![[PostCom logo]](../../postcom3.gif)
Postal News from August 2009
August 31, 2009
The
Detroit News has reported that "postal officials investigated a
letter carrier suspected of shirking his duties and found more than
20,000 pieces of undelivered mail in his home, according to documents
filed today in federal court."
Engadget has reported that "Techno-wizards at the RIKEN center in
Japan have concoted a new way to fashion OLEDs that eschews the standard
spin-coated films for something called electrospray-deposited polymer
films, incorporating "a novel dual-solvent concept" that makes the 'em
"smoother than before, thereby enabling superior devices." Yutaka
Yamagata, the guy who developed this technique, says it will lead to
displays "manufactured as inexpensively as printing newspapers."
The
Postal Service has updated a number of guides related to its Intelligent
Mail program. All guides are accessible on USPS'
RIBBS site, or by clicking on the
links below:
Reuters has reported that "Talks aimed at resuming direct postal
service between the United States and Cuba, which has been suspended for
decades, are set to be held in mid-September in another sign of thawing
U.S.-Cuba relations, Western diplomats said. Officials from the U.S.
State Department and U.S. Postal Service were expected to attend the
discussions in Havana."
The latest entry on the postal blog posted on the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General’s Internet site “Pushing the Envelope.” The public, mailers, postal employees, and other stakeholders are invited to weigh in on the online discussions taking place. To view the site, visit http://blog.uspsoig.gov/. Nationwide Wage Uniformity. The Postal Reorganization Act of 1970 included the goal of matching postal employees’ compensation with that of private sector workers. Such a comparison is difficult, however, given that postal wages are uniform across the country. Does it still make sense today to attempt to match private sector compensation? You can visit Office of Inspector General’s public website at: www.uspsoig.gov. You can also follow us on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/OIGUSPS. If you have additional questions, please contact Communication and Work Life Director Agapi Doulaveris at 703.248.2286. Also from the OIG is its reported on the Electrification of Postal Delivery Vehicles.
Target Marketing has published its fourth annual listing of
top mailers (excluding catalogers) as measured by volume.
From DM News:
The
Camden Courier Post has reported that "The number of post offices
being considered for possible closure to save money seems to be growing.
The Postal Service faces a potential deficit of $7 billion this fiscal
year and has been looking for ways to save, including buyouts, spending
cuts and closing offices. In August, the service said 677 local branch
offices were being studied for closing. But Friday, in a letter to the
Postal Regulatory Commission, the agency revised that number to "fewer
than 750 stations and branches." The letter contained no details on
which offices may have been added, though it said the commission would
be receiving more information next week."
According to
Practical eCommerce, "U.S. Postal Service flat rate envelopes and
boxes can be a big money saver under the right circumstances. But you
have to be careful. That's because there are now seven domestic USPS
flat rate size and rate combinations, and potential cost savings depend
on a fairly complicated comparison of package volume, weight and
distance."
Reuters has reported that "there are reasons for optimism that the
DPJ’s softer and more nurturing policies are just what the economy
needs. The DPJ seems reluctant to privatize the government’s giant
postal savings and insurance businesses."
The
Los Angeles Examiner has asked: "What's wrong with an end to
Saturday service? Can anyone tell me why we need residential mail
service six days a week? Is there anything you receive by U-S mail that
is so important that you couldn't wait to get it every other day?
Retirement checks? Annuity checks? Social Security checks? Direct
deposit eliminates that concern. In fact, Social Security encourages you
to have your Social Security check direct deposited into your bank. It's
faster and less likely to be lost in transmission."
The
Connecticut LawTribune has reported that "Church, Post Office Are
Package Deal In Manchester."
From
Business Wire: "MailExpress, Inc., the leading provider of
performance mail solutions for corporate customers nationwide, today
announced the opening of two new Strategic Distribution Centers (SDC) in
Kansas City, MO and New Orleans, LA, adding capacity in key metropolitan
areas. MailExpress` operational agility has enabled the company to
continue scaling its nationwide processing and distribution network to
support the rapid growth of its customer base and volume of shipments.
The company currently processes over a million light parcels and flats a
week for an expanding list of leading companies."
|
USPS FACILITY CLOSURES
The Postal Service link noted above provides
optional destinating mail entry information where available. Please note: This
information is updated daily.
Click here for
information on Area Mail Processing - Network Distribution
Centers (The U.S. Postal Service is continually improving its
efficiency by making better use of space, staffing, equipment
and transportation to process the nation's mail).
Click here for
the Postal Service's Bulk Mail Center (BMC) Information. |
MAILCOM Las Vegas Annual Fall Conference September 13-15, 2010 Riviera
Hotel Las Vegas Complete details are at
www.mailcom.org. Over 90 seminars, numerous certificate programs
including the IMB Certificate, and other educational offerings will be
featured.
The
Courier, Express, and Postal Observer has noted that "The Postal
Service is in the midst of a major restructuring of the smallest of its
operating networks, the one that handles sortation and transportation of
bulk mail. The implementation of the new National Distribution Center
network in the northeast both reduced costs and improved service
quality. The positive results has caused the Postal Service to
accelerate the program's completion. The Postal Service could implement
the restructuring with minimal if any loss of jobs by transferring
employees to the larger network handling single-piece mail and mail drop
shipped at processing plants. Clearly a similar restructuring of the
entire processing network would give the Postal Service few if any
opportunities to transfer employees. Without the ability to transfer
employees, the Postal Service faces significant civil-service related
procedural challenges, labor negotiation challenges, and substantial
costs if it needs to reduce its workforce that must be incurred before
the savings can be received."
JoongAng Daily has explained to its readers that "Korea has one of
the highest rates of broadband access and Internet users in the world.
Combine that with the fact that almost everything can be accomplished on
the Web, and you pretty much never have to leave home. So when you find
yourself trekking outside to send a letter or package, it might be a bit
difficult to remember exactly what you’re supposed to do. To send a
letter or postcard domestically, you can simply affix postage and drop
it in one of the red mailboxes that you see on the streets. For a
package, just visit the nearest post office or other private mail
carrier company. Now let’s take a closer look at how to best use postal
services in Korea."
Hellmail has reported that "The DX, the only independent mail
operator in the UK which doesn’t rely on Royal Mail for any part of its
service, is gearing up for a boost to sales as the postal dispute looks
set to intensify over the coming months."
August 30, 2009
The Mail has reported that "Thousands more jobs in Royal Mail
sorting offices are at risk with the planned introduction of high-tech
sorting machinery that should dramatically improve productivity. Their
introduction comes at a sensitive time for Royal Mail, which is facing a
series of strikes over cuts and modernisation."
The
Kalamazoo Gazette has reported that "It doesn't seem to matter which
political party is in power. Federal officials can and will be
capricious and vindictive when it comes to releasing basic information
about local federal activities, especially when they're irked. Such now
seems to be the case with the United States Postal Service as it looks
at whether it could save money by closing Kalamazoo's mail-processing
plant in Oshtemo, laying off or transferring about 300 workers and
consolidating the work into facilities in Grand Rapids. The Gazette's
requests for simple, basic information -- numbers of pieces of mail
delivered locally, precise number of local employees, even the number of
local post office branches -- have been met with federal stonewalling."
The
Fayetteville Observer has reported that "With chants of "Save your
post office" and "Don't kill Haymount Hill," more than two dozen
sign-wielding picketers marched outside the Haymount Post Office on a
muggy Friday morning to protest its potential closing. Most of the
protesters were postal employees. Their signs read "SOS" for "save our
service."
KeysNet.com
has reported that "The Key Largo post office will be the second retail
mail branch in the Keys to have employees forced to stay in a designated
room and not wait on customers for part of their shifts. Customers
should expect to see fewer clerks at the counter in the branch starting
Sept. 3. The employees will still earn their hourly wages while in the
room. The U.S. Postal Service initially called the policy the "stand-by
room initiative," but is now calling the rooms "resource rooms," Postal
Service spokeswoman Debbie Fetterly said in an e-mail. Regardless of
semantics, the policy has local postal employees and union officials
angry. Jack Baldwin, the Keys president of the American Postal Workers
Union, said the program is an attempt to show work at the affected
branches could be done with fewer people."
August 29, 2009
 |
|
|
The
American
Postal Workers Union has told its members to "Wake up, postal
workers! We have a class war on our
hands whether we like it or not!" [EdNote: Silly me. And I
thought Marxist rhetoric had gone out of style.]
NBC4i has reported that "The American Postal Workers Union held
a protest because of cost-cutting measures being implemented by the US
Postal Service. Union leaders say the workers are angry about the plans
to close the Busch, Linden and Olde Town Post Offices. They also say the
postal service is breaking their contract by moving forward with the
plan to privatize dozens of jobs in Columbus."
From the Federal Register:
Postal Regulatory Commission RULES Priority Mail Contract , 44757–44760 [E9–20907] [TEXT] [PDF] NOTICES New Competitive Postal Product , 44880–44881 [E9–20955] [TEXT] [PDF] Parcel Select and Parcel Return Service , 44881–44882 [E9–20934] [TEXT] [PDF] Postal Service NOTICES Meetings; Sunshine Act , 44882 [E9–20952] [TEXT] [PDF
According to
Hellmail, there is no end in sight to the U.K. postal strike. It
noted that "The Communication Workers Union said today that further
disruption to mail services will begin next week as thousands of postal
workers take strike action over what the union described as
"panic-driven cuts by increasingly aggressive managers at Royal Mail".
See also the
BBC.
The
Kalamazoo Gazette has reported that "Congressman Fred Upton, R-St.
Joseph, says a U.S. Postal Service processing plant in Oshtemo Township
and downtown Kalamazoo's Arcadia post office will not be closed. Fred
Upton Upton said he received the assurances from postal service managers
Friday following a one-hour meeting at the Oshtemo Township facility
that currently handles mail from 92 southwestern Michigan cities and
villages."
The
Washington Post has reported that "The Postal Service will provide
on Wednesday an updated list of facilities to be considered for possible
closure, according to a letter sent Friday to the Postal Regulatory
Commission. The list is sure to be scrutinized by impacted communities
and lawmakers who have already criticized the Postal Service for its
handling of the closure process. The list will identify the final
collection of postal stations and branches to be considered for closure
or consolidation. Earlier this summer, the Postal Service provided
lawmakers with a list of 677 possible sites for closure. That number has
since grown to 750 after further evaluation of eligible sites, according
to Friday's letter. Despite that high number, Postal officials privately
suggest the final list will likely number around 200."
At the Postal Regulatory Commission:
Reuters has reported that "A U.S. government agency has sued United
Parcel Service Inc, the world's largest package delivery company, for
allegedly violating federal law by limiting workers' ability to take
medical leave. In a lawsuit filed Thursday with the federal court in
Chicago, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said UPS has since
at least 2002 had an "inflexible" 12-month leave policy that does not
provide for "reasonable accommodation" of disabled employees, and
instead calls for their termination. The EEOC accused Atlanta-based UPS
of violating the Americans with Disabilities Act and federal civil
rights law."
The
New York Times has reported that "Amid unrelenting bad news, the
Postal Service is striving to make the case that mail is here to stay.
“We’re very optimistic about the future of mail because mail has great
value,” said Susan Plonkey, vice president for sales. “Mail works.” Top
postal officials say the recession is to blame for the agency’s $7
billion deficit and a steep drop in the volume of mail, and they express
confidence that mail, particularly advertising, will rebound. But even
the Postal Service acknowledges that some mail is gone for good.
Companies’ campaigns to push consumers online are likely to continue
that trend. Verizon Communications has begun a “Get Your Green On”
campaign, giving customers a chance to win a 2010 Toyota Prius Hybrid in
a sweepstakes if they go paperless. While several phone companies charge
for detailed paper bills, in September T-Mobile will begin charging
$1.50 for a basic printed bill each month. “It’s cheaper for us to
process,” said Angeline Depauw, director of remittance processing for
Verizon, about online bill paying. “You have less risk of fraud. It’s
just more efficient.” Javelin Strategy and Research, a research and
consulting company for the financial services industry, says that 70
percent of households that have computers pay bills online each month,
up from 64 percent last year. Brian Wieser, head forecaster at the media
agency Magna, says that advertising mail will grow but not get back to
where it was before the recession within the next five years."
Posted on the website of the U.S. Postal Service Office of the Inspector
General is a report on the "Postal
Service’s Relocation Policy."
Posted
here is
the
statement for the new MTAC WG # 132 "Six-Sigma Approach to
Intelligent Mail® Barcode Quality." If you have an interest in
participating in this WG please contact Industry WG Leaders Susan Pinter
and/or Don Landis and/or USPS WG Leader Tim O’Reilly.
The
Courier, Express, and Postal Observer has reported that "The Postal
Service created a major political storm by proposing to close less than
700 retail locations. In addition to forcing every member of Congress to
deal with irate citizens and Postal employees, the Postal Service must
go though a laborious regulatory and public outreach process to make a
rather small tweak in its retail network. Deutsche Post, the German post
office has just proposed closing its remaining company owned post
offices. Does this mean that there is no retail access to postal
services? No, in fact Deutsche Post guarantees that every town with
greater than 2,000 population have a postal retail facility and in urban
areas, no customer would be more than 2 kilometers (1.24 miles) from a
retail facility. How does Deutsche Post do this?"
August 28, 2009
The Telegraph has reported that "Britain’s postal network
will be hit by a fresh wave of walkouts next
week when thousands more Royal Mail workers go on strike."
The latest issue of
the PostCom Bulletin is available online. In this issue:
The
President of the American Postal Workers Union has told his members
that "Conventional wisdom suggests that if a lie is repeated often
enough, it will be accepted as fact, and actions based on the
fabrication will be considered justified. A myth circulating in the
postal community — that the collective bargaining process is in need of
major repair because arbitrators require the Postal Service to pay
unreasonable wages — is a good example. This fabrication has been
repeated over and over with no supporting analysis."
At the Postal Regulatory Commission:
According to
Raymond J. Keating is chief economist for the Small Business &
Entrepreneurship Council, "Congress is considering legislation that
would provide the Postal Service with temporary relief from making full
payments to cover future retiree health benefits, and expanded borrowing
ability. The post office wants to cut delivery service back to five days
(eliminating Saturdays), close some offices and branch out into other
business. But much of this would be nothing more than a Band-Aid while
placing future finances in added peril. And why should anyone expect the
Postal Service to make any money in nonmail businesses? It’s time to
find out if claims of competitiveness are true by privatizing the Postal
Service. A government-run post office might have been justified during
the early days of the country. But especially given the dramatic changes
in the marketplace in recent times – including the Internet, UPS and
Fedex, not to mention mobile communications devices – no reason exists
for government to be in the mail business."
Australia Post Chairman David Mortimer has announced that Managing
Director Graeme John will retire in December, after 20 years with the
corporation and over 16 years as its chief executive.
Tune
in at 11 a.m. EST to
Federal
News Radio to hear Roger Blacklow (Mail Handlers Union) and Bob Levi
(NAPUS) discuss postal.
Press Release: "DHL Express has announced a new global packaging
range in a move to simplify its shipping services for customers and
reduce its environmental impact. With this initiative, DHL Express is
launching a more environmentally friendly packaging range made from 100
percent recyclable material, thereby supporting DHL Express' GoGreen
environmental protection strategy. The DHL branded packaging range will
extend from an envelope to a pallet box, and include a set of seven
boxes of different sizes, two triangular tubes and four wine boxes. The
new range will be available to customers in most countries around the
world by late 2009, as a phased deployment plan progressively replaces
current branded packaging items."
Yahoo! News has reported that "Electronic coupons, arriving by cell
phone, Twitter, e-mail and Facebook, are helping generate an old
standby's comeback and bringing in new, younger customers. Many
shoppers, especially young consumers like 30-year-old April Englebert,
used to reject coupons printed in newspapers and direct-mail booklets as
passe or cumbersome."
According to
Advertising Age, "For a majority of women, the glass is still half
empty -- and for marketers that could be tough to swallow."
The
Wall Street Journal has reported that "Government revisions to
second-quarter data Thursday, as well as strong growth in corporate
profits, reinforced perceptions that the U.S. economy is rebounding from
the deep recession." [EdNote: Has anyone told consumers?]
The
Columbus Dispatch has reported that "Postal workers plan to picket
the main post office on Twin Rivers Drive today to protest cuts at area
post offices proposed by the federal government. The cutbacks will
include contracting out 54 truck-driver jobs and closing three
Columbus-area post offices as ways to reduce operating costs, according
to American Postal Workers Union Local 232. Michael Schmid, president of
the local, said the moves are unnecessary."
KTAR has reported
that "A Tucson man was indicted Wednesday on federal theft charges,
accused of stealing almost $29,000 worth of postal service equipment
last year. According to the indictment filed in U.S. District Court in
Tucson, 31-year-old Salvador Edgardo Sanchez was arrested July 27 after
a U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigation determined he stole 1,200
plastic Postal pallets that are used to hold and carry mail."
The
Connexion has reported that "five major unions are calling on postal
workers to strike on Tuesday September 22 against the “privatisation” of
La Poste. The CGT, SUD, CFDT, Force Ouvrière and CFTC want a "big day of
strikes and protests” on that day in opposition to plans which
parliament is to debate in October. A new law is to be created aimed at
making La Poste, now officially a public body, into a société anonyme
(PLC) by the start of next year. Although the government says the state
would remain the only shareholder, the unions think that might not
continue to be the case. They also believe the new status could lead to
changes in their contracts, staff cuts, changes to distribution and the
price of stamps."
The
BBC has reported that "Postal workers in Edinburgh and Stirling are
staging the latest in a series of strikes in a row over working terms.
Royal Mail said about 160 processing staff at the Edinburgh mail centre
and 26 of the capital's delivery drivers were taking part in the
action."
The
Times Leader has reported that "Saying its intent is to “improve
productivity and increase efficiency,” the U.S. Postal Service will move
mail processing and distribution operations from the Wilkes-Barre
Processing and Distribution Facility to its Scranton and Lehigh Valley
facilities beginning in October. The news of the final decision brought
criticism from the Local 175 American Postal Workers Union and from U.S.
Rep. Paul Kanjorski."
Hellmail has reported that:
Latvian Post announced this week that mail volume in Latvia had fallen by 41% and parcels by 20% and that the company's board has decided to introduce urgent measures to reduce operating costs. The savings will be implemented in phase, the first step taken immediately - a revised salary for the company's employees based on far more on performance.
The
Kalamazoo Gazette has reported that "U.S. Rep. Fred Upton will tour
the U.S. Postal Service processing plant in Oshtemo Township today in an
effort to stop officials from studying the consolidation of the plant to
Grand Rapids."
Hellmail has reported that "Spanish postal operator Correos has
reported an increase in online sales of 18% for the first half of 2009.
The number of transactions also increased, from 154,584 last year in
2008, to 180,502 this year - a growth of 16.8%. Proportionally, 89.3%
used a credit card to pay and 10.7% used Paypal. Correos has invested
heavily in technology in recent years, including a computer-linked post
office network and in making as many of its services available online
through its virtual post office."
August 27, 2009
|
|
According to
Rag Content,
"The Disney version of the classic Three Little Pigs can be likened a
bit to what's going on today within postal circles." [EdNote: It's an
interesting analogy. I wonder how the Postal Service would respond.]
Hellmail has reported that "With sporadic postal strikes set to
continue and the results of a ballot for national industrial action to
be announced early next month, the UK could be facing major disruption
to mail services in the run up to Christmas 2009. The Royal Mail which
is experiencing a similar decline to that of the United States Postal
Service, is having to execute change rapidly but Royal Mail is also
doing battle with a trade union that still sees postal services as
wholly the remit of the state. With the vast majority of Royal Mail
employees members of the Communication Workers Union, there is a real
conviction amongst hardliners that determination and strength in numbers
will be enough to force the British government to rethink the future of
Royal Mail, abandon its search for a commercial partner and ensure that
any future plans are fully discussed with the union. They may well be
alone in that conviction."
Keys News has reported that
"The U.S. Postal Service is paying employees to
do nothing. Employees clock in and are paid their regular
hourly wage of between $17 and $23 an hour, even when their supervisor
instructs them to sit in a "standby room," where they can do nothing but
read Postal Service instructional materials -- they cannot eat, drink,
smoke, read books or talk on the phone. "The post office is trying to
prove they can lay off workers" in the three Key West stations, said
Kathryn dePoo, vice president of the Florida Keys Area American Postal
Workers union, which opposes the practice....A Postal Service
spokeswoman acknowledged the practice of standby operations, which media
reports show has occurred in other places, such as Dallas, where postal
facilities were consolidated. "When work is not available, the Postal
Service has a contractual obligation to carry [union] employees in a pay
status," Debbie Fetterly wrote in an e-mail to The Citizen. "In these
situations we initiate standby operations. Affected employees are placed
in standby operations while we take action as quickly as contractually
possible to realign complement to meet workload needs." [EdNote: For
heaven's sake, don't put excess employees to work on operations that
should be handled by automation. Postal costs and rates are high enough
as it is. You've got excess....Get rid of it.]
The
American Red Cross has recognized UPS for its support of Red Cross
disaster response work through the Annual Disaster Giving Program. The
UPS Foundation is making a $250,000 cash donation and $250,000 in-kind
donation to facilitate the transportation of supplies to sites in need
of disaster preparation.
B2B has reported that "While the volume of advertising mail
continues to fall, advertisers are retaining their commitment to the
channel, according to a newly released U.S. Postal Service report. The
410-page report, “Household Diary Study for FY 2008,” features a 20-year
analysis of mail flows and marketplace changes. It found that
advertising mail volume declined to 99.6 billion pieces in 2008, down
5.2% from 105.1 billion pieces in 2006. However, advertising spending on
direct mail in that period fell just 1%, compared with a 7.9% falloff in
TV ad dollars, a 6% ad drop for magazines and a 15.1% ad decline for
newspapers. Direct mail commanded a 22% share of total advertising
expenditures in 2008, rising almost continuously from an 18% share in
1990."
Press Release: "Northrop Grumman Corporation's Security Systems LLC
unit today announced that its automated Biohazard Detection System
(BDS), in use nationwide with the U.S. Postal Service, recently
performed its eight millionth test without a false positive test
result."
And...from the U.K.:
ABC.az has reported
that "The Financial Sector Development Project (FSDP), financed by the
World Bank (WB) experiences a lack of space in Azerbaijan to conduct
automation of the national postal operator. The Azerbaijani Ministry of
Communication and Information Technologies reports that HP company,
which is a contractor on creation of corporate automated information
system of the Azerpoct OJSC, was offered to conduct a meeting of the
managing committee of the project in Greece on 28-29 August. Following
its results, the Azerpoct will start rendering financial and bank
services."
The Villager has reported that "Village neighbors, postal union
representatives and elected officials rallied in front of the West
Village post office last week to protest the U.S. Postal Service’s plan
to close the station in October."
