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Postal News from November 2010:
December 31, 2010
The
Yemen News Agency
has reported that "General Authority for Post and Postal Savings has
prepared an exceptional plan to protect transferring, cash storage, postman
and post offices for 2011. The plan aims to enhance the security aspects in
transferring and handling money and prop up aspects of inspection and
control over parcels and international mail."
Sify News has reported that "Almost 10 months after he was caught taking
bribe, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) of the Central Bureau of
Investigation (CBI) Friday filed a chargesheet against former chief
postmaster general of Maharashtra and Goa Manjit Singh Bali, an official
said. Chargesheets have also been filed against father-son duo Arun Dalmia
and Harsh Dalmia under various sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act,
1988."
News On News has noted that "Plaid Cymru's Hywel Williams MP has said
that the challenging Christmas weather this year showed why the Royal Mail,
whose universal service obligation ensures that deliveries continue in all
conditions, was so important."
Fox
News has a story on the top 5 business blunders of 2010. At number five,
United States Postal Service: A Failure of Management –It might seem unfair
to start the list with a government bureaucracy. However, the USPS is that
rare government bureaucracy that performs a valuable business service (as
opposed to an administrative service) for everyone and doesn’t receive any
tax revenue to operate. In other words, the USPS is supposed to function
like a business."
The
Appalachian News Express has noted that "According to the new price
chart issued by the U.S. Postal Service,the prices for mailing some packages
using the postal service’spriority mail and express mail delivery will
increase between 3.9percent and 5 percent, effective Jan. 2, 2011." See also
the
Birmingham News.
The
Philadelphia Inquirer has reported that "If things had gone according to
plan, postage stamps would cost 2 cents more the day after New Year's. But
things aren't exactly going according to plan these days for the U.S. Postal
Service, whose business has gone from booming to blown-to-bits in a few
short years. Just listen to Postal Service spokesman Greg Frey, a 30-year
veteran in Washington, as he explains what's at stake for the venerable
agency, which got its start under Benjamin Franklin in 1775: "We have
extreme liquidity issues, and in spite of our best efforts to cut costs,"
Frey said, pausing, "we just are struggling here."
According to the
Postalnews blog, the above story is just "Another columnist that gets it
backwards on USPS finances."
The
Leader-Post has reported that "Mail went undelivered to 1,800 Saskatoon
homes and businesses this week as vacation schedules, a flu bug and ongoing
staff shortages took their toll. A Canadian Union of Postal Workers official
said Canada Post is not hiring and scheduling enough workers, but a Canada
Post spokeswoman said Wednesday's situation was the result of a highly
unusual combination of circumstances."
The
National Association of Postmasters (NAPUS) has told its members that
"NAPUS President Bob Rapoza has received a response from Postal Service Vice
President of Labor Relations, Doug Tulino, concerning our discussions on
Postmasters’ convention leave for 2011. Mr Tulino said that Postmasters’
convention leave, as outlined in Section 519.62 of the Employee and Labor
Relations Manual) (ELM) will continue to be suspended through FY2011."
Hellmail has reported that "Spring have successfully expanded their
Reverse Logistics network by adding Hungary to their local postal returns
solution, making it the 19th European country in which this service is
available. This service allows end users in Hungary to return any item up to
30 kilograms with a maximum size of 300 centimeters (l+h+w) without any
hassle or cost."
The
Washington Post has noted that "Not so many years ago, the task of
sending census statistics to the states so they could redraw voting
districts involved trips to the loading dock. Cathy McCully, who heads the
redistricting data division, often was on hand to oversee the mailing of
boxes stuffed with computer printouts for politicians and cartographers to
pore over. But in a theatrical touch, the data will be delivered overland to
the states the day before it's made public, mostly via Federal Express.
"They've got very good tracking and next-day delivery," McCully said of the
selection of FedEx over the U.S. Postal Service, which will be tasked with
delivering census data to Indian reservations."
DMM
Advisory:
New Postage
Statements Effective January 2, 2011
As
the January 2, 2011 is approaching, USPS' systems are in a ready mode and we
are ready to work with you to accept mail using the new postage statements.
We appreciate the efforts of the software vendor community to ensure their
clients also are ready for implementation. We are especially excited about
the new products we are launching, along with various other
expansions/enhancements of existing product lines. Just in case some of you
encounter difficulty getting your customized software ready, please contact
your local acceptance office or Manager of Business Mail Entry to determine
the best solution. Mailers using the Electronic Verification System (eVS)
for manifesting who are having difficulty should contact their Strategic
Account or Business Alliance Manager for assistance.
Federal Times has noted that "The U.S. Postal Service has frequently
failed to justify millions of dollars worth of "workshare discounts" given
to mailers for efficiency reasons and other grounds, a newly released audit
by the USPS inspector general has found. Under the discount program, mailers
get reduced postage rates in return for preparing, sorting or transporting
mail. The Postal Service is supposed to come out ahead by saving more in
avoided costs than it loses from lower rates. A 2006 law allows for some
exceptions, however, as when postal officials believe that reducing or
eliminating the discount would get in the way of efficient operations. But
in 2009 the Postal Service failed to properly justify 19 out of 30 workshare
discounts that exceeded avoided costs by $104 million, the IG found. Almost
all of those 19 were allowed under the efficiency exception, but the Postal
Service "did not identify specific operations that would be impeded, or
quantify the potential impact of setting workshare discounts equal to or
less than avoided costs," according to the Dec. 23 audit, which was released
Thursday. The Postal Service also did not provide data for some educational,
cultural, scientific or other informational mail to prove their discounts
were necessary, the report said. Without adequate justification, the
inspector general found, some mailers could benefit from discounts at other
mailers' expense. And excessive discounts could cost the Postal Service
money and lead to inefficiencies in mail processing, the report said."
December 30, 2010
DMM Advisory: IMb Services Update. PostalOne! Release 26.0 will be deployed to production environment on Sunday, January 2, 2011. The PostalOne! Production environment (including FAST OPS web services) will not be available from 9:00 p.m. CT, Saturday, January 1, 2011, through 8:00 a.m. CT, Sunday, January 2, 2011.
PostalOne! Release 26.0 will be deployed to the PostalOne! Test Environments for Mailers (TEM) on Monday, January 3, 2011. The PostalOne! TEM environment (including FAST OPS web services) will not be available on Monday, January 3, 2011, from 4:00 a.m. CT through 3:00 p.m. CT.
Details on all Postalone! Release 26.0 features can be found on RIBBs using the following link: http://ribbs.usps.gov/intelligentmail_guides/documents/tech_guides/postalone_releasenotes/postalone_releasenotes.htm.
FAST Release 15.2 will be deployed to the Production environment on Sunday, January 2, 2011. The FAST Production environment will not be available on Sunday, January 2, 2011, from 4:00 a.m. CT through 8:00 a.m. CT.
FAST Release 15.2 will be deployed to the FAST Test Environments for Mailers (TEM) on Monday, January 3, 2011. The FAST TEM environment will not be available on Monday, January 3, 2011, from 8:00 a.m. CT through 12:00 p.m. CT.
Details on FAST Release 15.2 can be found on the FAST website using the following link: https://ribbs.usps.gov/fast/documents/tech_guides/FASTRelease/.
Fiscal Year 2010 Financial Installation Audits Post Offices, Stations, and Branches (Report Number FF-AR-11-005). Based on the items we reviewed, Postal Service retail units overall did not comply with all nine key financial reporting controls. Appendix B lists each issue and the number of units where the issue was reported during FY 2010.Houston, TX Processing and Distribution Center Mail Consolidation (Report Number NO-AR-11-004). A business case exists to consolidate the Houston Processing and Distribution Mail Centers (P&DCs) mail processing operations into the North Houston P&DC. This conclusion1 is based on the premise that the North Houston P&DC is expanded.Workers Compensation Liability Estimate (Report Number FT-MA-11-002). Volatility is inherent in the workers compensation liability, not only in the Postal Service but also in other benchmarked organizations. The majority of benchmarking partners annual reports recognized the potentially high level of uncertainty associated with estimating the financial liability for workers' compensation. However, the Postal Service could take action to smooth or reduce the volatility of this significant liability. Specifically, management should consider using discount rates similar to the Department of Labor and revise the weights of the actuarial methods they use in the model.Workshare Discounts Exceeding Avoided Costs (Report Number MS-AR-11-001). Justifications for 19 workshare discounts that exceed avoided costs by approximately $104 million were not supported by detailed documentation. Additionally, although the educational, cultural, scientific or informational exception justifies discounts that exceed avoided costs, the Postal Service did not support the reasonableness of these discounts.
At the
Postal Regulatory
Commission:
The
Tweed Daily News has reported that "there will be no Australia Post
office closures in the Tweed region despite the growing dependence on email,
Facebook and online communications. This confirmation comes after news 27
post offices across the nation would be facing closure from December 31."
As
the
Washington Times has noted, "The Federal Employees' Compensation Act of
1916 was never intended to be a retirement plan, but critics say for
thousands of government employees,
that's just what it's become. That's because under the federal system,
disabled employees unable to return to work get to choose between receiving
higher-paying workers' compensation benefits or the lower-paying federal
retirement plan. For most, the choice is clear. The money is almost always
better under the workers' compensation program, which pays up to 75 percent
of the employees' salaries tax-free, compared with the 60 percent they would
receive under the retirement system. Across government, more than 7,000
injured employees continue to collect workers' compensation after retirement
age, and a few have even gotten payouts lasting decades well into their 90s,
government records show. Sen. Susan Collins Recent legislation by Sen. Susan
Collins, Maine Republican, proposes to transfer workers' compensation
recipients to the retirement system when they reach retirement age."
Intelisent
has told its readers that "On January 2, the USPS will require new postage
statements. The official USPS position has been that you cannot use the
statements prior to the implementation date, but you must do so on the
implementation date - even if you are not claiming any rates that are
changing. There are problems . . . . There are solutions."
Online Media Daily has reported that "Online advertising revenue and
online retail spending will both grow by 10% in 2011, according to the
latest forecast from S&P Equity Research."
Belfast Media
has reported that "residents living in the Meadowhill Grange area of the
Glen Road have hit out at Royal Mail for the second time in recent weeks for
failing to deliver mail to their homes. In the December 13 edition of the
Andersonstown News residents spoke of how they went four days without post
during the last bout of snowfall, causing many people to miss hospital
appointments and deliveries of Christmas presents. At the time, Royal Mail
blamed the delays on the wintry weather conditions, despite regular postal
deliveries still getting through to nearby Hannahstown which is situated on
much steeper terrain than Meadowhill Grange. And as Christmas Day gets ever
nearer, it has now emerged that the Grange has received just three postal
deliveries in three weeks while Hannahstown deliveries still remain
unaffected." [EdNote: At least NYC's mayor Michael Bloomberg knew when it
was time to eat crow and apologize. Has Royal Mail?]
According to the
Courier, Express, and Postal Observer, "The elimination of denominated
First Class stamps should provide a limited boost to the Postal Service in
three ways."
