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Postal News from September 2007:

September 30, 2007

AOL News has a quick summary of key events leading up to the privatization of Japan Post.

ThisIsMoney has noted that "Every day our Armed Forces face the threat of death in the scorching heat of Iraq's second city, Basra. For the 5,000-strong garrison there are three essentials - boots that fit, a meal on the table and the mail service that keeps them in touch with loved ones back home. In the run-up to Christmas the British Forces Post Office is likely to receive more than a million letters and parcels."

The Daily Yomiuri has reported that "The curtain was to come down Monday on the 130-plus-year-old state-run Japan Post, which was to turn into the state-funded Japan Post Holdings Co. as part of the privatization of postal services taking effect the same day."

The Naples News has reported that "Interest on Capitol Hill is growing to create a government-run “Do Not Mail” list to fight back against the mountains of junk mail clogging Americans’ mailboxes. Across the country, at least 15 states are currently considering no-mail lists that are loosely based on the wildly popular Do Not Call list that gave us back our dinner hours free from telemarketers. Now, some in Congress are mulling a federal junk-mail registry, as well. But proponents face a ferocious fight from the U.S. Postal Service, which stands to lose billions of dollars of revenue from direct-mail marketers if consumers can slam their mail slots shut to the come-ons. Postmaster General John Potter has already hit the hustings to try to dampen support for a no-mail list before it grows further."

Arab News has reported that "In an effort to organize the city’s address system, the Jeddah Municipality announced yesterday a comprehensive plan to restructure the city’s street-naming system into a more organized numerical system that would work with the Kingdom’s new postal system."

United Press International has reported that "An impending walkout by Britain's postal workers would be their largest strike in four years and threaten chaos with the mail likely going undelivered for days. The Communication Workers Union plans to shut down the postal system midday Thursday for 48 hours, and then restart the strike early Monday, Oct. 8, for another 48 hours, The Telegraph reported Saturday. With the strike straddling a weekend, it means mail likely will go undelivered for six consecutive days."

September 29, 2007

The Wall Street Journal has reported that "United Parcel Service Inc. and the Teamsters union are closing in on a labor agreement that would restructure and possibly lower the company's pension obligations. The two sides are trying this weekend to finish hammering out a deal in which the Atlanta package-delivery giant would pull out of the Central States Pension Fund, the largest multiemployer program in the trucking industry. The program, which is underfunded by about 51%, would lose its biggest contributor, but in return it would receive a lump payout of between $6 billion and $7 billion from UPS to cover the company's remaining obligations, according to a person familiar with the negotiations. The move would shed an annual expense that reached $1.4 billion in 2006, up 14% from a year earlier. The International Brotherhood of Teamsters, which represents roughly 238,000 UPS drivers and other ground-delivery employees, has said it wants to finish contract talks by Oct. 1 so that it has time to ratify a contract before the U.S. Pension Protection Act takes effect Jan. 1."

According to the Little Elm Star, "Little Elm’s Zip It Postal and Auction Center has become only the fourth business in the country to offer a convenient new product for mailbox renters that can save them both time and money. POPickup will alert customers, either by e-mail or text message, when and what kind of delivery has been sent to their P.O. box. Phone call notifications will also be available soon."

The Times of India has reported that "According to sources, postal department wants to quicken its services as private players (courier service providers) are giving a tough competition to the government-owned postal department. This is the reason why the postal department wants to end dependence on the railways.The second reason behind hiring more freighters is that the first experiment of postal department of hiring freighter for north-eastern states has been successful. In the beginning, the department was apprehending whether it would be able to collect 15 tonne of postal material everyday as the said freighter has 15 tonne load capacity."

Reuters has reported that "European Union countries are likely to agree to a delayed opening of the bloc’s postal markets to full competition, a French minister said yesterday. The European Commission has proposed stripping away the remaining barriers to competition from 2009 but the measure needs approval from the bloc’s member states and the European Parliament. The measure has sparked protests by postal workers in many EU nations, particularly France, who fear job losses. EU transport ministers meet in Luxembourg on Monday with the aim of reaching a political agreement."

John E. Potter, Postmaster General and Chief Executive Officer United States Postal Service will receive American University's Roger W. Jones Award in recognition of his executive leadership. It will be held at American University, Katzen Arts Center, Abramson Family Recital Hall; 4400 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, D.C. 20016 Thursday, Oct. 4, 7 p.m. The event will be free and open to the public. RSVP: rogerjonesaward@american.edu

September 28, 2007

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The Newspaper Association of America has noted that "The nation's daily newspapers are spending nearly $1 billion on postage for services from the U.S. Postal Service, according to a national survey by the Newspaper Association of America. According to the survey, newspapers spent more than $972 million in 2006 compared with $901 million in 2004 and $700 million in 2002. "Collectively, daily newspapers are a leading customer of the U.S. Postal Service and many of our member newspapers are the largest mailers in their local markets," said John F. Sturm, president and CEO of the Newspaper Association of America. The national survey also found that 47 percent of the Standard Mail products mailed by daily newspapers— principally newspapers' Total Market Coverage product — are entered at local post offices called Destination Delivery Units. These products are equally distributed through both high-density and saturation rates. The findings reinforce the importance of local entry and the partnership newspapers have with local postal delivery units to ensure that advertising products are delivered in a timely and efficient manner to meet the needs of a newspaper's advertising customers."

From the Federal Register: "The Postal ServiceTM is extending its effort to improve the percentage of deliverable mail by revising Move Update standards in the Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM). The Move Update standards provide ways for mailers to reduce the number of mailpieces that require forwarding or return by the periodic matching of a mailer's address records with customer-filed change-of-address orders. Our final rule includes the following changes related to Move Update processing: increase the minimum frequency of Move Update processing from 185 days to 95 days prior to the date of mailing and extend the revised Move Update requirement to include all Standard Mail. EFFECTIVE DATE: November 23, 2008." See also the USPS DMM Advisory.

DM News has reported that "In recent years, the international postal market has undergone widespread change. Competition is increasing among different postal providers and mail order companies entering the postal market and has intensified through the growing developments in the electronic sector, logistics and publishing. On the political side, there are discussions and negotiations aimed at liberalizing postal markets and the introduction of new laws and regulations. However, regulators and lawmakers do not fully understand the economics of the postal industry, according to the International Post Corporation’s CEO, Herbert-Michael Zapf."

The Prince George Citizen has reported that "Unionized postal workers in Prince Geoge staged a protest Thursday morning against Canada Post's new policy for Addressed Admail, claiming the directive violates privacy rights and makes postal workers unprofessional. The Canadian Union of Postal Workers says Canada Post has ordered employees to deliver the product as addressed, regardless of the name on the mail, even if they know the recipient no longer lives there. CUPW Prince George local president Rick Hansen said the intention of Addressed Admail, formerly known as third-class mail, is to allow businesses and organizations to target consumers who have expressed interest in their products and services. By continuing to deliver such mail after the recipients have moved on, the public's right to privacy may be violated, he said."

According to the Washington Times' Emmette Tyrell, "The Democrats all promise more government involvement and increased costs paid for with higher taxes. So let us stop there. From Hillarycare to Edwards-care, the Democratic candidates want to make your health-care delivery as inexpensive, personal and efficient as the United States Postal Service. That might sound very attractive to anyone who has not used FedEx or UPS. Perhaps there are still Americans who expect to stand in long lines for inferior service or who remain enraptured by that jingle about delivering the mail through rain, sleet and snow. But as the Post Office's monopoly has been broken down, private delivery services have demonstrated the superior service resulting from market solutions."

Data Collection Online has noted that "Accu-Sort Systems announced that it has installed an AV4000(2.0) camera-based sortation system at the Finland Post Parcel Sorting Center in Helsinki. The new system eliminates manual handling by handing off camera-captured images to an optical character recognition (OCR) imaging system that reads parcel address labels. Multi-side camera tunnels over an FKI tilt tray system capture parcel dimensions, bar code data, and high-quality images for an OCR and Video Coding System supplied by Prime Vision. This is the first high-speed parcel sortation application able to send full-resolution images including embedded tracking data across a standard Ethernet network."

China.org.cn has reported that "China's e-mail users may one day have to stick a cyber stamp on their missives as the nation's Internet regulator pushes for development of an electronic postal system. The aim is not to raise revenue from postage charges but to fight the increase in spam."

The New York Times has reported that "The ritual has resumed, as it always does when the Canadian dollar rises against the United States dollar. Large numbers of Canadians cross the border in search of lower prices and greater selection at American stores. But when the Canadian dollar reached parity with American currency last week, there was a new twist: online sales now let Canadians bargain-hunt in the United States without leaving home. No one measures Canadian crossborder spending, virtual or otherwise, but Paulina Sazon, a direct-marketing strategist at Canada Post, said the volume of shipments through the Canadian postal service’s special service for American retailers increased 38 percent over the last year. A spokeswoman at UPS Canada, Christina Falcone, said her company had also registered "significant growth" as a result of the strengthened Canadian dollar."

The National Association of Major Mail Users has told Canadian mailers that "At the September 19 NAMMU Mailing Industry Forum, Canada Post advised of processing difficulties with improperly prepared BRM, and measures that might be taken as a result. Altering the BRM address and/or postal code provided by Canada Post might result in the following: 10 cent surcharge per piece; Slow response time; Items sent to the Undeliverable Mail Office (UMO); Items not accompanied by a packing slip – campaign response tracking difficult; Restrictions on BRM Artwork Online Tool; Cancellation of BRM Contract Agreement. Review the BRM specifications and requirements.

The Northwest Florida Daily News has reported that "A U.S. Postal Service worker who also is president of the local union has been arrested on two felony counts related to mail theft." [My gosh! And he's not even an outside contractor.]

EurActiv has reported that, in a letter to the editor, Postal Users Group chairman, Per Mortensen, said that "The Postal Users Group (PUG), an alliance of European trade associations and large users, has been deeply disappointed by [the European Commission's response [to calls for postal market liberalization]. We believe letter mail needs a liberalised market in order to have a positive and sustainable future. The current 'half-way house' has failed to deliver what is badly needed: competitive prices, enhanced service quality, new services, product innovation and dynamic partnerships between providers and users. There is growing evidence that consumers, users and businesses are open to new means of having knowledge and information delivered to their homes and workplaces in creative combinations of the post and the web." See the EurActiv interview with Portugal's Public Works minister.

September 27, 2007

MSN Money has reported that "A fresh dispute erupted in chancellor Angela Merkel's "grand coalition" on Thursday as senior members of the fractious alliance clashed over the best way to redistribute the fruits of the tentative economic resurgence. The latest dispute focuses on a deal struck between the two parties at the government's summer retreat in August. Ms Merkel's Christian Democrats agreed to impose a minimum wage in the postal sector while the Social Democrats pledged to nod through the sector's ­liberalisation next year."

The U.S. Postal Service has announced that it is "providing new Intelligent Mail technology service options for Address Change Service (ACS) mailers. In addition to traditional ACS options, mailers can use OneCode ACS with Standard Mail letters and flat-size pieces. We are also extending OneCode ACS to add the Change Service Requested service option for First-Class Mail letters. These new options are available beginning October 1."