Fast Company has reported that "Chevron Energy Solutions--one of
sixteen companies picked by the DOE to work on federal and state energy
efficiency projects--sunk $15 million into a retrofit of the USPS San
Francisco Processing Center, installing energy-efficient lighting,
heating and air conditioning, a fuel cell, and solar panels. It's a
worthwhile investment for the 1.2 million-square-foot building, which is
saving $1.2 million each year on electric bills and cutting heat use by
69%. A larger 400-building, $108 million USPS retrofit in the Pacific
region will also pay itself off in approximately 10 years."
IOL has reported that "Brandishing posters calling for the scrapping
of "apartheid salaries", striking South African Post Office (SAPO)
workers marched down Dr Pixley KaSeme (West) Street to the Durban Post
Office on Wednesday to hand their employers a memorandum of demands. The
workers downed tools last Wednesday. Prominent among their demands is
that salary anomalies between black and white employees, which they say
have existed since the apartheid administration, be addressed. According
to Communication Workers' Union (CWU) spokesperson Thami Mzileni, 96
percent of all post offices in the province had not been in operation
since the strike began."
Bloomberg has reported that "Australia Postal Corp. will invest
A$700 million ($580 million) the next three years to expand fast-growing
revenue sources such as identity verification and logistics, the
Australian Financial Review said. Australia Post will spend about A$600
million on information technology and communications development to
boost the efficiency of its parcel and letter networks. It will also
allow applications for some security- sensitive documents to be made on
line at its 4,450 retail outlets."
The Scotsman has reported that "the government has been accused of
letting the postal service "rot" as thousands of staff prepared to
launch a fresh wave of strikes in the bitter row over jobs, pay and
conditions. Members of the Communication Workers Union in areas
including Edinburgh, Birmingham, Bristol, Cambridge, London and
Middlesbrough will take industrial action over the next few days as
preparations are made for a national ballot." See also
ePolitix.com
According to
Dead Tree Edition, "The U.S. Postal Service took a small step toward
intelligent downsizing yesterday with a buy-out package for up to 30,000
employees, but it needs to do two more things -- quickly: 1) Reveal as
much as possible about the planned consolidation of its 400 or so
processing and distribution centers. 2) Overhaul the process of
communicating projected retirement benefits for those who take early
retirement."
August 26, 2009
At the Postal Regulatory Commission:
CNET News has reported that:
From
PR Newswire: "Azure Dynamics Corporation - ("Azure") or (the
"Company"), a leading developer of state-of-the-art green technologies
that address environmental and cost issues for the commercial
transportation industry, today announced that its Balance(TM) Hybrid
Electric vehicle is the newest addition to the United States Postal
Service fleet (USPS). USPS operates the largest civilian vehicle fleet
in the world with over 220,000 vehicles traveling more than 1.2 billion
miles a year. USPS consistently looks for opportunities to reduce the
environmental impact of its fleet while also lowering operating cost,
and is testing the Azure product to advance both efforts."
And...again...about the postal system in the U.K. Read it and weep:
The
President of the
National Association of Postmasters of the United States has written
to the Postmaster General asking him for the Postal Service to offer a
similar early retirement buy-out for postmasters as has already been
done for clerks and mailhandlers.
EyewitnessNews has reported that "The South African Post Office says
race has nothing to do with what it pays its employees. It has struck
back at comments made by the Communication Workers Union that the South
African Post Office pays its employees according to their race."
From
PR Minds:
"Bharatbook.com has launched a new report on "Express Benchmarking UK"
which elucidates about the competitive environment in the Express
market, and analyse your competitors' strengths and weaknesses."
World Radio Switzerland has reported that "The Swiss postal service
is reporting a 16 percent drop in profits for the first half of this
year, compared with the same period last year."
CEP News (Courier-Express-Postal), published by the
MRU Consultancy, has reported that:
Following the principal confirmation by the Brazilian Supreme Court of the post ECT’s monopolistic status (CEP News 33/09) and even before the publication of a government committee’s official report, more and more details are emerging regarding the restructuring of the post. Turning the post into a closed plc is at the core of the changes.
It sounded like a good idea: civil servants made redundant by Österreichische Post were going to be working as admin support staff for the police force. Severe criticism is now being voiced from within the Social Democratic Party (SPÖ) and the trade union.
Russia is currently discussing an amendment to its Postal Act. Telecommunications holding company Svjasinvest, of which the government controls 75%, has proposed to include telegram services in the catalogue of universal services. Svjasinvest claims the telegram service generated a deficit of almost 48m euros last year.
Posten Norge is increasingly troubled by faulty addresses. Norwegian daily »Aftenposten« (24.08) reported that nowadays one in ten letters carries an incorrect address.
Last week Correos de Chile and United States Postal Service signed a cooperation agreement. The Chilean post stated that the agreement involved the intensification of security measures around mail items shipped between the two countries. The two post companies also intend to consult on the communication and integration of postal services in future.
Thailand Post handled a total of 1.3 billion letters last year. The bulk of this volume - 95% - was attributable to business mail and direct mail. Merely 5% represented private letters.
UPS has confirmed the closure of a big call centre in Dublin.
Johan Vinckier resigned from the board of Belgium’s La Poste.
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.)
And from the
Associated Press: "You can find a bright spot in the recession as
close as your mailbox: There are far fewer hefty catalogs, bulging
coupon packets, unwanted credit card offers and glossy fliers clogging
it up. Thanks to the economic downturn and rising shipping costs, junk
mail volume was down 16 percent in the nine months ending in June
compared with the same period a year earlier, on pace for the steepest
annual decline in decades. Businesses that are still sending junk mail
are sending less of it — shrinking their catalogs and using thinner
paper to save money. It's a sign stores are still struggling, but it
also means less paper to toss in the garbage or lug to the recycling
bin." [EdNote: "Junk" mail, eh? Sure hope that AP writer has a really good plan for
figuring out how to underwrite the cost of running the nation's
universal mail service.]
According to the
News Times, "Five-day delivery and an annual 2-cent increase in
postage rates will not save the post office. Costs will continue to
escalate. Mail volume will continue to fall.The Postal Service will only
continue to function if its products and services generate enough
revenue to cover costs. To that end, the Postal Service needs to raise
the price of postage to cover the actual cost of mail delivery,
eliminating nonprofit discounts. Annually raising stamp prices 2 cents
will not cover costs, but it will, once again, result in a reduction of
mail volume. Simultaneously, the Postal Service needs to take steps to
reduce the cost of delivery. The various unions should sit down with
management, tear up the existing contracts and start over. Many contract
items that benefit employees have a negative impact on the post office.
Employee unions, which have in large part sought self-serving
resolutions to personnel issues and pursued strictly focused union
agendas, need to make concessions that will benefit the whole
organization. Grievance settlements cost the post office millions of
dollars annually."
The
Associated Press of Pakistan has reported that "Newly formed Postal
Action Committee for Anti-Privatization of the employees of Pakistan
Post has vowed to launch a comprehensive campaign to oppose the
privatization of Pakistan Post."
The
Washington Post has more on the USPS employee buy-out offer. The
offer is available to post office retail clerks, distribution center
mail handlers and clerks, and vehicle technicians. Letter carriers are
not eligible, since the Postal Service is targeting only areas where it
has an excess of workers, and the number of addresses grows, on average,
by 1.5 million each year, according to the agency. The Postal Service
negotiated the buyout deal with the American Postal Workers Union and
the National Postal Mail Handlers Union. "We have to have a balance
between work hours and volume. We had more people than we have mail, and
there had to be an adjustment," said APWU President William Burrus."
Hellmail has reported that:
Montreal-based GIRO Inc has announced that Unipost S.A. has acquired its GeoRoute™ software solution to help improve mail delivery operations by creating more efficient routes and standardized delivery operations. Unipost selected the GeoRoute solution based on the recommendation of its European partner, Deutsche Post AG, whose long-standing implementation of GeoRoute has produced significant gains in efficiency. Unipost plans to maximize the software’s optimization capabilities to increase productivity, decrease transit times, and reduce variability of service between its mail delivery routes.
The Slovakian postal service has seen a drop in profits of 90% in the first half year, falling to 1.55 million euros.
The
Federal Times has noted that it has been "getting e-mails for at
least a year from postal workers who said they would consider retiring
early if the Postal Service offered an incentive. That incentive is here
now, in the form of a $15,000 payout over 12 months. Is it enough? Will
you take it?"
At the Postal Regulatory Commission:
August 25, 2009
As the
Postalnews blog has noted, "Gamefly seeks to force USPS to disclose
details of Netflix deal."
From
Seeking Alpha: "Line by line, newspapers’ businesses are
falling apart as they shrink and become less efficient for
advertisers against the competition and reach of online media.
Coupon giant Valassis abandons newspaper distribution for the
postal service in three more markets. Says Crains: “The move
represents the acknowledgement that newspaper circulation is on
the decline and advertising clients want to continue to reach as
many people they can in markets with shrinking newspaper
coverage.” Next, newspapers are starting to lose movie listing
ads. That advertising used to be content with value – like, say,
home and job ads – but now that value can be delivered online,
for free – next to a ticket sales opportunity – online."
From
PR Web: "Troux™ Technologies, Inc., the leader in Strategic
IT Planning and Control software, today announced that the U.S.
Postal Service® (USPS®), the largest postal delivery service in
the world, has awarded a contract for Troux strategic IT
planning software including the Troux Transformation Platform™,
Troux Alignment™, Troux Standards™ and Troux Optimization™. "
Flash! From the U.K.! British postal workers are still on
strike. Somebody let us know when this nonsense is over.
Logistics Manager has reported that "Zetes has completed
implementation of a project for TNT Post Pakketservice, which
forms part of TNT’s master project, driver goes digital. The
project involves the tracking and tracing of postal packages
during the delivery process for all 37 distribution units in
Holland, from loading into the vehicle to delivery at the door,
including digital proof of delivery. All 2,500 delivery drivers
use Motorola MC70 hand-held terminals for delivering and
registering packages with businesses and consumers, of which
400,000 are processed each day."
The Nation has reported that "Thailand Post, under the
jurisdiction of the Information and Communications Technology
Ministry, has so far granted franchising licenses to 27 shops
nationwide, under which individuals offer postal services
instead of the state agency. And these shops, based in
convenient locations, which along with the business acumen of
entrepreneurs help guarantee returning customers, only increase
revenues for Thailand Post."
In a decision to save hundreds of millions dollars in
labor-related costs,
the USPS has negotiated an agreement with two of its
employee unions (American Postal Workers Union and National
Postal Mail Handlers Union) to offer select employees a
financial incentive to retire or resign before the end of the
fiscal year. The incentive is the latest in a series
of cost reductions the Postal Service has made to address losses
due to unprecedented mail volume declines and the ongoing effect
of the economic recession. The incentive provides eligible
employees $10,000 to be paid during the first three months of
Fiscal Year 2010, creating salary and benefit savings for the
next nine months. The same employees will receive a second
payment of $5,000 in Fiscal Year 2011. Fiscal Year 2010 starts
Oct. 1, 2009. This decision reflects our desire to provide a
fair and equitable opportunity for some of our longest-serving
employees. It is important to the Postal Service that we take
appropriate measures to address our current financial situation,
without compromising customer service. Cost savings to the
Postal Service are estimated to be as much as $500 million to $1
billion over three years. See also the
Washington Post and
MarketWatch.
The
Courier, Express, and Postal Observer has told its readers that "In
his thought provoking piece, APWU President William Burris summarized
the challenge facing the Postal Service and its employees succinctly. I
would like to focus on two quotes from his piece that highlight the
challenge that he and his membership as well as all postal stakeholders
will have to struggle with as Congress rethinks the business model for
the Postal Service. Both of these quotes will like be central to one
question that Congress will likely to debate: "Is the Postal Service's
business still a governmental function?..."The Postal Service could do
so much more to actively encourage citizens and business owners to use
the USPS Web site to create customized messages for delivery by the
Postal Service. Invitations to weddings or birthday parties;
announcements of new business ventures; promotions of products and
services — the possibilities are endless, constrained only by the
imagination. Why isn’t the USPS advancing this concept rather than
relying so heavily on messages developed by others?"
The latest issue of PostCom's
PostOps Update has
been posted on this site. In this issue:
The
Patriot-News has said that "There should be a law that says that if
your address is changed by the U.S. Postal Service, then you cannot be
charged a "change of address" fee from any institution, public or
private."
American Postal
Workers Union President William Burrus has told his members that
"The Postal Service recently reported that for each reduction of 1
billion pieces, revenue declines by $360 million. This means that for
every loss of 6 billion pieces, the USPS loses revenue approximately
equal to cost of one biweekly payroll. The dissection of these numbers
may seem to be at odds with my criticism of the large mailers and their
influence on postal decisions, especially on excessive postage
discounts. Even when criticizing the unhealthy relationship between
mailers and USPS management, I am mindful of
our reliance on large mailers to generate volume sufficient to maintain
a national network that supports universal service: Without their
mailings, neither the Postal Service as we know it nor the union would
exist; postal employees most certainly would not earn $50,000
or more per year....Postal management believes that the U.S. Postal
Service is in the hard-copy mail business: Wrong. Mail is what we
process, transport, and deliver, but as the dominance of business mail
demonstrates, the Postal Service is in the
advertising business. Television, newspapers, radio and other
competitors concluded years ago that their principal product was
advertising. TV programs, radio shows, and newspapers are all vehicles
for ad sales. It is time for postal executives
to recognize that their business is advertising, through the use of
mail. This realization should lead to a shift — from acting
as a passive recipient of mail to becoming an engine that generates mail
through advertising initiatives."
The
APWU has
told its members that "The USPS announcement in May that more than 3,200
stations and branches in Level 24-and-above post offices would be
evaluated for possible consolidation or closure has sparked great
concern across the country. This retail store is offering PO Box
service: The operation exceeds the authority of a CPU. Retail employees
are understandably fearful that their jobs will be eliminated, and many
union activists are convinced that management plans to replace the
stations and branches with Contract Postal Units (CPUs), which are owned
and run by non-postal employees. To protect the retail jobs, we need a
coordinated plan of attack."
The National Association of Major Mail
Users has told its members to "Mark your calendars now and reserve
your place – the NAMMU annual rate package review will take place in the
Courtyard meeting room. All major mail classifications - Transaction
Mail, Publications Mail, Direct Mail – will be workshopped, followed by
a special update and review of the new RVU processes and induction
issues. The 2010 RATE PACKAGE REVIEW Wednesday – September 16, 2009
8:45a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Courtyard Marriott 5050-5070 Creekbank Road
Mississauga Continental Breakfast: 8:15 a.m. Program: 8:45 a.m. – 3:30
p.m. Registration required by September 9. For registration information,
go to:
http://www.thekmrgroup.com/enews/2009/2010 Rate Package Workshop
Registration.doc
The
Economic Times has reported that "India’s department of posts (DoP)
is set to spend up to $1 billion on its IT-led business revamp over the
next five years with top tech IT industry firms like IBM, TCS, Infosys
and Wipro pursuing several outsourcing contracts for helping the postal
department automate and integrate its business processes with a standard
software solution. DoP, which has already short-listed Accenture, Ernst
&Young , KPMG, McKinsey and PwC as potential consultants for this
project, will be announcing one of them as partner for selecting a tech
vendor and also defining the scope of 3-5 year IT revamp by end of this
month. DoP will select different vendors for system integration,
software , data centres and network management. "
From the Federal Register:
NOTICES International Mail , 42947–42948 [E9–20401] [TEXT] [PDF]
Postal Technology International has noted that "Users of
Microsoft Outlook can now send registered e-mails. This is
possible thanks to the new IncaMail Outlook add-on from Swiss
Post, which is available as a free download. Outlook has been
updated to include additional buttons that are compatible with
IncaMail. In addition to sending conventional e-mails, users now
have the option of sending confidential or even registered
emails. Both additional mailing alternatives are subject to a
fee, which is booked to a separate IncaMail account that must be
set up by the user. IncaMail, Swiss Post’s platform for sending
emails securely and verifiably, is now even more user-friendly.
This Swiss Post add-on to the most frequently used e-mail
software – Microsoft Outlook – can be easily downloaded and
installed at no extra cost."
At the Postal Regulatory Commission:
August 24, 2009
Online News
has reported that "The federal minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Babar
Awan has assured all support for review on salaries of postal staff and
also a review on establishing courier regulatory authority."
As
the folks at
Hellmail have noted, "Even amongst union hardliners with the most
miniscule attention span, it must be blatantly obvious by now that any
open doors there may have been to further discussion have slammed firmly
shut. The motto for the moment seems to be: "If you want to strike, feel
free" and that should come as little surprise given the clear message
put out by both Mandelson and Royal Mail over the last few months that
further negotiation on a restructuring of Royal Mail simply isn't on the
menu."
Today
the PMG announced that George Wright, VP of IT Operations, will be
retiring in September. In his 26-year career, George has been
instrumental in identifying, developing, implementing and managing
state-of-the-art information systems that support the needs of Postal
Service customers, employees and business partners, including the
transit-time measurement systems and the improved functionality of
usps.com.
At the Postal Regulatory Commission:
The Postal Service has published its
2008 Household Mail Diary Study.
FedEx
Express, the world’s largest express transportation company and a
subsidiary of FedEx Corp., and Modec recently rolled out ten new
state-of-the-art electric commercial vehicles for use in the United
Kingdom.
Is4profit has reported that "Postal workers must reach a rapid
agreement with Royal Mail to end strike action across the UK, as the
strikes may cause small firms to lose customers, the Federation of Small
Businesses (FSB) has warned."
From
Business Wire: "SkyPostal Networks, Inc., the largest private postal
network in Latin America, today announced that it has entered into a
co-marketing agreement for its PuntoMio online shopping facilitator,
with the Brazilian Bank; Banco Itaucard, controlled by Itaú Unibanco,
one of the largest financial conglomerates in the Southern Hemisphere
and one of the 15 largest in the world in terms of market
capitalization. PuntoMio provides Itaucard customers with the easiest
and most secure way to shop from the U.S., by merging the convenience of
comparison shopping through a searchable online shopping portal with a
virtual U.S. address which they use to receive their online purchases.
PuntoMio bridges the gap between the online international shopper and
U.S. based Internet merchants from the time of purchase through final
international delivery to the customer’s home or office. Itaucard, will
provide SkyPostal with marketing aimed at promoting PuntoMio’s service,
using a combination of marketing channels including web promotion,
newsletters, among others."
The Star
has reported that "The Communication Workers' Union (CWU) rejected an
attempt by the SA Post Office (Sapo) to end the labour impasse which saw
between 11 000 and 12 000 workers down tools, the union said today.
Talks between Sapo and the union ended early this morning. Sapo placed a
proposal, amounting to R120 million, on the table. This amount would
cover salary increases as well as correct the salary anomalies that
caused a dispute between the company and workers."
What a headline from
Federal Times:
"Unions oppose 5-day delivery, other proposals
to cut USPS costs." It went on to say that "The leaders of
the nation’s two largest postal unions say they will fight a switch to
five-day mail delivery and any effort to slash their members’ lucrative
benefits, and they’re concerned about possible post office closures."
From
Business Wire: has reported that "Zumbox, a developer of a system
for sending electronic mail to postal addresses, announced today that it
has raised $8M in a funding. The firm said the funding came from Art
Bilger of Shelter Capital Partners; Rick Braddock of Fresh Direct;
Micahel Eisner of the Tornante Company/formerly of Walt Disney; Bill
Guth of Guthy-Renker, and Donn Rappaport, the firm's CEO and founder.
Zumbox develops a service--aimed at marketers and businesses--to target
individuals with electronic mailings, based on their street address,
rather than their email inbox. The firm said it will start a national
roll out of the service in Q4 of this year. Zumbox does not digitize or
convert postal mail, instead, it allows marketers to target specific
postal addresses with their materials, and then looks to have customers
at those addresses to create an account to view those materials. "
Treehugger has a poll on Saturday mail delivery.
From
PR-Inside: "Global Logistics - Couriers - a new market research
report on
companiesandmarkets.com. This is the replacement for the August 2008
edition of Global Logistics - Couriers report. Industry Market Research
Synopsis This Industry Market Research report provides a detailed
analysis of the Global Logistics - Couriers industry, including key
growth trends, statistics, forecasts, the competitive environment
including market shares and the key issues facing the industry. Industry
Definition This industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in
providing air, surface, or combined express courier delivery services of
parcels, documents and packages generally between metropolitan areas or
urban centers. The establishments of this industry form a network
including courier local pick-up and delivery to serve their customers
needs. It excludes services provided by the National Postal Service and
commercial airlines (H4832 - Global Logistics - Air Freight)."
Hellmail has reported that:
As
Advertising Age has reported, "The recession also may be starting to
bottom out, Reader's Digest Mary Berner said, which would make it easier
for the company to concentrate on the simultaneously changing media
business. "The way we're looking at that is: We are channel-agnostic,
and we have organized the company that way," she said. "We look at
Reader's Digest, not Reader's Digest the magazine, including digital,
single-issue, single-topic magazines -- anything that a customer will
want in any platform. Unless media companies get organized that way,
you're doomed to fail."[EdNote: Channel agnostic = whatever makes
money; Channel agnostic = multimedia; Channel agnostic = not print and
post alone.]
The
Akron Beacon
Journal wrote about "Netflix's sorting operation is maze of speed,
efficiency DVDs go through dozens of steps before landing in home
mailboxes."
The
Associated Press of Pakistan has reported that "Federal Minister for
Parliamentary Affairs Dr. Babar Awan Monday lauded the efforts of
Ministry of Postal Services for disbursing BISP assistance to the
vulnerable segments of society.“With its existing manpower and
resources, Pakistan Post role in disbursement of billions of rupees
under BISP and Punjab Government’s Food Support Programme is
commendable”, Babar Awan said."
Thomsons has reported that "Another week of strikes will go ahead
this week, which could add further strain to the relationship between
the Communication Workers Union (CWU) and Royal Mail."
The
Telegraph has reported that "Postal workers are expected to go on
strike at the same time as the Labour conference, causing potential
embarrassment to the Government."
The
Los Angeles Times has reported that "Sapped by declining volume and
revenue, the Postal Service is considering closing nearly 1,000 of its
smaller offices nationwide....But one thing is for sure: Soon to be gone
are the days when nearly everyone has to -- or will even be able to --
walk into his local post office and have a clerk send a parcel. "That's
not the case anymore," Maher said. "You don't have to go to the
neighborhood post office to get stamps or even mail a package." The
potential cuts are of particular concern to the elderly and isolated,
who may be unaccustomed to corresponding online or uncomfortable driving
far to mail a package."