According to the
Wall Street Journal, "With about 6 percent of the country's gross
domestic product delivered by United Parcel Service, the Atlanta-based
company is often seen as a proxy for the U.S. economy. But it looks like the
folks with the dark brown trucks are a step ahead: While the economy has
been sluggish, all the shipping company's divisions, encompassing areas such
as international package delivery and logistical operations, are on track to
post profit increases of more than 50 percent from year-ago lows. The
snapback in global trade is one reason for the gains. But UPS has also
restructured its U.S. business and invested in its hubs to make them more
autonomous, lowering labor and other costs."
The
Daily Mail has reported that "The Royal Mail principle of delivering
letters to every home and business in the country for the same price is
under threat, a report warns today. MPs have raised fears that a clause in
the Governments controversial Postal Services Bill could undermine the
universal service obligation. Under this pledge, Royal Mail promises to
collect and deliver letters six days a week to any address from the
Cornish coast to the Scottish Highlands."
The Herald has reported that "Many Scottish post offices will remain at
risk of closure unless tangible action is taken soon, an influential
committee of MPs has warned. The Tory-LibDem Coalition has been told to
increase the number of Government services accessed through post offices, to
ensure their long-term viability. Ministers should also publicly commit to
retaining the existing network of branches, MPs on the Commons Scottish
affairs committee recommend. It publishes a report today into postal
services in Scotland that warns good intentions are not enough and called
for clear assurances instead."
TMCNet
has reported that "The U.S. Postal Service's Supplies and Services
Purchasing has issued a combined synopsis/solicitation notice (1B-11-A-0004)
for the Next Generation Retail System Software to be used across retail
point of sale platforms. It was posted on Dec. 23 with a response date of
Jan. 31. Approved sources are Escher Group Ltd., Fujitsu America Inc., IBM,
NCR Government Systems, Oracle Corp., PCMS Datafit Inc., SAP Public Services
Inc. and Wincor Nixdorf."
Manx Radio has
reported that the "Isle of Man Post says things are back to normal after
snow and ice blanketed Britain, and it's able to restore its Special
Delivery service."
The
Atlanta Journal-Constitution has reported that "The Occupational Safety
and Health Administration has levied $80,000 in fines against the U.S.
Postal Service for safety violations at a Duluth facility."
 |
PostCom welcomes its newest member: Central Jersey 1 Slater Drive Elizabeth, NJ 07206 Contact: Brian Ruane Vice President |
December 29, 2010
At the
Postal Regulatory
Commission:
The
Times of Malta has reported that "MaltaPosts share price climbed 5.3
per cent today to close at a new all-time high of 1."
eMilitary.org
has reported that "Mail delivery in Afghanistan sets new yearly and holiday
records as joint sustainment forces bring holiday cheer to U.S. service
members. Since January, 2010, teams of postal professionals in Afghanistan
have moved the largest amount of mail in Afghanistans history, more than
54,517,638 pounds, said Lieutenant Colonel Donald Brown, chief, Postal
Operations Division, 3rd Human Resources Sustainment Center (HRSC), 1st
Theater Sustainment Command (TSC). In 2009, 34.4 million pounds, and in
2008, 19.2 million pounds was delivered. Joint Sustainment
Command-Afghanistan (JSC-A) also reports that the amount of holiday mail
delivered exceeded the amount of mail delivered for all previous years since
Operation Enduring Freedom began in 2001."
Reliable Plant has noted that "The U.S. Department of Labor's
Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited the U.S. Postal Service
for willful and serious violations of safety standards following an
inspection at the Central Massachusetts Processing and Distribution Center
in Shrewsbury, Mass. The Postal Service faces a total of $238,000 in fines,
chiefly for exposing workers to electrical hazards. "These sizable fines
reflect the Postal Service's knowledge of and failure to address these
hazards," said Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Dr. David Michaels.
"For years, the Postal Service knew that allowing untrained employees to
work on electrical equipment exposed workers to serious injury or worse.
Despite this knowledge, the Postal Service did not take the necessary steps
to change its practices and eliminate the hazards." See also the
Worcester Telegram.
The
Manchester Journal Inquirer has reported that "The church that operates
a postal station on Main Street that was the subject of a six-year federal
court case over religious displays has decided not to renew its contract
when the agreement expires in two months, local officials say."
From
Federal News Radio: "The new Postmaster General will officially assume
his position in the New Year. Patrick Donahoe will be sworn in on January
14. Donahoe was named the 73rd Postmaster General of the U.S. Postal Service
in October. Danohoe already reduced the number of senior officers and to be
on his leadership-teams this month, saying he wants to help create a more
profitable and nimble USPS."
The
Sydney Morning Herald has reported that "facing a backlash from
residents angry over looming post office closures, Australia Post said it
must ensure it remained financially self-sustaining by closing unviable
outlets."
Post & Parcel has reported that "Irelands largest independent delivery
company, Nightline, has unveiled plans to offer a postal service for the
countrys business community. Nightlines CEO, John Tuohy, has revealed that
his company has created a new division, Eirpost, specifically to manage the
service."
USA Today has reported that "Another era is coming to an end:
Denominated first-class postage stamps. Starting next month, all new stamps
will be labeled "forever," a U.S. Postal Service official tells the
Associated Press. Forevers eliminate the need to add 1- and 2-cent stamps
when rates change, which apparently has been a challenge for snail-mailers,
said the official, who asked not be named because Postmaster General Patrick
Donahoe isn't scheduled to officially announce the new policy until Jan.
14."
At the
Postal Regulatory
Commission:
The
Times of India has reported that "At the behest of the ministry of home
affairs (MHA), the department of posts has initiated an inquiry into the
delay in dispatching Union home minister P Chidambaram's letter to chief
minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee. Days before the letter marked "secret" was
to reach Writers' Buildings, the contents had been exposed by media houses
across the country. The department of posts, it seems, is trying to come out
clean on the issue by citing a 72-hour deadline for delivery of Speed Post
mails. Read more: Postal dept starts probe into delivery delay."
December 28, 2010
Post & Parcel has reported that "Next year looks set to be a more
favourable year for the US Postal Service, according to federal regulators
with the exception of its retiree health benefits problem. In its
end-of-year report to the US Congress, issued yesterday, the Postal
Regulatory Commission suggested that cost-cutting by the USPS over the past
two years was having a positive impact. The Commission said in yesterdays
report that as of August 2010, the organizations cost-cutting was outpacing
the declines in its revenues and postal volumes, indicating that financial
year 2011 will be a more favourable year for the Postal Service. The
regulatory body added that the glaring exception to the outlook for the USPS
was the issue of the organizations overpayments to its healthcare fund for
retired postal workers."
DMM Advisory: Notice 123, Price List and 2011 Shipping Services Price Change. New prices for our Shipping Services effective Jan. 2, 2011 are now available in an updated Notice 123, Price List, which is posted on Postal Explorer at pe.usps.com. In the left blue navigation bar, click on "Price List (Notice 123)" under the *NEW* Jan. 2, 2011, Pricing Information header. The updated Notice 123, Price List features prices for all products, including those that do not change in Jan., such as First-Class Mail, Standard Mail and Periodicals prices. Only our Shipping Services prices are changing on Jan. 2. These changes include prices for the following products:
TechCrunch wanted to know: "How Much Did It Cost AOL To Send Us Those
CDs In The 90s? A Lot!, Says Steve Case."
Politico has reported that "Sen. Tom Coburn said Sunday he plans to make
good on his pledge to not seek reelection in 2016."
NPR has a piece on "Lost Mail Is Auctioned Off At Center In Atlanta."
As
Northwest Arkansas Online put it, "U.S. Rep.-elect Steve Womack of
Rogers got elected by campaigning on a tough stand on government spending,
running government efficiently and making government serve the people
instead of letting it live off the taxpayer. Fiscal conservatism, like
charity, begins at home. Therefore, Womack should support the idea of
consolidating U.S. Postal Service operations into acenter in Fayetteville."
Melodika has noted that "Door to Door distribution method is a very old
and common method of advertising in Ireland. Starting in the 60's, it is now
considered as a versatile and measurable marketing technique providing a
higher return on investment (ROI) than other modes of advertising and
marketing. It has been proven as a tool for expanding market share for a
company as it delivers the advertising message straight to customers."
The Telegraph has reported that "A parcel bomb was defused on Monday
after being sent to the Greek embassy in Rome as a wave of anarchist attacks
that began before Christmas continued."
According to the
Financial Times, "The postal workers leader has refused to rule out
industrial action to stop Royal Mail privatisation, saying his unions
political campaign can still put a stick in the coalitions spokes. Pensions
and forced redundancies are among potential flashpoints."
At the
Postal Regulatory
Commission:
December 27, 2010
The Courier has noted that "Royal Mail has admitted it failed in its
attempt to clear a huge backlog of undelivered mail by Christmas."
The Economic Times has reported that "The department of posts has
initiated external consumer audits to understand the growing needs of urban
customers worried over decline in its market share in mail service business
that it once dominated. India Post will conduct these audits primarily in
its urban post offices to gauge market sentiments of the urban population,
which is rapidly switching to private courier service providers." See
also the Press
Information Bureau.
The Guardian
has reported that "More than 1,000 post offices have shut or been put up for
sale this year, with some not showing up in official closure lists,
according to new research. The Communication Workers Union said there was a
"growing trend" of closures in 2010 which it warned would get worse if the
Government pressed ahead with controversial plans to privatise the Royal
Mail. A study by the union showed that 162 post offices were listed as
"long-term temporary closures" this year and over 900 were put up for sale."
From
PR-Inside:
With the Swedish express and parcels market undergoing significant change the competitive landscape changed considerably. The Express Benchmarking report includes overall market shares for the leading players in Sweden, as well as across all of the significant market segmentations such as Service level (Express - Parcel, Destination (Domestic - International) and Recipient (B2B - B2C/C2C).
Japan Post Holdings Co., Ltd. (Japan Post) is a postal servicing company. It is principally engaged in the postal services which include international mail, EMS, You-pack, standard mail, and postal stamps; and postal money order, postal savings, and postal life insurance. In addition, the company offers savings accounts, through subsidiary Japan Post Bank, and life insurance through subsidiary Japan Post
According to
The News, "A leader of Pakistan Post employees has announced that they
would severely resist any attempt to privatize the Postal Department, as
such an action would ruin an important national service institution.
According to a concept paper prepared for Privatization Commission, the
Pakistan Post Office Department would be divided into two entities -
Pakistan Post Service Company and Pakistan Post Bank Company under the
roof of one holding company named Pakistan Post Holding Company. Pakistan
Post Service will manage the mail delivery services."
Balkans
Business News has reported that "Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic,
Belgrade Mayor Dragan Djilas and Director-General of public
telecommunications company PTT Srbija Goran Ciric laid the cornerstone for
the construction of the main postal centre Belgrade in Zemun on Friday.
Cvetkovic said for this occasion that construction of this postal centre
will mark the beginning of a new era of the work of PTT Srbija which will
start using state-of-the-art technology. The Prime Minister announced that
in addition to Belgrade, postal centres will be built in Novi Sad and Nis
and specified that the total value of the investment is 40 million."
