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Postal News from October 2007:

October 31, 2007

Supply & Demand Chain Executive has reported that "Europe's parcel and express delivery business is expected to continue to grow at a higher rate than in previous years due to an increase in business-to-consumer (B2C) traffic and strong international demand, according to new research by market analyst Datamonitor. However, the research, "European Express Market Map 2008," which covers 12 major European markets, says that although currently exhibiting a higher growth rate than parcel services, express services are going to have to demonstrate extra value as customer demand is shifting to using cheaper yet reliable parcel services in key growth areas of international and business-to-consumer (B2C) delivery services."

From Business Wire: "Pitney Bowes Inc. has lauded the Postal Regulatory Commission for successfully creating new rules that ensure a vibrant future for the American mailstream. The five-member commission has been working since January to write the regulations to implement the landmark postal reform bill signed into law last year. It has been a daunting task to translate the 28,000-word law into specific regulations that mailers and the U.S. Postal Service can use to guide their actions, and Pitney Bowes praised the commission's hard work and good results."

Forbes has reported that "Royal Mail has announced operating profits of 233 mln stg for the year to March 25, down a third on the prior year's 355 mln, mainly because of a 193 mln rise in pension costs." See also Reuters, the BBC, and The Times.

According to the Communication Workers Union, "Royal Mail’s profits are disappointing and come as a direct result of mismanagement, Postcomm’s irresponsible decisions, and unfair competition." [This is the British version of "don't blame you, don't blame me, blame the regulator behind the tree.]

Computing has reported that "Royal Mail expects to save £300m over the next two years thanks to an electronic sourcing system handling purchasing of everything from vans to pencils. More than 950 contracts are now live on the system, which aims to improve co-ordination of the firm’s £2.5bn-worth of annual procurements and 100 purchasing staff."

According to The Times:

The Jerusalem Post has reported that "The Postal Workers Union announced Wednesday that it will postpone a strike planned for Thursday until the beginning of next week, Army Radio reported. The postponement of the strike is intended to allow additional time for negotiations with the Communications Ministry."

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

A turnover increase of more than 10 per cent and an increase of more than 74 per cent in net profit in the first 9 months - yet TNT CEO Peter Bakker preferred to talk of only a "satisfactory result."
Schweizerische Post has managed to significantly increase turnover as well as overall profit in the first three quarters of the current year.
` The Finnish post Itella has completed the third quarter with growth in all business areas.
Significantly risen costs have brought Posten Norge AS a declining result, despite increasing turnovers.
According to rumours, the Axel Springer publishing company could be backing out of its mail service commitment in Germany.
"With improved results in all core activities, Posten is delivering a strong result for the first 9 months of the year".
The European Commission is investigating the French state’s guarantee for La Poste.
There are clear signs of staff cutbacks at La Poste in Belgium. Postal CEO Johnny Thijs presented his plan for the restructuring of the company last week. Part-time workers play a significant role in the plans.
Employees of the Bulgarian post are ready to go on strike.
The planned extension of the Cologne/Bonn airport to become the new FedEx hub for Central and Eastern Europe has apparently placed a heavy strain on the airport’s relationship with UPS.
DPD GeoPost is apparently having difficulties breaking into the German express market.
UPS and FedEx plan to expand their presence on the Chinese market with additional shops.
Deutsche Post and India Post plan to cooperate closely in the future.
UPS disclosed last week that it entered into a 7bn billion dollar credit facility with an American consortium of banks, which includes Citybank amongst others.
A further privatisation of the Belgian telecommunication and postal sector is apparently the subject of current coalition negotiations.
Deutsche Post is anticipating savings in the three-digit millions from the announced capital market programme.
The Mexican post plans to invest up to 1.9m euros in a new surveillance system...because...every now and then, there were employees who would open or steal consignments.
Sweden’s rural postmen are very popular with the population as well as with companies.
Thanks to hybrid mail services, 20 to 25 per cent fewer emissions are being blasted into the air. This was reported by the »Environmental Leader« (25.10) in reference to ViaPost, the British operator, which plans to launch soon in Britain.
Theft from house mailboxes is becoming an increasing problem in the Netherlands.

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 the courtesy extended by CEP News to help whet your appetite for more of what CEP offers.)

The Associated Press has reported that "The U.S. Postal Inspection Service has offered a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to those responsible for a package containing an explosive device found at a post office. The Detroit News reports the package was placed in a collection box Tuesday at an apartment complex in the Detroit suburb of Northville. Police blocked off a one-square mile radius for three hours around the Northville post office as a bomb squad doused the parcel with a water cannon. Officials are testing the package for fingerprints or DNA."

The U.S. Postal Service has announced that Damon Manz has been appointed Manager, Operations Budget and Performance Management, in Operations Support at Headquarters.

From the Federal Register: "The Postal Service is amending the Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, International Mail Manual (IMM[supreg]) to remove references to the Republic of the Marshall Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia. Mail to the Republic of the Marshall Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia is no longer treated as international mail. Effective Date: November 19, 2007."

From Business Wire: "Melissa Data, www.melissadata.com, a data quality software and services provider, announced its free Internet-based Address LookUp search tool that is available for mailers who want to ensure timely delivery of cards, gifts and letters during the heavy holiday mailing season."

Deutsche Post AG and German labor union Ver.di's minimum wage agreement for postal industry workers definitely meets Social Democrat and Christian Democrat conditions for the introduction of a blanket minimum wage standard, a Deutsche Post spokesman told Dow Jones Newswires.

The latest issue of the National Association of Major Mail Users (NAMMU) eView has been posted on this site.

Reuters has noted that "Package delivery giants FedEx Corp and United Parcel Service Inc on Monday gave peak package day forecasts, with both predicting higher volumes despite slower U.S. economic growth. Memphis-based FedEx expects 11.3 million packages to move through its FedEx Express and FedEx Ground networks on Dec 17, compared with an average daily volume of 7 million packages, the company said in a press release.

According to PrintWeek, "Online postal service ViaPost, due to roll out in early December, has attracted the attentions of direct mail printers."

SanLuisObispo.com has reported that "Rep. Kevin McCarthy introduced a resolution today urging the U.S. Postal Service to set aside space in local branches for photos of military personnel serving overseas. The action, which also commends post offices that post such displays, came a week after the nation’s deputy postmaster general ordered the Paso Robles post office to return several dozen photos of troops serving abroad to a wall in the facility’s lobby. The photos were removed after a customer complained that the display was pro-war. Local postal officials said the photos violated a regulation against displays of non-postal material. McCarthy, R-Bakersfield, whose district includes Paso Robles objected to the decision and contacted the postmaster general’s office to reverse it."

The Economic Times has reported that "This is one mail courier companies would be praying is returned to the sender. A Cabinet note circulated by the department of posts has mooted 49% cap on FDI in courier business. If the proposal goes through, multinationals like Fedex, DHL, UPS and TNT who hold more than 49% in Indian ventures will have to pare stake. The draft of the Indian Post Office (Amendment) Bill has another whammy in store for the private sector. It proposes to make letters, parcels and packets weighing up to 150 gm the exclusive preserve of India Post. Private players will have to charge 2.5 times the tariff specified by Speed Post to operate in this segment."

The Hindu has reported that "Employees of the Postal Department on Tuesday staged a protest heeding the call for a nation-wide strike given by the National Federation of Postal Employees and the Federation of National Postal Organisations.

From Canada NewsWire: ""The federal government has proposed legislation which could undermine Canada Post's ability to provide universal postal service, particularly in rural and remote parts of our country. They have made this major move without conducting a proper review of the post office," said Deborah Bourque, National President of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW)."

