October 31, 2006 -- The Association for Postal Commerce welcomes its newest member:

Phillips International, Inc.represented by Jeffrey Hollingsworth, Vice President for Government Relations

October 31, 2006 -- The following reports have been posted on the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General website. Questions can be directed to Agapi Doulaveris at 703.248.2286.

• September 22, 2006 – Audit Report – Strategic Realignment of Engineering Programs (Report Number DA-AR-06-005)http://www.uspsoig.gov/FOIA_files/DA-AR-06-005.pdf
• September 22, 2006 – Audit Report – Facility Utilization at the Los Angeles, California, Worldway Airport Mail Center (Report Number NO-AR-06-007) http://www.uspsoig.gov/FOIA_files/NO-AR-06-007.pdf
• September 25, 2006 – Management Advisory – Delivery and Retail Standard Operating Procedures – Southeast Area (Report Number DR-MA-06-007) http://www.uspsoig.gov/FOIA_files/DR-MA-06-007.pdf
• September 26, 2006 – Management Advisory – Color-Coding of Standard Mail at the Portland, Oregon, Processing and Distribution Center (Report Number NO-MA-06-003)http://www.uspsoig.gov/FOIA_files/NO-MA-06-003.pdf
• September 27, 2006 – Audit Report – Capping Report on the Efficiency of the International Records Units Operations (Report Number NO-AR-06-008) http://www.uspsoig.gov/FOIA_files/NO-AR-06-008.pdf
• September 27, 2006 -- Management Advisory – Delivery and Retail Standard Operating Procedures – Western Area (Report Number DR-MA-06-003) http://www.uspsoig.gov/FOIA_files/DR-MA-06-003.pdf
• September 27, 2006 -- Management Advisory – Delivery and Retail Standard Operating Procedures – Western Area (Report Number DR-MA-06-003) http://www.uspsoig.gov/FOIA_files/DR-MA-06-002.pdf
• September 28, 2006 – Audit Report – Mail Transport Equipment Service Center Network –Highway Transportation Routes – Dallas (Report Number NL-AR-06-012) http://www.uspsoig.gov/FOIA_files/NL-AR-06-012.pdf
• September 28, 2006 -- Management Advisory – Color Coding of Standard Mail at the Margaret L. Sellers Processing and Distribution Center (Report Number NO-MA-06-004) http://www.uspsoig.gov/FOIA_files/NO-MA-06-004.pdf
• September 28, 2006 – Management Advisory – Delivery and Retail Standard Operating Procedures – New York Metro Area (Report Number DR-MA-06-005) http://www.uspsoig.gov/FOIA_files/DR-MA-06-005.pdf
• September 28, 2006 – Management Advisory – Delivery and Retail Standard Operating Procedures – Eastern Area (Report Number DR-MA-06-006) http://www.uspsoig.gov/FOIA_files/DR-MA-06-006.pdf
• September 29, 2006 – Audit Report – Postal Service's Schedule Awards Program in the New York Metro Area – Report I (Report Number HM-AR-06-007) http://www.uspsoig.gov/FOIA_files/HM-AR-06-007.pdf
• September 29, 2006 – Postal Service Officers Travel Expense Guidelines (Product Number FT-WP-06-001) http://www.uspsoig.gov/FOIA_files/FT-WP-06-001.pdf

October 31, 2006 --Channel News Asia has reported that "Singapore Post has reported a 3.6 percent on year growth in first half profit to nearly S$62 million. The provider of postal services says it saw growth in all business segments. It believes it is well prepared for the further deregulation of the postal services market."

October 31, 2006 --CBS2 has reported that "A letter carrier from New York has admitted controlling a widespread prostitution network that brought in millions of dollars and shuttled women across the country. Thompkins pleaded guilty in a federal courtroom in Trenton Friday to charges of conspiring to launder money and transporting minors across state lines for prostitution. Prosecutors say Thompkins had about 60 women who he sold for sex. The young prostitutes were often housed in apartments and homes in New Jersey and New York, and sometimes Thompkins would trade the women with other pimps around the country. As part of his plea deal, Thompkins will resign from his letter carrier job, which he's held since 1994. Richardson said the postal service wanted to fire Thompkins years ago, but they could not find him." [They could not FIND him???]

October 31, 2006 -- According to theFinancial Times, "In an industry over-staffed with apostles of globalisation, Peter Bakker, chief executive of TNT, the Dutch express delivery group, is a heretic. While competitors evangelise about how global networks are transforming the world of commerce, Mr Bakker enjoys debunking their myths. "Only 5 per cent of volumes being shipped in express delivery networks move between continents," he said. "Our belief is this is mainly a regional game...even in an era of globalisation, what matters most is local and regional strength. "

October 31, 2006 -- TheAmerican Postal Workers Union has told its members that "At the negotiating table, postal management has given a series of formal presentations on the Postal Service's financial position, marketing, and mail volume, which are intended to undermine union demands and justify USPS proposals. The union has countered with documentation of the cost of postage as compared to the rates in other countries; the effect of excessive discounts on USPS finances, the employment uncertainties caused by massive excessing and reassignments; increases in the cost of living; and the need to balance the rights of employees more equitably between management and the employees."

October 31, 2006 -- ThePasadena Star-News has reported that "Postal workers are protesting a recent consolidation that they say has led to degraded services as well as loss of the Pasadena postmark. "This is a whistleblowing effort," said Phillip Warlick, legislative director of the American Postal Workers Union in Pasadena, at a recent meeting to kick off picketing efforts. "History is being lost and this consolidation is an abject failure."

October 31, 2006 --Swissinfo has reported that "Swiss Post has announced that it would be slashing up to 500 jobs over the next two years as it pushes ahead with a major shake-up, a move unions warn they will fight. The state-owned company said these changes should allow savings of around SFr50 million ($40 million) each year without affecting basic services."

October 31, 2006 -- AsThe Economist has noted, "About half a million South Africans now use their mobile phones as a bank. Besides sending money to relatives and paying for goods, they can check balances, buy mobile airtime and settle utility bills. In most of Africa, meanwhile, only a fraction of people have bank accounts—but there is huge demand for cheap and convenient ways to send money and buy prepaid services such as airtime." [Notice? Cellphone banking bypasses the post.]

October 31, 2006 -- As MSNBC has noted, "Wireless use is nearing ubiquity in the United States, Europe and several Asian nations, so the next phase of rapid growth is expected from emerging markets. In Africa, the number of cell phone subscribers rose 20-fold over five years, from 3.58 million in 2000 to 76 million in 2005, the ITU says."

October 30, 2006 -- In its latest DMM Advisory, the U.S. Postal Service explains "How to Determine a Priority Mail Dimensional-Weight Price."

October 30, 2006 -- Thanh Nien Daily has reported that "Three senior postal officials from southern Vietnam have just been summoned to Hanoi for illegally depositing US$1 million from selling state phone cards in a private bank account."

October 30, 2006 -- The Communications Workers Union has called on the Government to end speculation on the privatisation of Royal Mail.

October 30, 2006 -- As CBS News has reported, "To most people Ronald Crawford is just another bum, taking up a perfectly good seat in the subway station he calls home. "Spare any change sir," Crawford chimes on one New York subway. But Crawford says he will never be completely forgotten, thanks to a very small window at the very back of New York's main post office. It's called general delivery, and as CBS News correspondent Steve Hartman reports, it's a way for people who don't have a home to at least have an address."

October 30, 2006 -- The International Herald Tribune has reported that "The Dutch postal company TNT NV said Monday that third-quarter profit declined 55 percent due to one-time charges related to the sale of its logistics division, but sales and operating profits rose."

October 30, 2006 -- The Telematics Journal has reported that "NAVTEQ has been selected as the map data provider for inclusion with RouteSmart Technologies' Carrier Optimal Routing (COR) solution, which was developed in partnership with the United States Postal Service (USPS). RouteSmart's solution is designed to create more efficient USPS delivery routes and lines of travel, improve customer service and reduce daily operations costs. USPS is responsible for the delivery of mail throughout the United States and plans to deploy and utilize this software nationwide to create more efficient and safe delivery routes. The NAVTEQ map includes in-depth coverage for urban and rural areas together with comprehensive, field verified routing attributes. The RouteSmart optimization algorithms take advantage of the NAVTEQ attributes to accurately optimize delivery route data and to calculate and provide optimized travel directions." See also Directions Magazine.

October 30, 2006 -- AFX has reported that "Adam Crozier, chief executive of the Royal Mail, said he still favours giving employees a fifth share in Britain's state-owned postal service despite being rebuked by a committee of MPs earlier today. Commenting on a report from the Commons Trade and Industry Committee, Mr Crozier said: 'Of course the investment plan in the company and an employee share scheme are linked.'"

October 30, 2006 -- The Wilson Daily has reported that "IWCO Direct, a direct mail company, has agreed to purchase the U.S. 301 plant from Cox Target Media." See also the Charlotte Observer.

