Postal News for January 29, 2007

Ever since the President signed P.L. 109-435 into law, many have been wondering what this new law actually will mean to the Postal Service and mailers. Some have conjectured that the law will put the Postal Service under greater regulatory restrictions. Some have contended that the new law has created a whole new set of opportunties for the Postal Service, if they have the will to pursue them. According to PostCom President Gene Del Polito, he considers himself in this latter camp. In his latest commentary, he tries to address some frequently asked questions for his members and readers.

CNN has reported that "Today, mobile phones are the primary form of telecommunication in most emerging economies, fulfilling much the same role as fixed-line phone networks did in facilitating growth in the United States and Europe after World War II. Research shows that greater cell phone use can drive economic growth in emerging economies. Based on market research in China, India and the Philippines, consulting firm McKinsey & Co. found that raising wireless penetration by 10 percentage points can lead to an increase in gross domestic product of about 0.5 percent, or around $12 billion for an economy the size of China." [So, why would a developing country want to build a 21st century post?]

The Economist has reported that "THE technology revolution may be coming to poor countries via the mobile phone, not the personal computer, as it did in rich ones. And just as the internet encouraged an entrepreneurial ethos, and with it the creation of a few too many dotcom firms, Africa's surge in mobile-phone use may unleash the same sort of business energy, but tailored to local needs."

According to The Observer, "District postal manager Victor Benavides made some rather bold promises to the residents of Rio Rancho during Thursday's town hall meeting. His cautious hesitation on some statements had residents tentatively hopeful at best and completely skeptical at worst." See also the Financial Times.

ElectricNews.net has reported that "Cable & Wireless announced the completion of a converged data and voice communications system for DHL Ireland on Monday."

The Guardian has reported that "Gordon Brown will tomorrow flatly reject any moves to harmonise taxes across the European Union with a call for the continent to create jobs and wealth through radical deregulation of protected sectors of the economy. He will call on the EU to follow the UK's decision to open its postal market to full competition, create a more liberal regime in telecoms and fully implement Europe's financial services action plan.

Forbes has reported that "Pre-Christmas Web bookings on major shipping and delivery carriers surged to double digit gains over a year earlier as customers appear to be shifting their methods of shipping to increasingly Web-based services. Nielsen/Net Ratings has made available its summary of Web traffic by the principle shipping and delivery carriers. It includes some rather strong results. Comparatively, UPS had 7,904,000 unique visitors in 2005, while it had 9,154,000 in 2006 for a 16% increase. FedEx had 4,786,000 in 2005 and increased 10% to 5,281,000 in 2006. DHL saw the greatest percentage increase as it went from 932,000 unique visitors in 2005 to 1,108,000 in 2006--a 19% gain. Only the U.S. Postal Service took a dip from 8,106,000 in 2005 down to 7,520,000 in 2006--a 7% decrease."

From Business Wire: "CombineNet announced that the United States Postal Service has extended its license to use CombineNet’s advanced sourcing technologies for two more years. In the three years that the Postal Service has used CombineNet’s Advanced Sourcing Application Platform (ASAP), they have implemented the technology across multiple spend categories, sourcing roughly $1 billion and realizing more than 35x Return on Investment. CombineNet ASAP enables the Postal Service to strategically source materials and services across multiple categories, including transportation (airfreight, ocean freight and holiday season truckload shipping), services (trash and recycling removal, vehicle wash), mail equipment materials (mail containers and pallet boxes), as well as the supply of fuel for its fleet vehicles."

Postal Regulatory Commissioner Mark D. Acton today named Postal Service veteran Paul L. Harrington as his Special Assistant, effective February 5th, 2007. Harrington, a United States Postal Service (USPS) employee for more than two decades, has extensive professional experience in a variety of postal arenas. Mr. Harrington served most recently as a Postal Service Government Relations Specialist responsible for liaison with federal and state elected officials in a region including the District of Columbia, Kentucky, Maryland, Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia. He previously served the USPS as a Communications Specialist, Consumer Affairs Manager, Postal Police Officer and Distribution Clerk.

Press Release: "SAP AG has announced that BÖWE BELL + HOWELL (BBH), a leading manufacturer of document processing and postal solutions, will replace competing solutions with mySAP™ Customer Relationship Management (mySAP CRM) to help drive process efficiencies across its service organization and deliver a more intimate level of customer service. As postal legislation and the dynamics of the global marketplace continue to challenge mass mailing customers, BÖWE BELL + HOWELL responds by delivering efficient, modularly designed, cost-effective document management solutions and services to help companies more effectively organize paper-based and digital mail communications. The company will roll out mySAP CRM initially within its North American service organization, and later extend the implementation through parent company operations worldwide."

eMediaWire has reported that "According to a study published recently by InfoTrends, consumers continue to have a high preference for direct mail over other forms of direct marketing. 61% of consumers surveyed stated a preference for direct mail, which is nearly triple the number that preferred receiving ads via e-mail. These findings can be attributed to the manageable and minimally intrusive nature of paper based communications. Within this category, highly personalized direct mail with messages and offers that were designed to reflect the consumer's needs and interests were most favored."

Press Release: "Litigation Solution, Inc., a regional leader in litigation support services and Bankruptcy mailing services has launched Bankruptcymailouts.com, a web portal for Bankruptcy and legal mailing fulfillment services. Bankruptcy attorneys, corporate council and shareholder groups can now easily upload legal notices for printing and mailing via the U.S. Postal Service with a certificate of fulfillment from Litigation Solution, Inc."

From PR Newswire: "Franchisees of United Parcel Services today charged that UPS policies force them to take part in the distribution of pornographic materials, despite potential harm such products might pose for children and possible violation of state and local laws."

The Billings Gazette has reported that "Postal officials have reached an agreement that will allow the post office in this tiny town near Miles City to remain open indefinitely."

Transport Intelligence has reported that:

An important advance in the development of the Chinese economy has been marked by DHL's opening of its wholly owned Chinese domestic air freight forwarding service. DHL will now offer air freight forwarding services to 17 cities in China using the services of the smaller domestic cargo airlines. These are China Cargo Airlines, Air China Cargo, China Southern and Shanghai Airlines. It is unclear whether DHL will use capacity on Cathay Pacific's Dragon Air, the only other international and domestic air cargo network, and until now a near-dominant player.
DHL has announced enhancements to its DHL EasyShip family of PC-based shipping solutions. The new upgrades provide a number of value-added features and enhancements, including access to more DHL services, faster installation and setup, and improved rate visibility.

According to The Rising Nepal, "All staffers affiliated with post office has stressed the need of timely improvement in postal service by increasing efficiency of the service. Speakers, on the occasion, also stressed the need to modernize postal services while developing its efficiency as per the demand of the time."

The Edge Daily has reported that "Pos Malaysia Bhd (PMB) has teamed up with logistics company Sankyu (M) Sdn Bhd (Sankyu Malaysia) to provide the latter with domestic parcel distribution services, as part of PMB’s efforts to grow its customers from the business segment."

The Jamaica Gleaner has reported that "Jamaica Post's new approach to its business mail service - the Corporate Mailroom - is specifically targeted to volume-oriented business mail. In particular, the MegaMail service is proving to be quite useful to the target customer-business operators based on the sustained increase in business mail customers."

Here's one you won't believe unless you read the whole thing. The Herald has reported that "Zimpost has hiked its charges by over 100 percent with effect from January 24, 2007, as operational costs skyrocket in the prevailing highly inflationary environment. The increase comes three months after the last one in October last year. Postage of local letters weighing up to 20g and over 2kg has gone up from $100 and $550 to $400 and $6 000 respectively. Airmail postage rates to African countries have gone up from between $600 and $4 200 to between $1 500 and $28 000 depending on weight. Postage of letters to European destinations has gone up from between $750 and $5 400 to between $2 000 and $46 000. Rates for the rest of the world range from $2 500 to $53 000, up from between $1 000 and $7 300. Rates for surface mail to Africa now range between $1 300 and $14 000, up from between $500 and $3 500. Surface mail to Europe now costs between $1 600 and $15 000, from between $600 and $4 000 previously. Rates for the rest of the world are now between $1 800 and $23 000, up from the $800-$4 800 range. Postage of domestic parcels weighing from 1kg up to 30kg has gone up from between $1 000 and $2 700 to between $5 500 and $25 200. Registration and insurance charge for a postal article registered to any country outside Zimbabwe has gone up from $1 250 to $3 800. For registered local articles, the cost varies depending on value, ranging between $900 and $2 000, up from the $250-$800 range previously."

Postal News for January 28, 2007

MyFox.com has reported that "Today, mobile phones are the primary form of telecommunication in most emerging economies, fulfilling much the same role as fixed-line phone networks did in facilitating growth in the United States and Europe after World War II. Some developing nations have even jumped out in front as mobile pioneers. In the Philippines, more than 4 million people use their cell phones as virtual wallets to buy things or transfer cash -- services still rare in many wealthy countries, with few exceptions like Japan."

According to the Island Gazette, "The UPS Store is your one stop shop for all your business needs from mailbox services and shipping, to color copies and faxing; they are the island’s only business center dedicated entirely to serving your business needs in a cost efficient and timely manner. The UPS Store makes it easy, just email or drop off your printing order and don’t think about it again until it is in your hand; it’s that easy. The UPS Store offers a multi-faceted business center that meets all of your needs; there are even notary services available."

As the Ocala Star-Banner has reported, "The phrase "going postal" entered American slang after a series of shootings by postal workers in the 1980s and 1990s that left more than three dozen people dead. The most recent such incident took place last Jan. 30, when a former postal worker in California opened fire in a mail sorting facility, killing six people before fatally shooting herself. But Goin' Postal Franchise Corp. calls the name one of the company's greatest assets."

According to the Albuquerque Journal, "A meeting addressing postal service in Rio Rancho ended just as it started, with unsatisfied residents."

Postal News for January 27, 2007

According to Multichannel Merchant, "Direct mail is read by 32% more women ages 25-44 than e-mail advertising, according to the Customer Focus 2007 Direct Mail study conducted by Baltimore-based marketing services provider Vertis Communications. Despite the influx of electronically generated advertisements in the past decade, the study shows that 85% of women ages 25-44 read printed direct mail marketing pieces."

The Slovak Spectator has reported that "Slovakia Slovak Telecom ends telegram service Telephone landline operator Slovak Telekom (ST) has cancelled its telegram-services contract with the state-owned Slovenska PoSta (Slovak Post Office), officially putting an end to telegram service in Slovakia. "Slovak Telekom has monitored the efficiency of the telegram service, and based on a steady fall in demand for telegram deliveries, discontinued this service as on January 1, 2007," ST spokesman Jana Burdova told TASR. This particular service has long been unprofitable for ST, bringing the company an annual net loss of tens of millions of crowns for several years in a row."

The Associated Press has reported that "United Parcel Service Inc. (UPS) plans to kick off its centennial-year celebration Friday in eastern New Orleans, where its local hub, flooded after Hurricane Katrina, is seen as a spark of life in a neighborhood slowly returning from the storm."

Here's one from CBS4. "In San Diego on Thursday, special delivery turned into a bit of a rescue at a local post office. Someone sent eight yellow ducklings by priority mail to a woman in San Diego. When workers heard the ducklings inside their box, they called the recipient for permission to open it up in order to get the birds some food and water. It's legal to send animals in the mail, but the U.S. Postal Service suggests overnight express mail."

As the Financial Times has noted, "The traffic on our country road moves at a fairly steady speed, so it wasn't until my sons were seven or eight that they were allowed to collect the mail. When they were finally permitted to make the short walk from the porch to the mailbox, it was a passage that represented not only their growing recognition of the complexities of the world outside the door but also a journey towards identity. The first time they encountered a card in the mailbox addressed to them, they understood that this was a place where news of the world arrived and, better yet, news that arrived with their names on it."

Here's an irony for you. The Postal Service has been pulling the local blue letter collection boxes around the country because it says they aren't need. Instead, it's told customers to simply place mail that needs to be picked up in their street-side collection boxes and raise their red flags. Now, it seems thieves have learned that they can easily pilfer mail from these boxes, so some postal authorities are discouraging using the red flag signal. Well, with nary a blue collection box on the street, exactly how are these people expected to deposit their mail? Tis a puzzlement. By the way, you can now see what a blue collection box looked like by visiting the National Postal Museum.

The Edmunton Sun has reported that "Canada Post is shutting down a west end outlet next month because of lack business, despite annual revenues at that location of around $500,000, according to the postal union."

The Citizen of Laconia has reported that "April 15 is still a ways off but some residents might do well to begin planning now, including making sure they know where and how to obtain copies of the required federal tax forms. This year, the post offices in Laconia will no longer offer any of the IRS forms needed to complete federal income tax returns. Laconia Postmaster Walter "Buddy" Witts made that decision, according to United States Postal Service spokesman Todd Skulnik, for a number of reasons, foremost among them that taxpayers are increasingly getting their forms on-line and then filing them electronically." [Well, heck. If you're gong to stop a convenience service to taxpayers because you believe more of them are getting their form and paying their taxes online, what in blazes makes you think they still need a Postal Service?]

As the Daily Item has noted, "The address changes that occurred over the last year in Snyder County are two-fold, according to Postmaster Mark Wolfberg at the Selinsgrove post office. Using the new addresses will better assist the post office in delivering mail in a timely manner and will also help emergency service personnel in locating callers."

GovExec.com has reported that "Postal Service facilities will be able to purchase energy-saving equipment through a series of new contracts that let utility providers help fund upgrades."

The latest issue of the PostCom Bulletin is available online. In this issue:

• The Direct Mail Coalition is working to explain and clarify postage-taxation issues with members of state legislatures and other groups. As more and more states consider legislation to tax postage, Melanie Hill is working to get the word out. Her group aims to stop the taxation of pass-through postage of mailing services when stated separately from printed material sales.