Here's the lineup of witnesses who will be testifying at next week's House postal oversight hearing at 2 p.m. on October 3 in Rayburn 2154 :

Panel I
– Mr. James C. Miller, III Chairman, Board of Governors, U.S. Postal Service
– Mr. Steve Kearney, VP of Pricing and Classification, USPS
– Mr. Dan Blair, Chairman, PRC
Panel II
– Mr. Steve Stallone, President, International Labor Communications Association
– Mr. Victor Navasky, The Nation
– Ms. Tonda Rush, Director/Public Policy, National Newspaper Association
– Mr. Hamilton Davison, Executive Director, American Catalog Mailers Associa-tion
– Mr. David Straus, American Business Media
Panel III
– Mr. James O’Brien, Vice President Distribution & Postal Affairs, Time Inc. (PostCom Board Chairman)
– Mr. Mark White, Vice President Manufacturing, U.S. News & World Reports
– Mr. Joseph Schick, Director Postal Affairs, Quad/Graphics Inc. (PostCom Postal Policy Committee Chairman)

Well, well, well...according to the Mansfield News Journal, former National League of Postmasters president "Joe Cinadr is running for Ontario’s 1st ward city council seat against independent Fred Kohler Jr. Cinadr said he was raised in Cleveland and moved to this area in 1984 to serve as the city’s postmaster. He retired in December 2004 after 43 years with the postal service."

According to the Orange County Register, "Residents of Aliso Viejo's Village Cottages community are about to 'go postal' over the plans by the United States Postal Service to build a 417,294 square foot mail distribution center 70 feet from residents' bedroom windows."

Postalnewsblog.com has reported that, according to the AFL-CIO Transportation Trades Department, "The United States Postal Service is jumping on the outsourcing and privatizing bandwagon at the expense of good jobs, safety and security, and reliable delivery of basic services. According to a new USPS program, all new mail delivery locations will be considered for outsourcing to companies that often provide low wages, no benefits, and have no equivalent background check requirements. This program and other attempts to outsource core mail handling functions violate the spirit of the policy established by the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006, which reinforced collective bargaining obligations. In its effort to employ fewer union workers, the USPS is opening its doors to a far less accountable workforce."

KUAM has reported that "the United States Postal Service is canceling home delivery for residents of Ordot, Chalan Pago and Barrigada. Although the USPS cited security and safety concerns as their reason for terminating the service and installing cluster box units at mayor's offices, residents of OCP are saying they were never informed about the stop in home mail delivery."

According to RTO Online, "Every successful direct mail campaign requires three properly executed elements, all working harmoniously in balance for a 100% effective mailing: your Mailing List is 50% of your success, the "Offer" your making is 30% and the Creative Design of the mailing piece is 20%."

WPRI has reported that "The U.S. Postal Service is planning a major expansion of its processing and distribution center in Providence. The facility serves as a hub for the southern New England postal network."

According to DM News postal commentator Cary Baer, "There’s A saying in business that’s long been a truism: If you don’t measure, you can’t manage. Recent postal reform legislation had requirements for the US Postal Service to develop delivery service standards, and then to report on actual delivery service. The mailing community has consistently called for the USPS to develop delivery service standards for all classes of mail and to report on adherence to those standards. The USPS has been consistent in ignoring its customers’ calls for delivery service reportage. With reform legislation mandating delivery service reporting, the jig is up."

As the Associated Press has noted, "The U.S. Postal Service expects a loss of about $600 million next year despite increased income and reduced spending." See also Federal Times.

From the PR Newswire: "Northrop Grumman Corporation has been awarded a contract by the U.S. Postal Service to provide independent verification and validation (IV&V) services for Postal Service delivery and retail systems. The five-year task order has a potential value of $21 million and was awarded under the U.S. Postal Service Information Business Systems Support contract."

The Daily Yomiuri has reported that "Japan's postal services privatization will begin Monday, with many challenges lying ahead before the fruits of reforms aimed at invigorating the Japanese economy by diverting the flow of funds from the public entity to the private sector can be harvested. Japan Post will be split into four business entities--Japan Post Network, Japan Post Service, Japan Post Bank and Japan Post Insurance--under a holding company called Japan Post Holdings Co."

September 26, 2007

The Postal Service Board of Governors today approved an aggressive 2008 financial plan for the U.S. Postal Service that includes $1 billion in cost savings and puts its expense growth lower than inflation. The Postal Service’s operating, capital and financing plans for the new fiscal year, known as the Integrated Financial Plan (IFP), project expense growth below the assumed increase in the Consumer Price Index (CPI), the most commonly used benchmark for inflation. Those projections do not assume any price changes for postal products and services over the next fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1. The Board of Governors has not made a decision on future prices but applauded the Postal Regulatory Commission for being well ahead of schedule with its recommendations on the new rate regulations. A copy of the integrated financial plan presented to the Postal Service Board of Governors by USPS CFO Glen Walker has been posted on this site.

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

Whether Royal Mail will be able to create a competitive position for itself again on the highly concentrated domestic express market, is more than questionable.
Last week, Switzerland’s Bundesrat, the country’s government, decided on a further opening up of the postal market in two steps. It is anticipated that in 2011, when the new postal law comes into effect, the monopoly on letters will be lowered to 50 grams, the Ministry of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications, disclosed on Friday. A further two to five years later, the Swiss parliament will then vote on the complete liberalisation. The extent of the universal service - in Switzerland this is the nationwide delivery of postal consignments, a nation-wide network of post offices and agencies, and money transaction services - is to be written into the postal law in the same way as industry working conditions are.
Next Monday, 1 October, it will be time: the EU ministers concerned will conclusively define the basic principles of the EU-wide postal market liberalisation.
The Brazilian postal workers’ strike ended after nine days.
Part of the restructuring at Magyar Posta is a substantial outsourcing of post office branches.
The French La Poste has managed to improve its parcel express business significantly in the last year.
Posten Sverige will be getting competition in the private customer market. DHL plans to launch first the domestic service in time for the Christmas trade, then early next year the international service for private customers.
According to information from the union Teamsters, FedEx no longer plans to work together with individual subcontractors in California in future.
The Mexican CEP market has a bright future - and is drawing in more and more businesses who wish provide domestic companies such as Estafeta and Sepomex with serious competition.
The German state owned bank Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW) has assisted the Namibian post with a 300,000 euro grant.
Posta Slovenije has been ordered by the regulatory authority Apek to pay a fine of 5,216 euros for having delivered only 88 per cent of all letters within one working day in 2006.

The MRU, founded in 1992, is the only consultancy in Europe, which has specialised in the market of courier-, express- and parcel services. For large-scale shippers and CEP-services in particular, the MRU provides interdisciplinary advice for all major questions of the market, as there are for example market entry, product design, organisation, and EDP.To learn more about the stories reported above, contact CEP News. (We appreciate the courtesy extended by CEP News to help whet your appetite for more of what CEP offers.)

Les Echos has reported that "The French postal processing solutions group Neopost has announced the acquisition of PFE International Ltd, the UK company that makes folding, inserting and pressure seal equipment. The transaction values PFE at GBP27.2m, or 38.9m euros, and is the biggest external growth operation carried out by Neopost since 2002, when it purchased Ascom Hasler of Switzerland."

The Atlanta Business Chronicle has reported that "United Parcel Service Inc. has formed a new division devoted to deliveries and logistics for the health-care industry."

MoD Oracle has noted that "A large dose of morale in the form of parcels and letters has just landed at the British Forces' main base in Afghanistan courtesy of the Royal Mail's new free postal service."

MENA-FN has reported that "A new company called Shaher, specialising in direct mail, has been formed in Saudi Arabia. "Mail is an important form of communication among people. People often forget the power which mail has. It's personal, it's intimate and it's exciting for people to receive envelopes addressed to them. People are always looking for intimate touch and companies should try to reform that intimate connection with customers," Mohammed Benten, president of Saudi Post, said in his keynote address to the direct mail forum held in Riyadh recently, which was the first time for such a meet in Saudi Arabia."

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram thinks it knows all about "Junk mail and how to make it stop."

ABC Online has reported that "The union representing Tasmania's postal workers has lodged a complaint against Australia Post in the Industrial Relations Commission in Hobart, relating to a secret ballot for protected industrial action."

Dow Jones has reported that "Small German postal service providers won't be able to survive and tens of thousands of jobs in the sector will be lost if the planned minimum-wage agreement for the sector were to become generally binding, Guenter Thiel, chief executive of Pin Group, a private Deutsche Post AG competitor, said Tuesday.

Inquirer.net has reported that "the government has included Philippine National Oil Co.-Exploration Corp. (PNOC-EC) and the state's stake in Philippine Postal Corp. in the list of assets to be privatized next year."

September 25, 2007

Multichannel Merchant has reported that "How are catalog list owners like the U.S. Postal Service? Both keep raising prices to make up for business shortfalls. And catalogers can’t ignore this vicious cycle, Bill LaPierre told attendees of the NEMOA conference in Portland, ME, last week. In his Sept. 20 luncheon keynote, La Pierre, the senior vice president of list brokerage for Millard/Mokrynski Group, referred to gifts and gadgets cataloger Brookstone’s decision to prospect only with the Abacus cooperative database. The strategy, according to Brookstone, is working out just fine, so it’s likely that other mailers may follow suit. Most catalogers already rely heavily on the co-op databases for prospecting. “Close to 50% of catalog circulation is coming from the co-ops,” LaPierre said, and there are just six co-ops to choose from."

According to Electronics Supply & Manufacturing, "When FedEx sneezes, it's fighting an infection from the U.S. economy and from you, its customers. The logistics company has just cut its financial forecast for the current fiscal year citing the "sluggish" U.S. economy."

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

According to Mailers Council executive director Robert McLean, "The House Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, Postal Service, and the District of Columbia will hold a hearing at 2 p.m. on October 3 in Rayburn 2154 regarding the effect of the last rate increase on mailers."

From the Federal Register: "The Postal Service\TM\ is revising its standards for mailing medical waste so that medical professionals as well as individuals can use a larger container to mail medical waste to disposal sites. The new standards allow a maximum mailpiece weight limit of 35 pounds for packages approved as ``Medical Professional Packaging.''

According to the Nashville Tennessean, "FedEx Corp. may pay as much as $33 million in severance costs to some California delivery drivers, the Teamsters union said. FedEx said the estimate was wrong."

Check the PRC web site where you'll find the Postal Service's draft Mail Classification Schedule as well as its accompanying report to the PRC.

The Herald Express has reported that "Mail order business owner Ann Walker fears planned postal strikes could cost her company more than £10,000 and bring it 'to its knees'."

According to the Reading Evening Post, "a last minute change of plan by Royal Mail still means more than 300 postal workers in Reading face redundancy. Royal Mail announced a new £20 million plan to modernise postal services last Friday which will see mail centres in Swindon and Gloucester remaining with Reading and Oxford closing down. The new plan spells a reprieve for the Gloucester Mail Centre and an unexpected blow for workers in Oxford."