October 30, 2006 -- From the PR Newswire:

• The U.S. Postal Service has won the most prestigious award for revolutionary, dramatic, or exceptional contributions to the field of color marketing--the Dimmick Award, presented every other year by Color Marketing Group, the premier international association for color design professionals." Forget that. Tell me when the Postal Service wins the Deming Award.
• Project Bread is receiving $300,000 from The UPS Foundation, the charitable arm of UPS (NYSE: UPS - News). The grant will be used for supporting the expansion of the Summer Food Service Program in target communities in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York and Vermont over the next two years.

October 30, 2006 -- Here's an interesting fact from The Economist: "France has a post office for every 3,530 inhabitants, twice as many as Germany, yet fewer of its letters arrive the next day."

October 30, 2006 -- The latest bulletin from the International Mailers Advisory Group (IMAG) has been posted on the IMAG web site.

October 30, 2006 -- From the U.S. Postal Service: "In 2006, Executive Order (EO) 13,392 established new, complex Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) planning and reporting requirements that affect the Postal Service in the administration of the FOIA. Earlier this year, Delores Killette, Vice President and Consumer Advocate, was designated as the Postal Service’s Chief FOIA Officer to meet the requirements of EO 13,392. In accordance with the EO, the Records Office conducted a comprehensive review of the agency’s FOIA operations to determine whether agency practices are consistent with the policies that are set forth in the new executive order. This review provided the basis for developing the Postal Service’s Report and Improvement Plan. The Plan sets forth specific plans for improvement of the administration of the Postal Service FOIA Program and includes concrete milestones, with specific timetables and outcomes by which USPS improvements can be measured. This report was provided to the Department of Justice and the Office of Management and Budget, and is posted on USPS.com (http://www.usps.com/foia/welcome.htm). The text of the EO can be found at http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/12/print/20051214-4.html."

October 30, 2006 -- According to the Wall Street Journal, "On Thursday, Time Inc. Chief Executive Ann Moore went before the board of parent company Time Warner Inc. with an Internet strategy that concentrates resources on Sports Illustrated, People and the company's business magazines -- the titles seen as having the most online growth potential. The decision to concentrate resources on fewer titles illustrates how the accelerating shift of advertising from print to the Internet is forcing publishers to make tough calls in the scramble to expand their Web sites." [Higher postal rates will hasten the shift too.]

October 30, 2006 -- The Financial Times has reported that "Royal Mail's plans to give postal staff a 20 per cent stake in the company have been attacked by a cross-party group of MPs which said there were less controversial and more straightforward ways to motivate the workforce. Allan Leighton, Royal Mail chairman, has been lobbying the government to set up an employee share ownership scheme as an essential move to win the co-operation of employees in restructuring to compete with private sector operators that are seizing a significant share of the market. But in a report published today, the trade and industry select committee said Royal Mail had failed to offer "robust evidence" that such a scheme would improve motivation and had offered little more than "mere assertions" to support the claim." See also The Times, The Guardian, and Bloomberg.

October 29, 2006 -- Air Cargo World has reported that "Two major U.S. cargo carriers this week joined the ongoing industry trend in cutting the air fuel surcharges they apply to heavy freight supplied by forwarders, as FedEx Express said it will charge 55 cents per kilogram for fuel on international shipments, down from 60, and Northwest Airlines announced its second cut in a month and will now charge 50 cents. FedEx was among the last of major international airlines to move off the 60-cent level. Other carriers for weeks had been cutting to 55 and even to 50 cents as falling jet fuel prices hit their separate index trigger points. Northwest had taken its fee down to 55 cents from 60 on Oct. 9."

October 29, 2006 -- According to the Pasedena Star-News, when the question is: "What can brown do for you? Depending on whether or not it stops at our house, it can make or break our day."

October 29, 2006 -- The Times has reported that "AN POST has parted company with its chief operating officer, Larry Donald, and commercial director, Derek Kickham. Both were former ESB managers and had been brought in by the former chief executive Donal Curtin, also from the ESB, three years ago to head his controversial overhaul of the postal group."

October 29, 2006 -- ThisIsLondon has reported that "Commons Leader Jack Straw is to defy the protests over MPs' expenses by giving them another £6.5million a year handout - worth £10,000 each - it was revealed last night. The new grant has been created after the Commons authorities admitted defeat in their attempt to stop some Labour MPs abusing the postage allowance by claiming vast sums."

October 28, 2006 -- The National Association of Letter Carriers has presented the U.S. Postal Service its opening proposal for a new contract. NALC’s opening economic proposal calls for a seven-year agreement which would include a continuation of existing cost-of-living adjustments, with no changes; general wage increases of 3 percent in each year of the agreement; and a pay upgrade of one grade for all letter carriers.

October 28, 2006 -- The Wall Street Journal has reported that "California Rep. Henry Waxman, the vocal corporate critic slated to run a powerful committee if Democrats win the House, said he would aggressively expand oversight of many large industries -- with a focus on drug prices, oil-company profits and Halliburton Co.'s contracting work in Iraq. In an interview, Rep. Waxman, the senior minority member of the House Government Reform Committee, said he also would boost oversight of the Bush administration, along with "waste, fraud and abuse" across the federal government -- especially rebuilding efforts in Iraq and the Hurricane Katrina-ravaged Gulf Coast. The committee has extensive -- and vaguely defined -- oversight responsibilities covering broad swaths of corporate America and the government, and the chairman has the power to issue subpoenas, compel testimony and call hearings." [But what about the Postal Service? Remember that escrow you made Congress put in place? What's to be done about that?]

October 28, 2006 -- According to the Washington Post, "When clothing retailer Gap Inc. embarked on a plan to create an online shoe store a year ago, it turned to its Web customers for advice." [What a concept! Ask your customers!! Why hasn't the Postal Service ever thought of that?]

October 28, 2006 -- The National Post has reported that "Rural Canada has come down with a mysterious malady this year. In isolated pockets across the land, mostly in Central and Eastern Canada, mail isn't reaching mailboxes. On rural routes that have been served without complaint for decades, Canada Post has ceased delivering letters to the end of the driveway, instead asking residents to pick up their mail at super mailboxes or in nearby towns. Major flare-ups of the disease have been spotted in the country around the Ontario communities of Guelph, Markham and Sarnia, plus Fredericton. Our House of Commons spent most of Monday discussing the problem, which has affected 50,000 homes, but no one seems to have any brilliant answers. Like so many illnesses, this one proves, in the final diagnosis, to have largely illusory roots. No, delivering mail didn't become more dangerous overnight."

October 28, 2006 -- The Postalnews blog has reported that "APWU has initiated a dispute over changes to the USPS Handbook AS-805, Information Security."

October 28, 2006 -- The Daily Record has reported that "furious posties are refusing to deliver up to 10,000 letters dumped on a rat-infested river bank last Christmas. They claim they could catch a disease from the filthy sacks and have threatened to walk out if Royal Mail chiefs insist they deliver the contents. The 14 mail bags - thought to contain I around 60 packages, including gifts such as DVDs and CDs, and up to 10,000 letters - were found last week by a dog walker. They were ditched next to a burn in Lanark last December by disgruntled postman Stewart Cochrane, 31. Now, the sacks are lying in a store room in Royal Mail's Lanark distribution centre. But around 70 posties at the depot have vowed to walk out if their managers try to force them to deliver the mail."

October 28, 2006 -- The Ventura County Star has reported that "An Oxnard mail processing and distribution center on a federal list for possible consolidation is not being reviewed and is in no threat of closure, a U.S. Postal Service spokesman said."

October 28, 2006 -- NewIndPress has reported that "The state committee of the Federation of Postal Organisations will observe November 3 as anti-franchisee day, in protest against the Postal Department’s policy to appoint franchisees. It will also organise demonstrations and dharnas in front of the divisional offices and Thiruvananthapruam Circle office. Addressing reporters here on Friday, general convenor Johnson D Avokkaran said that when certain post offices across the country were facing the closure threat, the department’s move to privatise the institution was dubious. Memoranda will be submitted to postal superintendents in the state on that day, he said."

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

• The European Union said its member states have agreed to complete the liberalization of Europe's postal services by Jan. 1, 2009, by opening the EU postal market to full, cross-border competition by that date. In a new proposal, the European Commission directed member countries to lift their monopolies on letters weighing less than 50 grams.
• PostCom Chairman Jim O'Brien says duplicate mailings to the same household are not only expensive for the mailer but add to the public's negative image of the mailing industry.
• The American Postal Workers Union says the USPS Office of the Inspector General found projected cost savings for consolidation of a California mail processing facility could might be overstated.
• Potter announces three USPS area vice presidents. DMM Advisory: Pricing proposal insights.
• French unions line up against postal privatization. China Post puts the squeeze on small operators. Correos sees profits falling further. Royal Mail chiefs must reapply. Mexican Post boosts automation. Leighton quote spurs media fuss. DHL Americase sees growth in 2007. Austrian Post wants to buy Trans-o-flex, other firms. TNT grows in German, Czech Republic. And TNT also plans more activity in Britain, changes name. Britain's Postcomm wants plan for post offices. Norwegian Post adds LTL provider. DHL buys into Polar Air Cargo. Post Danmark in acquisition talks. DHL, Transmile agree to five-year deal. Priest's appointment to Kenyan postal board questioned.
• Oriental Trading Company joins PostCom.

