation levels. Furthermore, the new editions contain special branch-specific maps including Nielsen areas, geographical barriers and statutory health insurance regions as well as data on population and surface areas."
April 26, 2006 -- CEP News (Courier-Express-Postal), published by the MRU Consultancy, has reported that:
The last financial year ended with a profit again for Poste Italiane.Traditional postal services noted the smallest growth figure (+2.9% compared to the insurance segment's +31.3% and +4.5% for financial services). Mr Sarmi confirmed plans to expand the post's range of financial services and said that Poste Italiane was currently considering applying for a banking licence.
It seems likely that Schweizerische Post will gain the coveted banking licence. A spokesperson for the relevant government department confirmed that the Swiss parliament would "shortly discuss all open matters concerning the future of the post."
Austria's Osterreichische Post is not planning a participation in the post savings bank, which is for sale - at least not in the short term.
TNT Express has reorganised in-night operations as part of the strategic reorientation announced last December. The entire division will in future be controlled by the German TNT Express business unit.
DHL intends to co-operate with airfreight express specialists Transmile Group in Asia. Last Friday the company confirmed that the Malaysian company would operate routes between southern India and Hong Kong.
GLS Danmark is putting more emphasis on parcel shops and now challenges Post Danmark.
Poland's Masterlink Express will in future operate under the DPD logo. A DPD franchisee for many years, Masterlink was taken over by GeoPost in 2004.
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.
April 26, 2006 -- According to SocialistWorker Online, Royal Mail's bosses have added pay to the issues that are causing confrontation with postal workers. For several weeks management have insisted that knowledge of the size of this year's pay offer should be restricted to union leaders. But now the "secret" is out and, as everyone knew, it is a 2.9 percent rise. The increase would apply to basic pensionable pay flowing through to weekday overtime rates only. It would not apply to other overtime payments or to other allowances. In reality this means it is worth much less than 2.9 percent."
April 26, 2006 -- The Asahi Shimbun has reported that "The government and ruling coalition drafted a proposal Monday to bring the pension programs of corporate employees and civil servants in line."
April 26, 2006 -- The Dayton Business Journal has reported that "United Parcel Service Inc. gave the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce $25,000 Monday afternoon to help the region track down a re-use for the soon-to-be-vacant heavy freight hub at Dayton International Airport. UPS donated the money just two months before it plans to abandon the sprawling complex when it moves its Dayton freight operation to Louisville, Ky., by the end of June. The move will cost the city about 1,400 jobs, as well as about $1 million in income tax and $5.5 million in airport revenue annually."
April 25, 2006 -- According to postal commentator
Gene Del Polito, mail service performance measurement doesn't need to be an exercise in rocket science.
April 25, 2006 -- As the Washington Post put it: "Oink, oink. Here comes another spending bill. The Senate will consider this week a $106.5 billion supplemental appropriations package, ostensibly to cover emergency war and hurricane-recovery costs. But this being an election year, senators couldn't help themselves. They added about $10 billion in unrelated items, otherwise known as pork." We hear a lot about a possible Presidential veto over a postal reform bill that isn't "budget neutral," so where's the veto when it comes to this?
April 25, 2006 -- According to Forbes, UPS CEO Michael Eskew was paid $1.25 million in compensation in 2005. Now THAT's incentive-based compensation!
April 25, 2006 -- AMEInfo has reported that "Representatives from the postal managements of GCC countries held an extraordinary meeting to discuss issues of common interest, including the creation of a GCC-wide speed post and a postal transport company."
April 25, 2006 -- From the Federal Register: "The Board of Governors of the U.S. Postal Service will be meeting at 10:30 a.m., Tuesday, May 2, 2006 (closed session) and 8:30 a.m. and 10 a.m., Wednesday, May 3, 2006 at U.S. Postal Service Headquarters, 475 L'Enfant Plaza, SW., in the Benjamin Franklin Room, Washington, DC."
April 25, 2006 -- According to The Northwestern, "
Oshkosh's United States Postal Service processing and distribution center is one of more than 50 such centers around the country undergoing a study to determine if it should be closed and consolidated with other regional operations, postal officials said. It is the only center the Postal Service is considering closing in the Lakeland District, which consists of two-thirds of Wisconsin and Michigan's Upper Peninsula, said JoAnne Blackburn, of the Postal Service Public Affairs Office in Milwaukee."
April 25, 2006 -- Air Cargo World has reported that "With fuel costs again moving higher, FedEx Express said it was raising its fuel surcharge on air package shipments to 13.5 percent for May 1-June 4, up from 12 percent now. It also said it was pushing its ground surcharge to 3.75 percent from the current 3.5 percent, in a notice posted to its Web site. That hike in the air surcharge is a reverse of the action FedEx took for April, when it cut the fuel fee from 12.5 percent. At that time it also held its ground fee steady. Rival UPS has kept its surcharge for jet fuel costs on package service at 12.5 percent since October, and said that would again be its fuel fee for air package service as of May 1. But UPS said it was raising the ground surcharge to 3.75 percent from 3.5 percent, as diesel costs rise."
