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Postal News from October 2003
October 31, 2003 -- ABX Air has announced that the Company has cancelled the early release of its third quarter earnings results. The conference call originally scheduled for Tuesday, November 4th, 2003 has also been cancelled. The Company has decided that the report of its third quarter earnings results will instead occur through the filing of its 10-Q on or before November 14th, 2003. ABX Air is a cargo airline with a fleet of 115 aircraft that operates out of Wilmington, Ohio, and eleven hubs throughout the United States. In addition to providing airlift capacity and sort center staffing to Airborne, an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of DHL Worldwide Express, B.V., ABX Air provides charter and maintenance services to a diverse group of customers. With over 7,400 employees, ABX Air is the largest employer in a several county area in southwestern Ohio.
October 31, 2003 -- An enormous mail back-up is also beginning to build in Great Britain, according to the BBC. "The Royal Mail says it will take up to a week to clear the huge backlog of post left by an eight-day strike at its main office in Cardiff. The thousand striking workers agreed to go back to work on Wednesday after ending their unofficial stoppage. The strike has left more than million items of unsorted mail."
October 31, 2003 -- "Perhaps no American principle of freedom is more zealously safeguarded than the privacy of your mail," says Mary Jacobini, Postmaster Great Neck. Writing on Long Island.com, she says that "among US Postal Service employees, the term "Sanctity of the Seal" has long stood for mail privacy. It means that any free citizen of the United States can mail a letter with confidence that its seal will not be broken or its contents examined by anyone other than the addressee."
October 31, 2003 -- A wildcat strike has hit the British postal service and drawn support from some 25,000 workers, according to Femail.co. The news site says that the stoppage started in the Longdon area and has now spread to Coventry and Warrington. The Financial Times reports that "the Royal Mail was on Friday beginning to seal London's 15,000 postboxes to deter any further posting of letters, as unofficial mail strikes continued to hit postal services." Mail now in the boxes will be removed and stored.
October 31, 2003 -- UPS expects that "earnings in 2004 should grow between 12-to-18 percent. By 2007, when UPS celebrates its 100 th anniversary, all three of its operating segments should be delivering profit margins over 15%,' said UPS Chief Financial Officer Scott Davis. 'We operate in an industry that has great growth opportunities,' he said, addressing a UPS Investors Meeting in New York City. 'Our business model creates substantial returns and consistency. We believe UPS is as well positioned as any company - in any industry - to capitalize on the way the world of global commerce is changing."
October 31, 2003 -- Take a careful look at the $87.5 billion aid and relief package approved for Iraq -- at the last momment AFP reports that "the reconciliation committee trimmed the bill of expenses deemed unnecessary, including creation of a postal code system for Iraq and construction of a prison that would have cost $50,000 per bed."
October 31, 2003 -- Voters in Broward County, Florida need not go to the polls to make their voices heard in the special election to be conducted next week. To save money, the Board of Supervisors has sent out 100,000 mail-in ballots. So far, says the Sun Sentinel, 2,500 ballots have come back and 6,500 were returned as undeliverable.
October 31, 2003 -- Stamps.com has reported that third-quarter revenues reached $5.3 million, up 32% from $4.0 million in the third quarter of 2002, and a 7% increase above the second quarter. The net loss was $1.7 million compared with a net loss of $2.2 million in the third quarter of 2002, and $2.8 million in the second quarter of 2003.
October 31, 2003 -- A proposal to require bulk mailers to provide identification has been withdrawn by the Postal Service, according to The Washington Times. The newspaper says the decision was made 'because its wording suggests that a plan to identify senders of bulk mail is the first step to identifying the senders of all mail.' The plan was criticized by privacy advocates as being too intrusive. Universal sender identification was a security recommendation made by The President's Commission on the United States Postal Service.
October 31, 2003 -- The check really was really in the mail -- and still could be -- if taxpayers check their records. The IRS says that checks worth $118 million have been returned as undeliverable. The refunds include 115,000 checks for child tax credits and 92,000 "regular" refund checks. Taxpayers have until December 5th to claim their money.
October 31, 2003 -- A new plan to make cargo containers more secure is now being developed. Forbes magazine, in a report from Reuters, says that "under the plan, shipping companies, manufacturing firms and others would agree to place sensors in their containers allowing inspectors to see if the cargo had been opened after it was packed. The shippers would also put an improved lock on the container." Some 7 million cargo containers enter the U.S. each year, according to the report.
October 30, 2003 -- DM News postal commentator Cary Baer has noted that "a somewhat amorphous relationship has existed between profit and nonprofit mailers for a long time. The nonprofits usually got what they wanted, and the profits didn't create a fuss as long as it wasn't too costly to them. Now it's time for the nonprofits to return the favor. They need to lobby against and fight the various do-not-mail bills."
October 30, 2003 -- According to Business Week, these are troubled days in the U.K.
October 30, 2003 -- One commentator for The Times (U.K.) wants to know "why do we put up with the Royal Mail and its delayed letters? The postal service is increasingly looking like an anachronism from the 1970s, the Britain of Red Robbo."
October 30, 2003 --According to The Times (U.K.), "the Awkward Squad is back, making life misery for millions who once again find that they cannot rely on that most basic and simple of services, the post. Those who hoped that members of the Communications Workers Union (CWU) had seen sense after they voted against official strike action barely six weeks ago had reckoned without postal workers falling back on their age-old routine of wildcat strikes. These have now reached their worst level for a decade in the capital, could soon infect the rest of the country and threaten to hasten the demise of both Royal Mail and the universal postal service. Union leaders must withdraw their tacit encouragement for these strikes and accept that the strategy being pursued by the Royal Mail chairman Allan Leighton is probably their only hope of survival."
October 30, 2003 -- The Guardian (U.K.) has reported that "Allan Leighton makes much of his ability to talk staff round in times of trouble, popping down to the shopfloor to discuss tricky issues face-to-face with employees the Royal Mail chairman likes to refer to as colleagues. The tactic spectacularly failed him this week, however, when he tried to persuade staff to end an unofficial strike in London which, by last night, had spread to Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Essex, Kent, Buckinghamshire and Lanarkshire in Scotland." See also The Telegraph.
October 30, 2003 -- According to the Business Report, the parcel industry in South Africa has made efforts to clear-up many of the misconceptions that surround South Africa's postal reforms and its affect on private package delivery services.
October 30, 2003 -- The United States Postal Service has launched a merchandise returns program custom tailored to catalogers and online shippers. Parcel Return Services, launched as a two-year pilot, offers merchants a cost-effective way to retrieve items their customers choose to return. The service provides added convenience to customers through a specially designed, prepaid return label that shippers can place in the original packages; mail to customers; or make available to their customers to download via the Internet.
October 30, 2003 -- Direct Newsline has reported that "Launchpoint Inc., a new hybrid mail services provider, has opened in Portland, OR and acquired the assets of Zairmail, a similar company, for an undisclosed sum. Launchpoint is retaining the Zairmail brand, which now services more than 13,000 small, medium and large-sized businesses worldwide. The company employs fewer than 20 people but is looking to expand its call center operations by at least 300% by the end of the year through hiring, partnerships and acquisitions." See also DM News.
October 29, 2003 -- The U.S. Postal Service has announced that:
Octobert 29, 2003 -- According to Neil Denton, Executive Director of the Alliance of Nonprofit Mailers, "the latest twist on the cooperative mail issue is a doozy."
October 29, 2003 -- CEP News (Courier-Express-Postal) has reported that:
Don't be satisfied with a less than complete report on the courier, express, and postal market in Europe. Get your subscription to CEP News, today..
October 29, 2003 -- The Human Resources Centre (U.K.) has reported that "Royal Mail and the Communication Workers Union (CWU), representing postal workers, have decided to refer their pay dispute to the conciliation service ACAS."
October 29, 2003 -- According to Israel National News, "as plans continue to revamp the Postal Authority, senior management is considering moving the nation’s postal service to a five day workweek, a move that would save an estimated NIS 10 million annually. If this were to be the case, the Israeli Postal Authority would close on either Friday or Sunday. Postal employees would be required to work an additional hour a day to compensate."
October 29, 2003 -- Traditional ghosts and ghouls are scary enough on Halloween, but this year taxpayers should be especially fearful of congressional vampires, who are ready to draw a record amount of blood money from every American. With a $374 billion federal deficit in fiscal 2003 and a projected $480 billion deficit in fiscal 2004, members of Congress and special interests are handing out the taxpayers' candy to each other on Capitol Hill. Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) provides this spooky Halloween list of who deserves a trick and who deserves a treat: "TREAT: To the Postal Service Board of Governors for forcing the retirement of Karla W. Corcoran as Inspector General (IG) of the United States Postal Service. Ms. Corcoran took a $117 million, 750-employee IG workforce and forced its top management to divert its energies away from ferreting out waste, fraud and mismanagement and into a "culture of values," including dressing up in costumes and staging mock trials."
October 29, 2003 -- SkyNews (U.K.) has reported that "Royal Mail bosses and union leaders are deciding whether to reopen talks to prevent further wildcat postal strikes. Mail centres across London were left at a standstill on Tuesday in the latest of 20 unofficial strikes by 20,000 delivery workers." See also The Guardian and the Financial Times.
October 29, 2003 -- DM News has reported that "United Parcel Service will offer a customized service that combines its ground delivery service with the U.S. Postal Service's Parcel Select, possibly resulting in lower rates for mailers using UPS. UPS will use Parcel Select for deliveries up to 5 pounds, primarily to rural or super-rural areas. Customers will give their packages to UPS, which will move them through its ground network. UPS will separate out the packages that are to be delivered to the rural areas and turn them over to the local post office for final delivery. UPS currently charges a $1.75 surcharge for rural deliveries. It is unknown how much UPS will pay the postal service for each package."
October 29, 2003 -- Deutsche Post World Net USA (DPWN) and DHL sponsored a reception for Operation Smile, a volunteer, non-profit medical service organization that travels the globe to provide facial reconstructive surgery to children in indigent or war-torn countries. The reception was in honor of the Operation Smile team now planning a surgical mission to Iraq. An advance team visited Iraq in August. This exploratory visit was made possible through the generous support and cooperation of DHL.
October 29, 2003 -- The U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts has reported that "United States Attorney Michael J. Sullivan and Kenneth R. Jones, Postal Inspector in Charge of the Boston Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, announced today that THE VANTAGE GROUP, INC., a Brookline based company, and two of its subsidiaries, VANTAGE FINANCIAL SERVICES, INC., and VANTAGE DIRECT MARKETING SERVICES, INC., (referred to collectively as 'Vantage'), and VANTAGE's Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer have agreed to pay the United States $4,500,000 to settle a civil action filed by the United States alleging that, throughout the 1990s, VANTAGE, LEWIS, and MELIKIAN engaged in a scheme to defraud the U.S. Postal Service."
October 29, 2003 -- The latest legislative update provided by Bruce Moyer to his National Association of Postal Supervisors membership has been posted on this site.
October 29, 2003 -- FirstLogic's Chris Lien has noted that "fear, uncertainty, and doubt about the future of mail volumes have pervaded the mailing industry for quite some time now. And while there clearly is evidence that First Class Mail is and will continue to decline, we are now seeing an apparent increase in Standard Mail. This is happening not only here in the United States, but also in many other countries around the world, as more direct marketers are turning to mail to deliver their message."
October 29, 2003 -- The U.S. Postal Service has published in the Federal Register a "notice that announces a new system that the United States Postal Service (USPS) plans to deploy for applying unique USPS identification (ID) codes (or ``tags'') to flat- size mailpieces not bearing POSTNET barcodes. Deployment is scheduled for early 2004. Once the initial ID code is applied to the mailpiece, subsequent sorting will recognize the code and sort the flat-size piece without need for further manual keying. The ID code provides reference to access a database containing the original keying results. The application of these codes onto mailpieces will have no impact on current mailing standards or preparation requirements for flat-size mail."
October 28, 2003 -- AT&T Wireless has said "UPS will use AT&T Wireless' next generation GSM/GPRS wireless network to give fleet employees high-speed wireless access to information through UPS' hand-held computer system or Delivery Information Acquisition Device (DIAD). The agreement allows more than 60,000 drivers to access voice and data services throughout the United States and Canada. Drivers can quickly get updates on package delivery information regardless of whether they are in the delivery truck or in the process of making a delivery or pickup."
October 28, 2003 -- DMA Vice President for Governmental Affairs, Jerry Cerasale, told readers of Catalog Age that "mailers should focus on the recommendations that will bring the greatest change. In my personal view, the major recommendations include a rate-setting change that allows the USPS to adjust rates to meet market demand but rate increases below inflation."
October 28, 2003 -- According to Mario Monte, the European Commissioner for Competition, "a string of decisions has been addressed to States or local authorities whose legislation was, amongst others, hampering sound competition between postal companies and mail preparation firms, was setting up discriminatory landing fees for locally established airline companies or was establishing discriminatory discounts on pilotage fees in some of Europe's most important ports. This Commission policy directed against government imposed monopolies or private practices attempting to secure continued benefits from historic monopolies only constitutes, however, one of the cornerstones of our action against undue government restraints."
October 28, 2003 -- The Independent (U.K.) has reported that "Royal Mail managers were accused of being 'industrial anarchists' as unofficial strikes by postal workers escalated, causing huge disruption to services. The Communication Workers Union said up to 20,000 workers in London had joined a series of wildcat strikes at mail centres and offices across the capital. Postwatch warned of a winter of discontent in the postal service unless the union and Royal Mail regained control of industrial relations."
October 28, 2003 -- The European Report has noted that "the 'REIMS II' agreement between public postal operators has been cleared from EU rules on restrictive business practices until the end of 2006, the European Commission said on October 23. The agreement lays down a compensation system to cover the cost of delivering each other's cross-border mail (called 'terminal dues'). Justifying its decision of October 23, the Commission says the system has raised the quality of cross-border mail services and has become more cost-based. The decision also opens up the agreement to private postal operators, to take account of the liberalisation of the outgoing cross-border mail market since January 1, 2003. The REIMS II agreement was signed by the public postal providers of all EU Member States except the Netherlands, plus Norway, Iceland and Switzerland."
October 28, 2003 -- According to Killian and Associates, "the EBPP/ESP market presents both opportunities and threats to the postal authorities. It delivers a substantial opportunity for IT and payment service companies who are looking for a direct route to the postal market. This study presents the market opportunity for postal authorities to deliver electronic bills and statements and shows EBPP/ESP providers how to assist postal authorities in reaching their objectives. For a complete index of this report click on http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/1511.
October 28, 2003 -- Dow Jones has reported that "in Monday's Japan National Press Club debate featuring the heads of the nation's six major political parties, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi plugged his pet cause: postal privatization, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun reports in its Tuesday morning edition."