According to one
CNN pundit, "the question is not whether the days of mail delivery
will be curtailed. It's whether we will be happy about it. Many people
on various message boards said that the days of expecting anything
delightful in the mail are long gone. Bills, catalogs, promotional
fliers -- that's what the mail carrier usually brings, so who needs to
deal with that on Saturdays?"
Dead Tree Edition has
reported that "To cope with declining volumes of catalogs and
periodicals, the U.S. Postal Service is adding nearly 300 ZIP codes to
the list of areas that will be served by the Flats Sequencing
System....Concerned that there would be insufficient volume for some of
the huge machines, postal officials now have 2,288 ZIP codes in the plan
and are redeploying some machines from the original Phase I sites to the
new locations. USPS has not revealed what proportion of flats mail will
be served by the Phase I machines, but it appears to be close to
25%....FSS is supposed to revolutionize the labor-intensive process of
sorting and delivering flat mail, cutting millions of work hours (and
hundreds of millions of dollars) for USPS and supposedly bringing the
Periodicals class closer to break-even. As more machines are rolled out
(five are in operation), mailers will eventually be faced with
FSS-specific packaging regulations and rate structures."
August 23, 2009
The Mail has noted that "Royal Mail is to phase out nearly all of
the 25,000 British-made bikes used by postmen and women across the
country because they can’t carry enough mail or travel far enough.
Instead, postmen and women will be expected to travel to their patches
in vans – and deliver their letters and parcels from trolleys made in
China."
Earthtimes has reported that "Workers too heavy for the motorbikes
that Australia Post uses to deliver letters will be taken off the road
until they get below 100 kilograms, the company said Sunday. "It's about
how to ensure we have got a consistent approach, how riders can be safe
and continue riding the bikes," Australia Post spokesman Alex Twomey
told the Daily Telegraph. The too-heavy riders will be redeployed to the
sorting office or on walking routes."
According to
Enterprise News, "Federal bureaucrats blame the growth of e-mails,
texting, cell phones and Internet access for the decrease in mail
volume. The postal system must also compete with well-run private
companies like Fed-Ex and UPS for the package shipping market. The
officials who are running the Postal Service into the ground are
pitching a number of solutions. These include cutting back mail delivery
from six days to five, closing a number of post offices, eliminating
routes, selling off post office property and encouraging early
retirements in the system. These are all unimaginative, conventional and
ineffective solutions. The Postal Service needs to take the following
bold steps to revive its once vibrant operation."
The
News and Tribune has reported that "The current economic slump is
causing many newspapers to look, again, at delivery methods and
efficiency. A growing number of newspapers are partnering with the
United States Postal Service. Yes, they are mailing the daily
newspaper."
The
Miami Herald has told its readers that "Pushed to brink, U.S. mail
continues cutbacks The U.S. Postal Service is currently a `disaster' and
is fighting to stay afloat with cost-saving measures."
According to the
Daily
Breeze, "the U.S. Postal Service [is] do[ing] what all smart
businesses do when they need to save money. They will cut the services
that make them money, thus further maiming their competitiveness and
pushing more loyal postal customers toward online bill-paying and
private carriers....The number of closures might not exceed
200....Still, the thing is slowly dying, this passing of words between
places that probably began with the invention of writing....We e-mail
and text and then we delete every word. A century hence, historians and
biographers trying to piece together this time in our lives will have no
bundles of ribbon-bound love letters, no boxes full of messages from
war, no ideas great and small preserved beyond what we print in books.
Or print in books that appear on book-like screens. For nearly 20 years
we have deleted the life moments that granted earlier generations a kind
of immortality. Or as Abraham Lincoln once wrote in a letter, "Writing
is the great invention of the world enabling us to converse with the
dead, the absent, and the unborn, at all distances of time and space."
According to
Hellmail, "Royal Mail's claim that 90% of its distribution
network is unaffected by strike action would seem to be about
right. Shortly, CWU members are to decide on whether national
strike action is for them or not. Localised industrial action,
whilst inconvenient for some customers, isn't much of a
bargaining tool for a union keen to force Royal Mail to think
it's way, although there is little evidence at the moment to
suggest that extending strike action will change the minds of
either government or Royal Mail." See also
The Mirror.
The
Times of India has reported that "To reduce pressure on
railway booking counters and to generate new sources of income
through the sale of tickets, the authorities have tied up with
the postal department for the same. This will definitely shorten
long queues outside booking counters at railway stations."
August 22, 2009
The
Wall Street Journal has told its readers that "Here's a secret
Washington doesn't want to admit: That 14 cent per letter cost hike
after inflation over the past 60 years imposes a $20 billion a year toll
on the U.S. economy. The government mail system is essentially a $20
billion annual income transfer from businesses and households to the
postal unions. About 80 cents of every postal
dollar pays for employee salaries and benefits (compared to less than 50
cents for Fed Ex and UPS). What that means is that if you
want to cut costs at the post office, you have to slash labor expenses.
Mr. Potter has reduced Postal Service employment to 650,000 from 800,000
the past four years, largely through attrition. But he still employs
650,000 workers who have among the best wages
and benefits in all of American life. Most employees have
no-layoff clauses, the
starting salaries are about 25% to 30% higher
than for comparably skilled private workers, and the
fringe benefits are so expensive
that the Government Accountability Office says $500 million a year could
be saved merely by bringing health benefits into line with those of
other federal workers. The most overdue reform is to strip away the Post
Service's monopoly on first-class mail and bulk mail. Competition is the
key ingredient to innovation, low prices and good service."
The
Miami Herald has reported that "A central Florida postal worker has
pleaded guilty to federal charges of destroying mail. Court records show
that Rose Conklin, who entered a plea Friday, failed to deliver an
estimated 125,000 pieces of mail from October 2003 through May 2009. She
faces up to five years in prison and $250,000 in fines. She is scheduled
to be sentenced in November."
The
International Business Times has reported that "The Communication
Workers Union (CWU) representing the postal workers of Royal Mail has
announced a week long massive postal strike that will start on Friday
August 21 and end on Saturday August 29."
Hellmail has reported that "The Communication Workers Union
announced today that the coming week would see further strike action at
Royal Mail from various mail centres across the UK. 20,000 employees are
expected to take part in industrial action affecting transportation,
collections and deliveries in a series of 24 hour strikes over what the
union described as "cuts and non-negotiation".
August 21, 2009
The
New York Times has reported that "Ben S. Bernanke, the chairman of
the Federal Reserve, offered his most hopeful assessment in more than a
year on Friday, asserting that “the prospects for a return to growth in
the near term appear good.”
The
BBC has
reported that "More postal strikes will hit England and Northern Ireland
this weekend, as a part of a continuing dispute over job cuts and
modernisation."
The latest issue of
the PostCom Bulletin is available online. In this issue:
The following reports have been posted on the U.S. Postal Service Office
of Inspector General website (http://www.uspsoig.gov/)
today. If you have additional questions concerning the report, please
contact Agapi Doulaveris at 703.248.2286.
The
Press Association has reported that "Fresh strikes by postal workers
will be held on Saturday in a continuing dispute over jobs, pay and
services as the threat of a national walkout comes closer."
According to
Courier, Express, and Postal Observer, "more than anything else, the
greatest political obstacle to a new business model for the Postal
Service is the Federal budget deficit. Every legislative action to
maintain postal services in light of current financial losses, and fund
the transition that will create a new business model will have budgetary
implications. Thee budgetary implications will likely become the primary
arguments of postal competitors and other opponents of reform for
delaying necessary changes that would make the Postal Service a viable
and customer-focused provider of delivery and delivery related
services."
The latest issue of Postal Technology International is now available online.
Publishing Executive has told its readers to "Plan for
Another Postal Increase, Cautions Expert."
The
Chicago Tribune has reported that "A federal appeals court has
reversed a federal judge's order that religious displays be removed from
a Manchesterstore that offers postal services. The 2nd U.S. Circuit
Court of Appeals, in a decision released Thursday, says Sincerely Yours
Inc., a contract postal unit operated by the Full Gospel
Interdenominational Church, is not a classified post office and doesn't
need to be regulated like one. The judges say only the postal counter,
boxes and shelving units must be cleared of religious material and there
should be "a visual cue" distinguishing the postal facility from the
private ministry space."
The
Orlando Sentinel has reported that "With the federal government
already running record deficits, the idea of a taxpayer subsidy for the
Postal Service should be a nonstarter in Congress. The agency needs to
get its house in order without a bailout. Congress and the Postal
Service need to strive together to make sure that any new cost-cutting
measures make the agency more efficient, not more obsolete. There is
still plenty of room for its daily, door-to-door delivery model.
Additionally, or alternatively, the Postal Service could save serious
money by further reducing its employee costs, which make up 80 percent
of its expenses, according to the GAO. Its workers get much more
generous health and life insurance benefits than those at other federal
agencies."
Viet Nam News has reported that "Viet Nam Post (VNPost) has become a
member of Eurogiro, a global network of financial institutions,
providing a payment gateway into the country. Membership provided an
opportunity for the company to expand co-operation with postal
companies, banks and financial services providers in 50 countries."
Mybroadband
News has reported that "SA Post Office (Sapo) management and union
representatives were scheduled to meet for talks in Johannesburg on
Friday as the strike by postal workers entered its second day." See also
Sowetan
and
iAfrica.
Hellmail has reported that "According to insiders, it is hoped that
some progress could be been made towards ending the current wave of
strike action at Royal Mail although a ballot for national strike action
would appear to be going ahead as planned next week."
From the Federal Register:
NOTICES Global Expedited Package Services Contract , 42338–42339 [E9–20143] [TEXT] [PDF]
As
the
New York Times has reported that "The United States Postal Service
announced this month that 14 of the city’s roughly 250 post offices are
in danger of being closed as part of an attempt to stem its $7 billion
deficit. “As far as I can tell, these cuts and closures are akin to
moving around furniture on the deck of the Titanic,” said Representative
Jerrold L. Nadler, a Democrat who represents parts of Manhattan and
Brooklyn. “There is no excuse for the Postal Service to give short
shrift to customers and cut services that every person and business
depends on.” Mr. Nadler hailed legislation he is sponsoring that
would require the Postal Service to hold public hearings before closings
or consolidations."
The
Epoch
Times has reported that "Fourteen New York City post offices could
close in Manhattan, the Bronx, and Queens according to U.S Post Office
(USPS) reports, leaving many community members without their local post
office. In response, local officials assembled on Thursday in front of
the West Village Post Office, which is one of the five Manhattan post
offices in danger of closure. Members of the community and postal union
were also there to voice their concerns. “Small businesses would be
devastated. The elderly, poor people, the disabled, they don’t have the
options,” said Chuck Zlatkin, the legislative and political director
for APWU, the New York Metro Area Postal Union."
The
Suburban has reported that "The Township Council is expected to take
a stand against possible changes in mail delivery that they believe
could negatively affect residents. Councilman Patrick Gillespie on
Monday proposed that the council pass a resolution in response to
potential processing changes that may delay mail in ZIP codes that begin
with 088 and 089. Many towns in Middlesex County have an 088 ZIP code,
including Old Bridge, Sayreville and South Amboy. The possible change
was brought to the council's attention by Hank Anderson, president of
the American Postal Workers Union, Central New Jersey Local 149, who
appeared at Monday's meeting in order to explain the details and his
view on the effects of the change. "I'm here to urge you to oppose a
processing change that will no doubt have a serious affect on Old Bridge
businesses and important deliveries," Anderson said. "
AllBusiness has reported that "After six long years, one of the most
contentious lawsuits in the history of franchising has finally gone to
trial in California. It pits thousands of small franchise owners against
shipping giant United Parcel Service, which sparked the row after
acquiring Mail Box Etc. After closing the deal in 2001, UPS began a
major effort to convince the 3,400 franchise owners to rename their
outlets “The UPS Store” and to sign an amended franchise agreement. At
first, both sides seemed to be on the same page. But the franchisees
charge that the company’s effort to convert them, known as the Gold
Shield campaign, after UPS’s ubiquitous logo, was intentionally
deceptive and materially changed the ground rules for their operations.
In effect, they claim, it broke their franchise agreement and dismantled
the existing franchise structure."
According to one writer from the
Shreveport Times, "Every time I hear in the news now about the
enormous deficit the U.S. Postal Service is expected to run this year, I
wonder who is in charge of this inefficient bureaucracy. Is it the same
folks who ran General Motors and Chrysler into the ground?...The Postal
Service is clearly heading toward insolvency....For too long the Postal
Service has been inefficient, and it has failed to adapt to the changing
times....In order for the Postal Service to succeed, it needs to be
leaner and better organized to adapt to our rapidly changing electronic
world. The Postal Service needs to reconsider further increases in the
price of stamps, as this just sends even more people away from using the
mail. The Postal Service should be adjusting its staffing needs now and
not waiting for further developments. Our government cannot afford to
bail out yet another poorly run organization."
The
Berkshire Eagle has reported that "The U.S. Postal Service will
relocate several letter-sorting machines from the Pittsfield Post Office
on Fenn Street to Springfield on Saturday -- a move that will designate
19 local employees for reassignment. This move will not result in
layoffs, and will not affect the mail carriers or delivery schedules for
postal customers. The affected employees are postal clerks"
The
Star Ledger has reported that "The U.S. Postal Service says it's
only a study. But postal workers fear it's the first step toward a
massive consolidation at mail processing plants that would cut the
afternoon shift in Edison and possibly shut down Whippany and Newark.
There are 500 postal workers at the Kilmer Processing and Distribution
Center in Edison; 800 at the Newark plant, and 400 at the West Jersey
plant in Whippany. Employees from the Edison plant have been traveling
across Central Jersey -- from New Brunswick to Clinton, Old Bridge to
Flemington -- warning that potential job losses could delay mail
delivery. Members of the Central Jersey postal union have spoken at town
council meetings. They're lobbying local officials to oppose cutbacks at
the Edison plant, which processes mail for zip codes beginning in 088
and 089."
Prairie Post has noted that "Although officials with the Canadian
Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) are pleased to see an independent
advisory panel has not recommended the deregulation of public postal
services, they are still concerned about the future of rural post
offices."
At the Postal Regulatory Commission:
Electric Light & Power has told its readers that "No one
wants to pay more for postage, but since the rate increase is
unavoidable, a more positive approach is to seek ways to make
your mailings work harder to pay their own freight. One way to
do this is to develop a TransPromo program, which means
combining your regular monthly mailings of bills and statements
with revenue-generating marketing and customer relationship
management (CRM) materials. Telecommunications companies, health
care providers, and many of the larger utilities have been
utilizing this tactic for a while by bundling marketing and
other types of information in the same envelope with the monthly
bill. Because customers open and carefully read their bills, you
can be assured they will see your promotional offer in a timely
way. And with First Class mail, you can also deploy USPS tools
to track delivery times so that you can coordinate telemarketing
efforts—or even collection procedures—with the arrival of the
mailed piece."
August 20, 2009
Yahoo! Finance has reported that "Shipping giant UPS is being
accused of not paying overtime to account managers who go door-to-door
making sales pitches to businesses."
Panhandle Parade has reported that "The Bay Area Drug Gang
Enforcement Squad, also known as BADGES, removed 6.5 pounds of Marijuana
from hitting the streets of Bay County. BADGES along with the U.S.
Postal Inspector’s office were made aware of an arrest of two
individuals in Arizona. The arresting agency notified the Postal
Inspectors Office about a package that may be enroute to Panama City via
the U.S. Mail service. With the help of the Panama City Police
Department’s K-9 Turk the package was located."
The Hour has reported
that "U.S. postal workers were among 10 people charged with operating a
"Lotto"-style gambling business out of offices at the U.S. Postal
Service and an agency that operates trains and buses. Federal
authorities arrested nine of the defendants Thursday, including some
current U.S. Postal Service workers. A 10th person was already arrested
in a related case." See also
Fox44News and
New York Post.
The
Mercury News has reported that "The U.S. Postal Service is
investigating its own staff at the main post office in West Oakland, but
officials declined to say what the investigation is about." See also the
Oakland Tribune.
President Barack Obama on Aug. 6 named Commissioner Ruth Y. Goldway
chairman of the Postal Regulatory Commission. Goldway, the former mayor
of Santa Monica, succeeds Dan G. Blair.
MultiChannelMerchant senior writer Jim Tierney caught up with
Goldway to discuss her plans for her new role.
Press Release: "BCC Software has
launched a new electronic version of their bimonthly print newsletter,
the BCC Bulletin. This new weekly newsletter – sent via e-mail to BCC
customers, and to non-customer subscribers – will discuss industry news
and important company developments in a convenient and timely format.
The BCC eBulletin (available at
www.bccsoftware.com/whybcc/pressroom.aspx), will feature postal and
mailing topics, the most up-to-date product release information, updates
about appearances at industry events and tradeshows, and other topics of
interest to the professional mailing industry.
From
Marketwire: "Stamps.com, the leading provider of postage online and
shipping software solutions, today announced that customers can now test
its PC Postage® software through the HP Creative Studio for Business."
The
Washington Post has reported that "Postmaster General John Potter
weighed in on President Obama's recent comments about the Postal Service
on Wednesday afternoon, doing his best to boost morale amid the mail
service's worsening financial condition. In his message to employees,
Potter recounted that Obama and lawmakers have invoked the Postal
Service's financial woes as an example of the possible perils of
government intervention with the nation's health care system." See the
Potter letter posted on this
site.
CNSNews has
reported that "U.S. Postal Service managers are upset with President
Barack Obama for denigrating the Postal Service as part of his argument
defending the idea of creating a government-run health insurance plan to
compete with private insurers."
According to the
IndyChannel, "USPS is considering consolidating the operations of
part of Bloomington's sorting facility with Indianapolis, citing a
dramatic decline in mail the facility handles and the organization's
need to trim its budget, 6News' Sarah Cornell reported. The move has
angered some residents who rely on quick service from the USPS and are
concerned the change will slow things down, and employees who don't want
things to change."
The
BBC has
reported that "Postal workers have walked out in the Midlands, Bristol,
Yorkshire and south- east England. The Communication Workers Union says
it aims to stop deliveries in and out of London for 24 hours. The bad
feeling between the union and ministers has continued, with the CWU
calling yesterday's comments by Lord Mandelson "a disgrace".
The
U.S. Postal Service and
FedEx Express have renewed their alliance for Global Express
Guaranteed (GXG), the Postal Service's premier, date-certain
international delivery service to more than 190 countries and
territories.
August 19, 2009
MortgageOrb has reported that "Fiserv Inc. has introduced its new
eMessaging Service that enables mortgage companies to communicate legal
disclosures, regulatory updates and service-related information via
e-mail directly to customers who have elected to go paperless and
receive bills electronically. Michelle Flint, vice president and general
manager of Fiserv’s Biller Solutions division, says that more than 64
million U.S. households opt to pay bills online. However, “because
billing organizations typically send service or regulatory messages to
their customers through traditional postal mail, they may not be
achieving their paperless cost saving goals."
At the Postal Regulatory Commission:
Dow Jones has reported that "As many as 14,000 postal workers in
South Africa are set to walk off the job to protest against what their
union Wednesday said is an "apartheid" wage gap."
Marketing Daily has reported that "Add Unilever and Kroger to the
growing ranks of digital coupon partnerships, as consumers become more
and more willing to seek out high-tech sources for old-fashioned deals.
Increasingly, Americans aren't just willing to get coupons from such new
sources -- they're happy about it. A new study from Scarborough Research
reports that 8.6 million - or 8% -- of U.S. households currently get at
least some coupons via text message and/or email. And while the Sunday
newspaper is still the primary source of coupons (with 51% of households
relying on them), followed by in-store coupons (35%), loyalty cards like
Kroger's are a huge draw, with 21% of households drawing on them for
savings." [EdNote: Remember when these things could be found in the
mail?]
The
Wall Street Journal has reported that "Major retailers reported that
American consumers are continuing to hunker down, casting a cloud over
the durability of the U.S. recovery and underscoring the importance of
overseas demand in restoring the world economy to health."
The
Courier, Express, and Postal Observer has noted that "Business Week
has just posted a review of a new book by Darryl Rigby, the former head
of Bain & Co.'s retail practice. Entitled, "Winning in Turbulance," the
book looks at what strategies work in surviving a downturn....The review
states that a key to Mr. Rigby's view on surving turbulance is the
company's position prior to economic challenges. A company's ability to
survive economic turbulance depends on their financial position going
into the turbulence. If the firm is financially sound going in, it is
more likely to come out of the turbulence a survivor. The article
identities three traps, that Mr.
Rigby identified, that management has to avoid if possible as it works
through turbulance Going after new customers
through price cutting as these customers may abandon you once the
recover occurs and pricing becomes more rational. Cutting costs in ways
that core customers notice. Curtailing customer focused innovation."
According to the
Daily
Democrat, "There are two proposals being floated to help put the
post office in the black. One is to cut delivery to five days a week.
That should be avoided. Losing service on either of those days would
mean that every time a Monday holiday comes up, the nation would be
without mail for three days in a row. A better idea is to look at ways
to expand. In other countries, postal offices also offer such things as
cell phone and banking services. There also are some interesting ideas
being floated for bringing the Postal Service into the Internet age,
such as having it provide spam-free e-mail boxes or servers where
sensitive information could be securely exchanged. All such ideas should
be explored."
The
Logan Banner has asked: "The nation faces a question: Is universal
postal delivery a privilege or a right? Business factors will make the
answer easier. The advent of technology and competition means there is a
new ‘‘normal’’ in the daily postal business. Determinations of just what
that ‘‘normal’’ is now and will be in the future will provide the answer
to the question of universal postal delivery, six days a week."
CBS has reported that "In the letter, National Association of Postal
Supervisors President Ted Keating reportedly said there was "collective
disappointment that you chose the Postal Service as a scapegoat and an
example of inefficiency....White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said
at his daily press briefing Tuesday that Mr. Obama has probably not seen
Keating's letter. "I doubt he's seen that letter, and I don't have any
reason to believe he regrets (what he said), since he repeated it,"
Gibbs said. Gibbs also made the comparison on Sunday when speaking about
health care reform on CBS' "Face the Nation.". "I don't think (President
Obama) was saying that what we were going to do is create the postal
service for health care," he said. "
According to
Wellington Scoop, "Negotiations at New Zealand Post’s largest
subsidiary, ECL, have broken down and workers have voted for industrial
action says the Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union. The
industrial action, which has begun with a work-to-rule in Wellington and
Christchurch, follows the company’s refusal to negotiate a fair pay
claim."
DM News has reported that "The US Postal Service has announced it
will begin attaching additional postage charges to any commercial
Standard Mail that does not meet its acceptance rate for Move Update
standards in January 2010. Move Update compliance has been mandatory for
commercial mail since November 23, 2008. This decision requires that
mailers select one of the postal-approved methods to regularly update
mailing list addresses against customer-filed change-of-address
notifications in order to reduce the forwarding or return-to-sender
charges. Under the new decision, mailers for which more than 30% of
addresses fail an update check will be assessed for additional fees.