• Potter reelected as International Postal Corp. vice chairman. National Postal Forum to highlight global business. New Postal Service IG reports posted. Mail Handlers vote to ratify new contract. National Postal Museum names Ganz acting chief curator for philately. UPS named most competitive U.S. retailer.

• French postal strike growing. Royal Mail, postal workers dealing on employee ownership? Big companies abandoning Royal Mail. Czech Post will be a PLC by 2009. Ver Di continues to oppose German postal opening. Turkish Post has a boom year. Correos de Costa Rica continues loss record. India Post to invest in parcel technology. All-freight TGV service found ‘feasible.’ Swiss Post still will get newspaper, magazine subsidies. Private Swiss postal workers get hours reduced. Argentine postal manager nabbed in mail thefts. Union blasts higher pay for German postal workers in Denmark. Gati cuts deal with China Railway Express.

• A list of upcoming postal-related events.

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Postal News for January 26, 2007

USPS DMM Advisory: "We extended the comment period for our December 20, 2006, Federal Register international product and pricing proposal to February 2, 2007. We welcome your feedback and encourage you to comment on our proposal. Send written comments to the Manager of Mailing Standards, U.S. Postal Service, 475 L’Enfant Plaza SW RM 3436, Washington DC 20260-3436. The international changes will become effective when we change our domestic prices in May."

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

Les Echos has reported that "The French post office, La Poste, yesterday began annual salary negotiations with employee representatives ahead of schedule in a bid to ease the disquiet at sorting centres across the country. Management has promised to increase pay before July 1, review the bonus scheme and work on gender equality. Unions are pushing for a minimum net monthly wage of 1,500 euros and a 150 euros-per-month rise across the board."

KOB-TV has reported that "Rio Rancho District Manager Victor Benavides of the US Postal Service got an earful Thursday evening during a public meeting to discuss substandard service in the state’s third largest city."

China Post has reported that "Hong Kong Post has urged residents not to mail cash, with the increasing reports of lost letters containing money. Many Hongkongers like to send red gift envelopes to relatives overseas for the lunar new year. But Hong Kong Post said that it had received 13 reports of lost letters containing money last year, compared with only one such report in 2005. It is not illegal to mail cash in Hong Kong in registered letters, but some destinations, including the Chinese mainland and South Korea, do not allow them.

IMAG will hold an international briefing and update at the National Postal Forum in Washington DC on Tuesday, March 27 at the Renaissance Hotel from 5:30pm to 7:30pm. this time has been selected in order to avoid conflict with forum sessions yet still allow delegates to attend the pcc reception in the same hotel at 8:00 pm. special guests Ruth Goldway, Commissioner, Postal Rate Commission, will address the issue of postal reform and its effects on international rates and classification. Sue Presti, Executive Director, XLA (Express Delivery and Logistics Association) will address the issue of customs security and facilitation.

Postal News for January 25, 2007

The Daily Record has reported that "almost 100 Scots post offices will be spared the axe, Trade Secretary Alistair Darling said last night. Many will still go under changes that will close around 2500 of the UK's 14,000 branches."

Radio New Zealand has reported that "New Zealand Post will decide next week whether to resume deliveries to three Hamilton streets plagued by rising gang tensions."

From the U.S. Postal Service: "Members of the National Postal Mail Handlers Union (NPMHU) have voted to ratify a new five-year contract. The new contract will run through Nov. 20, 2011, and affect approximately 55,000 career U.S. Postal Service employees who are engaged in bulk transfer, loading and unloading of mail."

Dearne Today has reported that "homes and businesses across the Dearne went without mail on Monday as striking postal workers staged their latest 24-hour action. Around 120 staff at the Manvers delivery office in Wath, which deals with post deliveries throughout the Dearne, are taking industrial action following a revision of shifts introduced last year."

The Financial Times has reported that "Royal Mail's loss of big contracts was a "great concern", ministers warned yesterday as they rejected the postal operator's proposal for an employee shares scheme. Alistair Darling, the trade and industry secretary, said Royal Mail's plan to give its 200,000 staff a 20 per cent equity stake would be too costly. "The biggest thing in my mind is the cost of it," he told the Commons trade and industry committee. The legislation needed would also be difficult to get through parliament given that many Labour MPs oppose what they see as a backdoor route to privatisation."

The Guardian has reported that "The government has ruled out giving Royal Mail employees shares in the state-owned company - a rebuff for the chairman, Allan Leighton, who had campaigned hard for the scheme. The trade and industry secretary, Alistair Darling, told a committee of MPs yesterday that he had rejected the idea of handing over 20% of the shares in the company to its 200,000 employees because of the cost and the time it would take to introduce. But he added that his department was in advanced talks with Royal Mail's management over an alternative scheme, which needed to be completed "pretty quickly, for a number of reasons".

AllAfrica.com has reported "In order to remain relevant in the present dispensation, the Nigeria Postal Service (NIPOST) has said it will continue to integrate technology in its operations. NIPOST said in a statement made available to Newsmen in Abuja and signed by the Public Relations Manager, Ms Hussaina Ato, "The integration of Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) will serve as a means of driving necessary transformation forward. We believe that the adoption of technology will not only enhance our operations but will also challenge us to provide services in more innovative ways."

The Age has highlighted "Australia Day honours."

The Daily Telegraph has reported that "Australia Post was standing firm today on a decision to dock workers at a southern Sydney mail centre half a day's pay after a a safety meeting this morning went on too long."

U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman has raised concerns regarding reports that the United States Postal Service (USPS) is considering eliminating 40 positions in the Albuquerque and Rio Rancho service area. The Albuquerque Journal this morning reported that USPS is planning to cut 40 mail sorting positions. In a letter to Postmaster General John Potter, Bingaman today expressed his concerns regarding proposed job reductions, especially in light of continuing complaints over late mail delivery and staffing shortages at local facilities.

The Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum has announced that Cheryl R. Ganz has been named acting chief curator for philately. Ganz is a self-described “lifelong philatelist” with a PhD in history from the University of Illinois at Chicago. She is an author, editor, speaker and international philatelic exhibitor. Her philatelic areas of interest are the United States, Germany, France and Switzerland as well as worldwide airmail and philatelic literature.

Postal News for January 24, 2007

U.S. Postmaster General John E. (Jack) Potter has been re-elected as vice chairman of the International Post Corporation (IPC) Board. The IPC, a cooperative association of 23 national postal operators in Europe, North America and Asia Pacific, accounts for 80 percent of the world’s mail. [From all of us at PostCom: Congratulations, Jack.]

The Mailers Council (http://www.mailers.org) has provided a nice listing of who in Congress is serving on committees and subcommittes with jurisdiction over the Postal Service.

Here's an interesting headline for all you postal geeks: "Postal Pointers: NFM Post Office offers special Valentine’s Day promotion." No, there isn't a post office set up just to handle Not Flats Machinable. It's the post office in North Fort Myers.

Postalnews.com has a link to a story about the USPS and Sarbanes-Oxley. Check it out.

The Suffolk News-Herald has reported that "OSHA fines postal service more than $5,000 for 2006 incident."

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

Last year seems to have been the most successful for the Turkish post PTT in the last 5 years....
The La Poste strike in France is gathering momentum. According to media reports, the strike is going to affect day shifts and locations outside of Paris....
British politicians are beginning to worry about the number of customers abandoning Royal Mail....
"Ceske Posta (CP) will be a different company in two years time." In an inter- view with »Czeck Business« (22.1), the Czech posts press officer Ivo Mravinac confirmed plans to transform the post into a plc by 2008....
The German governments announcement that it is aiming for a complete opening of the mail market from 1 January 2008 is "irresponsible and thought- less", according to Rolf Buttner of German trade union ver.di....
Croatias Hrvatske Poste (HP) has come under public pressure. In an interview with»Croatia Today« (23.1), junior Minister for Transport and HP supervisory board member Drazen Breglec blamed "a combination of diverging interests and insufficient know-how at postal management level" for the lack of modernisation and absence of new technologies so far....
Correos de Costa Rica ended the financial year 2006 with an approx. 447,000 euros deficit....
Bernd Kirsits, managing director of Austrias leading private postal service provider Redmail, has renewed his complaints about the slow pace of postal market liberalisation....
India Post is determined not to abandon its domestic parcel market to com- petitors DHL and DTDC....
Germany is the biggest CEP market in Europe. A study by market research company Datamonitor quoted by trade journal »Deutsche Verkehrs Zeitung DVZ« (16.1) allocates 31% of the market to Germany, ahead of West European markets France, Spain, Sweden and Britain....
Swiss Post NET AG became PostLogistics Innight AG on 1 January....
French express service provider TAT Express had got used to being called Tatex over the years. The company is now going for an official renaming....
Austrias parcel market could be in for a price war....
Not only in the parcel and express market is DHL fighting for a place in the sun, but the company has now extended its effort to the rugby field....

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. (We appreciate this courtesy extended by CEP News to public excerpts  to help whet your appetite for more of  what MRU has to offer.)

According to the North Country Gazette, "The American Civil Liberties Union and the Center for National Security Studies have filed three Freedom of Information Act requests seeking the immediate release of records related to President Bush's asserted authority to search Americans' mail without a warrant. The President claimed this unprecedented authority in a "signing statement" attached to a statute that expressly prohibits opening First Class mail without a warrant."

AMEInfo has reported that "Emirates Post today declared record net profit of Dhs. 161 million for the year 2006, an increase of 19 per cent over the previous year, according to preliminary financial results."

Yesterday, as the Wichita Eagle noted was "National Handwriting Day." You know. The thing you used to do on paper with a pencil or pen.

The Sentinel has reported that "A winter of disputes at Royal Mail is set to end, after the latest bout of strike action was called off.The Communication Workers Union (CWU) has cancelled walkouts planned for today and tomorrow, after it reached a resolution last week."

Postal News for January 23, 2007

The Financial Times has noted that in India "The post office charges as much as 5 per cent for transferring money via money order to a remote village, and the money can take weeks to reach. Western Union may charge less for remitting money from Dubai to a Gujarat village, but neither can compete with the cost that a mobile phone enables. Nor can they compete with its speed (instant transfer), and convenience - since mobile phone companies have agents everywhere who have a store of cash because they are taking it from customers."

The Star-Telegram has reported that "UPS, the world's largest package shipper, has wielded both carrot and stick in its labor relations to build on 17 straight quarters of profit growth."

The following reports have been posted on the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General website. If you have additional questions concerning the report, please contact Agapi Doulaveris at 703.248.2286.

• NL-AR-07-001 - Audit Report - Air Networks - Airport Mail Center Operations - Atlanta http://www.uspsoig.gov/foia_files/NL-AR-07-001.pdf

• FT-AR-07-006 - Audit Report - Internal Controls Over Receipt and Disbursing Activities http://www.uspsoig.gov/foia_files/FT-AR-07-006.pdf

According to the Direct Mail Coalition (on taxation), "Businesses using Mailing Agents in Kentucky, North Carolina (prior to October 2004), New Jersey (after October 2006) and Nevada are at risk because these states did not affirm that postage purchased with fiduciary funds as documented on official U.S. Postage Statements is a non-taxable event."

Maktoob Business has reported that "Empost has expanded its global reach by announcing the opening of a new service to North and South America. With operations in Asia, Africa, Europe and now the Americas, Empost is positioning itself as a leading inter-continental service provider in the industry."

The Rocky Mountain News has reported that "The Postal Service sent a letter of complaint to the Colorado secretary of state's office last week about problems with the envelopes and the voter addresses used for the mail-in ballots in Denver's special election this month."

The BBC has reported that "Early survey responses show post office closures would have a "huge impact" in the Borders, according to a local MP."

The DM Bulletin has reported that "Only 14% of UK marketers are planning to increase their spend on direct mail this year, while 90% are planning to increase their spend on online direct marketing, according to new research from Alterian. The data analysis software company conducts an annual survey of marketing professionals in North America and the UK. This year's survey reveals that direct mail is set to be much more popular in North America than the UK: while 50% of US marketers overall plan to increase their spend on the medium, in the UK only 14% of marketers plan to do so. North American marketers are slightly less keen to increase online spend: overall, 85% of marketers plan to do so compared with 90% in the UK."

The Yakima Herald-Republic has noted that "Yakima keeps its postmark, for now. The Postal Service said today it has ended a study of mail processing in Yakima by concluding that moving some operations to Pasco wouldn't improve service or efficiency."

The Business Standard has reported that "The Netherlands-based TNT is the world’s fourth-largest express delivery group, behind UPS, FedEx and DHL. While its competitors seem more focused on making the most of a globalised economy, TNT’s CEO Peter Bakker believes that 95 per cent of the volumes in express delivery services will be shipped intra-continent."

From UKPRwire: "Over 54 per cent of companies worldwide are in the dark about direct mail they actually send out to clients, customers and prospects over each year. Furthermore, the financial implications of returned mail aren’t understood by 88 per cent of companies, let alone the impact on the environment and hidden costs to their brand reputation. These are the results of a global investigation commissioned by QAS Ltd – developers of QuickAddress software (http://www.qas.co.uk), an Experian® company."

Postal News for January 22, 2007

The American Civil Liberties Union and the Center for National Security Studies today filed three Freedom of Information Act requests seeking the immediate release of records related to President Bush’s asserted authority to search Americans’ mail without a warrant. The president claimed this unprecedented authority in a "signing statement" attached to a statute that expressly prohibits opening First Class mail without a warrant.

Shippers Newswire has reported that "DHL will invest $35 million in Hong Kong, including building a new facility in South Kowloon to increase its ground handling capacity in the country by about 20 percent. The Kowloon South Service Centre is scheduled to open by the second quarter and will raise DHL's ground handling capacity in Hong Kong to 45,500 shipments per day, complimenting the company's two existing ground handling facilities."