October 28, 2003 -- The Daily Yomiuri (Japan) has reported that "in addition to its traditional package delivery service, United Parcel Service has now expanded into areas of business logistics that can help Japanese enterprises broaden their businesses globally, Thomas Weidemeyer, chief operating officer of the firm, said at a press conference held recently in Tokyo. Weidemeyer said the world's largest package delivery company was 'synchronizing the world of commerce' by transferring goods, information and funds around the world, which he said signaled the company's goal to move from the 60 billion dollars package delivery industry to the 3 trillion dollars global logistics market."
October 28, 2003 -- Backstage has noted that "the U.S. Postal Service is moving forward with a controversial proposal to dismantle the "cooperative mailing" rules governing mailing rates paid by commercial fundraisers when they work on behalf of not-for-profit organizations."
October 28, 2003 -- The Press & Sun-Bulletin has reported that "Lockheed Martin Corp. announced Monday it will create up to 50 new production jobs at an Apalachin facility to support the company's postal programs."
October 28, 2003 -- According to The Scotsman (U.K.), "Royal Mail chairman Allan Leighton unexpectedly turned up at a mass meeting today in an unsuccessful bid to persuade postal workers to end an unofficial strike. He addressed hundreds of postmen and women in Greenford, west London, where wildcat action started last week and has since spread to other parts of the capital." See also the Financial Times.
October 28, 2003 -- American Shipper has reported that "FedEx Express, the express transportation unit of FedEx Corp., has begun nightly all-cargo flights from Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport connects to the FedEx Express Freighter network in Stansted, in the United Kingdom. The new cargo flights improve collection time by as much as two and one-half hours in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Utrecht, and Eindhoven, in the Netherlands. The service allows FedEx to offer delivery on the next business day by 10:30 a.m. to 17,000 U.S. ZIP codes, and to offer next business day service to Latin America and Canada."
October 27, 2003 -- The BBC has reported that "Royal Mail says it is using management volunteers to minimise disruption to services in parts of London caused by an unofficial strike."
October 27, 2003 -- The BBC also has provided a nice review of the dispute between the Royal Mail and its workers, why the workers voted against a strikem and the trouble still ahead.
October 27, 2003 -- According to Dow Jones:
October 27, 2003 -- AMEInfo (UAE) has reported that "Emirates Post recently signed an agreement with Global Alliance of Transportation Systems (GATS), the UK-based subsidiary of Swiss Post International, to distribute European mail to the Gulf and Middle East countries, through Emirates Post's Dubai Airport Mail Transit Hub."
October 27, 2003 -- According to Pacific Business News, "a month-old mail-delivery system has had a spotty start and could cause delays during the busy holiday season. The U.S. Postal Service revamped its operations last month -- changing the way it uses commercial airlines to ship mail and requiring them to scan each piece of mail if they want to be paid for it. The system is still not fully operational, with the Los Angeles-Hawaii section yet to take off."
October 26, 2003 -- The Afghan News Network has reported that "DHL is to carry out a multi-million dinar investment in the region and expand its hub in Bahrain for its new operations to Iraq and Afghanistan."
October 26, 2003 -- The Times Herald has reported that "when the Port Huron-Sarnia Stamp Club met the first time, mail was far from electronic. Sixty-eight years later, e-mail and new technology have led to the club's disbanding, members said. 'Things have to come to an end some time,' club President Roy Nowak of Fort Gratiot said. 'There's no enthusiasm about stamps. No youngsters are interested.'"
October 26, 2003 -- The Greenville News has reported that "local, state and federal authorities knew that a package labeled as containing a deadly poison was found in a Greenville postal distribution center but did not inform the public or other emergency agencies for a week. U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, who is running for the Democratic nomination for president, said the handling of the incident was "troubling" and called for the General Accounting Office to investigate. Mark Saunders, a U.S. Postal Service spokesman, said late Friday the service will respond to Lieberman's remarks next week."
October 26, 2003 -- Gulf News has reported that "in the last few weeks, the Kuwaiti authorities revealed plans to invigorate the economy. The measures include opening up the economy to foreign investors. On the privatisation list are activities such as postal services and ground communications stations."
October 26, 2003 -- The Washington Times has reported that "sending an anonymous love letter or an angry note to your congressman? The U.S. Postal Service will soon know who you are. Beginning with bulk or commercial mail, the Postal Service will require "enhanced sender identification" for all discount-rate mailings."
October 25, 2003 -- E-Commerce Times has noted that "the U.S. Postal Service would like to add a new word to the mix of adjectives like "slow" and "inefficient" that have been used to describe it in the past. That new word is "intelligent," and it symbolizes the high-tech spark that is energizing this old-line government agency. A confluence of factors is pushing the Postal Service to expand its services so it can track not only individual packages, but also individual letters, from the starting point where they enter the system to their ultimate destination. The work is at an early stage, so several years likely will pass before this technology achieves widespread adoption, but some smart-system features are already beginning to show up in select services."
October 25, 2003 -- The BBC has reported that "mail deliveries in parts of London are still being hit by unofficial industrial action. The Communication Workers Union (CWU), which is not supporting the wildcat strikes, claimed up to 5,000 sorting and delivery staff have walked out in a number of disputes."
October 25, 2003 -- The Was
hington Post has reported that "FedEx Corp. is attempting to block
the nomination of attorney Kirk K. Van Tine to be deputy secretary of
transportation, drawing a not-so-veiled warning that the air cargo giant is
miscalculating by taking on a man who enjoys the support of Transportation
Secretary Norman Y. Mineta. FedEx and the DOT are battling over the
department's demand that FedEx return $31.6 million of a $101 million payment
the company received under the Air Transportation Safety and System
Stabilization Act for losses incurred as a result of the Sept. 11, 2001,
terrorist attacks. October 25, 2003 --
CNN has reported that "the harmonica is a tool to make people happy,
says blues music expert Walter Liniger, and happiness is what he hopes to
bring about 400 postal managers attending a conference in Switzerland this
weekend. The conference in Montreaux is an effort by the Swiss government to
adapt its postal managers to an increasingly competitive
market." October 25, 2003 -- linkOnline has
reported that "USPS is making it easier for customers who use postal
tracking services to get information online. Instead of separate websites,
this information soon will be available in one place — Mail Tracking &
Reporting at http://mailtracking.usps.com. This is
the place to go for information and reports on all postal tracking initiatives
such as Confirm, Entry Information, Parcel Select Performance, Delivery
Confirmation and Signature Confirmation."
October 25, 2003 -- Business Mailers Review has
reported that: October 25, 2003 -- Di-Ve has
reported that "the General Workers' Union (GWU) warned Maltapost that if
by next Monday a meeting to discuss various complaints, will not be held, it
will revert to industrial action. One of the complaints is that employees are
being ordered to undertake additional work that is supposed to be carried out
by others." October 25, 2003 -- The Journal of
Commerce has reported that "Prompted by growth opportunities in
China, FedEx Express will open a regional headquarters in Shanghai on Dec. 1,
the FedEx Corp. subsidiary announced Friday. The new headquarters, located at
Pudong International Airport, will be devoted exclusively to the China market,
said Michael Ducker, executive vice president of FedEx Express." October 25, 2003 -- According to Capitol Reports, "the U.S.
EPA is partnering with FedEx Freight, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp., to retrofit
its fleet. The one-year pilot project, which is being conducted under EPA's
Voluntary Diesel Retrofit Program, will demonstrate the benefits of installing
advanced emission control technologies on diesel trucks." October 25, 2003 -- Ample.com has reported that "it ought to be a source of
jubilation, but it'll be something of an anticlimax when the Commerce
Department reports on third-quarter U.S. growth on Thursday. Wall Street is
expecting 6 percent growth, the best quarterly growth rate since the end of
1999, when enthusiasm for the new economy and the new century (and a bit of
millennial fear) pushed growth to 7.1 percent. But the market is already
looking ahead at the fourth quarter and next year, not back at ancient
history." October 25, 2003 -- The Independent (U.K.) has reported that "shares In Exel gave up
a hefty chunk of the gains they registered on Thursday as analysts moved to
play down rumours that a bid for the logistics group is in the offing. Talk of
an offer for Exel from Deutsche Post circled dealing rooms earlier in the week
as traders pointed out that given the German group's fire power it is nearly
six times the size of Exel it could easily complete such a move." October 24, 2003 -- The
latest issue of the PostCom
Bulletin is available online. October 24, 2003 -- Bangkok Biz News has reported that "Three more local banks
have lined up to court the state-run postal company, Thailand Post." October 24, 2003 -- The Treasury Financial Manual
(TFM) bulletin has notified Federal program agencies (FPAs) that by
December 31, 2003, they must use electronic funds transfer (EFT) mechanisms or
the Intra-governmental Payment and Collection (IPAC) System for payments to
the USPS for postage. October 24, 2003 -- Nettavisen
has reported that "Norwegian postal service’s board of directors decided
Thursday night to reduce its staff with 880 people as of 2004. These cuts come
in addition to the 6000 man-labor years that already have been cut from the
organization during the last four years." October 24, 2003 -- The European Commission has adopted a
decision granting 17 European postal operators a further five-year exemption
with respect to the system of terminal dues. Terminal dues are the
remuneration postal operators pay to each other for the delivery of
cross-border mail in the country of destination. The previous REIMS II
agreement exempted from the antitrust rules since 1999 - has led to
substantial improvements in the quality of cross-border mail services and to
prices which reflect more properly the actual cost of delivering incoming
cross-border mail. The decision furthermore ensures that new entrants on the
recently liberalised markets for outgoing cross-border mail will be able to
enjoy the same terms for the delivery of incoming cross border mail as the
REIMS II parties. October 24, 2003 -- Mailers Council Executive Director Robert McLean
has reported that "yesterday the Senate voted itself a pay raise for the
fifth straight year, boosting the annual salary to about $158,000 in 2004. The
House also agreed last month to accept an increase in the annual
cost-of-living allowance, which gives all members of Congress a boost of about
2.2% in their take-home pay starting in January. This year, rank-and-file
members will receive $154,700 each. Postal officer and employee compensation
is restricted to the maximum rate on the Executive Schedule level I, under
section 5312 of title 5, which is the same as a member. So, if Congress
approves and the president signs the pay increase, Potter's salary also will
increase. Final action is expected next week." October 24, 2003 -- The Irish
Independent has reported that "An Post is in talks with Royal Mail in
an effort to improve a deal which has cost the Irish postal system more than
€46m in three years. The Communications Regulator yesterday expressed
concerns over the scale of thelosses for delivering mail in Ireland on behalf
of international postal operators." October 24, 2003 -- Quicken has reported that
"China will eclipse Japan in two years as the largest market in Asia for
express mail giant DHL. The company's business in China is growing by about
40% each year." October 24, 2003 -- According to Comme
ntWire, "United Parcel Service [UPS] reported a 28% rise in
third-quarter profit, fueled by its biggest growth in deliveries in almost
three years. The company is using the figures as tentative evidence of a wider
economic recovery - a positive outlook that seems to be corroborated by other
players in the field." October 24, 2003 -- Dow Jones has reported that: October
24, 2003 -- In the latest issue of DM
News, CC3 CEO Don Mackenzie wrote: "While the conventional mantra for
one-to-one marketing has always been 'right message, right target, right
time,' the recent do-not-call shockwaves felt by telemarketers and direct
marketers suggest an addition to the adage, that being 'right
medium.'" October 24, 2003 -- Forb
es has reported that "Pitney Bowes has closed on what might seem like
a tiny deal: $49 million in cash for DDD Co., a Maryland-based document
creation and distribution company. But it is the latest in a two-year-long,
$800 million string of small purchases that Pitney Bowes has made to transform
its long-time image as merely a maker of postage meters." October 24, 2003 -- According to the Asso
ciated Press, "tests showed no signs of contamination at a post
office where a vial containing the deadly poison ricin was found, federal
officials said Thursday. The post office was shut down Wednesday night and
workers moved to another location after federal health officials determined
material in a vial found inside an envelope a week earlier was
ricin." October 24, 2003 -- According to US
PSNewsBreak, the Postal Service has announced that "a suspicious envelope
discovered by an employee processing mail at the Greenville, SC, Airport Mail
Facility (AMF) was later found to contain a small sealed metal container with
the poison ricin inside." In a subsequent release, the USPS
announced that "the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has
notified the Postal Service that results of environmental testing conducted
Wednesday night at the Greenville, SC Airport Mail Facility are negative for
the presence of ricin. The CDC also told the Postal Service that there are no
indications of employee exposure or adverse health effects as a result of the
incident." October 24, 2003 -- The U.S. Postal Service has announced
that South Florida District Manager Jo Ann Feindt has been named Great Lakes
Area vice president, effective November 1. She will replace Danny Jackson, who
is retiring from the USPS early next year. October 23, 2003 -- The Evening Standard (U.K.) has reported that "mail deliveries were hit
today when postal workers staged a wildcat strike - in a row over a dead rat.
The rat was found in the men's toilet at a delivery office in Leyton, East
London, so male postal workers asked whether they could use the women's
facilities while postwomen could use a toilet in the staff canteen. Up to 100
workers walked out on unofficial strike today complaining that their manager
had turned down their request." October 23, 2003 -- CEP News
(Courier-Express-Postal) has reported that:
Don't be satisfied with a less than complete report on the courier,
express, and postal market in Europe. Get your subscription to CEP News,
today.. October 23, 2003 -- Le Figaro (France) has
reported that "in the new state plan contract drawn up for La Poste, the
French national postal service operator, outlining targets and plans for the
period 2003-07, it is envisaged that a sum of 1bn euros be invested in the
modernisation of sorting offices, and that the group create a credit
institution capable of providing property loans without prior savings with
effect from 2005. However, it is reported that the position regarding pensions
and the adaptation of the branch network of La Poste remains less clear." October 23, 2003 -- NBC4.com has reported
that "a hearing is set for Thursday to assess the safety of the
once-anthrax-tainted building in Northeast Washington formerly known as the
Brentwood Postal Facility. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton says she requested
the House Government Reform Committee hold the hearing to determine whether
further congressional action is needed to prevent future bioterrorism
incidents." October 23, 2003 -- The Business Report (South Africa) has reported that "communications
minister Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri yesterday lashed out at the "hysteria"
surrounding the Postal Services Amendment Bill and its possible effect on
hundreds of thousands of jobs in the courier industry." October 23, 2003 --
BCTechnology has reported that "Azure Dynamics Corporation and United
States Postal Service have announced the signing of an agreement whereby Azure
will test and retrofit two U.S.P.S. vehicles with Azure's 'Smart Energy
Management' hybrid technology. Azure will develop a prototype gas hybrid
electric powertrain for U.S.P.S.'s carrier route vehicle (CRV) as well as a
prototype diesel hybrid electric powertrain for the U.S.P.S. two-ton step
van." October 23, 2003 -- The
Wall Street Journal has reported that "the Senate passed a bill to
regulate unsolicited commercial e-mail, including a provision for a "do not
e-mail" registry, moving the country a big step closer toward the first
federal law regulating unwanted junk e-mail. The bill, sponsored by Sen.