This assessment will apply to a portion of the mailing based on the
percentage by which the measured error rate exceeds the 30% tolerance.
Mailers will have the option to pay the additional postage or withdraw
the mailing. The US Postal Service has scheduled webinars on the Move
Update Standard and the January changes for September 3 and 15."
Hellmail has reported that "The Communication Workers Union today
said it was pushing ahead with further strike action across the country
as the deadlock between the union and Royal Mail continues. The CWU said
action is over cuts to jobs and services and Royal Mail's lack of
willingness to negotiate on modernisation, accusing Royal Mail of
abusing work measurement systems to increase workloads to breaking
point. Dave Ward, Communication Workers Union deputy general secretary,
said: “Postal workers are more productive than ever handling more mail
with a diminishing workforce. Stress is now reaching breaking point
while morale is at an all-time low."
CEP News (Courier-Express-Postal), published by the
MRU Consultancy, has reported that:
Significant decreases in volume have triggered a heavy profit collapse for Post Danmark in the first half of the year.
The new postal act in China, which comes into effect as of this October, gives the post the right to open letters and parcels "for security reasons".
The Ministry for State Enterprises has replaced almost the whole of the top management team at Pos Indonesia.
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 a Postal Service spokesman in a letter to the
Chicago Tribune: "The Aug. 8 editorial "Red letter year" accurately
lays out the current state of the U.S. Postal Service. Mailing habits
have changed, volume has left the system and revenue has declined. But
identifying our employees and our obligations to them as "the heart of
the problem" mischaracterizes the nature and extent of our crisis."
[EdNote: Maybe he hasn't read the GAO report.]
From the Federal Register:
RULES International Mail , 41791–41794 [E9–19855] [TEXT] [PDF] NOTICES Postal Service Price Changes , 41947–41948 [E9–19854] [TEXT] [PDF
If you check the
Postal Regulatory Commission web site on a regular
basis, you might notice the new section that's there on international
postal affairs. It says in part:
The Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) plays an active international role in postal regulation. The Commission takes very seriously our statutory responsibility under the 2006 Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act to provide our views to the U.S. Department of State with respect to international agreements on rates and classifications for market dominant products and their consistency with our modern regulations for rate setting. We work closely with the U.S. Department of State, which is responsible for the overall formulation of international postal policy, to develop and promote U.S. interests in such international organizations as the Universal Postal Union. We also work closely with the Postal Service, the Department of Commerce, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and are a member of the Federal Advisory Committee on International Postal and Delivery Services. The Commission also fosters direct engagement with other postal regulators in order to share valuable information, experiences and best practices.
The
Indy Channel has reported that "Bloomington postal workers protested
Tuesday against a proposed cost-saving plan they said will delay the
mail. The United States Postal Service's plan would shut down the
sorting operation in Bloomington, instead trucking mail overnight to
Indianapolis to be sorted, processed and then shipped back for
delivery."
The
BBC has reported that the British "postal strike hits parcel depot.
Next week, the union is planning to ballot its members on holding a
national strike."
At the Postal Regulatory Commission:
August 18, 2009
The
Courier, Express, and Postal Observer has noted that "The headline
says it all, "The U.S. Postal Service: Our Next Bankruptcy?" While the
stark headline is startling, the potential impact is even more so. The
article by Delia Lloyd was published on the website Politics Daily, a
new politics website that now attracts 3.6 million unique users every
month. It is not clear whether the article and the millions that will
read it will sufficiently raise awareness of the Postal Service's
difficulties to move postal policy higher on the agenda of Congress and
the White House....An examination of the mailing industry worldwide
clearly shows that the industry is suffering and that entities that plan
to survive and continue to serve their customers and meet universal
service obligations are making significant changes quickly. "
From
Canada NewsWire: "The Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) has
launched a campaign to organize drivers at Dynamex Inc. in Edmonton."
According to one
USNews blogger, "President Barack Obama's not-so-subtle dig at the
U.S. Postal Service—"UPS and FedEx are doing just fine. ... It's the
Post Office that's always having problems"—has sent his cheerful
relations with America's postal unions to the dead letter office. The
remark, a reminder of how Obama tends to stumble when he gets off
script, was made during an August 11 town hall on healthcare in
Portsmouth, N.H., as the president tried in vain to defend the inclusion
of a "public option" alternative in his reform package. Ted Keating, the
president of the powerful and politically well-connected National
Association of Postal Supervisors, was one of those who took offense,
taking the president to task in an August 14 letter for using the post
office as a "scapegoat" and for failing to account for the overtime,
management, and work-hour reductions the USPS has made over the last
year. The paper went on to note that Obama's comparison of the private
companies with the post office did not take into account the lack of a
level playing field between the entities. "The Postal Service has to
contend with unions, lawmakers and the Postal Regulatory Commission and
as a result, can't raise prices or close facilities on a whim the way
its private-sector counterparts can when mail volume plunges," the paper
said—which, while a robust defense of the post office, is not exactly
helpful in the context of the president's vision for healthcare reform."
Hellmail has reported that "Despite calls by CWU leader Billy Hayes
for the government to intervene in the present industrial dispute
between the Communication Workers Union and Royal Mail, Lord Mandelson
gave the clearest sign yet that the government has no intention of
becoming embrolied in the row over the modernisation of the state-owned
postal service. "Time and again in the past, the CWU has asked ministers
to intervene in their disputes and their strikes to frustrate Royal Mail
modernisation. I have instructed this will not happen. It is time for
the union to wake up to the need for change to stop the Mail's further
decline."
The
Environmental Leader has reported that "Pitney Bowes Inc. has
reduced its overall carbon emissions by 4.5 percent and increased its
waste recycling/prevention by 45.5 percent, according to the company’s
Corporate Responsibility Report for 2008."
CNN Money has reported that "The credit card industry, among the
most prolific of the direct-mailers, sent out 5.4 billion pieces of
direct mail in 2008, down from 7.3 billion in 2007, according to Mintel.
The decline became even steeper this year, with less than 900 million
pieces mailed in the first six months. The mortgage industry has also
slowed down its direct mail offers of secured loans, from a peak of
nearly 4 billion pieces in 2005, to about 1.1 billion pieces in 2008,
according to Mintel. Only 220 million pieces have been mailed in the
first six months of this year. About the only industries still sending
offers are insurers and telecommunications companies, said Davidson of
Mintel. He said that "bundle" deals that include telephone, cable and
Internet service remain popular, as are life and automobile insurance,
which are some of the last things cash-strapped consumers will give up.
Dr. Ramesh Lakshmi-Ratan, chief operating officer of the Direct
Marketing Association, an industry trade group, expects direct mail to
make a comeback over the next few years, once the economy as a whole
recovers. "Do I see a good future for the Postal Service and direct
mail?" he said. "Absolutely, but I think it's going to be different."
Going forward, he projects that the direct mail industry will have less
emphasis on credit and more on savings-driven spending, as consumer
habits shift towards cash over credit."
At the Postal Regulatory Commission:
The following reports have been posted on the U.S. Postal Service
Office of Inspector General website (http://www.uspsoig.gov/)
today. If you have additional questions concerning the report, please
contact Agapi Doulaveris at 703.248.2286.
International Business Times has reported that:
DMM Advisory:
The
August 18, 2009 DMM Advisory
has been posted on this site. Also . . . .
New Deflection Standards Postponed until January 2010. We are extending implementation of the new deflection standards for flat-size mailpieces from September 8, 2009 to January 4, 2010. Mailers are encouraged to take this opportunity and ensure their flats meet the new deflection standards in January. Current deflection standards will continue to apply only for automation flats during the extension period. For additional information on deflection and allowable droop, please go to our final rule Federal Register (74 FR 15380-15484), New Standards for Domestic Services published on April 6, 2009. You can also access this document on Postal Explorer at pe.usps.com by clicking on Federal Register Notices in the left frame. Please note that we are retaining the September 8, 2009 implementation date for polywrap standards applying to nonautomation flats.
Move Update Standard. The Move Update standard requires that mailers select one of the postal-approved methods to periodically update the addresses contained within a mailing list by comparing the address records on the mailing list against customer-filed change-of-address (COA) orders and making the necessary updates before mailing. Compliance with the Move Update standard reduces the number of mailpieces that require forwarding or return-to-sender services. On November 23, 2008 we expanded the Move Update requirement to include all commercial Standard Mail®. Commercial First-Class Mail® has been subject to the Move Update requirement since July 1, 1997. We also changed the minimum frequency of Move Update processing from 185 days to 95 days prior to mailing. Customers must certify on their postage statements which Move Update method they used. Customers who do not use a USPS®-approved Move Update method are subject to single-piece prices.
In April 2009, we began providing feedback to mailers on the quality of their Move Update process based on a verification process using live samples from the mailing. Business Mail Acceptance personnel share the results of the verifications and work with customers to improve addressing quality. These reports are also available online via the Business Customer Gateway. Refer to the Guide to Accessing Move Update reports at http://ribbs.usps.gov/index.cfm?page=moveupdate to understand how to access and use these reports. These reports are available at any site that uses the Mail Evaluation Readability Lookup Instrument (MERLIN) to perform verifications. A list of Business Mail Entry Units that use MERLIN is also posted on the RIBBS Move Update page. If you are not receiving reports or if you have questions about accessing reports you can send an email to moveupdatereports@usps.gov.
Beginning in January, we will use this information to assess additional postage on noncompliant mailings. Effective January 2010, a Move Update postage assessment will be calculated at acceptance if more than 30 percent of the addresses that should have been updated were not updated. This assessment will apply to a portion of the mailing based on the percentage by which the measured error rate exceeds the 30 percent tolerance. Mailers have the option to pay the additional postage or withdraw the mailing. For additional information regarding this, please refer to the Move Update Advisement Policy document at: http://ribbs.usps.gov/move_update/documents/tech_guides/Move_Update_Advisement_Policy.pdf.
We will conduct educational Webinars on the Move Update Standard and the January changes. The Webinars are scheduled for September 3 and 15, 2009. The links and phone numbers to connect to the sessions will be published on RIBBS and in a future DMM Advisory.
The
London Free Press has reported that "Canada’s smaller municipalities
are again urging the federal government to protect rural post offices
against closure or privatization. Hundreds of town councils are sending
petitions to Ottawa asking the junior minister in charge of Canada Post,
Rob Merrifield, to protect a decade-long moratorium on post office
closures."
According to
Bloomberg, "No institution has been the butt of more government-
inefficiency jokes than the U.S. Postal Service. Maybe the Department of
Motor Vehicles. When Obama compared the post office to UPS and FedEx, he
was clearly hoping to assuage voter concerns about a public health-care
option undercutting and eliminating private insurance. What he did
instead was conjure up visions of long lines and interminable waits. Why
do we need or want a health-care system that works like the post
office?"
The
York Press has reported that "a union
leader has warned that industrial action by postal workers will hit York
unless Royal Mail agrees to negotiate over proposed changes in working
practices."
Hellmail has reported that "Industrial action at Royal Mail is set
to continue next week, threatening online retailers who have already
seen a decrease in orders due to the economic crisis. One retailer in
the north-east that supplies sporting equipment and did not wish to be
named said: "This will be the death knell for many e-tailers. Its hard
enough bringing in new orders in this recession without this on top. For
us it will be a case of switching to services such as City-Link. If we
can't deliver, customers think will just its us and then they go
elsewhere, but thats not an option for some sellers, particularly those
that have already lost their jobs and are making ends meet by selling
small items on Ebay." he said."
The Local
has reported that "Germany’s main mail carrier Deutsche Post has its
customers hot under the collar this summer as it uses the seasonal
slowdown to cut back on their letter delivery service."
From the Federal Register:
International Mail , 41633–41637 [E9–19757] [TEXT] [PDF] NOTICES New Competitive Postal Product , 41758–41759 [E9–19808] [TEXT] [PDF] 41759–41760 [E9–19809] [TEXT] [PDF]
UPS has announced that all U.S.-based eBay sellers using eBay
Selling Manager Applications now have a direct, free connection from
within eBay to the shipping system UPS WorldShip®. Integration of
WorldShip by eBay allows sellers to import their eBay order information
into WorldShip and eliminate manual key entry. Then, sellers can easily
export shipping data from WorldShip and automatically update their eBay
orders with UPS tracking numbers.
The
Bangkok Post has reported that "Snail mail, for centuries the main
form of communication between people separated by distance, refuses to
go the way of the dodo. Letters are not fading out in the high-speed
communications era as many people think. Thailand Post statistics show
the number of letters being posted annually has risen from 1.05 billion
in 2005 to 1.13 in 2006 and further to 1.3 billion in 2008. Most are
business and direct-sales letters. Very few are personal letters, said
Wiboon Sereechaiporn, assistant vice president of Thailand Post's
corporate and marketing communications department. "The number of
letters has increased over the past four years, but most of them are
business letters," Mr Wiboon said."
August 17, 2009
There's an EXCELLENT article in this week's Economist titled "Unwired."
I'd recommend you read it, and let your mind run a little freely to
discern that the challenge facing telecom landlines closely parallel the
challenge facing the post.
At the Postal Regulatory Commission:
The
BBC has
reported that "Workers at Royal Mail have started strikes following a
disagreement over cuts to jobs and services. The strikes will run on
selected days between 17 and 24 August."
The
New York Times has reported that "AOL, often derided as the original
gated community, is now manufacturing a broad array of digital media
that is free for the grabbing. There are 300 working content producers
in its New York headquarters, backed by hundreds of other freelancers
and programmers in Bangalore, Dublin and Dulles, cranking out copy and
editing photos for more than 80 Web sites. Ten are ranked in
Technorati’s top 100. Politics Daily, which began in April, already has
3.6 million unique users a month, while Politico, a much more
established name, has 1.1 million, according to comScore, a digital
audience measurement company. In the aggregate, the media properties at
AOL have about 76 million unique visitors."
MediaDailyNews has reported that "The Direct Marketing Association
says direct mail volume will probably drop as much as 10%, reports
Adweek. The blame is placed on the consumer credit crisis, ongoing
mortgage crisis and overall recession. Hard-hit by the lack of direct
mail has been the U.S. Postal Service, which lost $2.4 billion for the
quarter. USPS is currently pushing Congress to limit mail delivery days
to five."
Folio has reported that "The Reader’s Digest Association today said
it has reached an agreement in principle with a majority of its senior
secured lenders on terms of a restructuring plan to reduce the company’s
debt from $2.2 billion to $550 million. As part of the agreement, RDA
expects to implement the restructuring under a voluntary pre-packaged
Chapter 11 filing in U.S. bankruptcy court."
According to
UTalkMarketing.com, "Companies that fail to target 16 to 24
year-olds through the post could be missing out on valuable sales,
according to new research from the Mail Media Centre (www.mmc.co.uk).
The majority of 16 to 24 year-olds receives less than one piece of
branded direct mail through the post a week. However, research shows
that 90% open all their post and the age group is the most responsive
with 71% having acted on the direct mail they have received."
From
PR-Inside: "As students prepare to head back to school, AIS Media,
an award-winning Interactive marketing and web services company, sees
more retailers utilize their services to reach customers online. Instead
of heading to brick-and-mortar stores, more parents are letting their
fingers do the walking and shopping online for their back-to-school
purchases. To reach this growing number of online shoppers, retailers
are shifting more of their marketing budgets from newspaper ads and
direct mail to search engine marketing and email marketing."
Hellmail has reported that "Lithuanian Post (Lietuvos Pastas) may be
partially privatised or sold off completely after 2010. Although no
formal plans have been put forward, the Lithuanian Pastas president,
Arturas Staras, said the need to modernise the postal service to meet
European demands for a fully liberalised postal market, may mean either
a partial or complete sell-off."
DMIOnline has reported that "A proposal by Australia Post to
increase the basic postage rate by 5c next year will result in a
significant drop in business demand for mail services, the Australian
Direct Marketing Association (ADMA) has warned the postal operator."
From the Federal Register:
| Postal Regulatory Commission | |
| RULES | |
| Global Plus 1 Contracts , | |
| 41336–41340 [E9–19440] | |
Dead Tree Edition has
noted that "Unless inflation suddenly rears its head in the next few
months, any increases in U.S. postal rates next year would have to be by
emergency request rather than being based on inflation. Inflation would
have to rise at an annualized rate of 5% during the final five months of
the year for the Postal Service to have even the tiniest of price caps
for rate increases in May. The inflation rate would have to spike to 15%
for the rest of this year for the price cap to rise by just 1%."
Wales Online has reported that "the Royal Mail paid South Wales
households more than £100,000 in compensation for missing, stolen and
delayed items of mail, figures revealed today. Lost parcels included
CDs, DVDs and cheques sent as gifts. Customers need to show proof of
ordering or of posting to claim compensation, with about two in every
three claims succeeding."
The
Yorkshire Post has reported that "Royal Mail paid almost £1m in
compensation to customers in Yorkshire last year, new figures reveal.
The postal service, which is being riven by industrial action, coughed
up £976,451 for complaints including loss, damage and delay in 2008-09
–up on about £960,000 a year earlier."
According to
FreshBusinessThinking, "Dave Ward, Communication Workers Union
deputy general secretary, said: "Royal Mail management is trying to
crush the British postal service.” That might well be the case but,
quite frankly, his members are like turkeys
voting for Xmas."
NBC4i has reported that "Central Ohio postal workers are up in arms
about proposed cuts that the federal government plans to impose in the
near future. The American Postal Workers Union claims
the United States Postal Service will contract
out 54 local truck driver jobs and close three Central Ohio
post offices to help reduce costs. “These are permanent dangers for a
temporary problem. They’re doing it in the name of reducing costs. They
will not return,“ Michael Schmid, president of the APWU Columbus
chapter, said."
Hellmail has reported that "industrial action at Royal Mail
continues this week at various locations across the UK. The
Communication Workers Union said the action is in direct response to
what it described as Royal Mail's failure to meet all the terms of the
2007 pay & modernisation agreement and lack of clarity over
modernisation plans."
The
India
Press Information Bureau has reported that "The Department of Posts
has subscribed to the Global Monitoring System(GSM) of the Universal
Postal Union (UPU). This is a quality monitoring system for
International mails. India Post delivers about 2100 tonnes of
International Letter Mail received from different countries. This
translates into 31 million articles per year, which are deliverable in
every corner of the country. India Post aims to achieve better service
quality in delivery of International letter mail to its customers and
has therefore made a substantial investment in this project. At present
the Global Monitoring System (GMS) is being tested in ten countries
including India. The testing will continue up to December, 2009."
"Here we go again,"
TechCrunch warned its readers. "The newspaper industry is blaming
online news aggregators for its dwindling profits and inability to adapt
to a world of links and truly-free flowing information. (They like it
when information flows freely into their pages, but not so much when it
flows out)."
Howard Kurtz at the
Washington Post went on record saying that "Dan Rather is wrong.
Barack Obama should stay out of it. We don't need no stinkin'
presidential commission. It's not that the former CBS anchor has
delivered a flawed diagnosis. The news business, as Rather wrote in a
Washington Post op-ed, is in deep trouble, particularly the print side.
But his prescription -- that only high-level White House involvement can
draw sufficient attention to the media's plight -- badly misses the
mark."
The
Sun-Sentinel has told its readers that "Any smart CEO will tell you
no business can cut its way to success, so raising new revenue will be
critical to USPS' long-term sustainability. Postmaster General John
Potter has urged Congress to follow the lead of other similarly situated
countries by allowing post offices to host other non-traditional
services, like banking transactions or driver's license renewal. It's a
smart idea, especially in this one-stop-shopping era. Like many
businesses, the postal service is being transformed in the Information
Age. It can still play a vital role for generations to come, but whether
it does depends on how well it adapts today."
10TV.com has reported that "Postal workers took to the picket line
on Sunday to protest proposed cuts to their services."
Business Week has told its readers that "The deficit-burdened agency
asks Congress to consider new jobs for carriers, such as drug delivery,
that utilize their 'last mile' advantage. Fred Rolando, the new
president of the National Association of Letter Carriers, the union that
represents 300,000 active and retired letter carriers...believes Postal
Service carriers could perform such services as helping with
Neighborhood Watch efforts and checking on older people who might need
assistance. The extra revenue would come from businesses and
governmental and community organizations who would pay the Postal
Service for performing services at their behest....The proposal with
perhaps the best odds of materializing in the near term is that of the
Postal Service's making special, express deliveries of vaccines and
other pharmaceuticals to hospitals or doctors' offices."
The
Kansas
City Star has reported that "The Postal Service may request a rise
above the Consumer Price Index in “extraordinary or exceptional
circumstances,” but many warn that an attempt to close the revenue gap
with rate increases would only drive mail volume and revenue further
down."
According to
Newsday, "The nation's second largest employer is beset by dwindling
mail and management restrictions that have it slogging through red ink
toward an uncertain future - unless Congress delivers some relief.
Congress needs to cut some strings. In 2006, the postal service was
ostensibly freed to operate as a profit-making business. Congress should
let it. Then postal officials must use any financial breathing room and
management freedom they can get to restructure operations. And to secure
its future in the digital age, officials need to be creative in
reimagining what the postal service does and ways to modernize and
expand."
According to the
Bangor Daily
News, "Eighty percent of the service’s budget is devoted to
personnel costs. Clearly, this is where cost-cutting efforts must be
focused."
CBS News has reported that "White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs
said on Face the Nation Sunday that President Obama is still in favor a
government-sponsored health insurance plan -- but does not intend to
replicate the beleaguered U.S. Postal Service."
The
New York Post has told its readers that if "Obamacare Will Be Run As Well As The Post Office. Fear For Your
Lives!"
August 16, 2009
As Bob
Greene of CNN put it: "The romance of the mail has never been about
logic. The little daily thrill of seeing the mail carrier approaching is
not because we know for a fact that he, or she, has something good for
us in that bag. These days, he probably doesn't."
The
Press Association has reported that "Thousands of postal workers
will launch fresh strikes this week as industrial relations continue to
worsen ahead of a national ballot for action. The CWU is planning to
ballot all its postal members next month for a national strike following
several weeks of localised action." See also the
BBC.
USNews has noted that "The U.S. Postal Service is in serious
financial trouble. Last year, it had a $2 billion deficit. This year, it
is on track to lose $7 billion, and future predictions are equally dire
as the economy, rising healthcare costs, and the shift to electronic
communication take their toll on the bottom line. The sea of red ink has
lawmakers and postal officials struggling to find a way to keep the mail
system operating while slashing unsustainably high costs. Salaries
represent 80 percent of postal costs, so facility closures will have
only a modest impact, officials say. Contracts for the four major postal
unions will be up for negotiation in 2010 and 2011."