April 25, 2006 -- Di-ve has reported that "The Union Haddiema Maghqudin has ordered industrial actions at Maltapost, directing the workers within the Hubs not to deliver parcels. The union has ordered the actions in view of the fact that the postal operators within the Hubs were assigned the work related to the parcels without any prior consultation with the union's management."
April 25, 2006 -- The Financial Times has reported that "DHL, Federal Express and other global courier companies will take legal action against India's postal authority if it pushes ahead with an amendment to a law that they fear could shut down some courier businesses." See also India Daily.
April 25, 2006 -- The Financial Express has reported that "The Department of Post (DoP) is in the midst of entering into a tie up with Anil Dhirubai Ambani Group (ADAG) owned Reliance Infocomm to track status of speed post by the Reliance Infocomm subscribers. To begin with, the DoP will launch the service for Reliance mobile subscribers in Maharashtra. The Reliance Infocomm has over 15 million registered subscribers across the country."
April 24, 2006 --
Mail & Jobs Coalition executive director Peter Miller has told the Washington Post, in response to a hatchet job direct mail by one of its staff writers, that "John Kelly has every right to dislike direct mail ("You Say Tomato, I Say Junk," April 24), just as growing numbers of ex-subscribers have every right to have left the Post. However, if Mr. Kelly is going to condemn advertising mail, then why not start with the direct mail operations used by the Washington Post Company?"
April 24, 2006 -- The
Smithsonian's National Postal Museum has announced the upcoming launch of AragoTM, an innovative new Web site that will allow visitors to access the museum's extensive collections of stamps and postal history objects from anywhere in the world. The site, www.arago.si.edu, will go live on May 27.
April 24, 2006 -- The Islamic Republic News Agency has reported that "In line with new policies of the government, Iran Post Company is to be ceded to the private sector, according to Persian daily `Iran'. The company's Director-General Mohammad-Hassan Mohebbian, addressing the 18th session of the postal company's directors, said that all post-related affairs of the country would be ceded to the private sector."
April 24, 2006 -- According to UniPostal, "The Communication Workers Union (UK) have received a final offer on the Royal Mail 2006 pay review. The CWU Postal Executive have rejected the final offer by Royal Mail and the CWU have written to Adam Crozier seeking further discussions aimed at improving their offer."
April 24, 2006 -- John Kelly told his Washington Post readers that "George Orwell would have loved the letter I received recently from Azeezaly S. Jaffer , the U.S. Postal Service's vice president of public affairs and communications."
April 24, 2006 -- Transport Intelligence has reported that:
April 24, 2006 -- The Columbus Telegram has reported that "Pending federal legislation should deliver the level playing field the U.S. Postal Service is seeking."
April 24, 2006 -- The DM Bulletin has reported that "The Royal Mail Group is putting £8m of PR business up for grabs. The firm is trying to fend off fresh competition in the business post market and is defending its radical shake-up of post office services."
April 24, 2006 -- From the Federal Register: "This order announces a mail classification docket (Docket No. MC2006-4) to consider and clarify domestic mail classification schedule language pertaining to Express Mail Second Day service. The proposed change, if adopted, will help clarify delivery guarantees."
April 24, 2006 -- The Financial Express has reported that "The government claims to have detected illegal routing of international mails as local ones by courier companies to avoid payment of terminal dues. Communications ministry officials, however, refused to quantify the loss to the exchequer due to this.Officials said as per the system laid down by Universal Postal Union (UPU), developed countries pay terminal dues to developing countries for mails originating from the former. To avoid paying this, courier companies turn the international mails to domestic ones and inject them into the postal system."
April 23, 2006 -- The International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) says unions are among the main groups leading the fight – and winning victories globally –against privatization demands imposed by international financial institutions, such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank.
April 23, 2006 -- A proposal to merge the mail distribution center in Twin Falls with the one in Boise faces opposition from the Idaho Congressional delegation. In a letter to the United States Postal Service (USPS), the delegation expressed concern over the economic impact of the proposal, timely mail delivery and service availability for the people who rely on the Twin Falls Center.
April 23, 2006 -- As The Tide put it: "When last did you visit the post office?" Pose this question to any one and you get such reactions as "Post office! I can't remember". "Post office! What do they do there?" As if the outburst of surprise and exclamation is not bad enough, ask the next question "When last did you write a letter" and you elicit responses that suggest you have broached a subject that lie only in the recesses of the consciousness of most people. For most people, letter writing is an art they had consigned to the dunghill of history."
April 23, 2006 -- According to Computerworld, "New Zealand Post may be about to dump the position of CIO and restructure the ICT role so it becomes part of its postal services unit rather than being a stand-alone entity."
April 23, 2006 -- Air Cargo World has reported that "Kitty Hawk, the Dallas company that operates domestic air freighters and recently launched an airport-to-airport trucking service, said it formed a new subsidiary dubbed Kitty Hawk Ground to manage that less-than-truckload business."
April 23, 2006 -- SmartMoney.com has reported that "UPS Inc.'s strong results, particularly in small-package delivery, has put it in a good position to make acquisitions, Chief Financial Officer Scott Davis said Thursday during the Atlanta carrier's first-quarter earnings conference call."
