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:

• Royal Mail plans to close its final-salary pension scheme to all employees in a move that could plunge the business further into industrial turmoil. The decision is expected to trigger strikes by thousands of postal managers, in addition to unrest among its 130,000 employees who are in dispute over pay and working arrangements. Royal Mail is expected to write to employees soon to outline sweeping changes to the pension scheme, including raising the retirement age by five years.

• Royal Mail's chief executive, Adam Crozier, has been awarded £1.12 million in pay and bonuses as the strike-ridden UK postal service reported a 34.3 per cent fall in profits as a result of increasing pension costs.

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:

• Sprint Nextel 6130 Sprint Parkway Overland Park, Kansas 66251-6114 represented by Kathleen Baker Manager, Print Strategy and Management Corporate Brand Marketing

• CH Robinson Worldwide 14800 Charlson Road, Suite 600 Eden Prairie, MN 55347-5049 represented by Scott Treitline Director of Postal Affairs

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 Royal Mail has ended Sunday postal collections after 17 years in what it gn="left">With the shutters set to fall on thousands of rural post offices, Claire Heald, of the BBC News Magazine, spends a day at her local branch to see what, if anything, makes these outposts of Britain's postal network tick.

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:

• The Association for Postal Commerce and two of its members – GrayHair Software and Bank of America Corp. – have written to the USPS Board of Governors asking it to approve the Postal Service’s negotiated service agreement with the financial institution.

• Wildfires burning from Los Angeles to Mexico have made headlines, taken lives and forced more than a half-million people from their homes in Southern California. Here’s how the fires are disrupting postal operations, and closing post offices and roads in the affected areas.

• This column highlights the efforts direct marketers are taking to lower their own postage costs in light of the increase in postage rates in the spring. The latter part of the column suggests some marketers are moving away from mail while others will continue to use mail but in more creative ways.

• PostCom elects officers, directors. Postal Service unveils new ‘Today’s Mail’ tagline. UPS 3rd quarter earnings up. UPS Store lawsuit certified as class-action.

• Royal Mail, CWU strike deal; ratification vote awaits. EU commission probes French guarantees to La Poste. Correos faces big union pay lawsuit. U.S. wants open competition in Japan. Cuban post accuses USPS of stalling its mail. Stickups threaten Brazilian posties. DHL plans Russian expansion.

• A list of upcoming postal-related events.

The PostCom Bulletin is distributed via NetGram

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:

• Postal staff are awaiting details of changes to their pension scheme, but there is still disagreement between Royal Mail and unions over the reforms. Royal Mail says the Communication Workers Union (CWU) has agreed to the closure of its final salary scheme. But the union says it has only agreed to a consultation on changes, which will then be put to a ballot of all its Royal Mail and Post Office members. "The final details have not been decided on," said a CWU spokeswoman. (See also the BBC's "Q&A: Your Pension and You.")

• A major programme of 44 local post office branch closures has been announced in parts of Scotland. See also the Daily Record.

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:

• The U. S. Postal Service published in the October 17, 2007 Federal Register its proposed rules establishing modern service standards for all market-dominant products (as required by the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act). The USPS says under its proposed service standards an estimated 89.7 percent of the total market-dominant product mail volume would have a service standard in the one- to five-day range; 10.1 percent would have a service standard in the six- to ten-day range, and 0.1 percent would have a service standard greater than ten days based on FY 2006 domestic mail volumes. PostCom urges all mailers to review and comment on the USPS’ proposed service standards changes; comments are due by November 16, 2007. The new service standards will be implemented in January 2008.

• The U.S. Postal Service recently told vendors of CASS/MASS software it intends to extend CASS Cycle L for an additional year, and will hold off on implementing CASS Cycle M requirements until August 1, 2009. Yesterday the USPS notified associations that represent mailers (users of CASS and MASS software), including PostCom, of its intention to extend Cycle L for an extra year.

• Postal commentator Gene Del Polito shares his views about the workings of the Postal Regulatory Commission, the USPS Board of Governors and the new Bank of America NSA in this perspective.

• In this perspective, PostCom consultant Kathy Siviter evaluates the modern service standards for market-dominant products proposed by the Postal Service this week.

• New USPS Inspector General report available. Eskew to retire from UPS, Davis named successor. Postal workers back Edwards.

• Canada Post to spend $1.7 billion for new equipment. Royal Mail, union agree to end postal strikes.

• A list of upcoming postal-related events.

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.

• DA-AR-07-005 - Automated Flat Sorting Machine 100 Enhancements http://www.uspsoig.gov/FOIA_files/DA-AR-07-005.pdf

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:

• The postal strikes have left 120 million letters and parcels stranded in sorting offices, with the post watchdog warning that the backlog will take until next week to clear. The news came as it emerged that more than of half of small firms want to stop using the Royal Mail after the strikes which have cost the London economy alone more than £300 million. Postal workers' leaders were last night meeting to decide whether to recommend calling off the dispute over pay, jobs and pensions which has crippled mail deliveries for weeks. However, the conference was adjourned and will resume today.

• Small businesses are ready to desert Royal Mail and switch to private sector delivery rivals after counting the cost of the damaging postal dispute, a survey shows. More than half the small companies surveyed for the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), say they are more likely to use alternative services to reduce the risk of further disruption to their business. Rival mail services, the internet or a personal limited service for key customers are among the options they are exploring.

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:

• The U.K. postal strike is poised to end after talks between CWU and Royal Mail execs. See also the Daily Express and the International Herald Tribune.

• Imagine how much more serious the consequences of a postal strike would have been just five years ago. Much of our private correspondence, as well as our commercial activity, would have been paralysed. Now, although there are deleterious consequences, for small firms in particular, many people are virtually unaffected.

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 Royal Mail's lawyers that the union had failed adequately to comply with legal requirements to state accurately the number of employees likely to be affected by the action."

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

• The Association for Postal Commerce addresses several issues that could overburden the rate-review process or complicate the Postal Regulatory Commission’s rules in the association’s reply comments filed with the PRC. In separate comments filed the same day, PostCom addresses the Postal Service’s proposed Mail Classification Schedule, generally agreeing with the structure and purpose of the schedule.

• In a DMM Advisory this week, the Postal Service put forth new alternatives for mailers to combine mailings of Standard Mail and Package Services Parcels to provide greater opportunity for drop shipping and to better align mail preparation with USPS processing.

• The Postal Service published in the October 10, 2007 Federal Register proposed rules containing new address placement for flats and construction requirements for letters and flats. The USPS has indicated it plans to give at least 12 months for required compliance once the rule is finalized. The driver for the Postal Service’s proposed changes for flats is deploying its Flats Sequencing System equipment, expected to begin Phase 1 deployment in the fall of 2008.

• Phoenix-Hecht Senior VP Lex Litton talks about the unique opportunity presented to the Remittance Mail Advisory Committee earlier this year when RMAC members joined the Mailers Technical Advisory Committee workgroup 114 to recommend service standards and performance measurement to the Postal Service.

• PostCom Vice President Kate Muth says the postal community needs to change its collective attitude by abandoning the easy short-term fix and looking for the long-term solution.

• In this commentary, direct mail consultant Cary Baer says the Postal Service must begin measuring its performance and provide the statistics to back it up.

• Letter carriers sign five-year national agreement. Federal Register: USPS proposes ACH as new payment method for Express Mail Corporate. NAA survey says daily newspapers spending more with USPS.

• U.K. expects more short postal strikes. Is this the end of Royal Mail? Germany plans to neuter Deutsche Post VAT advantage. French to finance pensions at La Poste. Japanese firms form parcel delivery alliance. Korean postal system to be exported to Central Asia. Putin nominates Russian bank CEO to head postal service.

• A list of upcoming postal-related events.

The PostCom Bulletin is distributed via NetGram

The Economic Times has reported that "Over 1.55 lakh post offices in India are ready to serve the Universal Service Obligation, according to Director of Postal services (Mail Business), WB Circle, Harpreet Singh. "The main aim of the postal department now is to manage post as a business," Singh said."

Reuters has reported that "Royal Mail applied to the High Court on Friday for an injunction to avert a new wave of postal strikes scheduled for next week, the Communication Workers Union (CWU) said. The action comes as talks between union leaders and the Royal Mail continued to try to find a deal to end the series of strikes that has brought much of the postal system to a standstill." See also The Times.

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. The IPA has been at loggerheads with the DMA for taking a stance on making direct mail opt-in in common with email marketing."