Who handles the distribution of the PostCom Bulletin?
 Why, it's NETGRAM, of course. Read more about it.

October 27, 2006 -- The American Postal Workers Union has told its members that "In a nationwide day of picketing Oct. 26, APWU locals across the country protested Postal Service policies that put the demands of corporate advertising mailers ahead of the needs of individual postal customers and small businesses." Yessir. Those corporate advertising mailers are real scum. I mean...what do they do that's worthwhile? Ooooohhhh yes! I forgot. The business they bring to the Postal Service pays for the nation's postal system. You know...the money that pays postal workers' salaries and benefits.

October 27, 2006 -- Well, according to the Postalnews Blog, Southwest Airlines isn't too sad about losing a USPS air transport contract.

October 27, 2006 -- According to Washington Technology, "USPS site is much more than just a presence on the Web."

October 27, 2006 -- Fromm Newswire: "OutBound Shipping, a leading provider of automated carrier certified shipping software and solutions has announced that it has received Manifest Analysis and Certification (MAC) recertification from the United States Postal Service (USPS)."

October 27, 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.

October 27, 2006 --Reuters has reported that "Postal services firm Pos Malaysia and Services Holdings Bhd said its largest shareholder, state investment agency Khazanah Nasional, had proposed a restructuring and a return of cash to shareholders."

October 27, 2006 -- TheNunatsiaq News has reported that "The Canadian North airline alleges that Indian and Northern Affairs and Canada Post may have "rigged" last year's $175-million, five-year food mail contract award to the Makivik Corp.'s First Air – and they're seeking to have the decision overturned through a complaint lodged with the Canadian International Trade Tribunal, or "CITT."

October 27, 2006 -- Yes, APWU members were out all across America protesting the Postal Service's facility consolidation plans. But this one headline from KLAS in Las Vegas, really takes the cake: "Consolidation Plan Leaves Postal Workers Concerned For Customers."

October 27, 2006 -- TheRochester Democrat & Chronicle has reported that "Republican Assembly candidates are illegally channeling money through a campaign committee to get steep postal discounts on their last-minute election fliers, Democrats charged in a complaint filed Thursday." Ah, yes, preferred postal rates...part of the Mother's milk of politics.

October 27, 2006 -- The Globe and Mail has reported that:

• Thefederal government has promised to restore "traditional" mail delivery to rural communities, a move that would mean reversing a 20-year trend away from door-to-door delivery.
• Vancouver postal workers are willing to tough it out through sleet, hail, snow and fog to deliver the mail. But even on a mild day, they will not handle what they consider homophobic hate literature. Sixty postal workers at an east Vancouver substation walked off the job yesterday, refusing to process a 27-page booklet distributed this week across Canada by the Fundamental Baptist Mission of Waterford, Ont. They returned to work 15 minutes later, saying they received assurances that Canada Post would review the matter.

October 27, 2006 --The National has reported that "POST PNG and Airlines PNG have entered into a joint venture expanding the services of the postal company."

October 27, 2006 -- Linn's has reported that "The United States Postal Service is planning to change its rule requiring individuals to be dead for 10 years before they can be commemorated with a postage stamp."

October 26, 2006 -- According to DM News postal commentatorCary Baer, First-Class Mail volume is slip-sliding away.

October 26, 2006 -- TheNews-Press has reported that "More than 100 U.S. Postal Service workers are marching in front of the downtown Fort Myers post office holding signs that read "Don't let our mail service fall apart." They are referring to a list of 139 mail distribution plants across the country that are potential sites where mergers could be considered by the U.S. Postal Service. One of those plants is in Fort Myers." See alsoKTIV,NewsNet5,WWTI, WCSH, and thePensacola News Journal.

October 26, 2006 --CTV.ca has reported that "Vancouver postal workers who walked off the job in protest of an "anti-gay" booklet are back to work Thursday. Sixty-eight employees, who worked for a medium-sized postal facility in the Commercial Drive area, walked off the job for about 15 minutes Thursday morning rather than distribute a brochure they characterized as homophobic. See also theGlobe and Mail andCanada.com.

October 26, 2006 --IrishDevNews has reported that "ComReg extends deadline for responses to Bulk Mail Access for Postal Services consultation."

October 26, 2006 --Computer Business Review has reported that "DHL, the global express delivery and logistics brand owned by Deutsche Post, has launched a new web-based tool designed to put customers in the driving seat by providing full control over their imports or third-party shipments."

October 26, 2006 --Daelnet has reported that "POSTAL Services Minister Jim Fitzpatrick has responded to fears that the £150 million life-line for rural Post offices is to be axed. The Minister claims that an article published last week by Daelnet in which we claimed the subsidy is to be axed is inaccurate and has asked us to publish his response."

October 26, 2006 -- FromMarketWire: "Amicus, Britain's biggest private sector union will today (26,10,2006) criticise Royal Mail for using bullying tactics to force managers to deliver the post themselves. Staff shortages at Royal Mail mean that overworked administrative managers are being forced to take to the streets to deliver the mail. A duty that managers are not contractually required to do but they have been motivated by their commitment to maintaining excellent levels of customer service. The managers are annoyed that they received a lower pay award of 2.9% this year than other managers at Royal Mail who received 3.9%. The union are warning that hundreds of discontented managers are ready to refuse to deliver the mail, an extra duty on top of a workload which has been steadily increasing due to staff shortages. In the last 18 months the Royal Mail have made 3500 job cuts acr oss manager grades."

October 26, 2006 --DM News has reported that "Three-fourths of adults of Puerto Rican heritage read direct mail, according to the Vertis Customer Focus 2007: Opiniones survey released this month. This matches the 75 percent of total adults who read direct mail and surpasses the 71 percent among Hispanics overall, said Scott Marden, director of marketing research at Vertis Communications."

October 26, 2006 --The Hindu has reported that "The State committee of the National Federation of Postal Employees (NFPE) has lodged their protest against the Centre's decision to allow 100 post offices in the private sector as part of the move to privatise the service. State convener of the organisation M. Krishnan warned in a statement here on Wednesday that the employees would go on an indefinite strike if the authorities went ahead with the move."

October 26, 2006 -- TheLedger-Enquirer has reported that "Local post office employees plan to picket today to protest the possible closure of a Columbus mail processing center as part of a United States Postal Service plan to consolidate several area mail processing centers nationwide. As part of a nationwide day of union picketing, postal service union workers and other supporters will hand out informational leaflets today in front of the Milgen Road post office, Columbus' mail processing center, said Clive Cannon, an electronic technician at the Milgen Road location and the Georgia maintenance craft director for the American Postal Workers Union's local branch." See also theLong Beach Press-Telegram,Helena Independent Record,Brownsville Herald, andKCCI.

October 26, 2006 -- ROYAL MAIL managers are having to deliver post regularly themselves because sorting centres are short-staffed, The Times has learnt.

October 25, 2006 --ScandAsia has reported that "Wanting to lower its dependence on external consultants, Denmark's national postal service has begun training its own SAP consultants – in Thailand."

October 25, 2006 -- TheGolden Star has reported that "Five employees of the Golden Post Office received two-day suspensions recently for their refusal to cross picket lines set up by the British Columbia Teachers Federation on Oct. 19, 2005. The five female employees, both inside and rural route workers, waited a year for the ruling, which was handed down in early October, from Canada Post."

October 25, 2006 -- TheGuelph Mercury has reported that "the danger of rural mail delivery will be the focus of a vote in the House of Commons today."

October 25, 2006 -- Transport Intelligence has reported that "DHL Express International Americas has announced that it is aiming for double-digit growth for its business volumes in 2007, based on forecasts of continued economic growth in the region, as well as the rising need for businesses to have reliable transportation and express delivery services within the competitive framework of globalization.

October 25, 2006 -- DM News has reported that "The Direct Marketing Association has made improvements to its long-running Mail Preference Service that make it easier for consumers to control the amount of advertising mail they receive."

October 25, 2006 --TownTalk has reported that "The U.S. Postal Service must be stopped from consolidating its Alexandria area service into the Lafayette office, Chris Bordelon, president of Central Louisiana Area Local 205, American Postal Worker's Union, said today. The union was going to hold an informational picket Thursday, but the Post Office owns the sidewalks and it would be too dangerous to picket in the streets, he said."

October 25, 2006 -- TheWashington Post has reported that "Postage stamps can be purchased by mail, at the supermarket, even from many bank cash machines. But there's one place you won't be able to get them in a few years -- vending machines at the post office. The U.S. Postal Service plans to eliminate its 23,000 vending machines by 2010. "The heart of the matter is a lot of these machines are up to 20 years old," said Yvonne Yoerger, a spokeswoman for the Postal Service. Translation: Breakdowns are increasing, and replacement parts are costly or impossible to get."