BruneiDirect has reported that "The Postal Services Department will be introducing a new service, Hybrid Mail, in November. Hybrid mail allows customers to send in their letters via e-mail to the department, which will then sort it out electronically, prints it and delivers it in physical form to the intended recipient. The introduction of the service is to ensure the rapid process and delivery of letters to customers."

October 30, 2007

PostCom welcomes its newest members:

The DM Bulletin has noted that "Royal Mail plans to offer marketers the ability to develop and deliver mail packs that appeal to senses such as taste, sound and smell."

The Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum has announced that it has received a $1 million gift from the Motorola Foundation to support the museum’s upcoming “Systems At Work” exhibition gallery. Most people are unaware of the roles the postal system has played in American history and its vital contributions to the social and economic structure of the nation today. The “Systems At Work” exhibit will unlock the mystery of the mail by explaining what happens after a letter is dropped into a mailbox. The exhibit will showcase technological advances from the colonial past to the present day and explain the workings of a complex network of mail processing and distribution.

A summary of today's House postal oversight hearing has been posted on this site. You can find the testimony filed by the various witnesses on the House subcommittee web site.

As the Washington Post has noted, "The Postal Regulatory Commission yesterday took an important step in reshaping the U.S. Postal Service, eight months ahead of the deadline set by Congress."

The Naples Daily News questions a USPS policy about mail delivery.

Tempo Interactive has reported that "Indonesia suggested that members of the Universal Postal Union (UPU) accommodate the service that is applied in developing countries in order to simplify postal shipment among countries."

According to the Jerusalem Post, "The Postal Workers Union threatened a general strike beginning on Thursday if new rates for sending parcels are implemented, Army Radio reported on Tuesday. According to the report, the Israel Postal Authority is claiming that that the new rates will damage the postal services standing against competitors."

The Daily Yomiuri has reported that "The Japan Postal Union (JPU) and All Japan Postal Office Labor Union (Zenyusei)--two of now privatized Japan Post's biggest unions--merged on Oct. 22 to form the nation's largest corporate labor union. With 220,000 members, Japan Post Group Union (JP Union) eclipses NTT's 180,000-member labor union. Zenyusei Chairman Yoshikazu Yamaguchi became the first chairman of the merged union, while JPU Secretary General Shozo Namba landed the post of secretary general."

October 29, 2007

The PRC has announced that it has issued Final Regulations on Rulemaking for the New Ratemaking System. A press briefing will be held on Thursday, November 1, 2007 2:00 pm in the Postal Regulatory Commission Hearing Room, 901 New York Avenue, NW, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20001.

CBC News has reported that "Canada Post is planning to cancel home delivery to nearly half of its customers along some rural routes in Quebec's Eastern Townships because of road safety concerns. The postal agency is evaluating the safety of mail routes across Canada, after three carriers died and 37 were injured while making deliveries since 2005. Nearly 40 per cent of the routes examined in the Eastern Townships have failed the safety evaluation, because they present a hazard to carriers forced to stop on winding roads with high speed limits."

"Will Increased Postal Rates Put Mailers out of Business?" That's the subject of a postal oversight hearing to be held tomorrow by the House Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, Postal Service, and the District of Columbia, 10:00 AM at 2154 Rayburn House Office Building. The list of witnesses includes: Mr. James C. Miller, III Chairman, Board of Governors, United States Postal Service; Mr. John Potter, Postmaster General, United States Postal Service; Mr. Dan Blair, Chairman, Postal Regulatory Commission; Mr. Steve Stallone, President, International Labor Communications Association; Mr. Victor Navasky, Publisher Emeritus, The Nation and the Columbia Journalism Review; Mr. Jeff Hollingsworth, Vice President, Eagle Publishing; Mr. Max Heath, Vice-President of Postal/Acquisitions, Landmark Community Newspapers; Mr. Hamilton Davison, Executive Director, American Catalog Mailers Association; Mr. David Straus, Counsel, American Business Media; Mr. James O’Brien, Vice President Distribution & Postal Affairs, Time Inc.; Mr. Mark White, Vice President Manufacturing, U.S. News & World Reports; Mr. Joseph Schick, Director Postal Affairs, Quad/Graphics Inc;. Ms. Anita Pursley, Vice President, Postal Affairs, Quebecor World Logistics; Mr. Jerry Cerasale, Senior Vice President Government Affairs, Direct Marketing Association; Mr. Clay Hall, Chief Executive Officer, Aspire Media. [Highlighted are PostCom Board members.]

The Office of the USPS Inspector General has issued a new audit report: The Postal Service’s Comprehensive Strategic Workforce Plan (Report Number HMAR07004).  It was critical of the USPS’ approach to longterm workforce planning.

According to the Washington Post, "The magazines stack up, unread, on your coffee table: the New Yorker, Atlantic Monthly, Sports Illustrated, Vanity Fair. You subscribe to them but don't have time to read them. So there they sit, a glossy pile of guilt. Where you see wasted money, Jeremy Brosowsky saw a business opportunity. The Washington publishing entrepreneur recently rolled out Brijit, a Web site that creates 100-word abstracts of articles from dozens of magazines and rates them. Brijit, Brosowsky said, aims to be "everyone's best-read friend." Now on Brijit are summations of articles in current issues of GQ, Wired, Mother Jones, ESPN the Magazine, the Economist, Smithsonian and more than 50 other magazines."

From PR Newswire: "San Diego District Manager John E. Platt announced the return of nine relocated Post Offices to their buildings effective Monday, October 29. That leaves only five Post Offices in the four-county San Diego District remaining at relocated sites."

According to Crain's Detroit Business, "Sen. Charles Schumer is urging the U.S. Postal Service to halt a planned merger of Bronx and Manhattan mail-processing centers that would add nearly 117 new daily truck trips between the boroughs just as the city pushes congestion pricing."

The New York Post has reported that "Sen. Charles Schumer is urging the U.S. Postal Service to halt a planned merger of Bronx and Manhattan mail-processing centers that would add nearly 117 new daily truck trips between the boroughs just as the city pushes congestion pricing."

From PR-Inside: "Dutch postal company TNT NV said sales and profits rose in the third quarter, due to growth in both its mail and express delivery operations."

October 28, 2007

According to the Sunday Mail, "Disastrous security lapses at the heart of the Royal Mail are revealed in a shock Sunday Mail investigation. Our reporter was given work inside Scotland’s biggest sorting office after saying he was agency staff. No one asked him for ID. Incredibly, he spent an hour-and-a-half handling thousands of letters and parcels – some with credit cards, sensitive NHS papersand voter registration documents. No one asked him for ID, no one vetted him, no one asked if he had any experience – and his health and safety training lasted seven seconds."

The BBC has reported that:

The Michigan Citizen has reported that "Postal workers met with United States Postal Service (USPS) district managers Tues., Oct. 23 to hear the details around a proposed plan to consolidate mail operations in the Detroit area, including a relocation to Pontiac. During the public meeting workers and union representatives voiced serious concerns about job security and quality of mail service. The proposed restructuring of operations, called Area Mail Processing (AMP), would affect around 160 positions at the Detroit plant on Fort St. Approximately 79 positions would be relocated to the newly built Michigan Metroplex Processing and Distribution Center in Pontiac."

October 27, 2007

The Blackpool Gazette has reported that "trading Standards bosses have issued a warning of a postal scam in the run-up to Christmas. A card is posted through your door from a company called PDS (Parcel Delivery Service) suggesting that they have been unable to deliver a parcel to your address. The card instructs you to call a premium rate telephone number to retrieve your parcel. But consumer watchdogs say those who dial the number will hear a recorded message at which point they have already have been charged £15 for the call. Royal Mail said customers who receive a card should call Royal Mail Fraud on (0207) 239 6655 or ICSTIS (the premium rate service regulator) at www.icstis.org.uk."