DMM Advisory: "On Wednesday we published two Federal Register notices proposing new address standards for letters and flats mailed at presorted, carrier route, and automation rates. For flats [HTML | [PDF], our proposal includes new barcode, address placement, and address formatting requirements. For letters [HTML | [PDF], we propose new address type size and spacing requirements. We encourage mailers to review and comment before December 10, 2007. We plan to publish final rules in January and give mailers at least 12 months to update their mailing systems and make related changes to mailpiece design."

The Peninsula has reported that "Bangladesh's state-owned post and telecom network will be turned into a public limited corporation (PLC), a move that follows the privatisation of Bangladesh Biman, the national airline. Bangladesh Telegraph and Telephone Board (BTTB) has been a state-run network like such operations across South Asia. The government now wants to convert it into a PLC but wants to retain full control. The move is to cut the red tape that causes delays, officials say. Ostensibly, a PLC would also enable outside funding."

From WebItPR: "Itella Information provides a range of standardised and bespoke services for customers with particular focus on digitising solutions which covers invoice processing and document process outsourcing. Itella manages the whole lifecycle of documents from initial scanning, workflow, document management, electronic archiving and subsequent access."

MoneyWeek explains "Why Royal Mail can't deliver."

According to ThisIsMoney, "Small businesses are one of the biggest losers in the on-going postal strike."

The Times has reported that "striking workers strengthened their grip on Royal Mail yesterday after there was a walkout at another major mail centre and work stopped at several more delivery offices.

The following report has 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.

DR-AR-07-012 - Address Management System Information - National Capping http://www.uspsoig.gov/FOIA_files/DR-AR-07-012.pdf

Logistics Management has published a Q&A with DHL USA CEO Hans Hickler who shares his views on shipper service, express and logistics markets

According to The Telegraph, "You can criticise the mediocre middle managers, or Adam Crozier, the chief executive, for being too greedy.But this isn't simply a managerial problem, or just a sign of the times; it's a political issue. Look at Deutsche Post, privatised seven years ago. It has been an astonishing success. The company saw email as challenge and started selling itself around the world. TNT, which was acquired by the privatised Dutch postal system, is thriving in Europe. It, not the Royal Mail, is the real heir to the Victorian postal system."

Optician has noted that "Optical firms are resorting to using private courier services in an attempt to limit the disruption caused by on-going strike action by postal workers."

October 11, 2007

According to Prensa Latina, "The United States has sieged postal activity in Cuba as part of its permanent blockade of Cuba for almost half a century, which caused losses of 315,000 dollars in 2006. The Cuban Mail Office has provided details, cited in the island's report to the UN Secretary General, of how Washington's hostile policy has a great impact in the delay of mailbags. The text, circulating as an official document at the UN General Assembly, along with another 114 reports, precedes the presentation of October 30's Resolution that demands the end of that policy."

The Business has reported that "The European Commission must be pleased with Royal Mail's efforts in preparing the U.K. for the full liberalization of E.U. mail industry. Poor service and intermittent strikes continue to spur the company's customers to patronize competitors such as TNT and U.K. Mail Ltd, as resistance to using alternatives to the Royal Mail erodes as the British market opens to competitors. The anger among Royal Mail's customers caused by the disruption should be good news for the likes of Deutsche Post that are eyeing the U.K. market post-liberalization in 2011. Royal Mail customers have unsurprisingly looked elsewhere for postal services after four days of strike action this week and threats of more disruption to the Royal Mail's postal service."

The U.S. Postal Regulatory Commission has an exciting Senior-level employment opportunity for a highly motivated, highly skilled person with experience in international postal affairs. International Affairs Specialist Grade: PRC-05 Salary Range: $75,957 - $121,531 Location: Postal Regulatory Commission 901 New York Avenue, Nw, Suite 200 Washington, DC 20268-0001 

The latest USPS DMM Update has been posted on this site.

The Telegraph has reported that:

• Jesse Pattisson, the owner of a small family-run smokery in Langport, Somerset, says the striking postal workers are "playing Russian roulette" with his livelihood. Fully reliant on Royal Mail to send out produce around the country, the firm is set to lose thousands of pounds and Mr Pattisson, 34, fears the knock-on effects could last until next year. "It is completely crippling us," he said. "It's costing us between £300 and £400 a day in lost orders leading up to the most important time of the year for us.

• The crisis in the postal service threatened to spiral out of control yesterday as nearly 2,000 Royal Mail workers staged additional unofficial stoppages. The show of defiance came despite both Gordon Brown, the Prime Minister, and John Hutton, the Business Secretary, telling the unions to stop the strike action immediately. See also The Times, ThisIsLondon, and The Guardian.

• Royal Mail postal strike Q&A.

Precision Marketing has reported:

• The direct marketing industry is urging the Government to ‘sort out the postal strike now’, following a flood of calls from DMA (UK) members – clients, agencies and suppliers – who fear their businesses will suffer irrevocable damage. The dispute started in June, but the latest back-to-back strike could see the postal system out of action for up to three weeks.

• So, exactly how much longer will it take for someone to step in to settle what is turning out to be one of the most damaging disputes in Royal Mail’s history? 

From PR Newswire: "With losses as a result of the postal strike so far estimated to be around GBP260 million, businesses are keen to know how they can beat the strike and keep the cash coming in, despite the interruptions to the mail service. Spindle Professional, created by Draycir, is an affordable and easy-to-use software product that generates instant electronic invoicing and statements, eliminating the need to physically mail them out, thereby beating the postal strike. BACS payment of invoices by customers, in receipt of electronic invoices, enables a business to bypass the postal system entirely. It is therefore possible for businesses to function as normal from a financial and cash flow point of view, by using Spindle Professional in conjunction with electronic banking (which is now available to even the smallest of businesses)."

The Prague Daily Monitor has reported that "Businesses and public offices are taking steps to cope with a planned January 2008 spike in the price of postal services."

October 10, 2007

The Guardian has reported that "The prime minister has urged postal workers to settle their bitter dispute with Royal Mail over pay, pensions and flexibility, declaring there is "no justification" for further strikes."

According to Mailers Council chief exec Bob McLean, "The USPS reports that the first meeting of the Greening the Mail Task Force was successful. There were 33 attendees who discussed how they could work together to address environmental issues and to educate and communicate to the public the positive environmental effect of using the mail. The group reviewed the efforts and accomplishments of the 1998 Greening of the Mail’ Task Force, talked about the current business environment, and discussed each members expectations. The members agreed to meet at least quarterly."

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

For years, apparently, Schweizerische Post has been showing excessive costs for the universal service. What advocates for a market liberalisation have already been claiming for a long time is now being supported by a study: the costs reported by Schweizerische Post for the supply of the universal service are too high.
Private mail service providers in Germany warned that the introduction of the minimum wage would eliminate up to 50,000 jobs and put about 200 companies out of business.
According to a decision by the municipal council, mailboxes in the community will be blocked to advertising mail from the beginning of next year. Citizens wanting advertising mail must put a corresponding sticker on their mailboxes. Up until now, exactly the opposite has been the case. Local politician Henning Lotterud stated environmental protection as the reason.
The majority of the Danish parliament now apparently is prepared to liberalise the country’s postal market earlier than planned.
France’s La Poste plans to increase its activities in the press distribution sector.
About 150 Mexican postmen, some of them already retired, have now won a drawn-out lawsuit against Sepomex. For the Mexican post, this means that the postmen must now be compensated for unfair pay cuts.
TNT Post has further expanded its network in Germany.
With a turnover of 622m euros, the Portuguese post CTT Correios is the most successful Portuguese forwarder.
Merkalink is the name of the new B2B subsidiary company of the Mexican CEP operator Estafeta. Merkalink will mainly serve medium-sized and small businesses and specialises, amongst other things, in importing into Mexico goods purchased in the USA, according to Estafeta.
The Finnish postal unions have retracted their ban on overtime work.
Andrey Kasmin, president of the Russian savings bank Sberbank since 1996, is now set to spruce up the Russian post.
Delivery drivers can sometimes prove expensive for the Belgian post. La Poste had to pay over 100,000 euros in fines last year because its drivers did not adhere to traffic rules.

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.)

A USPS DMM Advisory: "We published a final rule in today’s Federal Register [HTML | [PDF] concerning the duration and submission of temporary change-of-address orders. The minimum duration for a temporary change-of-address is 15 days, with 185 days as the maximum. The maximum for an additional temporary change-of-address is 179 days. This change does not reduce the maximum time for which customers can obtain temporary change-of-address service, which remains up to one year. The change requires customers to submit a second request only if they need the service for more than six months. The new standards are effective October 10, 2007."