The
Washington Times has noted that "More than 100 U.S. Postal Service
employees over 90 years old are collecting workers compensation - a fact one
U.S. senator calls troubling, arguing that workers ought to be moved to
retirement rolls from which payouts would be less expensive."
December 26, 2010
The
BBC has reported that "Royal Mail has apologised to residents in
Warwickshire who have suffered disruption to their postal service. Residents
in Shipston-on-Stour and Kenilworth told BBC News they had not had any mail
delivered for a week ahead of the Christmas holidays starting. Royal Mail
said staff "pulled out all the stops" but the continuing severe weather
conditions were to blame."
Minuteman Press has noted that "Disruption to Scottish postal services
due to recent adverse weather has resulted in chaos for businesses
throughout the country."
The Northwestern has reported that "A plan to consolidate the United
States Postal Services mail processing operation in Oshkosh with Green Bay
center was announced late in 2010. It was especially unwelcome news in
Oshkosh because an earlier study to consolidate the Green Bay operation with
Oshkosh was abruptly halted by the Postal Service and city officials have
been unable to determine why. There is a lack of information about exactly
what parameters were used to arrive at the recommendation to move
Oshkosh-area mail processing into Green Bay. The United States Postal
Services response to the city of Oshkoshs Freedom of Information Act
regarding the abrupt cancellation have not clarified things."
December 25, 2010
According to the
Saginaw News, the "Saginaw-to-Pontiac mail processing move smells
fishy."
The
Market Oracle
has reported that "The Royal Mail has announced that they intend pushing up
the price of postage costs in April 2010 by as much as an eye watering 14%."
The
Mainichi Daily News has reported that "The Supreme Prosecutors Office
announced the results of an internal probe that showed that prosecutors'
handling of a highly-publicized postal-discount abuse case, in which a top
health ministry bureaucrat was arrested, indicted, and later acquitted, had
been "problematic."
December 24, 2010
According to the
Courier, Express, and Postal Observer, "As we close another holiday
season, the increasing importance of web based shopping becomes increasingly
evident. Marstercard Advisers reported that Internet sales rose 15.4%. This
increase is consistent with the results generated by the monthly surveys of
retail activity conducted by the Commerce Department. What the Postal
Service, FedEx and United Parcel Service need to do is delve a bit deeper
into the data as they begin to make their plans for handling the even larger
volumes of parcels that will be delivered next year."
DVIDS has noted that "Mail delivery in Afghanistan sets new yearly and
holiday records as joint sustainment forces bring holiday cheer to U.S.
Service members."
According to
TechCrunch, "Zumbox, a privately held company that offers a digital
mailbox and filing system based on your street address, has raised a little
over $9.7 million in venture capital, according to this SEC filing."
From the Federal Register:
Postal Service
NOTICES Product Changes:
Express Mail Negotiated Service Agreement , 8131881319 [201032373]
[TEXT] [PDF]
Priority Mail Negotiated Service Agreement , 81319 [201032374]
[TEXT] [PDF]
81319 [201032375]
[TEXT] [PDF]
81319 [201032377]
[TEXT] [PDF]
At the
Postal Regulatory
Commission: December 23, 2010
KDAF has reported that "The growing popularity of text messaging may be
spelling the end of email. More Americans are choosing to text rather than
send email because of its convience." [EdNote: Yes. And soon the world
will discover that speaking into a phone actually accomplishes more than
texting. Wow! What a concept! Using the skill that has been noted for
differentiating humans from lower species.] See also the
New York Times.
From the Federal Register: Postal
Regulatory Commission
NOTICES
New Postal Products
The
Washington Times has reported that "The U.S. Postal Service has named a
new top ethics officer in the aftermath of a series of embarrassing
disclosures about a former key executive at the agency who was permitted to
earn more than a quarter-million dollars in outside income and who was
accused of steering contracts to former business associates. The appointment
of Helen Grant as the Postal Service's designated ethics officer wasn't
formally announced, but it was made clear recently when her name replaced
that of Mary Anne Gibbons, the Postal Service's general counsel, as the top
postal ethics official on the U.S. Office of Government Ethics website. The
move was made months after a report by the Postal Services office of
inspector general looked into the activities of Robert Bernstock, the former
top marketing officer for the Postal Service."
At the
Postal Regulatory
Commission:
December 22, 2010
UPS has joined with Corporate Pro Bono (CPBO), Pro Bono Institute (PBI),
Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) and 99 other major corporations in
their dedication to corporate social responsibility through pro bono legal
work. The UPS Legal Department has signed on to the Corporate Pro Bono
Challenge, a simple, voluntary statement of commitment to pro bono service
by legal departments, their lawyers and staff.
Check
out the
Wall Street Journal story on "A Production With 37,500 Extras."
The
Diocese of
Lichfield has noted that "A Shropshire church has delivered winter
weather assistance to the Royal Mail in the appropriately named parish of
Frankwell. In addition to the usual Sunday Services, Carol Services and Crib
Services, the church is now offering a postal service!" [EdNote: Okay . .
. . No cracks about the post needing Divine intervention.]
Post & Parcel has reported that "Estonias state-owned postal operator,
Estonian Post, has said it is expecting next year to be intense as it
responds to increasing competition and declining mail volumes."
CEP News
(Courier-Express-Postal), published by the MRU Consultancy, has reported that:
Early next year, eleven EU member states will fully open their postal markets to competition. In Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, France, Ireland, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain, private operators will then be able to offer full postal services. Market observers point out, however, that significant access barriers exist in many markets and the incumbents often have a de facto monopoly.
In the dispute concerning the planned job cuts Dutch TNT Post was able to prevail. Last Thursday the post and the unions Abvakabo FNV, CNV and BVPP agreed that 2,800 jobs will be cut by compulsory redundancies, while 1,700 jobs will remain.
The state could decrease its stakes in Austrian Post and in Telekom Austria AG, which is also listed, according to the outgoing CEO of IAG, Peter Michaelis.
Jrg Bucher, CEO of Swiss Post, is conviced that the post and PostFinance will be separate public companies by 1 January 2012.
Although the postal market has been open for years, finnish Itella Oy holds a de facto monopoly in the mail and newspaper distribution. This has been stated by the regulatory authority Ficora in its investigation of the postal market (Markkinakatsaus 4a/2010 - Katsauspostipalvelumarkkinoihin 2010), published last week.
TNT Express bought an interest in French Adrexo.
State-owned Poczta Polska will return to profitability this year.
In the upcoming year, Thailand Post wants to increase its turnover by at least 10 percent to 378m euros.
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
Columbo Page has reported that "Sri Lanka Postal Department trade unions
point out that the postal service of the country is becoming unpopular. The
trade union sources say that the per annum average number of letters posted
by Sri Lankans has decreased from 29 in 1991 to 20 by 2010. The reason for
the decline is attributed to development of telecommunication services in
the country, the inefficiency in postal service and lack of programmes to
attract more consumers."
DMM Advisory: IMb Services Update. Customer Training Schedule for Postal One! Release 26 and eDoc Verification Using Micro Strategy. Postalone! Release 26 will be deployed on January 2, 2011. Three training seminars have been scheduled in conjunction with this release:
Thursday December 23, 2010 2 pm to 4 pm EST, EVENT Number: 991 533 779, EVENT Address for attendees: https://usps.webex.com/usps/onstage/g.php?d=991533779&t=a
Thursday, December 30, 2010 2 pm to 4 EST, EVENT Number: 994 264 624, EVENT Address for attendees: https://usps.webex.com/usps/onstage/g.php?d=994264624&t=a
Thursday, January 7, 2011 2:00pm to 4:00pm EST, EVENT Number: 996 233 811, EVENT Address for attendees: https://usps.webex.com/usps/onstage/g.php?d=996233811&t=a
Dow Jones has reported that "German postal and logistics giant Deutsche
Post AG said Wednesday it agreed upon a revolving syndicated credit facility
with a consortium of German and international banks for a volume of EUR2
billion."
The
Calhoun County Journal has told its readers that "The Journal is now
offering first class mail subscriptions. The first class subscription option
is to address late and sporadic delivery issues to many out-of-county and
out-of-state subscribers. The first class subscription will cost $115, but
will virtually guarantee delivery within two days of publication. The
expense of the first-class subscription is due to postage. Newspapers are
mailed as periodicals because it provides a lower postal rate. The Journal
mails more than 1,000 newspapers outside of Calhoun County every week. The
newspapers go out in bulk, leaving Bruce at the same time every week headed
for one of the large sectional centers. It is there where most of the late
delivery issues occur. Bags, boxes or bundles of papers, bound for
destinations all over Mississippi and beyond, can typically take a week or
longer to arrive when traveling as "periodicals."
WRGB has reported that "If mailing out your Christmas cards this year
meant you used up your collection of forever stamps and needed some new
ones, you might have noticed a change -- especially if you get your stamps
from an automated machine. Stamps are thinner -- and its very much by
design, CBS 6 has learned. US Postal Service spokeswoman Maureen Marion said
the changes are for two reasons: the environment and those automated
machines. Marion said thin is especially necessary at automated postal
centers and kiosks and through automated teller machines at partner banks. A
thinner stamp sheet makes them easier to dispense."
WKZO has reported that "A Kalamazoo woman could be facing federal
charges. Kalamazoo Public Safety was called about someone going through mail
boxes in the 2000 block of Skyler and they found a 27-year-old woman with
mail from thirteen different addresses in her car. Police say she was
sorting through the mail looking for checks, cash, gift cards, and
electronics. The case has been turned over to U.S. postal inspectors for
prosecution."
Hellmail has reported that "Romanian Post SA said this week it intends
to fight a decision made by the Competition Council last week that found
Romanian Post in breach of competition laws, describing it as "unjustified
and taken as basis of an incomplete investigation". Romanian Post said it
believes the conclusions of the Competition Council are not in line with the
EU approach to the treatment of price discrimination and that any pricing
difference is consistent with what it described as "normal competitive
behavior".
At the
Postal Regulatory
Commission:
The latest copy of the
National Association of Postmasters of the U.S. electronic governmental affairs newsletter is available on the NAPUS web site.December 21, 2010
Advertising Age
has reported that "A clear majority of Americans, 67%, say advertisers
shouldn't be allowed to use people's web history to deliver appropriate
advertising on the web, according to a new Gallup poll. Reminding them that
behavioral tracking helps pay for the free websites they visit only dampens
their opposition a bit."
CNET News has reported that "A trade group for the mobile-phone industry
is calling for new privacy guidelines to help address consumer complaints
over how and what information is gathered through mobile apps. Made up of
mobile advertisers, publishers, and media companies, the Mobile Marketing
Association said yesterday that it's working on a new set of privacy
guidelines to supplement its current Global Code of Conduct. Created in
2008, the Code of Conduct established that mobile marketers must ensure that
consumers can opt in and out of ads and that information gathered through
ads be used responsibly. But with ongoing concerns about online privacy, the
MMA said it wants consumers to have a more transparent view of the process
of information gathering and a better understanding of how that information
is being used. Toward that end, the MMA is calling on more companies to join
its privacy committee, which sets up certain guidelines for online data
collection. The group also intends to discuss the issue of online privacy at
its upcoming Consumer Best Practices meeting on January 25 and 26."