October 25, 2006 --News Aktuell has reported that "Austrian Post ("Austrian Post" or the "Company") is conducting exclusive negotiations with the private equity funds of Odewald & Compagnie and Alpha Group with the aim of acquiring German speciality logistics service provider trans-o-flex and its subsidiaries ("trans-o-flex")."

October 25, 2006 --FedSmith has reported that "In a recent federal appeals court decision, a Postal Service Customer Service Supervisor lost his bid to overturn his firing stemming from charges of misuse of agency funds and failure to timely pay his government issued credit card (GICC) bill. (Allen v. United States Postal Service, C.A.F.C. No. 06-3059, 10/20/06) ."

October 25, 2006 --New Ratings has reported that "Analysts at Deutsche Bank Securities maintain their "hold" rating on Pitney Bowes. The target price has been raised from $42 to $46. Pitney Bowes has indicated that the Congress is more likely to pass the postal reform in 2007 than in the current quarter, the analysts say.

October 25, 2006 -- TheInternational Herald Tribune has reported that "EU regulators on Wednesday approved Dutch postal company TNT NV to sell its logistics unit to U.S.-based private equity company Apollo Management LP for €1.48 billion (US$1.90 billion)."

October 25, 2006 -- As noted in theWashington Post, "Like soldiers, we continue to work on the front line, sometimes feeling unarmed, in hopes that our health and safety needs are met, and that the culprits are apprehended," Dena Briscoe, president of a postal worker support group called Brentwood Exposed, told a gathering of postal employees at a memorial service last week. "We are not offered an apology from our government leaders for their hesitant reactions during the anthrax attacks, putting the mail first and leaving many still wounded."

October 24, 2006 -- According toTime Inc. postal and distribution vice president Jim O'Brien, "I'm a firm believer that mail is good for the American public and the overall economy. At the same time, I also believe that if we're not careful, we will wear out our welcome. The last thing that either the mailing industry or the Postal Service needs at this time is to upset our most valuable customers by giving them excess mail. Now is the time for our industry to be most diligent in our mailing practices and clean up our act!"

October 24, 2006 --KCAU has reported that "A decision on whether to close Sioux City's mail processing center could be close to delivery. Republican Congressman Steve King says the Inspector General of the postal service is almost done with the audit of the facility. The audit will help decide if the operation will be moved to Sioux Falls." See alsoKTIV.

October 24, 2006 -- According toWBBH, "More than 100 postal employees are planning to picket in front of the downtown Fort Myers Post Office Thursday because officials with the U.S. Postal Service are considering closing down a number of distribution centers. The protest is in response to a list of 139 mail distribution centers the U.S. Postal Service is considering closing. The list of distribution centers includes the plant located off Daniels Parkway in Lee County. Already, several centers have closed shop around the country."

October 24, 2006 -- From the U.S. Postal Service: "Postmaster General Jack Potter announced the selection of Michael Daley as Vice President, Area Operations, Pacific Area, Terry Wilson as Vice President, Area Operations, Southeast Area, and Ellis Burgoyne as Vice President, Area Operations for the Southwest Area."

October 24, 2006 -- ThePittsburgh Channel has reported that "The Marine Corps League of greater Greensburg was told last month that post office lobbies they've set up collection bins in for years will no longer allow it. The league said it is going to try to persuade local fire halls to house them instead, but added that it's going to be a big hit for the thousands of kids who wait for those toys every year. The postal service said no group would be allowed to solicit in its lobbies."

October 24, 2006 -- TheGovernment of Canada has reported that "Canada Post today announced it will provide free parcel service for family and friends of deployed Canadian troops for the holiday season. Effective October 26 through January 15, 2007 Canada Post will deliver parcels free of charge to designated Canadian Forces Bases, where they will be forwarded through the Canadian Forces postal system to our troops overseas."

October 24, 2006 --Computing has reported that "Customers using Royal Mail's new online postage service are reporting problems with internet transactions. The new service launched in September allows customers to buy stamps online and print them out as unique bar codes onto envelopes or labels. A Royal Mail spokesman says the system has not crashed and the majority of customers are still experiencing a full service."

October 24, 2006 --AllAfrica.com has reported that "Queries are being raised on the appointment of Catholic priest Dominic Wamugunda as director of a State corporation. The church, by its own laws, does not interfere in Government matters lest it loses its independence. Fr Wamugunda was appointed to the board of directors of Postal Corporation of Kenya for three years."

October 24, 2006 -- TheHindustan Times has reported that "The [post office] department is planning to shed it's sarkari image and get on to the BPO bandwagon by starting a dedicated call centre to provide information to people about the status of delivery of their mail."

October 24, 2006 -- As theTexarkana Gazette has noted, "Big blue letter boxes are vanishing from street corners Look around Texarkana. Look around cities across the nation. Notice anything missing? Mailboxes. Not those little family boxes on poles in front of houses, but the big blue boxes with the rounded tops that have been a fixture on street corners for years and years. They are few and far between today. The U.S. Postal Service has removed more than 40,000 of the iconic mailboxes since 1999, leaving about 290,000 still in service. At least for now. More are being pulled every day."

October 24, 2006 -- TheMalta Independent has reported that "Maltapost has announced that, as a result of public demand, it is issuing a reprint of the 1c definitive stamp originally issued in the year 2000."

October 24, 2006 --The Hindu has reported that "Kerala Chief Minister, V S Achuthanandan, on Monday, opposed the Centre's move to allow post offices in the private sector and said it was against the assurance given by UPA Government to the LDF and employees working in postal department."

October 24, 2006 --Reuters has reported that "Deutsche Post's (DPWGn.DE: Quote, Profile, Research) express delivery arm DHL Express may conclude a deal with Shanghai Airport Authority to build a hub for its regional operations, a senior Chinese executive said on Tuesday."

October 24, 2006 --Asia Pulse has reported that "US-based United Parcel Service (UPS) has expanded its headquarters here for US$1.4 million and converted it into its Intra-Asia hub."

October 24, 2006 -- As one writer for theFinancial Times has noted, "As the postal sector changes around the world, America is lagging behind. That is a shame, because Americans have much to gain from a deregulated, competitive postal industry - including lower prices and better service."

October 24, 2006 --Handelsblatt has reported that "Deutsche Post, the German postal operator, is reported to be showing progress with the development of its logistics division within subsidiary DHL and with the integration of the UK logistics service provider Exel. Integration is expected to be completed by the end of March 2007, according to a press source citing management."

October 23, 2006 -- FromCCNMatthews: "Canada Post today announced amendments to the Non-Mailable Matter Regulations prohibiting the mailing of inert of replica munitions into Canada, out of Canada, or within Canada. The new regulations became law effective October 4, 2006."

October 23, 2006 -- TheNews-Press has reported that "More than 100 postal workers will picket plans to consolidate the Fort Myers' Processing and Distribution Center. Postal workers say the consolidation will mean slower, less reliable service and the loss of a landmark if the downtown Fort Myers office is closed and operations moved to Manasota in Sarasota County. The protest is planned from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the downtown Fort Myers Post Office, 1350 Monroe St."

October 23, 2006 --Australian IT has reported that "TECHNOLOGY helped Australia Post lift its revenue by nearly 5 per cent to $4.5 billion in the year to June 30. It posted a net profit of $367.8 million, up $26.6 million on the previous year. Australia Post increased its handling of mail by 1 per cent due to strong growth in international letters and direct marketing, driven by the acquisition of mail and document software provider PrintSoft in 2005. PrintSoft's products allow businesses to create short-run mail campaigns and one-off letters at near bulk-mail rates."

October 23, 2006 -- TheAmerican Postal Workers Union has told its members that "A report by the USPS Office of the Inspector General concluded that the cost savings projected by the Postal Service for the consolidation of a California mail processing facility "may be significantly overstated, and the service impacts are not fully described."

October 23, 2006 -- The National Association of Major Mail Users has noted that "The Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, and Minister responsible for Canada Post Corporation, recently announced five appointments to the board of directors of Canada Post Corporation. Appointments for a term of three years: Mr. William H. Sheffield has more than 20 years of senior management experience for major manufacturers and marketers in the private sector. Mr. Donald Woodley is currently president and CEO of Gennum Corporation as well as president of The Fifth Line Enterprise. Mr. Hassan Khosrowshahi is the founder of Future Shop Inc. and Inwest Group of companies. Appointments for a term of one year: Ms. Jennifer I. Considine currently serves as senior lecturer at the University of Dundee, Centre for Energy, Petroleum and Mineral Law Policy. Mr. Gavin Semple is currently CEO of the Brandt Group of Companies, a diversified manufacturing and industrial equipment distribution company."