On Friday, PostCom President Gene Del Polito met with a delegation from the Beijing Postal Administration of China Post, who had asked him for a two-hour tutorial on the post in America from a customer's perspective. The delegation was headed by the Deputy Director General Ma Zhimin. The group also met with officials from the U.S. Postal Service and the Postal Regulatory Commission.

The Casper Star Tribune has written that "A dog with a reputation for barking at postal carriers has angered an entire Casper neighborhood after the post office recently stopped mail there. Casper Postmaster Susan Gray said the dog on Navarre Road has gone after five different letter carriers on eight separate occasions since 2002, with the most recent incident occurring Jan. 8. "This dog is very aggressive," Gray said. "Five different carriers have said the dog will come down the road to come get them." "Butch has always had a problem with the mailman," said owner Jolene Whittle, who has lived with her husband at their house on Navarre Road for five years. "He got out last Monday and was supposedly chasing the mailman. According to the mailman, Butch tried to attack him." [Just shoot the dog. Butch's "problem" with mailmen will end.]

AllAfrica.com has reported that "Posta Uganda has donated an assortment of items worth Shs2 million to Sanyu Babies Home as part of activities to mark the Pan African Postal Union Day."

Czech Business Weekly has reported that "With the European and Czech market of postal services slated to be fully liberalized by 2009, the Czech state-owned post office Česká pošta (ČP) continues broad remedies to withstand the impact of competition, which is driven by the market to boost services, increase quality and reduce prices. “Within two years, Česká pošta will be a different company,” said Ivo Mravinac, the director of communications with ČP. The ongoing changes are concentrated on two major levels — the internal restructuring of the company and the conversion into joint-stock company."

Newswatch has reported that "The Nigerian Postal Services, NIPOST, is undergoing transformation. Within the first quarter of this year, a number of the post offices are to go on-line so as to be able to fit adequately into an information technology-driven world. Also, to checkmate the various cases of abandoned projects, the parastatal has secured the services of reputable consultants, who are to complete the buildings and put them into viable use on a Build, Operate and Transfer, BOT, basis."

According to the Chattanooga Times Free Press, "At the end of the entrance hallway to the Chattanooga remote encoding center is a sign above a door that reads, "You are now entering the U.S. Postal Service Communication Superhighway." Beyond the door are rows and rows of manned computer terminals, collectively processing 2 million pieces of mail daily. Thousands of images of envelopes flash across the screens each hour, as the center's 700 workers review scanned images of address labels to interpret illegible scrawl, fix improper address formats and handle change-of-address forwarding. "We have shifts around the clock, 24/7," said John McCullom, the center's general manager. The workload is about to get heavier, as the Postal Service shutters encoding centers in Tampa, Fla., and Fayetteville, N.C., in March, leaving fewer centers across the country."

MSNBC has reported that "Pamela Anderson has gone postal over a stamp. The former “Baywatch” babe has written an angry letter to the Postmaster General, blasting KFC’s request to put the bearded image of the founder of the fast-food chain on a stamp. Anderson, a staunch animal-rights activist and a vocal member of PETA, has blasted KFC for its treatment of chickens and has been part of a long-standing campaign on behalf of the feathered critters."

WCCO.com has reported that "A nonprofit plastics maker with the mission of training and employing disabled people has given its executives expensive party perks in recent years, while it planned to layoff workers. About 100 workers at Minnesota Diversified Industries have been affected by layoffs this fall, according to an investigation by the Star Tribune. Many of those workers are disabled people making at or near the minimum wage. De Naray, MDI's chief executive since 2003, said he takes responsibility for the layoffs even though he couldn't control the Postal Service cuts. He had hoped to increase revenue by 2010 and had expanded operations in Grand Rapids in anticipation of growth. But the growth in other accounts didn't make up for the more than $20 million drop in orders from the Postal Service. Now, MDI is likely to report a loss of nearly $3 million for 2006, De Naray said."

Postal News for January 21, 2007

According to The Times, "The introduction of postal voting on demand has undoubtedly made it much easier to fiddle votes. Although intended to encourage active citizenship on the part of immigrant and socially disadvantaged groups, it may have had the opposite effect. A voter is able to opt to vote for life by a postal ballot. As Ann Cryer, the Labour MP for Keighley, pointed out, postal balloting effectively disenfranchises Asian women. They are pressured into permitting the father of the family to fill the ballots for the entire household. Prosecutions are rare because people will not report families or neighbours. The system of postal voting on demand has undoubtedly increased the influence of local party bosses in deprived inner-city areas since it enables them to control dozens or hundreds of postal votes. These local power brokers can be particularly influential in boroughs where there is no overall control. This was the position in Hackney."

Welcome to PostCom Radio Postal Podcast Number 9 Join PostCom President Gene Del Polito and Postal Customer Council Ambassador Extraordinaire Ruthie Ewers in a discussion about Postal Customer Councils, what they are, what they do, what they have to offer. [Editor's note: the audio is not quite as pristine as it should be. We apologize in advance.]

CRM News has reported that "The Indian Department of Post has put forward the proposal to the planning commission recently for consideration in the "11th Five-Year Plan." The plan document highlights the need for India Post to invest in technology so as to provide its customers with high quality services. India Post believes that this will give it an edge over its competitors and help increase its customer base." See also Tech World News.

According to the Associated Press, "Postal workers apparently have no special clout when it comes to being told the check's in the mail. That's the case in this western Kentucky city, where post office employees are still waiting for their Jan. 12 paychecks. They seem to have been lost - in the mail, Postmaster Kristine Fox told the Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer. “Somebody somewhere made a mistake,” she said. “And nobody has 'fessed up yet.”

Ping Wales has reported that "Global shipping company DHL will hold a series of seminars throughout the UK, including one in Cardiff in February, to help businesses get to grips with the new waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) legislation introduced earlier this month. The law makes businesses accountable for the safe treatment of disused electrical products and appliances. It also requires that by 15 March 2007, businesses register with an approved compliance scheme and provide information on the weight of products put on the market."

Logistics Business Review has noted that "Global delivery giant United Postal Services (UPS) may cancel its order for 10 cargo versions of Airbus' super jumbo A380, just months after rival parcel group FedEx Corporation canceled an order with the group, Les Echos newspaper has reported."

Zawya has reported that "EmpostEmpostEmirates Corporation for Commercial Postal Services News | Profile | Officers , the UAE's national courier company has recently signed a cooperative agreement with the Jordanian Consulate in Dubai to provide delivery of consular documents, passports and travel documents to the consulate's clients through EmpostEmpostEmirates Corporation for Commercial Postal Services News | Profile | Officers 's "Jawaz" service. The agreement was signed by H.E. Naef Al Zaidan, Jordanian Consul in Dubai, and Sultan Al Midfa, CEO EmpostEmpostEmirates Corporation for Commercial Postal Services News | Profile | Officers . Jawaz Services is optional and can be requested while submitting Visa applications. EmpostEmpostEmirates Corporation for Commercial Postal Services News | Profile | Officers has set up counters at the Embassy and the Consulate, to enable clients to avail the service without hassle."

The Arab News has reported that "The Saudi Post has established the biggest e-portal in the Kingdom on the World Wide Web in order to provide information about the post service to the public. The portal includes e-commerce and a list of the post products and services that are offered for sale. The site also has the facility to accept online payment and gives the customer the choice of packaging and monitoring his mail from the moment of shipment to the time of arrival."

According to the Grand Junction Sentinel, "Picking up the mail is a daily chore for Mesa resident Judy Galloway. She must drive five miles from her home in the hills to the corner of KE Road and Colorado Highway 65 to access her post office box. “It takes time out of my day to come down and get it, and if there is an object or a package they can’t fit in my box, I have to come back down,” she said. For eight-and-a-half years she has managed, but it is time for a change, she said. Galloway is asking the residents of Mesa to sign a petition to have the U.S. Postal Service deliver the mail. If enough people sign the petition, the Area 4 District Office for the Postal Service will review the request and decide whether there are enough customers to warrant home delivery. “There may be only a few people that do want it,” Galloway said. “I was just trying to get the word out if there was interest.”

According to ThisIsMoney, "Royal Mail has 'lost' 2.bn business letters - one in eight - to private competition in the past 12 months, Financial Mail can reveal. The haemorrhage is accelerating as private postal companies cherry-pick Royal Mail's biggest business customers."

Gulf Times has reported that "the primary mission of the Universal Postal Union (UPU), the apex body of postal corporations, is to facilitate methods to ensure international mail exchanges among member countries, said Q-Post chairman and chief executive Ali Mohamed al-Ali. Al-Ali was clarifying a report that appeared on December 26, which he said, had given way to some misunderstanding and misinterpretation among readers on the UPU’s stance on cutting post office overheads. “The UPU provides information on possible models that could be adopted in the postal system of each country,” he said in a statement to the Gulf Times. “It is up to the governments of each member country to decide on the postal model that is most appropriate to the postal requirements of the operator concerned.”

Union Network International has reported that "Prior to the meeting of the EU Council of Ministers next week, Rolf Büttner, UNI Postal Europa President, John Pedersen, Head of UNI Postal Europa, and a delegation from ver.di, Germany, met with the Secretary of State, Dr. Bernd Pfaffenbach (Postal Ministry - Ministry of "Wirtschaft und Technologie") on 17 January 2007 in Berlin to discuss EU postal regulation and,in particular, the EU Commission's proposal for a full opening of postal services to competition as of 1.1.2009. Dr. Pfaffenbach made clear that the German presidency is in support of the EU Commission's proposal and will use the presidency to push for a decision a the end of their period that will confirm the EU Commission's proposal. He emphasised that this is the German position and that this position is not shared by everyone in Europe."

Postal News for January 20, 2007

The latest issue of the PostCom Bulletin is available online. In this issue:

• The U.S. Postal Service said in its 2006 Annual Progress Report that overall growth in Standard Mail and Priority Mail volume was the key driver in helping the Postal Service to exceed its revenue plan in Fiscal Year 2006. Revenue growth exceeded plan despite a slight decline in First-Class Mail volume....

• On January 17, the U. S. Postal Service published in the Federal Register a second round of proposed implementation rules to take effect with the R2006-1 rate case changes. Comments are due to the USPS on January 31, 2007 – two weeks after the rules were published. PostCom urges all members to review the proposed changes and submit comments to the USPS as quickly as possible....

• USPS, APWU to let retired employees perform retail services. APWU ratifies four-year labor contact. Plunkett to serve on MTAC leadership committee. USPS selects ConEd to provide efficient energy. FedEx Kinko’s adds new services. UPS cancels aircraft order....

• Royal Mail hit hard by BT loss. La Poste to install video displays in post offices.

• A list of upcoming postal-related events.

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Postal News for January 19, 2007

When you come to the National Postal Forum (and you are coming to the Forum, aren't you), be sure to catch Going Global! a Special Officer's Session Starring Paul Vogel Managing Director, Global Business, & Sr., Vice President.

Here's a really nice piece by Bill McAllister for Linn's News regarding Wilson Hulme, the recently deceased philatelic curator from the National Postal Museum.

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

The Express and Star has reported that "Strikes planned by postal workers across Staffordshire today and tomorrow have been called off. The Royal Mail today said the actions planned across the ST postcode area had been stopped following productive talks with the Communication Workers’ Union."

The Transport News Network has reported that "The Amtrak Express Parcels (U.K.) business has moved into new ownership following events over last week when the company, Amtrak Express Parcels Limited was placed into administration....“Amtrak’s move into the home delivery market in recent years is a strategy that will be progressed. It is after all driven by the demands of Amtrak’s customers who themselves want to gain a competitive edge in their respective markets” commented Managing Director Alan Jones."

AVWeb has reported that "An anti-missile system is being tested aboard a FedEx MD-10 during its regular cargo flights, Northrop Grumman said this week. The airplane launched on Tuesday from Los Angeles International Airport with the Guardian system installed, starting the operational test and evaluation portion of the program, which is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The tests will continue through March 2008. The Guardian system uses proven military technology to defend against shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles, Northrop Grumman said. The system detects an approaching missile and directs a non-visible, eye-safe laser toward it to disrupt its guidance signals."

The Jakarta Post has reported that "State-owned postal firm PT Pos Indonesia entered into a cooperation agreement Thursday with PT Gading Sari Indonesia, the local subsidiary of a Malaysian logistics firm, for the purpose of boosting PT Pos's logistics business."

DM News has reported that "Two new products as well as enhancements to existing services aimed at business customers and large-volume mailers in Britain will debut April 2, according to Royal Mail. The enhancements are part of the changes to postage prices that take effect next year as a result of the four-year price control set by postal regulator Postcomm in March 2006. “Now that the UK mail market is open to full competition, it is essential that Royal Mail tailors its products more closely to its customers’ needs,” said Lorna Clarkson, Royal Mail director of commercial policy and pricing. “We have developed these new products to appeal to government, financial services and medium-sized business customers to make communication with their customers easier, flexible and competitively priced.”

The State wants to know: "Has UPS gone postal? The carrier is using the Postal Service’s “Such Great Heights” to promote international shipping, among other things. For those who don’t know, the Postal Service is a band featuring lap-pop producer Dntel (Jimmy Tamborello) and Death Cab For Cutie’s Ben Gibbard. The duo joined forces for 2003’s “Give Up.” They named the band Postal Service because they collaborated through the mail. (Get it?) The U.S. Postal Service sent a cease-and-desist letter to the band’s label, Sub Pop, but the argument never reached court. The Postal Service even performed at a conference for USPS executives. This also was supposed to lead to a cross-promotion campaign. Is this an indication that UPS does move faster than the USPS? Or is this something more?"

Transport Intelligence has reported that "DHL and the World Economic Forum (WEF) have announced that DHL's new carbon neutral shipping service GOGREEN will help the World Economic Forum to realise its Carbon Neutral promise for Davos. DHL GOGREEN is a value-added service that offsets the CO 2 emissions caused by the transportation with carbon dioxide reduction projects ranging from alternative vehicle technologies to renewable fuels."