According to the Washington Post, "Netflix is experimenting, too. After all, the by-mail business model that made it a success could disappear as quickly as the old mom-and-pop video store, particularly if Apple or Amazon figures out a more appealing approach that doesn't rely on the U.S. Postal Service."

From the U.S. Postal Service: "Virtually every resident and business in Southern California will receive mail delivery today, either from their letter carrier, in their Post Office Box or at temporary Post Offices established for evacuated communities. Despite the fires that have ravaged homes and businesses, the mail has never stopped moving. Postal employees have been delivering the mail wherever it is safe to do so. Delivery was made today to more than 99.8 percent of all addresses in Southern California."

The Edmunton Sun has reported that "Family and friends of soldiers in Afghanistan can mail them parcels and letters for free until Jan. 11, 2008, the federal government said yesterday. Families must send mail through Canada Post full-service retail outlets, and can also use the service to reach out to soldiers serving in any war zone, including Bosnia-Herzegovina, the Sinai Peninsula and Jerusalem and on Canadian ships at sea."

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

October 26, 2007

Advertising Age has reported that "After years of development, Time Inc. plans to introduce an online service next year that will offer pay-as-you-go, mix-and-match, highly flexible magazine subscriptions from a variety of publishers. Consumers using the service, to be called Maghound, will be able to pay one monthly fee for three subscriptions, with the ability to swap one title out for a new one or cancel entirely at any point."
 
 
The latest issue of the PostCom Bulletin is available online. In this issue:

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The Wall Street Journal has reported that "FedEx Corp. has said it will raise its FedEx Express air-shipping rate by 4.9% effective Jan. 7. The new rate, which represents a 6.9% increase offset by a two percentage-point cut in the fuel surcharge, applies to U.S. and U.S. export express package and freight shipments. The package-delivery giant also plans to raise rates and surcharges for FedEx Ground in 2008; it will announce the changes later this year. Also in 2008, FedEx Express customers importing goods to the U.S. will pay U.S. dollar rates."

According to FedSmith, "A postal supervisor won an order from the Merit Systems Protection Board overturning his removal and mitigating the penalty to suspension and assignment to a non-supervisory position. He now challenges the agency's failure to place him in a position that would have required the agency to breach its collective bargaining agreement. He sought an enforcement order, but the Board sided with the agency. Now, the Federal Circuit has affirmed, holding that the Board was correct in its interpretation that its reassignment order does not require the agency to breach its bargaining agreement. (Gutkowski v. United States Postal Service, C.A.F.C. No. 2007-3022, 10/23/07)"

The American Chronicle has reported that "The United States Postal Inspectors have produced a pretty telling video showing how Internet criminals lure people into taking jobs that will cause them financial and legal trouble. The film entitled, Work@Home Scams: They Just Don't Pay shows what happens to people, who accept work-at-home jobs that aren't what they appear to be. It also speaks to how this problem has grown from ads in the classified section of newspapers and magazines to being plastered all over the Internet."

USPS San Diego District Manager John E. Platt said today that virtually all residents and businesses in San Diego County will receive mail delivery today, either from their letter carrier, in their Post Office Box or at temporary Post Offices established for evacuated communities. Express Mail, Priority Mail and First-Class Mail will be delivered as usual. Customers are requested to pick up their mail daily, including from their Post Office Boxes, as volumes will be heavy for a few days.

The Wall Street Journal has reported that "Older Americans around the country are getting duped by a seemingly innocuous tactic that can expose them to hard-sell pitches from the insurance industry. The technique is centered on a marketing tool called the lead card, and it became popular after the federal government created its Do Not Call Registry in 2003 to shield consumers from unwanted solicitors. Sent through the mail, the lead card invites the recipient to mail off an enclosed reply for free information about, say, estate planning. But the cards fail to warn that by sending off replies, recipients are giving up their right to avoid telephone solicitations from the sender -- even if their phone numbers are on the Do Not Call list. "It's a huge loophole," says Pam Dixon, executive director of the World Privacy Forum, a San Diego nonprofit researcher of privacy issues including commercial use of personal information."

Precision Marketing has reported that "Homeserve, the emergency policy and repair business, has handed TNT Post its mailing contract, signaling another blow to Royal Mail. The deal, which will see Homeserve move its business from Royal Mail to TNT, is due to competitive prices and TNT’s clearer view of its business delivery service. The move will cause another blow to Royal Mail - already in the midst of internal turmoil."

October 25, 2007

Environmental Leader has reported that "ViaPost, which plans to launch soon in the UK, claims to cut carbon emissions from postal deliveries by 20-25 percent. The company, working with Royal Mail and Microsoft, lets you send correspondence directly from a computer to any UK address. You download a driver from ViaPost’s Website, type the letter on your computer, and choose ViaPost as your printer option. The letter is sent digitally to the ViaPost office nearest to your destination address. The letter is printed and sealed automatically, and delivered by Royal Mail."

The Washington Post has reported that "big three credit reporting bureau Equifax on Wednesday detailed its plan to offer certain consumers the ability to freeze their credit files as a means of preventing identity theft.

 The U.S. Postal Service will highlight professional employment opportunities in nearly every occupation during a free career information event on Wednesday, Nov. 14 in Washington, DC. CareerSMART will showcase the Postal Service’s need for professionals, e.g., accountants, lawyers and engineers, and give job seekers opportunities to talk with USPS representatives about advantages of a Postal Service career. Candidates will learn about current openings and can drop off résumés.

A reminder from the Postal Service: Service updates are regularly provided on the Postal Service website for any natural disaster or other emergency. To access information about mail services and the California wildfires, just go to: http://www.usps.com/communications/news/serviceupdates.htm?from=bannercommunications&page=serviceupdates#ca

As The Guardian has asked: "Royal Mail: who wins?" Good question.

As Fox6 San Diego has noted, "Mail deliveries from 12 post offices in San Diego County are being curtailed due to the wildfire crisis in the region, according to the U.S. Postal Service."

According to the Southlake Times, "The U.S. Postal Service has joined with U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the U.S. Attorney to combat check fraud."

The CBC has reported that "Shoppers seeking more variety and lower prices from online retailers in the U.S. are finding it's taking weeks for packages to be delivered to Canadian addresses. The Canada Border Services Agency said it has recorded an uptick in mail. "The number of online purchases arriving by mail has recently surged, in part due to the strong Canadian dollar and the commencement of the holiday season — the busiest time of the year for postal services," Chris Williams, a CBSA spokesman, said in an e-mail. Williams said that despite challenging circumstances, the CBSA is releasing the majority of incoming mail into the Canada Post system for delivery."

The Colfax Record has noted that "Colfax resident Patti Peterson recently received national recognition for addressing an envelope. Peterson's envelope was selected as one of 29 winners out of nearly 200 entries utilizing the theme of "A Mailable Feast" for the annual contest sponsored by the National Association of Letter Carriers. The Smithsonian Institute's National Postal Museum originated the competition in 1995."

In his Executive Brief, David Stubbs, who has commented extensively on the recent postal strike in the UK for BBC and ITV news and for the Daily Telegraph and Sunday Times, considers its causes and impact

The Sofia Echo has reported that "Employees of state-owned postal operator Bulgarian Posts were ready to go on strike over a lack of reforms and restructuring in the company. Postal workers had been preparing for months to go on strike because of the government’s lack of vision for the future of the operator."