April 23, 2006 -- The Sioux City Journal has reported that "Members of Iowa's congressional delegation are responding to a town hall meeting that drew hundreds of Sioux City-area residents with complaints about a U.S. Postal Service feasibility study by demanding a meeting U.S. Postmaster General John Potter. ‘‘Because our previous meetings have failed to produce the cooperation we believe the people of Siouxland deserve, we respectfully request a direct meeting with you,'' wrote U.S. Sens. Tom Harkin, Chuck Grassley and U.S. Rep. Steve King, in a letter to Potter."
April 23, 2006 -- Sify has reported that "Courier companies said on Sunday that most of them would be wiped out with government proposing to give exclusive rights of carrying letters weighing up to 300 grams to Department of Post, says industry leader. Echoing similar views, DHL Express country manager Chris Callen said, "government's proposal to restrict courier companies from carrying letters up to 300 grams is nothing but short sightedness..If the Draft Postal Amendtment Bill was passed in the current form lots of courier companies will lose business." See also Zee News and Economic Times.
April 23, 2006 -- Daily News & Analysis has reported that "The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) here has developed a low-cost, hi-tech 'mail sorter' that could improve the Indian Postal Department's mail delivery system. The gadget developed by students of the mechanical engineering department of the IIT Delhi can sort mails according to its size and put them in order." See also NewKerala.com.
April 23, 2006 -- The Daily Times has reported that "Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on Saturday sacked Post Office Director General (DG) Brigadier (r) Agha Masoodul Hassan on corruption charges and appointed additional DG Ziaur Rehman Zamir in his place. Sources in the Communication Ministry said an investigation committee headed by Shahid Jamil, the state minister for communications, had found Hassan guilty on eight charges of corruption. The allegations include establishment of an illegal telephone exchange in the Post Office college, opening of joint accounts, buying fake shares and illegal recruitment in the Post Office."
April 22, 2006 -- The latest issue of
the PostCom Bulletin is available online.
April 22, 2006 -- According to This French Life, "IF the Royal Mail's postal redirection service is anything to go by then France is the most popular place for people to head to when buying a home abroad. The postal service claims more than 13,000 people asked for their post to be redirected to a French address last year. Just under 10,000 people used the service for addresses in the US, with Spain the third most popular destination with 8,400 requests."
April 22, 2006 -- The BBC has reported that "in Jersey are being told to ignore phone messages claiming to be about deliveries from couriers DHL. The company says the messages are being left with households and businesses to phone back, and they then unknowingly call a premium rate number. DHL leaves cards if a courier cannot deliver an item, and it only advises people to call a local number. The firm said its deliveries were not affected. Anyone who receives this or a similar message should contact the police."
April 22, 2006 -- According to the Hindustan Times, "India's inefficient postal service, India Post, is in dire need of change. The postal amendments bill, based on recommendations made by KPMG, aims to set into place a level-playing field to streamline the industry. The setting up of a regulatory body that will oversee operations of both the Department of Posts (DoP) and private players seems fair enough, although courier companies argue that the industry has self-regulation and has done well enough without government intervention. The introduction of a Universal Service Obligation Fund to finance rural telephony in remote areas of rural India has met with resistance from private players. But it is the third formulation that faces maximum dissent from private players."
April 22, 2006 -- The Scotsman has reported that "BUSINESS owners in central Edinburgh are to meet postal chiefs over a series of late mail deliveries they claim are hampering their companies. The Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce has arranged a meeting between representatives of the postal service and its members, many of whom have been receiving mail up to 1.5 hours late for more than a fortnight."
April 22, 2006 -- Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung has reported that "Deutsche Post, the German postal service provider, is reported in a survey on ideas management to have saved 270m euros last year by following advice gleaned from employees, representing savings of almost 1,500 euros per employee."
April 22, 2006 -- The Daily Yomiuri has reported that "A private study panel of Internal Affairs and Communications Minister Heizo Takenaka has entered the final phase of discussions on having the collection and delivery network of Japan Post opened to private companies."
April 22, 2006 -- The Business Standard has reported that "IndiaPost will set the timeline for new postal changes." See also the Economic Times and the Hindu Business Line.
April 22, 2006 -- The Postal Rate Commission has refused to recommend any addiitonal changes to the negotiated service agreement between the Postal Service and BankOne.
April 22, 2006 -- Air Cargo World has reported that:
April 21, 2006 -- TMCNet has reported that "Qudox, an on-demand, online international addressing service is to be introduced in May 2006 by Global Address, a data quality company. The service, which is the first of three from Qudox, will enable Qudox address quality to be integrated in order that postal addresses from anywhere in the world can be captured and validated. Qudox can be paid for as a 'pay as you go' service, with no contract requirement, and will reportedly integrated easily with existing technology."
April 21, 2006 -- According to CNN Money, "When the DVD first came out, Netflix founder and CEO Reed Hastings had a key insight: The plastic disc's light weight and small size would make it cheap and easy to send through the mail, letting him create a cross between Blockbuster and Amazon.co. By taking advantage of the U.S. Postal Service, it could send rental DVDs to customers through the mail - and accept returns the same way. But the mailer had to last long enough for reuse as a return envelope." Trouble is...it doesn't.