The January 18, 2007 issue of eView, the official bulletin of the National Association of Major Mail Users (Canada) has been posted on this site. Our thanks to NAMMU for the courtesy. If you're a Canadian mailer, or if you mail regularly into Canada, this is a group to which you should belong.

Postal News for January 18, 2007

From the U.S. Postal Service: "Regarding additions to the USPS MTAC Leadership Committee Mike Plunkett, Acting Vice President, Pricing and Classification, will join Tony Pajunas, USPS VP Network Operations, as co-sponsor for any MTAC Work Groups within the focus area of Optimization of Preparation and Entry. Mike will replace Steve Kearney while he is on special assignment."

A copy of the comments submitted by the International Mailers’ Advisory Group (“IMAG”) on the Postal Service’s Proposed Rule concerning International Product and Pricing Initiatives, published in the Federal Register on December 20, 2006 (71 Fed. Reg. 76230) has been posted on the IMAG web site.

Wanna work at the PRC? Then check this out.

WCBS News has reported that "Staten Island residents Peter and Pat Clark have been living in the same house for well over a decade, but tell that to the Post Office, who changed the couple's address without telling them, leading to what could have been a very expensive mix-up with the mail."

According to the Austin American-Statesman, "Most of Austin didn't get its mail Tuesday, and it wasn't so much the rain, nor the sleet, nor the gloom of night that was responsible — it was the ice."

Lynn News has reported that "the temporary closure of Lynn's main post office for an afternoon last week has been described as proof of the Government's "folly" in thinking it can do without smaller sub post offices."

According to Ananova, "Britain's electoral system has been made "much more vulnerable to fraud" by the introduction of postal voting on demand, Westminster's standards watchdog is set to warn."

The Economic Times has reported that "John Samuel, general manager, business development & marketing directorate, Department of Post (DoP), believes that the time has come for India Post to take the DHLs, Blue Darts and DTDCs of the express mail industry head on. And he banks on technology investments to turn the tables in India Post’s favour in this battle. The postal department is investing Rs 1,400 crore in technologies such as RFID, web-based customer response systems, and even mobile phones for the postman."

Postal News for January 17, 2007

Seeking Alpha has reported that "Netflix (NFLX) plans to spend $40 million this year to build out its digital movie-rental business. That's on top of the $5 to $10 million spent last year."  Why? Well, according to the CEO: "In aggregate, we're looking at a $300 million postal bill. As we switch to an online format, that's savings that we can recognize."

From PR Newswire: "With only four months to go until the most significant overhaul of postage rates in years, four out of five executives are unprepared for proposed price and rules changes that are destined to have a large impact on their business operations and marketing strategies. A recent survey of more than 500 business executives nationwide indicated that 79% of respondents are unaware of the forecast changes in postal rates and regulations. This widespread lack of knowledge about an important business event cuts across all organizational sizes and all regions of the country. The proposed overall 8.4 percent rate increase would bring the full cost of first class postage up to 42 cents from the current 39 cents, but that is only the most visible effect of sweeping changes to the 4,400 different postal rates now under consideration by the U.S. Postal Regulatory Commission. Other proposed major changes include the introduction of shape-based pricing and, in a related development, new rules for address quality that will take effect as early as this summer."

From the U.S. Postal Service: "The following additions have been made to the USPS MTAC Leadership Committee: Megan Brennan, USPS Area VP for the Eastern Area, will replace Al Lazaroff on the MTAC USPS Leadership Committee now that Al has become the new Chief Postal Inspector. Linda Kingsley, USPS VP, Strategic Planning, will join Bill Galligan, USPS SVP Operations, as co-sponsor for any MTAC Work Groups within the focus area of Service Measurement and Improvement. Linda replaces Nick Barranca (note: Nick remains as a co-sponsor in the Address Accuracy focus area). All other MTAC Leadership Committee members remain in their current roles."

From the Federal Register: "On September 27, 2006, the Postal Service published a proposal in the Federal Register (71 FR 56587) providing new mailing standards to accompany the R2006-1 price change proposal currently before the Postal Rate Commission. In this revised proposal we respond to the comments we received, summarize our changes, and further revise the mailing standards. We must receive your comments on or before January 31, 2007. Mail or deliver written comments to the Manager, Mailing Standards, U.S. Postal Service, 475 L'Enfant Plaza SW., Room 3436, Washington, DC 20260-3436. You may inspect and photocopy all written comments at USPS Headquarters Library, 475 L'Enfant Plaza SW., 11th Floor N, Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.  See also the DMM Advisory.

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

In an interview with French daily »Le Monde (15.01), the French Minister for Trade and Industry Francois Loos specified his views on postal liberalisation. The minister said he and his country were particularly dedicated to the universal service and would definitely fight for its preservation, especially the concept of uniform pricing, equal access to postal services throughout the territory and mail delivery on 6 days a week....
A compromise could be on the cards after negotiations between Royal Mail and the British government concerning employee participation....
Schweizerische Post will continue to receive subsidies from the government in order to maintain its reasonably priced delivery system for newspaper and magazine subscriptions....
The second round of conflict between German firm Jurex and Deutsche Post (DPAG) has begun. The private postal service operator is no longer entitled to claim that Deutsche Post has embarked on predatory competition, that certain prices hold uncertainties for custo- mers and that the post is using unlawful tariffs....
The visual displays used in tube stations and on buses are soon to be intro- duced by Frances La Poste. By the end of this year, the French post is planning to equip 2,500 of its branches with screens on which customers can find information related to the weather, traffic and leisure....
Switzerland's regulatory authority PostReg has again succeeded in forcing a private licensee to reduce working hours for its staff....
Royal Mail has lost several big customers within a few weeks....
La Poste workers in France continue their strike for better night shift pay....
Poste Italiane recently had to learn that good ideas can be misused.,,,
In Denmark, conflict has erupted over special pay rates for German post- men....
The TNT Group restructured its express division and created new responsi- bilities at the beginning of this year. TNT Express now consists of six Business Units (BU), in addition to the central functions located at company headquarters. The Business Units are UK/Ireland, Americas - Middle East - Africa, China, Australia & New Zealand, In- ternational and the newly created BU Western Europe, which bundles express activities in Germany, Benelux, France and Italy....
Correo Argentinos (CORASA) battle against financial problems has not been a secret since the mid-1990s. Last week, various media reports highlighted embarras- sing aspects of the companys present situation....

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.

According to the Baltimore Examiner, "T axpayers across the United States might have to dole out $100 million to postal police for overtime they never worked, thanks to a decision by a federal arbitrator in Baltimore. Everything about the case is ridiculous, including the decision. A union representative said earlier this month the back pay for Baltimore postal police will be about $2.6 million."

WTOP has reported that "As the 2006 tax season approaches, the federal government is still trying to recover nearly $3 billion from its own employees who failed to file income tax returns for 2005. More than 450,000 active and retired federal employees did not voluntarily comply with federal income tax requirements for the 2005 tax year. The federal agency with the highest number of delinquent taxpayers is the United States Postal Service, where 56,652 employees owe more than $320 million. So far, about 22,000 of those employees have agreed to a payment plan."

From M2 Presswire: "International and business-to-consumer (B2C) parcels delivery volumes will be the fastest growth sectors of Europe's parcels and delivery market over the coming five years, reveals a new report by independent market analyst, Datamonitor (DTM.L). The report 'European Express MarketMap' predicts Europe's parcels delivery services will be a Euro 41 billion business by 2010 - a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of almost 4% on 2005's value."

Dow Jones has reported that "Dutch postal and express company TNT NV (TNT) Tuesday said its TNT Post unit was awarded a contract to handle around 170 million items mail for Centrica PLC, supplier of energy in the United Kingdom. The 2 year contract is estimated to be worth over EUR35 million annually, TNT said." See also the Financial Times.

PostalReporter.com has reported that "According to APWU President William Burrus in the Jan./Feb.2007 issue of the “American Postal Worker” Magazine: Perhaps the most innovative aspect of the agreement is the memorandum committing the parties to develop rules and procedures for the employment of retired postal employees to perform retail services. These employees will be hired by and paid by the American Postal Workers Union, and contracted to the Postal Service. If successful this program will present an opportunity to expand retail services to locations where it is not cost-effective to open a full-service facility."

The Rochester Democrat & Chronicle has reported that "USAirports officials said today that the Rochester-based company has been awarded a $24 million contract by the U.S. Postal Service to manage a mail terminal at Newark International Airport in New Jersey. The company will assume mail handling at the site beginning March 19."

Postal News for January 16, 2007

As the New York Times has noted, "Netflix is introducing a service to deliver movies and television shows directly to users’ PCs, not as downloads but as streaming video, which is not retained in computer memory. The service, which is free to Netflix subscribers, is meant to give the company a toehold in the embryonic world of Internet movie distribution."

Washington Technology has an article lauding the Postal Service's help desk.

From the U.S. Postal Service: "Members of the American Postal Workers Union (APWU), the largest of the U.S. Postal Service unions, have voted to ratify a new four-year contract. The new contract will run through Nov. 20, 2010, and affect approximately 272,000 career employees in the Clerk, Maintenance and Motor Vehicle crafts."

From PR Newswire: "Oce Business Services, Inc. announced today that it has increased its participation in the United States Postal Service's (USPS) Mailpiece Quality Control (MQC) training and certification program to enable clients to reduce postal costs and improve delivery. With a goal to have over 90 percent of its field personnel and management staff certified, Oce Business Services already has trained 88 percent of its senior level managers."

As the Washington Post has noted, "Declining circulation and advertising revenue are chasing newspapers out of the longtime hands of family and Wall Street shareholders and into the arms of the trendiest owners in the industry: private-equity firms. That unsettles some, who fear that private equity's focus on short-term gain will lead to more cuts and quality reductions in an already shaky industry."

The Ottawa Business Journal has reported that "Ottawa-based In-Touch Survey Systems Ltd. has signed a three-year contract to provide its research services to Canada Post. In-Touch will be providing the national postal service with tools to review, analyze and improve upon customer service and selling skills performance at Canada Post's 6,800 post office locations across the country."

Al Bawaba has reported that "Empost, the United Arab Emirate’s national courier company, has announced that it has recently signed an agreement with the Department of Emigration-Al-Ain to deliver entry permits, in addition to residency documents, through its Jawaz service. The move is expected to enhance and accelerate vital transactions between the Department and local residents and visitors."

Postal News for January 15, 2007

If you check the PostInsight web site, you'll find the:

• ARCEP Report on Postal Activities (ARCEP is the Frence postal and telecommunications regulator.)

• Winterberry Study Results: Direct Mail Spending Surges 7.5 per cent in 2006

• The New Reality of Direct Mail

ThisIsMoney has reported that "Royal Mail was left reeling today after it lost BT, one of its largest customers - its biggest contract loss since the liberalisation of the postal market. In a shock announcement, BT today said it was stripping the Royal Mail of its contract to deliver its post and put it in the hands of Dutch postal group TNT. The loss of the contract is a big blow for Royal Mail, which has been losing other major customers such as banks and mobile phone companies to the likes of TNT and Business Post." See also Reuters.

The Telegraph has reported that "A multi-billion-pound funding package for the cash-strapped Royal Mail is likely to be paid out next month - eight months after it was agreed with ministers. The trigger for the payment of the £3bn deal has been the agreement in principle of a share plan for employees of Royal Mail. The new plan is a compromise between the Royal Mail's plan for actual shares to be given to staff and a more straightforward profit-sharing scheme advocated by the Communication Workers' Union (CWU). Under the deal, Royal Mail workers are likely to be issued with "phantom shares" which will track the value of the business and allow staff to share in its value. The hope is that approximately 200,000 Royal Mail workers could be left with phantom shares worth £5,000 after five years."

According to the Ottawa Citizen, "The march of technology has claimed another victim. Starting now, the residential phone directory will be distributed only once every two years in Ottawa and three other major markets across the country. The trusty white pages have been an institution in Canadian homes for generations, allowing people to quickly look up the nearest pizza place or the number of an acquaintance. However, with newer methods for finding phone numbers, Canadians are consulting the book less and less."

MoneyControl.com has reported that "‘Gramin Suvidha Kendra’ (GSK), a joint initiative of India Post and MCX has been setup in Itarsi, Madhya Pradesh. Through this unique partnership, MCX (including its associates and stakeholders) aims to cater to the market information, warehousing, advisory, and agri-input needs of the farmers through the wide-spread India Post network (over 155,000) across the country. The services offered through this alliance would make it possible for farmers to seek expert advice on farming problems, to get better market price for their produce, better warehousing, financing against warehouse receipts, quality testing and grading facilities, in addition to providing a host of other services."

Rediff.com has reported that "The Indian express industry is set for sizzling growth, despite rising usage of facilities like short messaging services or multimedia message services. If anything, several large-sized corporates and multinational express players are keen on acquiring controlling stake in some of established Indian courier companies. The reason: India's express industry is expected to register a growth of at least 20 per cent per annum during the next five years and more than double its size by 2012, according to a study by rating agency Credit Analysis & Research."

Postal News for January 14, 2007

Folio magazine has reported that "With a postal rate increase imminent, the publishing industry’s two biggest associations and its largest consumer magazine publisher are debating over which proposed increase would least impact periodicals. The U.S. Postal Service in May proposed a system-wide postal rate increase of 8.5 percent, with magazines looking at an average 11.4 percent jump in rates. While American Business Media wishes the increase was lower, it supports the postal service's proposed rate structure over alternative rate case proposals made by Magazine Publishers of America and Time Inc., David Straus, postal counsel for ABM, said this week."