TheLocal.de has reported that "Deutsche
Post, Germany’s privatised mail service, said this weekend
that it plans to exit the retail business and
close all of the post offices it operates alone. Branches
operated jointly with Postbank will continue to stay open. The move is
part of a long-announced cost saving measure and will affect just 500 of
the company’s 14,000 locations in Germany, according to a Deutsche Post
spokesman. most of the post offices facing closure have just one or two
windows for customers. The closures will be complete
by the end of 2011, by which time
all of the post offices in Germany will be run
only as partnerships with other businesses, such as most
outlets in large cities, which are operated jointly with Postbank, which
used to be owned by Deutsche Post."
According to
Fredericksburg.com, "imagine
going to your local post office to buy stamps and as you reach for the
door, you see a big red sign that says "Sorry, Closed--Gone Out of
Business." This sounds pretty strange, but if a private firm were
bleeding money the way the U.S Postal Service is, it would most likely
have shut its doors long ago."
August 15, 2009
From
Business Wire: "The UPS Board of Directors has declared a regular
quarterly dividend of $0.45 per share on all outstanding Class A and
Class B shares. The dividend is payable Sept. 9, 2009, to shareholders
of record on Aug. 24, 2009. UPS has either
increased or maintained its dividend every year for four decades."
[EdNote: Gee, could Obama be right?]
The
Atlanta Business Chronicle has reported that "Teamsters Local 2727,
the Kentucky union that represents airline mechanics at United Parcel
Service Inc., has called on its members to conduct a strike vote. The
vote is expected to be taken by Sept. 14."
WINK has
reported that "The fight is on to keep the downtown Naples post office
open. It is one of three Collier locations on a list the U.S. Postal
Service says may be closed. The downtown office is on list of hundreds
around the county the U.S. Postal Service may close, but Naples Mayor
Bill Barnett wants to stop that. This week, he sent a letter to the
Postmaster General, pleading for him to keep the downtown branch open."
[EdNote: Sure hope his letter includes a promise for local town
funding for the office to keep it open.]
According to
Morgan Stanley,
"Changes at USPS a Mixed Bag for Parcel."
August 14, 2009
DMM Advisory: Good Addresses are Good Business! The new Move Update advisement policy for First-Class Mail and Standard Mail has been posted to the RIBBS Web site at http://ribbs.usps.gov/. Working with industry representatives over the past several months, we developed a new Move Update verification procedure and enhanced Change of Address reports. Effective January 2010, a Move Update postage assessment will be applied at acceptance if more than 30 percent of the addresses that should have been updated were not updated. This assessment will apply to a portion of the mailing calculated based on the percentage by which the measured error rate exceeds the 30 percent tolerance.
At the Postal Regulatory Commission:
The latest issue of
the PostCom Bulletin is available online. In this issue:
The
Watertown Daily Times has reported that "Two Kansas senators are
sticking by their decision to hold up Rep. John M. McHugh's confirmation
as secretary of the Army, pending answers from the Obama administration
about the fate of terrorism suspects being detained at Guantanamo Bay,
Cuba. A spokeswoman for Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., said he still is
seeking answers to more than a dozen questions about the
administration's plans to move the detainees, possibly to a
high-security facility near Fort Leavenworth, Kan. Mr. Roberts and Sen.
Sam Brownback, R-Kan., are objecting to Mr. McHugh's confirmation
despite pleas from Sen. Kirsten E. Gillibrand, D-N.Y., and Defense
Secretary Robert M. Gates to drop their complaint. The senators have not
objected to the selection of Mr. McHugh, R-Pierrepont Manor, but to the
Senate's attempt to confirm him and several other defense-related
nominees by unanimous consent, without voting." [EdNote: He deserves
better than that.]
The
Courier, Express and Postal Observer has noted, "At yesterday's MTAC
meeting, a mailer asked if mailers could have access to the mailbox for
delivering periodicals, newspapers, and advertising on Saturday if the
Postal Service stopped delivering on that day. While the hypothetical
question was dismissed, it illustrates the risks that reducing
delivering on that day could have for the Postal Service. Currently,
access to the mailbox is restricted but reductions in the service that
the Postal Service offers could create real demand for access that was
just theoretical in the past."
As the Washington Post has reported:
Pulp and paper mills in the United States earned more than $3 billion in
controversial "black liquor" credits during the first half of this year,
a
Dead Tree Edition analysis shows.
The
Royal Gazette has reported that "The Bermuda Post Office will no
longer deliver incorrectly addressed mail at the end of the month.
Minister of Energy, Telecommunications and E-Commerce Michael Scott
warned the public has only three weeks left to become compliant with the
new postal rules."
The
Edmonton Sun has rpeorted that "Austrian authorities aren’t about to
give these pranks their stamp of approval. Frustrated officials say
rescuers have been deployed twice this week to break open large
mailboxes after two children locked themselves inside in separate
incidents."
ITPro has reported that "UPS, the parcel service and global
transportation business, has encrypted all of its British laptops and
smartphones after it breached the Data Protection Act last year. It has
also signed an ‘undertaking’ with the Information Commissioner's Office
(ICO), promising that it will keep personal information more securely.
It comes less than a year after an incident where an unencrypted
password-protected laptop was stolen from a UPS employee while abroad.
It was never recovered."
The
Star-Ledger has told its readers that "The U.S. Postal Service's
ballooning deficit illuminates one of the classic contradictions in
American public life -- the complaint that government spends too much
and the unwillingness to give up services that drive up public costs.
The post office has seen revenue decline for several years now as
technology steadily erodes dependence on the mail. That's not likely to
change in the years ahead. The post office simply isn't doing the
business it once did. The need just isn't there anymore."
The
Washington Post has reported that "A Howard County postal clerk
pilfered more than $600,000 worth of stamps, many of which were sold on
eBay at a reduced price."
From the
Bureau of
Labor Statistics: "The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers
(CPI-U) decreased 0.2 percent in July before seasonal adjustment, the
Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported
today. Over the last 12 months the index has fallen 2.1 percent, as a
28.1 percent decline in the energy index since its July 2008 peak has
more than offset increases of 0.9 percent in the food index and 1.5
percent in the index for all items less food and energy. On a seasonally
adjusted basis, the CPI-U was unchanged in July following a 0.7 percent
increase in June. Small declines in the food and energy indexes offset a
small increase in the index for all items less food and energy. The food
index declined 0.3 percent in July with all six major grocery store food
groups posting declines. The energy index, which rose 7.4 percent in
June, fell 0.4 percent in July. Decreases in the indexes for gasoline,
fuel oil, and electricity more than offset an increase in the index for
natural gas. The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.1
percent in July following a 0.2 percent increase in June. The indexes
for new vehicles, tobacco, medical care and apparel all continued to
increase in July, and the index for airline fares turned up after a long
series of declines. In contrast to these increases, the shelter index
decreased in July as the index for lodging away from home fell and the
indexes for rent and owners’ equivalent rent were unchanged." See
also the
New York Times.
The
Miami Herald has told its readers that "Sooner or later, six-day
mail delivery will go the way of 10-cent candy bars, movie
double-features and penny postcards. Given the state of the Postal
Service's finances, sooner is probably better. There is no joy in saying
that. Most Americans take all-except-Sunday delivery for granted and
would just as soon keep it -- but not at the cost of having to pay more
for postage, wait in longer lines for service or drive farther to the
closest Post Office."
According to the
Yakima Herald, "Politicians often will make a solemn pledge while
campaigning that if elected they will run government as they would a
business. Somehow that pledge of treating public agencies with an eye
toward productivity and a robust bottom line gets sidetracked after they
take office. Right now the U.S. Postal Service demands that kind of
business acumen from lawmakers in Congress."
From the Federal Register:
| Postal Regulatory Commission | |
| RULES | |
| Global Plus 1 Contract , | |
| 41047–41051 [E9–19504] | [TEXT] [PDF] |
| International Mail Products and Special Services , | |
| 41051–41056 [E9–19366] | [TEXT] [PDF] |
Posted on this site is the latest
USPS headquarters officer
organizational chart.
St. Louis Today has told its readers: "For the past four decades,
letter carriers and other postal employees have had no more loyal
friends than Lacy Clay and his father, former Rep. Bill Clay, two St.
Louis Democrats who have represented Missouri's First Congressional
District since 1969. The senior Mr. Clay even was chairman of the House
Post Office and Civil Service committee for his last four years in
Congress. So when the time comes that a Clay says the Postal Service
must "transform itself to survive as a viable entity," things must be
serious, indeed. They are."
The
Suburban has reported that "Employees of the U.S. Postal Service are
spreading the word about major changes that they said could negatively
affect mail delivery for local residents."
August 13, 2009
At the Postal Regulatory Commission:
The Postal Regulatory Commission today issued Order no. 276 establishing
Docket R2009-5 to receive comments on a First-Class Mail Incentive
Program filed by the U.S. Postal Service.
PostCom
Members!! The slides associated with presentations given at the Mailers
Technical Advisory Committee on August 12-13 have been posted on this
site.
DMM Advisory: PostalOne!® and FAST® Outages (August 15-16). PostalOne! Release 21.0.0 will be implemented on Sunday, August 16, 2009. A system-wide outage for PostalOne! is planned for Saturday, August 15 from 9:00 p.m. CT through Sunday, August 16 8:30 a.m. CT. During this outage, mailers cannot access PostalOne! or submit electronic mailing documentation. Mailers should review their file submission processes and make arrangements for these outages.
In conjunction with the PostalOne! outage, FAST WebServices will not be accessible. Mailers will not be able to schedule appointments electronically using Mail.XML®. FAST online scheduling will be unavailable during the normally scheduled maintenance window of 4:00 a.m. CT through 8:00 a.m. CT. Mailers who wish to schedule appointments online outside of the maintenance window must log into FAST through the Business Customer Gateway. Please call the PostalOne! Help Desk at 1-800-522-9085 or your local FAST facility coordinator if you have questions.
PostalOne! Release 21.0.0 will be migrated to the PostalOne! Test Environment for Mailers (TEM) on Sunday, August 16. The outage for PostalOne! TEM will occur on Sunday, August 16 from 8:30 a.m. CT through 3:30 p.m. CT. During this time, the PostalOne! TEM will be unavailable for testing.
According to the
National
Association of Letter Carriers, "The Republican House Conference
(RHC) on August 12 issued a grossly inaccurate and misleading brief
insulting the Postal Service and its 700,000 employees in a
transparently partisan attack aimed at derailing health reform. The
smear piece, An Ominous Model for Government Takeover of Health Care,
makes at least seven false and/or misleading claims that tarnish the
Postal Service and its hard-working employees."
Computerworld Kenya has reported that "Players in Uganda's
communications sector should brace themselves for a cut in their profit
margins as the industry regulator looks to further boost the Rural
Communications Development Fund (RCDF). The draft policy has proposed
the modernization and expansion of postal services by effectively
supporting at least one initiative that aims to either modernize or
expand coverage of postal services in Uganda. The new RCDF will support
the establishment of at least one community information center per
underserved local area, as a profitable business providing essential ICT
and related services (postal services, public pay phone, e-mail and
Internet and financial services) aiming at a minimum of 150 community
information centers per year.
Express Buzz has reported that "Electricity bills can soon be
remitted in Indian post offices in the State of Tamil Nadu."
The
Postalnewsblog has reported that "Reports filed with the Postal
regulatory Commission show that as of July 17, the US Postal Service has
reduced its field staff by 5.7%, or 37,454 employees from the same
period last year. The bad news for the USPS is that the
complement reductions so far have not
translated to any significant cost reductions. Thanks to
salary and benefit increases, the USPS has paid out almost exactly the
same amount in base salaries and benefits this year as it did in 2008."
According to
Dead Tree Edition, "Better communication, not additional incentives,
is all the Postal Service needs to entice more employees to retire
early, a union leader says. The USPS is providing incomplete benefit
estimates to eligible employees, according to Don Cheney, a long-time
leader of the Auburn, Washington APWU local who has worked extensively
on early-retirement issues for the past six years. In some cases, USPS
is providing eligible employees with early-retirement estimates that are
at least $1,000 per month too low, says Cheney, who has written several
articles about USPS retirement programs for PostalReporter.com USPS is
also failing to counter the common misconception that most eligible
employees would be penalized if they take early retirement, according to
Cheney....The atrociously low response to early-retirement offers is
evidence enough that the Postal Service needs to rethink its
efforts....The Postal Service is missing out on a seemingly easy,
humane, and cost-effective way to carry out a much-needed thinning of
its ranks."
The
Wall
Street Journal has reported that "Web publishers this week are
pointing to a study -- ordered up by their trade group -- that they say
presents evidence that ads on their prime pages offer more bang for the
buck."
The
U.S. Postal Service
has released its third quarter service performance results.
MSN Money has reported that "The
average household sifts through 41
pounds of junk mail annually, sending most to the circular file,
says Sander DeVries, a co-founder of 41 Pounds, a Michigan nonprofit
trying to reduce the environmental impact of junk mail."
Congratulations to PostCom Director Phil Thompson for being named Vice Chair, Industry of the USPS' Mailer Technical Advisory Committee. Thompson also serves as chairman of PostCom's Postal Operations Committee.
Advertising
Age has reported that "Skeptics who are still not sure about the
real potential for building large-scale mobile phone audiences for
content and ads would do well to take a look at People.com. The mobile
channel of that Time Inc. magazine site is now logging 18 million mobile
page views a month. And that horde of on-the-go readers and viewers
seeking celebrity news via their mobile phones is just the beginning,
says Fran Hauser, president of the digital side of Time Inc.'s Style and
Entertainment Group."
According to
Go Upstate, "What is called for is a meaningful discussion about
what services we need the Postal Service to provide, now and in the
foreseeable future, what resources that will call for and what people
and businesses are willing to pay for it. There are certainly too many
offices, and closing a few is a start, but it's a far cry from the
massive changes necessary to keep the Postal Service viable over the
long haul."
Brandweek has reported that "Add another to the list of analog media
crushed by the Great Recession: direct mail. The Direct Marketing
Association originally predicted that direct mail volume would only fall
1 percent this year, but the organization has revised that to as much as
10 percent. “This was mainly driven by the combination of a number of
factors including the consumer credit crisis, the mortgage crisis, and
the overall economic crisis, as well as marketers exploring new ways of
integrating across different channels,” said Ramesh Lakshmi-Ratan, the
DMA’s executive vice president and chief operating officer."
According to the
Arizona Republic, "The president is right! "UPS and FedEx are doing
just fine. It's the post office that's always having problems."
The
NA Presseportal has reported that "Austrian Post in the First
Half-Year 2009: Revenue down by 3.6%, EBIT decline of 8.0% Ongoing
difficult market environment in 2009 makes cost savings the top
priority."
The
BBC has reported that "Postal workers at the Royal Mail sorting
centre in Filton, Bristol are starting strike action this morning. Up to
1,000 workers are expected to take part in the official strike which
will disrupt collections in the BS1-10, BS13 & BS14 postcode areas of
the city. This latest industrial action is part of a long-running
dispute over pay, conditions and cuts to the service. The strike is set
to end at 2000 BST on Friday, according to the Communication Workers
Union(CWU)."
North Country Public Radio has reported that "The U.S. postal
service is cutting 50 jobs at its Watertown sorting center. Spokesperson
Maureen Marion says 13 people will be transferred to the postal facility
in Syracuse. Those employees will sort the mail delivered to all of
northern New York. This work has been done in Watertown for decades. But
Marion tells Jonathan Brown that advances in technology, the economy and
a decline in the volume of first-class mail is forcing the postal
service to make big changes."
As one
Baltimore Examiner blogger put it: "Comparing the reform to the
workings of the US Postal Services, and then immediately pointing out
how dysfunctional it is, might not be the best way to sell the pending
legislation to the American people. Of course, this is a false
comparison since UPS and FedEx are not allowed to actually compete with
USPS, they – unfortunately – are not allowed to deliver first class mail
(sigh). That’s “if you think about it.”
By the way, postal workers apparently aren't too pleased with the
President for his remarks. Check out the comments on
Postalnews.com.
The
House Republican Conference has posted a piece playing off Obama's
gaff on the Postal Service.
At the Postal Regulatory Commission:
The Congressional Research Service on "Post
Office and Retail Postal Facility Closures: Overview and Issues for
Congress" has been posted on this site.
August 12, 2009
The
Jakarta Post has reported that "The Office of the State Minister for
State Enterprises has replaced five of six directors at state postal
service provider PT Pos Indonesia, citing a need to improve its
accounting system and management."
The
Epoch
Times has reported that "USPS, like many government agencies, has
become an albatross. It has many branches and sub-branches throughout
the United States which are no longer needed, as mail traffic has
decreased substantially due to the advent of e-mail. “The USPS is a drag
on the government, on the economy, on the marketplace it unfairly
distorts, and on consumers and taxpayers. It should be privatized
without delay,” wrote Sam Ryan, in a blistering article “Privatize This”
on the National Review Web site in 2005. He predicted that in the
not-too-near future, USPS will go bankrupt. That day may have arrived."
As the
Baltimore Examiner has noted, "Remarks by President Obama about the
United States Postal Service have energized opponents of the
government’s health-care plan. Commentators across the media are talking
about the efficiencies of the government run postal service compared to
private sector competitors."
As the
Associated Press has reported, "Looking for ways to boost business,
the Postal Service is planning to offer discounts to some of its best
customers. Companies that mailed at least 500,000 first-class letters,
cards or large envelopes between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31 in each of the last
two years will be eligible for the lower prices, according to papers
filed with the Postal Regulatory Commission. Under the plan, the Postal
Service would establish a base amount of mail for companies that apply
for the discounts, and they would be eligible for 20 percent discounts
on mailings over that level in the October-December period. The agency
estimated that the program would bring in an additional $43 million,
between new mail and mailings that move up from standard to first-class
service."
At the Postal Regulatory Commission:
From
Media-Newswire:
"The Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum has received a donation from
the family of the late George W. Brett to create the George W. Brett
Philatelic Endowment Fund. This endowment will fund philatelic
researchers who use the museum’s collections for publication projects.
It will also support the museum’s publishing of exhibition catalogs and
curatorial philatelic research.
Bloomberg has reported that "The sale of shares in Japan’s postal
group, which includes the world’s biggest bank by deposits, will be
delayed, according to officials in opposition parties that polls say
will win national elections this month. Legislation pushed through by
former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi in 2005 broke the 138-year-old
Japan Post into four companies under a holding company and allows for
shares sales as soon as next year. The assets of the banking and
insurance units in Japan Post Holdings Co. was $3.1 trillion as of the
end of March, according to financial statements."
As
the
Socialist Worker put it: "Solid London post strike ramps up pressure
on Royal Mail." [EdNote: Yes, that's right. The Socialist Worker.
There still are people who don't subscribe to market economies.]
The
Bergen Record publishes an early requiem for the Postal Service: "The handwriting
on the wall of the local post office is not hard to read: the United
States Postal Service, established at about the same time as our
country, 1775, is probably on its way out."
The
Santa Monica Daily Press writes about one of its own. 
CEP News (Courier-Express-Postal), published by the
MRU Consultancy, has reported that:
The Servicio Postal Mexicano (Sepomex) plans to lay off more than 2,000 postmen, Julio César García Arámbula, secretary general of the postal union, has been quoted as saying by several media in the country.
Schweizerische Post has taken over the Italian logistics company Costanzia.
The merger of the Danish and Swedish postal organisations is expected to bring about savings of 1 billion Danish Kroner, equivalent to around 134m euros. The business portal »epn« (06.08) reported that there would be lay-offs at the same time, due to the crisis and to decreasing mail volumes.
Due to the difficult economic situation in Bulgaria, many big companies are increasingly using the post instead of the costly private service operators.
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.)
DMM Advisory: First-Class Mail Incentive Program. Last evening we filed a notice with the Postal Regulatory Commission for a First-Class Mail Incentive Program. This program will provide mail owners, of qualifying incremental cards, letters, and flats volume, a 20 percent reduction in postage for First-Class Mail. The First-Class Mail Incentive Program will run from October 1 through December 31, 2009 and is subject to regulatory review for 45 days from August 12.
From
PR Web:
"Ventureforth, Inc. today announced that the United States Postal
Service (USPS) has chosen Ventureforth's mobile and disconnected
solutions for maintenance work order and spare parts management,
integrated with Oracle's E-Business Suite eAM and supply chain
solutions. Ventureforth's Mi2K Work and Stores applications, powered by
Syclo's Agentry mobile platform, were selected for maintaining
approximately 260,000 postal vehicles serviced by 220 fleet maintenance
centers across the United States."
The
Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) has reported that "The
union representing postal workers says it is considering action which
would include postage free days as part of a long-running industrial
battle with Australia Post. Postage free days are when postal workers
will allow envelopes or letters that don't have the right postage on
them or no postage on them to go through the system."
From the Federal Register:
| Postal Regulatory Commission | |
| RULES | |
| Express Mail and Priority Mail Contract (8) , | |
| 40708–40711 [E9–19256] | [TEXT] [PDF] |
| Express Mail Contract , | |
| 40714–40717 [E9–19342] | [TEXT] [PDF] |
Hellmail has reported that "In a letter to union members this week,
CWU leaders CWU leaders Billy Hayes and Dave Ward, outlined the reasons
why a national ballot for industrial action is to go ahead. Both
described a failure by Royal Mail bosses to introduce change by
agreement with the CWU, despite explicit commitments made in 2007 and
that Royal Mail had reverted to a “we make the decisions, you do as you
are told” attitude whilst lacking a coherent plan for modernisation of
the business other than "damaging cuts to services and endless attacks
on jobs, pay and conditions." The CWU said that it had a very different
view of modernisation that included the introduction of new automation
and at the same time, taking advantage of the opportunities that exist
to grow the business through e-fulfilment and a new range of products.
It accused Royal Mail of simply downsizing. It said a national strike
would take place unless a new agreement on job security without
compulsory redundancies, that would protect terms and conditions is
established. Other issues high on the agenda include a solution to the
increasing pension deficit, an enhanced pay package, a shorter working
week, and a managed workload." [EdNote: Sure hope the British public
and businesses are satisfied with this "explanation."]
According to the
Washington Post, "President Obama made what his advisers believe
were his first public comments on the U.S. Postal Service on Tuesday,
basically knocking its performance during his health-care-themed town
hall in New Hampshire. "I mean, if you think about it, UPS and FedEx are
doing just fine, right? No, they are. It's the
post office that's always having problems." That comment
provoked laughter from the audience. Asked to clarify, the White House
said Obama was pointing out that while core Postal Service services are
different from those offered by UPS and FedEx, it has not undermined the
competitive spirit of the private shipping industry. "It’s been public
for some time that the Postal Service’s fiscal path is unsustainable,"
spokeswoman Jen Psaki said when asked about the president's generally
dismissive remarks."