October 24, 2007

An article, "What can the new Postal Service program called Open and Distribute do for you?" by J. Jeffery Peoples, Founder and CEO, Window Book, Inc., has been posted on this site.

From Prime Newswire: "I.D. Systems, Inc. has announced that it has received follow-on purchase orders from the United States Postal Service (USPS) to deploy I.D. Systems' Wireless Asset Net(r) industrial vehicle management system at five additional mail distribution facilities. The orders are cumulatively valued at approximately $1.4 million.

The publisher of the National Catholic Register has told his readers that "We recently got a call from another publication asking us how we are handling the postal rate increase. You’ve noticed the cost of your stamps rising steadily. So have publications. One Catholic publication that will now only publish online cites increased postal rates as a factor. So does another — a weekly — that will now publish every two weeks. Some call the postal rates unfair and seek to curb them. It isn’t right, they say, to go after the little guys — the non-profit publications — for new postal increases. That may be the case. But it may also be the case that all the new letter and package carriers have done such an effective job at winning the business of the “big guys” that we little guys are all the postal services have left. Whatever the reason, though, the postal rate increase is real, and it is difficult. Our answer to the question what we will change because of it is: nothing, yet. We are holding on."

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

Britain can breathe a sigh of relief: the strikes at Royal Mail appear to belong in the past.
The Spanish post Correos is facing a two-digit million figure back payment. The trigger is a lawsuit filed at the national Spanish court of justice by the union CC.OO. The employee representatives are demanding additional pay according to length of service for all those who were employed by the post last year.
The rumours of a free newspaper issued by Deutsche Post (CEP News 36/07) have apparently called various publishing houses into action. According to a report in the »Financial Times Germany« (17.10), a number of renowned publishers are interested in producing the free national daily newspaper for Deutsche Post.
Jakob Axel Nielsen, the Danish Minister of Transport and Energy, has spoken out against a swift liberalisation of the domestic postal market.
Australia Post has completed the financial year 2006/2007 (30 June) with record results. The post announced last week that turnover rose by 4 per cent to equivalent to 2.94bn euros. The post managed to increase its profit before taxes by almost 9 per cent to about 353m euros. The net profit also reached a record high, with 251.7m euros (+8.9 %). According to the post, all business segments were able to contribute to this.
In mid-October, 13 important German trade associations joined forces in order to demand a fair competition in the German postal market.
In the run-up to the liberalisation of the postal market, Deutsche Post is apparently aiming increasingly at small and medium-sized businesses. This Monday, the Group disclosed that 38 further locations would be set up especially for business customers. The official communication states that in doing so, the post is reacting to the wish of the SMBs to be able to hand over their letter and parcel consignments easily and swiftly.
Japan Post Service Co. plans to offer a hybrid service this year.
Street crime is becoming an ever-increasing problem for CEP operators in the Brazilian metropolis Sao Paulo. Last week, the CEP association Abrapost disclosed that on selected routes in the circumference of the city, postmen are now being accompanied by armed bodyguards. This concerns the postmen who deliver valuables ordered over the Internet.
Hong Kong Post and TNT Express signed a partnership agreement this Tuesday. The press service »World ACD« (16.10) reported that, together, both companies plan to operate increasingly in Hong Kong’s booming retail industry and, furthermore, to develop new business potentials.
DHL plans to invest 250m euros in its business in Russia in the next four years. Above all, the money would be used to expand the company’s own network in the world’s largest country in terms of area, postal CEO Klaus Zumwinkel told journalists during a press trip. Depending on business segment, the German post is anticipating growth rates of up to 50 per cent in Russia this year.
With a new web-based service, Canada Post is offering a comprehensive service pallet in direct marketing, aimed especially at small and medium-sized businesses.
The outsourcing of post office branches of the Hungarian post is set to begin as soon as next summer.

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 the courtesy extended by CEP News to help whet your appetite for more of what CEP offers.)

According to the Financial Times, "The Post Office is entering the fiercely competitive broadband market and promising to poach customers from Carphone Warehouse and Tiscali. The company, part of the state-owned Royal Mail group, is aiming to have 1m broadband and fixed-line telephone customers by 2010-11. The Post Office will rely on its 14,500 branches across the UK to offer a sales network for broadband that other companies cannot match. It is also hoping its brand will fuel sales. The company’s high-speed internet deals will be slightly more expensive than leading low-cost broadband providers. But it said a wholesale deal with BT, Britain’s leading telecommunications company, will ensure it offers a better consumer experience than rivals."

According to Smart Money, "United Parcel Service Inc. (UPS) expects domestic package volume in the fourth quarter to increase at its slowest rate in four years, but executives said Tuesday there are signs that trends in the U.S. small-package market are starting to improve. Chief Financial Officer Scott Davis said during a conference call following the release of third-quarter results that retail sales growth in the U.S. is weak and that it remains a "wild card." He noted that the company sees economic growth in the U.S. this year at about 2%, and that it remains to be seen how quickly the U.S. economy will return to long-term growth trends." See also Bloomberg.

AMEInfo has reported that "Emirates Post and India Post have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enable UAE residents to transfer money to India through India Post's vast postal network."

The Tocqueville Connection has reported that "The European Commission on Tuesday announced an in-depth investigation into French government guarantees for the national postal service, La Poste. The formal investigation against France concerns the unlimited state guarantee provided for La Poste which "enables La Poste to obtain finance on favourable terms," the EU's top competition watchdog said in a statement. "Because its competitors do not enjoy the same advantage, the guarantee is likely to distort competition to an extent detrimental to the common interest, at a time when the postal sector is in the process of being liberalised," it said."

The Cincinnati Enquirer has reported that "The local American Postal Workers Union will hold two informational pickets today to inform customers of the cut in hours at local post offices."

October 23, 2007

You can get the latest information from the U.S. Postal Service about mail service and the California fires by checking the USPS' RIBBS web site..

UPS today reported a 9.4% increase in adjusted diluted earnings per share for its third quarter on a 4.7% gain in revenue. The company saw significant improvement in the supply chain and freight segment and good gains in its international business. Its U.S. small package operation posted modest improvement in spite of a sluggish economy.

The Journal Star has reported that "Dozens of postal workers stood outside the Downtown post office processing center on Monday afternoon to protest what one worker called "an ill-advised decision" on the part of officials."

TVPredictions has reported that "NetFlix yesterday said it may deliver movies directly to the home by using Internet-connected HDTV DVD players. The company now uses postal mail service to distribute DVDs to more than five million subscribers. But in a Monday conference call with financial analysts, NetFlix CEO Reed Hastings said the company will enter the online distribution business next year."

The New York Times has reported that "an effort intended to update the Postal Service’s image might be best commemorated with a stamp proclaiming, “Today is the first day of the rest of your life.” The campaign, getting under way this week, offers the theme “Today’s Mail” as a way to refer to the post office. The phrase, accompanied by the Postal Service’s familiar stylized eagle logo, appears as the closing signature in print, online and direct-mail advertisements in place of the words “United States Postal Service.” The campaign is being produced by Campbell-Ewald in Warren, Mich., part of the Interpublic Group of Companies, which has been the lead creative agency for the Postal Service since July 2002. The Postal Service spends $30 million to $35 million each year on advertising."

As reported by the Detroit Free Press, "The proposed shift of some first-class letter operations and jobs from Detroit to Pontiac will save millions of dollars but will not affect business and residential services, Postal Service officials said Monday. The consolidation calls for all outgoing first-class mail from the Detroit area -- ZIP codes beginning 481 and 482 -- to be processed at the Michigan Metroplex Processing and Distribution Center being built in Pontiac. The Detroit Post Office, with about 2,500 employees, will remain a hub for bulk and other mailings."