From the Federal Register:

• The Postal Service proposes to revise its Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM[supreg]) by providing Automated Clearing House (ACH) debit as a new method of payment for Express Mail Corporate Account (EMCA) customers. The ACH system is a secure, private network that connects banks to one another by way of the Federal Reserve Board. This network enables electronic payments, such as debit card purchases, to be handled and processed. This proposed rule would also eliminate cash and check deposits made into local trust accounts. EMCA customers would still have three options to fund their accounts: Participate in the Centralized Account Processing System (CAPS), use a personal or business credit or debit card, or authorize the USPS to originate an ACH debit from a specified bank account.

• The Postal Service proposes new address placement requirements for Periodicals, Standard Mail, Bound Printed Matter, Media Mail, and Library Mail flat-size pieces sent at automation, presorted, or carrier route rates. We also propose to require an 11-digit POSTNET barcode or Intelligent Mail barcode on flat-size First-Class Mail, Periodicals, Standard Mail, and Bound Printed Matter sent at automation rates. In addition, we propose related revisions to the address requirements for automation and presorted First-Class Mail flats. DATES: We must receive your comments on or before December 10, 2007. ADDRESSES: 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.

• The Postal Service proposes new type size and spacing requirements for delivery addresses on all automation, presorted, and carrier route rate letters. DATES: Comments must be received on or before December 10, 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.

According to the Chicago Tribune, "last spring, the U.S. Postal Service eliminated some of its international boat mail services, which included an option to send books for a dollar a pound to any country. Hundreds of grass-roots efforts in the Chicago area and across the U.S., many of them through individuals like Lampos, are unsure whether they can continue supporting libraries and other English-language programs around the world. Some say their efforts will be virtually shut down....U.S. Rep. Danny Davis (D-Chicago), who is chairman of the Subcommittee on the Federal Workforce, Postal Service and District of Columbia, said he has received calls and e-mails from more than a dozen groups nationwide. Davis said restoring the $1-a-pound book rate is unlikely because the service simply cannot pay for itself. "I'm personally very empathetic, but I'm saying we're not in a position to make any promises," Davis said Tuesday. "I think it's very noble, but you also have to have a way to pay for the nobility."

From PR Newswire: "Letter Carriers union President William H. Young and Postmaster General John E. Potter have formally signed a new five-year contract covering wages, benefits and working conditions for 222,000 city delivery letter carriers throughout the United States."

The Daily Breeze has reported that "By the time Torrance businessman Kenneth Dewayne Owen made his fifth visit to a Long Beach post office last year, he had mailed more than 1 million letters. The postage came to more than $300,000, and Owen wrote checks to cover the cost. The post office diligently delivered every letter. But when the Postal Service cashed Owen's checks, they bounced."

MSN Money has reported that "The German government is considering exempting private-sector postal operators from value-added tax in order to improve their competitive position with Deutsche Post, the former monopoly, three months before the liberalisation of the German letters market." See also Forbes.

Business Week has reported that "European Union regulators gave the all-clear Wednesday for the French government to help finance pensions at the French postal service La Poste. The European Commission said it approved the pension funding plan for 172,000 employed postal workers after commitments from the French government that the social security and tax contributions by the state company would be equivalent to those borne by La Poste's private competitors." See also Forbes.

In comments filed with the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC), the Association for Postal Commerce said that:

• It agreed with "the approach taken by the Postal Service in preparing its initial Mail Classification Schedule. Limiting the product list to a few products in each class ensures that the Postal Service will retain the flexibility to respond to its customers’ demands for new features without constantly seeking the Commission’s approval. This step alone is a marked improvement from the previous system and will go a long way toward realizing the promise of the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act (“PAEA”)." PostCom said it supported "supports the Postal Service’s decision not to treat Negotiated Service Agreements as separate products in the MCS.

• "The Commission has generally outlined a streamlined ratemaking process consistent with the PAEA and its purposes." On the other hand, it said that "PostCom is deeply concerned that the regulatory burdens under the PRA – burdens which prevent all but the largest customers from seeking NSAs with the Postal Service – are retained under the proposed rules. We do not believe that the Commission intends this result, but to avoid confusion and protracted litigation, the Commission must make clear that its rules specifying the information to be filed with an NSA for a Type 2 Rate change are intended solely to streamline the complaint processes...and do not trigger an automatic stay of an NSA pending the Commission's review."

Be sure to check the PRC web site for some of the other reply comments filed by participants in Docket No. RM2007-1.

The Guardian has reported that "While deliveries resumed in most of the country, wildcat strikes were reported at sorting offices in Liverpool, Lancaster, Glasgow and East London. Some workers said they arrived for a shift starting at 5am but were told that the Royal Mail had implemented changes to timetables so they could not start until 6am." See also Reuters, the BBC, and the Oxford Mail.

The BBC wants you  to know that you have "8 ways to get post delivered during the strike." The picture to the right is just one of them. This labor force claims it "will work for seed."

The Financial Times has reported that "Leaders of the striking UK postal workers will meet on Wednesday to discuss the union’s response to Royal Mail’s proposals for ending the increasingly bitter dispute over pay and modernisation that has halted mail deliveries for six days. The Communication Workers Union, which has already announced plans for a series of one-day strikes starting next week, has summoned its postal executive to review the progress made during eight days of talks under the auspices of the Trades Union Congress."

According to the Herald Express, "Two South Devon sports supply companies are making their own efforts to thwart the postal strike. Newton Abbot-based Pro Direct Soccer has transferred its business to a courier to make sure its orders are delivered.And Lovell Rugby in Paignton is already in negotiations with couriers so it can guarantee delivery to its customers."

Transport Intelligence has reported that "DHL Exel Supply Chain has officially launched operations at its new logistics campus for the mail order sector in Ludwigsau built at a cost of around €22 million. Stefan Kurrle, CEO of DHL Exel Supply Chain in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland described the new project as a trend setter: "Mail order is strongly recovering. Especially e-commerce is a fast growing market in Germany and neighbouring European countries. In establishing a logistics campus for the home delivery sector we can offer long distance retail traders tailored processes for managing their goods and delivering their products anywhere in Europe. Ludwigsau helps to bring Europe closer together."

KESSBN Radio has reported that "The Chief of Staff and Minister for Presidential Affairs, Mr. Kwadwo Mpiani has tasked Ghana Post to reposition itself and diversify its operations to respond to rapid technological changes. He said Ghana Post could revisit the savings accounts system through the purchase of stamps, saying that would encourage the youth to save. "The world has moved from physical delivery of letters. There are rapid changes in the world technology; Ghana Post has to reposition itself to meet those changes."

AllAfrica.com has reported that "The Nigerian Postal Service said it has realised the sum of N3,836,021,089.88 in 2006 fiscal year. According to the organisation, another sum of N1, 983, 335, 606.28 was also generated between January and June this year."

October 9, 2007

Most of America's small- and mid-sized businesses have failed to explore the significant growth opportunities offered by an increasingly global economy. Indeed, a new survey conducted for UPS shows 67 percent of the nation's small-to-mid-sized enterprises (SMEs) are still chaining themselves to the U.S. economy.

JusticeTalking presents: "The Future of the Postal Service." [An MP3 sound file.]

DM News has reported that "Canadian consumers are feeling underserved by retailers and are interested in more retail offerings from the United States, according to a recent survey by the Canadian postal service, Canada Post."

According to Reuters, "United Parcel Service Inc freight workers in Indianapolis ratified a new five-year contract reached by the Teamsters union that raises workers' wages and boosts the company's contributions to pensions and benefits. The contract, which covers 125 freight employees, is considered to be the first step toward the unionization of UPS's freight work force of about 15,000."

The Scotsman wonders: "Is this the end of Royal Mail?"

Disability Now has reported that "Blind and visually-impaired people are being hit hardest by postal strikes which are denying access to newspapers and books on tape and in Braille, according to a disability charity. Jill Allen-King, public relations officer at the National Federation of the Blind of the United Kingdom is totally blind and receives three local weekly newspapers on tape through the post, all of which have been delayed. She said the vast majority of blind people are over 60 and less able to leave the house."

Hemscott has reported that "German chancellor Angela Merkel plans to strip Deutsche Post AG of a tax advantage in order to appease the postal company's competitors that deem the tax break unfair, Handelsblatt reported, citing government sources. Under current fiscal rules, Deutsche Post's basic postal services are exempt of the 19 pct value-added tax while comparable services provided by rivals are not, even after Deutsche Post's monopoly on delivering letters expires at the end of the year, the paper said. Merkel, backed by leaders of her party's parliamentary group, wants to level that difference to allay anger over a minimum wage agreement for the postal services industry that logistics companies say puts them at a disadvantage against the dominant Deutsche Post."