April 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.
April 21, 2006 -- Business Mailers Review has reported that:
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.
April 21, 2006 -- La Stampa has reported that "The CEO of Italian post office Poste Italiane, Massimo Sarmi, has revealed that his organisation is considering applying for a banking licence. It could do so in July, when it presents its latest strategic plan, but Mr Sarmi stressed that the company did not currently possess the skills required to operate as a bank."
April 21, 2006 -- According to Reuters, "Package delivery company United Parcel Service Inc. said on Thursday that first-quarter earnings rose 10 percent, boosted by growth in global small package services.
April 21, 2006 -- The Aberdeen American News has reported that "No public meeting is scheduled in conjunction with the upcoming audit of services provided by the U.S. Postal Service in Aberdeen. The audit will be conducted by the postal service, and is scheduled for next week. To increase efficiency, the postal service is considering moving more Aberdeen functions to the Dakota Central Processing and Distribution Center in Huron. South Dakota's congressional delegation requested the audit to give people a chance to see the impacts of the possible change."
April 21, 2006 -- Senator Tom Harkin, in a press release issued by his office, said "I commend the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) for holding a town hall meeting today with the Siouxland Community – this meeting is long overdue. It is critical that USPS hears from residents and provides real answers about how its proposed consolidation plan will truly impact their community. Postal officials should not just look at this meeting as checking a box in the process, but as an opportunity to finally come clean with area residents, businesses and government officials. I encourage USPS to release the full Area Mail Processing (AMP) Study, not just a hollow summary. USPS needs to be up front with all its stakeholders in the community."
April 21, 2006 -- The Sioux City Journal has provided a summary of local officials' meeting with postal officials regarding postal facility consolidation.
April 21, 2006 -- KFOX-TV has reported that "KFOX was first to tell you about postal problems in Las Cruces, then in El Paso. For months, no local officials would comment. While officials wouldn't talk with us, El Paso resident, Mario Martinez did. Martinez says the post office has yet to find two of his packages, or to do anything about the situation. Now, over a month later, Martinez said he is still having problems with getting his mail on time. Meanwhile, he said that with major shipping, he is looking at other mailing options to help him out because he can't get anywhere with the post office."
April 21, 2006 -- AL.com has reported that "U.S. Postal Service officials in Alabama are backing off telling developers and builders they must begin using cluster mailboxes in all new subdivisions instead of putting a mailbox at each home. Resistance to the requirement has been building. The Greater Birmingham Association of Homebuilders and the Homebuilders Association of Alabama have expressed opposition. Officials in Alabaster, Shelby County's largest city, recently asked City Attorney Greg Morris to look into what the city could do to fight the requirement."
April 21, 2006 -- The
National Mail Handlers Union, in conjunction with several other organizations, has contacted key members of Congress to urge them to ensure that single-piece parcels are considered in market-dominant category as far as postal reform is concerned. This is an opinion that also is supported by PostCom.
April 21, 2006 -- The Himalayan Times has reported that "While the international service of the General Post Office at Sundhara is partially operational, the domestic postal service has come almost to a halt due to the ongoing general strike called by the seven-party alliance."
April 21, 2006 -- Thanhnien News has reported that "Police in Vietnam are investigating allegations that top postal officials in a southern province colluded with an equipment supplier to embezzle over US$119,000."
April 21, 2006 -- According to KCAU-TV, "Postal officials held a meeting at the Sioux City Convention Center Thursday to talk about the possible move of the Mail Processing Center to Sioux Falls in an effort to save money. Some people say their main frustration is nothing new came out of the meeting."
April 21, 2006 -- Transport Intelligence has reported that "UPS has released its results for the first quarter showing strong growth in its parcels operations, impacted by slower than expected integration of Menlo Worldwide Forwarding into its Logistics operation. At the presentation, UPS management stated that a major acquisition could be on the cards, fuelling speculation that it could be in the running for TNT."
April 21, 2006 -- The Asahi Shimbun has reported that "The Fair Trade Commission took shots at Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's vaunted postal privatization project, saying the plan in its current form will give the behemoth Japan Post an unfair advantage over private-sector rivals."
April 21, 2006 -- Close to 280 projects financed throughout the world, and a stable source of funding for the developing and least advanced countries: these are the positive results of the first five years of the Quality of Service Fund (QSF), announced this morning by Edouard Dayan, Director General of the Universal Postal Union, at a press conference held at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. "While the United Nations are discussing best practices to finance development aid, the UPU Quality of Service Fund proves its worth today, as a stable, regular source of funding for our member countries," said Dayan. A unique tool for financing postal development, with a clear link to the UPU's mission, the QSF funded 279 projects between April 2001 and March 2006 to improve postal services in developing and least advanced countries. Funding for these projects amounted to 39.6 million USD. A further 47 million USD is still available for new projects.
April 21, 2006 -- As CIO Insight has noted, "there is a dirty little secret about online advertising that many large and small companies have discovered—and that Google, Yahoo! Inc., Microsoft Corp. and any number of other online advertising outfits would prefer to keep under the radar: Response rates can still be disappointingly low."