The Financial Times has reported that "The union representing 12,000 Royal Mail managers has threatened to ballot its members on strike action if the state-owned postal operator goes ahead with plans to close its pension scheme for all staff. Emerging from talks with management on Monday afternoon, Unite said Royal Mail was preparing to start consultations with staff over plans to wind up the final-salary pension scheme. Under the plans, members of the final-salary scheme would be offered a pension linked to their average pay. This would hit managers particularly hard, since they earn their highest pay in the years before they retire."

September 24, 2007

Interested in a new job as an attorney at the Postal Regulatory Commission? Then check the PRC web site.

You can find many of the comments submitted to the Postal Regulatory Commission on the creation of a new postal ratemaking system on the PRC web site.

According to Startups.co.uk, "Small businesses have endured several months of postal chaos as a result of the dispute between Royal Mail and the Communication Workers Union. The news today of a fresh dispute between the troubled postal firm and a second union will come as a harsh blow to those who rely on smooth postal services to make a living."

Die Welt has reported that "According to German press reports, German chancellor Angela Merkel is due to call upon Klaus Zumwinkel, head of German national postal services provider Deutsche Post, to negotiate with rival companies and trade unions over the introduction of a minimum wage in the sector. However, Franz Muntefering, the German minister for work, has said that the minimum wage of up to 9.80 euros agreed between Deutsche Post and German trade union Ver.di should be implemented across the sector. It is said that Ms Merkel fears that this wage could be too demanding for competition in the postal industry, a position supported by German minister of finance Michael Glos. Mr Glos has invited Deutsche Post's smaller rival companies, such as PIN Group and TNT Post, to a meeting with the aim of the companies agreeing to an additional, lower pay agreement with Ver.di or for a new agreement to be reached that incorporates the smaller rivals."

The ABC News has reported that "Australia Post says it does not plan to screen parcels heading to remote Northern Territory communities for pornography, for privacy reasons. The Federal Government has banned R- and X-rated material from proscribed areas in the Territory, including remote Indigenous communities and town camps. The Territory Government says it wants to shut down the illegal postal trade in porn, and has sent a departmental official to Canberra to investigate whether a licensing system could help stop the trade.

Chambersburg Public Opinion has noted that "Proposed legislation, the "Supply our Soldiers Act of 2007," would provide free mailing privileges to those sending correspondence and parcels to active-duty members of the U.S. military in the Middle East. H.R. 1439 would designate postal vouchers specifically designed to wave postal costs for eligible mailings to soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, or soldiers in a U.S. medical facility recovering from injuries caused by their service in those countries."

The Scotsman has reported that "Royal Mail and a second union are set to enter crisis talks on Monday in a bid to prevent a potentially crippling strike over controversial pension plans."

According to Transport Intelligence, "FedEx's recently released First Quarter results seem to indicate a clear end to the boom that has driven the parcel carrier forward over the past five years, as the US slips into period of low or no growth."

The Times has reported that "Royal Mail plans to close its final-salary pension scheme to all employees in a move that could plunge the business further into industrial turmoil. The decision is expected to trigger strikes by thousands of postal managers, in addition to unrest among its 130,000 employees who are in dispute over pay and working arrangements."

September 23, 2007

The Telegraph has reported that Postal workers have announced they will stage two new 48-hour strikes next month over their bitter pay and jobs dispute. Up to 130,000 members of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) will walk out on Oct 5 and Oct 8 following the failure to reach a deal with the Royal Mail. A rolling programme of strikes will then start on October 15 and will continue every week until the row is resolved, the union said."

The Financial Times has reported that "Fedex, the delivery company, on Thursday cut its earnings forecast for the rest of the year by 4 per cent, citing slowing of the US economy and rising fuel costs. "While the US economy is growing at a moderate pace, recent financial market volatility and high energy costs have increased the uncertainty surrounding the near term economic outlook, and weakness in the housing sector continues," said Alan Graf, chief financial officer. Fedex had previously predicted that the US economy would improve by late summer or early autumn."

The Scotsman has reported that "Edinburgh and Glasgow are expected to be among the first cities in Britain to test run a full business postal service to rival the Royal Mail. Sources at Postcomm, the postal services regulator, say TNT Post is building up its capacity in the two cities so that it can trial a full "end to end" service for Scottish business."

The Mirror has reported that "Royal Mail is to axe two huge sorting offices with the loss of more than 2,000 jobs. Management started briefing staff at the Oxford and Reading mail centres on the radical changes last night. The £20million shake-up will be seen as hugely controversial as the plan has not been agreed with union leaders."

MarketingWeek has reported that "UK Mail has slammed rival Royal Mail over continued strike action, warning it will damage the future of the mail industry. Guy Buswell, chief executive of UK Mail parent Business Post Group, has spoken out following this week's announcement of further Royal Mail strike action."

According to UTV, "Thousands of Royal Mail managers could be balloted for strikes in a dramatic escalation of the industrial unrest currently hitting the postal organisation Unite said its 12,000 members working as managers in the postal service could soon vote on whether to take industrial action in a row over pensions. The Royal Mail is already embroiled in a bitter dispute with the Communication Workers Union which has called two 48-hour strikes next month in a long running dispute over pay and jobs."

According to the Virginia Pilot, "The U.S. Postal Service plans to stop mail delivery to the Currituck County northern Outer Banks, an area accessible only by a hazardous drive along the surf and over dunes."

The Fayetteville Observer has reported that the "Postal Service is pulling the plugs on all its retail counter TVs."

September 22, 2007

The final report of the Mailers Technical Advisory Committee workgroup #114 on the establishment of service performance standards is available on this site.

The Economic Times has noted that "One of the oldest deposit taking institutions — the Post Office — may well get to provide seamless fund transfer, with an RBI panel recommending that the Post Office be linked to the clearing system and the National Electronic Fund Transfer (NEFT). The panel has also sought to keep smaller banks with a net worth of less than Rs 50 crore out of the NEFT."

September 21, 2007

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

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

The PostCom Bulletin is distributed via NetGram

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

The Financial Times has reported that "The agency set up to help the taxpayer get better value for money from the remaining nationalised businesses should have its remit extended and its powers strengthened, MPs said yesterday. But a potential conflict of interest in its responsibilities for the Royal Mail and the Post Office network - one of the more difficult issues facing the government - should be removed, the Commons' public accounts committee recommended yesterday."

The Street has reported that "FedEx said earnings rose for the just-completed quarter, but the package carrier reduced its forecasts for the current quarter and the full year because of economic uncertainty."

From eMediaWire: "Soulize Greetings introduces a new type of greeting card for businesses, called Business Video Greeting Card (www.businessvideogreetings.com). Now businesses are no longer limited when it comes to greeting cards. Gone are the days when companies had to choose between mail or email. Soulize Greetings is empowering businesses with more choices. Greeting cards can now be delivered via company web site, online newsletter, blog and more by using the Virtual Business Video Greeting Card."

ThisIsMoney has reported that "Postal workers will strike again next month as their bitter dispute with the Royal Mail drags on." See also the Financial Times.

According to the Marine Corps Times, "Richard Erickson of Fort Myers, Fla., was fired from the U.S. Postal Service for what his termination letter says was excessive use of military leave. A National Guard Special Forces sergeant major who already had served one tour in Afghanistan, Erikson was terminated because postal officials calculated he had missed more than five years of work since 1991 because of his military service and was about to be mobilized for another 18 months. "

Media Daily News has reported that "the latest Nielsen Company report confirms what other research companies have revealed--advertising spending is in a weakened state."

Transport Intelligence has reported that "DHL has introduced a new daily air service between the U.S. and Western Canada, designed for shippers across the northern U.S. border. The new service includes additional express service options, including next day delivery for heavyweight shipments weighing over 150 pounds between the U.S. network and Western Canada."

September 20, 2007

According to Personnel Today, "Union leaders have announced fresh postal strike dates after branding Royal Mail "completely out of control".

FedEx Corp. has reported earnings of $1.58 per diluted share for the first quarter ended August 31, compared to $1.53 per diluted share a year ago. “FedEx increased its revenue and earnings against the backdrop of a sluggish U.S. economy,” said Frederick W. Smith, FedEx Corp. chairman, president and chief executive officer. “Outside of the United States, the economy is generally solid, contributing to the growth in our international express shipments. I continue to believe that FedEx will, over the long-term, reap the rewards of our strategy of investing in key growth markets and strengthening and expanding our worldwide networks.”

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

Just two weeks ago, a spokesman for Deutsche Post described a newspaper report about the upcoming replacement of CFO Edgar Ernst as "definite nonsense"- now it is a fact.
In the last few years, the Chinese postal market has been growing by more than 10 per cent every year.
Private postal service providers in Switzerland have voluntarily committed themselves to creating better working conditions.
The New Zealand Post has completed the first half of the year with a "robust result", to quote CEO John Allen.
As previously reported, private delivery services in Germany have created their own employers’ association.
Following the failed wage negotiations between Royal Mail and the union CWU, the British post has now laid out plans for its "final offer".
CityMail Sweden plans to expand. CEO Mats Forsberg announced to the daily newspaper »Dagens Nyheter« (13.09.) that the company will be operating in the whole metropolitan area of Stockholm from April 2008. The goal is to reach 60 per cent of businesses and households within the next two to three years, according to Mr Forsberg.
Business for the Brazilian post came to an almost complete standstill last Thursday when around 90 per cent of all employees went on strike.
India Post must reimburse customers of its Speed Post services if stipulated delivery times are not adhered to.
Deutsche Post may face the threat of having to pay back millions of euros worth of government subsidies.
Schweizerische Post is testing a late delivery service for private parcels.
The British specialist operator Business Direct Group plans to make its network more accessible to European senders, through a subsidiary company on the continent.
TNT plans to provide primarily road based express services on the Chinese market.
The Indian CEP operator Blue Dart plans to invest equivalent to 62.3m euros in its network and infrastructure in South India.
Anil Khanna, Managing Director of Blue Dart Express, has spoken out against the Indian government’s plans to limit foreign shareholding to 49 per cent.
The American Velocity Express, which specialises in same-day services, plans to expand its national network through further franchising.
Dan McHugh is the new CEO of DHL Express Asia Pacific.

The MRU, founded in 1992, is the only consultancy in Europe, which has specialised in the market of courier-, express- and parcel services. For large-scale shippers and CEP-services in particular, the MRU provides interdisciplinary advice for all major questions of the market, as there are for example market entry, product design, organisation, and EDP.To learn more about the stories reported above, contact CEP News. (We appreciate the courtesy extended by CEP News to help whet your appetite for more of what CEP offers.)

According to Le Figaro, "The board of directors of La Poste, the French national postal services group, is expected to make an announcement today about the sale of the group's air freight unit, Aeropostale. The company Aigle Azur is the only candidate for the acquisition."

Press Release: "The world's top technology companies will share their vision of the postal future at PosTech.