From
PRNewswire: "In a move that is expected to help businesses grow
especially small businesses who currently don't use the mail because they
can't afford it and garner millions of dollars in new revenue for the U.S.
Postal Service, the agency announced today that it is easing the rules on
simplified addressing to allow businesses to begin using the format on city
delivery routes. Simplified addressing enables business mailers to use mail
delivery route information, instead of names and exact addresses, to reach
target customer groups in specific areas. It has long been an accepted
addressing option on rural routes and for government mailings. Effective
Jan. 2, 2011, simplified addressing will be expanded for use on saturation
flat-size mailpieces and irregular parcels delivered on city routes.
(Saturation mail is mail that is delivered to every address within a
geographic area, and flat-size mail includes large envelopes and fliers
often used for advertising. Irregular parcels, such as rolls and tubes, are
parcels that cannot be processed on automated equipment because of their
unique shape.)"
The
Court
of Appeals has issued an order today that allows the mailers to
intervene over the opposition of the USPS
The
Courier, Express, and Postal Observer has reported that "Congressman
Darrell Issa (R-CA), the incoming Chairman of the House Oversight and
Government Reform Committee has recently announced the creation of three
subcommittees in the next Congress and their chairman. They are as follows:
According to the
Cumberland Times-News, "Traditionally, holiday and Christmas greeting
cards are a large part of spreading spirit and cheer. However, since the
widespread use of e-mail, texting and other Internet activity, the amount of
cards being sent via the United States Postal Service is steadily declining
across the U.S."
As
MySanAntonio has noted, "Before too long, the government check will no
longer be in the mail. Officials have settled on
the dates when millions of people will no longer be able to get their Social
Security and other benefit checks by mail. New recipients of
benefits will have to accept paperless payments starting on May 1 of next
year, three months later than first proposed. Those already on Social
Security will have until March 1, 2013 to make the switch to direct deposits
or a debit card."
Zawya has reported that "Senior Saudi Post officials have criticized
local banks for failing to help the national postal service effectively
implement some of its strategic development plans."
Zawya also has reported that "The Emirates Post Group Holding (EPGH)
yesterday launched new enhanced mail box options for their corporate
clients. Emirates Post and Empost, both part of EPGH, integrated two of
their key services PO Box rental and EziMail delivery to offer new
services. The improved PO Box rental and EziMail bundle services for
corporate customers, comes with enhanced mail pick-up and delivery services
as well as other value-added services."
Have you ever noticed that as long a national posts are fat and happy with a growing mail business, they're more than content to remain state-run services? But as soon as the going gets tough and the mail business looks like it's on the skids, everybody looks to privatize the post. If the concept of a universal mail service is no longer a viable or supportable concept, what makes anyone think some schlemiel would be interested in buying a dying post?
Focu-fen.net has
reported that "the Bulgarian parliament adopted some of the amendments to
the Postal Services Act. The postal operator must carry out the universal
postal service and receives compensation from the national budget when its
duty leads to net expenses and is unfair financial burden on it. The size of
the unfair financial burden is calculated on the basis of the net costs. The
size of the compensation must not exceed the size of the unfair financial
burden suffered when carrying out the universal postal service. The amount
of the compensation is determined by the National Budget Act for the
respective year."
According to the Azerbaijan
Business Center, "Azerbaijan has registered revenue growth in the area
of postal services by 23.8% - up to 18 million manats. Experts consider that
in the next three years Azerpoct may occupy 20-25% of the financial services
market. Azerpocts tariffs for banking and financial services will be below
the market ones. It is predicted that in the near future 60% of Azerpocts
income will fall precisely on the share of banking services. Azerpocts
strategy for 2009-11 says of introduction of new financial and banking
services and increase of Companys profitability. The Ministry of
Communications & Information Technologies (Azerpoct is under its authority)
considers that since 2011 annual profit of the Company will grow up to 20%."
Postal news from Hellmail:
Realdeal.hu has reported that "Hungarian state postal services provider
Magyar Posta Zrt is being investigated over charges of illegal gambling by
tax office APEH's Gaming Board (Szerencsejtk Felgyelet) over a promotion
called SzerencsCSEKK ("lucky check"). The campaign, which was launched in
June and runs until the end of the year, allows participants the chance to
win back the value of postal checks (srga csekk) if they fill out and mail
in a form while they are making the payment."
As
the
New York Times has noted, "Cargo safety has suddenly emerged as one of
the biggest topics in aviation security. Governments around the world have
pledged to tackle the problem, while in Congress, lawmakers are calling for
much tougher inspections of cargo. The cargo industry has resisted one idea:
screening all cargo. It argues that such a step is impractical since most
airports do not have the space to screen all the packages shipped each day.
And some goods, including perishable products and medical supplies, may not
survive a long wait at the airport to be screened."
The Wall
Street Journal has reported that "The head of DHL Express in the U.S.
said international shipments in and out of the country are expected to
number about 148,000 on Monday, marking its busiest day of 2010 and a 10% to
15% increase from last year's peak. Ian Clough, chief executive of the U.S.
unit of DHL Express, a division of Germany's Deutsche Post AG, also said
heavy snow and ice in Europe and the U.K. isn't expected to cause major
delivery problems for DHL."
The
Courier, Express, and Postal Observer has told its readers that "In
order to promote its buy stamps by mail program, the Postal Service sent out
a direct mail piece promoting its holiday stamps. Only problem with the
mailing is that it arrived too late for customers to order by mail or
internet and receive the holiday stamps before the deadline for mailing
Christmas cards passed. While buying stamps by mail may be a great program,
this mailing was a waste of money in the same way that advertising that
arrives after a sale (or an election) is a waste. When this happens to an
advertising mailer every vendor from the advertising agency to the printer
to the Postal Service is challenged to find out why the mailing did not
arrive in time to have the appropriate impact. If there is evidence that the
Postal Service did not meet its obligation, especially in the case of
political mail, there are usually news stories that get picked up by many
national media outlets."
December 20, 2010
Today marks 4 years to the day since PAEA became the law of the land with
the President's signature!
Hellmail has reported that "The Communication Workers Union today warned
that privatising Royal Mail would be a disaster for Christmas post
deliveries. CWU contrasts the financial investment, determination and
commitment of staff at Royal Mail with private couriers and supermarket
delivery companies which are cancelling deliveries."
Advertising Age has
reported that "MagnaGlobal said internet passed newspapers in 2010 ad
revenue, moving internet to No.2 ad medium behind TV. Its figures show
Internet ads topped magazines in 2007 and will pass overall print media' in
2014."
|
|
PostCom welcomes its newest member: Kantar Operations 2700 Oregon Road Northwood, Ohio 43619-1057 Contact: John McGaharan, III Director, Operations |
CNN had a piece yesterday on the Postal Service.
CNN
has reported that "Britain's Royal Mail has added nearly 14,000 extra rounds
for its postal deliverers, hoping to clear a huge holiday backlog caused by
winter weather woes. The service said it planned to complete 7,000 extra
delivery routes Sunday, bringing packages, cards and letters to a million
homes and addresses in an effort to catch up on deliveries during what it
calls Britain's coldest December in decades."
Zawya
has reported that "Emirates Post Group Holding (EPGH) has launched new
improved PO Box rental and EziMail bundle services for corporate customers,
with enhanced mail pick-up and delivery services as well as value added
services."
The National Association of Major Mail Users
has told its members that "Canada Post is solidly prepared for the peak
mailing season to ensure the higher volumes of mail will be delivered in
time for the holidays. Beginning the weekend of December 4, packages have
been delivered on Saturdays, Sundays and weekdays until 9 p.m. and this will
continue throughout December. Extra flights have been added to the national
air network as well as 50 additional highway services to complement the more
than 1,400 trucks that regularly move mail across the country on a daily
basis. Canada Post also moves 10 tractor loads of mail by train each
business day."
December 19, 2010
According to
The Australian, "despite
an increase in parcels, Australia Post is losing money on letters and is set
to close 27 post offices."
Dead Tree Edition is on the warpath. It wants to know "Will the U.S.
Postal Service ever learn how to create sensible regulations, or will it
continue to find new ways of making the same mistake over and over again?
Mailers and their vendors have been saying for months that the Postal
Services information systems were not ready for it to assess noncompliance
penalties for Full-Service Intelligent Mail barcodes (aka FUBAR codes). But
in this case, all of the brave "Mission Accomplished" talk from Intelligent
Mail executives apparently prevented LEnfant Plaza from realizing the truth
until the eleventh hour."
The
Pittburgh Tribune-Review has told its readers that the "U.S. Postal
Service looks past busy season to tough year."
According to the
Daily Mail, "Europe must not meddle with our stamp of quality."
AFP has reported that "The government insisted Sunday it was closing a
loophole that could see Queen Elizabeth II's head removed from stamps if the
Royal Mail national postal service is sold to a foreign firm." See also the
Daily Mail.
The
Texarkana Gazette has noted that "While Texarkana is fighting to keep
its postmark and mail processing center open, the United States Postal
Service is struggling to remain relevant to its customers and keep its costs
under control."
KSPR has reported that "Fort Smith postal employees protesting a
proposed changed that could lead to them losing their jobs."
The
Columbus
Dispatch has noted that "Internet sales spur deluge of packages."
The
Daily Telegraph has reported that "Australia Post has earmarked 27 post
offices around the country for closure from December 31. Despite the busy
Christmas mail season, Australia Post has also cut post office opening
hours. The moves follows a drastic slump in profits in the past year as
customers abandon regular postal services for new-age communication. For the
first time last year, Australia Post lost money on posting letters."
December 18, 2010
GoErie has reported that "U.S. Rep.-elect Mike Kelly has been named to
the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee for his first term in
Congress."
Tuscaloosa News has reported that "The post office branches in Alberta
and Cottondale could be shut down by the United States Postal Service just
after the new year. Tuscaloosa City Councilman Kip Tyner said he heard from
U.S. Postal Service employees that the branches would be closed by Jan. 15."
Viet Nam News has reported that "P&T Express Joint Stock Company (VNPost
Express) and GeoPost Intercontinental SAS (GeoPost) under La Poste Postal
group (France) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in providing
express parcel and logistical services in Viet Nam. Under the MoU, VNPost
Express and GeoPost will supply high-quality and economical national and
international parcel services within GeoPost and VNPost Express networks.
Through the MoU, La Poste expressed its desire to strengthen the
co-operative relationship between Viet Nam and France Post, while exploring
opportunities to raise their position in international postal market through
co-operation, direct investment and M&A."
Postal news from Hellmail:
In an
op-ed piece published by the
New York Times, Michael Ravnitzky (Chief Counsel to the Chairman of the
Postal Regulatory Commission) wrote that "the Postal Service recently
announced it had lost $8.5 billion in the last year, despite cutting more
than 100,000 jobs. Without new revenue and other changes to get it back on a
firm financial footing, it said, it could face insolvency by the end of
2011. Fortunately, the service has a unique asset that could allow it to
make money by collecting valuable data that would contribute to the
countrys safety and economic health: its far-reaching network of trucks."