The Times has reported that "The postal workers' dispute descended into a war of words today when the head of the Royal Mail accused a trade union of talking “cobblers”. The firm's chief executive Adam Crozier disputed claims by the Communication Workers Union about working practices in the postal organisation. The union’s deputy general secretary, Dave Ward, has accused the company of “slavery” over the way it makes its staff work. But Mr Crozier described the claims as “cobblers” and said the Royal Mail was only trying to make people work the hours for which they were paid."

As Management Today has noted, "Royal Mail chief executive Adam Crozier made a rare appearance on Radio Four’s Today programme this morning to put his case for the appalling mess that the Royal Mail is digging itself deeper into every day. The news that we may be in for weeks or even months more disruption to the postal service is not only a serious matter for businesses all over the country, it is also meat and drink to the Royal Mail’s increasingly aggressive rivals. A simple fact of modern commercial life - one which seems to have totally escaped the notice of the striking posties – is that every hour of disruption further weakens the Royal Mail’s already shaky prospects for long term recovery."

Which seems to be the case, as the Express & Echo has reported that "Private courier businesses in the city are cashing in on the ongoing postal strike. Delivery firms are reporting a rise in calls from frustrated customers asking them to transport urgent letters and packages, as postal workers at Royal Mail stage their second 48-hour strike in less than a week."

The Guardian has reported that "The Communication Workers Union last night warned of more strikes at Royal Mail, denting hopes that marathon talks at the weekend could have led to a breakthrough in the long-running dispute. Postal workers are holding the second of two 48-hour stoppages which have disrupted mail services since last Thursday." See also The Scotsman and also The Mirror.

The Columbo Page has reported that "Sri Lanka Postal Department workers have launched a trade union action island wide today while the authorities are celebrating the International Postal Day in Colombo. Lanka Postal Services Union says that 15 trade unions back the action to protest the slash of overtime. The postal workers are avoiding overtime work from midnight yesterday creating a possibility of paralyzing postal services within few days."

October 8, 2007

The McKinney Courier Gazette has noted that "Durraya Kauser, owner of Prince Cleaners located at 601 Cross Timbers, hosted a grand opening Wednesday to celebrate her partnership with the U.S. Postal Service. Through her store, Kauser will provide all of the services residents would expect from the local post office through the use of a Contract Postal Unit (CPU). The unit, which Kauser and her staff will work during their during shifts, will allows patrons to buy stamps, shipping boxes, insurance and return receipts, and the store will main a drop box. Kauser is also offering the services with the store's drive-thru."

The Press Association has reported that "The Government came under attack over its handling of the postal dispute on Monday as the Prime Minister made it clear he wanted striking staff to return to work. Gordon Brown told a Downing Street press conference that the row over pay, jobs and pensions was disrupting people's lives, adding: "When we, the Government, are investing a huge amount of money in the postal services, it is not something that we can either condone or we can stand idly by and say it is an acceptable form of behaviour. "I want these people back to work." [Editor's Note: Two, four, six, eight, do you think Royal Mail will capitulate?]

As the New York Times has noted, "Nothing Says ‘Buy’ Like ‘Free Shipping.’

Novosti has reported that "Russian President Vladimir Putin accepted on Monday Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov's proposal to appoint Sberbank CEO Andrei Kazmin as head of the country's postal service. In response to Zubkov's request to place Kazmin in charge of the service, which is desperately in need of modernization, Putin said: "I have no objections." Kazmin has held the top position at Russia's largest state-owned bank since 1996. The Russian Post Federal State Unitary Enterprise handles mail services throughout Russia. It has some 415,000 employees and 40,000 offices, double the number of Sberbank's offices. Russian Post annually processes over 1.4 billion letters, 38 million parcels and more than 188 million money transfers. The service is currently headed by Igor Syrtsov." For more on Kasmin, see the Wall Street Journal. See also the follow-up by Novosti.

Afriqueligne has reported that "The Mauritius postal agency Monday announced a total profits of US$1.75 million for the financial year 2006/2007, after a loss of US$9.6 million in 2005/2006."

As one writer asked in Newsday, "how do you create a direct mail piece that stands a chance of being read? Experts say it starts with knowing your audience. Too often...companies send out mass mailings completely missing their target audience. You need to identify segments of the marketplace that will most benefit from your product or service....Most people decide within 3 to 7 seconds whether they're going to open a piece of mail or throw it out. That's why it's best to avoid exaggerated headlines and taglines like "free money" offers, or the use of lots of bold italic type, exclamation points and underlines, he advises. Consumers often associate such visuals with junk mail."

The International Herald Tribune has reported that "Postal workers started a second 48-hour strike Monday as a dispute over pay and restructuring remained unresolved." See also Reuters and the Evening Times.

October 7, 2007

What to know how a postal strike to shape the political texture of a nation? Then read this. The Times has reported that "Election officials have warned ministers that a postal strike could skew the election results in marginal seats if a poll is held next month. Returning officers told The Times that they are seeking urgent talks with the Ministry of Justice and the Royal Mail to discuss the impact of any extended postal strike, which would hit postal votes and the electoral register. Returning officers fear that the two 48-hour strikes planned for this weekend and early next week might be extended if Gordon Brown calls an election soon." What's at stake? If the strike continues, the Labor Party can lose and the Conservative Party can win. See update by the New York Times.

The Korea Times has reported that "Korea Post is to help Mongolia and Kazakhstan modernize their postal networks by sharing its experience in setting up one of the world's most efficient logistic networks, and by introducing advanced mail-handling systems developed by South Korean IT firms. The heads of the three countries' postal agencies will announce the establishment of a cooperation committee in its inaugural meeting in Ulaan Baatar, the Mongolian capital city, Monday, Korea Post said, Sunday. Writing letters is one of the human kind's oldest methods of communication, but modern postal service requires the most cutting-edge logistics and networking technologies because of the enormous amount of mail, the complexity of the network and the ever-growing demand for faster delivery. The volume of mail is also becoming more difficult to forecast every year. According to Korea Post, the number of ordinary paper mail is decreasing around 5 percent every year due to the emergence of the e-mails. But the volume of parcel post is continuously increasing."

According to one columnist for the Northwest Arkansas News, she said she "wasted no time logging onto the stop junk mail Web sites. During the next several months, the unwanted paper pounds should disappear, along with the clutter. That’s my kind of housework. About 90 percent of the clutter around here comes in through the mailbox. Seriously. On Monday, I set a stack of mail on the kitchen counter. By Friday, it’s reproduced like vermin on Viagra, and by the following week it has overtaken every available surface in the kitchen and family room." [Editor's Note: Talk about hyperbole!]

AllAfrica.com has reported that "The Postmaster General and Minister of Post and Telecommunication, Mr. Jackson E. Doe, has suspended several employees of the Ministry for their alleged involvement in mail smuggling with immediate effect pending thorough investigation into the matter."

Scotland On Sunday has reported that "the UK's postal regulator, PostComm, will this week call on private businesses competing with the Royal Mail to help sustain the country's flagging post offices. In its annual report, PostComm will urge private postal operators such as UPS and DHL to strike a deal with the Post Office to use its branches as holding areas for undelivered mail."

The Telegraph has reported that:

• The ongoing postal strike could cost Royal Mail up to £260m in lost business and administration costs – a far higher figure than thought, company executives fear.

• As the Prime Minister contemplates ways in which he can prove to the electorate that he is an effective leader, there is an issue he needs to tackle immediately: the strike crippling the Royal Mail. Gordon Brown has so far appeared reluctant to intervene in the dispute between the management of Royal Mail and the Communcations Workers Union (CWU). His support of the management in their struggle to get the CWU to accept changes to working conditions which are necessary if the Royal Mail is to survive as a viable concern has been decidedly lukewarm, possibly because the CWU is a major donor to Labour Party funds. The dispute, however, is extremely serious, because if allowed to continue and escalate, it could push the Royal Mail into financial meltdown."

• Union chiefs are secretly plotting a wave of "rolling" strikes that threatens to blight postal services for months to come.

• The Communication Workers Union is home to primitive power games that most modern unions rejected years ago. Its leaders insist they are not opposed to new working practices. In reality, they could hardly be less co-operative.