April 21, 2006 -- As WTOP Radio has noted, "You may soon be feeling the burn of rising gas prices at the post office. Stamp prices increased from 37 to 39 cents at the beginning of the year, in order to pay for retiree health benefits. Now, the U.S. Postal Service is considering hiking the price again because of climbing fuel prices."
April 21, 2006 -- The RFIDJournal has reported that "To help track its roll cages, Post Danmark plans to extend a semi-active RFID system already used to monitor its international mail operations."
April 20, 2006 -- The Hindu Business Line has reported that "In a bid to regulate the largely unorganised Rs 3,500-crore courier industry, the Government has proposed to bring in a slew of measures, including imposing a one-time registration fee ranging between Rs 25,000 and Rs 10 lakh on private courier companies and setting up an independent postal regulator and a dispute settlement tribunal. The draft Indian Post Office (Amendment) Bill 2006 also proposes to ask courier companies with revenues of over Rs 25 lakh to contribute 10 per cent of their annual revenues towards the Universal Services Obligation (USO) fund which will be used to offer subsidised postal services in economically unviable areas."
April 20, 2006 -- Traffic World has reported that "UPS said its freight forwarding business lost customers in the past two quarters, but Chief Financial Officer Scott Davis said the unit "has been winning new business recently." UPS reported a 10.5 percent gain in overall net income for the first quarter driven by strong package volume worldwide, but said operating profit in its supply chain and freight division fell by $34 million even though revenue rose. That segment reflected weakness for the Menlo Worldwide Forwarding unit that UPS acquired at the end of 2004, Davis said, while the UPS Freight trucking operations (formerly Overnite) had "solid results."
April 20, 2006 -- According to Dow Jones, "Dutch express and postal company TNT N.V. Thursday repeated its financial targets for this year, which include revenue growth at the Express division of 10%. TNT also expects the Express' operating margin to lie within the range 9.0% to 9.5%, said Chief Executive Peter Bakker, speaking at the company's annual shareholders meeting. The mail division is expected to show a small increase in revenue in 2006 and a profit margin of 18%."
April 20, 2006 -- From Business Wire: "BÖWE BELL + HOWELL, a leading provider of document processing and postal solutions, is pleased to introduce the WayMarkTM weight verification and management system that will allow mailers to easily submit mailings to the U.S. Postal Service without the use of a postage meter."
April 20, 2006 -- The Board of Governors of the U.S. Postal Service will meet in Washington, DC, at Postal Service Headquarters, 475 L'Enfant Plaza, SW, on May 2-3, 2006. The Governors are expected to authorize the filing of the R2006 rate case during this meeting.
April 20, 2006 -- UPS has reported earnings per diluted share of $0.89, up 14.1% over the prior year. Results were driven by a 9% increase in global small package volume or 1.24 million packages per day, outpacing worldwide market growth.
April 20, 2006 -- The Communication Workers Union has told its members that "The Union received an offer last night on the Royal Mail 2006 pay review. This was the first open offer and was also described as the final offer. The offer consisted of a 2.9% increase in basic pensionable pay flowing through to weekday overtime rates only. The increase would not apply to other overtime or to allowances. The offer also includes a form of words that set out parameters for further negotiations. These negotiations cover the bigger issues regarding the future of Royal Mail."
April 20, 2006 -- Dow Jones has reported that "Dutch postal and logistics company TNT N.V. said Thursday that it cut the estimate of its tax liabilities to between EUR100 million and EUR250 million, down from an original estimate of a range of EUR150 million and EUR550 million."
April 20, 2006 -- SEEurope.net has reported that "The government decided to dismiss the chairman of the Croatian Posts' management board, Milan Skoblar, appointing Andrej Sardelic as his replacement. According to local media reports, the move stemmed from delays in delivering pensions before the Easter holidays. The finance ministry issued a statement Tuesday, saying funds for pensions and other social benefits were made available for delivery by 13 April."
April 20, 2006 -- Rediff has published some FAQs on Indian postal reform.
April 20, 2006 -- CEP News (Courier-Express-Postal), published by the MRU Consultancy, has reported that:
Deutsche Post aims for an annual growth "between 30 and 35%" in China.
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.
April 20, 2006 -- USPS NewsLink has reported that "USPS Southwest Area Vice President George Lopez will retire after 42 years of government service. Vice President of Delivery and Retail Ellis Burgoyne will serve as Acting Vice President, Area Operations Southwest Area, effective May 1. Lopez will take on one additional assignment before he leaves: returning to Afghanistan and Iraq to work with the Military Postal Service Agency to help improve postal operations for members of the Armed Forces on duty there."
April 20, 2006 -- The Economic Times has reported that "With campaigning for the assembly elections in Tamil Nadu heating up, the postal department is trying to cash in on the poll fever to market its product ‘direct post'. It has already approached candidates of leading political parties who have evinced keen interest in utilising the service. The Salem (East) postal division is planning to send more than 60,000 articles, which would contain the candidate's election promises and the campaign plank of the party through ‘direct post'. The department has approached the former minister ‘Veerapandi' S Arumugam of the DMK, who has promised business."