December 17, 2010
DMM Advisory: Letter to MTAC from MTAC Co-Chair. We are delaying Full-Service eDoc postage corrections, which we had planned to deploy on January 2, 2011, to give mailers more time to use information from a new report to help correct errors in their electronic documentation. The new publication PostalOne! Full-Service Error report allows eDoc submitters to review the quality of submissions, identify jobs with errors, and calculate the correct postage. This report also allows the eDoc submitter to request reconciliation of identified errors. We encourage mailers to take advantage of the reconciliation process and use the feedback to correct Full-Service eDoc issues. In addition, enhancements to the MicroStrategy Mail Data Quality reports provide detailed information on piece counts and postage amounts for pieces that are not compliant with Full-Service requirements. Mailers have begun using these two reports MicroStrategy Mail Data Quality and Full-Service Error to assess the quality of their eDoc. We are continuing to work through the MTAC 137 group to address mailers concerns. Please be sure to utilize the MicroStrategy Mail Data Quality reports and the PostalOne! Full-Service Error reports. Also, tell us about any issues you have with the PostalOne! help desk, 800-522-9085.
Bloomberg has reported that "Posta Romana SA, Romanias state- owned
postal monopoly, was fined 103.3 million lei ($32 million) by the national
competition authority for abusing a dominant position. The regulator ruled
that the postal company violated the law in two cases by offering lower
tariffs to certain companies, to the detriment of their competitors,
according to a statement published on the regulators website."
Fast Codesign has a piece on "How the USPS Can Rebrand Itself: Clever
Pop Up Shops."
According to the
TalkOfTheTown, "Moving Alexandria's mail-processing operation to
Shreveport might be the right move, Alexandria Mayor Jacques M. Roy said,
but so far there hasn't been enough information provided by the U.S. Postal
Service to support it."
The latest issue of
the PostCom Bulletin is available online. In this issue:
Digital Nirvana has reported that "eKey Technologies is the design and
technology division of Butler Mailing Services. Butler appears to be a very
untraditional provider of traditional letter shop services. They have slowly
expanded their business beyond their core letter shop print and mail
services to become a technology, design and consulting services provider to
mailers and to other service providers."
Fox Business has reported that "German trade union Verdi said Friday
that the 5,000 employees working in Deutsche Postbank AG branches will get
salary increases of a total of 4.7% and longer protection against dismissal.
It said the salaries of the 5,000 employees and trainees will be increased
in two different stages, starting on February 1 and ending on May 31 2013,
to total 4.7%. In addition, the agreement includes protection against
dismissal until December 31 2013, Verdi said. Postbank AG has 1,000 branches
in Germany offering postal and financial services."
All Headline News has reported that "The Supreme Court of Canada will
tackle a pay equity dispute between Canada Post and the Public Service
Alliance of Canada that has been ongoing for almost three decades."
According to the
Wall Street Journal, "As a child the holidays started at our houseat
least in my imaginationnot in December but in November. That's when the FAO
Schwarz toy catalog arrived. It's hard now, in this age when everything, at
least virtually everything related to commerce and consumption, is only a
click or two away to conceive of a time when one's dreams were funneled
through the United States Postal Service."
Post & Parcel has reported that "Royal Mail will raise the price of a
First class stamp by 5p to 46p, as a part of a wide-range of postal service
price increases in the UK. The operator also announced that Second Class
stamps will rise 4p to 36p, whilst the cost of a large letter stamp will
rise by 9p to 75p for First Class items and 7p to 58p for Second Class mail,
Stamp price rises will take effect from 4 April 2011, the company
announced." See also the
UK Press Association,
The Independent, and
The Guardian.
Postal news from Hellmail:
From the Federal Register:
Postal Regulatory Commission
NOTICES
New Postal Products , 7905379054 [201031657]
[TEXT] [PDF]
7905479056 [201031671]
[TEXT] [PDF]
Postal Service
RULES
Conduct on Postal Property , 7891578916 [201031775]
[TEXT] [PDF]
Westlaw News & Insight has reported that "federal district judge ruled
on Tuesday in FedEx Corp's favor in the vast majority of lawsuits brought by
drivers seeking union representation. In a multi-district case, U.S.
District Judge Robert Miller in South Bend, Indiana, found in most of the
cases that Memphis, Tennessee-based package delivery company FedEx had not
improperly classified drivers as independent contractors rather than
employees. "We are very pleased with today's significant rulings from the
Federal District Court in Indiana in favor of FedEx Ground related to the
independent contractor business model," FedEx spokesman Maury Lane said."
See also
Reuters.
The
Journal of Commerce has reported that "FedEx signed an agreement to
acquire MultiPack, a Mexican domestic express package delivery company."
As
the
Washington Post has noted, "At least two Democrats are fighting to
become the chief sparring partner of the top Republican on the House
Oversight and Government Reform Committee in the new Congress after the
panel's current chairman decided against serving as ranking member in the
new Congress. The committee's broad jurisdiction includes oversight of the
U.S. Census Bureau, the U.S. Postal Service, the National Archives, general
government and Executive Branch operations and issues concerning the
District. Committee Chairman Edolphus Towns (D-N.Y.) withdrew his name from
consideration Tuesday "after much thought," a spokeswoman said with little
other explanation. Towns is supporting the committee's second-ranking
Democrat, Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.), to succeed him, citing her seniority.
Maloney launched her bid Tuesday by citing Republican opposition to a Census
Bureau reform bill she sponsored."
City A.M. has reported that "US stocks, bucking a trend of late-day
selloffs, ended higher yesterday as economic bellwether FedEx offered a
bullish profit outlook that augured well for broad growth." See also
Bloomberg Business Week.
The USPS has announced in
MailPro that
there is "Good news for Priority Mail Commercial Plus customers a brand
new product for January 2011 Critical Mail. This new offering is an
attractive marketing tool that will help companies and organizations attract
and retain customers. Critical Mail will travel in the automation
mailstream, a proven method for fast, consistent time-in-transit delivery
performance. To qualify, customers must have a customer commitment agreement
with the Postal Service and mail 5,000 or more Critical Mail letters and/or
flats during a calendar year. Critical Mail is charged one price across all
destination zones regardless of weight $3.50 for letters and $4.25 for
larger flat-sized envelopes. To sweeten the Critical Mail deal, optional
electronic Delivery Confirmation service, which allows customers to confirm
delivery, is included for free."
Federal
News Radio has noted that "For months we've been hearing that the Postal
Service would be able to improve its bottom line if only it changed its
prefunding levels for pensions and retiree health benefits. The Inspector
General for USPS has taken the initiative and conducted a review to see for
themselves. The office looked at public and private sector benefits and has
just released its findings. "We're looking at ways, obviously, that the
Postal Service can improve its financial condition," Lorie Nelson told
Federal News Radio. She's the director of financial reporting in the office
of audit for the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General. One of
issues the office reported on previously was overfunding of pensions and now
they have looked at pre-funding requirements. "We found some very
interesting things," said Nelson."
http://icestream.bonnint.net/dc/fnr/skimmer/WFED_SKIMMER_12-16-2010_0807.mp3
Multichannel Merchant has asked: "So where do we stand with FSS?" and
"Will that translate to lower pricing for mailers?"
The Daily
Yomiuri has reported that "Japan Post Bank is considering opening its
first overseas office in London by the end of next year, aiming to obtain
the latest financial information there to help diversify its asset
management schemes, sources said Thursday."
Government
Executive has reported that "The U.S. Postal Service and the American
Postal Workers Union have put employee reassignments on hold as negotiations
over a new collective bargaining agreement continue. APWU's contract expired
on Nov. 20, but both parties decided to extend the agreement, first to Nov.
23 and again until Dec. 1. The contract continues day by day and will remain
in effect until differences are resolved or an impasse is reached, USPS
spokesman Mark Saunders said."
Hellmail has reported that "FICORA, the Finnish telecommunications
regulator, last week published its review of postal and media market
conditions in Finland. Notably it said that whilst Internet viewing was on
the rise, there was little competition in the delivery of letters,
newspapers and magazines."
Grayhair Software has told its
customers that the January 2, 2011 Full Service Assessments are being
delayed due to Industry reported issues. A DMM Advisory will be coming out
announcing the delay along with the new implementation date. This will give
the USPS and Industry the time required to address the existing reported
issues. Industry is encouraged to report any issues or discrepancies that
they are experiencing with the VAE (Verification Assessment Evaluator) role
or errors in the Microstrategy Reports. We encourage you to continue to move
forward at the same pace to make sure that you are ready and that you are
producing Full Service mailings according to specifications. And as always,
GrayHair is here to help. Mailer ID Survey. The Postal Service is asking
Industry to fill out a survey to help them determine requirements for
changes to the Mailer ID (MID) functionality in the Business Customer
Gateway. GrayHair encourages you to fill out the survey so that you voice
can be heard as far as what changes and enhancements are important to you.
The survey can be found here:
http://ribbs.usps.gov/intelligentmail_mail_id_app/documents/tech_guides/MIDSurvey.doc
December 16, 2010
The
Lexington Institute has published its latest "Postal
TrendWatch."
DMM
Advisory: New MailPro Available.
The November-December MailPro [HTML] [PDF] is available now on
usps.com/mailpro. Youll find informative articles on the retirement of Postmaster General John Potter, the 2011 Shipping Services prices, highlights and frequently asked questions about the new shipping prices, new Critical Mail and Regional Rate Box offerings, and more.
Customers can access current and past issues of MailPro online or subscribe by sending an e-mail to
mncsc@usps.com. Include your name, title, company name, complete delivery address, and daytime phone number.
From the
Postal Bulletin: "Effective January 2, 2011, the Postal Service will
revise Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Ser-vice, Domestic Mail
Manual (DMM) 345.6.9.4, 445.7.6.4, 507.1.2.3, and 602.3.2 to remove a
restriction on the use of simplified addressing for saturation flat-size
mailpieces and irregular parcels that are delivered by USPS city carriers
or to Post Office (PO) boxholders at Post Office locations with city
delivery service, and to add reference to new standards related to updated
delivery sequence data for use on mailpieces bearing a simplified address.
This revision provides mailers of Standard Mail saturation (carrier route)
flats and irregular parcels the option of using simplified addresses
(typically, "Postal Customer") in lieu of complete delivery addresses, and
eliminates the need for mailers to maintain an updated database of
delivery-sequenced specific addresses."
Press Release: "Quad/Graphics, Inc. (NYSE:
QUAD), the second largest provider of print, digital and related media
services in North America, announced today that it has created a new
Commercial and Specialty print division that combines recently acquired HGI
Company operations in Burlington and Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, with the
commercial and book operations in Enfield, Connecticut, and Leominster,
Massachusetts. Quad/Graphics purchased the Enfield and Leominster plants
earlier this year as part of its acquisition of Worldcolor. In addition, the
company will invest $13 million in equipment and facility expansions in 2011
for the commercial and specialty platform. The investment includes the
addition of digital and conventional presses with industry-leading
capabilities for short- to medium-run commercial work as well as specialty
print, such as large-format in-store signage and displays."