According to UK Fundraising, "Royal Mail Group employees have raised over £250,000 for Help the Hospices, triggering a £250,000 match-funding donation from Royal Mail Group, as part of the organisation’s three-year partnership with the national charity for the hospice movement."

Maktoob Business has reported that "Empost, the UAE’s national courier company, has announced the introduction of a new “Bulk Shipment Service” starting January 15, 2007. Empost is following its strategy in introducing new services to adapt with the fast moving world; the service will allow customers to deliver bulk shipments all over the UAE at the cost of AED 7 up to five kg package." See also AMEInfo.

Postal News for January 13, 2007

The New York Times has reported that "Wilson Hulme, an energetic promoter of the stamp collecting hobby and philatelic curator of the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum in Washington, died on Wednesday in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. He was 60. The cause was a heart attack, said Allison Gallaway, a spokeswoman for the museum.

The Telegraph has reported that "The Government has told the Royal Mail that it will not accept the state-owned company's plan to give a fifth of its shares to its employees. Royal Mail had seen the share scheme as part of its plan to incentivise staff The share transfer was strongly opposed by the postal workers union, the CWU, and left-wing Labour MPs who feared it might be a back-door privatisation of the business. The news will be a set back for the Royal Mail which had seen a new share scheme as part of its plan to incentivise staff as moves to put the business on a firm financial footing continue. Whitehall sources said that agreeing a share scheme was a step too far for ministers because it would have broken a Labour manifesto commitment, as well as needing Parliamentary approval."

Postal News for January 12, 2007

The latest issue of the PostCom Bulletin is available online. In this issue:

• The USPS Board of Governors this week received an excellent education about the Postal Service’s vision of using intelligent barcodes on business mail. USPS executives Gary Reblin and Pritha Mehra explained how the Postal Service will use the barcodes to provide seamless acceptance and verification, end-to-end visibility and continuous mail tracking, as well as real-time feedback to customers.

• The price of the breast cancer research stamp will increase 10 cents this spring to sell for 55 cents when the new postage rates take effect.

• There have been a lot of opinions expressed about President Bush’s ‘signing statement’ attached to the postal reform legislation last month. Although the White House denies any change in policy, many observers say Bush’s action could lead the way for the government to open mail without a warrant.

• The editor of the PostCom Bulletin got an earful from Australia Post’s Matt Pollard in this letter about allegations of mail delivery failures Down Under.

• Governors take care of business at first 2007 meeting. Workgroup issues final recommendations on address placement for flats. New polywrap rules for flats take effect March 4.

• TNT expects great growth in Brazil. Spain’s Correos increases prices. British survey finds Royal Mail less satisfying than Post Office.

• Rincon Solutions joins PostCom.  

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The 15th Conference on Postal and Delivery Economics will be held on May 30 – June 2, 2007 at Semmering, Austria. The Conference is presented by Center For Research In Regulated Industries, Rutgers Business School – Newark and New Brunswick. For further information, contact: crri@andromeda.rutgers.edu

The Atlanta Business Chronicle has reported that "The UPS Store has the biggest competitive advantage among retailers in the United States this year, according to a new study released by the NRF Foundation, the research and education arm of the National Retail Federation."

The following reports have been posted on the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General website. If you have additional questions concerning the report, please contact Agapi Doulaveris at 703.248.2286.

• FT-AR-07-003 - Transmittal of Audit Report - Postal Service Board of Governors' Travel and Miscellaneous Expenses for Fiscal Year 2006, dated 12/5/2006. http://www.uspsoig.gov/FOIA_files/FT-AR-07-003.pdf

• FT-AR-07-004 - Audit Report - Fiscal Year 2006 Postal Service Financial Statements Audit - Washington, D.C., Headquarters, dated 12/7/2006. http://www.uspsoig.gov/FOIA_files/FT-AR-07-004.pdf

• HM-AR-07-001 - Transmittal Letter - Postal Service's Schedule Awards program in the New York Metro Area - Report II, dated 12/13/2006. http://www.uspsoig.gov/FOIA_files/HM-AR-07-001.pdf

From PR Newswire: "Harris Corporation , an international communications and information technology company, has added Adecco Technical Services to its team to pursue a $200 million-plus contract with the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) engineering organization in Merrifield, Virginia. Harris and Adecco, both with extensive experience supporting the USPS and its engineering organization, have teamed for the pursuit of the technical engineering and quality assurance support contract, which is expected to be awarded in March 2007."

The Times of Malta has reported that "An independent survey has shown that 94 per cent of letters posted in Malta to an address in Malta or Gozo last November were delivered on the next day, three per cent were delivered after two days and three per cent after three days, Public Investments Minister Austin Gatt said. He said the quality of service by Maltapost was surveyed every month by an independent consultant approved by the Malta Communications Authority."

Transport News Network has reported that "NetDespatch has developed a groundbreaking home delivery management system for TNT Post. Using the latest web technology, it is the first complete end-to-end solution for doorstep deliveries and will underpin TNT Post services."

Suddeutsche Zeitung has reported that "Deutsche Post, the German postal service operator, has been facing criticism from DPVKom, the trade union representing employees, largely civil servants, in the communications sector, for alleged close relations with rival union Ver.di, which represents employees in the services sector. Deutsche Post has said that the claims by DPVKom regarding the postal service operator are largely false, that the union has no valid knowledge of the company's internal processes and cannot therefore pass an overall judgement."

The Financial Times has reported that "Ministers are likely to approve plans that would give tens of thousands of Royal Mail workers "phantom shares" in the company, linking their pay to the state-owned postal operator's performance. The plan, the details of which have yet to be agreed by Alistair Darling, trade and industry secretary, and Allan Leighton, Royal Mail chairman, could lead to its employees being handed up to £5,000 each in the shares over five years." See also the BBC.

Union Network International has reported that "Unions from three continents meeting in Leipzig, Germany agreed to work more closely together in organising employees across the global logistics giant DHL. The DHL Airport Conference was organised by German affiliate ver.di and involved both UNI global union and the International Transport Workers Federation."

From the Washington Post: The Rev. Edward V. "Pete" Dorsey, 82, an Episcopal priest who helped deliver the mail for many years before he began delivering God's word from a pulpit, died of renal failure Jan. 5 at Peninsula Medical Center in Salisbury. He had been hospitalized in recent weeks for knee replacement surgery. "Father Pete," rector of Grace Episcopal Church near Princess Anne, on Maryland's Eastern Shore, was an Upper Marlboro native. He entered the ministry in 1984, after retiring from his position as an assistant postmaster general in 1979.

The Helena Independent Record has offered "Thumbs up to the U.S. Postal Service’s decision to abandon the idea of moving mail sorting from Helena to Great Falls. Thumbs up also to Sen. Max Baucus and postal union officials, who pressured the agency to drop the plan. The change would have moved jobs to Great Falls and caused service in the Helena area to deteriorate." See also the Billings Gazette and the Great Falls Tribune.

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

Postal News for January 11, 2007

The presentation given at the U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors meeting on intelligent mail has been posted on this site.

From the U.S. Postal Service: "The U.S. Postal Service has achieved remarkable results and is better prepared than ever to help ensure a prosperous future for mail, according to a progress report on the organization’s transformation efforts. The 2006 Annual Progress Report examines progress made on key strategies identified in the Strategic Transformation Plan, 2006-2010."

Welcome to PostCom Radio Postal Podcast Number 8 Join PostCom President Gene Del Polito, Quad/Graphics Postal Affairs Director Joe Schick and Quad/Graphics Transportation Manager Phil Thompson in a discussion of  the Postal Service's Flats Sequence Sorting system and its impact on the USPS' Evolutionary Network Development and its effects on business mailing customers.

As the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post have  noted, it's a changing world:

• Television once was a coveted partner of newspapers. Executives talked of synergy between the two media, with newspaper reporters broadcasting their expertise on television, and TV stations providing a wider reach for the print brand. Even though TV stations still are profitable, they no longer enjoy the dominance they did in days before cable and the Internet. And in many places, the newspaper and television cultures never meshed. What happened to spoil the newspaper-television marriage? Mostly, the YouTube and MySpace interlopers.

• The nation's three largest newspaper publishers are gearing up to sell advertising jointly on their newspapers' Web sites, believing their survival depends on seizing new online revenue. The venture is designed to help the chains tackle a vexing problem: They have long had trouble attracting national advertisers. Circulation is declining at major papers across the country as readers increasingly find news online and elsewhere.

As the Pocono Record has noted, "Free help is available today if you want to sell stuff on eBay but have no idea how to get started. The numbers, by the way, are staggering. More than 2 million items are listed on eBay worldwide on a daily basis. That translates into about a million items a day that need to move between buyer and seller — which is why the U.S. Postal Service is holding "eBay Days" across the country."

The Financial Times has reported that "Retail executive Paula Vennells is joining the Post Office executive team as network director, a newly created role, which has been set up following the retirement of Dave Miller as chief operating officer last year. That position will no longer exist. The appointment comes at a challenging time as the future of the Post Office network is currently under review, with the government offering £1.7bn of subsidy over the next five years in return for closure of 2,500 of the 14,300 branches."

SecurityPark.net has reported that "The need to protect people from postal terrorist attack has demanded ever more accurate and reliable detection systems. Colortrace® III, with its EPD® (Enhanced Powder Detection) and advanced analysis functions, has attracted many companies to adopt this equipment as a basic standard for their post rooms."

According to Dow Jones, "Japan Post Corp. may list the stocks of its planned banking and insurance units in late 2009."

In a piece published in DM News, Eric Schmitt wrote:

The question on the table is simple: What’s in store for direct mail in 2007? My now waffle-free answer is equally simple: less volume. Maybe a lot less. All the evidence I’ve seen and heard in the last few months suggests that a significant number of marketers will reduce their direct mail volume in 2007. The marketers I’m hearing this from don’t work for small businesses. They represent some of the largest mailers in the country. There is a growing sentiment among these large direct marketing shops that mail is losing its effectiveness.

To see why, let’s look at that industry bellwether: credit card solicitations. By my estimate (derived from industry sources and Synovate data), the benchmark response rate for the roughly 500 million U.S. credit card solicitations that go out every month now stands at less than one quarter of 1 percent. That’s down nearly 40 percent from where it was 18 months ago (again my estimate). Not a happy trend for the marketers, or anyone else in the mail value chain. From a cost of acquisition perspective, the numbers get even worse. Assuming a fully loaded cost of $0.33/piece and a 0.25 percent response rate, we’re talking about a $132 cost per acquisition. Ouch.

I’ve also heard from retailers planning to cut catalog pages and/or circulation next year. Some are freeing up more money for Internet marketing. Others are responding to more general pain. One famous direct marketer has a mail operation which is performing so badly that it’s reevaluating the merit of a catalog altogether. The leaders there aren’t pointing the finger at bad creative. They suspect the issue might be a systemic decline in the value of the medium.

PostCom Members: The latest issue of PostCom's Postal Operations Update has been posted on this site. In this issue: News on the flats address placement workgroup issues final report;why standardize address placement on flats; new polywrap test procedures; new polywrap rules for flats that take effect march 4, 2007. Not yet a PostCom member? Then don't cry the blues when you're caught flat-footed without sufficient postal information. Ask about joining.

Senator Susan Collins has introduced a bipartisan resolution reaffirming that both federal law and the Constitution protect sealed domestic mail from being searched. The resolution is in response to a signing statement that the White House issued in conjunction with the signing of the Collins/Carper postal reform legislation. In a speech before the U.S. Senate, Senator Collins explained that following the singing of the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act, the White House issued a statement that resulted in confusion about the Administration’s commitment to abide by the basic privacy protections afforded sealed domestic mail.

Thanks to John Miccoci of the USPS, we can share this information: Here's the lineup of our Financial Services Appropriations Subcommittee: Chairman-Richard Durbin, Ranking Minority Member- Sam Brownback, Patty Murray, Kit Bond, Mary Landrieu, Richard Shelby, Frank Lautenberg, Wayne Allard, Ben Nelson.

The U.S. Postal Service’s global business organization is poised to be a major player in the international postal arena. Paul Vogel, senior vice president and managing director of the newly reorganized unit, emphasized this in a recent interview with DM News.

The Newry Democrat has reported that "the Government has released a consultation paper entitled 'The Post Office Network' following its announcement to reduce the number of post offices across the whole network. Among the issues outlined in the consultation document aimed at closing a maximum of 2,500 post offices across the whole network is the future funding and structural arrangements for both urban and rural areas."

Postal News for January 10, 2007

From the U.S. Postal Service:

• The U.S. Postal Service® today presented its new vision to revolutionize business mail by using standardized intelligent barcodes, continuous mail tracking, and real-time feedback to business customers. These services, referred to as Intelligent Mail®, will be fully operational for all commercial mailers by 2009. “Intelligent Mail is like having a GPS system for mail,” said Postmaster General and Chief Executive Officer John E. Potter during the January Board of Governors meeting where the vision was presented. See also Federal Computer Week.

• The U.S. Postal Service™ Board of Governors today authorized the purchase of 5,856 new carrier route vehicles. The vehicles will replace existing Postal Service-owned right-hand drive (RHD) vehicles used on city routes that will then be redeployed to rural routes. The purchase will conclude a three-part acquisition plan to provide 15,000 Postal Service-owned RHD vehicles to rural routes, a result of an interest arbitration decision involving the National Rural Letter Carriers’ Association.

The Business Standard has reported that "Chandamama, the popular children’s magazine, is tying up with post offices in the Visakhapatnam region in a bid to expand its reach. Addressing the media, B Viswanatha Reddy, editor and publisher, Chandamama, said the tie up with post offices would initially be launched in the Visakhapatnam region, where 18 head post offices would sell individual copies of the magazine as well as accept annual subscriptions through the retail post scheme."