October 23, 2006 -- FromBusiness Wire: "The Customer Respect Group, an international research and consulting firm that focuses on how corporations treat their online customers, today released findings from its Fourth Quarter 2006 Online Customer Respect Study of the Transportation, Distribution and Logistics Industry. The Overall CRI score for the industry of 6.1 (out of 10) is 0.4 higher than the cross-industry average. It scored especially well in Principles, with a rating of 6.7 vs. 5.6 for the cross-industry average. This indicates that the industry is more respectful of personal information. It also performed significantly better than average in communicating with customers online. The industry scored an average of 5.6 against an all-industry average of 5.0 for Responsiveness. The highest rated company was Yellow Corporation with a CRI score of 7.8. United States Postal Service (USPS) was second best with 7.7, while United Parcel Service (UPS) was third with 7.0. These were the only three companies that scored 7.0 or more, the benchmark level for excellence."

October 23, 2006 --Handelsblatt has reported that "Deutsche Post, the German postal service operator, has reorganised the management of its letter division in response to increasing competition in this area of activity. Marco Demuth, head of sales in German letter business, is to be replaced by four managers, in order to improve customer orientation. The sales department is to be subdivided into a large customer division and divisions for business customers, commercial customers and private customers."

October 23, 2006 -- According toLes Echos, "A group of trade unions representing workers at French post office La Poste has called a day of industrial action for November 14. CGT-Poste, CFDT, CFTC, FO and SUD have called on their members to take part in strikes and demonstrations against the deregulation of the postal market and in defence of wages and jobs in the public sector."

October 22, 2006 -- TheWarsaw Business Journal has noted that "The current monopoly on mail delivery within Poland and other member states will soon come to an end if a proposed amendment to the EU Postal Directive is adopted by the EU Parliament and Council. Under current regulations, Poland and other EU member states are entitled to maintain a monopoly on the delivery of domestic mail weighing less than 50 grams. The proposed amendment to the Postal Directive would eliminate this threshold, thereby permitting private carriers to compete in the delivery of all mail, regardless of size. At present third-party delivery services, such as UPS, DHL and TNT, are permitted to handle the delivery of mail crossing national borders, while facing weight restrictions on the delivery of purely domestic mail."

October 22, 2006 --MarketingSherpa has reported that "Almost every catalog marketer at the show mentioned, with more than a little distain, the *colossal* U.S. Postal Service booth. Instead of impressing them with their racing simulator, doubtful actors and postal service totes, marketers were annoyed at the extravagance in light of rate increases that suck more of their budget. One marketer remarked that she would like to send the postal service a box of promotional pieces instead of payment for one of her mailings."

October 22, 2006 --eCargonewsAsia has reported that "A million people in the express service industry could be out of work in China if a draft proposal revising the Postal Law is passed by the National People's Congress. It will give China Post's express arm EMS (Express Mail Service) the sole authority to handle documents weighing under 150 grams, effectively forcing most domestic express companies to shut down as 90 percent of their business is derived from handling such small items. Domestic freight forwarders as well as foreign express operators expressed their discontent with the draft during a meeting last month with Dong Chaojie, deputy division director of the Legislative Affairs Office (LAO) of the State Council and Da Wa, director general of the Department of Industrial Administration of the State Post Bureau. Attending the meeting were executives of 16 domestic companies as well as representatives from the big four foreign operators - DHL, TNT, FedEx and UPS."

October 22, 2006 --The Independent has reported that "Fears are growing that the Royal Mail is seeking to cut managers' wages as part of a wide-ranging overhaul of the state-owned postal service. Proposed new pay scales have been distributed to managers that appear to show a reduction in salaries. It is part of a wider programme aimed at shaking up the management structure, but some are concerned that it could leave workers out of pocket."

October 22, 2006 -- TheSunday Business Post has reported that "An Post is likely to be compensated if new competitors ‘cherry pick' lucrative, highly-populated areas after the postal market is opened up to competition in 2009."

October 21, 2006 -- The latest issue of the PostCom Bulletin is available online. In this issue:

• PostCom and a number of other industry groups this week filed an objection to certain information requests from the Postal Rate Commission's presiding officer in the R2006-1 rate case. The filers argue that due-process rights would be violated if the PRC relied on the material provided in responses to the presiding officer information requests.
• In this commentary, Sam Ryan of the Lexington Institute says the U.S. Postal Service has been presented with an "extraordinary opportunity" to get its labor costs under control, given that it is negotiating new contracts with all four of its unions at the same time. Since labor is the USPS' largest expense, Ryan says the time is right to reduce it – by doing away with the Postal Service's "wage premium."
• This article examines the purpose, progress, and future of postal deregulation in Europe.
• Postal commentator Gene Del Polito says the Postal Service continues to turn a deaf ear to the mailing industry's concerns about the lack of sufficient time to accommodate rate case-related changes.
• Postal Service to eliminate stamp machines, remove blue mail boxes. FedEx Express, pilots reach labor accord. NALC fills legislative positions. USPS chocolate kisses stamp for Hershey's.
• E Ink Corp. receives 100th patent for e-paper technology. Online sales growing in importance.
• E.U. unveils postal reform plans. Italian, American partners to create first automated post in Russia.

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October 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.

October 20, 2006 -- According to the Rio Rancho Observer, "While many people viewed the new contract postal unit at Rio Rancho Printing as a victory, there is still a lot left to do. Lately, postal customers have been complaining about receiving more and more delayed service, and their cries have now reached the American Postal Workers Union. APWU Local 380 spokesman Gene Gabaldon said the late delivery is happening in spite of an increase in carrier in recent months. "The truth is that the Albuquerque District continues to lack manpower to process and deliver mail," he said in a press release. "Letter carriers are still delivering mail late into the night, and there are long lines at postal retail counters in Albuquerque, Rio Rancho, Santa Fe and throughout New Mexico."

October 20, 2006 -- According to Federal Computer Week, "The U.S. Postal Service has become a major user of 21st century telecommunications services, including e-mail. Now the independent agency wants to know precisely how much it’s spending on its wireless devices. The Postal Service recently awarded a $2.4 million contract to ProfitLine, a telecom expense management (TEM) services provider to analyze its 34,000 wireless devices at 37,000 postal locations and point out any potential savings."

October 20, 2006 -- From the U.S. Postal Service: "Digger Phelps, the leading authority for sports-related issues on the committee that recommends subjects for U.S. postage stamps, will depart after nearly 23 years of service, Postmaster General John E. Potter announced today. During Phelps’ tenure on the Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee, more than 2,000 postage stamp subjects were issued, from almost one million suggestions. Two new members have also been named to the Stamp Advisory Committee: Jessica Helfand — award-winning editorial and interactive designer and author — and B. Martin Pedersen, honored graphic designer and sought-after speaker. Both are leading designers in America. Their appointments are effective this month."

October 20, 2006 -- Truck News has reported that "Pitney Bowes Inc. and NCR Corporation have announced an agreement to market a jointly developed interactive kiosk for self-weighing, self-posting and self-printing of shipping labels, among other applications. The self-shipping kiosk – which combines the self-service experience of NCR with the mailstream expertise of Pitney Bowes – will be marketed globally to postal authorities, retailers, package delivery and express transportation firms and other businesses."

October 20, 2006 -- Business Mailers Review has reported that "The National Assn. of Advertising Distributors Inc. (NAAD) is taking aim at the Saturation Mailers Coalition (SMC) proposal in a rate case filing submitted to the Postal Rate Commission (PRC) for simplified but certified addressing in city delivery."

October 20, 2006 -- The Association for Postal Commerce welcomes its newest member:

Oriental Trading Company, 5455 South 90th Street, Omaha, NE 68127-3501, represented by Beth Diekman, Catalog Purchasing Manager.

October 20, 2006 -- Armenia Diaspora has reported that "The Armenian government has reconfirmed revoking an agreement with Converse-Invest company that was granted by it the right to manage Hay Post (Armenian Postal Services) company. Armenian transport and communication ministry said the government has approved the process of giving Hay Post to concession management of Hay Post Trust company. It said this process was managed with the assistance of a Dutch ING consulting firm."

October 20, 2006 -- The Associated Press has reported that "Shares of air freight and logistics companies closed higher on Thursday after United Parcel Service delivered a robust earnings report that hinted at a brisk holiday season."

October 20, 2006 -- Transport Intelligence has reported that "UPS third quarter figures show strong underlying growth in its core business and fairly healthy profits, but problems have emerged in its Menlo Forwarding acquisition. In UPS' analyst call CEO Mike Eskew, and the CFO Scott Davies, admitted that the Freight Forwarding business had lost customers, including "a couple of large customers", apparently due to poor service. Both blamed the failure on integration problems and this is what has triggered the 1200 job losses in the division announced on 5th October 2006."

October 20, 2006 -- The Colorado Springs Business Journal has reported that "Postal route changes are causing downtown mail delivery to suffer. Complaints range from inconsistent service to a week of no-shows by letter carriers. Those who work downtown say the problem is becoming common, and that the post office managers express little concern about the matter. Post office officials said they are aware of the problems and that the poor service is the result of a route change that went into effect a few months ago."