Newcastle News has reported that "After formally petitioning for its
own unique ZIP code, the city of Newcastle has been denied that request
by the local district office (Seattle) of the U.S. Postal Service. The
decision comes after the city made a formal presentation to postal
service managers. This is the third time city officials have requested,
and been turned down for, a ZIP code. The city’s official request
included results of a survey of residents completed by 400 people
showing 98 percent were in favor of a unique ZIP Code, and that more
than half have experienced delivery and service issues. (Newcastle
currently uses two ZIP Codes assigned to Renton.) The application also
included other arguments, such as a loss of sales tax based on improper
coding and higher insurance rates. But postal service officials said
Newcastle’s population simply wasn’t large enough."
Publishing Executive has noted that "Seventeen magazine has joined
the ranks of magazine publishers turning their attention to the iPhone,
lauching its first iPhone app."
DirectNews has reported that "a study from the Association of
National Advertisers, conducted with BtoB Magazine and marketing
services group mktg, found that 66 per cent of marketers have utilised
social networking sites in 2009 - an increase of 46 per cent in two
years."
According to
PrintWeek, "Ongoing strikes at the Royal Mail could lead to
customers moving their campaign spend away from direct mail."
Did you know? "McClatchy is the nation’s third-largest newspaper
company, with 30 daily newspapers, about 50 nondailies, and
direct-marketing and direct-mail operations."
Planadviser has noted that "New York Life said it has just begun
using predictive modeling software, allowing it to determine which
active 401(k) participants are most likely to roll assets from an
outside 401(k) or an outside IRA into their 401(k) administered by New
York Life. Some of the predictors of potential roll-in candidates
include their tenure, number of loans, and frequency of Web logins, the
company said. With help from the modeling software, New York Life can
reach out to participants through targeted marketing such as direct
mail."
The
Sydney Morning Herald has reported that "The owner of a Sydney post
office has been charged with committing Australia's biggest ever postal
fraud over the allegedly fraudulent sale of $4.2 million worth of stamps
and envelopes. The man was allegedly defrauding Australia Post over
money paid to him for the alleged sales of postage stamps and envelopes
sold through the branch."
Phonescoop has reported that
"T-Mobile has decided to charge an extra fee for customers who wish to
receive printed, paper bills. This new fee is for anyone wishing to
receive a basic "summary" bill, and it will cost $1.50 per month."
August 11, 2009
At the Postal Regulatory Commission:
According to
Arandell's Susan Pinter, "Overall, I believe that reducing to a
five-day delivery schedule will not have a huge impact on the direct
mail catalog industry, but it will greatly impact the marketing
campaigns for retailers. I predict by next spring we will have an
official decision on the five-day delivery. Until then, we should start
adjusting to the idea that we will not have to check our mailboxes on
the weekends!"
According to
Hellmail: "Despite a rigorous campaign to canvass public support for
postal workers, the Communication Workers Union has failed to win the
hearts and minds of the British public. With high unemployment and a
deep recession, the public are exhasperated by the postal union for
calling union members out on strike, an attempt to bully Royal Mail into
abandoning its modernisation programme. With the 2007 modernisation
agreement now apparently in tatters, one wonders whether the CWU
understood it or even bothered to read it. I suspect the former. Now
these selfish 1950s luddites want to scrap the agreement and develop the
postal service on their OWN terms, regardless of the impact on
businesses already struggling in a difficult economic climate, falling
mail volume and high unemployment. Sack the lot of them and replace them
with people that really do want to work."
The
Courier, Express, and Postal Observer noted the following quote from
President Obama: ""If
you think about it, UPS and FedEx are doing just fine. It's the Post
Office that's always having problems." [EdNote: Well....as head of
the federal executive branch, he owns it. So fix it!]
Rag Content has asked:
"More than 85% of all USPS career employees are covered by collective
bargaining agreements. According to the Postal Service, its workforce
now totals 633,046 employees. Eighty-five percent or 474,785 are
unionized. When COLAs are figured in, the Postal Service, in the third
quarter alone, gave these workers an additional $214 million in pay.
Year-to-date, the total is over $788 million. Why during this troubled
times are employees still getting increases in pay?"
CNET has reported that "USAA on Tuesday updated its iPhone app to
allow customers to deposit checks wirelessly. By taking a photo of both
sides of the check using the iPhone's built-in camera, customers can
send an image of a check directly to USAA where it can be verified and
deposited. (Credit: USAA) The new USAA Deposit@Mobile feature expands on
the bank's existing iPhone app, which debuted in May and has been
downloaded almost 140,000 times, says USAA. The free mobile app already
lets customers check their balances, transfer funds, and find ATMs. The
mobile check depositing is also the next step from USAA's Deposit@Home
service, which lets customers scan and deposit checks using a PC and
scanner."
Here's an interesting item from the
Wall Street Journal: "Widespread layoffs caused by tight school
budgets are forcing thousands of teachers out of the classroom, in some
cases, permanently. Many are taking other jobs or considering changing
careers, even as they anxiously hope to be recalled. That’s a jolt to
people drawn to teaching in part for its recession-proof reputation."
According to
WESH, "Technology is not exactly killing the post office, but it has
the Postal Service running a high fever."
The
Daily Mail has reported that "The political drift of the
current Government has meant that the proposed privatisation of
Royal Mail has been shelved. But the postal service will have to
face up to economic realities sooner or later. Bosses at the
Communication Workers Union, in the past a big Labour Party
paymaster, are naturally indignant at any private capital being
brought into the Royal Mail."
The
Press Association has reported that "A series of 24-hour
strikes by postal workers is expected to continue in an ongoing
dispute over pay, jobs and services. Members of the
Communication Workers Union (CWU) in Stoke-on-Trent are due to
walk out, with industrial action planned in London on Wednesday,
spreading to the South West on Thursday. This follows industrial
action in East Anglia on Monday and other locations last Friday
and over the weekend."
Swissinfo has reported that "The national postal services
faces many challenges at home, but there are also opportunities
abroad, Swiss Post's board chairman Claude Béglé tells
swissinfo.ch. Béglé believes that it is a time of change for the
company, which has to straddle both innovation and tradition.
In the news this week:
The
Chicago Tribune has reported that "Rep. Bobby Rush of Chicago is
spreading the word that some post offices in his district might be in
danger of closing. In a news release, Rush said that at least four post
offices are being reviewed for possible closure as part of a major
reorganization. He says they should voice concerns they have at their
local post offices."
Press Release: "Reva Systems, the leading RFID infrastructure
provider, today announced that its Tag Acquisition Processor (TAP)
product family was selected as the RFID infrastructure solution for an
international RFID rollout by the Universal Postal Union (UPU)."
Twenty-one Posts started using the
Universal Postal Union's new Global Monitoring System (GMS) this
week to evaluate the quality of their letter-post service using
state-of-the-art RFID technology. The GMS is a truly global system using
affordable RFID technology that is accessible to every Post, from
industrialized countries and developing ones. From now until December
2009, in a first phase of the project, 530 independent panellists from
38 countries will send 24,000 test letters containing RFID tags through
45 postal facilities worldwide. The data collected as the test letters
pass through special gates will be transmitted to the UPU and used to
help postal operators identify service failures and improve operational
efficiency. Posts participating in this first phase of the Global
Monitoring System come from the following countries: Aruba, Chile,
Greece, India, Korea (Rep), Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands Antilles,
Norway, Peru, Qatar, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovakia, Spain,
Switzerland, Togo, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates and Venezuela.
The Guardian has noted that "With a 24-hour strike set to upset mail
deliveries in London on Wednesday, the union strife that continues to
dog the Royal Mail management could benefit rivals targeting lucrative
parts of its business such as internet deliveries. "The reason
businesses like mine exist is because of previous Royal Mail stoppages,"
said Brian Gaunt, chief executive of parcel carrier Home Delivery
Network (HDN), which competes with the likes of Parcelnet and Rentokil's
City Link for the volume not taken by the Royal Mail or its Parcelforce
division. HDN includes the logistics arms of the Littlewoods and GUS
home shopping businesses, merged under the ownership of the Barclay
brothers."
McClatchey newspapers has asked: "The nation faces a question: Is
universal postal delivery a privilege or a right?"
Business Week is running a poll on whether the USPS should cut
Saturday mail delivery.
Business Week has asked: "Is It Time for a Postal Service 2.0? Some
say the U.S. Postal Service, awash in red ink, needs a tech revamp.
Electronic delivery companies like Earth Class Mail and Zumbox are ready
to help. But what USPS may need most is a technological revamp. So say
two startups that specialize in digital document delivery. Earth Class
Mail provides mail-scanning services for consumers and small businesses.
The company's CEO, Ron Wiener, says it's
cheaper to deliver a document over a computer network than by hand,
especially when the recipient lives in a remote area, and so much of
what is delivered via mail begins its life as an electronic file."
The
APWU has told its members that "The Senate adjourned for its August
recess without voting on a bill that would be devastating for postal
workers. As a result, union members have several more weeks to voice
opposition to legislation that would undermine our wages and benefits in
future contract negotiations. The bill, which was approved by the Senate
Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee July 29, contains
an amendment that would require arbitrators ruling on contract disputes
to “take the financial health of the Postal Service into account.”
[EdNote: The APWU has NOT told its members about the jobs that would be
lost if and when the USPS puts through an exigency postal rate increase.
Nor has it mentioned how that increase will precipitate a further drop
in mail volume, endangering even more postal jobs. Oh...I forgot.
According to APWU's boss, business mailers are "vermin." This appears to
be something some people have forgotten. Check out
PostCom Bulletin
42-03 for a reprise of the APWU chief's famous article "Our Struggle."
Hey historians. Does that have a familiar ring? No, no, no. I must be
confusing that with "My Struggle." Shall I translate that for you?]
From
PR-Inside: "Royal
Mail Group plc - Strategic Analysis Review - a new market research
report on companiesandmarkets.com.
DMM Advisory:
The USPS'
Intelligent Mail® Services Weekly Update has been posted on this
site.
At the Postal Regulatory Commission:
August 10, 2009
At the Postal Regulatory Commission:
Fedex Express has announced the expansion of its international shipping portfolio to provide customers with more choices and reach when shipping packages and freight worldwide.
Advertising Age
has reported that "It's not getting a lot better, but at least it's not
getting any worse. And it probably won't ever get back to where it once
was. That's the marketing forecast for the second half of the year based
on a temperature check of players in the media, marketing and agency
worlds by Advertising Age. We found that there are pockets of strength:
online and PR, for example. Some package-goods players are ramping up
spending, but many are doing so to take advantage of lower media
pricing. The TV networks continue to struggle."
"Those who actively pursue security lose it." --- Bayard Rustin
The Guardian has published a q&a for its readers who are trying to
make heads or tails of the British postal strike.
Hellmail has reported that:
Fast Company has asked: "If the U.S. government isn't willing to
sell the Post Office to the popular DVD rental service, it should at
least try to learn from how Netflix so efficiently moves so many
envelopes through its system every day. Netflix, with its neat little
packets of DVDs, is running a national parcel distribution service on a
massive scale, aided by the fast-crumbling U.S. Postal Service. So why
doesn't Netflix buy-up the U.S.P.S and revolutionize it?"
According to
Business Week, "The Postal Service needs to get out a blank sheet of
paper and think about a new business model," says Steve Goodrich,
president of the Center for Organizational Excellence, a consulting firm
in Washington, D.C. Goodrich and other business-practice experts suggest
a number of ways for the Postal Service to dig out of its hole, apart
from the traditional practice of raising stamp prices to bolster
revenues. Ron Wiener, who heads Seattle-based Venture Mechanics, which
funds and advises technology startups, agrees that the current mix of
retail products at the post office represents a huge lost opportunity.
Other companies, such as Microsoft (MSFT) and Earth Class Mail, wonder
why mail even needs to be a paper affair with a delivery person in the
first place. Both companies are already pitching postal services around
the world on Internet-based mail delivery service. The biggest change
the U.S. Postal Service needs, say Wiener and Clancy, is opening its
mail service to private enterprise delivery as a way to foster
competition. "
At the Postal Regulatory Commission:
| Postal Regulatory Commission | |
| PROPOSED RULES | |
| Periodic Reporting Rules , | |
| 39909–39910 [E9–19025] | [TEXT] [PDF] |
| NOTICES | |
| International Mail Product , | |
| 39980–39981 [E9–19083] | [TEXT] [PDF] |
The Telegraph has reported that there are "More than four million
letters a day held up as Royal Mail strikes bite."
The
News Tribune has told its readers that "Residents who rely on those
offices shouldn’t get complacent, because there’s a good chance that one
or more local post offices eventually could be closed. They should be
doing whatever they can to immunize their local site from that
possibility. Giving it more business is a good first step. Another
strategy some communities have used is to buy the post office building
and make it available for minimal or no rent. Closing post offices is
one of the more cost- effective steps the U.S. Postal Service can take
as it looks at how to address an expected $7 billion deficit."
Swissinfo has reported that "The a majority of people do not want to
see changes to the Swiss Post's public service mandate, according to the
results of a new survey. Some 57 per cent of Swiss believe that the
complete deregulation of the letter delivery market as proposed by the
cabinet in May makes very little or no sense at all. The survey, carried
out by the research institute gfs.berne on behalf of the Swiss Post
found that two thirds of those questioned agree with the opinion that
deregulation would weaken the financing of the post office network."
UPI has reported that "Strikes by British postal workers will affect
more residents as the work stoppages spread to additional parts of the
country."
August 9, 2009
The
Financial Times has reported that "Up to 25,000 postal workers went
on strike yesterday as union leaders ratcheted up the pressure on
management over pay, jobs and services. Thousands of people had their
deliveries disrupted because of the industrial action, which will
continue piecemeal throughout next week. The Communication Workers Union
said further strikes would take place each day next week in different
locations."
The
New York Times has reported that "The agency responsible for
creating campaigns for United Parcel Service is deciding to wipe the
whiteboard clean. The Martin Agency in Richmond, Va., which has been the
creative agency for U.P.S. in the United States since April 2001, is
withdrawing from a review for the account. The decision means that
Martin, part of the Interpublic Group of Companies, is resigning its
assignment, effective at the end of the year."
According to the
Kansas City
Star, "'Urgent mail!' 'Reply within 5 days!' 'Open immediately!' For
most senior citizens, the mail practically screams at them....Everybody
gets “junk” mail, but seniors are a special target for the direct-mail
industry, and not just fraudulent scams. Charitable causes tug at their
heartstrings. Sweepstakes come-ons raise their hopes. Political
opportunists prey on their fears."
According to the
Bluefield Daily Telegraph, "U.S. Postmaster General John Potter is
promising to think outside of the mailbox when it comes to cutting costs
and finding new sources of revenue. However, we believe that cutting
Saturday delivery service shouldn’t be an option. According to Potter,
the U.S. Postal Service would save millions by cutting mail delivery
from six to five days. Potter, who testified last week before the Senate
federal services subcommittee of the Committee on Homeland Security and
Governmental Affairs, said post offices would still be kept open on
Saturday but mail delivery would be eliminated. We believe Potter is
failing to take into consideration rural communities — such as those
across southern West Virginia and Southwest Virginia — when proposing
such a drastic measure. Many senior citizens across our region depend
upon the rural delivery of their mail six days a week for their monthly
checks, medicine and other important letters and deliveries. Going one,
two or three days without a check that was supposed to arrive at a
certain date could have a devastating impact upon senior citizens, and
others across our region living on fixed incomes. In many rural
communities across the region, a trip to the post office could mean a
lengthy drive — particularly for those families and seniors living in
mountainous communities far from a major town or city."
The
Washington Post has reported that "James H. Duffy, 91, who for 20
years was chief counsel to a Senate subcommittee on elections and who
later served on the U.S. Postal Rate Commission, died July 11 at his
home in Indian Rocks Beach, Fla."
Gambling911 has reported that "New York Daily News Publisher
Mortimer Zuckerman was quoted this week as saying that he believed
online gambling can actually save the newspaper industry. How? "(The)
federal government ought to ... allow sports betting on newspaper Web
sites. That would save every newspaper in America." [EdNote: Sure.
And couldn't you also just see slots in every postal lobby?
Yeeeehaaaah!]
According to
The Southern, "in small, rural communities, like many of those in
Southern Illinois, residents and postal workers agree their facilities
are more than just a place to pick up the mail each day. "We are the hub
of the community, and we are usually the identity of the community,"
said Barbara Crain, postmaster of the Ullin post office, who has worked
in offices all across deep Southern Illinois. "We have a lot of
communities out there that that's all they have." In these small
communities, residents turn to post offices for many daily functions
including purchasing money orders, handling business with governmental
agencies and even casual conversation, she said. In addition, residents
also develop relationships with the staffs, and in many cases, postal
workers keep an eye on residents and learn their trends."
August 8, 2009
As
Dead Tree Edition has noted, "With compensation amounting to 80% of
USPS costs, any significant cost-cutting program is likely to mean fewer
employees. Political opposition and labor-union contracts are likely to
stymie such efforts unless most of the downsizing can be accomplished by
attrition rather than layoffs."
Courier, Express, and Postal Observer has reported that "It is clear
now that there will be legislation within the next year that will change
The business model within which the Postal Service now operates. The
decline in business exposed why the pricing models and historical price
relationships may no longer make sense. The current business model does
not allow the Postal Service to react to changes to business conditions
in as timely fashion as it must.The business model created by the PAEA
underestimated the capital needs of the Postal Service to deal with both
modernization, structural changes, and the cost of adjusting plant and
equipment to deal with changes in business conditions and market
opportunities. The business model created by the PAEA limits the Postal
Service in a way that made it increasingly dependent on the success or
failure of one product, advertising mail, and one part of the conception
to delivery process, the last mile. "
According to the
Gainesville Sun, "Ebbing volume at the Postal Service has several
causes. The most significant are permanent and destined to increase. The
massive migration of communication to e-mail, cell phones, text messages
and tweets will not be reversed, and fewer personal messages are likely
to be sent on paper via snail mail each year. Overall, the Postal
Service is likely to shrink over time....While the transition will be
difficult, the change will save resources over the long haul. Technology
and our dependence on it is getting more prevalent, not less....The
volume of mail sent is going to continue to decrease....The sooner we
stop depending on the Postal Service, the better off we will be."
According to
The Telegraph, "The postal strike will extend to at least Tuesday of
next week, causing disruption to services for millions of households and
recession-hit businesses."
The Town Talk has wondered: "McKinney Boyd, a public relations
manager for the Postal Service, said, "We have to be realistic about
trends, and the trend says the post office has to change the way it does
business." Did the Postal Service just begin paying attention? Over the
past 20 or 30 years, postal revenues have been repeatedly dropping, and
postage rates have been continually rising. Several years ago, lawyers
were required to communicate virtually every long-distance transaction
by certified or registered mail. In Louisiana, that ended more than a
decade ago when the Legislature approved a change in the law to allow
faxed documents to serve as official communications in the legal system.
The basic legislation has been changed over the years, but the ultimate
intent was to decrease expenses for legal communications by cutting
postage. And the legal system is just one area in which communications
have changed in the last 10 years. Catalog sales no longer have to be
"mailed" by the consumer. Just about anything that can be ordered can be
purchased via the Internet. Delivery comes from one of the private
package handling companies, and the Postal Service loses revenue....As
the competition grows, additional financial losses by the Postal Service
are likely to occur. With all of the changes that have happened in the
mail and parcel exchange business that were not quickly answered, is it
too late for the Postal Service to become competitive? Is the question
whether the downtown post office should be saved? Or is there any reason
to save the Postal Service?"
The
New York Times has told its readers that "Mr. Potter isn’t really
asking for the tools he needs to turn the Postal Service into a real
business. He is asking Congress to relieve it from the health
prepayments, which he is likely to get, at least temporarily. He is also
asking that the Postal Service be allowed to reduce mail
service to five days a week, and to eliminate some postal branches.
These aren’t exactly revolutionary ideas — yet they are viewed as highly
controversial in Congress, which frets that constituents might get angry
if the local postal branch closes. But even if Mr. Potter were to get
his way on these two items, they would still be only stop-gap measures
that fail to tackle the bigger question. As the Internet continues to
erode the use of snail mail, does the Postal Service’s business model
still make sense? Do we even still need the government to deliver the
mail anymore?...instead of trying to find short-term, piecemeal
solutions to the current crisis, those involved in managing and
overseeing the Postal Service ought to be thinking harder thoughts about
blowing up its business model. Maybe the Postal Service should turn
itself into a giant outsourcer, handling some tasks but handing out
others, for a fee, to more efficient companies. Maybe the government
should allow companies to bid on lucrative urban delivery — with the
proviso that they also deliver to rural areas. Maybe some areas should
get mail deliveries less frequently than others. Maybe there should be
radically different pricing structures. Maybe it should even lose its
monopoly on first-class mail."
According to
Hellmail, "Royal Mail, as a collective, seems unable to formulate a
mutual vision and stand on its own two feet, instead busying its time by
arguing with itself rather than trying to get to grips with the horrors
of falling mail volume and the recession."
Kent News has noted that "Startling new figures from the Deceased
Preference Service reveal that in 2008 alone 1,420,640 items were sent
to deceased people in the county."
Advertising Age has told its readers that "Newspapers' slide is
going to end. That's the word, at least, from a new forecast projecting
that newspapers' print ad revenue will actually rebound 2.4% next year.
Any recovery in the economy will return at least some advertising to
papers. Newspapers are getting better at selling ads, using improving
and still big ad sales staffs to contact local advertisers. And their
own web sites, advertising on which Borrell doesn't include in its
newspaper numbers, will likely generate more revenue over time."
The
Washington Post has reported that "In an increasingly bitter
Washington battle between the nation's two largest shipping companies,
some unionized UPS workers say they are being forced to write letters to
their lawmakers in support of more stringent labor rules for arch rival
FedEx. Officials with UPS and the International Brotherhood of
Teamsters, which represents 240,000 UPS drivers, acknowledge that the
company has paid for workers' time to pen many of the letters and has
supplied the envelopes, paper and stamps needed to mail thousands of
them to Congress. Internet sites dedicated to UPS-related discussions
feature dozens of accounts from anonymous employees who in recent weeks
have said they were forced to write the letters or felt they would be
punished for not doing so. Such tactics could run afoul of both labor
laws and lobbying disclosure requirements, according to legal experts."
As one
New York Times blogger put it: "More and more businesses have
concluded that they are better off figuring out ways to avoid using the
Postal Service, whose bureaucratic mindset simply isn’t as
customer-friendly as it needs to be. It is hard to see how the Postal
Service’s decline will be stemmed anytime soon."
The latest copy of the
National Association of Postmasters of the U.S. electronic governmental affairs newsletter is available on the NAPUS web site.
August 7, 2009
According to Politico, "The
Senate Ethics Committee has dismissed ethics complaints against Sen.
Chris Dodd and Sen. Kent Conrad in the Countrywide Financial inquiry,
saying it found no credible evidence of a Senate ethics violation."