Conrad Burns, a Republican from Montana, and Sen. Ron Wyden, a Democrat from
Oregon, passed with a 97-0 vote. While the House of Representatives has yet to
pass any similar bill -- a necessary step before it may become law --marketers
such as the Direct Marketing Association trade organization and other backers
are optimistic about the chances of passing a spam law this year." October 23, 2003 -- The
Tri-Valley Herald has reported that "ANG Newspapers,publisher of eight
daily newspapers in the San Francisco Bay Area, announced today they have
joined forces with ADVO, Inc. to create a powerful, expansive advertising
program for the Bay Area beginning in February 2004. The program will allow
advertisers to place promotional inserts into the eight ANG Newspapers along
with ADVO's direct mail program. ANG Newspapers' subscribers will receive the
ShopWise insert on top of their Tuesday's home-delivered newspaper, ensuring
high visibility of the advertising material. Those who do not subscribe to one
of ANG Newspapers' publications will receive their ShopWise materials in
their mailbox on Mondays." October 23, 2003 -- The Journal of
Commerce has reported that "United Parcel Service hopes to be allowed to
operate more flights between Japan and other destinations." October 23, 2003 -- CNN has reported
that "the FBI and postal authorities are investigating traces of the deadly
toxin ricin found last week in a sealed envelope at an airport postal handling
facility in Greenville, South Carolina." October 22, 2003 -- Les Echos
(France) "the French Court of Auditors, which yesterday presented its report
on the management of La Poste between 1991 and 2002, is less than enthusiastic
about the national postal services group's new business plan for the period
2003-2007. The Court estimates that La Poste is not in a strong position to
face competition on the mail market, neither in terms of its financial
situation, nor the quality of its service." October 22, 2003 -- The Boston Globe has reported that "United Parcel Service,
apparently breaking an earlier pledge, appears to have turned over to the
Massachusetts Department of Revenue the names and addresses of Bay State
customers to whom it has delivered cigarettes from out-of-state vendors. The
Revenue Department, which obtained the information by using an administrative
summons, is sending letters to the customers demanding they remit unpaid
cigarette excise taxes plus interest and penalties. The agency also threatened
civil fines and imprisonment if the taxes are not paid within 30 days." October 22, 2003 -- AllAfrica.com has
reported that "Britain's leading banks are sending letters to South African
clients saying that in future any documentation -- including statements,
credits cards, pin numbers or cheque books -- will not be sent through the
normal postal channels, but through private couriers." October 22, 2003 -- The Wall Street Journal
has reported that "For the first time since the economy began slowing three
years ago, many of the country's largest transportation companies are seeing
signs of a broad-based recovery that appears to have staying power. United
Parcel Service Inc., which carries roughly 5% of U.S. economic output at any
given time, said it expects domestic shipment volume to accelerate during the
next few months, including the company's strongest growth in the important
Christmas season since 1999." October 22, 2003 -- Business Day (South Africa) has reported that "the National Council of
Provinces (NCOP) has passed the controversial Postal Services Amendment Bill
and it can now be signed into law by President Thabo Mbeki. But the Bill has
been dogged with an unusual amount of controversy, with the select committee
on public enterprises and labour opting not to hold public hearings on the
legislation. Under pressure from the courier service industry, hearings were
held after the legislation was given the nod by the committee - but were ruled
irregular by the African National Congress (ANC) chief whip in the chamber.
After getting the council's permission to reopen debate on the bill in the
committee, the ANC majority on the committee decided once again to approve the
Bill unchanged." October 22, 2003 -- The BBC
(U.K.) has reported that "thousands of postal workers took part in an
unofficial strike in London on Wednesday. The Royal Mail said it believed less
than 2,000 employees joined in the industrial action over a series of
disputes, including the suspension of union officials." October 22, 2003 -- The
Wall Street Journal has reported that "the U.S. Postal Service, already
hitting an important target for on-time deliveries, said it expects to improve
reliability even more during the next two years. The move reflects progress in
a push to shore up the defenses of the world's largest mail-delivery operation
as it tries to fend off a growing attack from e-mail and electronic bill
payments. Faster deliveries could help the Postal Service maintain the volume
of mail that it needs to support its sprawling network of post offices, and
keep rates from spiraling out of sight. The expected improvements include
across-the-board gains in the consistency of first-class mail, which generates
slightly more than half of the agency's revenue but is suffering its worst
volume declines since the Great Depression. The Postal Service said that 94%
of such items intended for delivery within one day should hit that target in
the current fiscal year, up from the previous goal of 93%. Next fall, the
on-time target will be boosted to 95%, and the Postal Service will toughen its
performance standards on first-class items intended for delivery in two and
three days." October 22, 2003 -- According to the
Motley Fool, "though other segments are getting some headlines this
quarter, remember that it is UPS Ground, or the team of guys and gals in the
cute shorts and hats, that is Brown's bread-and-butter business, accounting
for 49% of revenues for the first nine months. A closely watched industry
metric, average daily package volume, has made a dramatic turnaround for Brown
Ground, increasing 2% for Q3 following a relatively flat increase for Q2 and
preceded by eight dismal quarters reaching back to 2001 (roughly tracking a
sluggish economy)." October 22, 2003 -- PC World
has reported that "A new software plug-in from the United States Post Service
and Microsoft is designed to provide the same kind of security for digital
documents as a sealed envelope and postmark does for paper mail. The
Electronic Postmark, or EPM, is an extension to Microsoft's Office 2003,
launched Tuesday. It provides a way for the product's broad user base to sign
and secure their documents in a way that is legally binding, according to
Chuck Chamberlain, manager of business development at the Postal Service. The
program uses technology developed by Microsoft and content security company
AuthentiDate. It allows a document's creator to save a unique time- and
date-stamped record based on the file's exact content in an EPM repository
maintained by the USPS, according to AuthentiDate." October 22, 2003 -- Dow Jones has reported that "when you do business in 200 countries,
it's important that all your competitors play by the same local rules, said a
senior executive at U.S. delivery service company United Parcel Service Inc.
(UPS). Thomas Weidemeyer, UPS chief operating officer and also president of
UPS Airlines, said that applies in the case of the company's ongoing dispute
with Germany's Deutsche Post AG in the U.S. It's also an area worth watching
here when quasi-governmental Japan Post is privatized, which could happen as
early as 2007." October 22, 2003 -- The Sydney
Morning Herald (Australia) has reported that "Australia's chief postie
received almost $2 million last year, making him one of the best paid public
servants in the country. Graeme John, the managing director of
government-owned Australia Post, was paid between $1.87 million and $1.89
million in the year to June, according to the company's annual report. His
bonus accounted for half of his pay packet. It is believed this is one of the
highest salaries earned by a public servant - if not the highest. It is more
than six times the $267,000 base salary that the Prime Minister, John Howard,
receives and nearly four times the $500,000 that is paid to the governor of
the Reserve Bank, Ian Macfarlane." October 22, 2003 -- According to The Scotsman
(U.K.), "the Royal Mail was given permission today to withdraw a service
delivering heavy parcels which loses the company £1 million a year.
Parcels weighing between 20kg (46lbs) and 30kg (66lbs) were delivered for
£10.76, but the Royal Mail said the actual cost was between œ22 and œ36,
depending on the destination. Around 45,000 of the parcels were delivered
every year, less than 1% of the 4.5 million handled by the Royal Mail. The
service will be withdrawn next April." October 22, 2003 -- AllAfrica.com has
reported that "The National Council of Provinces (NCOP) will today discuss the
Postal Services Amendment Bill passed by the National Assembly in September
this year." October 22, 2003 -- The
Associated Press has reported that "members of the committee that selects
topics for U.S. postage stamps will serve no more than 12 years under new term
limits imposed after a Postal Service investigation found that some members
stayed on the panel longer than they were supposed to. Postmaster General John
E. Potter has approved bylaw changes for the committee that limited membership
on the Citizen's Stamp Advisory Committee to four three-year terms." October 22, 2003 -- The Journal of
Commerce has reported that "FedEx Custom Critical is offering overnight
heavyweight freight deliveries into Mexico through its newest service,
Point-to-Point Mexico." October 21, 2003 -- The Chicago Tribune has reported that "with federal security measures
already limiting the amount of mail that airlines can carry, the Postal
Service this year also is forcing them to compete for the business. For
decades, air mail provided a dependable stream of revenue for airlines. Most
U.S. airlines began as mail carriers for the government and gradually added
passengers. Airlines used to receive mail based on their flight routes and
times, and they all were paid the same rate. It was a good deal for the
airlines, particularly when passenger traffic was slow. But the arrangement no
longer made sense for the Postal Service, which is struggling with its own
financial woes caused largely by a drop in advertising mail." October 21, 2003 -- The U.S. Postal Service
has announced that "starting Sunday, USPS will launch a two-year test of
Parcel Return Services (PRS) that will make it easier for consumers to return
items at very competitive prices for merchants. PRS will work like
drop-shipping in reverse. Qualifying merchants can choose to pick up return
parcels at the Post Office or BMC serving the original customer. Companies
will get a lower postage rate for saving USPS the time and trouble of sorting
and transporting returns all the way back to their warehouses. That makes PRS
a good deal for merchants and for USPS." October 21, 2003 -- The Alliance of Nonprofit Mailers has
reported sad news. Rep. Jim Hanley (D-NY) who represented Onondaga County, NY,
for 15 years died last week at the age of 83 and was buried Monday. Former
chairman of the House Committee on the Postal Office and Civil Service, Jim
served as the Alliance legislative counsel. He is hailed as a 'world-class
politician who claimed he'd gotten into public life because he hated
politics.'" October 21, 2003 -- The U.S. Postal Service has published
in the Federal Register a proposed rule that "seeks to enhance
mail security by requiring that all discount mail be 'sender identified.' The
revision to DMM E050 would state The proposed rule would further enhance
existing requirements by specifically requiring that all discount rate
mailings allow a reasonable means for identifying the sender of a mailpiece
sent at a discount postage rate. October 21, 2003 --
UPS has reported a 28% jump in net income for the third quarter thanks to
a strengthening U.S. package business, record performances by both the
international and non-package segments and two other modest gains. October 21, 2003 -- Nonprofit
Times has reported that "Recently revised United States Postal Service
(USPS) cooperative mailing rules have sparked intense debate among direct
marketing leaders. Though many Direct Marketing Association members supported
the expansion of the cooperative mailing rules, including the DMA Nonprofit
Federation (DMANF), concerns remained that the USPS did not go far enough.
Moreover, some advisory council members voiced opinions privately that DMANF
hadn't adequately consulted them before issuing a statement of support." October 21, 2003 -- Business
Line (India) has reported that "though wrapping a gift is no mean task, if
the same has to be despatched to a distant destination, one would have to take
extra care in packing. Besides packing, one would have to ensure the safe and
timely delivery of the parcel. After examining the immense potential for such
services, India Post has launched a national product - Speed Post and Express
Parcel Carton." October 21, 2003 -- The Financial
Times (U.K.) has reported that "La Poste, the French post office, last
night received government approval for a limited expansion into financial
services despite vigorous lobbying by French banks opposed to the move." October 21, 2003 -- According to BizReport, "Return
Path, an e-mail performance management company, today announced the re-launch
of its proprietary E-mail Change of Address (ECOA) service that enables
consumers to get e-mail they want forwarded from an old address to a new one.
This, combined with its consumer-controlled directory service and new
notification service, virtually eliminates the risk of losing important e-mail
and contacts when changing e-mail addresses. While e-mail distribution remains
decentralized, consumers can now access a centralized e-mail change of address
process at Return Path (www.returnpath.net), which also serves as the official
ECOA service for the United States Postal Service (USPS) and its MoversGuide
Online service." October 21, 2003 -- Advertising Age has
reported that "the chairman-CEO of the Reader's Digest Association today
officially took over as chairman of the Magazine Publishers of America. In his
inaugural address, Thomas O. Ryder said magazines had to 'rethink' their
delivery systems, which he called 'quaint.' Amazon.com, he pointed out,
'flawlessly' executes next-day delivery to its consumers. Magazines, on the
other hand, require a six- to eight-week wait for subscriptions to kick
in." October 21, 2003 -- iAfrica.com has reported that
"the Postal Services Amendment Bill will be tabled for discussion in the
National Council of Provinces on Wednesday. The controversial draft
legislation effectively gives the SA Post Office a monopoly on handling
parcels weighing less than one kilogram, leading to criticism it will put
courier companies out of business. However, in a statement on Monday, the
Department of Communications denied this, saying services had to provided
irrespective of geographic location." See also News24 and Mail & Guardian. October 20, 2003 -- AMEInfo has
reported that "Direct mailing has become integral to most marketing programs
and is used as an efficient marketing tool. The development and production of
a campaign using direct mailing needs careful planning and requires
professional expertise. At the Dialogue Forum, experts from the industry will
present creative applications used within the print media industry and
supported by Heidelberg's solution portfolio. The Heidelberg Dialogue Forum is
an international event and taking place in the UAE, Poland, Austria, France,
Germany and Russia." October 20, 2003 -- The Scotsman
has reported that "Cobham has announced that its Australian aviation
subsidiary National Jet had secured agreement on a 100 million Australian
dollar (£41.2 million) long-term contract to operate a handful of planes
on behalf of overnight delivery service Australian air Express (AaE).AaE a
joint venture between Australia's postal service and its national carrier
Qantas is the country's largest overnight freight service. It carries a
mixture of official mail and freight for commercial customers."" October 20, 2003 -- The Philadelphia Busines Journal has reported that "Opex Corp. has
agreed to acquire certain assets of Lockheed Martin Postal Technologies Inc.
Opex, a Moorestown, N.J.-based company, didn't disclose how much it agreed to
pay for the assets of the subsidiary of the Bethesda, Md.-based defense
contractor. Opex said it intends to operate the Postal Technologies assets it
bought as a division." October 20, 2003 -- According Transport Intelligence, "Deutsche Post's
Chief Executive Klaus Zumwinkel has said that China and India could be the
next major targets for acquisitions by the company. However although money was
available to make purchases, he also commented that there were only a limited
number of eligible companies to buy, especially in the Asia Pacific region,
and that the company may have to focus on organic growth." October 20, 2003 -- The Atlanta Business Chronicle has reported that "Delta asked the U.S.