October 6, 2007

Be sure to check out the latest paper posted on the PostInsight web site: "Pricing In Competitive Two-Sided Mail Markets>"

From Business Wire: "To help Atlanta-area small businesses grow at home and abroad, UPS will conduct a Global Small Business Forum on Tuesday, Nov. 13, at the Georgia Aquarium in downtown Atlanta. In addition to providing expert advice on how small companies can capitalize on the opportunities of global trade, the event will honor the winners of the third UPS Best "Out-of-the-Box" Small Business Contest."

Notice: "The Future of the Postal Service. National Public Radio. Release Date: 10/8/2007"

Tree huggers of the world unite! According to the Miami Herald, "The U.S. Postal Service has been fined $10,000 for cutting down trees at its Coconut Grove post office."

Ananova has reported that "Postal workers have ended their 48-hour strike - but are due to walk out again on Monday. If the second two-day stoppage goes ahead, there will be no mail deliveries until Wednesday at the earliest. The Communication Workers Union said the latest action by up to 130,000 of its members had "been solidly supported". However, the Royal Mail claims more people worked than during previous stoppages in the summer. Talks between the two sides will continue today but there is little sign of an end to the deadlock."

As the News & Star has noted, "It is difficult to predict a winner in the Royal Mail dispute. Postal workers are going without pay as they man the picket lines again. Managers are presiding over an organisation which looks increasingly fragile. And the public grows more frustrated by the day with the failure of the Royal Mail to deliver on its promise to deliver the post. Even without the inconvenience caused by this year’s strikes the postal service has deteriorated dramatically over the past decade."

According to the Lincolnshire Echo, "The chaos which has engulfed postal services now looks set to continue beyond the end of next week."

On the other hand, The Telegraph has warned that "The postal strike could last for months and become as bitter as the 1980s miners' strike."

The Independent has reported that "The Royal Mail claimed that support for the controversial postal strike was "weakening" yesterday as talks between the two sides aimed at bringing an end to the disruption continued. The Royal Mail, in its statement, maintained that "50 per cent more people" were working compared with previous strike days."

A report by The York Press would seem to lend support to the idea that the British postal strike is not being universally honored. "Postal strikes may have York in their grip but postmen elsewhere in North Yorkshire have been defying the industrial action against Royal Mail. York postal workers - who have been striking since noon on Thursday - were engaged in the nationwide industrial action until noon today. But the news for Royal Mail customers has been cheerier in Kirkbymoorside, where postmen at the town's sorting office have been ignoring the strike."

Then, of course, there is the report by STV that "Postal workers say they still have overwhelming public support, as their latest strike over pay and pensions draws to a close. The action by around 10,000 workers in Scotland will ended at noon, but deliveries could be hit until next week as they plan to stage another walk out on Monday."

The Dorset Echo has reported that "a major Dorset charity is furious after being let down by Royal Mail in the postal strike. The Weldmar Hospicecare Trust booked a special door-to-door mail drop two years in advance so it could ensure that its 132,000 leaflets were delivered to supporters for a remembrance and fundraising campaign. But it was forced to cancel the mail shot about its annual Light up a Life campaign because of the postal strike and cannot book another slot."

Javno.com has noted that "World Post Day is marked throughout the world in the memory of establishing World Postal Union, one of the oldest international organisations. Namely, delegates of 22 countries from Europe, America and African have signed the so called Bern Treaty on October 9, 1874 which founded the first joint convention on international postal traffic. This was the first step towards realising principles of universality of the postal services on a unified postal territory."

October 5, 2007

CNews has reported that "Russian Post has launched the direct postal exchange between Kaliningrad and Warsaw, which is to reduce the international mail delivery time several times. Besides, an agreement simplifying visa granting to RF and EU citizens has been enforced, so the project might make it easier for Russian citizens to receive invitations from Polish partners."

Multichannel Merchant shared "First, the bad news: You can expect a postal rate hike by next summer, according to Gene Del Polito, president of the Association for Postal Commerce. The good news? It’s likely that the rate-making process will follow the Postal Reform Bill’s new rules, meaning the increase will be subject to inflationary levels."

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

• In its final rule, the Postal Service will extend the Move Update requirement to all Standard Mail and reduce the window for move-update processing of names and addresses of discounted First-Class Mail to 95 days. The timeframe also will apply to Standard Mail.

• Although the Postal Regulatory Commission said the negotiated service agreement between the Postal Service and the Bank of America is compliant with the requirements of the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act, it urged the USPS Governors to review it carefully, saying the agreement could cost the USPS from $25 million to $45.8 million if approved.

• In this perspective, postal commentator Gene Del Polito takes stock of the Postal Service and the mailing industry in the time since the enactment of the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act.

• PostCom Vice President Kate Muth says the Postal Service must boost its total factor productivity goal for FY 2008. Faced with growing challenges presented by price-cap control on its prices, the USPS will have to set private-sector targets.

• State Department seeks members for new advisory committee on international postal and delivery services. PMG Potter receives executive leadership award. UPS, Teamsters strike five-year deal.

• German postal minimum wage might force bankruptcies, companies say. Royal Mail battles to stop strikes. Financial Times weighs in for modernization, strike or no. Japan Post holding company supports universal service.

• Printing Industries of America is newest PostCom member. Envelope Manufacturers to host postal summit. Akerman Senterfitt Wickwire Gavin to hold USPS contracts seminar.

• A list of upcoming postal-related events.

The PostCom Bulletin is distributed via NetGram

The BBC has reported that "The Royal Mail has proposed the closure of its final salary pension scheme to all members. The company is offering new and existing staff a new scheme from 2008 linked to "career average" earnings. It also plans to raise the standard retirement age from 60 to 65, but only for pension earned after 1 April 2010."

From the Federal Register: "The Postal ServiceTM is revising the standards for mailing lithium and lithium-ion batteries. The new standards identify all small consumer-type lithium batteries as mailable when properly packaged and labeled. DATES: Effective Date: October 5, 2007. "

According to ComputerWeekly, "Apacs, the UK payments association, is using the current postal strike to promote the wider use of electronic payments as firms suffer from delayed cheques. Apacs is also encouraging consumers to make wider use of the direct debit scheme for bills."

KeralaNext has reported that "The Postal Act by its Sections 3 and 4 has vested the Postal Department with the monopoly over the accepting, collecting, transport forwarding and distribution of mail for a fee, said Post Master General K. A. Sherwin Senadheera. The Post Master General in a press release said there are reports about certain other parties engaging in this work by charging fees in an unauthorised manner. Challenging the Postal Department’s monopoly over the postal service in this manner is an offence punishable in terms of the Postal Act."

The Associated Press has reported that "Japan Post Holdings Co., the recently privatized postal service, and delivery company Nippon Express Co. said Friday they have agreed to form a comprehensive business alliance. As a start, the two companies will integrate their domestic parcel delivery operations beginning next October, they said in a joint statement."

The Times has reported that "Royal Mail revealed a key pay deal with more than 12,000 of its managers today but admitted that there was still no sign of an agreement with postal workers over a strike that has crippled deliveries across the UK. It said that managers had agreed to a package of pay, modernisation and pension reforms that will see them pocket a 2.5 per cent wage rise backdated to April. The retirement age is to be increased by five years to 65 but the final-salary pension scheme will remain in place for existing employees. The move eliminates the threat of a second front to a strike that could leave the UK without a postal service until the middle of next week.

According to The Telegraph  "the state of the Royal Mail resembles that of the Fleet Street print unions up to the mid-1980s. Weak middle management, compounded in the postal case by a centuries-old monopoly, encouraged working practices that left the company ill-prepared for private sector competition once that monopoly had been removed at the beginning of last year. Allan Leighton, the chairman, and Adam Crozier, the chief executive, are trying their hardest to make the Royal Mail fit to give the likes of DX, Deutsche Post, DHL and TNT a run for their money. The strikes will both further increase those companies' market share and hasten the shift to e-commerce. With such alternatives on offer, the CWU's action is suicidal. "

The Financial Times has reported that "When normal service is notoriously unreliable, minor disruption goes unnoticed. So the two one-day strikes by Royal Mail staff this summer scarcely registered. On Thursday, the Communication Workers Union upped the stakes with the start of two two-day strikes from midday. Whatever face-saving formula brings this disruption to an end, it must not mean the surrender of the modernisation the company needs to survive in an increasingly competitive market."

The Scotsman has reported that "postal workers across Scotland went on strike yesterday, crippling deliveries for the next week in a move which business leaders warned could cost companies tens of millions of pounds."