The Sofia Echo has reported that "UK’s Royal Mail checks all post packages from Bulgaria, the Check Republic and Poland. The post authorities suspected that post from these countries may contain forbidden substances, drugs, cigarettes or child pornography, a reportage of Czech television Nova said. As a result, parcel post sent from the Czech Republic to the UK was regularly delayed by 12 days, Nova said as quoted by Bulgarian National Radio (BNR). A Royal Mail representative said that the measures were introduced after child pornography was found in postal parcels from these three countries."

The Associated Press has reported that "Shares of major railroads, trucking companies and freight forwarders soared Tuesday, after the Federal Reserve announced it would cut a key interest rate to help relieve recent economic woes. The federal funds rate was lowered a half point to 4.75 percent from 5.25 percent. Analysts covering the sector have touted the anticipated rate cut in recent days as a way for freight companies struggling with low volumes and poor demand to stage a recovery."

The Sun Journal has reported that "Mail carrier Wayne Viger remembers vividly the afternoon he stepped into the burning apartment on Knox Street in search of people. It was April 3, 2006, and he was at the end of his route. Smoke was pouring from the building and alarms were sounding inside. Viger believed an elderly woman was inside her first-floor apartment. "I pushed open the door and I went in the kitchen," he said. "This woman came out of the living room. The living room was filled with thick, thick smoke. It was like a dream. She came out of that thick smoke and she was on fire. Her clothes were on fire." Viger, 55, smothered the flames that were burning the woman's clothing and got her outside. Viger has been named National Hero of the Year by the National Association of Letter Carriers.

DM News has reported that "Pitney Bowes Management Services has been selected as one of the Top 10-ranked outsourcing vendors for environmental stewardship, according to a recent Brown-Wilson Group independent study of industry decision makers and analysts. PBMS also ranked first in the category of Document Processing Outsourcing."

From the American Red Cross: "Neal Denton, currently Chief of Staff at the American Red Cross, has been asked to lead an effort to reinvigorate this charter-based Red Cross service. Neal will now become Senior Vice President, Service to the Armed Forces (SAF). Neal will seek ways to appropriately expand upon the services provided by the former Armed Forces Emergency Services (AFES) department in a manner that reflects our traditions and meets the challenges of today’s environment. Before joining the Red Cross, Neal was Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the leading national trade association of nonprofit fundraisers, where he worked for 20 years, forging relationships with veterans service organizations, nonprofit executives and members and staff from many of the House and Senate Committees that will serve us well in his new role. Neal is also a U.S. Army veteran, having served in the Military Police Corps from 1977-80. Please join me in congratulating Neal on his new responsibilities. He can be reached at (202) 303-4348; email dentonn@usa.redcross.org. [See....There really is life after postal. Congratulations Neal.]

From an online forum: "On May 14th, the USPS dropped the international surface mail and all economy mail services. This move by the post office has already caused outcries from many people and organizations throughout the world, but it’s not enough. A petition has been created, you can go here http://www.petitiononline.com/USPSISM/petition.html to sign it and show your support. Petition will be sent to the US Post Office as well as the US Congress. This elimination is severely going to hurt humanitarian aid groups such as the Peace Corps as well as book companies, religious groups, expatriates, students, especially those living overseas or foreign students living in the US, small businesses, and lots more. Please support us by signing the petition and passing it to everyone in your group, organization, company or church who you think benefits from this service or who would like to see the service return."

The Globe and Mail has noted that "Canadians can expect a lot more unwanted advertising in their mailboxes as Canada Post cracks down on letter carriers who have been plucking out marketing mailings with outdated names. Carriers have, on their own, been quietly defying Canada Post policy that specified that all advertising mail is to be delivered to customers, even if it is addressed to a previous occupant - and even if the recipient says they don't want it. No more: Over the summer, letter carriers started operating under the letter of that postal law, meaning each and every piece of mail must be delivered. Carriers are grumbling, and saying customers are incredulous they must intercept their mail - every day - in order to have such incorrectly aimed advertising mailers returned. But Canada Post says it won't endanger its half-billion in revenue from mass mailers, and that it is obliged to deliver the advertising pitches that generate the cash, 1.47 billion pieces of individually addressed ad mail last year."

BizHelpNews24 has told its readers that "If your business was affected by the postal strikes in August, then the news that talks between the Royal Mail and the Communication Workers Union (CWU) have broken down again after a four week period of calm. This means that new strikes are expected in late September or early October, adding to the delays and disruption caused by the earlier strikes. British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) Policy Adviser Narinder Gill has said: “Small firms rely on royal mail services to do business, and get hit in the pocket every time post is held up. Estimates suggest that each postal strikes costs the UKs small and medium sized businesses (SME’s) £2.5 million through delayed post. “All that the strikes are achieving is disruption and the further degradation of the reputation of Royal Mail. An agreement needs to be reached soon or yet more customers will seek alternative solutions for their postal needs.”

The Oxford Mail has reported that "Postal workers union leaders in Oxford believe they are being deliberately targeted by Royal Mail management in a bid to force through sweeping changes to the service. Officials from the Oxfordshire branch of the Communication Workers Union say the dismissal of two workers in the past week is clear evidence that management is trying to "break" the union, not just locally but nationally."

September 19, 2007

From leveraging cutting-edge technology to conducting national elections, mail matters to American consumers and businesses and finding ways to make mail more valuable is invaluable to the future of the U.S. Postal Service. That’s the message Postmaster General John E. Potter shared with more than 14,000 customers and Postal Service officials gathered at more than 150 sites to participate in National PCC Day today. Potter said that no decision has been made yet on the timing or method of the next rate adjustment.

Bloomberg has reported that "German Chancellor Angela Merkel's Cabinet agreed on legislation that paves the way for basic rates of pay for postal workers, a move that extends the industries covered by statutory pay levels without introducing a national minimum wage."

The Canadian Press has noted that "Antigonish County Council in Nova Scotia has passed a resolution asking Ottawa to maintain postal service in rural areas."

Thanh Nien Daily has reported that "Vietnamese prosecutors ratified charges Tuesday against 46 people in a postal equipment purchase scam two years ago that caused the exchequer a loss of US$2.3 million."

The DM Bulletin has reported that "The Communications Workers Union has returned to the negotiating table in its dispute with Royal Mail, after being invited by the employer to offer a proposal to solve the impasse."

From the Federal Register: "On Monday, September 24, 2007, the Commission will host two public meetings related to implementation of the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act (PAEA) of 2006. Information obtained at these events will assist the Commission in meeting statutory requirements for consultation with the Postal Service on development of modern service standards. At the first meeting, which will be held from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., representatives of the Mailers Technical Advisory Committee (MTAC) will brief the Commission on final MTAC workgroup recommendations to the Postal Service on service standards and service measurement systems. This meeting will be broadcast live and will be accessible via the Internet from the Commission's Web site (http://www.prc.gov ). At the second meeting, which will begin at 1:30 p.m., there will be a discussion of retail service measurement and related issues with representatives of the American Postal Workers Union. Both events will be held in the Commission's main conference room and both will be open to the public."

DM News has reported that "Neopost, provider of mailing and shipping solutions, is now offering online shipping through an agreement with UPS and the US Postal Service. Neopost will provide its customers with a new multi-carrier online shipping application that lets users compare shipping options."

Transport Intelligence has reported that "DHL has announced the expansion of its Europlus Day Definite delivery service to Romania, Bulgaria, Russia and Turkey. The expansion of the Europlus service reflects the company's increasing provision of services to Eastern Europe. The new service expansion brings the total number of European destinations serviced by DHL Europlus to 34 countries and territories."

September 18, 2007

MakFax has reported that "Anti-corruption prosecutors asked Romanian President Traian Basescu on Tuesday to authorize a criminal investigation against Justice Minister Tudor Chiuariu for alleged graft-related crimes. Chiuariu is suspected of power abuse and actions against the public interest relating sellout of a state-owned asset. Earlier this month, prosecutors said in a statement that they were investigating dealings between the state-owned postal services company and two private firms, including legal papers approved by the communications and justice ministries."
 
[PostCom logo  

PostCom welcomes its newest member: Macy's Inc. 2101 E. Kemper Road Cincinnati, OH 45241-1805 represented by
Ann Urban Marketing Buyer.

The Board of Governors of the U.S. Postal Service will meet in Washington, DC, at Postal Service Headquarters, 475 L’Enfant Plaza, SW, on Sept. 25-26, 2007. The public is welcome to observe the Board’s open session, scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m. on Sept. 26 in the Ben Franklin Room on the 11th floor. The Board is expected to discuss the following items: Wednesday, Sept. 26 at 8:30 a.m. 1. Minutes of the previous meeting, Aug. 7-8, 2007. 2. Remarks of the Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Board (Jim Miller and Alan Kessler). 3. Remarks of the Postmaster General and CEO (John Potter). 4. Committee reports. 5. Board of Governors calendar year 2008 and 2009 schedule (Chairman Miller). 6. Office of the Governors fiscal year 2008 budget (Chairman Miller). 7. Postal Regulatory Commission fiscal year 2008 budget (Chairman Miller). 8. Consideration of the fiscal year 2008 operating and capital plans – FY 2008 Integrated Financial Plan (Glen Walker, Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President). 9. Tentative fiscal year 2009 appropriation request (Mr. Walker). 10. Capital investments. 1. Perris, CA, Delivery Distribution Center (Tom Samra, Vice President, Facilities). 2. Miami, FL, Mail Processing Facility (Mr. Samra). 11. Tentative agenda for the Nov. 14-15, 2007, meeting in Washington, DC.

IT Pro has reported that "DHL, the German-owned parcel delivery company, is automating its accounts receivable (AR) processes across the UK and Europe with a new electronic invoicing service. The project to deploy an e-invoicing application and update manually intensive AR processes is also essential for the carrier to comply with European regulations that came into force in 2004 that mandate local taxation authorities to accept electronic versions of invoices."

The Ledger-Enquirer has reported that "Columbus Presort provides postal services to its customers, which are mostly local businesses and organizations that send out mail in bulk. When customers need to send out mass mailings, they usually send their lists of intended recipients to Columbus Presort via e-mail. Columbus Presort then uses that database to address its customer's mailers. "The trend is towards e-mailing," Cornelius said. That trend is what many businesses have already caught onto. From mom-and-pop establishments to Fortune 500 firms, businesses worldwide now connect with others through e-mail to confirm meetings, send documents, follow up with customers and more. But though e-mail provides efficiency for a business, it may not be the answer for everything."

From PR Newswire: "Parascript, LLC, the image analysis and pattern recognition technology provider, today announced Parascript StampVerify, a powerful image-based indicia detection system that automatically recognizes indicia presence on envelope images to ensure accuracy and legitimacy of postage. StampVerify locates indicia and determines indicia type, including stamps, meter marks, facing identification marks, information-based indicia and/or postal stationary. Additionally, StampVerify reveals the number of indicia present, recognizes postage amounts and total values for all valid indicia on given mail pieces."