April 20, 2006 -- The Malaysia Star has reported that "Three Chinese postal agencies have injected 507 million yuan (US$63mil) of capital into Huahong Securities, an official paper reported yesterday, the latest move aimed at shoring up the country's ailing brokerages."
April 20, 2006 -- According to the Central Kentucky News-Journal, "The Postal Service has an online product that allows consumers and businesses to create customized greeting cards that can also be used in combination with a gift card. NetPost, found at www.usps.com/netpost, offers online services that combine the speed of the Internet with the effectiveness of traditional mail. NetPost allows you to select or design a mail piece and enter addresses or upload an address list. Your mail piece is then printed, prepared and mailed in as few as one or two days."
April 20, 2006 -- According to NewKerala.com, "With private courier companies eating into the revenues of postal department, the government today sought to give India Posts exclusive rights to carry and deliver letters weighing up to 300 grams."
April 20, 2006 -- According to Domain-B, "The Department of Posts through its 700 Head Post Offices will sell membership scratch cards and registration forms of marriage portal BharatMatrimony.com Pvt Ltd,. Launching the new offering on April 19, 2006 Bharat Matrimony CEO J Murugavel said, "Our tie- up with the Department of Posts will not only strengthen our retail network but will also add to our credibility."
April 20, 2006 -- The Sioux City Journal has reported that "A U.S. Postal Service official said area residents won't see delivery delays if a proposal to consolidate Sioux City's mail processing center with Sioux Falls facility is approved. Doug Morrow, Hawkeye District manager for the USPS in Des Moines, said an Area Mail Processing study conducted on the Sioux City Mail Processing and Distribution Center examined if consolidation would aid delivery -- and the study showed that it would. "We are all about service and we wouldn't do anything that would hurt that service," Morrow said."
April 20, 2006 -- The EMA Foundation for Paper Based Communication has just released a document by entitled
First Class Mail and the United States Postal Service. It offers an analysis of current directions with regard to First-Class mail and some ideas about new products and services.
April 19, 2006 -- From the Postal Rate Commission: C2005-1 Order No. 1461 - Complaint on Express Mail and MC2006-4 Order No. 1462 - Notice and Order Instituting Docket No. MC2006-4 for Classification Changes to Clarify Express Mail Second Day Service.
April 19, 2006 -- AFX has reported that "The Greek state intends to privatize a 25 to 30 pct stake in the Postal Savings Bank on the Athens Stock Exchange in the second half of May, according to several unsourced Greek press reports."
April 19, 2006 -- In its latest paper, the
Institute for Research on the Economics of Taxation has said that "The Postal Service has a national conference and management training center on an 83 acre site in the leafy Washington suburb of Potomac, Maryland. Several years ago, the Service opened the facility to the general public for a number of hospitality-industry related activities including hotel stays, business meetings, special events like weddings and banquets, food, and drink. Although the facility has a postal theme with large pictures of stamps on walls, a permanent exhibit from the Smithsonian's National Postal Museum, and specialty cocktails named after Pony Express riders and mail drops, its hospitality industry services really have nothing to do with the government-owned enterprise's core purpose of delivering non-urgent mail throughout the country."
April 19, 2006 -- The Sioux City Journal has reported that "Iowa congressional staffers still can't talk about the U.S. Postal Service's study on whether to maintain all the operations at its Sioux City Processing and Distribution facility, but they've finally seen it. Staff members of Northwest Iowa's congressional delegation were fully briefed Monday on the process and the results of the U.S. Postal Service study on whether to keep open the mail processing facility in Sioux City. The briefing was on the condition officials would let the post office release the study in a town hall meeting Thursday in Sioux City. The USPS will start the meeting with a presentation, then have a question-and-answer period. That summary, obtained Tuesday by the Journal, if implemented, proposes to do the following: [Check out the story....]"
April 19, 2006 -- According to NJ.com, "It is time for the Postal Service to look upon Hudson County as more than a suburb of New York and Newark. A financial center that is second only to Wall Street and an expanding population that will make Jersey City the biggest city in New Jersey should be enough to dictate an upgrade in services."
April 19, 2006 -- Les Echos has reported that "La Poste, the French post office, announced yesterday that Philippe Lazare has replaced Christian Kozar as general manager of its mass-market and territorial development division."
April 19, 2006 -- The Financial Times has reported that "Austria's post office yesterday forecast huge growth potential in eastern Europe as state-owned incumbents are sold and markets opened to new services."
April 19, 2006 -- According to Namnews, "Deutsche Post, Europe's biggest postal service provider, yesterday appeared to rule out suggestions it is considering a bid for the newspaper distribution arm of WH Smith."
April 19, 2006 -- The Kilkenny Advertiser has reported that "Labour's Kilkenny based general election candidate, Councillor Michael O'Brien, has urged An Post to award the long delayed cost of living increases to An Post workers and pensioners. Cllr O'Brien said that last December when the dispute between An Post staff and management was resolved at the Labour Court it was expected that An Post staff and pensioners would quickly receive the increases agreed under Sustaining Progress. Postal workers and pensioners had been denied these cost of living increases for nearly three years, even though all other public sector employees had received them."