In a separate opinion in the matter of PRC Docket No. MC2007-1, Comissioner Ruth Goldway wrote: "The new PAEA provides the Postal Service with the flexibility to adjust rates within classes of mail for market-dominant products, adopt special classifications that improve the net financial position or increase the efficiency of operations, and to price and market competitive products to accrue profits. It also gives the PRC expanded oversight with regard to the financial soundness, efficiency, and fairness of Postal Service operations. The negotiated service agreement (NSA) before the Commission demonstrates that the Postal Service is not yet capable of negotiating a good bargain within the framework of the PAEA."

Gulf Times has reported that the "POSTAL corporations of GCC States are working to set up a regional level logistics company, according to a Q-Post official. An international consulting firm is conducting a feasibility study, he said. The consultant is expected to complete the study shortly."

October 4, 2007

In One-To-One, "Todd Butler says that ‘old technology’ delivery services – post and discs – are perfect partners and far from dead."

Press Release: "The United States Postal Service (USPS) has selected US communications holding company AT&T Inc to support the agency's move to wirelessly enable enterprise applications for more efficient operations. AT&T said it will provide new wireless data devices and services to 5,400 employees across the US initially, deploying a solution which includes BlackBerry 8800 series handsets from Research In Motion (RIM) for postal managers and key staff. They will use the handsets for access to e-mail and other postal applications and will have wireless access via AT&T's EDGE network, which provides availability in over 13,000 cities and towns and along 40,000 miles of highways."

As The Motley Fool put it: "Move over, General Motors. United Parcel Service is movin' on up in the ranks of big companies inking at least tentative major union contracts. In fact, the UPS pact with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, which was reached over the weekend, stacks up as the big enchilada of U.S. labor deals. Coming 11 months before the current agreement is set to expire, it would result in average $9-an-hour boost in employee compensation over its five-year life for about 240,000 full- and part-time covered employees. That compares to an $8.75-an-hour gain earned by the union on the current contract, which expires on July 31, 2008. The new version must still be ratified by union membership."

The Washington Post has reported that "The South Washington Street location housed 495 post office boxes, which serve as the primary business addresses for hundreds of home-based businesses, trade groups and nonprofit organizations in Old Town. But space configurations in the new location forced postal officials to renumber all the boxes, which means all the addresses will change. "I'm outraged about it," said James Wilhoit, an antiques dealer. "All my stationery, business cards, everything connected with my business has my post office box on it. . . . This will end up costing me over $1,000." Cash-strapped charities will be affected, too, and some don't have the money to replace their office supplies, officials said."

The Cyprus Mail has reported that "the Cyprus Postal Service could face EU fines reaching the millions if it doesn't get its act together, Telecommunications Regulator Vasos Pyrgos has warned. In its 2005 report, the Office of the Commissioner of Electronic Communications and Postal Regulation (OCECPR) said that while there is sufficient competition in postal services, mainly due to express courier services, the government service has failed to meet requisite quality levels. In 2004, the OCECPR fined the postal service £10,000 for delays in delivering letters; in 2005 the fine was £20,000, and in 2006 it reached £50,000. Officials claim that Cyprus has fallen short of EU delivery targets because it is the only country in the EU where the postal services are not permitted to take independent decisions to upgrade their department."

Transport Intelligence has reported that "UK express operator Business Post Group has issued its pre-close period trading update for the six months ended 30 September 2007. Group revenues for the first half of the financial year increased by 9% on the equivalent period last year. Excluding the revenues from its Parcels contract with FedEx, which terminated on 30 April 2007, the underlying revenue increase was 15%." See also the Financial Times.

According to postal commentator (and PostCom vice president) Kate Muth, "The Postal Service has set as its total factor productivity (TFP) target for FY 2008 a growth of 1 percent. This would mark the ninth straight year of productivity growth for the organization. In its FY 2007 integrated financial plan, released last year at this time, the Postal Service set as its total factor productivity goal an increase of only 0.6%. Its final number for FY 2007 should surpass that target, which is a good thing. But the target needs to be much higher."

According to The Telegraph, "Homes and businesses will be left without any post for the next five days in the worst mail strike for almost 20 years. Postwatch warned that thousands of people were likely to stop using the postal service as a result of the strike. The watchdog said it was "hugely disappointing to watch a great British institution tear itself apart".  See also The Times.

The Daily Mail has noted that "The postal service will grind to a halt for a week from today as a dispute over pay and reform escalates."

According to the BBC, "Postal workers will launch their next series of national strikes later which are expected to cost businesses millions of pounds." See also the BBC's Q&A about the strike.

The Times has reported that "Last-minute talks were being held last night to avert the longest strike at Royal Mail for 11 years. The stakes have been raised since the last national walkout in July because of the effect on postal votes if a general election is called. Postal workers are due to walk out today at midday in a two-day strike. But a further two-day strike starting on Monday morning will mean that mail posted today will not be delivered until next Thursday. Postwatch, the consumers’ group, said that normal service was unlikely to resume before October 15, when another programme of selective walkouts is due to start for an indefinite period. The dispute between the Communication Workers Union and Royal Mail is over pay and pensions. Royal Mail has offered a 2.5 per cent pay increase and wants to close the final-salary pension scheme to all employees. Its move on pensions also threatens to provoke strike action from its managers."

October 3, 2007

The Postal Regulatory Commission has issued its Opinion enabling the Governors of the U.S. Postal Service to provide a final review of the proposed Negotiated Service Agreement between the Postal Service and the Bank of America Corporation (Docket No. MC2007-1). “While the Commission found the agreement in compliance with the requirements of the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act (PAEA), we also found that the agreement could cost the Postal Service anywhere from $25 million to $45.8 million should the Governors move forward with the agreement,” said Commission Chairman Dan G. Blair. “Congress, through the PAEA, granted the Postal Service greater autonomy to set its own rates and enter into NSAs. The Act requires that such agreements either improve the net financial position of the Postal Service or enhance its operations. The Postal Governors will have to make the final decision of whether this agreement makes good business sense for the Postal Service,” concluded Blair."

The Lancashire Evening Post has reported that "Postal bosses are to scrap postal collections on Sundays and Bank Holidays across Lancashire. Royal Mail has announced it can no longer afford to run the under-used service in a "fully-competitive market" where rival operators are taking chunks of its business. It collects from just 18,000 of its 115,000 postboxes across the country on Sundays. The news has been met with anger by some small businesses in the county which rely on the service for urgent deliveries."

The Glasgow Evening Times has reported that "mail deliveries face major disruption for more than a week due to a strike by thousands of postal workers across Scotland. They are to hold two 48-hour stoppages - one begins tomorrow with the other starting on Monday - with the result that there will be no mail delivered to homes or businesses nationwide until next Wednesday. And it won't be until the following week before deliveries get back to normal for most of us."

The Times of Malta has reported that "Malta and another 10 EU member states have managed to obtain a two-year concession from the EU before being obliged to fully liberalise their postal services market."

Investigators led by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service have arrested 77 people as part of a global fraud crackdown which has since January intercepted more than $2.1 billion in counterfeit checks bound for the United States. The eight-month investigation involved schemes in Nigeria, the Netherlands, England and Canada, and has stopped more than half a million fake checks from being mailed to American victims.

The International Post Corporation has noted that "In recent years, the postal market has undergone a widespread change process. Competition is increasing, first among the different postal providers, including today’s incumbents and new market entrants, second through the developments in the e-sector, and third through logistics, publishing and mail order companies entering the postal market. On the political side there are discussions and negotiations to liberalize postal markets and often to introduce new laws and regulations. At the same time National Regulatory Authorities (NRAs) accumulate more and more power and exert it on the postal providers, in particular on today’s universal service providers. Due to the changing market realities it becomes obvious that many laws and regulatory concepts contradict the requirements of a fair, balanced, and functioning market environment." [Editor's note: This is an important study. Get it and read it.]

The Washington Post has reported that "The Bush administration yesterday lodged a veto threat against a House bill that would strengthen the independence of the government's inspectors general."

The Houston Chronicle (Associated Press) has reported that "The package from Hong Kong looked innocent enough, marked "personal clothing." But when customs officials opened it, they were stunned to see about 300 live scorpions and spiders. The scorpions and spiders — which included tarantulas — were packed in nets, bottles and transparent plastic boxes, concealed under clothes, newspapers"

The New Haven Register has reported that "A Connecticut-based postal workers union official said the union’s national leadership is renewing efforts to get more information on what the federal government knows about the 2001 anthrax scare that killed five people — including an elderly state woman — and infected 17 others."