Dutch postal and express company TNT NV expects to outpace the growth of the Brazilian express market following the acquisition of Expresso Mercurio SA, TNT board member Marie-Christine Lombard, who oversees TNT's Express unit, said in an interview with Dow Jones Newswires Wednesday.

Inside Bay Area has reported that "Rep. Barbara Lee clearly doesn't believe in starting slowly. While five Bay Area members of Congress have yet to introduce a bill in the 110th Congress convened last week and four more have introduced one bill each so far, Lee already has introduced 17 pieces of legislation. Among the legislation: Urge the U.S. Postal Service to issue commemorative stamps honoring victims of HIV/AIDS and the late former Rep. Shirley Chisholm, D-N.Y. [Yes sir. Here we go again. Another Congress willing to strut its stuff with "substantive" postal business.]

According to Media Matters for America, a "NY Post editorial misrepresented Bush signing statement on opening of mail."

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

Germany's regulatory authority will carry out an extensive survey of markets bordering on the postal sector. The Federal Network Agency is focussing on the increasingly popular "one-stop service" offers, which integrate up and/or downstream services into the traditional transport service. The authority is looking into areas such as printing, enveloping, stamping, pre-sorting, mailroom service, address management, response ma-nagement and document archiving.
TNT Post wants to reinforce its activities in Germanys postal market even further....TNT uses price competition as its prime tool.
The complete liberalisation of the postal market is high up on the agenda of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who took over EU presidency on 1 January.
France remained the second biggest postal market in Europe in 2005 with a total sales volume of over 14bn euros.
Norwegian daily »Dagens Naeringsliv« reports that the post is inun- dating households in Norway with junk mail....Last year, Posten Norge increased its direct mail turnover by 9%, while competitor Norpost achieved a 4% growth.
In a dispute between the post and two agency operators, the court ruled in mid-December that the agency operators were not to be considered commercial agents and that there were indications pointing to an employee status....Deutsche Post would have to pay back-dated social secu- rity contributions for several years, should agency operators be found to have employee status.
The Spanish post Correos sold stamps worth 419.6m euros over the coun- ters of its 2,000 post offices up to last November. "The selling of stamps has ge- nerated 3.17% more than during the corresponding period the year before.
Osterreichische Post and its post box removal action are still being ex- ploited for party politics purposes in Austria.
Deutsche Post is selling 100% of its shares in Cologne- based waste disposal company Vfw AG to private equity investor Monitor Clipper Partners.
Denmark's post has bought 51% of forwarding co-operation Transportgruppen.
FedEx has cancelled its co-operation agreement with Britain's Business Post Group (BPG) as a result of the takeover of CEP operator ANC Holdings Ltd last December. 
Spanish stationery retailer Carlin has joined forces with the posts express courier company Chronoexpres. Media reports say customers can now buy 10-packs of stamped Chronoexpres envelopes, among other things, in Carlins 445 office supplies stores.
 

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.

According to Arab News, "Citizens and residents are complaining about a 300 percent increase in fees for postal services, something that is unaffordable for a huge section of the population. When the new Saudi postal service was launched, many people thought prices would decrease and in the least services would dramatically improve. On the contrary, prices have increased and the quality of service has worsened leaving many people disappointed."

Manufacturing.net has reported that "Patience is a virtue for manufacturers when Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is concerned, as they will see the return from their investments, according to Manufacturing Insights' Worldwide Manufacturing Top 10 Predictions report. Although tag prices have gone down and there have been improvements in the technology, few companies have moved past the pilot stage, the report notes. “There is little doubt that in 2007, and beyond, companies will find the need to improve their ability to capture data in a more timely, accurate and complete way,” said Bob Parker, Vice President of Research for Manufacturing Insights. “This requirement will dictate the development of a data acquisition platform that will incorporate many technologies, from bar codes to sensors to RFID tags.”

Welcome to PostCom Radio Postal Podcast Number 7:"Men Need Not Apply" Join Kate Muth (Association for Postal Commerce), Ruth Goldway (Postal Rate Commission), and Joy Leong (Brown Rudnick) in a discussion of  the recently formed "Women in Logistics and Delivery Services Leadership Council"

Canberra Times has reported that "twenty one year old Jackson West, of Yarralumla, is a young man with the potential for a great future. He is a thrill seeker, a music lover and a car enthusiast; he has enormous stamina and perseverance, rides pillion on a 750cc BMW motorbike and enjoys bush walking and boiling a billy. He also happens to have very high support needs; he needs one-on-one supervision and assistance all his waking hours. Jackson has an extra terminal band on the long arm of the 22nd chromosome which manifests as profound intellectual disability with autism. Without caring people with vision to support him to lead a good life, the typical future he can look forward to is one diminished in real and valuable roles and adventures. Jackson's parents Mac West and Sally Richards have established a courier business, JACKmail, to employ Jackson part-time and designed around his skills and loves. JACKmail will collect mail from Post Office boxes and deliver it to businesses. It will collect any out-going mail and take it to the post office to be posted."

Il Sole 24 Ore has reported that "Italian insurance group Unipol has been chosen to manage the 'guaranteed' pension fund of the country's post office, Poste Italiane."

PrintingNews has reported that "FedEx Kinko's, an operating company of FedEx Corp. today announced the introduction of two new offerings - FedEx Kinko's Direct Mail Services and Print Online - further establishing the company as a convenient resource for office, printing and shipping services. For advertising and marketing campaigns, FedEx Kinko's Direct Mail Services helps small and medium-size businesses easily communicate to target audiences. Services available include design, production, professional finishing, address cleansing and verification, mail processing, and more all in one place. Print Online is the company's new Web-based print management tool that enables customers to digitally send documents to FedEx Kinko's Office and Print Centers for printing. With the application, customers may select from extensive printing and finishing options, track order status, reuse saved print jobs, and review order history."

Dow Jones has reported that "Of late, snail mail has been taking longer to reach its destination, and letters have been delivered to the wrong houses."

The Star has reported that "Of late, snail mail has been taking longer to reach its destination, and letters have been delivered to the wrong houses."

The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) has announced that Steven K. Berry will join the organization as executive vice president for government and consumer affairs, taking on a key leadership role at DMA and its Washington operations. Berry brings to DMA nearly 30 years of experience in the public and private sectors, most recently as president of Steven K. Berry, LLC, and consultant to The Livingston Group, where he provided strategic counsel and government relations representation to clients in the areas of telecommunications and technology policy, as well as international trade and development issues. Berry joins Greco and EVP and Chief Operating Officer Dr. Ramesh Lakshmi-Ratan as part of DMA’s executive leadership team.

The Institute For Research On The Economics Of Taxation has issued its review of the new postal reform law.

Postal News for January 9, 2007

Bloomberg has reported that "Czech President Vaclav Klaus appointed the second government of Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek, which may fail a second time to win the required confidence vote in parliament. Topolanek is trying to break a seven-month political deadlock that has foiled efforts by any party to form a majority. His agenda includes a plan to prepare and ``if possible to carry out'' the sale of state assets in state airline CSA AS, Letiste Praha SP, the operator of the Prague international airport, and the country's dominant postal service company, Ceska Posta SP."

The Washington Times has an interesting piece regarding President Bush's signing statements regarding P.L. 109-435. See also the Miami Herald, the Times Union, and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. [A postal bill....Who'da thunk?]

AP Worldstream has reported that "Sri Lanka's ethnic Tamils are sending badly needed food and medicine by post to their relatives living in the country's north, which has been hit by a severe shortage of essential goods, an official said on Tuesday. More than 12,000 parcels, mainly containing infant milk, sugar and medicines have been received by the main post office in Jaffna peninsula so far, a senior official said on condition of anonymity, saying he is not authorized to speak to the media."

The Financial Times has reported that "The government has been urged to stop Whitehall departments switching to Royal Mail competitors for their postal services, after the Department for Work and Pensions signed a deal with a private operator to handle its bulk mailings. The Communications Workers' Union said it was disappointed that government departments were considering using private contractors at a time when the Department of Trade and Industry was still mulling its investment plans for the state-owned postal service. The DWP said the decision to put the work to tender reflected its need to make savings and followed the recommendations of the National Audit Office."

The DM Bulletin has reported that "Royal Mail's Parcelforce Worldwide business has started an initiative to give its customers the option of offsetting the carbon footprint emitted in the delivery of their parcels. Parcelforce has calculated the cost of the average amount of carbon emitted per parcel as 10p for UK deliveries and 20p for international deliveries. Customers booking online have the option to donate half that amount, with Parcelforce contibuting the other half. The money will be invested in a programme run by woodland protection charity The Woodland Trust."

The Association for Postal Commerce welcomes its newest member:

Rincon Solutions, P.O. Box 1056, Vail, Arizona 85641-1056 represented by Wayne A. Wilkerson. President. Rincon Solutions provides consulting services to any company needing assistance in understanding postal regulations, mail distribution or working with the Postal Service in most areas.

Postal News for January 8, 2007

UPS has announced the elevation of David Abney to the post of chief operating officer and the promotion of Alan Gershenhorn to replace Abney as president of UPS International. Abney also assumes the role of president of UPS Airlines in replacing John Beystehner, who retired last week after 36 years of service. Gershenhorn is currently based in Brussels, where he previously headed the operations of UPS Supply Chain Solutions in Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Africa. In his role as chief operating officer, Abney will be responsible for international operations, U.S. package operations, global transportation, labor and all freight activities.

Solidarity forever? Who's kidding whom? Postalnews.com has posted a piece regarding a postal food fight that has broken out over  a suit that the American Postal Workers Union has filed against the U.S. Postal Service and the Mailhandlers Union. The APWU claimed that t"the National Postal Mail Handlers Union and U.S. Postal Service have violated a national-level three-party agreement that establishes procedures for resolving disputes over work assignments." In response, Mailhandlers President John Hagerty told his members that "It is quite unfortunate that the APWU’s national leaders have chosen, once again, to highlight their own failures in print and on the web, rather than simply dealing with them in a professional manner."

The Inter Press Service News Agency has reported that "Rapid expansion in the poorer sectors of society, especially among the large number of informal workers, has taken the number of mobile phones in Brazil to over 100 million, equivalent to more than 53 percent of the population. Prices of mobile phones have plunged. This means of communication has proved to be accessible and democratic. The pre-paid system for mobile phones, enabling limits to be set on monthly expenses, has offered the poor greater access to telecommunications."

According to Traffic World, "While large parts of the freight transport business headed into 2007 in something of a downturn, FedEx looked to be on a roll."

In a USPSNewsBreak, Postmaster General Jack Potter said regarding the new postal reform law:

"To fully appreciate the changes this law brings us, consider how far we’ve come over the past six years. In 2001, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) placed us on its “high-risk list” due to our unfunded liability obligations. Now, thanks to the new postal law, that gaping liability is gone. We no longer have to pay for the military retirement costs of postal employees. We have a fully funded pension system for both the Civil Service Retirement System and the Federal Employees Retirement System. And in just 10 years — by 2016 — our health benefits will be nearly fully funded, with about $100 billion in the new health benefits fund. When faced with these “legacy costs,” most organizations either reduce or eliminate benefits. However, our employees can count on having their pensions and health benefits. I’m proud of the fact that working with Congress, the Administration and the mailing community, we’ve been able to protect employee benefits and put the Postal Service on a firm financial footing for the future."

Congratulations to Quad Graphics on having been selected on the Fortune magazine "100 Best Companies to Work For."

From EWorldWire: "Webplus, Inc., a provider of small business solutions, today announced it has extended the free trial offer on its Shipping Sidekick Web site (www.shippingsidekick.com). The free trial promotion previously scheduled to end January 1, 2007 will now be extended to February 1, 2007. Using Shipping Sidekick, small business owners, eBay sellers, or anyone who wants to compare shipping rates can compare the rates and package transit times of UPS, USPS, FedEx and DHL quickly and efficiently. Package weight, destination and package characteristics need only be entered once to retrieve the rates of all shippers for all delivery speeds on one single screen for comparison purposes. The difference between shipping rates allows the shipper to use the most cost effective shipper for any given package, resulting in substantial savings to the shipper."

From Business Wire: "Direct Group, a full-service provider of high-volume direct marketing services, announced today that the company has acquired HintonHill, one of the nation’s leading full-service direct marketing management and consulting companies. The move brings to Direct Group the knowledge and leadership of well-known industry executives Don Hill and Barry Hinton, the service expertise and data service resources of the HintonHill team, a diverse national client base and a broad network of specialized industry partners. “We are very excited about this transaction because it furthers our goal of building the industry’s most comprehensive, client-centric direct marketing services platform offering highly integrated solutions to clients,” said Don McKenzie, CEO of Direct Group. “HintonHill clients will benefit by having access to the production capacity, resources and buying power of one of the world’s largest-volume, single-site commercial mailing facilities. Direct Group clients will benefit from access to the deep partner relationships HintonHill has developed, as well as new options to enhance their direct marketing programs.”  [Don McKenzie is a former member of the PostCom Board of Directors.]

The Hindustan Times has reported that "The multi-crore courier services sector, dominated by the multi-nationals and indigenous private players, will soon see India Post emerging as a key player in the arena. Come Wednesday and the India Post’s fresh initiative ‘ Mail Business Centre’ on this front will unfold. Delhi will be the first among the major cities to have three such stops catering to the bulk mailing requirements of the corporate and government organisations."

Check out Postalnewsblog.com for the story on: 'Postal Service' advertises for UPS .

The Guardian has reported that "The Royal Mail has lost one of its prime Whitehall postal contracts, in what could be the first move in a trend away from using the government-owned postal service."

According to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, "The Do Not Call Registry may have put an end to unwanted telemarketing calls, but marketers still reach people through their mailboxes. Postal workers delivered nearly 101 billion pieces of bulk mail in 2005, a 12% increase from two years ago. It was the first year that bulk mail exceeded first-class mail."