From PRWeb:

The Grand Rapids Press has reported that "If not rain nor snow nor dark of night, what did prompt reports last winter that mail went undelivered on the Northwest Side of Grand Rapids? The Postal Service isn't saying, even though nearly half of the 59 letter carriers from the postal station at 1625 Walker Ave. NW faced suspensions ranging from two days to nine months. The last of the suspensions of 29 workers ended in August. But officials refused to reveal details. In fact, with the help of their unions and arbitration, all of the workers received back pay for their time off, said Jim Mruk, spokesman for the Postal Service Great Lakes Region in Chicago."

The Daily Yomiuri has reported that "A private company, whose president was a career official at the Posts and Telecommunications Ministry, won contracts granted at the discretion of Japan Post to operate 70 of the 122 cafeterias and shops at 61 of the Kanpo no Yado lodging facilities run by Japan Post for policy holders of postal insurance, it was learned Monday. The company took over most of the 70 cafeterias and shops from a foundation that was found to have offered cushy jobs to retired bureaucrats via a practice called amakudari after that operator was disbanded as part of former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's reform of public-service corporations. The private company, Yume Kanpo Service, is located in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo."

Morningstar has reported that:

September 17, 2007

In a perspective prepared for the Baltimore Postal Customer Council, postal commentator Gene Del Polito noted that "It won't be long before we will be observing the first anniversary of the enactment of the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act (PAEA). This might be a good time to take stock of the impact the new postal law has had on our way of doing things."

PostCom welcomes its newest member: Postal Logistics Services, LLC 2380 Diehl Road Aurora, IL 60502-5300 represented by Tony Dobush Director, Postal Affairs

From the Congressional Research Service: "This report (U.S. Postal Service Workforce Size and Employment Categories, 1986-2006) provides data from the past two decades on the size of the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) workforce, the number of persons employed by USPS by employment categories, and the number of persons employed by USPS under time-limited contracts. It also analyzes the most salient aspects of these employment data. USPS employs over 784,000 persons. USPS’s workforce declined about 1% during the past two decades, and nearly 12% in the past five years. The number of career employees declined over 6% since 1986, and the number of non-career employees increased more than 62%. Clerks, who staff retail counters at post offices and manually sort mail, dropped about 26%. Rural mail delivery employees, however, grew more than 84%, and three categories of employees directly involved in the transportation of mail prior to its delivery grew between 8.9% and 26.9%. This report will be updated in the first session of each Congress to include the most recently available data."

According to postal commentator Gene Del Polito, "What the PRC needs most of all are commissioners that have sufficient depth of experience within federal or state capacities that have dealt with the issue of regulatory oversight and public acccountability. Commissioners of tomorrow should be expected to have expertise in the areas of public utility regulation and/or financial auditing and reporting."

Trading Markets has reported that "Courier major Blue Dart Express has sought continuation of the 100 per cent foreign direct investment for the industry even as the Centre plans to introduce the Post Office Act (Amendment) Bill in the winter session of Parliament. At present, 100 per cent foreign equity is allowed in domestic express companies. The bill proposes to bring down the ceiling to 49 per cent, raising concerns for the industry. Foreign companies such as DHL (which holds 81 per cent in Blue Dart), FedEx and new entrants such as TNT have substantial interest in the growing Indian market."

China Daily has reported that "China's post service business has witnessed an 11.6 percent average annual growth to exceed 80 billion yuan (US$10.64 billion) since the sector was separated from telecommunications business in 1998, according to a senior postal official."

Dubai City Guide has reported that "du, the UAE’s new telecom operator, has entered into an agreement with Emirates Post to offer du mobile Pay as You Go lines and recharge cards through 84 post offices across the UAE starting from 18 September 2007. Emirates Post offices will sell du Pay as You Go, and Visitor mobile lines and recharge cards. Counter staff of Emirates Post offices have been trained to deliver all du services to customers and guide them, as part of du’s goal of making its services accessible in all corners of the UAE."

The News & Star has reported that "a community near Carlisle has accused Royal Mail of downgrading its postal service, making life more difficult for those who run businesses from their home. A Royal Mail spokesman said that as a result of an operational review of collections in the CA postcode areas changes were made last year. Some final collection times were brought forward while others were moved to later in the day. These changes were introduced to enable the Royal Mail to spread the arrival of mail at Carlisle Mail Centre more evenly and ensure next-day delivery."

Transport Intelligence has reported that "UK parcels company Business Direct Group plc. has set up a subsidiary company in Germany in advance of the launch of a dedicated inbound European 'high speed' through the night logistics service into the UK."

The Daily Yomiuri has noted that "Introducing Toyota Motor Corp.'s business methods to Japan Post Corporation, which will be privatized on Oct. 1, is the next challenge for Norio Kitamura, a former Toyota Motor Italia president who will be the chairman and chief executive officer of Japan Post Service Co., one of four operating firms in charge of postal services. Japan Post will be divided into a holding company and four operating firms handling postal delivery, customer service, postal savings and postal insurance."

September 16, 2007

The Daily Record has noted that New Jersey Governor "Corzine wants a cheaper way to send tax rebates. Mailing and printing costs are at $10 million, and the governor hopes to have direct credit next year."

Sify has reported that "The postal department is liable to compensate a consumer for not delivering a consignment within the stipulated time as assured under it Speed Post service, the Delhi Consumer Commission has held. Rejecting the department's plea that the Indian Post Office Act gives it immunity from paying compensation for any delay in delivering articles, the Commission, presided over by Justice J D Kapoor, said it was liable for any "deficiency in service or negligence".

September 15, 2007

The Washington Post has noted that "FedEx has long been at odds with organized labor, a close ally of Congress's Democratic majority. For years, Democrats such as Oberstar and unions had been angling for legislation that would open the way for more unionized workers at FedEx. The balance on Capitol Hill tips toward labor, it's specifically tipping toward United Parcel Service. Both companies are major players in national politics, spending large sums on lobbying and, through their political action committees, on campaign contributions. Among corporations, UPS and FedEx were No. 1 and No. 3, respectively, in PAC giving in the 2006 election cycle. But FedEx continues to have rocky relations with Democrats over labor issues. Its ground-delivery unit has been sparring with some of its drivers, who are contractors but want to be treated as full-time employees. FedEx is being sued by scores of its drivers over their status."

As the Business Standard noted, "The brown uniforms and brown trucks are so much a part of everyday America — they’ve appeared in movies, sitcoms and books. This year is special, though. Already, two books have been released that don’t just mention UPS: they are about the package delivery and logistics giant."

September 14, 2007

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

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From the Postal Regulatory Commission: "Dawn A. Tisdale, vice chairman of the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC), announced today that he will leave the Commission on November 22, 2007. He has advised President George W. Bush that he will not seek renomination."

Bloomberg has reported that "Deutsche Post AG, Europe's biggest mail carrier, said logistics-division head John Allan will replace Edgar Ernst as chief financial officer on Oct. 1."

According to one writer for the Yorkshire Post, "competition has had an impact on business services, but its impact has been to the detriment of residential services."

Transport Intelligence has reported that "The U.S. Departments of State and Transportation have reached an agreement that will allow UPS and other air carriers to expand air operations to and from Japan."

Hellmail has reported that:

The American Postal Workers Union was left red faced after DHL postal workers at the Upper Macungle shipping hub which sorts packages around the North East of America, voted overwhelming NOT to form a union at the plant. Embarassed union officials said they would challenge the result but with a vote of 217 to 135, workers at the plant were clearly not in favour of joining the union. DHL spokesman Richard Gibbs said that they respected the outcome of the vote and the union should do the same and let the matter drop. See also the Allentown Morning Call and the Express Times.
Royal Mail workers have always been held in high esteem and Royal Mail itself the envy of many countries. For the long term future of postal workers its important that that is maintained. Its also important that the UK makes as much use of its postal service as it can, and whilst email is a fast and efficient way to communicate, there is little that can match a hand-written letter or the cheery disposition of your local postie. As the saying goes, you either "Use it or lose it" and this applies more than ever. There's little point joining a campaign to save your local post office if you're not actually using it.

Dan G. Blair, chairman of the Postal Regulatory Commission, will lead the U.S. delegation to an upcoming U.S.-China Symposium on Postal Reform, Regulation, and Express Delivery Services in Beijing, China. Co-hosted by the U.S. Department of Commerce and the State Postal Bureau of the People’s Republic of China, September 17-18, 2007, the symposium will bring together government and industry experts. It is intended to provide both the United States and China with a greater understanding of each country’s experience and perspectives on postal reform and regulation of the express delivery services markets. Chairman Blair’s address will focus on the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act and the Act’s impact on the Postal Regulatory Commission.

News.com.au has reported that "about one hundred Australia Post workers met in Adelaide today to discuss voting on strike action in a secret ballot. Postal workers are seeking a wage rise to help them deal with the rising cost of property and household goods."

MaltaToday has reported that "Government won’t commit Malta’s newly privatised postal services not to raise prices, but Maltapost will only be able to increase prices if it produces “robust evidence” as justification. Labour deputy leader Charles Mangion is calling on the Malta Communications Authority to ensure postal prices are not increased by Maltapost, which he described as a “private monopoly”.

September 13, 2007

The U.S. Postal Service's September 2007 DMM Update has been posted on this site.

The Akron Beacon Journal has reported that "United Parcel Service Inc., the largest employer of Teamsters members, needs to finish contract talks by Oct. 1 to get an accord in place before U.S. pension laws change in 2008, the union's lead negotiator said."

Brazzil has reported that "Starting today, post office branches throughout Brazil will be closed. Gathered in meetings in several states the workers at ECT (Brazilian Postal and Telegraph Company) decided to go on strike for undetermined time until their demands for bigger salaries and better work conditions are met."

AllAfrica.com has reported that "The Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST) like most other government utilities are currently undergoing reform through the Bureau For Public Enterprises, the agency set up by government for the reform of its government owned companies and parastatals with a view to making it more efficient and effective and among other reasons to severe such organisation from the governmen'st annual subvention."

Radio New Zealand has reported that "The state-owned postal operator made a profit of $70.2 million for the year to June, an increase of 2% on the previous year. Revenue rose 10% to $1.2 billion. Chief executive John Allen says it is underpinned by Kiwibank's continuing growth and a joint venture courier business with Deutsche Post. He says the company is continuing to invest to offset continuing falls in personal mail volumes." See also the Dominion Post.

The Daily News has reported that "Pan African Postal Union (Papu) has urged postal service providers to concentrate on developing more operations in rural areas on the continent where there is little or no availability of advanced communication."

September 12, 2007

Congratulations to DMA Postal Affairs Senior Vice President Jerry Cerasale who received the Continuity Shippers Association's Lifetime Achievement Award at its 11th Annual Meeting last Friday Sep 8 at the Basin Harbor Club on Lake Champlain.

Press Release: "AddressKey video coding system (VCS) enables manual data entry for addresses not recognized by automated address recognition and interpretation systems. Universal, configurable product adapts to country requirements and allows operators to enter information in real-time using optional address interpretation hints and autofill options. It is complaint with OCR/VCS open interface standards as defined by European Committee for Standardization."