Department of Transportation for authority to start the mail service by Oct.
26, saying it "will help facilitate commerce and business activities
associated with the reconstruction and recovery efforts under way in Iraq."
The service would be offered through a code-sharing agreement with Royal
Jordanian Airline." October 19, 2003 -- According to Traffic World,
"some truckers see a genuine recovery." October 19,
2003 -- Die
Welt (Germany) has reported that "Prime Mail is negotiating with the
U.S. Postal Service for letter dispatch in Germany." October 19, 2003 -- "From DHL's new perch in South
Florida," the Miami Herald said,
"the giant international package deliverer is looking to finally make a
mark in the U.S. market. The 34-year-old company -- whose ties to the German
postal service have drawn complaints from competitors United Parcel Service
and FedEx Corp. -- is hoping its recent $1.05 billion acquisition of
Airborne's ground-shipping business will allow it to finally shed its
small-fry status in the domestic market." October 19,
2003 -- The U.S. Postal Service has announced the availability of the
USPS Electronic Postmark (EPM) Extension for Microsoft Office, thereby giving
users tamper detection and date/time stamping of electronic documents and
files. October 19, 2003 -- Dow Jones has reported that " The Algerian government has invited
Argentine companies to take part in the North African country's privatization
of public services. Argentina's public services, from energy firms to the
postal service, underwent a wave of privatizations in the 1990s." October 19, 2003 -- The Dayton Daily News
has reported that "UPS has a grudging respect for rival FedEx. As much as
it dislikes some U.S. Postal Service policies, there's broad agreement among
UPS that the post office provides a valuable service and is here to stay. But
the nature of UPS' escalating competition with international small package
specialist DHL lacks such civility." October 19,
2003 -- The Independent (U.K.) has reported that "British Nuclear Fuels
Limited: £1.09bn loss; future - bleak. British Energy: £4bn Government-led
bailout; future -critical. Royal Mail: £611m loss; future - uncertain. UK coal
industry: 15,000 potential job losses, future - on a knife edge. If politics
is all about the intoxication of power, then Stephen Timms should be as high
as a kite. But the minister with the unfeasibly long job title - for energy,
postal services and e-commerce - appears unaffected by the power he wields in
overseeing the turnaround of this list of British business failures." October 19, 2003 -- The Ass
ociated Press has reported that " The European Union's competition
regulator on Friday proposed continentwide caps on subsidies to businesses in
an expanded EU, and called for tighter limits on bailouts for foundering
firms. Pressing for an urgent review of EU rules, competition commissioner
Mario Monti said the admission of 10 mostly eastern European countries to the
EU next year is a chance to eradicate major, competition-distorting subsidies.
European leaders have pledged repeatedly to reduce subsidies, for instance, to
struggling heavy industries as well as newly liberalized markets such as
telecommunications and postal services." October 19,
2003 -- According to the National
Center for Public Policy Research, "in 1998, the U.S. Justice
Department filed an antitrust lawsuit against Microsoft, maintaining that the
world's largest maker of software held an illegal monopoly and stifled
competition. Microsoft was found to use its monopoly power to harm
competitors. This begs the ensuing question, 'Couldn't the Justice Department
then file a lawsuit against the United States Government for its blatant
monopoly status in postal delivery?'" October 19,
2003 -- The Enquirer has reported that "if the U.S. Postal Service is
urging local postmasters to find efficiencies in their operations, perhaps the
top brass needs to deliver a clearer message on how to go about it." October 19, 2003 -- The Ass
ociated Press has reported that "four U.S. Postal Service workers
have sued the maker of an antibiotic they took during the anthrax scare two
years ago, saying the drug caused harmful side effects. The lawsuit filed in
Superior Court on Friday alleges that Bayer Corp. failed to disclose data that
Cipro could damage nerves and tendons." October 17, 2003 --
At the October meeting of the Association for Postal Commerce, the following
persons were elected as officers of the association for the 2004 operating
year: As Chairman, Vincent Giuliano (Advo), Executive Vice
Chairman, Aaron Horowitz (Cosmetique), Secretary, Anita Pursley
(Quebecor Word), Treasurer, Judy Marks (Lockheed Martin Distribution
Technologies). Also elected for three year terms as Directors of the
Association were: Chris Bennett (Acxiom), Jim Evans (Capital One), John Kelley
(Imagitas), Fred Seymour (Hearst Magazines), Jon Wittnebel (Newgistics), Cary
Baer (Reader's Digest), Jody Berenblatt (Time Warner), Joseph DeSantis
(Scholastics Publications), Mary Ann Nisca (Lillian Vernon), James O'Brien
(Time magazine), Wolfgang Pordzik (DPWN, USA), Bernie Schraml (Columbia
House), and Sue Sevening (America Online). October 17,
2003 -- Advertising Age has
reported that "TV advertising has a low impact on consumers' car buying
decisions, according to a new market study." Hmmm. Thought about the
mail? October 17, 2003 -- At its October 2003 meeting, the Board of Directors of the
Association for Postal Commerce (PostCom) adopted unanimously three
resolutions to help guide the association's work in the months ahead. A copy
of these resolutions have been posted on
this site. October 17, 2003 -- As Traffic World has
noted, "the merging of Air France and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines into a
single European airline giant sets the stage for even greater consolidation in
the troubled airline industry and cargo customers say that is fine with
them." October 17, 2003 -- According to
Business Report (South Africa), "recent articles carried by Business
Report are creating a storm in a teacup - when no such storm exists - by
claiming that the Postal Services Amendment Bill is likely to lead to the
shutting down of courier companies and prevent the delivery of pizzas,
flowers, medicine and burgers etc as these would weigh under 1kg. Accusations
also abound that the bill was processed without the proper consultation of
stakeholders. The bill does not introduce anything new into the law. The
object is to address the challenges of universal service obligations. The SA
Post Office (Sapo) is the only organisation upon which a universal service
obligation is imposed. The amendment bill merely strengthens an existing
provision in the Postal Services Act which allows the Post Office to be the
only postal operator that continues to deliver a basic letter and postal items
of up to 1kg at a street address or post box, at an affordable price and
uniform postage rate irrespective of geographic location." October 17, 2003 -- The Times has reported that "the U.S. Postal Service hopes to
finally begin fumigating the Route 130 postal facility a week from today,
beginning a 48-hour process to kill deadly anthrax spores spread throughout
the building. The Postal Service said its tentative schedule calls for
generating chlorine dioxide gas no earlier than 4 p.m. Friday, Oct. 24. The
gas will be pumped into the anthrax-tainted building that has been closed for
more than two years." October 17, 2003 -- Handelsblatt October 17, 2003 -- The Financial
Times (U.K.) has reported that "Postal workers across the country
could be balloted over industrial action within the next few weeks, a senior
official at the Communication Workers' Union has warned. Dave Ward, deputy
general secretary, said staff at mail centres and transport depots might be
balloted, if there were no negotiations over their dispute about jobs and
working practices. Union members and local government workers represented by
Unison held a strike over London weighting yesterday." October 17, 2003 -- DMNews has reported that "the focus for the U.S. Postal Service in 2004 will
be the same as in 2003, a postal official said yesterday: productivity,
service and labor relations. 'You've got our commitment to continue to improve
from a service, efficiency and people standpoint,' Patrick R. Donahoe,
executive vice president and chief operating officer, USPS, said at a
Periodicals Focus Group meeting for the New York Metro, Northeast, Capital
Metro and Eastern areas that took place in New York." October 17, 2003 -- The
Independent (U.K.) has reported that "leaders of 30,000 postal
workers on strike in London yesterday warned that industrial action could
spread across Britain and threaten the Christmas mail." October 17, 2003 -- The Polish News
Bulletin has reported that "officials of Poczta Polska (PP), the
state post office, argued at a press conference yesterday that PP is
trustworthy and does not lose millions of letters each year. This was in
response to charges by the telecommunications and post watchdog (URTiP). In
September, URTiP examined the punctuality of PP's domestic letter deliveries,
and by coincidence found out that nearly 0.3 percent of letters sent were
subsequently lost. Given that each year PP delivers around a billion letters,
this works out at several million misplaced deliveries." October 17, 2003 -- The Institute for Research on the
Economics of Taxation has published that "the Postal Service has
often claimed that it must expand if it is to strengthen its finances and
better serve the country. Expansion was a central feature of the
"Commercial Government Enterprise" model the Postal Service proposed
in its 2002 "Transformation Plan". The Commission, however, finds
that Postal Service expansion is not in the national interest and hurts the
agency's bottom line. The Postal Service should stick to its core market.
However, because the Postal Service would remain a government-owned monopolist
in the Commission's plan, more regulatory supervision should remain in some
areas than the Commission suggests." October 16, 2003 -- On October 15, USA Today published an
article which repeatedly used the term "junk mail" and lumped advertising mail
together with spam, telemarketing and unwanted faxes. "Newspapers are welcome
to cover our industry, including matters of dispute," says PostCom President Gene Del Polito. "But
it is impossible to discuss postal issues fairly or reasonably if an article
presumes that mail has no value. It is also unfair to write critically about
our industry and not mention that both newspapers and the mailstream are
competing ad mediums. We have responded to any number of articles that are
factually incorrect, biased or prejudiced and we will continue to do so. No
newspaper style manual should equate the term 'junk mail' with advertising
mail. It isn't acceptable today and it has never been acceptable." October 16, 2003 -- The United States Postal Service is
imposing term limits on members of the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee, a
step that will force the panel's leader for the past 10 years to step down
along with two other senior members, Linn's Stamp News
learned in early October. The unannounced decision will force some of the most
dramatic changes the secretive panel has undergone since it was created in
1957. Members of the committee, which advises the postmaster general on stamp
designs and subjects, long have viewed their appointments as having no fixed
terms. But the committee serves at the pleasure of the postmaster general, who
selects the chairman and appoints individual members. October 16, 2003 -- The
Washington Post has reported that "employees from the Brentwood mail
facility in Northeast Washington filed suit yesterday against postal
officials, saying they knowingly subjected them to potential health risks
during the anthrax crisis two years ago." October 16, 2003 -- The U.S. General Accounting
Office has posted a copy of its report on "U.S. Postal Service:
Data on Career Employee Diversity" on its web site. October 16, 2003 -- The Scotsman
(U.K.) has reported that British "postal workers' leaders today warned that
industrial action over pay could threaten the Christmas mail and spread across
the country as thousands of postmen and women staged their latest
walkout." October 16, 2003 -- The Globe and Mail (Canada) has noted that "closing
post offices is sensitive politically in Britain as it is in Canada,
particularly in rural areas, where they are often the centre of village life.
But Royal Mail Group, the Crown corporation that runs the post office, has
been drowning in red ink for years and says it can no longer afford its
extensive network of post offices when people are migrating to the internet
and the mail-delivery business is being opened to competition." October 16, 2003 -- According to PostCom President Gene Del
Polito, in an article published by the International Post Corporation,
"the real challenge that faces many Postal operators is to figure out how
to add even greater value to distributing printed materials through the post
rather than by way of some alternative method. Rather than focusing on ways to
improve their core postal services, many postal operators seem more intent on
emulating their parcel and express competitors. Instead of focusing on how to
satisfy better the nation's needs from the postal infrastructure, postal
executives seem more intent on finding ways to get out of the business of
moving and delivering mail." October 16, 2003 -- The
Guardian (U.K.) has reported that "Allan Leighton, Royal Mail's
no-nonsense chairman, yesterday commandeered the Commons select committee on
transport to his agenda of restoring his company ("it was a disaster") to
profitability. He even brought redoubtable committee chairman Gwyneth Dunwoody
to order." October 16, 2003 -- The Far Eastern Economic Review has reported that "the government of
Hong Kong is embarking on its biggest-ever privatization programme and lining
up some of the largest finance deals in Asia, a move that has investment
bankers giddy and local citizens worried. The government also is studying the
feasibility of privatizing or securitizing the postal system." October 15, 2003 -- The Evening Standard (U.K.) has reported that "Royal Mail has
warned London postal workers preparing for their second 24-hour strike,
starting at midnight, that there was no more money." October 15, 2003 -- The agenda
for the November 3 meeting of the U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors
has been posted on the USPS web site. Don't be satisfied with a less than complete report on the courier,
express, and postal market in Europe. Get your subscription to CEP News,
today.. October 15, 2003 -- The United
States Postal Service next week will publish a "Notice of
Intent" to begin the Environmental Assessment process that will determine
the feasibility of constructing a postal-owned mail irradiation facility in
the Washington, DC, area. The preferred site is located on Postal Service
property at the Curseen-Morris Processing and Distribution Center on Brentwood
Road, NE.
October 15, 2003 -- The Financial Times (U.K.) has reported that "Deutsche
Post has called on the German government to speed up the privatisation of the
postal operator, arguing it would improve its ability to do business,
particularly in the US." October 15, 2003 -- According to the
Wall Street Journal, "China's state monopolies also are due for
accelerated revamping, the committee said, and though it didn't specify which
ones, the postal and railway monopolies have long been
mentioned as in need of overhauling." October 15, 2003 -- Congratulations to Postmaster General
Jack Potter on receiving PostCom's highest honor, the
J. Edward Day Award, for his extraordinary service to the
postal community and the nation, to Vincent Giuliano on
receiving PostCom's Lee Epstein Award for his extraordinary
work in behalf of the business mailing industry, and to Murrary
Comarow on receiving PostCom's Lifetime Achievement
Award in recognition of his extraordinary life's work and
contributions on behalf of all who rely on a universal mail delivery
system. October 10, 2003 -- The
Financial Express has noted that the "Indian postal service evokes
different responses from different people. From being the butt of all jokes to
being the sole communication line for most citizens of the country, Indian
Post has seen it all. However, I wonder how many of us have bothered to
understand this old, large, heritage organisation operating in the service
sector of this country. In fact, it is not uncommon to come across people
taking digs at this enigmatic organisation and its services. At the same time,
a majority of this country’s citizens treat post offices as part of their
everyday life and perceive them as receptacles of public trust. It is not by
mere coincidence that the government uses the post offices as collection and
payment centres for many of its activities. " October 15, 2003 -- The latest issue of First Logic's eNews is available on the company's web site. October 15, 2003 -- The Asahi
Shimbun (Japan) has reported that "Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi
has made privatization of postal services the top priority among his pet
programs. It also heads the list in the Liberal Democratic Party's policy
manifesto. As Minshuto (Democratic Party of Japan) confronts the LDP, it also
calls for postal system reforms. But details of how to make this happen are
all very vague in any of those plans. The LDP says it supports the government
aim of postal service privatization in 2007, but it has put off the
decision-making on details by saying the party would make that decision around
autumn 2004. The LDP has said nothing specific about how postal services are
to be turned over to the private sector." October 15, 2003 -- GovExec.com has
reported that "a group of Washington-area Postal Service employees who
claim they were deliberately left in harm’s way during the 2001 anthrax
attacks plan to file a class action suit Wednesday against the
agency." October 14, 2003 -- USA Today has reported that "for those at the wheel of the
ubiquitous UPS delivery van, the good times continue to roll. Thirty months
into the job, the company's U.S. drivers earn top union scale wages — up to
$70,000 or more a year. Senior drivers get up to nine weeks paid annual leave.