Press Release: "UK Express Delivery Conference organisers Triangle have put in place some important changes for the 2007 event, aimed at enabling the B2B and B2C delivery industry's annual gathering to continue the impressive development of its first three years."

Transport Intelligence has reported that "Post Danmark and Transportgruppen have entered into an agreement concerning the purchase by Post Danmark of 51 per cent of the shares in Transportgruppen."

BotswanaPost is negotiating with government to allow it to borrow funds from the open market to augment home grown funds available for its transformation initiative. Alternatively, the government shall be lobbied for equity injection, says the corporations 2005-06 annual report. The report states that BotswanaPost is committed to delivering cost-effective, reliable and efficient services to its customers. Its primary responsibility is to provide a universal postal services to all residents of Botswana.

Online Media has reported that "Time magazine today is again reinventing itself online, this time by revamping its site to emphasize breaking news and blogs. A key new part of that effort is "The Ag," a news aggregator summarizing top stories from major newspapers and blogs around the world that will be posted to the site at 7:00 each morning."

The Center for Media Research has reported that "As marketing becomes a much more critical function in organizations, chief marketing officers are gaining more influence at the executive table. This trend is certain to continue next year, and the industry may see more CMOs ascending to the CEO spot."

The Financial Times has reported that "The decision by the Department for Work and Pensions to award UK Mail a £12m contract to handle about a third of its post is likely to be the first in a series of lucrative public sector contracts awarded to Royal Mail’s competitors. Public sector organisations post more than 2.5bn items of mail each year. The two biggest users are Revenue and Customs (320m items) and the DWP (248m). They spend £650m annually – 10 per cent of the total UK postal services market. It is a juicy target for the private mail operators."

The DM Bulletin has reported that "Hamilton House Mailings claims that while the Royal Mail's price rises have been presented by the company as being a simple just above inflation price adjustment, analysis it has done show that the rises are in fact much steeper."

Postal News for January 7, 2007

News10Now has reported that "The law requires government officials to get a search warrant to open first-class letters. Congressman McHugh says if the President is now using a power that goes beyond his Constitutional authority, that needs to be looked into. "The president did not need this law to make that policy declaration. He could declare it a policy of the administration under the threat of terrorism and other life threatening situations that they would open that mail," said McHugh, who represents the 23rd District. McHugh says he expects the House Intelligence Committee to take a closer look at the President's declaration. He says during his time working on the bill, no one at the White House ever revealed to him that the President saw the bill as a way to declare mail searches."

Internet Retailing has reported that "Royal Mail is to introduce new volume-based discount schemes for business mailers from 2 April. While it's difficult to get excited about a stamp (franking mark or PPI), the new postal prices mean it's time for businesses to review their mailing contracts again. Personal mail, such as letters and birthday cards, make up only 10% of the mail delivered in the UK by Royal Mail. The rest is made up of business mailings to other businesses, and to consumers, and consumer post to businesses. The market for UK deliveries has been open to full competition since 1 January 2006 and Royal Mail is trying hard to retain as large a share of the bulk mailings market as possible - it currently has 96% of the addressed letters market."

The Anchorage Daily News has reported that "Despite resistance from Barrow residents, Fairbanks businesses and air carriers, the U.S. Postal Service changed the bypass mail system to the North Slope in 2006. But the bypass switch has detrimentally affected delivery and quality of goods, according to Barrow residents and businesses."

The Sunday Business Post has reported that "An Post’s banking joint venture with Belgian giant Fortis faces a difficult start in the coming months after new figures showed the Post Office Savings Bank failed to retain most of the €140 million paid out to its Special Savings Incentive Account (SSIA) holders last year."

The American Civil Liberties Union said that it plans to file a Freedom of Information Act request seeking information about President Bush’s statement that he is authorized to open people’s mail without a warrant in emergency conditions. The ACLU is also calling on Congress to exercise its oversight function and to require the Postal Service to report to Congress annually and publicly the number of times each year it opens mail without a warrant.

WJLA News has reported that "A postal police union official says millions of dollars in overtime pay awarded to postal police in Baltimore will have nationwide implications. A federal arbitrator ruled in September that about 20 postal officers in Baltimore missed pay because they lost shifts to lesser-trained security guards. The guards do not carry weapons and must call an officer to intervene if they observe suspicious behavior. Baltimore US Postal Inspection Service spokesman Frank Schissler said his agency has stopped using the security guards since the ruling, although other cities continue to use them." See also The Examiner.

Postal News for January 6, 2007

Slate has a nice piece that explains who pays to have your international mail delivered.

ThisIsBradford has reported that "A Bradford businesswoman has been re-appointed as the regional chairman to the National Council of Postwatch, the consumer council for postal services. Judith Donovan, CBE, has served as the regional chairman for the north of England since 1999. The appointment was made at the beginning of this month and will run for up to two years."

From Business Wire: "PSI Group, the nation's leading provider of mail presort services, has been certified at its San Diego, CA facility as a Quality Mail Partner under the United States Postal Service (USPS) Mail Preparation Total Quality Management (MPTQM) Program. MPTQM certification is a prevention-based quality system designed to help the USPS ensure the output of consistent, high-quality mail."

Les Echos has reported that "La Poste, the French postal service operator, has seen the strike action in its mail sorting centres increase since it began, sporadically, in mid-October."

LankaEverything has reported that "Sri Lanka's Postal Department is expanding its high value stamp range with a 200 rupee issue later this year and is also seeking public views to issue personalised stamps for private entities."

The Rocktown Weekly has reported that "Local authorities seized 30 pounds of marijuana, drugs they say were destined for Puerto Rico but sent to the Harrisonburg Post Office on South Main Street to evade detection. The investigation began last month when postal inspectors intercepted a package, and then through the use of a K-9 unit detected 15 pounds of marijuana, according to a search warrant filed in Rockingham County Circuit Court. Soon after the discovery on Dec. 8, the RUSH Drug Task Force arrested the person who it believes was the intended recipient, according to Tom Murphy, RUSH coordinator." See also the Harrisonburg Daily News.

Kuwait Times has reported that "Undersecretary of the Ministry of Communication, Abdulaziz Al-Osaimi said that the ministry intends to privatise more of its services, highlighting the potential benefits of privatisation for the postal sector, which is experiencing many problems. Ministry specialists are currently working on a comprehensive study analysing how best to administer the postal sector and evaluating the various private companies expected to submit tenders for contracts to provide these services."

In an editorial, the editors of the Rocky Mountain News have said that "The "signing statement" President Bush recently attached to an otherwise innocuous postal reform bill has led to some unnecessary hyperventilation about the government's power to read your mail. The New York Daily News published a banner "scoop" on Thursday about the postal bill. The headline, alongside a photo of a smiling Bush, read, "I've got mail! And it's yours!" We were concerned at first, too, since we don't want the president claiming new authority to screen mail. But it doesn't appear he's making any such claim. He seems merely to be clarifying an oversight in the new postal law. Bush's signing statement said that the new class of express mail could be searched without a warrant under "exigent circumstances . . . to protect human life and safety," which is the general standard applied to First Class mail. It's easy to understand why anyone might get nervous when the White House talks about searching mail. In this case, though, it seems to have been a false alarm."

The Helena Independent Record has reported that "More time is needed to complete a study on the pros and cons of sorting Helena's outgoing mail in Great Falls, the U.S. Postal Service said. A final decision on whether to move the sorting to Great Falls will be made after the study is released for public review and comment, Postal Service spokesman Al DeSarro told the Independent Record. A public meeting is planned. DeSarro said completing the study will take another one to three months."

Postal News for January 8, 2007

The Associated Press has reported that "A signing statement attached to postal legislation by President Bush last month may have opened the way for the government to open mail without a warrant. The White House denies any change in policy. The law requires government agents to get warrants to open first-class letters. But when he signed the postal reform act, Bush added a statement saying that his administration would construe that provision "in a manner consistent, to the maximum extent permissible, with the need to conduct searches in exigent circumstances." See also the Voice of America.

The Washington Post has reported that "President Bush signed a little-noticed statement last month asserting the authority to open U.S. mail without judicial warrants in emergencies or foreign intelligence cases, prompting warnings yesterday from Democrats and privacy advocates that the administration is attempting to circumvent legal restrictions on its powers."

U.S. Representative Tom Allen, a Member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and House Budget Committee, called President Bush’s recent postal reform signing statement into question in a letter to House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Henry Waxman. Rep. Allen pointed out that the President’s signing statement was inconsistent with the clear language passed by Congress and that the President appears to claim the power to open an unlimited amount of mail sent by Americans to Americans.

The latest issue of the PostCom Bulletin is available online. In this issue:

• The Association for Postal Commerce and the Mailing & Fulfillment Service Association continue their argument of the issues in the rate case reply brief, charging that the USPS “utterly failed to respond to the issues.” Their arguments are similar to the ones raised in the initial brief, with detailed justification to counter USPS positions.

• PostCom President Gene Del Polito welcomes the new year and explains how times have changed.

• In this perspective, Todd Butler of Butler Mailing Services says interactive multimedia is the future of advertising. Unfortunately, he says the U.S. Postal Service lacks the vision to show customers how USPS-delivered interactive multimedia can elicit substantially higher response rates for less money than advertising delivered over the Internet.

• Steve Brocker, VP at Western States Envelope & Label, reports on results of the Envelope Manufacturers Association Foundation “Open for Business” campaign.

• “What if Congress voted to reform a huge government service, and nobody cared?” That’s the opinion voiced in this commentary.

• The DMM January update. RR Donnelley to acquire Perry Judd’s Holdings.

 Hey! You've not been getting the weekly PostCom Bulletin--the best postal newsletter anywhere...bar none?  Send us by email your name, company, company title, postal and email address. Get a chance to see what you've been missing.
 

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PostCom has learned that Ann Fisher, chief postal guru for Senate government reform and homeland security chairwoman Susan Collins has joined the staff at the Postal Regulatory Commission. [Seems fitting. She helped create the law. Now she's going to have to make it work. Life's funny that way.]

As PostCom General Counsel Ian Volner has noted, "To much fanfare, Congressional Democrats have proposed a series of changes to the House Rules governing gifts and travel." [If you lobby...you'd better read this.]

The Envelope Manufacturers Association Foundation for Paper-Based Communications has just released a new study entitled, “2006-2008 Global Postal Trends and New Market Opportunities for Envelope Manufacturers.”

According to Vanguard, "Zambia Postal Services Corporation (ZAMPOST) has made structural changes with the department of operations, which was previously being run by a director, now falling under two officers at assistant director level. According to a circular dated January 1, signed by postmaster general, Chewe Lupili, obtained in Ndola yesterday, the changes are with immediate effect. Ms Katherine Chellah, who was director of operations, is now director of transport services in charge of Post Bus Limited and will also provide backup in operations where transport is required. And Zampost Training College has been upgraded and will now be headed by a director who will be reporting to the postmaster general."

Precision Marketing has reported that "Royal Mail is aiming to appease the business market - one of the key battlegrounds in the privatision war - by launching two products aimed at corporate customers and large volume mailers."

According to the Daily Report, "UPS Inc., the world's largest shipping carrier, will spend about $35 million to launch a new advertising campaign in its biggest marketing push since "What Can Brown Do For You" in 2002."

According to the North Country Gazette, "The American Civil Liberties Union says it plans to file a Freedom of Information Act request seeking information about President Bush's statement that he is authorized to open people's mail without a warrant in emergency conditions. The ACLU is also calling on Congress to exercise its oversight function and to require the Postal Service to report to Congress annually and publicly the number of times each year it opens mail without a warrant."

The Sun Herald has reported that "Sen. Susan Collins of Maine questioned Bush's controversial Dec. 20 "signing statement" in which he stated if there were an emergency he wouldn't need a warrant to open letters. The bill he signed into law that day, co-sponsored by Collins, requires search warrants for mail. "It is my hope that the administration will clarify its intent with this recent statement," said Collins, a GOP moderate. The former Senate Homeland Security Committee chairwoman added that she has long had concerns about Bush's broad use of signing statements that attempt to reinterpret laws passed by Congress. But White House spokesman Tony Snow insisted that "there is nothing new here."

According to the Journal Times, "When is a law not a law? Apparently when it reaches the desk of President George W. Bush. President Bush has once again taken new powers unto himself through the use of "signing statements" when he puts his signature on a bill authorized by Congress." See also The Nation.

According to the Government of Botswana, "BotswanaPost has over the years lacked development funds, which is now evident on its aged and dilapidated buildings infrastructure, largely manual business systems and undeveloped staff skills. The corporation, according to the 2005/06 annual report, is also challenged by the high operational costs associated with the highly dispersed postal office locations across Botswana and the poor road infrastructure in some parts of the country. This, the report says, coupled with the universal service obligations and changing customer service trends, will continue to put pressure on BotswanaPost to not only generate enough funds to keep afloat but to do more with less. Another challenge emanates from the unregulated market, which has seen a myriad of entrants in the recent past that threaten the core business of the postal business. All these have had a significant negative impact on service delivery and will continue to do so until the corporation is able to raise the funds required for respective developments initiatives, the report says."

Online Media Daily has reported that "e-commerce spending in november and December reached $24.6 billion--a 26% increase from last year, according to a new report by comScore. For the entire year, online retail spending soared to $102 billion--up 24% from last year's $83 billion."

Transport Intelligence has reported:

US air cargo operator Kitty Hawk, Inc. has reported that its wholly owned subsidiaries, Kitty Hawk Cargo, Inc. and Kitty Hawk Aircargo, Inc., have successfully completed their contracts with the United States Postal Service.
Deutsche Post AG has agreed to sell 100 percent of the shares of Vfw AG, a leading provider in the field of reverse logistics, to private equity investor Monitor Clipper Partners.