The BBC has reported that:

Personnel Today has a short review of the Royal Mail-CWU agreement.

The Guardian has reported that "An end to the bitter postal workers' dispute is in sight after union leaders ratified a deal on pay and modernisation aimed at halting months of disruption to mail deliveries. Around 130,000 members of the Communication Workers Union will now vote on whether to accept the agreement and break the deadlocked row which has cost the Royal Mail tens of millions of pounds and hit domestic and business customers across the UK." See also the Financial Times.

As the Wall Street Journal has noted, "While identity thieves used a wide combination of methods, fewer than 20% of the crimes involved the Internet. The most frequently used non-technological method was the rerouting of mail through change of address cards."

DI-VE has reported that "Lombard Bank Malta plc CEO and Director Joseph Said has been appointed Chairman of Maltapost plc, succeeding David Stellini who shall however retain a place on the Board. The change at the helm of the postal company follows the recent acquisition by Lombard Bank of an additional 25 per cent shareholding in Maltapost from the Government."

October 22, 2007

At last week's meeting of the Board of Directors of the Association for Postal Commerce, the following were elected for two-year terms as officers of the association: as chairman, Jim O'Brien, (Time Inc.); as executive vice chairman, Jody Berenblatt (Bank of America); as secretary, Donna Hanberry (Alliance of Independent Store Owners and Professionals), and as treasurer, Dan Emens (JPMorgan Chase). Also elected as new directors of the association for a three year term were: Richard Eaton (Highlights For Children); Bob Gillen (Epsilon/Abacus); Scott Lorenz (Hearst Magazines); David Robinson (Pitney Bowes Software Solutions); and Timothy Ryan (Quebecor World Logistics).

Reuters has reported that "The postal workers' union said on Monday its executive committee had ratified a deal to end the strikes that have brought chaos to the post service. In a brief statement, the Communication Workers' Union said it had backed a national agreement made with Royal Mail last week would now put the deal to its 130,000 members." See also The Guardian and the BBC.

Direct Newsline has reported that you can "Add to the list of services claiming to help consumers opt out of unwanted direct mail Catalog Choice, a not-for-profit launched earlier this month....According to a report in the New York Times, more than 20,000 people had registered on Catalog Choice as of last week. Catalog Choice was developed by three non-profits, National Wildlife Federation, the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Ecology Center. It is supported with funding from The Overbrook Foundation, the Kendeda Fund and the Merck Family Fund."

According to the Financial Times, "The end of the postal dispute was thought to be in sight last night, with senior union officials understood to be close to backing Royal Mail's improved offer on pay, pensions and working practices. The framework of the deal was agreed over a week ago by Adam Crozier, Royal Mail chief executive, and Bill Hayes, general secretary of the Communication Workers Union. However, members of the union's postal executive have yet to endorse the deal. Union officials are understood to have sought further details of how changes to working practices would be negotiated at local level. The offer, which includes a 6.9 per cent pay rise starting from this October and lasting for 18 months, is expected to go to a ballot of the union's 130,000 Royal Mail members if it wins the backing of the union's postal executive."

The Los Angeles Business Journal has reported that "With the industry reeling from the Royal Mail disruption, we find ourselves with a timely reminder of why we must integrate our media. It is natural that we should be concerned about the effects the strike will have on our businesses, but it shouldn't be the major inhibitor that it is for many."

According to Precision Marketing, "With the industry reeling from the Royal Mail disruption, we find ourselves with a timely reminder of why we must integrate our media. It is natural that we should be concerned about the effects the strike will have on our businesses, but it shouldn't be the major inhibitor that it is for many."

The Copenhagen Post has reported that "Competitors of Post Danmark will probably have to exercise ample patience before the market is fully liberalised, according to Jakob Axel Nielsen, the transport and energy minister."

The National Assciation of Major Mail Users publication, Mailworks, is available on this site.

October 21, 2007

The News Journal has reported that "Since the 1990s, China's international courier market has gradually been taken over by the four international giants -- DHL, TNT, UPS and FedEx, which have been growing by more than 20 percent to 40 percent per annum. EMS, the courier service by China Post, has been declining by 4 percent year-on-year."

October 20, 2007

The Postal Regulatory Commission has issued a "Notice Of Removing Protective Conditions From Opinion And Recommended Decision Originally Filed On October 3, 2007 Under Seal." So, if you're looking for an unredacted version of the MC2007-1 recommended decision on the Bank of America NSA, you can find it posted on the PRC web site. You can find the working papers posted there too.

October 19, 2007


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

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.

The PostCom Bulletin is distributed via NetGram

In his latest perspective, PostCom Postal Bulletin commentator Gene Del Polito wrote that "the tentative nature of the PRC's action on the Bank of America NSA suggests that the newly incarnate Postal Regulatory Commission is trying to take its first steps into its brave new world, but some memories of its prior life are causing those steps to be halting ones."

The International Post Corporation (IPC) announced at its bi-annual Board meeting in New York City, its plans to develop a three-tier program to address environmental sustainability among its member posts. The program will focus on developing common sector-wide definitions and measurement systems; conducting stakeholder research and communicating sector-wide advances in environmental sustainability throughout the postal industry.

The DM Bulletin has reported that "The Direct Marketing Association has warned that the door drop industry (unaddressed admail) could face strict measures in response to Government and public concerns over the medium’s impact on the environment. Speaking at a doordrop media conference organised by postal operator TNT Post, Alex Walsh, head of postal affairs and industry development at the DMA, said environmental issues were posing a significant threat to the direct marketing industry."

WJRT has reported that "A post office picket has dozens of people braving today's wet weather in a show of support. A plan to consolidate parts of the Flint post office operation with those in Pontiac could soon cost Mid-Michigan dozens of jobs."

According to the Des Moines Register, "Democrat John Edwards picked up the endorsement of the Iowa Postal Workers Union today. The union represents more than 3,000 workers. It is the statewide branch of the AFL-CIO affiliated American Postal Workers Union."

Yahoo! News has reported that "The Western Union Co. said Thursday it is teaming up with cell phone service providers to develop a system that would allow consumers to transfer money from country to country via their mobile phones." [So much for needing the post.]

According to the Farmers Guardian, "postal strikes across the country have hit rural businesses hard and look set to put a number of people out of business."

PrintWeek has noted that "St Ives this morning confirmed that it has been appointed to handle Royal Mail's print management."

The Belfast Telegraph has noted that "Residents living in border areas have been left asking if they are receiving a first class service after it emerged that letters sent to destinations just yards away are travelling hundreds of miles. Barry McElduff, Sinn Fein MLA for West Tyrone, said he cannot understand why letters and parcels must go on such long journeys, even though "you could throw a paper aeroplane" between some of the border towns involved. Letters between places such as Lifford in Co Donegal and Strabane in Co Tyrone - just hundreds of metres apart - travel to Athlone, Dublin and then Belfast before arriving at their intended destination, postal chiefs have confirmed."

Khaleej Times has reported that "Saudi Arabia is getting ready for home delivery of mail. The kingdom’s entire postal delivery system is being modernised. Mailboxes have been put up almost throughout Jeddah, and in an effort to make the system smoother, Jeddah Municipality plans to overhaul the city’s street-naming system. Jeddah’s streets currently have names, districts are numbered and buildings have numbers, though not always displayed. The current system is confusing, and since most people get mail delivered at office addresses or at post offices, so far there has little need for a clearly defined address system. The plan envisages a more organised numerical system that would fit in with the kingdom’s new postal system."