DMM Advisory: FSS Standards Coming January 2nd. Today, the Postal Bulletin published the upcoming DMM standards for the optional preparation of flat-sized mailpieces in Flats Sequencing System (FSS) zones. These standards were previously provided in the Federal Register notice dated August 23, 2010 (75 FR 51668-51671), and were communicated to the mailing industry in a Postal Bulletin advance notice on September 23, 2010 (PB 22294). Mailers may begin preparing their mailings in accordance with these new standards on the effective date of January 2, 2011, but are advised that the Postal Service intends to provide additional modifications to the standards in the February 2011 DMM update.
Yahoo! News has reported that "Pew Internet has updated its data on how
different generations are using the Internet for 2010, and the results
clearly show that the older generations are catching up with younger
Internet users, even surpassing them in some online activities."
IT Reseller has noted that "RFID has created substantial supply chain
efficiencies. But there's a bigger shift coming: what if logistics
management didn't require the use of databases because inventory tracked
itself? And what if goods could intelligently reroute based on need and
efficiency? It would make no difference whether products were warehoused on
another continent, rolling down the highway on a tractor-trailer, or deep in
the bowels of a container ship. In seconds, you could account for every
single product anywhere between manufacture and customer purchase."
According to the
Financial Times, "FedEx, the second-largest US package-shipping company,
reported disappointing quarterly results on Thursday as legal expenses and
restructuring costs cut into profits."
From
PRNewswire: "Experian Marketing Services, a leading provider of data
management, analytics and marketing technologies to help organizations
identify and engage their customers more effectively across digital and
traditional media, today announced a partnership with GrayHair Software, a
leading provider of innovative solutions for business mailers. Clients of
Experian Data Management Services, a part of Experian Marketing Services,
can now track their mailings utilizing the GrayHair SelectTrak software.
The mailing data information will be accessible through an online dashboard
that provides a view into the delivery timeline. All mailing data is updated
in real time, allowing delivery scans by date, job scans by state and the
ability to produce ad hoc reporting as needed. With these reports, clients
can check the status of a mailing on the Web and receive emails regarding
the status of their mailings."
As
European Voice has noted, "Postal service monopolies are due to end in
most of the EU on 1 January, amid criticisms that there is still little real
competition in the sector. When the EU's third directive on the
liberalisation of postal markets comes into force at the beginning of 2011,
a further 11 countries will be obliged to allow new providers to compete
against national incumbents on the last and largest sub-sector to be
liberalised, letters under 50 grams. They will join the six member states
that have already introduced full liberalisation, theoretically opening up
95% of the internal postal market to competition. In the remaining ten
member states, the deadline for full liberalisation is still two years away.
At the beginning of next month, Estonia, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands,
Sweden and the UK will be joined by Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark,
France, Ireland, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain in opening up
their postal markets."
Supply Chain Standard has reported that "DHL Express has appointed
Stephen Fenwick chief executive for the Americas."
KOMU has reported that "Columbia City Council and the Columbia Post Office
are working to find a way to fix the ongoing problem of cars parking in front of
mailboxes. Last Monday residents complained at the city council meeting they
haven't been receiving their mail because of parked cars in front of their
mailboxes. The postal carriers are not allowed out of their vehicles and
therefore can't deliver their mail. The council tabled the issue until January,
but have been discussing with postmaster Cindy Bolles about actions the city can
take to fix the problem."
The
Nigerian Observer has reported that "The National Union of Postal and
Telecommunications Employees (NUPTE) has said in Abuja that reforms in the
postal sector should not lead to job losses. Mr. Sunday Alhassan, the National
President of NUPTE, told newsmen that the proposed reforms in NIPOST could lead
to job losses if necessary measures were not taken. He said that rather than
lead to job losses, the plan should lead to improvements in the welfare of
NIPOST workers."
Transport Intelligence's latest report -
South
America Transport & Logistics 2011 - provides a 360 degree view of the
market, addressing all the major issues throughout the region. It contains
analysis of the latest trends and developments affecting the region and provides
insight into the key transportation sectors (air, sea, road and rail), detailing
the challenges which face the region and problems of under investment.
Radio Netherlands has reported that "Postal strikes in the Netherlands have
been averted now that Dutch postal company TNT has reached agreement with the
unions on limiting the number of forced redundancies announced by the company."
See also the
Wall Street Journal and
DutchNews.
Hellmail has reported that:
NBC4i has reported that "The U.S. Postal Service decides to close a
Columbus post office after continued decline in mail volume. According to
USPS representatives, the Olde Towne Station at 1035 McAllister Ave. in
Columbus will close at the end of January next year."
The
APWU and the Postal Service have agreed to a freeze on excessing while
contract negotiations continue, union President Cliff Guffey has announced.
Throughout the bargaining process, the APWU has sought to negotiate a
contract that would protect jobs and lessen the pain of excessing for our
members. We are pursuing those goals, he said.
According to
Hellmail, "Royal Mail Volume Declines And Competitor Volume Increases."
CBSAtlanta
has told its viewers that "If you still plan to mail packages this holiday
season don't forget to address them properly. If a package is lost in the
mail it could end up at the Mail Recovery Center in Atlanta where items are
auctioned off if not returned to the rightful owner."
December 15, 2010
DMM
Advisory:
Deadline
Extended to Apply for New Incentive Programs
Reply Rides Free Webinar Scheduled This
Friday.
In November, we filed a reques
t
with the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) for two new Mailing Services
incentive programs the Reply Rides Free First-Class Mail Incentive Program
and the 2011 Saturation/High Density Standard Mail Incentive Program. The
PRC approved our request last week and these programs will be implemented on
Jan. 2, 2011. Theres good news for mailers who want to participate in these
incentive programs we have extended the deadline to January 31, 2011.
In addition, Steve
Monteith, manager of our Transactions and Correspondence department, will
host a Reply Rides Free informational webinar this Friday, Dec. 17, 1-2 p.m.
EST. There are 200 virtual seats for this session. To attend the webinar
and join with audio:
1.
Go to:
http://meetingplace4.usps.gov/join.asp?2754280.
2. When
the MeetingPlace window opens, click the Phone icon (under the Participant
List or in the upper right-hand corner).
3.
Click
Connect Me, then type, validate
or update your phone number and click
Connect Me again.
4. When
the system calls you, press 1 to join. To attend by audio only, call
866-966-6305. The meeting ID is 2754280.
For
more information about both incentive programs, and to apply, visit the
following websites
Reply Rides Free:
http://www.usps.com/promotions/firstclassmailincentive.htm
2011 Saturation /High Density Standard Mail Incentive Program:
http://www.usps.com/promotions/saturationhd.htm.
Sky News has reported that "Hundreds of postal workers have staged a
sit-down protest outside Parliament during a demonstration against plans to
privatise the Royal Mail."
Hellmail has reported that "Former Postwatch head Millie Banerjee CBE,
is to become the new Chair of UK postal regulator, Postcomm."
Macedonia Online
has reported that "It's public knowledge that Macedonian postal workers open
envelopes as they please hoping to find money or expensive products. This is
why numerous online shops remove Macedonia from the list of mailing
destination."
KCAU has
reported that "The U.S. Postal Service has decided to scale back its
operations by closing a downtown post office in Aberdeen and one in downtown
Yankton. The Postal Service says it's part of a nationwide effort to be more
efficient and cut costs in the face of declining mail volume and customer
traffic."
Dead Tree Edition has told its members that "If only every Postal
Service delay were this beneficial to customers . . . The maximum 2011 price
increase on most types of mail dropped a bit this morning because the U.S.
Postal Service did not submit price increases before the Consumer Price
Index for November was released. The price cap on such market-dominant
classes as First-Class, Standard, and Periodicals dropped to 1.741%, down
from 1.799% if USPS had announced price increases before today. The cap is
likely to drop below 1.65% if the Postal Service waits for the December CPI
to be released on Jan. 14 before submitting 2011 price increases."
|
Join PostCom members Rose Flanagan, Data-Mail,
Inc.; Lisa Bowes, intellisent; and Wanda Senne, World Marketing so
you can be a part of the new e-evolution for mailing information
that starts with the launching pad for the
USPS "e" direction the Business Customer Gateway. The
webinar is stored at
https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/489468681. |
The
Courier, Express, and Postal Observer has asked: "How will the 1.8%
increase affect Bulk Rates?" It also has reported that "Yesterday,
Transforce, Inc., one of Canada's largest transportation companies
announced that it had reached an agreement to purchase Dynamex, North
America's largest same day courier. The purchase will more than double
Transforce's revenue from parcel delivery with its total North American
revenue after the acquisition running around $800 million U.S."
The
Postalnews blog has reported that "The Postal Service recently marked
the third anniversary of its first fully-operational Flats Sequencing System
(FSS) at the Dulles, VA, Processing and Distribution Center (P&DC) a
milestone in the way the Postal Service sorts flats. FSS technology also has
helped the Northern Virginia District reduce costs. The district has
eliminated 150 letter carrier routes, reduced letter carriers base delivery
time by more than 400,000 hours each year and lowered rural carriers
delivery time by more than 75,000 hours annually. Reducing routes produced
additional savings by making it possible to reassign long life vehicles to
rural carrier routes. FSS has removed a significant number of workhours and
we continue to see improvements weekly, said Northern Virginia District
Manager Michael Furey. These savings will allow us to pay for the machines
quickly. The Postal Service plans to have 100 FSS machines deployed and
operational at 47 locations nationwide by the summer of 2011. Currently
about 20 machines are fully operational at eight sites."
The
New York Times has reported that "publishers are making headway in
converting their enormous libraries of illustrated titles to e-books, hoping
to capitalize on the growing popularity of the
Apple iPad and the Nook Color and their ability to showcase books with color
photographs and illustrations."
Bloomberg has reported that "TNT NV offered the Dutch labor unions to
reduce the planned forced redundancies at its postal unit to 2,550 from
3,100, the company said today in a newspaper advertisement. TNT Post will
pay about 250 million euros in premiums and additional contributions to its
pension fund this year, which is not sustainable if it wont reorganize, the
company said. Postal volumes will further decline the coming years, TNT also
said."
The
Derbyshire Telegraph has reported that "Royal Mail bosses say they are
confident all letters and parcels will be delivered in time for Christmas,
despite more snow has been predicted."
Hellmail has reported that "Strike action as TNT Post (Netherlands)
continues this week with no sign of a breakthrough. The row over proposed
job cuts looks set to severely disrupt Christmas collections and deliveries
in Holland in the run up to Christmas. The company today fought back with a
newspaper advertisement, explaining why the strike was continuing to roll on
and how it had already compromised on the scale of job losses. Last week it
described the industrial action as "irresponsible" and warned that without
reorganisation, postal volumes would decline even further in the coming
years."