From Business Wire: "ConEdison Solutions (CES), a leading energy services company, has been awarded an energy efficiency contract from the United States Postal Service (USPS). The contract calls for CES to implement energy efficiency improvements at more than 1,400 postal facilities in New York, New Jersey, and the Caribbean."

From the Federal Register: "The Postal Service has simplified the standards for polywrap film on automation-rate flat-size mailpieces, so that customers only have to meet one set of standards instead of the previous two. Effective Dates: February 4, 2007, for manufacturers; March 4, 2007, for mailers."

Here's a piece on the Bush signing controversy that has been brought to our attention by one of our correspondents.

The Associated Press has reported that "A signing statement attached to postal legislation by U.S. President George W. Bush last month may have opened the way for the government to open mail without a warrant. The White House denies any change in policy. The law requires government agents to get warrants to open first-class letters. But when he signed the postal reform act, Mr. Bush added a statement saying that his administration would construe that provision "in a manner consistent, to the maximum extent permissible, with the need to conduct searches in exigent circumstances. ..." White House Press Secretary Tony Snow said there was nothing new in the signing statement. In his daily briefing Mr. Snow said: "All this is saying is that there are provisions at law for — in exigent circumstances — for such inspections. It has been thus. This is not a change in law, this is not new." See also the New York Times.

Postal News for January 4, 2007

According to Todd Butler of Butler Mailing Service, "Interactive multimedia is the future of advertising. Studies attempting to justify direct mail’s value won’t change this reality. Increasing the use of personalization won’t either, neither will adding more colors or improving analytics. Broadcast TV and the movie industry know that interactive multimedia is the future, which is why they have aggressively moved their brands on line."

From the U.S. Postal Service, Thomas Day, Senior Vice President, Government Relations : "As has been the longstanding practice, First Class Mail is protected from unreasonable search and seizure when in postal custody. Nothing in the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act changes this protection. The President is not exerting any new authority.”

The latest DMM Advisory from the U.S. Postal Service has been posted on this site.

PrintWeek has reported that "Royal Mail Group has launched a tender for its entire print requirement, worth up to £400m after restructuring its print management division."

As Direct magazine has put it: "Great. We won. Congress has passed a postal reform bill, and our worries are over, right?" [The answer is simple. No, your worries are not over.]

President Bush has quietly claimed sweeping new powers to open Americans' mail without a judge's warrant, the New York Daily News has learned.

According to Precision Marketing, "Who would have though that this time last year, it was predicted that Royal Mail would lose over £600m worth of business by 2008, as a result of the postal market opening to competition on January 1 2005. The claim, which could almost have come out of Royal Mail chairman Allan Leighton’s very own spin-machine, was actually made in an independent study by Corporate Mailing Matters. The research, in which 300 top UK business mailers were quizzed on how they expected volumes to shift after deregulation, claimed 17 per cent of the market would to move to alternative providers, with corporate mailers shifting swathes of business to force price reductions and service benefits. It stated: “Our observations show an increasingly savvy mail services buyer, with great growth in demand for consolidation services under the existing rules. Royal Mail will need to fight hard to maintain its strengths in the light of the strategic shift that business mailers envisage from 2006 onwards.”

Reuters has reported that "Consumers are less satisfied with the quality of postal services than their bank, broadband provider or mobile phone company, a survey by consumer magazine Which? said on Thursday. Which? found that only 16 percent of respondents were very satisfied with the services offered by the Royal Mail and 28 percent very satisfied with those run by the Post Office. That compares to 46 percent who are very satisfied with their current account, 37 percent with broadband providers and 33 percent with mobile phone companies." See also the BBC.

Postal News for January 3, 2007

The Board of Governors of the U.S. Postal Service will meet in Washington, D.C., at Postal Service Headquarters, 475 L’Enfant Plaza, SW, on Jan. 9-10, 2007. The public is welcome to observe the board’s open session, scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m. on Jan. 10 in the Ben Franklin Room on the 11th floor. The Board is expected to discuss the following items:

1. Minutes of the previous meeting, Dec. 5-6, 2006.
2. Remarks of Postmaster General and CEO John E. Potter.
3. Committee reports.
4. Consideration of Board Resolution on Capital Funding (Chairman James Miller).
5. Consideration of Annual Report on Government in the Sunshine Act Compliance (Chairman James Miller).
6. Fiscal Year 2006 Comprehensive Statement on Postal Operations, including the Preliminary Fiscal Year 2008 Annual Performance Plan – GPRA (Chairman James Miller).
7. Mail Visibility, Seamless Acceptance and Payment (Pritha Mehra, Manager, Marketing Technology and Channel Management and Gary Reblin, Manager, Intelligent Mail, Planning and Standards)
8. Consideration of the Price of Semipostal Stamps (David Failor, Executive Director, Stamp Services).
9. Capital Investment – 5,856 Carrier Route Vehicles (Engineering Vice President Walt O’Tormey).
10. Election of Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Board of Governors.
11. Tentative Agenda for the March 28-29, 2007, meeting in Washington, D.C.

Welcome to 2007! It's a new year, and it brings lots of change. There is one piece of news, however, that is a real sign of how times have changed. Recent personal cutback, early retirements, and executive buyouts at UPS has impacted one of our Postcom Board members. I'm referring to Wayne Schley, who had represented UPS on our board for 3 years. Wayne has informed me that he is ending his association with UPS, and will finally get out to Palm Springs, California to finish that lifelong work he calls a vacation home. Rome wasn't built in a day, and I can assure you the same has been true of the "Schley villa."

Wayne was one of the first people I had gotten to meet after taking over the chief executive reins at PostCom some 23 years ago. Most will remember Wayne for his service as a Commissioner at the Postal Rate Commission, and a long-time staffer in the service of Senator Ted Stevens (R-AK). While on the Hill, he served as Republican Staff Director of the Senate Post Office and Civil Service Sub-Committee of the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee, and the same position on the Senate Rules Committee. I will remember him always as a colleague and friend. He's assured me he'll be around from time to time just to make sure he'll still get his mail delivered. In the words of his Gov: "I'll be back."

Union Network International has noted that "The European Commission has taken the final step on the path towards the total liberalisation of the postal services by proposing that the distribution of "small" mail by our postmen be opened to free competition on 1 January 2009, this being the last sector which has not yet been liberalised. A website has been set up by a Belgian MEP, Alain Hutchinson called SOSPoste.eu where European citizens can sign a petition online. UNI has given its full backing for this initiative and encourages everyone in the European Union to complete the petition to oppose the total liberalisation of the postal service."

The Financial Times has quoted German chancellor Angela Merkel as telling her European colleagues that "Liberalisation in one country causes a distortion of competition if it is not matched in other markets. We must make sure this does not happen. In Germany, for instance, we will abolish Deutsche Post's monopoly on letters by the end of 2007. Unless the postal and telecommunications markets in all other countries are really open by 2009, such a move will create an unacceptable competitive disadvantage."

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer has reported that "The National Do Not Call Registry may have put an end to unwanted telemarketing calls, but marketers are still reaching people through their mailboxes. "It does seem to be getting worse," said Tom Watson, a recycling project manager with the King County Solid Waste Division and coordinator with the National Waste Prevention Coalition. "The amount of direct mail has increased," partly because of reduced telemarketing calls and because the industry feels it's effective, he said. "It's a huge irritant," Watson said, "and it's a waste of time for people. It uses a huge amount of time sorting through unwanted mail. ... It's something that almost everybody has a problem with."

Brazzil magazine has reported that "Brazil's Post Office CPI (Congressional Investigative Commission), which is investigating charges of corruption in the Brazilian Post Office will hear the testimony of the former secretary general of the PT (Workers Party), Sílvio Pereira."

The Tottenham, Wood Green & Edmonton Journal has reported that "residents have the fourth worst postal service in the country and the worst in Greater London, according to the latest figures. The N postcode area ranked bottom in the Royal Mail performance tables for Greater London."

The Liberian Daily Observer has reported that "The Universal Postal Union (UPU), has allocated US$6 Million dollars for the revamping of Liberia's moribund postal facilities."

The Denver Post has reported that "UPS, FedEx expect to clear storm-stalled packages this week. Not only were gifts delayed, but one businessman is still waiting for Rose Bowl merchandise. The game was Monday."

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

60% of Portugals postal workers saw the year out with a strike last Friday. The strike brought the transport and handling of mail to a halt in the whole country.
More than 1,600 licenses have been given to private operators in the Italian postal market. Italys Ministero delle Comunicazioni has confirmed the issuing of 343 licenses for services within the universal service area (Licenze individuali) and 1,280 licenses for services outside the universal service scope (Autorizzazione generale).
Post Danmark is going to stop charging excess postage from private customers who happen to forget to put the full postage amount on a letter.
The French La Poste believes it has attained its goals for the financial year 2006.
Poste Italiane intends to take on the tenancy agreements for practically all postal agencies in small municipalities this year.
Entering the French market has proved a success for Post Auto Schweiz AG. The Swiss post has operated a bus service in four French locations since 2004.
The Italian press distribution company M-Dis has acquired 30% of the shares in Pieroni Distribuzione.
Cyprus Post has been ordered to pay a fine of 87,500 euros. The »Financial Mirror( (21.12) reported that regulator Vasos Pyrgos imposed the fine after the post failed to meet UPU transmission time targets and quality standards.
Osterreichische Posts parcel business may suffer even more, as German mail order company Quelle apparently intends to use the Hermes network for its international consignments in future.
DHL customers in Spain can now collect and drop off their parcels from kiosks. The German parcel giant has concluded an agreement with Spanish kiosk chain Prodesa, which includes the provision ofDHL parcel and courier services from Rail Pressand La Tienda Z kiosks with immediate effect.

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.

The Sentinel has reported that "Postmen are meeting with Royal Mail managers, over unofficial strike action which has seen no standard post delivered in Burslem since Thursday.All 73 workers at the delivery office off Scotia Road, stormed out on Friday morning. They took action after a 63-year-old worker was suspended over allegations of being verbally aggressive to a female manager."

Postal News for January 2, 2007

Expansion has reported that "Spanish paper firm Carlin has signed an agreement with Chronoexpres, the urgent delivery subsidiary of Spanish postal services operator Correos. Under the terms of the agreement, Carlin stores will sell prepaid cards on behalf of Chronoexpres. Carlin has 445 stores."

El Pais has reported that "In Spain, Correos, the postal services provider, yesterday announced an increase in its charges. As a result of the price increases, the cost of the most commonly-used services, such as postcards and standard letters sent to addresses within Spain, rose by 0.01 euros, or an average of 2.66 per cent. The price of other products sold by Correos, meanwhile, rose 2.97 per cent."

According to the Polish News Bulletin, "In 2007, the postal service of Poczta Polska will go up by an average of 4 percent."

For those that are REALLY into postal trivia, posted on this site is a compilation of the reports that are required by the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act (P.L. 109-435).

Steve Barr at the Washington Post has reported that House Committee on Government Reform chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA) "has announced plans for five subcommittees, two fewer than in the last Congress. Waxman plans to create a federal workforce, post office and District of Columbia subcommittee and a government management, organization and procurement subcommittee....Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (D-Conn.) will be chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, which oversees federal employee issues. An agenda has not been set, but some aides expect the committee will pay close attention to contracting problems, including instances of waste and fraud at the Defense and Homeland Security departments. Lieberman will be joined by senators with a strong interest in federal employee issues, including Daniel K. Akaka (D-Hawaii), Thomas R. Carper (D-Del.), Carl M. Levin (D-Mich.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), George V. Voinovich (R-Ohio) and John W. Warner (R-Va.). Akaka plans to review the federal employees health insurance program and how it sets premiums, an aide said."

According to the Hollywood Reporter, "The postal DVD business has attracted major industry interest in France and the U.K. DVD rentals by mail were initially seen as breathing new life into a largely moribund and piracy-plagued business in the U.K. and spurring an almost nonexistent rental sector in France. Greeted enthusiastically at first by distributors, some are now not so welcoming."

Just as a reminder, there will be no mail delivery today because of the official day of mourning for the passing of  former U.S. President Gerald R. Ford. All post offices will be closed today, but mail service will begin again tomorrow.

The Star has reported that "China has formally approved the setting up of a new postal savings bank, setting the stage for the transformation of China Post's vast network of savings accounts into an independent financial institution. The China Banking Regulatory Commission (CBRC) said on its website that the new bank would be fully owned by the China Post Group, an entity recently carved out of the State Post Bureau to carry out its business functions. The new bank would concentrate on retail banking and intermediary services, serving both urban and rural residents but with particular emphasis on the latter, the agency said."

Postal News for January 1, 2007

According to The Oregonian, "Vote by mail spreads across U.S."

As Canada Online has noted, "In its annual rate hike, Canada Post is raising the cost of mailing a regular letter in Canada from 51 cents to 52 cents on January 15, 2007. The good news this year is you won't have to be bothered with those pesky one-cent stamps any more, and if you move quickly you can postpone the rate hike too. Canada Post has now introduced what it calls "permanent" stamps. You pay the going domestic lettermail rate for the stamps, and you can use them even when the postage rate changes. So if you buy permanent non-denominated stamps before January 15 at 51 cents, they'll still be valid after the rate hike. To make things even more palatable, Canada Post will honour 51-cent stamps on letters up to 30 grams mailed in Canada throughout 2007."

The Vanguard has reported that "the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST) is a vital agency of the Federal Government. It has also confirmed that the reform in NIPOST is aimed at its commercialization , not privatisation as erroneously claimed by the Bureau of Public Enterprise (BPE). This effectively placed NIPOST in the league of establishments like: Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Federal Radio Corporation (FRCN), and Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), just to mention but few. These outfits, apart from being core government agencies, are to a certain extent, self accounting. They cannot however, be privatized in view of their strategic national importance. For NIPOST, the resolutions at the 23rd UPU meeting in 2004 in Bucharest, eloquently explained its national importance anywhere, security wise."