Caboodle.hu has reported that "Hungarian postal operator Magyar Posta Zrt plans to "outsource" more than 1,000 post offices across the country to private operators, reports portal hirado.hu. The process will involve five different tenders, the first of which will take place next summer, and involve 220 offices in four counties."

The New York Sun has noted that "The French walked, used bikes, shared cars, or took the day off yesterday for the biggest national public transport strike since 1995. Unions said the strike will continue today. Service on most trains on the national network, metros in Paris, and buses in major cities ground to a halt after public workers went on strike to oppose a government plan to roll back their pension privileges. About 319,000 people at railroads, power and gas utilities, schools, and the postal service failed to turn up at work. The special pensions cost the state about $7.1 billion a year."

Computer Business Report has noted that "Late council tax payers won't be able to use the UK postal strike as an excuse for non-payment any more, thanks to the local council's deployment of a text messaging system from Avanquest. Rather than sending out printed reminders for council tax or booking building inspection appointments, council staff will contact people using SMS messages. "The potential for numerous worker hours saved is enormous, coupled with money savings - the cost of a second class stamp is 24p, a text charge is 6p," said Bob Southgate, Babergh's head of customer services."

October 18, 2007

Mediapost has asked: "Is there too much ad-supported media out there, particularly online? With all of the funding from venture capitalists, and with offline media companies trying to build online media franchises, everyone is launching ad-supported Web sites. This doesn’t even take into account the millions of college students, small business folks and grandmothers getting into the game in their spare time, having recently discovered that publishing is fun — and that accepting ads like Google AdSense on your site can get you some beer or bingo money to boot. Of course, this flurry of activity, and competition, is freaking out some folks who have historically controlled the ad world, but is also freaking out some investors who are learning that there are virtually no “barriers to entry” when it comes to creating and publishing ad-supported Web content."

According to The Guardian, "Crucial talks aimed at breaking the deadlocked postal workers dispute have been adjourned and will resume again on Friday."

The Dublin People Group has reported that "An Post said it hopes to have a number of postboxes on the Northside reopened for public use this week after they were sealed for security reasons. Angry householders in Grace Park Heights and Shantalla Road in Dublin 9 said they have been seriously inconvenienced over the past month, due to the fact that they have been unable to post mail through their local postboxes. Residents feared the sealing of the boxes could mean that An Post was seeking to discontinue the service in the area."

From the U.S. Postal Service: This is to announce that the Cycle M CASS/MASS is being postponed to an implementation date of August 1, 2009. Certification of customers who previously attained CASS certification using a product specifically developed to meet the current coding requirements for 2007-2008 Cycle L will be valid through July 31, 2009. Certification testing for Cycle L will cease on February 1, 2009. While it is likely that all previously announced cycle M requirements will continue to be included in this postponed cycle M, the complete list of requirements will be communicated during the CASS/MASS Cycle M requirements meeting held in February 2008.

Engadget iMobile has reported that "Japan Post Service Co. and KDDI are dumping tech into the snail mail world with an SMS to paper mail service. KDDI customers will have the option to create a New Year's cards on their mobile, then send them to the Holiday partnership for printing and mailing. Japan Post Service is said to be planning on using all of its 24,000 offices in the country to print and get the cards out for the expected 10 million customers. The opportunity for gag cards here boggles, we're wishing we see something like this over here someday."

The Register has reported that "The Post Office has quietly opened the doors on its aggressively-priced broadband service. The packages are supplied and run by BT's white label managed services unit."

Air Cargo World has reported that "With the UPS tentative parcel workers agreement in hand, the Teamsters union is moving onto new ground in the package field. The union's national negotiating committee met this month with representatives from DHL to start the "historic task of negotiating a new DHL National Master Agreement," the Teamsters leadership told its membership last week."

Direct Newsline has reported that "Canada Post has launched Direct Marketing Online (www.directmarketingonline.ca), a service designed to give small and medium-sized businesses online access to marketing tools once reserved for big-budget enterprises. Specifically, companies can rent customer list, and upload their existing lists through the service. Direct Marketing Online also provides radius search capabilities and demographic and psychographic selection filters. In addition, the service offers campaign data and performance analytics."

According to the Brisbane Times, "Australia Post has flagged further investment in its logistics arm to propel its domestic and international expansion. The parcels and logistics division is now the corporatised entity's biggest money-spinner, responsible for a big part of the group's 2006-07 net profit of $400.7 million, a rise of 8.7 per cent on the previous year's $367.9 million."

The Guardian has reported that "Further talks aimed at ending the long-running dispute between the Royal Mail and the Communications Workers Union which has caused widespread disruption to postal services in recent weeks are to be held today."

October 17, 2007

A new report has been posted on the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General website (http://www.uspsoig.gov/). If you have additional questions concerning the report, please contact Wally Olihovik at 703.248. 2201, or Agapi Doulaveris at 703.248.2286.

From the Federal Register: "The Postal Service proposes modern service standards for its market-dominant products. Section 301 of the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act (PAEA) (codified at 39 U.S.C. 3691) requires the Postal Service, in consultation with the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC), to establish by regulation a set of modern service standards for market-dominant products, no later than December 20, 2007. DATES: Comments must be received on or before November 16, 2007. ADDRESSES: Mail written comments to Modern Service Standards for Market-Dominant Products Comments, Post Office Box 23280, Washington, DC 20026-3280."

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

On Saturday, the post’s CEO Klaus Zumwinkel confirmed to journalists that the company had cancelled about 800,000 euros worth of newspaper advertisements which had been planned for this year. Mr Zumwinkel told »Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa« that it was a "campaign by the Springer group", which was personally attacking the post and its chief executive.
Spain’s Correos has confirmed the lower profit expectation for the coming year.
The president of the French regulator ARCEP, Paul Champsaur, has called the progress of negotiations over the EU liberalisation satisfactory.
Österreichische Post has further expanded its position on the Croatian advertising mail market.
The settlement of the question of minimum wage for postmen in Germany is increasingly becoming a legal matter.
Schweizerische Post is reinforcing its dialogue marketing commitments in Germany with the purchase of the consultancy company Client Vela.
Following sustained criticism of its nontransparent financial statements, Deutsche Post plans to make its balance sheet more transparent.
The Spanish union CC.OO. has described the decision by the EU minister to open up the postal market in 2011 or 2013 as "bad news" for EU citizens and all employees of Correos.
So-called express letterboxes have been a great success for Beijing Post. »China Economy« (11.10) reports that up to 3,000 express letters per day are sent via the bright-red boxes, which have been in place since 1 August. Now the Chinese capital’s postal organisation plans to increase the number of boxes to up to 1,000.
The Hermes Logistics Group (HLG) has entered into the Italian parcel market and at the same time managed to intensify its cooperation with Schweizerische Post.
The EU’s antitrust regulators suspect a number of international forwarding companies of having violated Article 81 of the EU competition regulations.
Belgium’s La Poste plans to merge its loss-making express subsidiary Taxipost with the parcel unit Kilopost.
Österreichische Post plans to invest about 230m euros for acquisitions in the European express parcel market in the next 2 to 3 years.
Last year, FedEx was by far the world’s largest freight airline again.
Australia Post plans to increase its shareholding in the airline Qantas Freight.
More than a fifth of employees at Malta Post have decided to leave the company, which has only just become privatised, in order to continue to work as civil servants in the public sector.
Portugal’s CTT Correios is receiving government support in its plans to create a postal bank, »Agencia Financiera«.
Bulgarian Post can process more than 300,000 letters and 7,000 parcels per day in its new hub in Sofia.
Deutsche Post plans to launch a pilot project in the west German city of Dortmund with so-called "post islands"."Clusters of machines", such as a packing station, a stamp machine and a Postbank cashpoint, for example, are to be set up, under the system name "Post 24/7".
Employees of the Venezuelan post are demanding higher pay.