CEP News
(Courier-Express-Postal), published by the MRU Consultancy, has reported that:
The MRU, founded in 1992, is the only consultancy in Europe, which has specialised in the market of courier-, express- and parcel services. For large-scale shippers and CEP-services in particular, the MRU provides interdisciplinary advice for all major questions of the market, as there are for example market entry, product design, organisation, and EDP.To learn more about the stories reported above, contact CEP News. (We appreciate the courtesy extended by CEP News to help whet your appetite for more of what CEP offers.)
According to
Politico, "6,600 pet projects lawmakers from both parties and both
chambers have been stuck inside an enormous spending bill unveiled by
Senate Democrats on Tuesday, according to government watchdog Taxpayers for
Common Sense. The release of the $1.1 trillion dollar omnibus bill,
including $8 billion in earmarks, quickly reignited the fight over
pork-barrel spending in the final days of the lame-duck session."
[EdNote: And not a dime's bit of work has been
done to end the $5.5 billion needless annual drain of postage dollars used
just to subsidize congressional pork.]
Sky News has reported that "Protesters will hold a rally against plans
to privatise Royal Mail as a union leader warns it will "end the postal
service as we know it". See also
Marketing Week.
Roll Call has reported that "Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) will face off
Wednesday morning against Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) for the ranking
member position on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee in
the 112th Congress."
According to the
Arizona Republic, "The holiday-shipping season is like a two-part tonic
for private couriers and the Postal Service."
December 14, 2010
The
Financial Times has told its readers that "Indias logistics
infrastructure was developed in the colonial era to transport troops and
agricultural products. Since then, India has become one of the fastest
growing economies in the world, but its logistics infrastructure remains
woefully inadequate to fulfil the demands bestowed on it by the countrys
new-found status. Recognising this, the Indian government has tripled its
spend on logistics infrastructure from $10bn in 2003 to $30bn in 2010. But
is an increased outlay sufficient to overcome this deficit? We argue not.
The
Toronto Sun has reported that "While most older people still prefer the
tensile feel of a printed card, younger people are increasingly decking
their halls with those sent via cyberspace, according to a poll conducted
for Canada Post. A spokesman said postal officials were surprised to see
more cards mailed than in 2009. Our volumes are up about 2% right now
compared to last year, spokesman Anick Losier said Tuesday."
The
Bangkok Post has reported that "With the goal of reaching logistic
revenue of 10 billion baht, Thailand Post has expanded its partners through
eBay and widened its services while taking advantage of the country's
position as a logistic hub in Asean."
According to
Printing Impressions World, "Good news was difficult to find in 2010 for
the printers of direct mail, not to mention the direct marketing community.
Even the United States Postal Service (USPS) struggled in its continuing
efforts to offset dwindling volume and out-of-control costs, having seen its
request for an exigent price increase denied in late September by the Postal
Regulatory Commission. Failure to reap an increase in excess of the rate of
inflationwhich the USPS claims would have generated $2.3 billion in
much-needed revenueis something of a blessing for the mailing community
(the USPS is appealing). The Postal Service is exploring other avenues and
using other tools to bridge the gap to its fiscal obligations, which for the
time being still include a $5.5 billion payment to pre-fund its retiree
health benefits. The USPS remains in a state of flux."
According to the
Postalnews blog, "The US Postal Service filed formal 8-K notifications
with the PRC of two of its recent executive changes. According to the
filing, Steven Kearney, Senior Vice President, Customer Relations, is no
longer an executive officer as that term is defined in the rules adopted
under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934″. As we noted last week, Kearney
retains his previous title, but no longer reports directly to the PMG, and
was not included in the new PMGs Executive Leadership Team.
Steve
Monteith, USPS manager of Transactions and Correspondence, will host an
information session this Friday, Dec. 17, 1-2 p.m.
EST, on the Reply Rides Free Incentive program. During the
presentation, Steve will explain the mechanics of the program and discuss
ideas on how you can best take advantage of this opportunity. We have set up
200 lines for this session. To attend the webinar and join with audio: 1. Go
to:
http://meetingplace4.usps.gov/join.asp?2754280. 2. When the MeetingPlace
window opens, click the Phone icon (under the Participant List or in the
upper right-hand corner). 3. Click Connect Me, then type, validate or update
your phone number and click Connect Me again. 4. When the system calls you,
press 1 to join. To attend by audio only, call
866-966-6305. The meeting ID is 2754280.
The
Electronic Frontier Foundation has reported that "In a landmark decision
issued today in the criminal appeal of U.S. v. Warshak, the Sixth Circuit
Court of Appeals has ruled that the government must have a search warrant
before it can secretly seize and search emails stored by email service
providers. Closely tracking arguments made by EFF in its amicus brief, the
court found that email users have the same
reasonable expectation of privacy in their stored email as they do in their
phone calls and postal mail."
At the
Postal Regulatory
Commission:
Logistics Manager has reported that "Deutsche Post DHL has renewed its
partnership with The United Nations Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs for a further three teams. The partnership began in
2005, and sees Deutsche Post DHL assist the authorities of affected
countries and the humanitarian relief community in the handling and storing
of relief cargo at airports in disaster regions. Deutsche Post DHLs three
Disaster Response Teams are assigned to a specific geographic regions
covering Asia Pacific, Latin America/the Caribbean and the Middle
East/Africa. Each team consists of a pool of about 80 specially trained DHL
employees, who have volunteered to take part in the pro-bono humanitarian
efforts."
Wales Online has reported that "Politicians, trade union and business
leaders will join hundreds of postal workers at a national rally on
Wednesday to protest against the Government's controversial plans to
privatise Royal Mail. The Communication Workers Union (CWU) said the event
was aimed at giving MPs a "clear message of dissatisfaction" with the Postal
Service Bill which paves the way for the privatisation. The Bill is
currently in committee stage and the union said it believed it contained
"huge loopholes" which put at risk the universal service of nationwide
deliveries at the same price, and the post office network."
According to
Investor Place, "Record number of deliveries and a strong technical
trend bode well for UPS.:
Post & Parcel has reported that "Australia Post has purchased payment
gateway company, SecurePay as part of its strategy to expand its online
services. SecurePay offers commercial organisations, utilities, local
government and e-merchants secure B2B and B2C payment services via the
Internet, phone, or custom software applications."
DutchNews has reported that "With postal delivery workers poised to
start another 24-hour strike from 23.00 hours on Tuesday, the chance is
growing of a four-day strike next week, according to news agency reports.
Tonights strike will be the seventh by unions protesting at TNTs plans to
sack 2,800 delivery workers."
According to
MyFoxTwinCities, "A male postal worker in Wisconsin was arrested after
making a delivery completely naked, community newspaper WhitefishBayNow
reported Tuesday. According to police reports, the nude worker walked into
an office in the Milwaukee suburb of Whitefish Bay earlier this month to
make a delivery. He was arrested five days later, on Dec. 9, for lewd and
lascivious behavior."
According to
Retail Week, "Much of the e-commerce process has been smoothed out and
made incredibly easy for consumers, but delivery still poses a problem."
Advertising
Age has published an interview with "Time Inc. CEO Jack Griffin and new
chief digital officer Randall Rothenberg, formerly CEO of the Interactive
Advertising Bureau, who talked to Advertising Age about the company's
digital direction, from paywalls and apps to Angry Birds."
Press Release: "ALG Worldwide
Logistics has outlined a fundamental realignment of the company designed to
meet the changing industry requirements well into the next decade. This
realignment includes hiring new personnel with years of industry experience
in key leadership positions. Ownership and executive staff have outlined
changes to organizational structure and processes that will more effectively
align business operations to the core customer needs."
From
PR-Inside: "The Royal Mail Holdings plc - SWOT Analysis company profile
is the essential source for top-level company data and information. Royal
Mail Holdings plc - SWOT Analysis examines the companys key business
structure and operations, history and products, and provides summary
analysis of its key revenue lines and strategy."
AsiaOne News has reported that "Singapore Post is beefing up resources
and stepping up quality checks at its mail processing centre and various
delivery bases to improve its service. This move is in response to the
recent spate of complaints, reported in the local media, by customers who
were angry over the delayed delivery of their letters and parcels."
The Courier has reported that "With Christmas fast approaching and the
forecast for more wintry weather this week, the company said it had invested
20 million in ensuring cards and gifts arrived in time. The news came on
the day it emerged that supermarkets have had to stop taking some home
delivery orders from customers in Scotland because of the cold snap."
Postal news from
Postal Technology International:
The
Chicago Sun Times has reported that "Monday was expected to be the
busiest day in FedEx history, with nearly 16 million packages moving on its
conveyor belts, trucks and planes. Thats up 13 percent from 14.2 million on
the busiest day last year, and double what the company handles on a normal
day. Mondays jump in shipments bodes well for the nations retailers,
online stores and larger rival UPS, which expects its single busiest day
will be Dec. 22, when it will move about 24 million packages. FedExs
busiest day is the high-water mark of a holiday season in which it expects
to move 223.3 million shipments worldwide. About
half of the increase is from the company's SmartPost partnership with the
U.S. Postal Service. SmartPost moves lighter, cheaper packages
through FedEx that are then delivered by a postal worker. A growing number
of online and catalog purchases is driving growth in that unit and across
the company."
The
letters to the editor of the
Washington Post from Sen. Thomas Carper and NAPUS President Robert
Rapoza have been published.
Hellmail has reported that:
Russian Post announced this week it would delay price increases for domestic postal items until January next year. The operator could have increased prices last week but decided to delay the new pricing structure rather than potentially disrupt services in the festive period.
December 13, 2010
Just how do you calculate the rate of inflation that will apply to the next postal rate increase? Wanna know? Check this out.
According to one writer for
Forbes, "As troubled government bureaucracies go, the United States
Postal Service has long resided at or near the top of the list. In some
ways, it's an unfair criticism. Many of the structural problems with the
USPS can be blamed on another bureaucracy, the U.S. Congress. Obviously the
USPS has many challenges. But taking simple steps like--listening to the
voice of the customer--will help the bottom line before larger problems can
be addressed by Congress. Donahoe has some big challenges ahead of him. His
first should be putting in place the practices and processes that lead to
happy customers."
Hellmail has reported that "The Communication Workers Union is calling
on thousands of Royal Mail workers to join in a national protest on Saturday
over the privatisation of the state-owned operator."
Citywire has noted that "Why all the fuss about the possibility of Royal
Mail abandoning six-days-a-week delivery as part of the plan to privatise
the company? The Postal Service Bill, currently going through the committee
stage in the Commons before a final vote by all MPs, contains a clause which
says that the delivery guarantee should be financially sustainable. This
leaves the door open for abandoning the guarantee if the company fails to
make a profit. But does it matter?"
CNN is running an online series called "The internet and the 'end of
privacy'."
Economists have grown more optimistic about the outlook for U.S. growth next
year, predicting the expansion will accelerate as 2011 progresses, according
to the latest
Wall Street Journal forecasting survey.