October 20, 2006 -- From Market Wire Inc.: "Cougar Mountain Software has introduced PDF-eXPLODE e-Doc Generator, an integrated program that instantly creates and emails custom electronic documents such as invoices, purchase orders, and financial statements. PDFs make postal costs obsolete. Users can save time and money by turning invoices and purchase orders into PDFs and delivering them to customers without ever putting a stamp on an envelope. No more waiting three to five days for the Postal Service to deliver statements, which means faster turn-around times for receiving payments."

October 20, 2006 -- MyFox Fort Worth has reported that "U.S. Postal officials say they have now started a computerized program to find registered sex offenders working for them around the country."

October 20, 2006 -- According to the Irish Independent, "Rival postal vans rushing across Ireland and the rest of Europe to be first to collect the post and different coloured competing mail boxes by 2009 are possible consequences of new plans to liberalise EU postal services."

October 20, 2006 -- La Stampa has reported that "Massimo Sarmi, the CEO of Italian post office Poste Italiane, has claimed that he is not worried by the decision of EU internal market commissioner Charlie McCreevy to open up the non-business postal market to private companies in 2009. He said that the move would force the government to decide which services it wants to offer, and which items of mail could be delivered later at a lower cost. The likely situation is that foreign firms will attempt to break into the Italian market, but Mr Sarmi believes they will not be able to cover such a vast territory as Italy, citing the US example where sorting services are open to private firms but there remains a monopoly on delivery."

October 20, 2006 -- Le Monde has reported that "Jean-Paul Bailly, chairman of La Poste, the French post office, has said that his group has the resources needed to become Europe's leading mail services operator by 2010. In preparation for the liberalisation of the European postal services market in 2009, the French group is aiming to raise the proportion of its next-day mail deliveries from 82 to 90 per cent by the end of the decade."

October 20, 2006 --Despite a US economy that shows signs of decline in some key areas, growth is predicted in direct marketing (DM) expenditures, sales, ROI, and employment through 2007, as reported in The Power of Direct Marketing, the Direct Marketing Association’s (DMA) annual forecast of direct marketing’s economic impact on the US economy, including advertising expenditures and sales.

October 20, 2006 -- From U.S. Newswire: "The National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) announced today the appointment of Jennifer L. Alvarez as director of Legislative and Political Affairs and Tucker McDonald as political director for the three hundred thousand-member postal union. Alvarez succeeds George B. Gould, NALC's long-time lobbyist, who will retire at the end of the year."

October 20, 2006 -- According to Navy Times, "The U.S. Postal Service has tweaked its online services to make it easier to mail packages to military addresses. You can use its “Click-N-Ship” feature, which allows you to pay for postage online, and then print it out. At www.usps.com, click on “Print a Shipping Label.” When filling out the address label, under the “state” pull-down menu, it will give you the option of AA, AE, and APO addresses."

October 19, 2006 -- From the U.S. Postal Service: "We are beginning a new series of articles to further explain the elements in our pricing proposal. The first article is on the Periodicals container rate. We hope these articles help you better understand the changes and prepare for the new prices. Just look for the “Pricing Proposal Insights” banner in upcoming DMM Advisory releases."

October 19, 2006 -- For the first time, Swiss Post International presents the new European Direct Marketing Passport with comprehensive details on Direct Marketing, distance selling, data protection and list broking. The practical pocket-sized compendium of 200 pages will be shown at the “Salon de la Vente à Distance” in Lille taking place from 17 to 19 October as well as at the “German Mail Order Conference” in Wiesbaden from 25 to 26 October.   Besides general information on international Direct Marketing, the European Direct Marketing Passport contains detailed specialist know-how for seven selected European countries: Germany, Austria, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Italy and Great Britain. Especially mail order companies will find this passport interesting: media for new customer acquisition, instruments for sales promotion, legal regulations, order and payment methods as well as country specific tips and recommendations will help customer relations to become even more successful.

October 19, 2006 -- UPS and Poste Italiane have announced the completion of an agreement for UPS to carry the Italian postal service's international express shipments.* The service is scheduled to start Nov. 27 for the 14,000 post offices Poste Italiane operates across the country. In addition, UPS is finalizing details to utilize the Poste Italiane network for its own pickup and final delivery in certain extended areas of Italy. The contract was announced today by Wolfgang Flick, president, UPS Europe, and Massimo Sarmi, CEO, Poste Italiane, during a joint press conference in Rome.

October 19, 2006 -- UPS has reported solid revenue and profit growth for its most recent quarter on a healthy 5% rise in global small package volume.

October 19, 2006 -- As Eyefortransport has noted, "Standard GPRS mobile phones are becoming a low-cost communications device between truck drivers, traffic managers and Transport Management Systems. the secret of harnessing mobile phones to provide a wide range of logistics services and information is the integration of all in-house and third party systems to provide the data to convert to critical knowledge for the driver and customers. The driver uses the phone as a web terminal, and the driver’s manifest is available on the phone. This provides a job list giving the customer’s details, consignment size and delivery requirements. Any changes in customer instructions or problems encountered during the trip trigger an exception report, which is sent automatically and enables the traffic manager or customer service team to alert the consignee and make alternative arrangements. On completion of a delivery, a PoD report is sent by phone back to the traffic office."

October 19, 2006 -- The Independent has reported on "Why are post offices in trouble, and should we subsidise them?"

October 19, 2006 -- The Financial Times has reported that:

La Poste, the French state-owned post office, yesterday sounded a surprisingly optimistic note about European postal liberalisation plans, but warned it wouldwait until reading the fineprint before giving its final verdict, writes Martin Arnold in Paris. "We have no objections to total liberalisation of the European postal market, providing that the universal service obligation remains properly funded," said Marc-André Feffer, head of strategy and regulation at La Poste. La Poste has called for a "pay or play" system, forcing new arrivals in national markets to either spread their operations evenly between profitable urban areas and costly rural areas, or to pay a fee to the incumbent operator.
Plans to abolish the last monopolies in the European Union's €90bn (£60bn) market for postal services will be a "litmus test" for the region's commitment to open markets and economic reform.

October 19, 2006 -- As the Times of Malta has noted, "Maltapost is set to lose its limited monopoly in providing its services, particularly those related to the collection and distribution of ordinary mail, if draft legislation tabled yesterday by the European Commission goes through."

October 19, 2006 -- AFX has reported that "Societe Generale said it has launched a consumer loan unit in Kazakhstan and has formed a partnership with the Kazakh postal service, Kazpost, to sell its services at 3,000 post offices."

October 19, 2006 -- According to The Guardian, "The spread of the motor car and changing working patterns have utterly transformed Britain's rural lifestyles. The village police station, bank, branch line, and church or chapel may have long since disappeared or dissolved into a sporadic presence. Now the local post office, still present in 60% of Britain's villages in one form or another, is under threat from the same political and economic forces that closed rural shops and chapels."

October 19, 2006 -- From Canada NewsWire: "Staples Business Depot as part of Staples Inc. (Nasdaq: SPLS), the largest shredder retailer in the world, announced today the launch of the Staples MailMate(TM) junk mail shredder, an innovative product designed to help consumers combat identity theft from the comfort of their kitchen or home office. Ferocious and compact, the Staples MailMate(TM) shreds unopened junk mail, bank statements, CDs and credit cards and makes protecting your personal information easy."

October 19, 2006 -- According to Tiscali.Europe, "Yesterday's proposal by the the European Commission to open up postal markets fully to competition is likely to run into opposition from some member states, notably France. National operators will no longer have a monopoly on letters below 50g."

October 19, 2006 -- Noticias has posted "Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on [European] Postal Services."

October 19, 2006 -- The Washington Post has reported that "In a nod to the past, Woodbine Ace Hardware has opened a post office in its store to serve the growing population of the Woodbine subdivision in western Prince William county. Brenda Pitkin, owner of the store and two other Ace Hardware stores in the county, said she was approached by residents to open a post office because no postal services were available for miles from the Independent Hill neighborhood."

October 19, 2006 -- Transport Intelligence has reported that "DHL has released a statement confirming that construction work at its European hub, which began at the start of 2006, is on schedule. Klaus Zumwinkel, the Chairman of the Board of Management at Deutsche Post World Net, briefed German Chancellor Angela Merkel, German Transportation Minister Wolfgang Tiefensee and Saxony Premier Georg Milbradt on the project's progress during an on-site visit."

October 19, 2006 -- According to the Center for Media Research, "According to new research by The Media Audit, affluent working women with family incomes of $75,000 or more are growing in number and 94.3 percent access the Internet during an average month. From 2004 to 2005 the percent of affluent working women making five or more purchases on the Internet increased from 54.1 percent to 56.6 percent. The percent making 12 or more purchases in the same years increased from 30.0 percent to 32.2."

October 19, 2006 -- From PR Web: "OutBound Shipping, a leading provider of automated carrier certified shipping software and solutions has announced that it has received Manifest Analysis and Certification (MAC) recertification from the United States Postal Service (USPS). The USPS MAC certification program is a rigorous examination of shipping software and solutions for pricing and processing accuracy and for integration ability with the USPS. It was developed in cooperation with the mailing industry to evaluate and establish a foundation for a high standard of quality within the industry."