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 the courtesy extended by CEP News to help whet your appetite for more of what CEP offers.)

Transport Intelligence has reported that "DHL Express (Poland) is building the country's largest customer service centre in Lódz, which will support its domestic parcel service."

Yokwe Online has reported that "Postal Service operations in the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) are being restructured and new equipment purchased to upgrade capabilities, according to RMI Chief Secretary Casten Nemra."

The Sydney Morning Herald has reported that "Australia Post's parcels and logistics division was the driver behind its record net result of $400.7 million in fiscal 2007. The parcels division contributed just $1.2 billion in revenue to overall earnings but added $255.9 million in its before-tax earnings to Australia Post's profit. By contrast, its letters division pulled in $2.7 billion in revenue yet contributed only $160.0 million to the profit - an 8.4 per cent slide on the 2006 divisional result."

According to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, "For 10 years, the Chagrin Falls Post Office allowed a mail carrier to take Saturdays off to observe the Sabbath. But in 2002, with a staff shortage because of budget constraints and pressure from other carriers upset at more frequently drawing weekend assignments, the post office ended its arrangement with Martin Tepper and began scheduling him to work on Saturdays. Tepper, who joined the post office in 1980 and became a Messianic Jew a few years later, filed a complaint with the Postal Service that was rejected. He then sued the Postal Service in federal court in Cleveland in 2004, claiming a civil rights violation. He again lost."

The Columbo Page has reported that "Sri Lanka Postal Department trade unions collective has launched a Black Week protest campaign from today hoisting black flags at Post Offices and wearing black bands. The trade unions protest the impunity given to the culprits found guilty by investigation committees for corruption in the Department, for not resolving the issues of malpractices and for promoting the private mail through the newly introduced business mail."

The Telegraph has reported  that "Wednesday's planned 24-hour postal strike has been suspended but unofficial stoppages are continuing to spread, with some residents and businesses now without mail for more than two weeks.

Postal Regulatory Commissioner Ruth Goldway's testimony before the House Administration Elections Subcommittee is available on the PRC web site.

The Financial Express has reported that "Even an expected resignation can become a sensation in Putin’s Russia. The resignation of Andrei Kazmin, who has chaired Russia’s largest state-controlled bank, Sberbank, for 11 years, was expected. But nobody expected that he would be appointed head of the Russian postal service. The irony of the situation is that he may be charged with implementing an idea he has been opposing as head of Sberbank. Karl Marx, the grandfather of socialism, once said that history is an ironic poet. He was proved right several times, and now his prediction can materialise in the Russian banking sector. The Post of Russia has several advantages over Sberbank. First, it has outlets in the remotest parts of the country. And second, unlike bank offices, post offices cannot be closed as unprofitable. So, they should offer not only postal but also banking services to all categories of the population."

According to the Irish Examiner, "postal workers hounded by dangerous animals and angry customers are brushing up on defensive techniques to stamp out further threats."

October 16, 2007

ThomasDirect has reported that "DeskDirect Global operates using central backbone of servers that collect and aggregate mail from mail originators anywhere in world and route it to certified mail fulfillment centers as close as possible to mail's delivery destination. This results in locally printed mail with optimized delivery time, quality, and cost. Green solution provides business opportunities to mail originators, mail fulfillment centers, and postal administrations."

Hemscott has reported that "The Communication Workers Union said it has suspended industrial action planned for later this week, as its executive continues to discuss the agreement reached with Royal Mail."

From Business Wire: "Yesmail Direct is a new online business destination where small businesses register within a master application to conduct permission-based email marketing, print postcards for direct mail and buy listings with the top search engines. As one of the first emarketing portals of its kind, Yesmail Direct enables small businesses to develop communications and advertising to new customers and build loyalty via targeted communications with current customers from one single location at an affordable price."

Direct Newsline has reported that "As part of an effort to head off increasing calls for do-not-mail legislation, DMA president John Greco yesterday called on all direct marketers to begin putting opt-out notices in all their mailings. Greco called on marketers to use the DMA's mail preference service name-removal file, which will now be updated monthly instead of quarterly. "When consumers respond, their choices should be honored promptly," he said.

VoteTrustUSA has reported that "A bill by Congresswoman Susan Davis (D-Calif.) to expand voting by mail, or absentee voting, to millions of Americans will get a hearing Tuesday, October 16 in the Subcommittee on Elections of the House Administration Committee. Davis will give testimony on her bill at a hearing on expanding and improving opportunities for voting by mail. The hearing will be the first of its kind at the federal level on absentee voting. “Millions of Americans are denied the opportunity to vote absentee,” said Davis, a member of the subcommittee. “My bill would make it possible for those Americans to participate in their democracy. For many Americans, every day is a juggling act. A commitment to a job or family should not hinder someone from participating in one of the most hallowed acts of a democracy – voting.” Also testifying will be Deb Merkowitz, Secretary of State of Vermont; Ruth Goldway, Postal Rate Commissioner; Joe Holland, Registrar of Voters for Santa Barbara County."

From the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit: "Douglas F. Carlson appeals pro se the district court’s grant of summary judgment in favor of the United States Postal Service (USPS) in Carlson’s action under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. § 552 et seq., which sought public disclosure of the names, addresses, telephone numbers, regular business hours and final collection times for outgoing mail for every United States post office. The district court determined that the records sought were exempt from FOIA disclosure as “information of a commercial nature, . . . which under good business practice would not be publicly disclosed.” 39 U.S.C. § 410(c)(2). We have jurisdiction over this timely appeal under 28 U.S.C. § 1291. Because the requested records are not “information of a commercial nature,” we reverse."

The UPS Board of Directors has announced that Chairman and CEO Mike Eskew will step down at the end of the year and will be replaced by Scott Davis, who is currently the company's vice chairman and chief financial officer.

The Toronto Star has reported that "Canada Post is planning to spend $1.7 billion to modernize its antiquated equipment as it anticipates riding a global wave of deregulation that has already struck many developed countries, particularly in Europe. The expenditures to be carried out over five years would allow the Crown corporation to eliminate the "decrepit" equipment jokingly referred to as computorsaurs. "The whole way in which we handle the mail is antiquated," Canada Post CEO Moya Greene said in an interview Monday."

The Herald Sun has reported that "a tiny Canadian political party that promotes sexual freedom complained in Federal Court today it was discriminated against by the country's postal service. The Sex Party is upset that Canada Post refused to distribute a flyer during the 2006 federal election that outlined the group's philosophy, after deeming some its contents to be pornographic." [Oooohhh...Canada!]

According to The Guardian, "Leaders of the Communication Workers Union will today resume discussions over whether to back a settlement to the union's long-running dispute which was hammered out in late-night negotiations between the CWU's general secretary, Billy Hayes, and his deputy, Dave Ward, and Royal Mail's chief executive, Adam Crozier, last Friday. After almost five hours poring over the details of the deal yesterday the CWU's postal executive, made up of 17 elected members and seven national officers, has yet to decide whether to throw its weight behind the deal."

The Telegraph has reported that:

October 15, 2007

Joseph Jaffe, host of one of the most popular marketing and advertising podcasts on the Web, will bring his wit and wisdom to Deliver magazine, the first custom publication from the U.S. Postal Service. Deliver’s key audience is executive-level business marketers interested in using direct mail to solve marketing challenges. Jaffe will discuss 12, four-minute podcasts created exclusively for the magazine’s online presence. Visitors can listen to or download the podcast from www.delivermagazine.com, then click over to Jaffe’s blog, www.jaffejuice.com, and leave a written or audio comment on the podcast. The blog and podcast provide comment on a wide range of marketing topics.