April 19, 2006 -- Transport Intelligence has reported that "Deutsche Post World Net (DPWN) has provided a further update into its development strategy in China. In an interview published in a national German newspaper, DPWN's CEO, Klaus Zumwinkel, has stated that he would be willing to undertake acquisitions in the Chinese market in order to maintain its number one position in the international express market."
April 19, 2006 -- The DM Bulletin has reported that "Postal customer body Postwatch says that despite the recent price increase in the cost of a first-class stamp, there is a silver lining for consumers who stand to win more in compensation. The price of a first class stamp rose from 30 to 32p on April 3, giving Royal Mail an inflation-busting 6.7% rise. However, as the postal operator directly links the maximum amount it is prepared to offer in compensation for loss or damage to 100 times the value of a first class stamp, the 2p rise has resulted in the maximum compensation rate going up by £2 to £32."
April 19, 2006 -- The Association for Postal Commerce welcomes its newest member:
U.S. Web represented by Charles Lauricella, Vice President.
April 19, 2006 -- According
PostCom President Gene Del Polito and PostCom Vice President Kate Muth in a postal commentary to be published in the PostCom Bulletin, "The Postal Rate Commission now has before it two baseline negotiated service agreements (NSA). This historic moment would seem a major achievement for a small regulatory agency that only three years ago approved the first-ever specialized agreement between the Postal Service and an individual mailer. The PRC has worked hard over the past thirty years to regulate one of the largest organizations in this country, the ubiquitous Postal Service. However, any triumph is muted by the fact that one of the cases before the PRC, the NSA between the Postal Service and Bookspan, has been awaiting a recommended decision for almost five months. While a few months might not be an unreasonable time to await a decision in a baseline case, five months certainly is. We are reaching a point where justice delayed is justice denied."
April 19, 2006 -- The Manilla Bulletin has reported that "The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) has approved the P5.7-billion build-lease-transfer (BLT) modernization project for the Philippine Postal Corp. (Philpost)."
April 19, 2006 -- Makfax has reported that "The Macedonian Government will announce on Thursday if Holland's ING will pursue or give up the planned take-over of Postal Bank, a day after the talks scheduled for Wednesday in the ING headquarter in Amsterdam."
April 18, 2006 -- In his latest perspective, postal commentator
Gene Del Polito walks you through the postal reform, financial accounting rule, and rate consequences bramblebush.
April 18, 2006 -- According to DM News journalist Melissa Campanelli, "While the U.S Postal Service has had its a fair share of bad publicity in its time (sometimes for good reason), a short editorial (subscription required) in the Wall Street Journal last week criticizing the agency for taking too long to complete its recovery efforts in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina hit went a bit too far."
April 18, 2006 -- According to Kiplinger, "Not one, but two, postal rate hikes are in the works."
April 18, 2006 -- The Aberdeen News has reported that "The U.S. Postal Service has announced that it will conduct an audit of services offered by its Aberdeen processing and distribution center. South Dakota's congressional delegation requested the audit. According to a release, it would give people a chance to see what impact moving some Aberdeen postal services to the Dakota Central Processing and Distribution Center in Huron would have, if such a decision is made."
April 18, 2006 -- From the PR Newswire: "As postal rates continue to rise, magazine publishers are increasingly turning to the Web to grow their circulation base and drive better ROI for their acquisition efforts. However, the Internet has often proved a challenge for publishers employing 'bill me' soft offers due to the inability to consistently reach online consumers who will pay for their subscriptions on the backend."
April 18, 2006 -- NamNews has reported that "The newspaper distribution arm of WH Smith could face a takeover bid from Germany's Deutsche Post after the retailer's chief executive, Kate Swann, announced plans to demerge the business and float it on the stock market. WH Smith considered selling its news distribution arm in 2001, when it came close to selling it to a private equity buyer. Deutsche Post, Europe's largest postal service provider, considered a bid at that time and City analysts believe it could quickly renew its interest in the business."
April 18, 2006 -- dBusiness News Hartford has reported that "ADVO, Inc. has announced today the joint distribution agreement with The Los Angeles Times and MediaNews Group will result in savings in the low double-digit millions annually."
April 18, 2006 -- From the Federal Register:
April 18, 2006 -- Transport Intelligence has reported that:
April 18, 2006 -- The Postal Rate Commission has issued a report on a complaint regarding First-Class Mail Standards Service.
April 17, 2006 -- From Business Wire: "BOWE BELL + HOWELL, a leading provider of document processing and postal solutions, announces the expansion of its service offerings and the opening of a facility dedicated to supporting business continuity services in Bethlehem, Pa."
April 17, 2006 -- Logistics Management has reported that "Japan Post, a Postal Services provider, will open its first overseas branch in Beijing, according to Japanese news source, Mainichi Daily News."
April 17, 2006 -- Reuters has reported that "After a billion-dollar shopping spree Deutsche Post has no plans to make any large acquisitions in the next two years. However, the executive said he was always looking for attractive deals. He cited as examples smaller acquisitions in the mail business outside Germany, or deals in Asia, the company's focus for growth."