October 19, 2006 -- Purchasing.com has reported that "The transportation management systems (TMS) market is expected to report continued growth in the next five years, fueled by increasing interest among third-party logistics providers, and the growing need for companies to gain visibility into logistics costs."

October 19, 2006 -- As The Times has noted, "European Union countries came under pressure yesterday to follow Britain’s example and open their postal services to full-scale competition by January 2009. Britain welcomed the initiative, stating that “a fully liberalised European Union postal services market is a benefit to consumers, businesses and industry organisations” and would boost the Continent’s overall competitiveness."

October 19, 2006 -- DubaiCityGuide has noted that "After several months of preparations, Emirates Post is set to host the biggest gathering of heads of global postal corporations and experts from mail industry at the UPU Strategy Conference to be held in Dubai from November 14 to 16, 2006, under the patronage of HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President & Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai. This is the first Strategy Conference to be held outside Switzerland, and will be attended by expert speakers and VIP participants, including Ministers, from 130 UPU member countries at Grand Hyatt Dubai."

October 18, 2006 -- Mailers have told the Postal Rate Commission that:

On October 16, 2006, in Presiding Officer’s Ruling No. R2006-1/83, the Commission "designated for inclusion in the evidentiary record" a number of discovery responses filed by the Postal Service after the August 30 close of hearings on the Postal Service’s direct testimony. The hearing requirements of 39 U.S.C. § 3624(a), and the provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act incorporated by that section, entitle participants in Commission rate cases to discovery, cross-examination and rebuttal of cost data that raise material disputed issues of fact. The attribution of city carrier costs is one of the most important, complex, controversial and fact-laden tasks that the Commission faces. For the 2004 data and analyses to which the undersigned parties object here, this testing has not begun. The Postal Service has not asked the Commission to adopt the data or results, and neither the Postal Service nor the Commission has proffered a witness for discovery or cross-examination concerning the material. Moreover, too little time remains in this proceeding to allow adversarial testing to occur. Under the circumstances, giving evidentiary weight to the 2004 data in the POIR responses would be a fundamental violation of due process.

October 18, 2006 -- The Associated Press has reported that "Postage stamps can be purchased by mail, at the supermarket, even from many bank cash machines. But there's one place you won't be able to get them in a few years _ vending machines at the post office. The U.S. Postal Service plans to eliminate its 23,000 vending machines by 2010, the agency said in a recent internal memo."

October 18, 2006 -- The Alliance of Nonprofit Mailers has told its members that "From a mail classification perspective, R2006-1 is probably the most comprehensive rate case we have ever seen. The USPS designed the case to cover the costs that are directly attributable to each individual class of mail. On September 27, the USPS proposed rules to provide the mailing standards that would accompany the new prices if R2006-1 is adopted. Comments on these sweeping changes are due to the USPS on or before November 13. Remember, it has been said before that the “devil is in the details.” To find out more about these details read today’s Alliance Report 06/21."

October 18, 2006 -- The Statesman has reported that "UPS recently confirmed a still undetermined number of layoffs in its 2,000-employee Supply Chain Solutions unit, even though that unit is a critical part of its current growth strategy. SCS engineers and manages transportation networks for large corporate clients."

October 18, 2006 -- From Europa: "The European Commission has put forward a proposal to open EU postal markets fully to competition by 2009, in line with the agreed target date set out in the current Postal Directive. On the basis of extensive research, the Commission believes that this is the best way to maintain universal service while further improving quality and choice for EU consumers and businesses. Full market opening will mean that national operators will no longer have a monopoly on mail below a certain weight (currently a maximum of 50 grams), known as the 'reserved area'. Member States will be allowed a flexible choice of means to finance universal service provision or the possibility to share out the universal service obligation between operators. The proposal provides further clarification on how this can be achieved. The proposed new Directive is the final step in a long reform process that has already seen large areas of EU postal markets opened to competition, with very positive results."

October 18, 2006 -- The Financial Times has reported that "The European Union’s €90bn market for postal services will from 2009 be opened to full, cross-border competition, according to a European Commission proposal unveiled in Brussels on Wednesday. At present, one of the biggest and most lucrative segments of the post market - the market for mail weighing less than 50 grammes - is still reserved for national monopolists such as Deutsche Post in Germany and La Poste in France. This last “reserved area” would be abolished under the Commission plan - a prospect that has caused deep unhappiness in several member states, including France." See also Forbes and the International Herald Tribune.

October 18, 2006 -- Reuters has reported that "Pilots at FedEx Express, a unit of package delivery company FedEx Corp. have overwhelmingly ratified a new four-year labor contract."

October 18, 2006 -- According to the BBC, "A Belfast subpostmistress has accused the government of "eating away" at the income of post offices "by stealth".

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

Spain's Correos is expecting a dramatic profit slump in 2007. News portal "terra" (11.10) reported that the post was counting on a pre-tax profit of merely 117m euros. On 2005, Correos showed a 240.4m euros result (CEP News 22/06). If the forecast is correct, the operating result would be even lower than the 2005 net profit (177.2m euros). Correos remains dependent upon traditional mail service operations.
Last week, Germany's Federal Cartel Office authorised the takeover of consolidator PostCon by TNT. TNT claims it can now reach 90% of all German households.
The four leading French trade unions CGT, CFDT, CFTC and Sud des Agents de La Poste are campaigning against signs of market liberalisation. They are planning to hold a joint action week in November, which will include rallies and a one-day nationwide strike. The unions urge Finance Minister Francois Loos to enter into a dialogue and expect "clear answers" concerning the future status of La Poste and pensions for postal workers.
The Czech post Ceska Posta achieved an increase in operating result to 1bn CZK, or 35.4m euros, during the first nine months of the current financial year (+4%). Turnover went up by 2% to 247.5m euros. The post is expecting to increase its profit by 4% for the whole financial year.
Posta Romana is expecting to earn a profit of around 20m euros this year.
Austria's Osterreichische Post has acquired 100% of Croatian direct marketing enterprise Weber Escal.
Poste Italiane's hybrid service subsidiary Postel Spa achieved a net profit of 2.5m euros during this year's first half. The figure represents a 400% increase on last year.
Mexico's post Sepomex intends to invest 12m USD in a new IT system, which will enable customers to pay their electricity, phone and gas bills at the post office. A company spokesperson explained that the new system would be available at 500 post office counters in 157 branches, covering the most important cities in the different Mexican regions. The new system was another step toward the automation and modernisation of the Mexican post.
In-night service provider Night Star Express and mail consolidator Freesort are becoming partners of new German mail network system Xanto.
From this Monday, Royal TPG Post is officially called Royal TNT Post. The renaming in the Netherlands, which is supported by a vast PR and advertising campaign, is a further step in the post's company streamlining and harmonisation policy.
Post Danmark is moving into the forwarding business. Last week, the post confirmed ongoing talks with Transportgruppen A/S concerning the purchase of 51% of the company.
DHL France is the object of industrial action this Tuesday. Three trade unions have called for a strike to secure jobs and to highlight their willingness to take industrial action. According to the unions, DHL is about "to make decisions with severe consequences for all categories of employees".
The Czech Republic is increasingly becoming the centre of European goods transport.
Posten Norge has taken over Norwegian Grenland Transport & Industriservice AS (GTI). Founded in 2000 and specialising in LTL and distribution services.
"I love France." FedEx chairman and CEO Fred W Smith thinks France is the ideal location for business activities when aiming to access the European market. This at least is the bottom line of an advertising campaign directed at business leaders about to choose their gateway out of France.

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.

October 18, 2006 -- NineMSN has reported that "Australia Post has arrested a decline in letters, thanks mainly to growth in promotional mail volumes, as it delivered a 7.8 per cent lift in net profit. The government-owned Australia Post has experienced weakening demand in letters being sent in recent years as many increasingly rely on the internet to send documents and messages. But "snail mail" has fought back in 2005/06, growing by half a per cent or 28 million letters. In its annual results tabled in parliament, Australia Post produced a $367.9 million net profit struck off a record revenue of $4.53 billion."

October 18, 2006 -- ZDNet Australia has reported that "More than 12,000 radio frequency identification (RFID) tags are being used in letters every month to track the delivery of mail by Australia Post. The government business enterprise has replaced manual monitoring of mail delivery with RFID tags."

October 18, 2006 -- Reuters has reported that "Thousands of subpostmasters will present what they say is Britain's biggest-ever domestic petition at Downing Street on Wednesday to demand the government safeguard the future of 14,500 local post offices. Around 2,500 have been shut in urban areas in recent years while the remaining network lost 111 million pounds last year, largely through the loss of vital government contracts. The 4 million names, collected at post offices across the country will be the largest domestic petition ever presented to a prime minister, said the rally's organisers, the National Federation of SubPostmasters (NSFP)." See also the BBC.