While most workers' medical insurance premium costs are rising, UPS picks up
100% of drivers' premiums. Pensions are also generous; drivers retiring after
25 years get up to $30,000 a year. High pay and deep-pocket perks are largely
why UPS drivers average 16.2 years on the job, four times longer than the
typical American worker. They're mostly why turnover is 1.8% a year. And
they're why UPS ranks are swelling with white-collar workers embarking on new
careers and an increasingly educated workforce. More than 5,100 UPS drivers
are college graduates or hold advanced degrees." October 14, 2003 -- Business
Report (South Africa) has reported that "a furious Phumelele
Nzimande, the deputy director-general of the postal business unit of the SA
Post Office (Sapo), yesterday firmly quashed reports that a new bill was aimed
to prevent courier firms from delivering items weighing less than 1kg - which
could include flowers and pizzas. Nzimande said the Postal Services Amendment
Bill had been completely misunderstood by some courier companies and
politicians and, in fact, offered an important concession to courier
companies, especially emergent ones."
October 14, 2003 -- ChannelNewsAsia has reported that "Japanese Prime Minister
Junichiro Koizumi announced his ruling Liberal Democratic Party's (LDP)
campaign platform for the November 9 general election, including a pledge to
privatise postal services in 2007."
October 14, 2003 -- According to EU Business,
"Deutsche Post, the semi-privatised German postal authority, said Tuesday
it plans to issue up to one billion eurosbillion dollars) in the coming weeks
in order to refinance existing debt."
October 14, 2003 -- Business Day (South Africa) has reported that "controversial draft
legislation effectively giving the SA Post Office a monopoly on handling
parcels weighing less than one kilogram might be amended by the National
Council of Provinces. The Postal Services Amendment Bill was approved in the
National Assembly last month, despite the objections of the official
opposition, and is now being considered by the NCOP."
October 13, 2003 -- According to the BBC
(U.K.), "some postal deliveries are being ended in the area in and around
Malton in North Yorkshire. Royal Mail says this is part of a national move to
introduce single deliveries."
October 13, 2003 -- The
Times (U.K.) has reported that "the joint venture announced by Bank
of Ireland and Royal Mail last week is expected to be profitable by the end of
year three. Sources close to Bank of Ireland said it was very confident that
this target could be met, leaving the bank with a relatively quick return on
its £125m investment. All profits in the following years will be split
evenly between the two partners." October 13, 2003 -- Expansion
(Spain) has reported that "as part of its 'optimisation' plan, Correos,
the Spanish post office, is to reorganise its property assets in Spain, valued
by some experts at between 780m and 1.1bn euros. To carry out the task, the
postal operator has hired the services of the law firm Garrigues and the
consultancy Irea, with the first step being the drawing up of an inventory.
Correos is thought to occupy some 7,000 buildings in Spain, 1,600 of which it
owns and the rest of which are rented." October 13, 2003 --According to the Miami
Herald, "United Parcel Service and FedEx aren't just battling to move
packages faster, they're also scrambling to embed their online shipping tools
into the business software and Web sites their customers use most. FedEx tools
are a seamless, exclusive part of the popular QuickBooks accounting program.
UPS has lashed itself so tightly onto the online auction house eBay that users
no longer have to go off the site to process shipments, track packages and
figure costs." October 13, 2003 -- AMEInfo (UAE) has
reported that "Emirates Post has started offering non-postal retail
services at two post offices in Dubai, as part of its strategy to transform
post-offices into one-stop community services centers. 'The new vision of
Emirates Post is to converge a host of services within the confines of a
post-office, in keeping with global developments,' said Mr. Ibrahim Al Daboos,
Director General of Emirates Post. 'We have prepared a detailed plan to extend
the retail services concept to more post offices in the near future. We
visualize a scenario where almost every type of retail services will be
available at post-offices.' Several new services are be added shortly at
post-offices, including consumer banking in alliance with Union National Bank,
Etisalat's Al Wasel service, payment of utility bills, Internet stations,
mobile phones and accessories, and many other products which are still at the
negotiation stage. 'Providing retail services at post offices is one of
Emirates Post's strategies to fulfill its aim of becoming a commercial vibrant
and customer-focused corporation by entering into alliances with reputed
private sector companies,' Mr. Al Daboos added. 'We are negotiating with a
number companies to launch additional services at our post offices so that our
customers can save time and enjoy convenience by availing of multiple
services.'" October 13, 2003 -- In a commentary, DM News
editor Tad Clarke wrote: "The American Postal Workers Union. APWU
president William Burrus called large mailers 'vermin that, given the
opportunity, would suck the lifeblood out of every [postal workers'] right and
benefit that has been achieved.' This was in an opinion piece in last month’s
American Postal Worker magazine. Exactly which definition does he mean? Are
mailers disease-carrying insects or vile, loathsome people? The ones I know
are neither." October 13, 2003 -- DM
News has reported that "Sheri Martin told attendees at her session
Saturday something they certainly are aware of. 'Marketing budgets have been
dramatically cut,' said Martin, who is a business development specialist at
Heidelberg USA. 'I am in the print business so I also know that print is
usually the first thing to get cut as well as other types of media.' Her
comments were part of the 'Direct Mail -- A New Revolution -- Print Less and
Double Your Response Rates' session at the Direct Marketing Association’s
annual conference." October 12, 2003 -- The Wall Street Journal has noted that "since
establishing its privacy rules eight years ago, an increasingly self-assured
European Union has exported the privacy standards to other countries with
similar values. Despite outcries from the U.S., EU-inspired laws are now the
norm in Canada, South America, Australia, New Zealand and parts of Asia.
European privacy laws regulate how companies transmit personal information to
countries the EU says lack "adequate" privacy laws, including the
U.S. Some restrictions include: The debate over privacy protection is another sign of the EU's growing
influence as a trading bloc and its emergence as a regulatory
superpower." October 12, 2003 -- The Daily Yomiuri
(Japan) has reported that "a state-run financial institution, the largest
of its kind in the world, is about to move toward expanding the scale of its
service even further. Japan Post, which was inaugurated this April by
refashioning itself from a government organization into a public corporation,
has started preparing to expand the services it offers, including selling new
postal life insurance products....What is urgently needed is not the expansion
of Japan Post's services, but efforts to give concrete shape to the
privatization of this state-run enterprise." October 11, 2003 -- UPS has extended its congratulations to the governments of
the United States and Vietnam for successfully negotiating the first
comprehensive air service agreement between the two countries. The agreement
allows the airlines of both countries to provide U.S.-Vietnam air service with
their own aircraft as well as through expanded code-sharing. The agreement
also permits an unlimited number of scheduled all-cargo carriers to operate
with no limits on weekly frequencies. October 11, 2003 -- According to postal commentator Gene Del Polito, "APWU President William Burrus has laid down a
challenge mailers would be most eager to accept. If his union membership can
provide mail processing services more cost efficiently than the private
sector, then the Postal Service should opt to keep these functions in-house.
It's only reasonable to assume from the nature of his challenge, however, that
he and his union would accept the likelihood of greater worksharing and
outsourcing if it can be definitively proved that private sector forces
can provide these same services at no lesser quality but greater cost
savings. The only question that remains is whether the APWU is
willing to put the money where it's mouth is." October 11, 2003 -- The latest update on
postal news from the Great White North has been posted on this site.
Thanks go to the National Association of Major
Mail Users (Canada) for this courtesy. October 11, 2003 -- GovExec.com has
reported that "nearly 75 percent of agency personnel decisions were
upheld on appeal to the Merit Systems Protection Board in fiscal 2002,
according to a recent report. In fiscal 2002, Postal Service employees sent
the most appeals to MPSB, and consequently had the most dismissed cases, with
814 of 1,442 appeals rejected. But the Postal Service also had the largest
number of settled cases. Just 178 of its cases actually were decided by the
board. In fiscal 2001, the Postal Service had fewer cases dismissed, but a
greater number of cases were settled." October 11, 2003 -- The Guardian
(Nigeria) has reported that "the Nigeria Postal Services (NIPOST) is now
on the Internet, for the tracing of mail movements, among other
things." October 11, 2003 -- CNNMoney
has reported that "FedEx Corp. CEO Fred Smith said Thursday he is
not worried by a move by rival UPS to accelerate its delivery service because
he saw it as merely playing catch-up."
October 11, 2003 -- GoMemphis.com has reported that "FedEx Corp. typically looks
for the most direct route, so when it came to fighting terrorism it set up its
own state-trained police force qualified to make arrests and request search
warrants. The move also gave the shipping company the only corporate-occupied
seat on the regional joint terrorism task force here run by the FBI. Each
member has security clearance."
October 11, 2003 -- The Journal of
Commerce has reported that "DHL Worldwide Express plans to invest $58
million over the next two-and-a-half years to beef up infrastructure in
India."
October 10, 2003 -- Valpak has joined the
U.S. Postal Service "Business Partners for Business Solutions"
program with Valpak advertising representatives bringing marketing solutions
directly to U. S. post office lobbies. In a series of industry expert events,
USPS Business Line consumers will be able to consult one-on-one with Valpak,
the direct mail "expert," at local post offices in the Maryland,
Virginia and Washington, D.C. areas during the month of October. Valpak is one
of eight selected businesses to participate in this program, which targets
small businesses with the crucial components to help garner more customers and
grow budding enterprises.
October 10, 2003 -- The U.S. Department of
State has posted on its web site a report of "an interagency group on
postal policy joint study to assess the risks of eliminating Article 43 of the
Universal Postal Convention adopted in Beijing in 1999."
October 10, 2003 -- Ananova (U.K.) has
reported that "Royal Mail has launched an online service enabling home
movers to pass on their new address to their bank, electricity company or even
their gym in one go. Under the service, powered by change of address website
iammoving.com, users can choose from a list of more than 800 companies who
will then be notified of the move by Royal Mail." October 10, 2003 -- Business
Line (India) has reported that "a full year after consultants AF
Ferguson & Co submitted their positive report about the feasibility of the
Department of Posts entering the business of commercial logistics service
providing, the department is yet to take a decision on the matter." October 10, 2003 -- The Daily Mail
(U.K.) has reported that "Bank of Ireland is wielding the axe across its
Bristol & West network, closing 36 branches in cost-cutting exercise
designed to save UKpound 30 million. About 500 staff will lose their jobs. The
bombshell for them comes as Bank of Ireland announced a joint venture with the
Post Office to offer financial products across its 16,900 branch
network." See also the Irish
Independent. October 10, 2003 -- Postal watchers have long had a
look-see at the Postal Service's finances. Ever since United Parcel Service went
public, the same has been true for Big Brown. October 10, 2003 -- The Detroit
News has reported that "FedEx may be known for its ability to fly
packages across the country overnight, but trucks may be the company's future.