The Wall Street Journal is giving you a "Pop quiz: If Industry A comprises large incumbents that get rich by keeping rivals out and Industry B is a competitive market whose players charge higher prices than some politicians would like to see, which will attract Brussels' attention first? Answer: the one in which governments don't have a financial interest. This rule of EU policy making was on display Monday, when member states agreed to further delay opening up Europe's postal services market. It's been two decades since Brussels started talking about liberalizing mail delivery -- Industry A in our quiz -- and laws to begin the opening process were passed in 1997 and 2002. Yet, under pressure from incumbents and their strike-prone workers, member states balked at taking the final step: ending lucrative national monopolies on letter delivery by 2009. The deadline will instead be 2011 and incumbents in 11 of the 27 member states won't have to face competition until 2013."

The Gaylord Herald Times has reported that "In a response letter to recent correspondence and an Aug. 27 meeting with the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), U.S. Congressman Bart Stupak, D-Menominee, urged the service to provide the Gaylord mail processing facility with updated equipment, as well as a Biohazard Detection System (BDS)."

The Associated Press has reported that "Federal employees wasted at least $146 million over a one-year period on business- and first-class airline tickets, in some cases simply because they felt entitled to the perk, congressional investigators say. The latest GAO report noted that several government entities are not subject to government rules on premium-class travel - among them, the U.S. Postal Service, Federal Reserve and Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. - opening up more opportunities for unnecessary waste. Those entities often allow members of their board of governors to travel business or first class for shorter flights overseas and sometimes domestically." [Editor's Note: Shorter flights OVERSEAS? For a member of your Board of Governors? Come on! A trip to Europe or Asia is not a short flight. Gimme a break.]

DM News has reminded everyone that the "USPS has extended Move Updates to include standard mail."

YLE has reported that "Unions have called off a ban on overtime work for employees of the Post Office and logistics company Itella. They struck a deal over labour contracts after midnight on Wednesday."

October 2, 2007

According to the Melbourne Herald Sun, "a union-led strike by postal workers would only serve to hurt the employees and their families, Australia Post says. More than 7500 staff have voted to support industrial action if their claim for a better deal on wages and conditions is rejected. The Communications, Electrical and Plumbing Union said workers would roll out work bans and stoppages if Australia Post refused to negotiate over a new enterprise bargaining agreement."

The Guardian has reported that "The government today launched a public consultation on plans to close up to 2,500 post offices amid concerns the cuts could leave disabled, elderly and low-income people unable to access benefits. The government-owned Post Office Ltd plans to close up to 2,500 of the remaining 14,200 post offices by the end of next year while 500 will be replaced by services offered from vans and village halls."

United Press International has reported that "Japan Post Holdings Co., beginning a 10-year privatization of some 24,000 post offices, said it would create a fund to maintain the old Postal Services Agency's nationwide "universal service," even as it pursues profitability amid growing competition."

The EMA Foundation Institute of Postal Studies Summit Conference has announced a new program entitled "Building The Postal Service of the 21st Century." This program will feature quite a few of the leaders of our postal community and provide you with some insight for the coming year. The conference will be held at the Ronald Reagan International Center, 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, D.C. The registration form has been posted on this web site. You can print it out and fax it to EMA at 703-739-2209 or even better, send in a check in an envelope! If you have any questions about the program or speakers, please contact Tonya Muse, Executive Director of the Foundation at twmuse@envelope.org.

The Institute for Research on the Economics of Taxation has reported that "The Postal Service has increased its productivity for seven years in a row. That is a record string of productivity gains for the government-owned enterprise."

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

As expected, EU ministers decided on a final date for the liberalisation of the postal markets in the EU during their meeting this Monday. 2011 is the basic target date for the opening up of the market.
The mid-year results for France’s La Poste "live up to expectations".
Poste Italiane has managed to increase turnover and profits in the first half of 2007. The company disclosed last week that turnover rose by 8.6 per cent to 9.5bn euros. At 959.2m euros, the operating result turned out 18.3 per cent higher than the previous year. The net profit rose by 18.1 per cent to 447.7m euros.
The introduction of a minimum wage for postmen in Germany is becoming increasingly likely now that resistance in the CDU/CSU is apparently crumbling.
Spain’s Correos is anticipating a 1.4 per cent loss in profits for the financial year 2008.
Previously, 52 eurocents would be stuck to a standard letter up to 50 grams in Belgium. From now on, a red stamp with the number 1 on it will be emblazoned upon these consignments. The reason: As of Monday, Belgium’s La Poste is only bringing out stamps without monetary value. The stamps only show a number between 1 and 7, according to the type of postal consignment. The advantage: In future, these stamps will be valid even after increases in postage rates, La Poste disclosed
The company vision leaves no doubt: "to become acknowledged as one of the 10 leading operators for post and related services world-wide". Even if the South African Post Office (SAPO) is still far from this goal in many respects, the financial report 2006/2007, presented in mid-September, shows impressive results.
Last Thursday, postal employees in the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) protested with a short walk-out against a job instruction which, in their opinion, is absurd.
Deutsche Post is not interested in a takeover of the US freight forwarding company YRC Worldwide.
The China State Post Bureau, the country’s regulatory authority established at the beginning of the year, last week published the criteria applicable to express services as of January.
Chronopost, the express subsidiary of France’s La Poste, must adjust the plans in its restructuring programme "Energie 2007".
The sale of the La Poste subsidiary Europe Airpost (Turnover 2006:242m euros, 25 aircraft), announced in April, is apparently imminent
Postal and logistics companies are also profiting from the strong Canadian dollar.
The about 1,300 FedEx employees in Germany receive a four per cent wage increase from October.
The British post plans to test mortgage sales. The company disclosed that the loans would be offered in certain Post Office branches in the North East of Britain, in cooperation with Bank Bristol and West. [Don't they know that "no one can do what Countrywide can"?]
The British CEP operator Business Post will offer all mail and express parcel services under one standardised trade name in future. The British information service »Road Transport« (21.9) reported that the services will be marketed as UK Mail: Express Parcels and Mail in future.
The British express company ANC, taken over by FedEx at the end of December (CEP News 50/06), will operate as FedEx UK in future.

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.)

Here's an experience Americans know nothing about: How to make do during a national postal strike.

The September-October 2007 issue of the Universal Postal Union Direct Mail Advisory Board update has been posted on this site.

Sky News has reported that "Post Office chairman Allan Leighton has defended his tough stance over striking postal workers and plans to close up to 2,500 post offices over the next year."

UNI has told its union members that "UNI-Europa Post & Logistics has condemned the decision by the Council of European Union Ministers meeting in Luxembourg to go ahead with total de-regulation in the postal sector by 2011/13. Without clear provisions to fund the universal postal service and without secure provisions in the new directive to protect wage dumping, UNI-Europa Post & Logistics warns that post faces the law of the jungle."

PrintWeek has reported that "It should be business as usual for bulk mail printers as Royal Mail has announced the suspension of door drops for unaddressed mail during next month's strikes to allow customers to make alternative arrangements for delivery. The company is suspending its activities for the weeks beginning 8, 15, and 22 October, during which the Communication Workers Union (CWU) has scheduled a series of 48-hour strikes. The company said in a statement: "The CWU's strike action, which is designed to damage Royal Mail, its customers and its people, will make it impossible for us to deliver the services normally to our customers and we are taking steps now to give customers in the fully competitive door to door market the opportunity to change their mailing plans or, if necessary, make alternative arrangements."

UPS has announced it will become the first package carrier to offer customers a paperless international shipping option as well as a package return capability to 98 countries and territories. The new services - UPS Paperlesssm Invoice and international UPS Returns® - will be introduced in January and will make it even easier for customers to expand their businesses to new markets around the globe.

Check out the PostInsight web site where you can find: "Bills, Statements and Payments – Paper and Electronic Delivery Alex Fu (Pitney Bowes) Future of Mail: Paper No. 2007-4, August 2007."

The Copenhagen Post has reported that "Post Denmark, the national postal service, expects Monday’s decision by the European Commission, which will open up the last remaining area still protected from competition, to have little effect on the company or its mail customers."

AMEInfo has reported that "Bahrain is moving ahead with plans to privatize several key economic sectors in line with the Kingdom's economic policy of openness, reported Arab News. Bahrain's Economic Development Chief Executive Sheikh Mohammad bin Issa Al-Khalifa said the privatization process would cover the postal services, fuel stations, tourism, communications, ports, electricity and water sectors."

News Letter has reported that "the looming postal strike could bring Ulster's small businesses to their knees, concerned political parties were predicting last night. Royal Mail bosses and the Communication Workers' Union are locked in a dispute over modernisation plans and possible job cuts. Strike action is planned for Friday and Saturday this week, with rolling action to follow. The DUP MP has warned that strike action will have "a devastating impact" upon small businesses throughout Northern Ireland, with more than 90 per cent of them only using Royal Mail to carry out their business."