Editor & Publisher has noted that "Worried that "Do Not Mail" laws may catch on nationally on the way "Do Not Call" did, the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) and other mailing and fulfillment businesses are fighting back with a lobbying group called Mail Moves America. The organization, formed over the summer, solicited printers support at the Graph Expo commercial-side equipment show that concludes Wednesday in Chicago."

From PR Newswire: "The U.S. Postal Service continues its tradition of drawing attention to important social causes by issuing the Jury Duty stamp at the Manhattan State Supreme Court today, September 12, in New York City. The first-day-of-issuance ceremony highlighted the Juror Appreciation Day celebration, an annual event that salutes New York jurors. Mary Anne Gibbons, senior vice president, general counsel of the Postal Service co-hosted the ceremony with Chief Judge Judith Kaye of New York."

The Associated Press has reported that "The National Association of Letter Carriers endorsed Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton for president on Wednesday, saying the New York senator has the strength and experience to bring change to the White House."

According to the Lincolnshire Echo, "Successive governments have creamed off money from the Royal Mail rather than allowing this to be used for modernisation. The present management has proposed a worker shareholder partnership but the Government has refused it. While other mail firms can cherry pick the more lucrative business deals leaving Royal Mail with the least profitable ones, yet the Government insists on a flat rate stamp regardless of distance. Although postal workers deliver for rival businesses there is no reciprocal arrangement. The situation is therefore not a "level playing field".

According to the Augusta Chronicle, "The US Postal Service is expected to remove the machines from all offices nationwide by 2010."

Forbes has reported that "TNT NV said it will launch two new time-guaranteed services to expand its morning delivery services portfolio. The Dutch postal company said it will add the '10:00 Express' and '12:00 Economy Express' to its existing '9:00 Express' and '12:00 Express' services."

DM News has reported that "Total advertising spend in the first half of 2007 went down 0.3 percent to $72.6 billion versus the same period in 2006, according to data released today by TNS Media Intelligence, a provider of advertising and marketing information."

The Financial Times has reported that "Postal workers threatened on Tuesday to stage further strikes by the end of the month unless a bitter row over pay and conditions is resolved."

Live-PR.com has reported that "EU regulators will investigate all German state subsidies to Deutsche Post AG dating back to 1989 to check if the company bolstered its commercial operations with public money meant for mail delivery, the European Commission said Wednesday. The EU's executive arm said rivals had complained that Deutsche Post used government money to muscle into the private sector and sell services «too cheaply» to its parcel delivery firm DHL and banking arm Postbank."

Tribune de Geneve has reported that "The Swiss post office launches a pilot project in Geneva to deliver packages to homes when the occupants are more likely to be in - at the end of the work day."

CNN Money has reported that "A European Union court Wednesday rejected complaints from international courier companies who claimed that French state-owned postal services company La Poste unfairly subsidizes its own courier express operation."

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

The Belgian La Poste has had to accept a loss in profit in the first half of 2007.
Talks between Royal Mail and the union CWU ended without agreement last Sunday - despite drawing closer on some points.
After the employers’ association Arbeitgeberverband Postdienste, dominated by Deutsche Post, had negotiated a minimum wage with the trade union ver.di, postal competitors are now refusing to accept it.
After the social democratic postal workers’ unions (FSG) as well as their Christian democratic colleagues (FCG) revealed their readiness to strike if it came to staff cutbacks at the Austrian delivery services, CEO Anton Wais gave in.
Pascal Gentinetta, the new director of the Swiss umbrella organisation Economiesuisse, has ordered that the monopoly on mail is phased out as swiftly as possible.
The 13,000 postmen at Post Danmark are now being equipped with socalled Smartphones. The devices can be used for dynamic route planning, amongst other things. In this way, every single post office can see how far the postman has gotten on his route. If necessary the route can then be altered as quickly as possible.
The new domain ending for postal companies could be ".post" in future.
Malta is the EU country with the lowest postage for letters.
According to the company itself, Armenia’s HayPost has lost over 2bn Armenian drams, equivalent to 4.32m euros, in the past through embezzlement.
A conflict has broken out in New Zealand as to whether employees of New Zealand Post should be entitled to wages despite industrial actions in July of last year.
Wage and pension negotiations for UPS employees in the USA are "still far apart from contract", the union Teamsters reported last week.
The Brazilian post Empresa de Correios e Telégrafos (ECT) plans to launch its own cargo airline.
The South African Post Office (SAPO) plans to invest 2.6bn rands, equivalent to a good 261m euros, in the next three years, in further expansion.
Armadillo Business Parcel, the Russian subsidiary company of the GeoPost Group, will operate under the trade name DPD in future.
Royal Mail has been instructed to disclose information on the number of stolen consignments that were taken from private vehicles used to deliver mail.
Top managers at TNT plan to put some of their bonuses in a special fund, which will help employees affected by the restructuring.
New Zealand Post Limited and the customer communication group Salmat Limited plan to launch a 50/50 Joint venture. The two partners want to merge the businesses of their respectiveunaddressed mail subsidiaries, Letterbox Channel Limited and Deltarg Distribution Systems Limited.
Peter Somers director of Belgian Post International (BPI), has been appointed to the management board at the Belgian La Poste.
The French La Poste last week disclosed that Jacques Rapoport would succeed Philippe Lazare as executive vice president.
Eduardo Herrera is, with immediate effect, the new director general of Chronoexprés, the parcel subsidiary company of the Spanish post Correos.

The MRU, founded in 1992, is the only consultancy in Europe, which has specialised in the market of courier-, express- and parcel services. For large-scale shippers and CEP-services in particular, the MRU provides interdisciplinary advice for all major questions of the market, as there are for example market entry, product design, organisation, and EDP.To learn more about the stories reported above, contact CEP News. (We appreciate the courtesy extended by CEP News to help whet your appetite for more of what CEP offers.)

Transport Intelligence has reported that "FedEx Corp. has enhanced its FedEx Express same-day service offerings with the addition of same-day services for freight shipments and a new intra-city service in selected markets."

Thanh Nien News has reported that "Citibank signed a deal Tuesday with a subsidiary of the state-run Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Group to provide local clients a range of banking products. The deal will allow both corporate and individual clients of Vietnam Postal Savings Service Company make payments and transfers to firms banking with the US bank."

Japan Times has reported that "The government has given the green light to a blueprint submitted earlier this year by Japan Post Corp. for privatizing postal services."

The National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) announced today the ratification of a new five-year collective bargaining agreement with the U. S. Postal Service. The new agreement will run through Nov. 20, 2011, and affect approximately 222,000 career employees who deliver mail to residences and businesses on city delivery routes.

September 11, 2007

Packaging Essentials has reported that "The Heads of the Universal Postal Union (UPU) and the World Customs Organization (WCO) agreed in Brussels this week to further strengthen co-operation between the two Organizations aimed at facilitating free and secure global trade. The meeting between Edouard Dayan, Director General of the UPU, and Michel Danet, Secretary General of the WCO coincided with the signing of a new agreement between the two Organizations."

Traffic World has reported that:

Media Daily News has reported that "U.S. measured media ad spending fell 0.3% to $72.59 billion during the first half of 2007, as the ad economy shrunk for the second consecutive quarter this year, according to estimates released this morning by ad tracking firm TNS Media Intelligence. It is the first time since 2001 that spending declined for two consecutive quarters - a trend economists look at closely for signs of recession."

The Associated Press has reported that "U.S. trucking companies have asked a federal court to delay a requirement that would reduce by one hour the time truckers can drive continuously. The American Trucking Association Thursday requested an 8-month stay from a mandate of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. The court had ordered the daily driving limit be cut to 10 hours for long-haul truckers."

BusinessWorld has reported that "The Philippine Postal Corp. (Philpost) is planning to issue P2 billion worth of bonds to pay off debts incurred by its defunct subsidiary."

The BBC has reported that "The postal workers union has said it will announce further strikes after failing to reach an agreement with the Royal Mail during five days of talks."

ABCMoney.co.uk has reported that "Dutch union CNV Publieke Zaak has dismissed as 'powerplay' TNT NV's repeated statement that it could be forced to cut 11,000 jobs instead of the targeted 6,500-7,000 ahead of workplace discussions next week."

September 10, 2007

Reuters has noted that "Carved over the entrance to the General Post Office in New York City is this inscription: "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds." The postmen of Baghdad, however, braving war-scarred streets in their boxy yellow vans, live by another unofficial motto; come bullets, bombs or blast walls, the mail must get through. "I consider the postmen to be mujahideen (holy warriors)," says the head of the Post and Savings Directorate, Safaadine Badr. "I call them that because they defy the bad security situation, like explosions, to deliver mail throughout Baghdad."

Forbes has reported that "Oesterreichische Post (Austrian Post) AG is going to increase its full year dividend by 25 pct on 2006 and return at least 70 pct of its net profit to shareholders."

The News-Record has noted that "The U.S. Postal Service wants its customers to handle their own postage — and is offering cash prizes to those who do. At post offices nationwide, including three in Greensboro, customers will get a chance at $250 daily cash prizes and a grand prize of $10,000 when they use the Automatic Postal Center kiosks rather than standing in line to be served."

ABC13.com has reported that "The US Postal Service is trying to figure out how hundreds of pieces of mail went undelivered and ended up stashed underneath some bushes instead."

September 9, 2007

AGIPNews has reported that "The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) and the Universal Postal Union (UPU) have entered into negotiations intended to result in the delegation of the .POST registry. According to a press release by ICANN, this outreach by the UPU is intended to inform the community about proposed aspects of the UPU’s business model and requested contractual agreement. These proposals are based upon the UPU’s vision for adding significant value to: the DNS, its member states and their designated operators of postal services, and the recipients of postal services. Certain aspects of these terms relate to the UPU’s status as an intergovernmental organization (IGO) comprised of member states and as specialized agency of the United Nations. Significantly, this outreach invites public examination and comment at an early stage of the negotiation. Negotiations will continue and comments made regarding this material will be taken into account as they are received."

September 8, 2007

Reuters has reported that "Dutch mail company TNT NV said on Saturday it may have to lay off up to 11,000 workers due to rising competition in its home market, where the company is set to lose its remaining monopoly from next year. The company said in April it will seek to freeze wages and cut up to 7,000 jobs to help lower costs by 300 million euros ($413 million) by 2015, but now seems to feel harsher measures will be needed to remain competitive. "We may have to go as far as 10,000 or 11,000 redundencies," Chief Executive Peter Bakker told Reuters in an interview."

Oak Bay News has reported that "A Victoria postal union has raised the spectre of reduced postal services in the region, but the claims are unfounded, says Canada Post."

PostCom Members! The latest issue of the PostCom Postal Policy Report, has been posted on this site.

The Malta Star has reported that "Local NGO 'Zminijietna - Voice of the Left' said it disagreed with the total privatisation of Maltapost and asked whether Malta would benefit from the 'Luxembourg clause' which was agreed with in the EU in view of the liberalisation of the postal sector in the European Union."