October 18, 2006 -- Transport Intelligence has reported that "The Chief Executive Officers of five major postal operators representing 60 percent of postal mail volume in Europe have met in Brussels in an attempt to demonstrate that postal market liberalisation is working in their countries and that they are ready for full market opening in 2009. In a joint event which took place in Brussels, the group intends to demonstrate that full market opening must take place in 2009 to allow postal operators to benefit from changes that are changing the global communications market. The group supports the Commission's aim to complete the internal market for postal service."

October 18, 2006 -- The Guardian has reported that "The European commission will today challenge a hard core of protectionist countries and propose full-scale liberalisation of EU postal services by January 2009. Charlie McCreevy, internal market commissioner, will urge governments and MEPs to allow complete competition among all forms of mail, including letters below the weight of 50g (1.76oz). Britain lifted this final restriction three years ahead of schedule on January 1, allowing 18 licensed operators to erode the 350-year-old monopoly of Royal Mail. But a posse of countries, including France, Belgium, Italy and Spain, will resist the commission's proposals and demand a longer transition period." See also the BBC and the Wall Street Journal.

October 18, 2006 -- According to the Western Morning News, "Postal workers at a Devon sorting office would breach a "return to work agreement" if they carry out their threat of strike action at Christmas over work conditions, the Royal Mail has claimed."

October 18, 2006 -- Deepikaglobal has reported that "Chief Post Master General (PMG) of Maharasthra and Goa, K NoorJehan said that the postal department needs to focus its energy in building a strong consumer base, in the face of tough competition from unregulated players such as the courier servcies."

October 18, 2006 -- Les Echos has reported that "La Poste, the French national postal services group, plans to invest 15.8m euros in the Nord and Pas-de-Calais regions, to modernise and maintain its post offices. There are 30 post offices in the Nord region and 35 in Pas-de-Calais."

October 18, 2006 -- The Financial Times has reported that "The head of Europe’s largest postal group on Tuesday welcomed an ambitious drive to throw open the region’s €90bn ($113bn, £61bn) market for postal services to full competition by 2009, but warned that a majority of governments was opposed to the plan."

October 17, 2006 -- Dow Jones has reported that "Breaking up the European Union's national postal monopolies won't compromise the commitment to universal services, Internal Market and Services Commissioner Charlie McCreevy said on Tuesday. The commission is insisting that national governments fully open their postal markets to competition by Jan. 1 2009, and McCreevy is trying to ensure that countries meet that deadline. The goal is to reduce costs and improve services by introducing competition. "Simply standing still may trigger increased electronic substitution, reduce innovation and also trigger a weaker focus on consumer needs," McCreevy said during a commission event. McCreevy pointed to the U.K.'s Royal Mail PLC, which ended a 350-year-old monopoly, and the Swedish market, which was opened to competition 13 years ago, as examples showing that full liberation was possible by the deadline." See also Reuters.

October 17, 2006 -- Forbes has reported that "The chief executives of Deutsche Post AG, Sweden's Posten AB, Finnish post office Suomen Posti Oyj, TNT NV and the UK's Royal Mail have said that they believe postal market liberalisation is already working in their countries and that they are 'ready for full market opening in 2009'."

October 17, 2006 -- AFX has reported that "`The European Commission will announce the next step in its liberalisation of Europe's postal services tomorrow, with deliveries of letters under 50 grams open to competition by 2009."

October 17, 2006 -- The Boston Herald has reported that "Neighbors said Alan J. Gagne, 20-year-veteran of the U.S. Postal service, had a real sense of duty about his job. He was a quiet man, they said, who would leave notes, warning residents on his route when he went on vacation. But when Gagne didn’t return from deliveries Friday, his boss found he may not have been as dedicated to the route as they thought. At his apartment, his boss found Gagne dead from an apparent heart attack. The supervisor also found stacks of undelivered mail stuffed in closets and cabinets. The oldest article so far was dated in the 1990s, according to Post Office officials. But as of Monday they had not finished cataloging the four or five truckloads of undelivered mail."

October 17, 2006 -- According to ZDNet Australia, "Australia Post is tight-lipped on the progress of its Microsoft infrastructure upgrade after it was revealed it terminated a contract with EDS after just five months."

October 17, 2006 -- According to the BBC, "A recent report to the French Senate on the state of La Poste made depressing reading. In 1996, it said, the German and French post offices had been more or less on a par. Eight years later, the turnover of the German post office was double that of France's; its profits were eight times bigger, and internal investment was three times as high. On top of that, the quality of the German service was improving, with a next-day delivery rate of 90%, compared to 75% in France. The difference, of course, was that Germany had privatised and reformed its postal service, while France's venerable public institution, complete with 330,000 staff and 17,000 bureaux, had stayed stock still. "La Poste remains fixated on the era of the monopoly," the Senate report thundered. "Its unique status... served as a fig-leaf for inertia, instead of being a goad to modernisation, which is the only way to survive." [What? No, wait. Yes, it IS about France. For a moment, with all this monopoly fixation stuff, it sounded as if the subject was the U.S. Postal Service.]

October 17, 2006 -- Canada Post turns 25 today. But according to Deborah Bourque, National President of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, "Canada Post has lost site of its own mandate," said Bourque. "Canada Post President and CEO keeps telling the public that she runs a commercial enterprise with a business mandate."

October 17, 2006 -- The Prague Daily Monitor has reported that "Ceska posta, the Czech Post Office, raised gross profit by 4 percent year-on-year to CZK 1 billion in the first nine months of the year. Sales from postal operations added almost 2 percent to CZK 7 billion, while sales from agency services to clients rose by 5 percent to CZK 1.5 billion. Ceska posta also expects a 4 percent rise in profits for the full year. In 2005, it made net profits worth CZK 667 million, a year-on-year increase by half. Gross profits reached CZK 920 million."

October 17, 2006 -- The Denver Post has reported that "The freight division of Memphis, Tenn.-based FedEx will break ground this morning on an expanded distribution facility that could bring additional jobs to Commerce City."

October 17, 2006 -- DM News has reported that:

• Not too long ago, direct marketing was seen as a separate industry, an advertising specialty on the margin of sales and promotion,” DMA President and CEO John Greco said. “But over the years, propelled by all the development in communications and computing, direct marketing has evolved into a broad, multifaceted process with a common denominator where the customer always calls the shots. “We may never run out of places to put advertising messages,” Mr. Greco said. “But we are very near to the limits of human ability to absorb them all. Something has to change.
• A mailer of advertising specialty items told this publication he is concerned over a U.S. Postal Service ruling proposing a new mailing category that will force him to either change his mailings dramatically or pay more for them. The new category, dubbed Not Flat-Machinable mail, could be instituted when the rate case goes into effect next spring. The new category is for Standard Mail pieces with parcel-like characteristics, including rigid pieces that are not flexible and not of even thickness. “The new category is going to have a big impact on my company,” said Dan Collins, manager of advertising production at Myron, a personalized business gifts company based in Maywood, NJ. “We are a global mailing company with 500 employees and it could have a big impact on our local economy if we can’t mail these mail pieces.”

October 17, 2006 -- According to China Economic Net, It's the "right time to further postal service reform."

October 17, 2006 -- According to Forbes, "Deutsche Postbank AG could consider a tie-up in a wide variety of areas with the postal savings bank to be created in Japan next year, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun reportd, quoting chief executive Wulf von Schimmelmann. The privatization of Japan Post's operations is set to begin in October 2007."

October 17, 2006 -- PostCom members! The latest issue of the PostCom Postal Policy Report has been posted on this site.

October 17, 2006 -- the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General has posted the following on its website. If you have additional questions concerning the report, please contact Agapi Doulaveris at 703.248.2286.

• CA-MA-06-003 - Management Advisory - Postal Service New Construction Lifecycle dated August 31, 2006 http://www.uspsoig.gov/FOIA_files/CA-MA-06-003.pdf
• NO-AR-06-006 - Audit Report - Efficiency Review of the Los Angeles, California, Worldway Airport Mail Center dated September 12, 2006 http://www.uspsoig.gov/FOIA_files/NO-AR-06-006.pdf
• NL-AR-06-010 - Transmittal of Audit Report - Mail Transport Equipment Service Center Network - Highway Transportation Routes - Greensboro dated September 18, 2006 http://www.uspsoig.gov/FOIA_files/NL-AR-06-010.pdf
• EN-AR-06-001 - Audit Report - Pasadena, California, Processing and Distribution Center Consolidation dated September 26, 2006 http://www.uspsoig.gov/FOIA_files/EN-AR-06-001.pdf
• MS-MA-06-002 - Management Advisory Report - Postal Service's Use of Ghost Numbers dated September 19, 2006 http://www.uspsoig.gov/FOIA_files/MS-MA-06-002.pdf
• NL-AR-06-011 - Audit Report - Surface Transportation - Processing and Distribution Center Transportation Routes - Pacific Areas dated September 21, 2006 http://www.uspsoig.gov/FOIA_files/NL-AR-06-011.pdf
• DA-WP-06-002 - Technology Acquisition Management Process Guide - Phases 3 and 4, Production, Deployment, and Maintenance dated September 22, 2006 http://www.uspsoig.gov/FOIA_files/DA-WP-06-002.pdf<