April 17, 2006 -- The Times of Zambia has reported that "IN a bid to save itself from being declared ‘a closed shop' by its customers due to technological advancements the Zambia Postal Service Corporation (Zampost) has embarked on fresh initiatives aimed at introducing Hybrid mail service which is also known as e-Post."
April 16, 2006 -- AFX has reported that "Japan Post plans to triple the number of post offices that sell investment trusts by the time it is privatized in Oct 2007."
April 16, 2006 -- The latest National Association of Postal Supervisors
Legislative Update is available on this site.
April 16, 2006 -- The Hindustan Times has reported that "Post Master General (PMG) Ashutosh Tripathi who joined the department here in June 2005 is making sincere efforts to improve the services of the Postal Department in order to provide better services to the customers."
April 15, 2006 -- The latest issue of the
PostCom Bulletin is available online.
April 15, 2006 -- According to TAPPI.org, "FedEx Kinko's, Dallas, Texas, an operating company of FedEx Corp., announced a nationwide upgrade to a new brighter version of its standard white recycled paper at FedEx Kinko's Office and Print Centers. The upgraded paper, with an increased brightness rating from 84 to 92, displays noticeably sharper text and images and will produce higher quality prints for customers. The new paper is available to customers at no additional cost and will be used in most production equipment and self-service areas at all FedEx Kinko's retail centers. "This move to offer brighter recycled paper is another step in FedEx Kinko's continued commitment to providing customers with quality products and services and promoting sustainability by supporting the use of post-consumer recycled-content paper," said Jon Cannon, senior vice president, U.S. Operations."
April 15, 2006 -- According to the Toronto Star, "Mail delivery is one of the few conveniences of living in the country, but it has come to an end for many rural residents in York Region. Delivery was stopped after some unionized Canada Post mail carriers complained their routes were too dangerous."
April 14, 2006 -- According to BrandWeek, "Express delivery and logistics company DHL has expanded its sponsorship alliance with Major League Baseball and Major League Baseball Advanced Media. DHL is in the second season of a three-year marketing partnership as the "official express delivery and logistics provider" of MLB and MLB Advanced Media. Marketing this season will feature former St. Louis Cardinal Bruce Sutter, who will be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., in August, to support its "DHL Presents the Major League Baseball Delivery Man of the Month Award," which recognizes the most outstanding relief pitcher each month of the regular season. The company will also continue the "DHL Presents the Major League Baseball Delivery Man of the Year Award," which honors the most outstanding relief pitcher for the 2006 season as a whole."
April 14, 2006 -- The Irish Independent has reported that "AN Post could be offering a wide range of banking products early next year as its proposed joint-venture with Belgium's Fortis moves ahead."
April 14, 2006 -- The Arkansas News Bureau has reported that "The chief executive of the world's largest delivery service told an audience of business people and top college students Wednesday that global competition will be the dominate business issue for the United States over the next decade. Michael Eskew, chairman and CEO of United Parcel Service Inc., was the keynote speaker at the annual Donald W. Reynolds Governor's Cup luncheon. Eskew said while such advances as the Internet and wireless technology have transformed the way businesses operate around the world, more significant changes are on the horizon."
April 14, 2006 -- According to Law.com, "Atlanta's federal appeals court is wrestling with a border dispute that has nothing to do with immigration or international boundaries. A three-judge panel last week heard arguments over a greeting-card maker's claims that it has trademarked the perforated border around postage stamps -- and that the U.S. Postal Service has violated the company's rights. At issue are not the stamps themselves, which the Postal Service has copyrighted, but greeting cards showing pictures of stamps that the company, International Stamp Art Inc., and the Postal Service each sell. Since its founding in 1985, the South Carolina-based company has entered into multiple licensing agreements with the Postal Service for the right to use the stamp artwork on its products."
April 14, 2006 -- The Sioux City Journal has reported that "U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin has been working with U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley and Congressman Steve King to push U.S. Postal Service officials to make the process of studying processing operations more transparent. In a March 28 meeting in Grassley's office, the three legislators and a few Sioux City people heard what they considered good news, an offering of the USPS that relevant data on the Sioux City processing center feasibility study would be made public and that a community meeting with details unveiled would be held. That meeting has been set for April 20, but Harkin said the USPS study information he got was insufficient."
April 14, 2006 -- As the Times Record-Herald has noted, "A team of students from SUNY New Paltz has a chance to create a new public relations campaign for the U.S. Postal Service. The team of four seniors made it into the semi-final round of the selection contest. The team is one of six college teams picked from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. The SUNY New Paltz team comprises Robert Jameson of Lindenhurst, Jae Verner of Ithaca, John-Paul Cannucciari of Skaneateles and Alex Shilin of Fresh Meadows. They will attend the final round in New York City on May 15, where the winning team will be determined. The contest is sponsored by the Postal Service to find ways to promote its online products to young adults."
April 14, 2006 -- Oh great....Now there's a web site encouraging readers to mail their Members of Congress bricks to protest the lack of border security. Shouldn't the Inspection Service be on this one?
April 14, 2006 -- Congress Daily has reported that "A proposal requiring all private and public entities to include pension costs in their annual financial reports "heightens the urgency to get postal reform done," according to a source close to the legislation lodged in a House-Senate conference. Under the proposed FA