September 7, 2007

The MTAC website (http://ribbs.usps.gov/mtac.htm ) now has the Questions & Answers posted from the May 17, 2007 MTAC USPS Flats Symposium. Simply go to the homepage and click on "Flats Symposium Questions & Answers". These Q & A s were generated from questions submitted by the participants before, during and after the symposium, and represent the best and most informed responses available today. Please understand that updates will be provided as more knowledge is gained in the actual implementation of the Flats Sequencing System (FSS) program.

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

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

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Earthtimes has reported that "Latvian state-owned postal company Latvijas Pasts has launched a new paid service of helping customers to prepare their mail, including licking stamps. As of August, post offices in the small Baltic nation have been charging 0.03 lats (5.8 US cents) for gluing stamps to envelopes."

Slowing U.S. economic growth could affect DHL Express's aim at making its Americas unit break even by 2009, the company's top U.S. executive said on Thursday. "Given the state of the economy, that's going to be fairly tough to do for us," Hans Hickler told Reuters in an interview.

The Oxford Mail has reported that "Royal Mail could stop Sunday collections from its post boxes from next month. The company said demand for collections on Sundays is "very low" while the costs of handling are about four times higher than mail posted at other times of the week."

AllAfrica.com has reported that "the year of ongoing woes at the South African Post Office seems to have come to an end for now, but its new board is still left with the task of cleaning up a legal mess over and above its mandate to roll out infrastructure."

Reuters has reported that "DHL, the express package delivery service of Germany's Deutsche Post , said on Thursday it had signed a new three-year U.S. shipping agreement with retailer Wal-Mart Stores Inc. Under the agreement, DHL will provide air express and ground shipping throughout the United States for the world's largest retailer, supporting Wal-Mart's 4,000 stores nationwide. DHL said the contract would nearly double the volume and revenue generated from the services it provides Wal-Mart .

September 6, 2007

From Business Wire: "Since the launch of its new Shape-Based Pricing (SBP) initiative with the May 14, 2007 postal rate change, the United States Postal Service® has produced and distributed over 200,000 official rate classification guides based on a design by Hasler, Inc. These guides, circulated to USPS Retail Associates in over 38,000 post offices around the United States, are used to simplify the process of calculating mailing costs under the new SBP regulations."

The UN News Centre has reported that "United Nations postal authorities today issued four stamps to raise awareness of the importance of humanitarian mail in times of natural catastrophes or conflicts. The stamps, all sharing a common design of a letter carrier holding a letter in one hand as he floats over a sea of hands reaching out, were issued by the UN Postal Administration (UNPA), and the UN Universal Postal Union (UPU) and Swiss Post."

The New York Times has noted that "Pankaj Shah may be the only chief executive in Silicon Valley striving to put himself out of business. He is the founder of GreenDimes, a small business with big plans to stop junk mail while aiding the environment. If Mr. Shah has his way, millions of tons of unwanted mail will go the way of pesky phone solicitations. And the planet, not just consumers, he says, will reap the rewards. GreenDimes is one of several companies nationwide begun in recent years to organize information about a customer’s unsolicited credit card offers and money mailers, or no longer desired catalogs, and then perform the legwork to halt the flow. GreenDimes has 16 employees who manage accounts for 50,000 members. Many of them signed up after the actor Matt Damon, who sits on the board, promoted the site on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” and “The Oprah Winfrey Show.”

From the Postal Regulatory Commission: "Representatives of the American Postal Workers Union will participate in a round-table discussion on Monday, September 10, beginning at 1:30 p.m., in the Commission’s main conference room. The discussion will focus on retail service measurement and related service quality topics, such as availability and condition of vending machines, availability of post office boxes, and urban/rural post office service level differences. The discussion is open to the public."

According to the Great Falls Tribune, "Postal Service officials are trying to round up flat tubs and other mail transport equipment that may be cluttering up warehouses and offices."

According to PrintWeek, "The direct mail industry is on tenterhooks, following the extension of the 4 September deadline for talks between the Communication Workers Union (CWU) strike and Royal Mail. Following four weeks of talks, in which strike action was suspended, this recent round of negotiations has been given until 9 September to broker a deal. The extension until Sunday will then be followed by a further meeting on Monday. Neither party is commenting on the progress of the talks until then."

ClickPress has reported that "One year on from Royal Mail’s introduction of Pricing in Proportion (PIP), MarketingFile conducted a survey to see if business postal costs had increased or decreased. When asked “since PIP was introduced, have your office mail costs increased”, 44% said yes, and 16% said it had decreased. When asked how the changes affected their Direct Mail costs, 63% said costs had increased, with 25% staying about the same. A sharp contrast to the Royal Mail’s initial pitch to Postcomm which stated: “The great majority of our mail will not change in price and this means that most of our customers will not be greatly affected”.

From Business Wire: "Business Objects, the world's leading provider of business intelligence solutions, today announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire FUZZY! Informatik. Financial terms of the transaction, which is expected to close in October 2007, were not disclosed. Based in Ludwigsburg nearby Stuttgart, Germany, FUZZY! Informatik is the leading provider of data quality solutions in Europe with more than 13 years of experience in this market and region. In combination with Business Objects enterprise information management (EIM) technologies, they will provide organizations with a best of breed solution to apply data quality processes to any customer, product or region-specific data that help customers execute on their data management goals."

American Postal Workers Union president William Burrus has told his members that "there are no short-term prospects for merger with the Mail Handlers Union, and little interest at this time among their ranks to decertify their union in order to join ours."

From PR Web: "Global-Z International, a bureau specializing in the data processing of international mailing addresses for global direct marketers, announced today the addition of Poland to their data processing service designed to help mailers initiate and maintain better direct mail communication with new and existing customers in Central & Eastern Europe, in general, and Poland specifically."

Sharewatch has reported that "Deutsche Post World Net AG's efforts to cut costs are unlikely to offset the impact of the end of its German letter monopoly next year, as competitors are preparing their market entry, analysts said. "Deutsche Post has always been under pressure to reduce its costs, but now more than in the past," said Per-Ola Hellgren, an analyst at Landesbank Baden-Wuerttemberg. Deutsche Post's monopoly on letters below 50g, which account for 60 pct of its mail volume, is scheduled to end in January 2008. "A delay to German mail liberalisation now seems unlikely," wrote analysts at Goldman Sachs in a recent note to clients. "We believe that this implies volume loss and margin erosion for Deutsche Post. Our analysis suggests a cost-cutting programme is unlikely to compensate for revenue declines." Deutsche Post expects profit losses of 10-20 pct due to mail liberalisation, from 2006 earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) of 2.03 bln eur. During the first half of 2007, the mail division accounted for 55.8 pct of Deutsche Post's EBIT."

The Age has reported that "Postal workers in New Zealand have been awarded back pay for a period of industrial action in which posties took undelivered mail and put it back in post boxes. The workers undertook the "secret strike" in July last year as part of a row over an employment agreement, the New Zealand Herald reported. During the strike the workers went to delivery branches and helped sort the mail in the morning, before taking some of it and re-posting it, preventing it from reaching its destination."

India Infoline has reported that "In a move that will disappoint millions of Indians who have small savings deposits in post offices, the finance ministry has rejected the demand by the postal department to increase the interest rates on deposits and small savings schemes."

This Day has reported that "A joint postal interdiction operations involving operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, the United States Postal Inspection Service and the United Kingdom Serious Organized Crimes Agency has ended in Lagos. A statement by Osita Nwajah Head, Media & Publicity of EFCC said the exercise is the first multi-national interdiction operation of outward bound packages in the country. It saw agents of the three law enforcement agencies poring through tones of outward bound packages in the pre-exporting mail processing centres of the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST) and private courier companies like FedEx, UPS and DHL. The operation produced startling discoveries of how criminal elements operating from the country ship fake documents and counterfeit financial instruments abroad. In several packages were found fraudulent identification and counterfeit financial instruments neatly concealed in carbon paper to evade the sensors of scanners."

September 5, 2007

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

Congratulations to Jim O'Brien who has been appointed to the Smithsonian Institution's National Postal Museum Advisory Council. Jim is the Vice President of Distribution and Postal Affairs for Time Incorporated. He is the Chairman of the Association for Postal Commerce (Postcom), former Chairman of the Magazine Publishers of America (MPA) Postal Committee, serves on the Mailers Council Board of Directors, and the MPA Government Affairs Committee. Jim is a graduate of the University of Illinois and the Harvard Business School Program for Management Development.

In his most recent postal perspective for Catalog Success, postal commentator Gene Del Polito note that "what's important for catalogers to remember is that the rules governing USPS addressing are being stepped up. The USPS is convinced that high-quality addressing and properly printed associated delivery point barcodes will enhance greatly the processing and delivery of mail. The tools available to catalogers and their service suppliers are many. Now's the time to take those steps that will help ensure that every penny you invest in marketing by mail has the greatest potential of adding to your company's bottom line."

The Associated Press has reported that "German industrial conglomerate Siemens AG said Wednesday it received an addition to a contract with the U.S. Postal Service for $54.6 million worth of mail sorting equipment. The award includes 110 additional bar-code letter sorting machines with carts to transport the mail, as well as installation, logistics and support services. Production and installation is expected to be completed by April 31."

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

Schweizerische Post has completed a very successful first half of 2007. Profit grew by almost 17 per cent.
The Italian competition commission AGCM (Autorita Garante della Concorrenza e del Maercato) has announced the beginning of an investigation at Poste Italiane. The commission confirmed at the end of August that the procedure was opened because of a complaint by the express delivery agencies (Agenzie di recapito espressi - ARE).
The German Arbeitgeberverband Postdienste, founded just 2 weeks ago, has announced the completion of the first tariff agreement to regulate minimum wages in the postal branch.
According to a report in the »Sunday Telegraph« (2.9), the British government has abandoned its search for a successor to Allan Leighton, chairman of Royal Mail. According to market analysts, the decision came after all potential candidates rejected the offer.
Anton Wais, CEO of Österreichische Post, is keen to play down the conflict around the planned staff cutbacks, which has been brewing for weeks between the post and the postal workers’ committee. He told journalists on Monday that he saw no dissent with the union nor was he expecting resistance.
According to a report in »Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung « (2.9), Deutsche Post is currently looking into entering the newspaper business.
TNT has boosted its position on the German letter market with a further acquisition. It was announced this Tuesday that TNT Post has taken over a 25.1 per cent share in the regional delivery company CitiPOST Ludwigsburg. According to the company itself, this gives TNT access to more than 240,000 households in the Ludwigsburg District (Baden-Württemberg).
Due to the staff shortage in Norway, Posten Norge now plans to try recruiting postmen from abroad.
The Swedish Posten AB has further boosted its position on the Scandinavian market with a takeover of the Finnish logistics company Suomen Logistiikkatalo.
The president of the supervisory board at Österreichische Post has defended the takeover of the German company Trans-o-flex to the daily newspaper »Der Standard«.
Sinotrans, China’s largest logistics company, plans to boost its market position in the US through a joint venture. As announced last week, SinoNRS was founded together with National Retail Systems, Inc. which specialises in retail logistics.
In order to cut costs, Royal Mail will no longer collect mail from post boxes on Sundays and Bank Holidays in future.
The German Cartel Office has criticised the draft bill presented by the regulator for the planned new approval procedure for Deutsche Post’s postal rates.
DHL Global Mail plans to market its ePost service in France together with the company Experian in future.