The shipping conglomerate increasingly is turning to its FedEx Ground
subsidiary to continue the battle against United Parcel Service for the
country's shipping market, and it is beginning to turn the tide, thanks in
part to its aggressive expansion plans." October 10, 2003 -- According to Dow Jones, "Argentina's privatized national postal company, Correo
Argentino S.A., made a public appeal Thursday defending its service and
blaming the government for many of its troubles. Correo Argentino's full-page
advertisement, entitled 'Correo Argentino, The Truth,' was widely published in
local newspapers Thursday and comes the day the company's two-year period of
bankruptcy protection expires. The company fell into the Argentine equivalent
of Chapter 11 in October 2001 and has amassed a debt of around 900 million
pesos ($1=ARS2.865)." October 10, 2003 -- The U.S. Postal
Service has announced that "in a move to maximize efficiencies while
reacting to downturns in the international economic climate, a Postal Service
official said today the agency will merge operations from the Dallas
International Service Center (ISC) into other Centers effective February 13,
2004. Dallas District Manager Carl January said the changes will be
transparent to customers." October 10, 2003 -- The Nashville City Paper has reported that "the battle
over the national Do-Not-Call list ended on Wednesday when a federal appeals
court gave the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) the go-ahead to start enforcing
the list. The court found that it is in the public’s interest to curb unwanted
telephone sales calls. As a consequence of the new telephone restrictions,
companies are likely to turn towards direct mail marketing." October 10, 2003 -- The Register-Herald has reported that "the recent theft of
outgoing mail from two mailboxes in the Scarbro area could signal a first step
toward identity theft, a postal inspector said." October 10, 2003 -- The Herald (Pakistan) has
reported that "the Pakistan Post Office (PPO) has decided to establish a
postal museum on I.I. Chundrigar Road where a library, a philatelic bureau, a
conference hall and a research centre will also be set up." October 10, 2003 -- The Jordan
Times has reported that "the Jordan Post Company (JPC) has
successfully implemented a restructuring and improvement plan despite
'immense' challenges, JPC Director General Ali Al Qudah said on Thursday,
which marked World Post Day. 'Our aim is to change the postal services' vision
and culture, as we are trying to computerise governmental and postal
services,' Qudah said in a press conference." October 10, 2003 -- The Arizona
Daily Star has reported that "after a week of arm-twisting, the Bush
administration got its way on Thursday when the House Appropriations Committee
voted to drop all proposals requiring Iraq to repay $20 billion in American
reconstruction aid. But the committee voted to eliminate $1.7 billion in
projects the administration had requested for Iraq - including new hospitals,
a postal code program, housing and garbage trucks
-and to require the administration to supply far more information on contracts
and spending than it has given in the past." October 10, 2003 --
BruneiDirect has reported that "the message relayed at the World
Postal Federation 2003 highlighted on competition and globalisation in the
private sectors. Efforts should be made by private businesses to find ways to
effectively compete in the global environment. Competition also exists among
postal administrations and this should be viewed in a positive outlook, as
this can help to bring about smarter and better services. It is also important
to give top priority to fulfill customers' needs and provide friendly services
with a smile in order to achieve the objective of a 'Universal Postal Service'
as outlined by the World Postal Association." October 10, 2003 -- Business Day has reported that "Japan's Prime Minister Junichiro
Koizumi has dissolved the lower house of parliament and called a general
election for November 9, the first he will contest as premier. His key targets
include full privatisation of Japan Post, which operates mail delivery and 355
trillion yen (3.2 trillion dollars) in savings and insurance funds by
2007." October 10, 2003 -- The Ledger has reported that "DHL will consolidate its two home
offices here and in Seattle and move its headquarters to South Florida during
the next 12 to 15 months. A final location has not been selected. Seattle had
been home to DHL's central headquarters." October 10, 2003 -- The Anchorage Daily
News has reported that "a federal judge has upheld revisions to
Alaska's bypass mail system, dismissing a lawsuit filed by two air carriers
that called the new program unconstitutional. Bypass mail, an Alaska-only
program, allows people to send goods at parcel post rates without going
through a post office." October 10, 2003 -- The Great Falls Tribune has reported that according to David Gunn, who's
been Amtrak's top dog for a year and a half, Amtrak is "'not going to cut
or reduce the service now in place. The goal is to improve what we already
have now.' Amtrak can be better, but not to the extent that it will stand on
its own without federal help, Gunn said. And it shouldn't have to, he
insisted. 'Keeping this system running, the nationwide passenger rail system,
is the responsibility of federal government, just like providing a
postal service or highways,' he said." So why isn't the
Postmaster General paid in the same manner as the CEO of Amtrak? October 10, 2003 -- Femail.co.uk has reported that "postal workers in
London are to stage a fresh strike next week in a long-running row over
allowances, adding to a wave of industrial unrest in the capital, union
leaders have announced. Members of the Communication Workers Union will walk
out for 24 hours on October 16, threatening huge disruption to mail
collections and deliveries." October 10, 2003 -- The Business Daily Update has
reported that "China's rapid economic development and its strategy to
develop its vast western areas have created an enormous demand for cargo
aircraft. It is predicted that air cargo transport in China will grow at an
average annual rate of 16 to 18 percent for the coming decades. China's
traditional air cargo transport, which usually relies on passenger planes, is
no longer meeting the demand." October 10, 2003 -- La Tribune (France) has
reported that "La Poste, the French state postal service operator, is
coming under increasing pressure to modernise, reduce costs and debts, and
improve services in the face of increasing competition from rivals using new
technologies. Currently, the company's debt amounts to 2.4 times its equity
capital, excluding off-balance-sheet items, and its turnover is showing only
sluggish growth. Required changes are said to include the modernisation of the
company's mail division and an improvement in the profitability of its express
delivery service, as well as the adaptation of its nationwide branch network
to the requirements of customers. Staffing costs are also said currently to be
too high to allow operations to reach a sufficient level of
profitability." October 10, 2003 -- The General Services
Administration (GSA) has published its mail policy advisory memorandum for
all federal agencies. October 10, 2003 --
GhanaWeb has reported that "the Volta Regional Directorate of the
Ghana Postal Service is to liase with district assemblies to revamp 120
dormant Postal Agencies in the region." October 10,
2003 -- The PakTribune has
reported that "the majority of Ministries in Kabul, along with most
provincial capitals, have extremely limited access to telecommunications and
the internet. Postal services are also recovering from years of conflict.
While there is a post office in every district, the majority are dilapidated
and lack even such basic equipment as scales and franking machines." October 10, 2003 -- The U.S. Postal Service has posted the
agenda for its November meeting of the Postmaster General's Mailers Technical
Advisory Committee on its RIBBS web site. October 10, 2003 -- Business Mailers Review has
reported that: October 10, 2003 -- Transport Intelligence has reported
that "U.S. logistics company, CH Robinson, has expanded its European
network with an acquisition in Germany. The company has purchased a small
Hamburg-based forwarding operation, Frank M. Viet GmbH Internationale
Spedition which provides non-asset based logistics services to 400
clients." October 10, 2003 -- The Yomiuri
Shimbun (Japan) has reported that "the Liberal Democratic
Party's campaign platform for the House of Representative election will stop
short of specifying a clear timetable for the privatization of the three
postal services, an issue that has been a focus of debate among party members,
according to sources close to the party." October 10, 2003 -- The U.S.
Postal Service has announced that it has published a final rule change in
the Federal Register that enables nonprofit
organizations better access to nonprofit mail rates for fund-raising. The rule
change exempts only fundraising mailings seeking monetary donations by
organizations authorized to mail at nonprofit rates. Mailings that include
solicitations for products or services are not exempt from the Cooperative
Mail Rule. The Postal Service will work with representatives of the nonprofit
and fundraising industry to educate nonprofits against potential abuse. If
unintended consequences occur after its adoption, the rule change will be
revisited." See also the report in the
Washington Post and the
Associated Press. October 10, 2003 -- According to the Express
India, "'think global but act local' is the motto of the Indian
postal service — and they’re sticking to it. Email might be cutting into
postal traffic, but they are not worried. 'We may have lost on traffic, but
not on our revenue. Our business development postal services easily makes up
for those losses,' says A B Joshi, post-master general, Pune. Pune’s regional
office’s strategy — to find niche areas and cash in on the huge Indian postal
set up. And some of the ways in which they are trying to do so are the E-bill
and the E-post. 'E-bill is an exciting new service. In Pune, we are talking
with one or two big names,' says Sandeep Patnaik, director of postal
services." October 10, 2003 -- CEP News
(Courier-Express-Postal) has reported that:
Don't be satisfied with a less than complete report on the courier,
express, and postal market in Europe. Get your subscription to CEP News,
today.. October 10, 2003 -- The Wandsworth Guardian
(U.K.) has reported that "south-west London’s businesses and residents
face huge delays in their post after Royal Mail workers in Tooting threatened
new strike action. The union said it is balloting workers at the office in the
next two weeks over possible strikes, with thousands more workers in the whole
south-west London postal area, covering an area from Victoria to Raynes Park,
being balloted later this month." October 9, 2003 -- The
Washington Post has an interesting article on "High-Tech Age Inherits
Door-to-Door Issues." It's worth reading. October 9, 2003 -- Reuters has
reported that "an executive of a U.S. cargo airline accused of skirting
foreign ownership restrictions said on Wednesday its biggest customer,
European-based DHL Worldwide Express, has no influence over its operations
despite important financial ties." October 9, 2003 -- The Interagency Mail Policy Council
will hold its fifth Annual Federal Mail Educational Forum, December 3, 2003
from 8:30 to 4:00 at the GSA Building Auditorium 1800 F Street NW Washington,
DC 20405. Please contact Derrick Miliner for more information at 202 208-4706
or derrick.miliner@gsa.gov. October 9, 2003 -- Dow Jones has reported that "Dutch postal and logistics company TPG NV
(TP) could be interested in acquiring a majority stake in Belgium's De post/La
Poste." October 9, 2003 -- The
Guardian (U.K.) has reported that "Royal Mail, Europe's biggest retailer,
yesterday mounted a serious challenge to Britain's banks and building
societies with plans to offer mortgages, credit cards and other personal
finance products through its 17,000 post office branches. The state-owned
company launched a joint venture with Bank of Ireland designed to capture a
slice of the already crowded market for savings and loans and a range of
insurance products." October 9, 2003 -- DM
News has reported that "Global-Z International, a bureau that processes
international mailing addresses, said yesterday that it formed partnerships
with Deutsche Post Adress GmbH and La Poste to provide national change of
address services. The service would let companies identify customers who
changed addresses and update their database with the new address information
for those customers. Through its partnership with Deutsche Post Adress GmbH,
Global-Z will provide change of address services for Germany, Switzerland,
Austria, the Netherlands, United Kingdom, France and Belgium." October 8, 2003 -- The nation's largest and most
successful missing child recovery initiative, ADVO, Inc.'s America's Looking For
Its Missing Children program, was honored today during the unveiling of a
new Smithsonian Institution exhibit, In the Line of Duty: Dangers, Disasters
and Good Deeds. A portion of the exhibit, which focuses on the heroic acts of
U.S. postal workers, highlights the success of the ADVO, National Center for
Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), and United States Postal Service
partnership that is credited with the safe recoveries of 129 children since
May 1985. October 8, 2003 -- The Denver
Post has reported that "the U.S. Postal Service is fighting two
class-action lawsuits from disabled Colorado postal workers who accuse the
agency of not promoting workers injured on the job and of routinely denying
applications for a protected type of unpaid medical leave." October 8, 2003 -- The Financial Times (U.K.) has reported that
"a consumer watchdog said Royal Mail's plans to compensate customers for
delayed letters was 'cobbled together' and ignored lost and damaged mail." October 8, 2003 -- DMNews
has reported that "Thomas E. Leavey, director general of the Universal
Postal Union, told postal industry leaders attending Post-Expo 2003 in
Brussels yesterday that the worldwide postal network is critical to bridging
the digital divide between people who have access to information and
communication technologies and those who do not. Leavey told delegates at the
postal business forum that despite falling letter-mail volumes, the postal
service is in a unique position to meet the challenges of the information
society." October 8, 2003 -- The Russia Journal
has reported that "the first electronic transfers of funds between Russia and
Ukraine will take place today. The tariff on the transfers from Russia to
Ukraine is set at 10 percent, which is 2 percentage points lower than the
tariff on the identical transfer from Russia to countries outside the CIS,
according to Igor Syrtsov, the General Director of the Russian state-run
company Pochta Rossii (Mail of Russia). He said that, by the end of the year,
the tariff would be lowered by 3 percentage points." October 8, 2003 -- The Asahi
Shimbun has reported that "if it goes private, the Finance Ministry may
also lose a massive funding source. With the launch of his new Cabinet, Prime
Minister Junichiro Koizumi's crusade to privatize Japan Post has entered a key
phase. The question now is how to bolster the postal corporation's capital
base-and how the government will cope once its longtime source of funds is in
private hands. Japan Post, which began operation in April, manages 230
trillion yen in postal savings deposits and 120 trillion yen in postal life
insurance policies. This huge pool of funds accounts for about 20 percent of
Japan's total individual assets. One of the reasons postal deposits, in
particular, have ballooned to such gargantuan proportions is because the
government has traditionally guaranteed the principal." October 8, 2003 -- The Australian has reported that "the nation's postal
service is the most reliable and one of the cheapest in the world, according
to Australia Post's annual report. The report, tabled in federal parliament
today, showed Australia Post's on-time letter delivery reached an all time
high of 96.5 per cent in the 2002/2003 financial year." See also the Financial
Review. October 8, 2003 -- Ancora, a
presorting and mailing services companies, has been awarded the U.S. Postal
Service's "Best in Class" for its East Division. The U.S. Postal Service award
recognizes that Ancora has "implemented innovative programs in address
quality, mail preparation and presort optimization to improve mailing
operations and that have enhanced the value of using the mail to meet business
objectives." October 8, 2003 -- The BBC (U.K.) has
reported that " Customers could get up to £10 back Customers could
receive up to £10 compensation if their post is delivered late, the Royal
Mail has said. Standard compensation - a book of First Class stamps worth
£3.36 - will be offered to customers from 6 October. Cash payments will
be introduced in the new year for people who can prove they have suffered
severe delays. Postal watchdog Postwatch described the move as a "welcome
step" but said the measures did not go far enough." See also The
Guardian. October 7, 2003 -- The Federal Times has
reported that "rhetoric in the debate over postal reform reached a new pitch
when the president of the largest postal union referred to large corporate
mailers as "vermin" in an editorial circulating online." October 7, 2003 -- The Financial
Times has reported that "the European Commission has called on Copenhagen
to investigate the ties between United Parcel Service and a Danish airline in
an attempt to establish whether the US delivery giant has effective control
over the carrier - a finding that, if confirmed, could lead the airline to
lose its licence." October 7, 2003 -- DMNews has reported that "eleven former commissioners who served on the
congressionally appointed Base Realignment and Closure Commission in the 1980s
and 1990s sent a letter to Congress on Oct. 1 that endorsed applying the BRAC
model to plans to close unneeded U.S. Postal Service facilities. " October 7, 2003 -- The Journal of
Commerce has reported that "FedEx Corp. and United Parcel Service on
Monday asked the U.S. Department of Transportation to lift the Dec. 1 deadline
for an administrative law judge's recommendations on the ownership of Astar
Air Cargo, formerly DHL Airways." October 7, 2003 -- Siemens
Dematic AG, a subsidiary of Siemens AG, and Firstlogic today announced
that they are cooperating on the development and delivery of OCR, video
coding, and address-management-related products and services for postal
customers. Under their cooperation agreement, the companies are working
together to integrate Firstlogic technologies into Siemens' automated address
reading, video coding and mail sorting solutions for the postal industry. More
specifically, Firstlogic will tailor its address lookup and postcode
assignment tools for use in Siemens' customer-specific address reading
solutions. Siemens will perform the associated integration and will have
access to multiple Firstlogic tools for database analysis and improvement. In
addition, Siemens will have the option of offering Firstlogic's base
video-coding technology as an alternative to its own full-function
video-coding product. October 7, 2003 -- Dow Jones has reported that "The United States Postal Service and EBay
Inc. (EBAY) announced an agreement to expand shipping options available
directly through EBay. In a press release Monday, the Postal Service said EBay
users will be able to print shipping labels, pay postage and check delivery
status on items, through the EBay Web site. EBay users will also no longer
need to conduct transactions at post offices, the USPS said." October 7, 2003 -- SkyNews
(U.K.) has reported that "Postal workers in London are expected to mount
another strike in the next few days, disrupting deliveries across the capital.
Union leaders are expected to announce an October 16 walkout, coinciding with
a separate pay strike by council workers. Postal workers across the country
will receive a pay rise over the next few days even though a national dispute
remains unresolved." October 7, 2003 -- DM
News has reported that "Recognition software vendor Parascript LLC will
supply technology for the U.S. Postal Service's Automated Package Processing
System, the company said yesterday. The APPS system, capable of processing
9,500 packages an hour, will automatically sort First-Class bulk mail,
Priority Mail envelopes and parcels, and magazines and catalogs. It will
replace more than 100 of the mechanized Small Parcel and Bundle Sorting
machines at 70 postal facilities nationwide. The USPS has said the system will
be deployed in 2004." October 6, 2003 -- JoongAng Daily (Korea) has reported that "Korea Post, the nation's
government-run postal service, wants to be allowed to invest 5.5 trillion won
($4.8 billion) in Korea's stock markets beginning next year. The post office
and its affiliated savings and insurance programs have total assets of about
50 trillion won. The agency said it expected no major opposition to the plan
in the Assembly, which must approve it, and has gained the assent of other
ministries for the proposal." October 6, 2003 -- For three days in October, the parcel
shipping industry will take center stage at Parcel Shipping & Distribution
Forum www.parcelforum.com, October
20-22, 2003 at the Radisson O'Hare in Rosemont, Illinois. October 6, 2003 -- The Jamaica Observer has reported
that Jamaican "commerce, science and technology minister, Phillip Paulwell, is
to take a proposal to Cabinet later this month for a hike in postal rates. The
rate increase is expected to help the Postal Corporation of Jamaica, which now
has annual losses of $300 million a year, become profitable by Paulwell's
target date of 2006." October 6, 2003 -- The U.S. Postal Service has posted its
2004-2008 Five-Year Strategic Plan on its web site. October 6, 2003 -- Information Builders has announced that the
United States Postal Service will add WebFOCUS as its web based reporting
solution to its enterprise solution set. The US Postal Service is also a long
time user of Information Builders FOCUS product, whose success stimulated the
current choice. The software will add significant value to the USPS' numerous
data sources and applications, including its NCR Teradata Business Warehouse.