Traffic World has reported that "Global air freight traffic jumped 6 percent in August, the strongest growth in 16 months, with sharp gains in Asia and Europe leading an accelerating recovery in air shipping. International air cargo in the Asia-Pacific region grew 8.5 percent and European traffic was up 6.5 percent, according to the International Air Transport Association. Traffic in North America, where air cargo business in the United States has been weak in a sluggish economy, edged up 1.1 percent."

News.com.au has reported that "Australia Post workers are set to strike if their claim for a better deal on wages and conditions is rejected. More than 10,000 staff took part in a ballot, with about three quarters supporting industrial action."

The Wall Street Journal has noted that "A hefty and increasing chunk of Shutterfly's revenue doesn't come from products, but instead from the amount Shutterfly charges for shipping. If you are like me, you probably assumed that when you buy something online the cost of shipping is merely a pass-through. Amazon's disclosures show that shipping is a money loser, thanks largely to free shipping. Shutterfly, as of its first quarter, stopped disclosing shipping revenue quarterly, instead preferring to do so at year's end. The reason given is that there is too much fluctuation, in part because of rising postal costs and the way shipping is allocated to products."

Press Release: "PrintSoft (http://www.printsoft.com) a business of Australia Post and established leader in hybrid mail technology and personalized mail solutions, today launches a new service, DeskDirect Global, to provide e-delivery of mail worldwide. The service operates using a central backbone of high-speed servers that collect and aggregate mail from mail originators anywhere in the world and route it to certified mail fulfillment centers as close as possible to the mail's delivery destination. The result is printed mail that gets to recipients faster, is easier and cheaper to send, and is truly "green," with an enormously reduced carbon footprint for printed and delivered mail."

According to Business Week, "If you want to start a catalog company, you stand a better chance of success if you first use the Web to create a brand and establish a solid customer base....Along with competition, postal rate increases have been outpacing inflation, which particularly hurts small catalogs that can't take full advantage of bulk-mail discounts, and paper costs are currently very high."

From Live-PR: "Transcontinental is proud to announce that Transcontinental Direct in Pennsylvania, a leading direct marketing service provider, has been recognized for its commitment to the environment and management of its recycling programs."

The Financial Times has reported that "Postal companies should be free to compete for customers across the European Union from 2011 as governments on Monday ended a year-long deadlock over opening the €88bn ($125bn, £61bn) market. Only Luxembourg opposed the decision, after concerns from France and Italy were addressed. The grand duchy and 10 other countries in the 27-member bloc won the right to delay domestic liberalisation for two years. The move will, in theory, allow any operator to carry letters under the 50g “reserved” threshold, although powerful incumbents are still favourites to retain the business. The rest of the market has been open for some time, but only Sweden, Finland and the UK have fully liberalised, although Germany and the Netherlands will soon follow suit." [Editor's Note: I'll believe it when I see it.]

Computerworld has reported that "Verizon Business and Spacenet Inc. announced today that the companies won a $25 million contract to provide point-to-point satellite communications for about 5,000 U.S. Postal Service sites. The two-year contract, dubbed ORB-IT (for Outerspace Radio Broadcast Information Technology), could be extended to eight years in all under three, two-year optional extensions, both companies reported. Both providers will offer the Postal Service full-time broadband satellite data services and on-demand connectivity, using VSAT (Very Small Aperture Terminal) technology. Verizon Business, a unit of Verizon Communications Inc., has also been the Postal Service's private network provider since 1997." See also Washington Business Journal.

From the Postal Regulatory Commission: Position Available: Assistant Director, Office Of Accountability And Compliance, $112,525 - $136,200 Location: Postal Regulatory Commission 901 New York Avenue, Nw, Suite 200 Washington, DC 20268-0001

Wickwire Gavin will be presenting our seminar on "Changes, Modifications, and Claims under U.S. Postal Service Contracts" on Thursday, November 8, 2007 at the Westin Hotel in Tysons Corner, Virginia. This advanced postal contracting seminar will benefit anyone who is responsible for managing, administering, or overseeing a Postal Service contract.

October 1, 2007
 

PostCom welcomes its newest member: Printing Industries of America PIA-GATF 601 13th Street, NW, Suite 360 N Washington, DC 20005-3807 represented by Lisbeth Lyons Vice President, Government Affairs .

From the Federal Register: "The Secretary of State announces the creation of the Advisory Committee on International Postal and Delivery Services in fulfillment of the provisions of the 2006 Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act (Pub. L. 109–435) and in accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act. Purpose: The purpose of the Advisory Committee shall be to serve the Department of State in an advisory capacity with respect to the formulation, coordination, and oversight of foreign policy related to international postal services and other international delivery services. The Committee will provide a forum for government employees, representatives of the industry sector and members of the public to present their advice and views directly to the Department of State. Those wishing to be considered for membership should send a statement of interest and qualifications to the Department of State by one of the following methods: • E-mail: DelehantyDM@state.gov and WoodCS@state.gov. • Fax: (202) 647–8902. • Mail: Mr. Dennis Delehanty, Foreign Affairs Officer, Office of Technical Specialized Agencies (IO/T), Bureau of International Organization Affairs, Department of State, 2201 C Street, NW., Room 5333, Washington, DC 20520–6319. Statements should reach the Department of State on or before October 19, 2007.

According to the New York Times, "The big American newspapers sell about 10 percent fewer copies than they did in 2000, and while the migration of readers to the Web is usually blamed for that decline, much of it has been intentional. Driven by marketing and delivery costs and pressure from advertisers, many papers have decided certain readers are not worth the expense involved in finding, serving and keeping them."

Advertising Age has noted that "As maintaining big circulation has gotten more expensive and less rewarding, publishers have stripped millions of copies from sales guarantees at magazines as diverse as Reader's Digest, Time, Woman's Day, TV Guide, BusinessWeek and even Star magazine, the only celebrity weekly to ever reduce rate base."

Microsoft is focusing on the postal industry because of the incredible transformation taking place in the postal sector and the opportunities we see for postal organizations to play a key role in the digital world, as they’ve done so effectively in the physical world. Our strategy for posts has three pillars.

The Union has reported that "When an official-looking envelope from the County of Nevada came in the mail for Cedar Ridge resident James Keefer, his wife teased him, figuring it was a jury summons. Instead, when the Keefers opened the envelope, which also looked something like a property tax bill, they discovered a solicitation from a lending company, American Heritage Lending of Aliso Viejo, Calif. “I’m really offended by this type of advertising. It’s deceitful and I think it should be stopped,” Kathie Keefer said."

One Milford Daily News writer has told his readers that "There are some people who think we should take this Do Not Call List further and have a Do Not Send Junk Mail to My House List because they are sick and tired of all the junk mail they receive. I understand their frustration, but I have always defended junk mail for the simple reason that it is pretty easy to toss into the trash or recycle bin if you're not interested. Consider these advantages: junk mail doesn't show up demanding attention right away when we are relaxing in the evening; it rarely mispronounces your name, although your name might be misspelled; and most importantly, it subsidizes the few times each month when we actually need to mail something. Be realistic. Without junk mail the United States Postal Service would have no reason for coming around to everyone's house more than once a week. Once a month for some people. And it would probably cost $100 or more to mail a letter."

Hemscott has reported that "PIN AG and TNT NV's TNT Post convinced Germany's Economy Ministry that 50,000 jobs are at stake, if the minimum wage agreement concluded by former monopolist Deutsche Post World Net AG and union ver.di is applied to the whole postal industry, Der Spiegel reported, citing ministry documents. A representative of TNT Post said the Netherlands-based logistics company will consider withdrawing from Germany all together if Deutsche Post's minimum wages are extended to the whole industry."

UNI (Union Network International ) General Secretary Philip Jennings added UNI’s voice to the fight against job outsourcing in the USA on 26 September at an event organized by the National Association of Letter Carriers in Washington, D.C. NALC has initiated a campaign to stop the United States Postal Service (USPS) from contracting out delivery jobs. In recent years, the company has hired thousands of low-wage, non-union contractors to deliver mail in new housing and commercial developments in the United States. “It’s union-busting, pure and simple,” said William H. Young at the event.

The International Herald Tribune has reported that "European Union ministers will examine plans Monday to scrap the vestiges of national monopolies for postal services, including a proposal for total liberalization for mail delivery by 2011."