[EdNote: So, when is PMG Jack Potter going to be given a clean slate?]
The
Sun-Sentinel has reported that "Congressman Ron Klein took the plea
of Boca Raton city leaders to the highest postal official this week. In
a letter to Post Master General John Porter, Klein asked that the city's
downtown post office be spared from closure. Postal officials recently
announced almost 700 post offices nationwide could be closed or
consolidated due to financial difficulties. Mayor Susan Whelchel and
County Commissioner Steven Abrams convened a news conference on Monday
to urge Klein to stand behind the downtown post office at 170 NE 2nd St.
The facility is central to downtown redevelopment and serves a large
swath of coastal residents and businesses, they said."
As postal commentator
Gene Del Polito
put it: "There are lies....There are lies....And then there are damn
lies! I don't know about you, but I've had my
fill of listening to the claptrap peddled on the Hill by the American
Postal Workers Union's William Burrus. As has been said, if you tell an untruth often
enough, people just might begin to believe it. What really got me was
Burrus' baloney about people being paid four times what postal workers
are paid to perform the kind of worksharing that has saved the Postal
Service billions of dollars since worksharing's inception. Where are his
facts? In reality, he has none."
Hellmail has reported that "Dave Ward, CWU deputy general secretary
of the Communication Workers Union, attacked Royal Mail management
today, saying they were out to "crush" Royal Mail."
The U.S. Postal Regulatory Commission has an exciting employment opportunity for a highly motivated person with experience in Microsoft Server based LAN/network administration.
It's official: "President Barack Obama today
designated Commissioner
Ruth Y. Goldway Chairman of the Postal Regulatory Commission,
succeeding Dan G. Blair."
Advertising Age has noted that "Only 5% of web users in
Russia and the Ukraine currently shop or bank online, while
Estonia and Poland boast 10 times that percentage. Polls
indicate online shopping is being conducted by only 8% of
respondents once a month. In Poland and Austria, monthly online
shoppers clock in at nearly 30%. Meanwhile, after several years,
Molotok.ru (Russia's eBay) has still not become a significant
RuNet player. Despite slow online-commerce development, 55% of
Russian web users take advantage of e-mail services. Monitoring
news online is popular among 48.6% of RuNet users, while 21.5%
download music, videos and photos on a daily basis. Thirteen
percent of users exchange files over the internet, while 12%
play online games. And while the penetration of credit cards
into the Russian consumer market has been limited, stunting
online payment capabilities, SMS purchasing remains popular,
with many Russian consumers making low-price purchases via
mobile phone."
Media Daily News has reported that "The list of magazine
casualties keeps on growing. That latest victim is Southern
Accents, a bimonthly title from Time Inc.'s Southern Progress
Corp., which is closing after its September/October issue.
Southern Accents was a regional lifestyle title targeting women
with a taste for refined elegance associated with classic
Southern homes and gardens; it also covered travel, fine arts
and antiques. But its high-end appeal couldn't save the magazine
from the same recessionary forces that hit other shelter and
homemaking titles beginning with the collapse of the housing
market in 2006. In the first half of the year, ad pages dropped
37.4% compared to the same period in 2008, from 282 to 176."
According to the
Pensacola News Journal, "Given the Postal Service's structure, with
80 percent of costs in salary and benefits, that is obviously where the
money is. And right now it is facing a heavy burden to pay for a retiree
health-benefit fund. Can it afford it? If not, it's time to cut back.
Congress has to decide, too. It can increase subsidies, require drastic
cost-cutting that risks making the system even less cost-effective, or
even decide that it no longer makes sense to maintain a universal postal
system. If it does make sense, then Congress might have to steel itself
to providing growing subsidies. The question is whether it is worth it
to maintain a government postal system dedicated to universal service,
despite the fact it means an unbalanced cost-revenue equation. The
alternative is to let private companies handle all mail, which likely
means a drop in service to some areas, especially rural communities, or
else higher postage rates for service to those areas."
The
Richmond Times-Dispatch has noted that "A recent bit of news from
Europe caught our attention. The center-right government of France is
pushing through a privatization of postal services, following the lead
of other countries such as Germany, the Netherlands, and New Zealand,
which have opened up their mail delivery systems to competition.
Beginning in 2011, mail services throughout the European Union will be
deregulated and thus opened to competition. Now, our Western European
friends could hardly be considered free-market ideologues. (France's
government-mandated 35-hour workweek springs to mind as a classic
example of Old Europe's aversion to rough-and-tumble capitalism.) If
even they are ending their postal monopolies, why can't we? The nations
that have pursued reform have seen postal rates fall and labor
productivity rise. The USPS has absorbed billions in taxpayer-funded
subsides over the years, so Americans get hit twice in our current
system: first through artificially high rates -- and then by getting
stuck with the bill when the government monopoly can't turn a profit. So
what's stopping U.S. postal reform? FedEx and UPS have both shown how
private delivery companies can innovate and compete for consumers. With
the federal government running trillion-dollar deficits for the
foreseeable future, we should all be on the lookout for ways to cut
costs. Postal privatization (or deregulation) would be a small step in
the right direction."
As one writer for the
Philadelphia Tribune put it: "the U.S. Postal Service is a perfect
example of what happens when a fat monopoly is challenged by the influx
of hungry competition, but blindly refuses to change the status quo.
Back when the USPS was the only game in town, the lines at the local
branches of the post office were interminably long; and at the end of
the wait, you could look forward to being served, if you want to call it
that, by a surly employee who clearly wished you would just go away and
leave them alone. Home delivery wasn’t much better. Mail was missing,
delivery was inconsistent, credit cards and entire identities were
routinely stolen. I personally knew a carrier who dumped entire bags of
mail down the sewer. That was yesterday’s postal service. Then, starting
about 20 years ago, the USPS found itself facing stiff and increasingly
effective competition — first from UPS, FedEx, DHL and the other
reliable overnight delivery services, and then later from the Internet,
when e-mail and text messaging revolutionized written communications.
How did they react? How did today’s postal service respond to this
threat to its very existence? One trip to your local post office will
tell you. The lines are longer than ever and the employees are surlier
than ever. About the only thing that has changed is the price of
stamps."
According to the
Associated Press, "Postmaster General John Potter is trying to think
outside the mailbox."
According to the
News-Journal, "We suspect the interests of too many members of
Congress also include beating up easy targets and standing in the way of
real solutions. Take the U.S. Postal Service. (Please.) For years,
members of Congress have beat up the federal agency because of service
and cost issues. Congress has demanded solutions in breath one and then
railed against proposed solutions in breath two. American voters
shouldn't let their representatives have it both ways. The time has come
for the closure and consolidation of lesser-used facilities, and the
time has come to end Saturday delivery. Yes, those cuts will be painful.
The fact is that e-mail, private delivery services and electronic
billing and payment services have combined with other factors to reduce
the need for a federal postal service. Consolidations, closures and the
end of Saturday delivery would at least stem the increases in postal
costs so people who continue to depend on the federal service do not
continue to face constant price increases."
The Nation has reported that "Thailand Post Co Ltd is offering a 5
per cent discount on shipment services to the small and medium-sized
enterprises on the list of the Office for Small and Medium Enterprises
Promotion (OSMEP). The discount from Aug 12 to Apr 30, 2010, is to help
the SMEs better manage their distribution costs, said Anusara
Chittmittrapap, senior executive vice president for marketing and
business development. Meanwhile, the company also puts the SMEs'
products on its catalogues and offers e-commerce market place for the
products on its own website and websites of postal partners in Asean."
Hellmail has reported that "Royal Mail slammed the CWU yesterday for
announcing it intended to ballot union members for national strike
action, despite both sides having agreed a timetable for further talks
on change, just a week ago. Royal Mail said it was stunned that the
Communication Workers Union would undermine Royal Mail's attempts to
preserve as many jobs as possible, by calling on members to vote for a
national strike which would damage customer confidence in the service
and undermine the entire UK postal industry at a time when UK mail
volume was dropping by almost 10% year on year. Royal Mail said it had
last week met with the union and agreed a timetable for a new programme
of talks about the final stage, phase 4, of the 2007 Pay and
Modernisation agreement but that the CWU was ignoring its requests to
engage and was clearly out to block change and modernisation and to
absolutely oppose Royal Mail's goal to make Royal Mail a strong and
innovative leader in the UK and international postal markets."
The Lewiston Sun Journal
has reported that "U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, expressed
frustration with the continued financial woes of the U.S. Postal Service
during a committee hearing Thursday morning in Washington, D.C.
"The Postal Service is the linchpin of a $900 billion mailing industry
that employs 9 million Americans in fields as diverse as direct mail,
printing, catalog production, paper manufacturing and financial
services," Collins said during her opening statement at the Senate
Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on Federal
Financial Management hearing."
Missed yesterday's hearing? You can still see it by going to the
Senate subcommittee video archive.
The latest issue of
the PostCom Bulletin is available online. In this issue:
At the Postal Regulatory Commission:
As
The Hill put it: "The United States Postal Service (USPS) is in
financial disarray, with plummeting levels of mail being sent and
heathcare costs for retirees increasing."
According to
Dow Jones, "The U.S. Postal Service is seeking permission from
Congress to enter new lines of business, hoping to boost revenue at a
time when traditional mail volumes are posting double-digit losses,
putting the Postal Service into a deep financial hole. A green light
from lawmakers could allow 30,000 post offices to offer banking and
insurance products, renew drivers' licenses or sell pre-paid cellular
telephone service, offsetting hits from the recession and a shift to
electronic bill payment. "
According to the
Charlottesville Daily Progress, "achieving savings to offset
declines in mail volume and revenues will not be easy for a creature of
government that confronts a host of politically charged issues, from
closing rural postal retail stations to eliminating Saturday deliveries.
The support and collaboration of Congress, the Postal Regulatory
Commission, businesses and other large postal customers are essential if
the USPS is to deliver successfully on a mandate to break even. The USPS
needs to start afresh on a plan for restructuring, one which it probably
should hand-carry — rather than mail — to Congress and the GAO."
GovExec.com has reported that "To stay afloat, the U.S. Postal
Service needs immediate relief from a congressional mandate that
requires the agency to make advance payments to its retiree health fund,
witnesses and lawmakers said during a hearing on Thursday. But union
leaders and senators clashed over amendments to a relief bill that would
affect contract negotiations set to take place in 2010 and 2011."
According to the
AFL-CIO, "we need another round of economic recovery action. At its
recent meeting, the AFL-CIO Executive Council called for a second round
of recovery, specifically urging Congress to: Bolster the financial
stability of independent government agencies such as the U.S. Postal
Service."
Free
Speech Radio News has reported that "Email and the economic crisis
put US Postal Service in the red."
According to
Forbes, "The Postal Service has sharply cut costs and staffing,
Potter added, but also needs to look to additional sources of income. He
said in Australia people can renew driver's licenses in post offices,
while Italians can do their banking and other countries' post offices
handle insurance. The U.S. post office is not exploring these particular
ideas, he said, but "other countries faced with the same dilemma have
explored these areas." He suggested that Congress allow the post office
to consider some activities that have not traditionally been part of the
post office, adding he assumed that would come with limits or
regulations."
August 6, 2009
The
folks over at
Rag Content
have asked: "Is privatization the answer?"
Expect an announcement that Ruth Goldway has
been named by the President to serve as the newest chairman of the
Postal Regulatory Commission.
Advertising Age has published a piece on "A Guide to Magazines That
Have Ceased Publication."
From
NewsLink: "PMG Jack Potter today testified before a Senate panel
responsible for USPS oversight, stressing the need for a “fundamental
restructuring” of the Postal Service’s legislative and regulatory
framework. He said such changes are “critical to future growth” of the
organization."
The Journal of Commerce has
reported that "DHL agreed to pay $9.4 million to settle allegations it
violated U.S. export controls for shipments to Iran, Sudan and Syria,
the government said Thursday. Export regulators alleged the express
carrier violated Office of Foreign Asset Controls regulations between
August 2002 and March 2007, making more than 300 shipments to Iran and
Sudan. Regulations bar shipments for most goods under Iran transaction
and Sudan sanction regulations. DHL further violated regulations by
failing to maintain records on other shipments to Iran, government
officials said. Waybills allegedly lacked required descriptions of the
goods."
See the running summary recorded from this hearing.
Member Statements
Press Release: "U.S. Postal Service Governor Katherine Tobin has
been appointed Deputy Assistant Secretary for Performance Improvement in
the Department of Education’s Office of Management and will be leaving
the postal governing board effective Aug. 30."
The
Washington Times has reported that "Some members of Congress have
seemed reluctant to agree to close post offices. Mr. Potter said that
move remains in the review stages. He said an initial list of about
3,200 facilities considered for consolidation or closure has been
narrowed to about 800. There are more than 36,000 post offices
nationwide."
The
Daily Pennsylvanian has reported that "In a move to increase
sustainability efforts at Penn, the University's Mail Services has
recently decided to end the distribution of unsolicited mail to the
College Houses. The U.S. Postal Service will no longer deliver
unsolicited mail - letters sent without a specific campus address, such
as general advertisements - for distribution by Penn Mail Services."
Marketing Daily has noted that "Perhaps a sign that the economic
doom is lifting, U.S. households are starting
to receive more credit card offers from certain banks. Card
mailers that ramped up their mail volumes in the second quarter this
year included Bank of America (77% more than the first quarter) and
Citibank (up 65%), according to Synovate's Mail Monitor, a credit card
direct mail tracking service."
The
BBC has
reported that "Over 25,000 postal workers will stage a series of strikes
from Friday to Tuesday over pay and jobs, the Communication Workers
Union has said. Services across the UK, including in London, Scotland,
the West Country, East Anglia and the Midlands will be affected, the
union added. London and Scotland have already witnessed stoppages in
recent weeks. Royal Mail said over 90% of staff would keep working and
the "vast majority" of services would operate normally." See also
Reuters, the
Daily Express, and
Bloomberg.
From
Newsday's quotations of the day: "Every major postal policy, from
employee pay, to days of delivery, to the closing of postal facilities
must be on the table. Without major change, the day will soon come when
the Postal Service will be unable to pay its bills." — Government
Accountability Office after adding the Postal Service to its list of
troubled agencies, saying serious and significant structural financial
challenges face the agency.
Hellmail has reported that "Latvian Post has announced it is
introduce extensive cost saving measures in an attempt to put the
service on a stronger financial footing. Latvian Post, which has already
cut the Board's remuneration by as much as 50%, said that increasing
operational efficiency would be essential."
The
Guernsey Post has reported that "ending Guernsey Post’s monopoly
could be disastrous for the States utility, according to its chief
executive."
CNNMoney has reported that "The U.S. Postal Service reported a $2.4
billion loss in its most recent quarter Wednesday, blaming plunging mail
volume and rising retiree health care costs. The USPS, which is not a
government agency but is exempt from taxes and antitrust law, lost $1.1
billion a year earlier. The service said it expects to suffer a $7
billion loss for its full fiscal year ending in September. Operating
revenue fell 8.8% to $16.34 billion. Contributing to that revenue
decline was what the service called an "unprecedented" drop in mail
volume. In the nine months of the fiscal year, volume has fallen by 20
billion pieces, the USPS said in a regulatory filing.
The Postal Service expects mail volume to
decline another 10 billion to 15 billion pieces in fiscal 2010."
According to
Gigaom, "Sure more business is being done online, but there is no
correlation between Internet adoption rates and a drop in mail — both
have been generally rising over the past 15 years, at least until mail
service fell off a cliff over the past few months. It’s likely that the
Internet is playing a role, but I don’t think all the blame can be
placed on technology. A look at the history of total mail volumes shows
that declines around recession years are not uncommon, with particularly
large drops occurring in the 1930s. Additionally, the service’s package
delivery competitors, like FedEx and UPS, don’t show a comparable drop
in revenue, though it’s not a great comparison as those company’s routes
have traditionally been more profitable than the Postal Service’s —
plus, as a publicly traded company, FedEx has more of an obligation to
be profitable than the government-run USPS. Though, as one of the few
legal monopolies, shouldn’t the post office, with no competitors in most
of its market (federal law states the USPS is the only organization that
can deliver “non-urgent” letters like First Class and bulk mail), be
able to make a profit?"
The Economic Times has reported that "The ban on entry load on
mutual funds (MFs) has struck its first blow to the asset management
industry, with the government-run India Post stopping the distribution
of MF schemes through its designated post offices."
Multichannel Merchant has reported that "Despite the financial
crisis burdening the U.S. Postal Service, Postmaster General John Potter
says there won’t be any exigent rate case. At least not this year. While
the USPS expects to lose about $7 billion during its fiscal year, which
ends Sept. 30, that fiscal reality won’t force an immediate rate case.
“We’re reviewing everything as to where we can cut costs,” Potter said
during today’s conference call regarding the USPS’s third-quarter
financial results. “There are some rumors out there we’re going to raise
our rates double digits,” Potter noted. “That would only compound the
volume problem.”
GovExec.com has reported that "The U.S. Postal Service on Wednesday
announced a loss of $2.4 billion in its third quarter, underscoring the
financial woes of an agency already groaning under the weight of the
recession. USPS reported a $1.6 billion decrease in revenue between
April and June, and a total net loss of $4.7 billion so far for fiscal
2009. It has now suffered net losses for all but one quarter in the last
three fiscal years. Some attribute the staggering net losses to a
requirement, approved by Congress in 2006, that the Postal Service make
advance payments to cover the costs of health benefits for retirees.
Sen. Thomas Carper, D-Del., chairman of the Homeland Security and
Governmental Affairs Federal Financial Management Subcommittee, wanted
Senate leaders to bring to the floor this week legislation that would
tweak the timing of those payments and give USPS more flexibility to
borrow funds to cover costs. But Majority
Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., is not expected to bring up the bill until
after the August recess."
At the Postal Regulatory Commission:
CP2009-52 Order No. 272 - Order Concerning
Additional Global Expedited Package Services 1 Negotiated Service
Agreement
Link:
http://www.prc.gov/docs/64/64077/Order272.doc
http://www.prc.gov/docs/64/64077/Order272.pdf
Current Report 10-Q "containing the information
prescribed in Form 10-Q of the Securities and Exchange Commission."
39 U.S.C. 3654(a)(1)(A)
Link:
http://www.prc.gov/docs/64/64079/Quarter_III_FY_09_-_10Q_-_Final.pdf
Current Report 8-K "containing the information
prescribed in Form 8-K of the Securities and Exchange Commission."
39 U.S.C. 3654(a)(1)(a) 1st
Link:
http://www.prc.gov/docs/64/64078/2009_08-05_Form_8-K.1.pdf
Current Report 8-K "containing the information
prescribed in Form 8-K of the Securities and Exchange Commission."
39 U.S.C. 3654(a)(1)(C) 2nd
Link:
http://www.prc.gov/docs/64/64076/2009_08-05_Form_8-K.pdf
FedEx
Trade Networks is opening new offices in Asia and Latin America to
expand its international freight forwarding capability. The new Asia
offices are in Singapore, Taiwan, and in Qingdao, Beijing, Guangzhou and
Shenzhen, China. In Latin America, the company opened an air and ocean
forwarding office in Sao Paulo, Brazil. FedEx Trade Networks, a
subsidiary of Memphis-based FedEx Corp., has additional plans to expand
its global freight forwarding operation throughout Asia, Europe, the
Middle East, Africa and Latin America. These new offices support those
plans.
August 5, 2009
The
Wall
Street Journal has reported that "The Postmaster General suggested
that a big increase in postal rates isn't in the cards, saying that
would further depress mail volume and worsen the Postal Service's
financial problems. But he didn't rule out
seeking "a modest adjustment in prices" next spring."
[EdNote: In short, a 2.4% across-the-board exigency increase is being
planned. Any takers?]
PostCom Members!! The latest issue of PostCom's
PostOps Update has been posted on this site. In this issue:
As
the
Baltimore Sun put it: "Don't be optimistic that the Postal Service
will move fast or take the right steps. It's the government. Its
five-year plan, titled "Vision 2013," is packed with the cliches
corporations use when they want people to mistake talk for action.
"Leverage Our Strengths." "Embrace Change." "Collaborate to Grow the
Business." General Motors talked the same way. It got embraced by
change, not vice versa. And it wasn't cuddly. Telephones and e-mail
stole the Post Office's traditional business. E-commerce took away the
bills. Online ads are eroding what remains. Growing the business is not
part of the picture."
As the
New York Times has noted, "As news trickled out this week that some
as-yet-unknown number of the city’s roughly 250 post offices are to be
closed — after reports that 53 might be shuttered, officials reached by
phone amended the list on Tuesday to a more modest 14 — confused and
angry residents and politicians from around the city have been rallying
in defense of their local branches. The initial list, provided to
Congress last week, indicated that 677 urban branches nationwide were
being considered for closing. Told of the amended list, politicians and
leaders of the local postal union were skeptical. “On station closings
they’ve always been very deceptive,” said Clarice Torrence, president of
the New York Metro Area Postal Union. “If they amended the list they
would let me know.” Representative Anthony D. Weiner said in a
statement: “The way the U.S.P.S. has released information in dribs and
drabs, it’s no wonder that they have been losing business. If their
intention was to raise alarms, what they’ve really done is raise
questions about their management.”
Rag Content has noted
that "There was been much discussion on the Hill this week about the
U.S. Postal Service and how it is in dire straits. Collins said it was
the Postal Service's own fault for not using the flexibility given to it
by Congress 2.5 years ago with the passage of PAEA. Coburn said that he
will not stand in the way of the current legislative relief for the
Postal Service, but that a restructuring of the Postal Service is
needed. McCain stated that the current legislation does not get the
heart of the problem facing the Postal Service. So what is the problem
facing the Postal Service? Is it not allowing the arbitrator to look at
the financial position of the Postal Service during contract
negotiations as one current amendment points out? Is it the
proliferation of worksharing discounts as stated by the unions? Or is it
the Postal Service itself?"
The following reports have been posted on the U.S. Postal Service Office
of Inspector General website (http://www.uspsoig.gov/) today. If you
have additional questions concerning the report, please contact Agapi
Doulaveris at 703.248.2286.
The
Financial Times has reported that "The Post Office has launched a
new Overseas Property Money Transfer service which allows people to
transfer money between UK and overseas bank accounts. The new service
enables customers to fix at a favourable rate of exchange for up to a
year, giving customers protection against volatile currency
fluctuations."
According to the
McLeod County Chronicle, "It is difficult to feel much sympathy for
the United States Postal Services (USPS) at times like these. The USPS
is looking at a $7 billion loss in its current fiscal year. Much of its
financial demise is self-inflicted. Anyone, like the newspaper industry,
that has to deal with this bloated federal agency on a regular basis
knows how frustrating it can be at times. As one of the postal services'
biggest customers, newspapers get little respect for that fact. Instead,
newspapers have to endure endless red tape regulations that always
benefit the USPS rather than the customer. The customer is rarely right
under this scenario, and has little recourse."