Additionally, Information Builders will assist in moving legacy applications
to the Web. October 6, 2003 -- The Nikkei News Service has
reported that "the Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy (CEFP) has approved
five principles that will guide its plan to privatize Japan's postal
operations. The council intends to compile around next spring an interim
report outlining the major issues concerning privatization, followed by a
final report around next fall. The prime minister would then submit
legislation to the ordinary Diet session in 2005, aiming for privatization of
postal operations by April 2007." October 6, 2003 -- Air Cargo World has reported
that "with new flight freedoms out of Hong Kong, United Parcel Service
and FedEx say they will start flights this month between Hong Kong
International Airport and their respective European hubs, allowing them to tap
into business from European companies investing in China. UPS and FedEx both
gained rights out of Hong Kong International Airport as part of a new treaty
between the United States and Hong Kong. But the new flights won't necessarily
change larger service strategies that are pointing more directly into
China." October 6, 2003 -- According to the Taiwan
News, "At FedEx, the sky's the limit in terms of career
progression." October 6, 2003 -- The Wall Street Journal has
reported that:
October 6, 2003 -- The Evening Standard
(U.K.) has reported that British postal "union leaders representing
London post workers will meet this week to decide on further strike action. A
walkout last week disrupted postal services across the capital and cost Royal
Mail between £7 and £10 million. The Communication Workers Union has
threatened more strikes over its demand for a £4,000 payment for the
additional cost of living in the capital. It warns it will consider holding
the next strike on 16 October to coincide with a 24-hour stoppage by town hall
workers who are also demanding an increase in London Weighting." October 6, 2003 -- As the
Straits Times (Singapore) has noted, "when the Hanshin Tigers
baseball team won the Central League pennant race last month for the first
time in 18 years, a set of commemorative stamps bearing the players'
photographs immediately went on sale. The stamps were available not only at
post offices but also at convenience stores nationwide. Advertisement The
innovative sales campaign was just the latest example of how Japan's postal
service has been transformed ever since an ex-shipping executive was chosen to
turn a 132-year-old bureaucracy into a business-driven corporation." October 6, 2003 -- PostalWatch announces the release of the
first annual "Postal Quick
Reference" October 5, 2003 -- Traffic World has
reported that "small cargo carriers are expecting a lump of coal in their
Christmas stocking this year from the U.S. Postal Service. It is planning to
send more of its holiday season business to FedEx Corp. USPS is cutting back
the number of Christmas Network contracts it awards to cargo carriers as it
plans to move more mail on the ground and capitalize on its two-year-old
relationship with FedEx. Known as C-Net contracts, the business deals
historically have kept some small cargo carriers in business." October 5, 2003 -- The
Times (U.K.) has reported that the Irish post office"An Post is to
sell off its mobile-phone top-up operations in the UK and Spain in deals that
are expected to raise up to €40m. The troubled semi-state company is also
set to dispose of a number of smaller subsidiaries in an attempt to raise
much-needed cash and to focus the company's management on core
activities." October 4, 2003 -- The BBC Monitoring Service (U.K.) has reported
that "the head of the management board of the [Bosnian] Serb Republic
Postal Services, Milorad Zrnic, has said that criminal charges filed against
him and other officials by the replaced Serb Republic Postal Services
director-general, Milutin Pejic, are an attempt to frighten the management
board. He announced that, together with other members of the management board,
he will respond by filing counter-charges for slander." October 4, 2003 -- The New York Times has reported that
"postal workers in New York City falsified delivery dates for express
mail to give the appearance the mail was delivered on time, according to a
study by the United States Postal Service's Inspector General. The study found
that in the year ending Aug. 12, 2002, 12 to 48 percent of express letters in
six major Manhattan post offices had been hand-marked as delivered, instead of
tracked by a computer system that records delivery times. In those cases, it
found that drivers and mail carriers feared disciplinary measures for late
delivery and "used the manual function on their scanner to falsify delivery
times." October 4, 2003 -- The Ventura County Star has reported that "William Almaraz of
Ventura doesn't get to blame the U.S. Postal Service when a piece of mail gets
lost. As the postal district manager for Los Angeles, he's responsible for
making sure that every letter, package and credit-card offer is delivered to
the proper mailbox in a district that serves 3.6 million people. He and his
14,000 employees, who handle more than 10 million pieces of mail daily, do
their job so well -- achieving a 95 percent on-time delivery rate for
first-class mail -- that Almaraz received the Postmaster General's Award for
2002-2003. He was one of five Postal Service employees nationwide to win the
award." October 4, 2003 -- Bus
iness World (Ireland) has reported that "An Post is to stop
collecting tv licence fees on behalf of RTE within two years, according to a
report this morning. The business is worth more than 10m euro a year to the
postal agency." October 4, 2003 -- The Asso
ciated Press has reported that "a Jewish veteran and a civil
liberties group sued the U.S. Postal Service on Friday, challenging a
church-run post office that distributes Christian material. The Full Gospel
Interdenominational Church operates the downtown Manchester post office, where
customers can buy stamps, ship packages, pick up religious brochures and
donate money to Christian ministries." October 4, 2003 -- According to one writer for CapitolHillBlue, "My favorite news tidbit this week is the
administration's plan to spend $9 million to give Iraq ZIP codes. Spending $9
million to establish ZIP codes shows the scope of the American reconstruction
plan. It gives new definition to the word generosity. Americans knew Iraq
faced terrible problems with roads, electricity and water, but who knew the
people were so worried about slow mail?" October 4, 2003 --
Pitney Bowes Global Mailing Systems President Murray Martin told a
gathering of Washington's postal mavens at the Cato Institute "postal
reform is essential because the Postal Service is a linchpin of the much
larger mailing industry, which in turn plays a key role in our
economy." October 4, 2003 -- A memorandum from PostCom
Board Chairman Jim O'Brien to PostCom's membership on the results of a
meeting between a delegation of mailers and postal officials dealing with some
key issues that had been raised in comments at the July Flats Summit has been
posted on this site. October 4, 2003 -- The Journal of
Commerce has reported that "FedEx Corp. increased its estimates of
the costs of a previously announced early retirement and severance program,
which were now expected to result in a pretax charge of $380 million to $420
million in fiscal 2004." October 3, 2003 -- CNNMoney
has reported that "snap-happy Japan's love affair with the camera has
reached new heights -- people now can put their face or favorite pic on a
stamp." October 3, 2003 -- The Motley Fool has
reported that 'despite the dismal job market, an unexpectedly high number of
FedEx employees made a beeline for the door when it offered 'early retirement
packages.'" October 3, 2003 -- For the benefit of the postal "vermin"
of the world, a complete copy of the article by American Postal Workers
Union President William Burrus
has been posted on this site. The .pdf is a large file, so a smaller optically read text file also has
been posted. October 3, 2003 -- The Wash
ington Post has reported that "the Bush administration's plan to
restructure Amtrak ran into nearly universal bipartisan opposition yesterday
from a Senate committee, and Chairman John McCain (R-Ariz.) said he fears
Congress will continue to subsidize the passenger railroad's losses while
demanding no basic changes in how it operates." Just think about the
Postal Service. October 3, 2003 -- The Financial
Times (U.K.) has reported that "Royal Mail said yesterday that it
would not increase its pay offer to London staff despite a 24-hour postal
strike in the capital on Wednesday. The company is offering £3,784 per
year in London living allowance to workers in inner London and £2,667 per
year to those in outer London, a rise of £300. The Communication Workers'
Union has rejected this offer and is demanding £4,000 for all London
staff." October 3, 2003 -- Le Figaro
(France) has reported that "the new contract for French post office La
Poste is set to be ratified on 23 October. La Poste is expected to be
authorised to distribute property loans without prior savings from 2005
onwards." October 3, 2003 -- The Lexington
Institute has written "a letter to Congressional leaders, [in which]
eleven former Commissioners who served on the Base Realignment and Closure
(BRAC) Commission endorsed a new plan to apply the BRAC model to closing
unneeded U.S. Postal Service (USPS) facilities. The plan was originally
proposed this summer by a panel appointed by President Bush to consider the
future of the USPS. It is among the findings currently under review on Capitol
Hill and by the Bush Administration for possible legislative action." October 3, 2003 -- The American
Postal Workers Union has alleged that "the Postal Service is imposing
limits on the number of employees it will release for voluntary early
retirement, in clear violation of its Collective Bargaining Agreement with the
APWU." Lu's News and
Views has posted the item the U.S. Postal Service has written "in
response to Mr. Burrus' letter to Mr. Vegliante dated July 28, in which the
APWU invoked the parties' Administrative Dispute Resolution Procedures to
address questions associated with the voluntary early retirement program. The
parties met on August 5, 2003, to discuss this issue. The following represents
the Postal Service's response to the contentions of the APWU." Kind of
reminds you of the saying that "a house divided against itself cannot
stand." October 3, 2003 -- In recognition of his dedication and
commitment to help those in need of life-saving marrow and stem cell
transplants, Postma
ster General John E. Potter will receive the Zumwalt Legacy Award from The
Marrow Foundation Oct. 1 at the Smithsonian Institution's National Postal
Museum. The Zumwalt Legacy Award is named in memory of The Marrow Foundation's
founding chairman, Admiral E. R. Zumwalt, Jr., whose extraordinary leadership,
first with the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) and subsequently with The
Marrow Foundation, led to a dramatic increase in the availability of marrow
and stem cell transplants for all patients, regardless of ethnic or racial
heritage. October 3, 2003 -- DMNews has reported that "the U.S. Postal Service has begun a test with six
large mailers that will allow online access to its Business Service Network,
which offers personalized service and help with unique mailing
needs." October 3, 2003 -- Cape Business News (South
Africa) has reported that "the Cape Town Regional Chamber of Commerce and
Industry says a new law approved by Parliament last week has created
insecurity in the parcel delivery industry and put many thousands of jobs at
risk. In terms of the Postal Services Amendment Act only the Post Office or
its own courier and delivery companies may deliver items weighing less than 1
kg." See also the
Business Report. October 3, 2003 -- As one writer for the Chicago
Sun Times put it: "The Bush administration's proposed $20.3 billion
budget for reconstruction in Iraq includes some interesting items, like $54
million to study the possible computerization of the Iraqi postal service.
It's the post office thing that first caught my attention. The $54 million
does not include the $9 million required to improve the "business
practices" of the current postal system and break the country into ZIP
codes. So what, exactly, does it include?" October 3, 2003 -- "BIPIANO" is the last
enhancement of the Elsag lettermail sorting
system designed to cover pre-sorting, final sorting, sequencing. The BIPIANO
is characterized by two high capacity stacker tiers with tray lodges under
each stacker, thus optimising operational, ergonomic, functional and economic
aspects, and granting compactness and high performances features. October 3, 2003 -- TamilNet
has reported that the "United Alliance Postal Employees' Unions (UAPEU)
Thursday announced that a picketing campaign would be conducted in Colombo
Friday to force the Sri Lanka government to consider three demands including a
salary increase." October 3, 2003 -- B2B Online has reported
that "the U.S. Postal Service signed an agreement with BPA International
and the Audit Bureau of Circulations to allow auditing companies to conduct
initial as well as periodic audits in order to qualify publications for USPS
periodical rates. Prior to the agreement, BPA and ABC were not allowed to
handle the initial audits. Such authority was sought because publishers,
especially when launching new publications, increasingly rely on electronic
sources that the postal service's methods could not adequately
address." October 3, 2003 -- USPS linkOnline has reported
that: October 3, 2003 -- The Periodical Publishers
Association (U.K.) has reported that "Royal Mail chief executive Adam
Crozier has warned that this week's 24 hour postal strike in London could cost
the national carrier up to £10m." October 3, 2003 -- The Bangkok
Post (Thailand) has reported that "the World Philatelic Exhibition
kicks off at Impact Muang Thong Thani on Saturday and runs until October 13.
Its opening coincides with celebrations to mark the 120th anniversary of the
establishment of a postal service in the Kingdom." October 3, 2003 -- The Daily Express
(Malaysia) has reported that "budget airline AirAsia said Wednesday it
will start flying between Kuala Lumpur and Johor near Singapore on October 22
for less than the fare of a second-class train ticket. In preparation for the
launch, AirAsia signed an agreement on Wednesday with postal operator
Singapore Post (SingPost) to sell airline seats in its first step to market
the carrier outside its homebase." October 3, 2003 -- According to Forbes,
"Netflix may have been the first company to corner the market for online
DVD rentals, but that's no guarantee that the dot-com survivor will have the
last word. One way that the dot-com is hoping to keep
its lead on competitors is by augmenting delivery speed--from three days to
only one. Netflix says it now reaches 70% of its customers in one day. The aim
is to get to 80% by year's end. To achieve this goal, Netflix is opening new
shipping centers." October 3, 2003 -- Javelin Strategy & Research ( www.javelinstrategy.com ) has
released "Online Banking and Bill Paying: New Protection from Identity
Theft," the first quantifiable study of how Internet use can help protect
consumers and reduce identity theft. The report concludes that, contrary to
popular assumptions, using the Internet can actually help protect consumers
and businesses from two of the most common kinds of identity theft: fraudulent
opening of a new accounts and unauthorized use of existing accounts. The most
significant benefits come from online banking and viewing and paying bills,
which can help prevent more than one million cases of identity theft and save
consumers and businesses $4.8 billion annually. October 3, 2003 -- The Journal of
Commerce has reported that "FedEx Express has added direct flights
from Memphis and Oakland to Tokyo's Narita airport, part of a wide-ranging
upgrade designed to offer faster service to Japan. The MD-11 service from the
U.S. operates early Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings. Previously,
those flights all stopped in Anchorage." October 2, 2003 -- According to DMNews postal commentator Cary Baer, "it seems to many that if your biggest problem is
declining volume in your most important product line, you would do all you
could to boost that product line or make major efforts to boost volume in your
other key lines. That doesn't seem to be the case at the postal service. The
USPS seems caught in a bottleneck that has resulted in no progress on
potential volume growth initiatives. There are two efforts, under the
direction of the USPS marketing department, that aim to increase or at least
maintain mail volume and reduce costs. They are product redesign and
negotiated service agreements." October 2, 2003 -- As the Indianapo
lis Star has noted, shippers "contrasting strategies illustrate the
conflicting messages the shipping industry is picking up these days:
Indications that the economy is perking up are tempered by signs of corporate
stinginess." October 2, 2003 -- According to Quad
Graphics postal affairs director Joseph Schick, "the most fundamental
values held by the mailer community are now at risk. The real problem is not
the Internet, e-mail or traditional competitors, instead the mailstream is
increasingly equated with spam and telemarketing. The potential damage to our
industry -- and to our nation --cannot be overlooked." October 2, 2003 -- The
Telegraph (U.K.) has reported that "the Telecommunications Council of
the EU, mainly postal and telecoms ministers from member countries, is meeting
today to agree a Community-wide plan for the liberalisation of delivery
services. Walking wounded: The Royal Mail is under pressure from all sides It
is expected to restrict the monopoly power of the current state postal
organisations in most countries. Sweden has liberalised already and the UK and
Finland have started introducing a system of licences; the rest are still
tightly controlled."