The MRU, founded in 1992, is the only consultancy in Europe, which has specialised in the market of courier-, express- and parcel services. For large-scale shippers and CEP-services in particular, the MRU provides interdisciplinary advice for all major questions of the market, as there are for example market entry, product design, organisation, and EDP.To learn more about the stories reported above, contact CEP News. (We appreciate the courtesy extended by CEP News to help whet your appetite for more of what CEP offers.)

The DM Bulletin has reported that "Royal Mail has won a victory against rival TNT after the advertising watchdog upheld a complaint about a TNT magazine insert that portrayed its service as the cheaper, more convenient alternative."

Hispanic Business magazine named the U.S. Postal Service one of the best companies for Hispanics. The Postal Service is the only federal agency included in the magazine’s DIVERSITY ELITE 60 list, an annual directory of the best companies for Hispanics determined by more than 30 variables that measure companies’ commitment to Hispanic hiring, promotion, marketing, philanthropy and supplier diversity.

The Associated Press has reported that "U.S. trucking companies want the government to keep regulations allowing truckers to drive 11 hours in a row, rather than the previous limit of 10. The American Trucking Associations filed a petition Friday with the federal government asking officials to issue a new version of two-year-old regulations on truckers' hours to replace regulations struck down by a court in late July."

Get to know the real Pritha Mehra (pictured on the right)...the one who has a life in addition to the Postal Service.

From UPS: "Matt Lawrence, a veteran UPS logistician, has become the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) first loaned executive from private industry."

AllAfrica.com has reported that "the South African Post Office planned capital expenditure of R2,6bn on new and existing infrastructure over the next three years to continue current growth."

Flight Global has reported that "The Brazilian postal service has emerged as a potential launch customer for Embraer's proposed C-390 tactical transport aircraft. Hélio Costa, Brazil's minister of communications, says the Empresa de Correios e Telégrafos (ECT) may launch its own cargo carrier next year to meet its domestic transport requirements."

Forbes has reported that:

The German employers association of postal services said it and Ver.di trade union have agreed on a minimum wage for the industry, with postmen getting 9.80 eur an hour in western Germany, and 9.00 eur in the east.
UK postal union has agreed to extend a suspension of planned strikes for a further five days to resolve a pay row with Royal Mail. See also the Financial Times.

September 4, 2007

Traffic World has reported that "Netherlands-based mail and express carrier TNT launched an aggressive environmental program that extends beyond the company into employees' homes. At a press dinner in London last week TNT's Chief Executive Officer Peter Bakker said the "Planet Me" project will improve transparency on the company's carbon footprint, drastically reduce CO2 emissions and stimulate its 159,000 employees to do the same in their private lives."

One of our correspondents has reported that "the Teamsters and UPS are very close to an agreement on their contract that expires next summer. it would appear that an agreement will be signed by October 1. The agreement will include UPS's withdrawal from the troubled Central States Pension Plan with payment of a substantial withdrawal liability payment that could be as high as $6 billion. In its place UPS will establish a joint UPS/Teamsters pension plan for the employees that used to participate in the Central States Plan. UPS will not be withdrawing from multiemployer plans that serve employees in the Western United States, Middle Atlantic States, the Chicago metropolitan area and New England. This is good news for parcel shippers as it eliminates any risk of a strike and should reduce UPS's pension expenses going forward giving it more flexibility to price its products. With lower costs, the agreement should give UPS more options to compete in a more aggressive pricing environment that would develop in 2008 if domestic volumes do not pick up from today's depressed levels."

From the Federal Register: "A recently-enacted federal law directs the Commission to develop rules to implement a new postal ratemaking system. This proposal responds to that directive by presenting rules addressing market dominant and competitive products, including negotiated service agreements, the regulatory calendar, and product lists. This document incorporates a revision identified in an errata notice. Issuance of this document will allow the Commission to consider comments and, if appropriate, to make revisions prior to adoption of final rules. Submit comments by September 24, 2007; submit reply comments by October 9, 2007. Submit comments electronically via the Commission's Filing Online system at http://www.prc.gov."

According to PrintWeek, "A new business post service has been launched that offers a faster, cheaper and more simple service by utilising a network of firms to print and insert the documents near the point of delivery. ViaPost uses free software that integrates with most desktop applications to send customers' documents securely to a print site local to the recipient for production and inserting. The Royal Mail provides final-mile delivery."

The Greenville News has reported that "A rural postal carrier charged with abandoning 176 pieces of mail is scheduled to go on trial Wednesday in Greenville, according to federal court records. Robert McWhorter was working for the U.S. Postal Service in Iva on Jan. 3 when authorities allege that he quit and put the third-class mail in a recycling bin, according to an indictment."

The Stamp Collecting Roundup has reported that "later this week, the United Nations Postal Administration (UNPA) and the Universal Postal Union (UPU) will issue commemorative stamps on the theme “Humanitarian Mail”.

The Jerusalem Post has reported that "Although the finance and communications minister signed and announced a document Monday that supposedly raises postal rates, the Israel Postal Company said it was "premature as discussions on new services and rates have not yet been concluded."

The Daily Record has reported that "Scotland has the worst postal service in the UK, according to the Royal Mail's own figures. The six poorest performing postcode areas in Britain for delivering first-class mail the next day are north of the Border."

News.com.au has noted that "About 20,000 postal workers will take part in the ballot from September 14, tipped to be Australia's largest since the introduction of WorkChoices. If successful, postal strikes of up to 48 hours could be imposed across the country."

From PR Web: "The postal zip code utility at postalcodelookup.ca allows users to quickly find complete mailing and geographical data in the United States and Canada. Even when only partial information is available, users can enter incomplete zip or postal codes and browse through an alphabetized list of matches that includes city names, states or provinces, counties, time zones, telephone area codes, maps and complete postal or zip codes."

September 3, 2007

According to postal commentator Gene Del Polito, "it would be a real shame if the current service performance exercise is imprudently turned into a turf war designed merely to satisfy the ego needs of some participants."

DI-VE has reported that "The cabinet of ministers has approved the transfer of 25 percent of shares the government holds in Maltapost plc. to Lombard Bank plc. The second of three phases of the privatisation of Maltapost now sees Lombard Bank as the holder of 60 percent of the shares in the company." See also Malta Media.

AllAfrica.com has reported that "Growth in the use of the Internet and mobile messaging in Uganda have led to a gradual decline in volume of letters posted and received domestically and abroad."

Asia Pulse has reported that "The United States Postal Service (USPS) on Friday revived the zip code and domestic rate services in the Federated States of Micronesia and Republic of the Marshall Islands. USPS made the announcement during the USPS two-day workshop for postmasters and post office managers throughout the Pacific. USPS terminated these services during the Marshall Islands and FSM Compact renegotiation in 2003. Palau Vogel, Managing Director, Global Business and Senior Vice President of USPS made the announcement."

Asia Pulse has reported that "The Philippine Postal Corporation (PhilPost) hosts the 14th business meeting of postal agencies of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Aseanpost) scheduled from September 4 to 6 in Makati City."

The Financial Times has reported that "Royal Mail and other postal operators will face a new competitive challenge next month, with the launch of a service that promises to cut the cost of business mail and reduce the carbon emissions of sending letters through the post. Viapost will allow customers to e-mail letters to distribution centres around the country, where they will be printed out, folded and sorted before being handed over to local Royal Mail distribution centres for final delivery to the recipients. Although Royal Mail will deliver for Viapost over "the final mile", the new service is likely to take business from its collection and sorting business where it has already lost a large share of the market to competitors such as TNT Post and UK Mail."

Business Day has reported that "The Association of Nigerian Courier Operators (ANCO) has called for an all-inclusive postal committee to address issues relating to both postal and couriers sub-sectors or separate the two sub-sectors."

The Jamaica Gleaner has reported that "Postmaster General and CEO of the Postal Corporation of Jamaica, Michael Gentles, is confident that the nation's mail operations will be back on track shortly. Much of the island's road network was blocked by debris following the ravages of Hurricane Dean on Sunday, August 19. Some post offices also suffered minor structural damage."

Forbes has reported that "PIN Group AG and TNT NV's TNT Post Germany have founded a new employers' association to scupper a minimum wage of 9-10 eur sought by rival Deutsche Post World Net AG."

September 2, 2007

German mail and logistics group Deutsche Post is planning to launch a free newspaper, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung (FAS) said.

September 1, 2007

The New York Times has noted that "Optimists are hard to find in the magazine and newspaper businesses these days. Most print publishers worry that the Internet is taking over as the primary means of conveying information."

WIZM has claimed that "The days of the traditional mail truck could be coming to an end. Recently, the U.S. postal service in LaCrosse purchases some vans and station wagons for their mail carriers to cruise the neighborhoods in. Supervisor Nancy Shermerhorn says the new mail cars provide extra safety because they have windows in the back and sides. But, she wouldn't confirm this will mark the end of the traditional mail trucks. But, a postman we ran into yesterday says the new cars will eventually replace all of the old trucks."

From PR Newswire: "Cepheid (Nasdaq: CPHD) today announced that it has entered into a five-year master purchase order with Northrop Grumman for the purchase of up to $200 million in Bacillus anthracis (anthrax) test cartridges and associated materials. The anthrax test is currently used in Biohazard Detection Systems (BDS), installed at United States Postal Service (USPS) mail processing centers nationwide. The agreement covers the USPS fiscal years of 2007 through 2011. Cepheid began supplying USPS with GeneXpert(R) modules and anthrax test cartridges in 2003."

From Cox News Service (the people who own Valpak): "How to ax your junk mail."

Reuters has reported that "German mail and logistics group Deutsche Post and Deutsche Lufthansa's air freight division plan to create a joint cargo carrier, Germany's competition regulator, the cartel office, said on Friday. The companies have applied for approval to set up a "joint airline for cargo flights", according to the authorities. A spokesman for Post's DHL express delivery division told Reuters on Friday it planned to expand its cooperation with Lufthansa, without giving further details."

AZG Armenia  Daily has reported that "HayPost (Armenian Post) said yesterday it has lost more than AMD 2 billion in past years due to systemic violation of vehicle fleet management procedures. It said it asked police to investigate into potential fraud and embezzlement. Based on the results of internal investigation into the management and operations of the vehicle fleet department of HayPost, the company revealed serious violations of working procedures by a large number of employees and officials of HayPost supposedly involving fraud and embezzlement, and inflicting significant losses on the company. This concerns procurement and usage of petrol, usage of vehicles, and repairs and maintenance of vehicles."