The Hill has reported that "The United States Postal Service said
Wednesday it will continue deliveries and paying its workers without
interruption despite the specter of a $7 billion loss and a $700 million
cash shortfall this year. Postmaster General John Potter said he has
spoken to Obama administration officials and congressional leaders about
legislation that will allow it to make up the shortfall, and Potter
added he's confident lawmakers will take action. But Potter said that if
the USPS can't make up its cash deficit, it will not pay its full
obligation to the health benefits trust fund this year. Lawmakers from
both parties have criticized USPS proposals to find savings this year,
including the possible closure of post offices and an end to Saturday
delivery service."
The
Washington Post has reported that "Though much of the debate
regarding the Postal Service's future focuses on cutting mail service to
five days per week, the removal of underused mailboxes and the potential
closure of hundreds of Post Offices, the USPS' financial woes can be
tied in large measure to roughly $7 billion in payments it must make
each year to fund current and future retiree health benefits. Congress
mandated the pre-payments in 2006 when it passed a Postal reform bill.
"We simply cannot afford these costs," Postmaster General John Potter
said during a news conference announcing the financial results. The
payments will contribute to a $700 million cash shortfall at the end of
its fiscal year in late September, Potter said, unless Congress quickly
changes the payment rules. "If we were part of the federal government
and treated as an agency, we would not be paying pre-funding to a
retirement benefit trust," Potter said. "On the other hand, if we were
in the private sector, we would not be pre-funding these retirement
payments. So therein lies a bit of a dilemma." See also the
Associated Press.
At the Postal Regulatory Commission:
USPS Report on PRC Rate and Service Inquiries for
May, 2009
Link:
http://www.prc.gov/docs/64/64070/Service%20Inquiries%20May.pdf
USPS Report on PRC Rate and Service Inquiries for
June, 2009
Link:
http://www.prc.gov/docs/64/64073/Service%20Inquiries%20June.pdf
From
today's USPS Board of Governors meeting:
From
Business Wire: "ecoEnvelopes (www.ecoEnvelopes.com),
the world’s leader in innovative, eco-friendly mailing solutions is
pleased to announce the hiring of Kent Dunham as the company’s new
Director of Sales. In this new role, Dunham and his team will be
responsible for working with licensee manufacturers, resellers, mail
shops and end users to develop existing and emerging markets for
ecoEnvelopes products. His initial focus will be to expand the company’s
internal support group to meet growing market demand and to hire a sales
team to increase market expansion and revenue generation."
As
the
Wichita Examiner has noted, "At issue is a listing of hundreds of
post office across the country that are on a suggested closing list
recently submitted to the Postal Regulatory Commission. It is common
knowledge that the Postal Service has been bleeding billions as e-mail
has reduced the number of pieces actually entering the "snail mail"
system and the recession has reduced the number of junk mail pieces
clogging up mail receptacles the nation over. It is also common
knowledge that any time you begin tinkering with long standing
institutions, politics will enter the debate faster then a long tailed
cat running from a room full of rocking chairs....In the real world,
efficiency and customer service drive profits, maybe 234 years after the
establishment of the first Post Office the heads of the current system
could at least feign an attempt to comprehend that."
Federal News Radio has reported that "Your raise at the Postal
Service next year may depend in part on how well you're doing with the
environment. That agency's sustainability office tells FederalNewsRadio
that they're adding new indicators to management's pay-for-performance
scorecard."
The
Times of Zambia has reported that "Parliament yesterday heard that
the Zambia Postal Services Corporation (Zampost) operated under a
three-member board for the past three years, which was an irregularity.
Communications and Transport Deputy Minister, Mubika Mubika told the
House that the Government would soon appoint a new board for Zampost and
explained that there were no intentions to privatise the corporation."
According to the
Roanoke Times, "The smaller market needs only a streamlined postal
service. Fewer post offices will help, and the closures under
consideration seem mostly logical. Perhaps someday postal mail will
become obsolete. That day has not yet arrived."
FM World has reported that "Swiss Post Solutions has won a
five-year-contract to provide an integrated mailroom and courier
management service to the Telegraph Media Group. The Swiss Post
Solutions team will assume responsibility for the distribution of the
huge volume of reference materials delivered daily to all Telegraph
departments. The company will take over management of the courier room
and handle the collection, sorting and delivery of the group’s mail and
also that of the other tenants in the Telegraph’s head office building
in central London."
The
Financial Times has reported that "Candover Partners is considering
plans to inject fresh funding to support its investment in DX Group, the
UK postal services company it bought two years ago for £347m and which
now faces declining volumes with the collapse in house sales and credit
card issuance."
According to
Dead Tree Edition, "With the U.S. Postal Service struggling to make
ends meet, could it cut its losses by getting rid of the money-losing
Periodicals Class or at least by jacking up Periodicals rates? No. USPS
is better off with Periodicals than without. And a radical increase in
Periodicals rates to make publishers pay their “fair share” of postal
costs would probably deepen the Postal Service's financial losses. With
its current structure, the Postal Service’s main problem is not that it
doesn’t charge enough for mail pieces but that it doesn’t have enough
mail pieces to charge for. With limited prospects for growth, USPS must
reduce its cost structure, not jettison customers, to get its financial
house in order. "
CEP News (Courier-Express-Postal), published by the
MRU Consultancy, has reported that:
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.)
From the Federal Register:
| Postal Regulatory Commission | |
| RULES | |
| Express Mail and Priority Mail Contract , | |
| 38921–38924 [E9–18737] | [TEXT] [PDF] |
| NOTICES | |
| Priority Mail , | |
| 39121–39122 [E9–18767] | [TEXT] [PDF] |
| Priority Mail Contract , | |
| 39122–39123 [E9–18768] | [TEXT] [PDF] |
| 39123–39124 [E9–18769] | [TEXT] [PDF] |
According to
Learning Markets, "The United States Postal Service yesterday
announced that a $7 billion loss may require the shutdown of operation
centers and branches across the country. This is good news for public
parcel companies who stand poised to gain. United Parcel Service, Inc.
(UPS) is the most obvious candidate, and this news will only add to the
strength it has seen in the last three weeks as it is holding steady
above $50. The Company focuses its operations in the field of
transportation services, mainly in domestic and international letter and
package delivery. Through subsidiaries, it is a global provider of
transportation, logistics and financial services. FedEx Corporation
(FDX) is poised to likewise find strength on this news. The Company
provides a portfolio of transportation, e-commerce and business services
through companies competing collectively, operating independently and
managed collaboratively, under the FedEx brand."
Fox News has reported that "The Government Accountability Office has
called for the nation's postal system to undergo a drastic overhaul that
includes office closures, layoffs and changes to retiree health
benefits. Other critics also say overhaul is the only way out. But some
lawmakers, like Sen. Susan Collins, who sits on the committee that
oversees the Postal Service, argue that slamming the door on 667 post
offices around the country is no way to fix the agency. "It seems to me
that cutting back on service will only cause the Postal Service to lose
more business and more customers," Collins said Tuesday."
August 4, 2009
The
Financial Times has reported that "Georgia will stand by its liberal
economic policy despite a recession that has stoked popular discontent
since the disastrous war with Russia last August, Nika Gilauri, the
Georgian prime minister said. The country’s western leaning government
unleashed a whirlwind of economic reforms after the Rose Revolution in
2004, cutting taxation and red tape, reducing corruption and vowing in
the words of Kakha Bendukidze, the former economy minister, to privatise
“everything that could be sold except its conscience....Some arable
land, real estate and, possibly, the post office will be sold off this
year, underscoring the government’s commitment to privatisation."
The
BBC has reported that "Post deliveries and collections in large
areas of Bristol and Somerset are set to be halted on Saturday by a
strike of Royal Mail workers. Up to 900 members of the Communications
Workers Union (CWU) in 15 local centres may take part in the one-day
stoppage."
According to
The Examiner, "No one knows as of this writing how many of us are
trying to access the www.prc.gov (postal regulatory commission) website
to see if "our" post office is one of those on a proposed hit list, but
I do know that it's at least one too many. Over the past hour, multiple
attempts to access the site utilizing two different internet browsers
have all resulted in the same "waiting for www.prc.gov..." message at
the bottom of the screen. Frankly it's not much different than the
agonizingly long waits I must endure every time I visit my own local
postal interface exchange to mail a package or pick up some stamps. No
matter the time of day, no matter the day of week, the story the same:
long lines due to never having enough employees to serve the demand and
then those that are there slowing the line even further with a barrage
of "upsells" to every customer at the counter."
The
Fort Myers News-Press has told its readers that "With one post
office in Fort Myers (Miracle Mile), three in Naples and two in Punta
Gorda on the latest to-be-closed list, with a $7 billion loss looming
for the postal service despite yet another increase in stamp prices (2
cents in May), it’s a reminder that this outfit should have given up the
ghost years ago. Abolish the postal service, or at least abolish its
monopoly on first-class mail. One justification for the monopoly was to
allow mail to reach remote locations at a price people could afford, a
social benefit at one time, perhaps. But today with telephone and
Internet, regular first-class mail delivery is not the lifeline it once
was. This is not medical care. Let mail delivery go private and let the
market pick the winners."
At the Postal Regulatory Commission:
MC2009-38 Order No. 270 - Notice and Order of
Classification Change for Global Expedited Package Services
Contracts
Link:
http://www.prc.gov/docs/64/64048/Order270.doc
http://www.prc.gov/docs/64/64048/Order270.pdf
National Payroll Hours Summary Report, Pay Period
15, FY 2009
Link:
http://www.prc.gov/docs/64/64034/bb1509.pdf
http://www.prc.gov/docs/64/64034/Letter_Nat_payroll_hours_PP15_FY2009.pdf
Courier, Express
and Postal Observer has told its readers that "reading recent news
reports about the Postal Service, one would think that it is on its
deathbed. While times are dire and a major restructuring is in order,
the underlying business may be better than what some of its competitors
face even if the Postal Service's ability to remain a sustaining
enterprise under the current business model looks increasingly unlikely.
Why do I think the future of the mail business is positive even though
the Postal Service's situation is dire?"
Check
out the latest entry on the blog posted on the U.S. Postal Service
Office of Inspector General’s Internet site “Pushing
the Envelope.” The public, mailers, postal employees, and other
stakeholders are invited to weigh in on the online discussions taking
place. To view the site, visit
http://blog.uspsoig.gov/. Will Electronic
Reader Technology Affect the Postal Service? A revolution is
occurring in the publishing industry with the introduction of electronic
reading devices such as the Amazon Kindle and Sony Reader that allows
users to download digital versions of books, newspapers, and magazines.
Now, newspaper and magazine publishers have another option besides the
Postal Service to reach customers. The OIG blog asks, “How will this
affect the Postal Service?” You can visit Office of Inspector General’s
public website at: www.uspsoig.gov.
If you have additional questions, please contact Communication and Work
Life Director Agapi Doulaveris at 703.248.2286.
From
PR Web: "Window Book releases new 'IMb NMS Number Management System'
in TagMaster software to ensure 45-day uniqueness of Intelligent Mail®
barcode numbers on tray/sack/pallet tags across all jobs for all classes
of mail."
The
Associated Press has reported that "The local post office long has
been the center of many American communities, but with people turning
increasingly to the Internet to send messages and pay bills, financial
losses are forcing the Postal Service to consider consolidating or
closing hundreds of local facilities. The post office is facing a $7
billion loss this year despite a 2-cent rate increase. The agency has
shed 150,000 workers since 2000, removed hundreds of mail collection
boxes and taken other steps to save money."
The Independent has reported that "Communications ministers from
Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) countries will meet in
Zimbabwe from Wednesday to consider ways of strengthening postal
services in the region. The three-day meeting under the auspices of the
Southern Africa Postal Operators Association would draft a four-year
plan for postal services in the region, the SA Post Office said in a
statement."
From the Federal Register:
| Postal Regulatory Commission | |
| RULES | |
| Express Mail and Priority Mail Contract , | |
| 38533–38536 [E9–18593] | [TEXT] [PDF] |
The Star has noted that "vsHub (short for Virtual Shopping Hub) is a
local parcel forwarding service aimed at reducing the hassle of online
shopping in the United States. Once users become a vsHub member they
will get a physical US address, which is used as the local shipping
address when shopping online before getting the products re-delivered to
their home."
According to
CNN Money, "It's a bad time for the Postal Service to be hamstrung,
because its entire business model is under threat. Mail use is in epic
decline. Any solution has to address the fact that the USPS is still
functioning on a scale far larger than the demand for mail. Last week
the Government Accountability Office released a report with several
recommendations for what the USPS should do. Among the solutions: speed
up the streamlining. There are about 400 major mail processing
facilities, far more than the USPS needs given that it has 50% excess
capacity for processing first-class mail alone. The Postal Service also
needs to scale back its workforce, most likely through attrition. (The
USPS has never had layoffs.) In March, about 150,000 out of 646,000
workers were offered early retirement. That process will speed up as
more workers approach retirement age."
Your
issue of
The Prescott Report awaits you at www.PrescottReport.com or use this
Safe Download Link
The latest issue of
Postal Technology International is available for downloading.
According to
My San Antonio, "Congress has much on its plate, but it is time to
tackle the job of fixing the USPS without increasing debt."
According to
Multichannel Merchant, "If there’s an upside to the down economy,
it’s that you can probably get lower prices for some services—including
parcel delivery."
Yahoo! Tech has reported that "Coming soon to your TV: More
advertising, in places you might not expect. The ads are showing up
where people used to enjoy a break from advertising, such as video on
demand and on-screen channel guides. Even TiVo, which became popular for
its technology that lets people skip TV commercials, is developing new
ways to show ads. As a result, you won't necessarily see more
traditional, 30-second commercials. Instead, many of the new TV ads will
resemble online ads — interactive and often shaped for individual
members of the audience. They'll also be harder to ignore. Typically,
you can't opt out of seeing them." [EdNote: What?? No newspapers
protesting all this "junk" TV? No greenies decrying the waste of energy
generating resources?]
August 3, 2009
The
agenda for the
August 11 - 13, 2009 Mailers’ Technical Advisory Committee (MTAC) meeting
has been posted on this site.
The
Guernsey Press has reported that "Guernsey Post could lose its
monopoly under plans unveiled by the Office of Utility Regulation. The
OUR, which regulates Guernsey Post, Guernsey Electricity and the
island’s telecoms industry, today announced its proposals aimed at
increasing competition in the postal market."
The
Cloud Computing
Journal has reported that "The US Secret Service, the Italian Post
Office and the postal division of the Italian police are teaming up to
fight transnational cyber-crime as the Rome-based European Electronic
Crimes Task Force (EECTF). It will be the first - and long overdue -
task force designed to fight cyber crimes outside the United States and
will use as its model the Electronic Crimes Task Force the Secret
Service created in America. Poste Italiane, which describes the Task
Force as "the first step in a global project that will develop over the
coming month according to a well-defined plan," has software and an
infrastructure - derived from its banking and insurance interests - that
tracks electronic payments, monitoring some 20 million transactions a
day."
At the Postal Regulatory Commission:
CP2009-47 Order No. 266 - Order Concerning Filing a
Functionally Equivalent Global Plus 1 Contract Negotiated Service
Agreement
Link:
http://www.prc.gov/docs/64/64026/Order_No_266_Final.doc
http://www.prc.gov/docs/64/64026/Order_No_266_Final.pdf
DMM Advisory:
The Postal Service has released two DMM Advisories today, both of which
you can find on this site:
The Postal Regulatory Commission has submitted to
Members of the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on the Federal
Workforce, Postal Service, and the District of Columbia its
Review of Retiree Health Benefit Fund Liability as Calculated by
Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and the U.S. Postal Service Office
of Inspector General (OIG).
'The Situation
Room.' Follow a mail carrier on his route to see if people
are mailing less today on "The Situation Room With Wolf Blitzer." Today
at 4 p.m. ET.
The Board of Governors of the
U.S. Postal Service will meet in Washington, DC, at Postal
Service Headquarters, 475 L’Enfant Plaza, SW, Aug. 3-5. The
public is welcome to observe the Board’s open session,
scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m. Aug. 5 in the Ben Franklin
Room on the 11th floor. The Board is expected to discuss
the following items:
Wednesday, Aug. 5 at 8:30 a.m.
According to the
Journal of
Commerce, "The decline in gross domestic product slowed dramatically
in the second quarter, giving hope the recession may indeed be coming to
an end."
The
Fort Myers News-Press has reported that "mailings typically decline
when tourists and snowbirds depart for the summer. This is more severe,
Hixson and Murray said: It’s the economy cutting into direct mail
advertising — fliers, postcards and catalogs. There’s no single answer
as to why. Some businesses — seeking to cut costs and try new media —
are redirecting some of their advertising to Web sites, e-mail, and
social media tools such as Twitter and Facebook. Others make direct
mailings but are more closely defining their target areas. Some
businesses just hope to keep their doors open. Some have closed."
According to
SearchEngineLand, "The direct mail industry is enormously
sophisticated. They’ve been on the leading edge of data modeling since
the 1970s, and smart PPC advertisers and agencies would do well to study
them. RKG is in the midst of a research collaboration with Digital
Element and Kevin Hillstrom of MineThatData to determine if some
well-known truths from the catalog industry also apply to the world of
paid search, namely that geography matters. Catalogers have known for 50
years or more that people in rural areas respond to offers at a
significantly higher rate than those in urban areas. Indeed, postal
zones C & D, corresponding to semi-rural and rural areas, have always
outperformed zones A & B. Is the same true in Paid Search? The early
answer appears to be: “Absolutely!”
Stars and Stripes has reported that "The Army plans to consolidate
mailing centers scattered throughout communities into centralized
locations called postal service centers. The centers will combine unit
and community mail rooms, regional post offices, Army post offices and
official mail distribution centers all into one facility for each
military community, according to Installation Management Command-Europe
officials."
August 2, 2009
Dead Tree Edition is
wondering: "The rapid decrease in prices for coated paper the past few
months caught nearly everyone by surprise. Now the question is whether
the drop is over. Some people argue that prices will start rising
because the mills are hurting so bad. By that logic, magazines will see
their ad pages start bouncing back and the Postal Service can stop
worrying about the loss of First Class Mail. Wishes don't always come
true. In fact, mills that are struggling to stay afloat are more tempted
to drop their prices rather than idle their machines -- unless the
prices no longer cover their cash costs."
Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) has sent a letter to Postmaster
General and CEO of the U.S. Postal Service Mr. John Potter requesting
assurance that the needs of greater Cleveland would be central in the
decision-making process used in the review of 16 area post office
locations for potential closure. Congressman Kucinich sent the letter
after demanding assurances from a representative of the U.S.P.S, Mr.
Jordan Small, that community input would be included in the review. In
the hearing, Congressman Kucinich also expressed concern about the
potential for privatization of the services provided by the U.S.P.S.
The
Indianapolis Star has reported that "Authorities say a postal
carrier in northern Indiana stockpiled hundreds of pieces of undelivered
mail in vacant mailboxes and parcel lockers along his Elkhart County
route. A three-count federal grand jury indictment charges 56-year-old
Bruce R. Graybill with obstruction of mail, unlawful delay of mail by a
postal employee and embezzlement of mail by a postal employee."
The Times has reported that "trade union leaders have received
increases in their pay packages of up to 20%, despite many of their
members having their wages frozen or even cut. The union “fat cats”
include those whose members are causing serious disruption to the public
over the summer through a series of strikes. Billy Hayes, leader of the
260,000-member Communication Workers Union, which carried out four
postal strikes in London last month, had a 5% pay rise. The union
declined to comment."
August 1, 2009
The
Great Falls Tribune has reported that "Members of a group dedicated
to keeping the Black Eagle post office opened hand-delivered a petition
with more than 1,000 signatures supporting their cause to Great Falls
Postmaster Dave Chiavaras on Friday. The group, Citizens Against Closing
Black Eagle Post Office formed after a July 21 public meeting in which
United States Postal Service officials informed the community that the
Black Eagle station may be closed and consolidated with the Great Falls
office as part of a nationwide budget reducing effort."
The
Society of Procurement Officers has noted that "Royal Mail is
looking for suppliers to help its business and technology transformation
under deals that could be worth up to £750m. According to a contract
notice issued by the firm, the plan is to establish a framework for the
provision of business and technology transformation and execution
services. Suppliers are required under three separate agreements –
expected to last for five years – which will include systems design,
build and implementation, as well as the support and hosting of the
postal service’s software applications."
BtoB has reported that "In a video announcement delivered to its
membership Friday, American Business Media CEO Gordon T. Hughes II said
opposition in Congress to the elimination of Saturday postal delivery
"appears to be waning." In the "Presidential Flash" video, Hughes goes
on to say: "Mailers appear to be accepting with reluctance [the]
inevitability" of the end of Saturday postal delivery."
"Closing stations and branches and reducing mail delivery to five days
per week “will unquestionably have a negative effect on the postal
monopoly,”
APWU President William Burrus told a House subcommittee at a hearing
July 30. Such actions “will impede the Postal Service’s ability to
compete” when the economy rebounds, he said. “These are acts of
surrender — when the outcome of the battle is still in doubt,” Burrus
said."
The Expositer has reported that "The end-of-the-driveway mailbox,
its red flag alerting homeowners to a delivery, have been dotting
roadsides for decades. Now these country symbols are being assessed for
safety in Brant County and across Canada. Canada Post began a review two
years ago of the way it delivers mail to rural areas as a result of a
growing number of health and safety complaints from drivers who put mail
in rural boxes."
According to
Folio, "While there has been recent speculation that the U.S. Postal
Service is close to raising First Class stamps from 44 cents to 50 cents
or seeking an “exigent increase” of 2 to 3 percent in order to improve
its dire financial outlook, there are a couple of actions that it will
probably take before getting to that point, according to postal
consultant Ed Mayhew. While each class is supposed to contribute 100
percent of its postal costs, the Periodicals class only contributes
about 83 percent. Because Periodicals only accounts for 5 percent of
overall volume, Mayhew said, this fact has gone largely unnoticed—that
is, until coupon mailing company Val Pak recently filed a complaint. In
order for periodicals to start contributing what it should, the USPS
will have to increase their rates by 17 percent, which would be
financially detrimental to most publishers. Mayhew guesses that if the
Commission does decide to make the periodical class pay up, the increase
won’t come this year and will most likely be done in phases."
Dead Tree Edition has
reported that "The “black liquor” tax credit is driving down paper
prices, according to NewPage, North America’s largest maker of coated
paper."
The
July 31, 2009 issue of the National Association of Postal Supervisors
Legislative & Regulatory Update has been posted on this site.
CNN has
reported that "The U.S. Postal Service is considering ways to save money
on mail delivery as Americans send less mail and the service loses more
money."