October 2, 2003 -- The OPM-Treasury
Joint Report - Financing of Benefits Attributable to the Military Service
of Current and Former Employees of the USPS has now been posted on the House
Committee on Government Reform web site.
October 2, 2003 -- Infonet Services Corporation, a provider of global
communications services for multinationals, has announced that TNT Logistics,
a division of TPG, the global provider of mail, express and logistics
services, has chosen Infonet to provide an MPLS-enabled IP VPN Secure network
for 15 TNT Logistics sites in Europe, Asia, Australia and the United States.
October 2, 2003 -- The
Times (U.K.) has reported that "senior Royal Mail managers were
bussed into London to deliver post yesterday in an effort to keep some
services going when 26,000 workers walked out in a pay dispute.
October 2, 2003 -- The Financial
Times (U.K.) has reported that "a 24-hour postal strike in London
yesterday put a stop to deliveries and left a backlog of mail that could take
five days to clear. As many as 28,000 Royal Mail workers, mainly delivery and
sorting staff, took industrial action over the level of London living
allowance. The Communication Workers' Union has rejected Royal Mail's London
weighting offer of £3,784 per year for inner London and £2,667 per
year for outer London, and is demanding £4,000 for all staff in the
capital."
October 2, 2003 -- A writer for the World
Socialist has written that "whether or not postal privatization
becomes legislation this session, and it appears that it will not, many of the
commission´s major recommendations are the continuation—albeit,
with important differences—of policies that have already been implemented
by postal management: outsourcing work, facility closures, job cuts and
speedup. The ritualistic and perfunctory condemnations by the postal unions of
the final report are notable for their lack of comment on this aspect."
October 2, 2003 -- As DMNews has noted, "the Treasury Department recommended in a report issued
Sept. 30 that the U.S. Postal Service pay the estimated $27 billion its
employees who are military veterans are scheduled to receive for military
service when they retire."
October 2, 2003 -- Seychelles
Nation has reported that "increased postage and post office box rates
have been implemented after approval from the minister for finance,
Vice-President James Michel. According to a press release from the Seychelles
Post Office, the new rates, which in some cases have risen by some 33 percent,
have been put in place to compensate for delivery service cost changes as a
result of the macro-economic reform programme. The press release indicates
that many of the increases also reflect the changes in costs since the rates
were last revised in 1991."
October 2, 2003 -- The Jamaica
Observer has reported that "buoyed by the Postal Corporation of
Jamaica's $128 million jump in revenue last year, commerce, science and
technology minister, Phillip Paulwell, has urged the corporation's board to
ensure that the island's postal service is profitable by 2006."
October 2, 2003 -- Bus
iness World (Ireland) has reported that "the regulator for postal
services has reduced An Post's so-called "reserved" services,
opening up more of the market to competition. From January 2004, An Post will
no longer have any monopoly over cross-border mail posted in Ireland, ComReg
said today. This includes mail to Northern Ireland, Britain, Europe and the
rest of the world."
October 2, 2003 -- The Telegraph (U.K.)
has reported that "a huge backlog of mail has built up because of a
24-hour strike by postal workers which has crippled collections and deliveries
in London."
October 2, 2003 -- WTOP Radio
asked: "Ever felt your prayers went unanswered? Try sending a letter to
God and chances are it will end up - as many do each year - at an Israeli post
office in Jerusalem, where they are read and sent on to the holy Western Wall.
The letters come from all over the world in a host of languages."
October 2, 2003 -- The Journal of
Commerce has reported that "August was a dismal month for U.S. air
cargo carriers, with volume down 2.6 percent from the same month a year ago.
Traffic was down in almost all sectors, except for trans-Pacific freight and
express, which scored a 2.6 percent gain in ton-miles, according to the Air
Transport Association. Trans-Atlantic freight and express volume was down 3
percent, while Latin American traffic freight and express plunged 15.3
percent. Total international freight and express volume fell 3.5 percent,
while domestic freight and express slipped 2.6 percent. Mail was up 6.8
percent, with a 13.2 percent gain in domestic mail far surpassing the 2.6
percent decline in international mail."
October 2, 2003 -- According to GovExec.com,
"the Postal Service could become the first federal agency to fully fund
retiree health benefits, if lawmakers act on a proposal sent to Congress
Tuesday. But at least one significant roadblock stands in the way—a
conflicting set of recommendations from the Treasury Department."
October 1, 2003 -- The
Wall Street Journal has reported that "the U.S. Postal Service urged
the Postal Rate Commission to speed up the process for approving special
discounts created for individual mailers. The Postal Service recommended that
the commission, which oversees postage rates, set a time limit of 150 days to
review requests for "negotiated service agreements." It took 239
days for the PRC to scrutinize and endorse the first such price breaks, given
to credit-card company Capital One Financial Corp. in May. Postal officials,
in comments filed with the PRC, contend that a streamlined approval process is
needed to encourage other mailers to pursue discounts. The Capital One deal,
with discounts of as much as six cents a letter for three years, was a major
break from the post office's traditional one-size-fits-all rate structure,
which can put it at a disadvantage when competing with private carriers for
large-volume customers." A full copy of the Postal Service's comments can
be found on the Postal Rate
Commission web site.
October 1, 2003 -- Discover Financial Services has told the Postal Rate Commission that
"the Commission's role in reviewing functionally-equivalent NSAs should
be to ensure that the negotiated bargain meets the requirements of the
statute, and that the proposal is reviewed in the shortest time possible.
Under no circumstances should the Commission rewrite the contract terms, or
second-guess the balance of the benefits and the assumptions of the risks that
both parties have made. To do so would be to upset the delicate mechanics of
the contracting process and artificially distort the bargain the parties have
reached."
October 1, 2003 -- In its comments to the Rate Commission, Cap
ital One said that it "must express disappointment that the
Commission has chosen to impose procedural and evidentiary burdens on the
consideration of new baseline NSAs that are more time consuming and extreme
than those employed in the consideration of the Capital One NSA, a docket with
29 parties that consumed 239 days from its commencement to its conclusion,
required the testimony of 15 witnesses, filled over 2,200 pages of testimony
and required three sets of hearings and cross examination."
October 1, 2003 -- The Di
rect Marketing Association, Inc. (DMA), Magazine Publishers of America, Inc.
(MPA), Mail Order Association of America (MOAA), National Postal Policy
Council (NPPC), and Parcel Shippers Association (PSA) told the Postal Rate
Commission that while they "strongly support the use of Negotiated
Service Agreements...if the proposed rules are adopted without substantial
change, we expect our members would be reluctant to pursue requests for
Negotiated Service Agreements in the face of the uncertainties and burdensome
information and data requirements."
October 1, 2003 -- The Office of the
Consumer Advocate (OCA) told the Postal Rate Commission that "for the
most part the OCA concurs with the thrust of the proposed rules. However, due
to the high degree of financial uncertainty experienced in the first NSA case,
the OCA proposes that certain filing requirements be more rigorous."
October 1, 2003 -- In its most recent communication to its
members, the American Postal Workers Union (APWU) claimed that "efforts
have been made to reach common ground with the large mailers, overlooking the
fact that the mailers are not allies, but rather are vermin that, given the
opportunity, would suck the lifeblood out of every right and benefit that has
been achieved. Their fundamental goal is to reduce postal wage and benefits in
order to keep their postage costs low." File this under "sweet
nothings."
October 1, 2003 -- The Prague Business
Journal has reported that "the Ministry of Informatics' rejection of
a complaint by Ceska Posta against the press distribution company MediaServis
is expected to erode the state-owned mail deliverer's monopoly. Ceska Posta
filed a complaint with the ministry in June after MediaServis ran a direct
mail campaign for a large bank in Prague. The company delivered thousands of
letters to individual addresses of potential customers containing information
about the new bank service. Ceska Posta said the campaign infringed its
protected monopoly area which it is granted in return for it providing a
nationwide public mail delivery service. The monopoly covers personal letters
up to 350 grams in weight. Direct marketing companies are allowed to send out
non-addressed, non-personalized marketing materials."
October 1, 2003 -- UPS
Supply Chain Solutions has been rated as the No. 1 logistics provider in
Inbound Logistics´ annual “Top 10 3PL Excellence Award’
survey.
October 1, 2003 -- The Treasur
y Department's report regarding the CSRS reform savings to the House
Committee on Government Reform has been posted on this site.
October 1, 2003 -- CEP News
(Courier-Express-Postal) has reported that: Don't be satisfied with a less than complete report on the courier,
express, and postal market in Europe. Get your subscription to CEP News
today. October 1, 2003 -- The
Age (Australia) has reported that "a new alliance offering Australian
small businesses a alternative international mail service is set to challenge
the market domination of Australia Post. Posten (Swedish Post), its subsidiary
Direct Link and MBE Business Service Centres have combined to offer MBE
I-Mail, a service designed with the needs of small businesses in mind. Rather
than going to a post office, MBE clients and account holders will be able to
lodge international mail at any Business Service Centre in Australia and New
Zealand. MBE, which offers a range of business services including postal,
courier, stationery supplies and computer and office services, has almost 50
stores in Australia's eastern states. 'The provision of mail services through
retail services has traditionally been dominated by Australia Post, but the
MBE and Posten alliance will give Australian and New Zealand businesses more
choice,' MBE managing director Mark Jones said." October 1, 2003 -- Dow Jones has reported
that "Singapore Post Ltd. - the listed postal services arm of
Singapore Telecommunications Ltd., said Wednesday that mail volumes have
improved but declined to comment on earnings." October 1, 2003 -- A report of the EMA Foundation seminar on
"Postal Reform 2003: An
Assessment" has been posted on this site. October 1, 2003 -- Greg Manning Auctions, Inc. has announced the company will
auction a major portion of the United Nations' philatelic archives on November
18-21, 2003, including archival material from New York, Geneva and Vienna
deaccessioned by the U.N. October 1, 2003 -- Asahi
Shimbun (Japan) has reported that "a tea lounge opened in a corner of
a small post office. Nothing fancy-just one tsubo (two tatami mats, or 3.3
square meters) in size with a bench and tea accouterments. The lounge was the
idea of the postmaster who wanted it to be a friendly community space where
customers could drop in and chat over cups of tea." What's next?
Starbucks in post offices? Or, perhaps post offices in Starbucks! October 1, 2003 -- The Australian
Broadcasting Corporation has reported that "the Australian Federal
Government is to establish a postal industry ombudsman to handle complaints
from people dissatisfied with postal services. Communications Minister Richard
Alston says the ombudsman will be a high-profile office to investigate
complaints about Australia Post and others in the industry that join the
scheme. Postal operators that do not join the ombudsman scheme will still be
covered by existing state and territory fair trading laws. See also the Courier-Mail. October 1, 2003 -- The Associated Press has reported that:
October 1, 2003 -- Dow Jones has reported that "the U.S. Postal Service should pay for
all employees' military benefit costs since the USPS became independent in
1971, Treasury told Congress Tuesday. "We believe that Postal Service
should be responsible for all of its retirement costs, and it is irrelevant
what may or may not have been paid for by Treasury under the old law,"
Treasury and the Office of Personnel Management said in its report to
Congress." October 1, 2003 -- Gateway2Russia has
reported that "n the future, Russians will have the opportunity to get
information about their pension accounts and transfer money from one managing
company to another using plastic cards. To date, the fund had prepared 29.4
million notices about pension resources accumulated by insured Russians, and
pointed out that 20.5 million notices had already been passed to post offices
to be sent. [Unfortunately,] to date, 1.8 million letters were passed to the
postal service in Moscow, and 1.5 million of them had already been delivered.
Zurabov reported that a bit more than 45,000 notices had been 'discarded' as
they included imprecise data about the address or place of work of the
receiver. In total, he pointed out that the error rate is below 2-3
percent." October 1, 2003 -- Transport Intelligence has reported
that "in a move which could be the catalyst to consolidation in the
European airline industry, Air France has announced that it has reached
agreement with Dutch airline KLM to acquire the company." October 1, 2003 -- The Federal Times has
reported that "Postal workers´ pay should be determined only
through collective bargaining and, despite the recommendations of a White
House panel, should not be capped, the chairman of the U.S. Postal
Service´s Board of Governors said. In remarks to a Sept. 26 forum at the
American Enterprise Institute in Washington, David Fineman said he strongly
feels the Postal Service 'cannot have it both ways — either you have
collective bargaining or you don´t have collective
bargaining.'" October 1, 2003 -- The BBC has
reported that "mail deliveries in London are expected to be seriously
disrupted on Wednesday as postal workers stage a 24-hour walk-out." October 1, 2003 -- President Bush has signed the Postmasters Equity Act
into law.
Business Mailers Review is published biweekly by Sedgwick Publishing Co.
This is one of the best postal newsletters you'll find published in this
country. There's much more to each issue than the teaser you see here. For subscription information,
check the BMR web site.
Business Mailers Review is published biweekly by Sedgwick Publishing Co.
This is one of the best postal newsletters you'll find published in this
country. There's much more to each issue than the teaser you see here.
BMR also has provided an excellent review of
the proceedings of the recent Cato Institute conference on postal reform. (Yet
another reason to get a subscription of your own. For subscription information,
check the BMR web site.