The BBC has reported that "Postal workers in Liverpool have voted not to return to work in unofficial industrial action at a mass meeting in the city. The action was taken despite a national deal aimed at ending Communication Workers' Union's (CWU) long-running dispute over shift patterns. Union members said they had not heard sufficient detail on the national deal to convince them to return to work. They are awaiting the outcome of a CWU national executive meeting later and want to see a copy of the agreement."

The DM Bulletin has reported that "A council of the marketing industry's trade bodies has agreed to defend direct mail's opt-out status, despite opposition from the IPA, as part of an industry-wide initiative to support direct marketing."

Direct Newsline has reported that "Donn Rappaport, CEO of American List Counsel Inc., has been elected chairman of the Direct Marketing Association Board of Directors. He replaces Marcus Wilhelm, a partner in AKA Marketing & Media LLC, who will continue to serve on the board. Also elected were the following officers: Vice chairman -- Kelly B. Browning, chief operating officer of American Institute for Cancer Research Treasurer -- David Williams, CEO, Merkle, Inc. Secretary -- Eugene R. Raitt, chief direct marketing officer, AIG In addition, five new board members were elected during the DMA annual business meeting: Leslie Abi-Karam, president, Document Messaging Technologies, Pitney Bowes Inc.; Bill Bass, CEO, Fair Indigo; Steven A. Lightman, CEO, The Sharper Image; Wes William Lucas, CEO, QuebecorWorld; Mary L. Miller, chief marketing officer, PetSmart Live From DMA07: "

The Financial Times has noted that "After one of the most bitter industrial disputes of recent years, a settlement appears to be close at Royal Mail with a deal on pay, pensions and modernisation. Royal Mail and the Communication Workers Union late on Friday issued a joint statement saying an agreement reached after more than 48 hours of negotiations in London would be put to the union's postal executive at a meeting today. Last week's unofficial strikes appeared to be coming to an end over the weekend and hopes were rising that further, official, one-day national strikes planned for this week can be avoided. But the key issue on which the deal will be judged is whether Royal Mail has won the freedom it needs to bring in far-reaching changes to its working practices, which are essential if it is to survive in a competitive postal market."

According to the BBC, "Residents in a London borough have been invited to hand in council-related post at any of its 12 libraries, in a bid to beat the continuing post-strike chaos. Westminster City Council libraries will accept documents such as parking fines and resident parking applications. The libraries are in Charing Cross, Maida Vale, Church Street, Marylebone, Mayfair, Paddington, and Pimlico. A series of 48-hour stoppages across the UK by postal workers has left a huge backlog of undelivered mail."

Mailers Council exec Robert McLean has reported that "The National Rural Letter Carriers' Association and the USPS will begin binding arbitration on October 29. They plan a series of meetings over a 20-days period. This remains the only unresolved employee agreement. Also, in balloting that ended October 5, William Burrus was reelected to his third term as president, receiving more than 77% of the votes cast and capturing a majority in every state."

The Guardian has reported that "Postal workers staged a fifth day of unofficial strike action today, despite efforts to end their bitter dispute with the Royal Mail over pay, jobs and pensions."

Ha'aretz has reported that "The Israel Postal Company's security department recently filed a complaint with the police against a young man from Haifa who had asked the national postal service to issue a personalized stamp of himself wearing a Nazi insignia. The postal company's "My Stamp" service allows customers to order a personalized stamp carrying their own picture."

October 14, 2007

The New York Times has reported that "the mail, as an old song insists, must go through, though the song does not say the mail must go through another borough. A proposal by the United States Postal Service, however, would have mail sent to the Bronx processed in and distributed from Manhattan, a change that critics say would disastrously affect the quality of mail service in the Bronx and further clog Manhattan streets with delivery trucks. The proposal did not become public until the Postal Service’s inspector general issued a report Sept. 26 approving the proposal and outlining how it would work. The Postal Service plans to present the plan at a community meeting, which has not yet been scheduled. Critics of the plan contend that the new arrangement would negatively affect both boroughs."

According to the Daily & Sunday Review, "Voters who can't make it to the polls will cost the county more this year. Advertisement In particular, small green pencils inserted with every absentee ballot could add $900 to the total cost of mailings thanks to changes in United States Postal Service rates." [Ah, yes. The old NotFlatMachinable gig.]

The Telegraph has reported that "Wildcat strikers are threatening to wreck a hard-won deal between postal management and unions to end the recent strikes."

The BBC has reported that "Business and Enterprise Secretary John Hutton has urged unions to accept what he said was a "sensible deal" to end the long-running postal dispute."

Yahoo! News has reported that "wildcat strikes are to be discussed by the postal workers' union after a deal was struck to get Royal Mail employees back to work."

The Times has noted that "a series of strikes by the Communication Workers Union (CWU) has crippled the postal system, leaving a backlog of about 100m letters and parcels. At stake is the future of Royal Mail as it struggles to transform itself from a Victorian relic – and its long-held role as an arm of the nanny state – into a modern delivery company. Royal Mail has seen commercial rivals eat into its market since it lost its monopoly over postal services at the start of 2006. Courier firms gained a licence to collect and distribute letters, handing them over to Royal Mail for delivery on the last – and most costly – leg of the journey to the letterbox. Some rivals such as UK Mail, owned by Business Post, which collect mail but use the Royal Mail’s postmen and postwomen to deliver letters and packages the “final mile” to customers, have been hurt by the strikes. But companies offering “end-to-end” deliveries of packages have cleaned up. "

The Scotsman has reported that "Royal Mail and the Post Office may be separated under a radical proposal that will be seen as a further move towards privatisation of the postal network. Sir Nigel Stapleton, chairman of regulator PostComm, is to launch an inquiry into the merits of a split early next year."

According to DI-VE, "More than one fifth of Maltapost's workforce has chosen to leave the recently privatized company, as 120 out of 150 employees who were entitled to take advantage of a scheme to return to the civil service have decided to do so." See also the Times of Malta.

October 13, 2007

Reuters has reported that "Royal Mail said on Saturday it was working hard to clear the estimated 60 million items of post that have built up during this month's strikes. An agreement in principle was reached between Royal Mail and union leaders on Friday to end the dispute over pay, working conditions and pensions. Royal Mail said in a statement: "We are now working hard to return to normal as quickly as possible, but there is a significant build-up of mail that will take some time to clear."

The BBC has reported that "The government has welcomed a deal which could lead to an end to strike action by postal workers. The agreement between Royal Mail and the Communication Workers' Union is still to be ratified and details have not yet been announced. The Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform described the development as "significant progress". Royal Mail said unofficial strikes were continuing at about 10 delivery offices in London and 20 in Liverpool."

The Belfast Telegraph has reported that "Representatives from the Communication Workers' Union claimed today that staff who went on industrial action for two days last week and two days this week have had all four days pay deducted from this week's cheque. And it seems that workers across Northern Ireland could be left with empty accounts."

According to The Independent:

According to VNUNet, "Fax machines, scanners and online fax-to-email services have seen increased sales and usage as UK users try to beat the postal strike. As one manager put it, "We thought that faxes were heading for extinction with the advent of broadband, but the recent industrial action has caused us to think twice."

October 12, 2007

The Guardian has reported that "Further strikes planned by postal workers for Monday and Tuesday have been outlawed by a High Court judge. The Royal Mail was granted an injunction banning the Communication Workers' Union (CWU) from going ahead with national walkouts at the start of next week. Mr Justice King upheld an argument by the Roy