The
Detroit Free Press has reported that "All of the year-end fund-raising
mailings of the South Oakland Shelter have gone missing since being dropped
off at the postal center in Pontiac, which has shelter officials worried
about their ability to provide services during one of their busiest times of
the year. Business manager Meghan Kindsvater said she took three trays with
about 1,400 envelopes to the U.S. Postal Service's Metroplex in Pontiac,
then watched an employee walk off with them Nov. 22. But no one has received
the mailings, said Ryan Hertz, the shelter's executive director."
The
BBC has reported
that "Royal Mail has said it is committing an extra 20m to cope with
deliveries during the severe weather, including recruiting 3,000 temporary
staff. Royal Mail has already taken on 20,000 temporary staff to handle the
increased workload at this time of year."
According to
CNN, "Christmas is 12 days away, but already drivers are dashing through
the snow to deliver holiday gifts. The U.S. Postal Service, UPS and FedEx
are all gearing up for a spike in shipments."
The
Irish Times has reported that "An Post
has admitted that it illegally ended the practice of allowing customers to
forward misdirected letters to their intended recipients by crossing off the
printed address and writing in the correct one before posting."
According to the
Dewsbury Reporter, "Bad weather and extra Christmas volume are making
matters worse, with some people not receiving deliveries for up to a week.
The postal workers union is pleading with customers to make allowances. And
Royal Mail says the new procedures need time to bed in."
The
Financial Times has reported that "The severe weather has left many
small online businesses battling to meet the pre-Christmas demand. Several
website owners have refused to take new orders as the main postal and
courier services have been unable to get items out of depots in the worst
hit parts of the country."
Two
new postal studies by the
European
Commission:
Hellmail has reported that "Russian Post has been commended by the
Russian publishing group, "Arguments and Facts", for its efforts to assist
people whose homes were damaged by wildfires in July this year."
Politicalnews.me has reported that "Washington - U.S. Senators Blanche
Lincoln and Mark Pryor and U.S. Congressman Mike Ross (AR-04) urged the
United States Postal Service (USPS) to keep its Texarkana Processing and
Distribution Facility open. The USPS is considering closing the facility and
sending mail from Texarkana to Shreveport for processing. The USPS has
completed its Area Mail Processing (AMP) feasibility study for the Texarkana
facility and will now consider input from the public."
December 12, 2010
Robert Rapoza, President of the National Association of Postmasters of the
U.S., told the Washington Post that "The "Failure to deliver" editorial
misdiagnosed the cause of the Postal Service's challenges and suggested
treatment that makes matters worse. The $8.5 billion Postal Service loss
that the editorial mentioned stems primarily from a law that foists a $5.6
billion annual payment on the USPS to prefund retiree health costs. Also,
the government raised the Postal Service's payment to the workers
compensation fund by $2.5 billion. Ironically, two nationally recognized
actuarial firms determined that the USPS had been required to overfund its
pensions by $50 billion to $75 billion. The Post, however, recommended that
Congress extort the USPS to secure its surplus pension contributions. In
part, The Post recommended weakening a statute, enabling the USPS to close
"unprofitable" post offices. This recommendation is problematic. First, post
office profitability is meaningless, because offices deliver and distribute
mail - inherently "unprofitable" services. Second, many "unprofitable"
offices serve rural communities and are the communities' sole commercial and
communications access points. Third, closing all small post offices would
save only 0.7 percent of the USPS's budget. Before cutting services,
Congress should treat the "most trusted agency" fairly, and the Postal
Service must trim its administrative overhead."
Dead Tree Edition has told its readers that "Postal rates for the
majority of mail are likely to rise about 1.8% early next year because the
Postal Regulatory Commission has sided mostly with the U.S. Postal Service
in a dispute over price caps."
The Scotsman has reported that "the coalition government's plans to
privatise Royal Mail have left a loophole under which the universal service
guarantee of six-days-a-week deliveries could be downgraded or scrapped, it
has been revealed."
According to
KSPR, "Civic leaders have begun a campaign they hope will keep the U.S.
Postal Service from closing a mail-processing center in Texarkana and
merging its operations with one in Shreveport, La."
The
PostalNews blog has reported that Senator Carper has sent a letter to
the editor of the Washington Post in which he noted that: "I was
disappointed that the Dec. 7 editorial Failure to deliver did not mention
the numerous hearings Ive held on this issue as well as the comprehensive
legislation to address this crisis that I introduced this fall. My bill, the
Postal Operations Sustainment and Transformation Act, would fix the Postal
Services broken retiree benefits system, streamline operations and allow
the Postal Service to offer additional products and services that can make
money. It would require all parties postal management, employees and
customers to make sacrifices. It also would get Congress out of the way by
providing the flexibility and tools necessary to address the problems
plaguing the Postal Service in an effective way. I agree with the editorial
that leadership and shared sacrifice are needed to fix the Postal Services
financial problems. But to say theres been no congressional leadership on
this issue is flat-out wrong."
The Northwestern has told its readers that "United States Postal Service
is facing an acute financial crisis. with the economic downturn and
increased diversion to the Internet, mail volumes have dropped
precipitouslymore than 32 billion pieces the past two years alone. This
decline has left the postal service with a mail processing network that is
too large for the amount of mail it now processes. At the same time, the
Postal Service has added new generations of automated equipment that has
dramatically improved how mail is sorted and prepared for delivery. We can
collect, process and distribute more mail, and more efficiently, than ever
before. This is why the Postal service's Lakeland District is proposing
consolidating operations from the Oshkosh plant with the Green Bay plant.
With the drastic decline in mail volume, it is vital that we make these
operational changes and consolidate excess operations and facilities. The
proposal was driven by two factors: its location and impact on the business
mailing."
December 11, 2010
A
copy of the new Postal Service
headquarters organizational chart has been posted on this site.
BruDirect has reported that "The Postal Service Department- said since
the eruption of Mount Merapi in Java, Indonesia recently, delivery of
airmails, such as letters, parcels including EMS Speed post, has been badly
affected. On the other hand, the Indonesian Post has taken measures to ease
the public. Local and international mails from or to Yogyakarta, Solo and
Magelang are on halt due to the inability to conduct handling delivery. Any
local remittance to the affected areas will be delayed."
Nextgov
has reported that "The new postmaster general has replaced the agency's
chief information officer, Ross Philo, with Ellis Burgoyne, a former mail
delivery manager, as part of an effort to boost profits and expedite
shipments. Questions have been raised about Burgoyne's ability to operate
one of the largest technology networks worldwide, given his lack of IT
experience. In addition to the mammoth intranet, the agency's IT assets
include applications that control payroll for one of the nation's largest
workforces and millions of payments to suppliers."
KCAU has
reported that "The Postal Service said it expects to decide by the end of
the year whether it will close the post office in downtown Yankton and
consolidate operations at its Fox Run Carrier Annex. Spokesman Peter Nowacki
said the Postal Service is examining its operations nationwide because
revenue is down on lighter mail volume. Nowacki said closing the downtown
post office would save just over $1 million over a 10-year period."
The
Boston Globe has reported that "For 113 years, the Post Office in
Windsor brought people together in the small town in the Berkshires,
providing a place to chitchat, do business, and send their precious parcels
where they needed to go. But this fall, to the dismay of many of the towns
900 residents, the US Postal Service closed its local branch, located most
recently inside a general store. Its a subject thats really upsetting to
a lot of people, said Rebecca Herzog, who serves as the towns treasurer
and tax collector. Its extremely inconvenient to have to go to the next
town, especially with winter coming.
NewsNetFive has reported that "Overly thin envelopes continue to cause a
large number of damaged Christmas cards. "Two-hundred Christmas cards are
damaged at the Akron man post office daily," said Regional U.S. Postal
Service spokesperson Victor Dubina. "Most of the cards are damaged so badly
we can't put them back together and send them on to their destinations,
we're doing all we can." Dubina told NewsChannel5 the U.S. Postal Service is
reaching out to Paper Magic Group to see what can be done about the thin
Christmas card envelopes."
At the
Postal Regulatory
Commission:
DMM Advisory: IMb Services Update. eDoc Submission for the January 2, 2011 PostalOne! Release 26: In this release, the PostalOne! system will support the new Mail.dat version 11-1 and Mail.XML version 9.0B for electronic documentation. PostalOne! will retire support of Mail.dat version 08-2 but will continue to support Mail.dat 09-1 and Mail.XML versions 7.0C and 8.0B in this release. Mailers will not be able to submit the new file versions (Mail.dat 11-1 and Mail.XML 9.0B) prior to the January 2, 2011, Shipping Services price change. Customers who wish to submit Mail.dat and Mail.XML files before January 2 for mailings scheduled to occur after the price change have the following options:
Mailers should advise their BMEU/DMU of their intent to use either of these options, which will be available from December 19th to January 1st. Details are on the RIBBS website in PostalOne! Release Notes 26.0.0 Implementation 01-02-2011 Section 1.2.2.
The
Sacramento Bee has reported that "FedEx National LTL, the freight
trucking division of FedEx Corp., plans to close its facility in Elk Grove
on Jan. 29, with a loss of 85 jobs."
December 10, 2010
Hellmail has reported that "Magyar Posta (Hungarian Post Office Limited)
is bucking the trend by actually reopening some smaller post offices that
were closed in 2003-2004."
The
Daily Mail has reported that "The Royal Mail is facing a massive battle
to deliver Christmas cards and presents on time because of chaos caused by
the bad weather."
Phillip Herr of the Government Accountability Office was
interviewed by Federal News Radio on how to right-size the Postal
Service.
PostalEmployeeNetwork has reported that "The NALC recently responded to
a U.S. Postal Service press release regarding its contract negotiations with
the American Postal Workers Union and the National Rural Letter Carriers
Association, a statement NALC President Fredric V. Rolando said was full of
spin and distortions aimed at influencing public opinion. We recognize
that the USPS faces major challenges that need to be addressed to secure its
future, Rolando said, but this cannot be done responsibly if one party
engages in blatant and selfserving attempts to mislead people.
The
Wall Street Journal has reported that "Republican Sen. Tom Coburn, the
Oklahoma conservative known for his ability to unilaterally gum up
legislation on Capitol Hill, is shedding his contrarian image to emerge as a
central figure in Washington's newfound desire to trim the nation's
ballooning debt."
Reuters has reported that "United Parcel Service plans to woo
shareholders with a higher dividend and more share buybacks rather than use
strong cashflow for large acquisitions."
From
Dead Tree Edition: "Here's How the Postal Service Can Get Back Its
Pension and Benefits Overpayments."
According to
Transport Intelligence, "UPS appears to be ruling out purchasing its
rival TNT, preferring to concentrate on smaller acquisitions which will be
easier to absorb. Kurt Kuehn, UPS Chief Financial Officer, speaking to a
German Financial Newspaper, the Boersen-Zeitung, is reported as saying that
UPS wants to concentrate in Europe on small and medium sized acquisitions
rather than buying TNT. The reasoning behind this is, according to Mr Kuehn,
that too fast an expansion can be dangerous. Citing its rival DHL Express as
an example, he said that, "There are two strategies to climb the mountain:
DHL selected the fast way, but when it reached the summit it was exhausted
and vulnerable."
Hellmail has reported that "The National Council for Voluntary
Organisations (NCVO) has forged a new partnership with UK Mail. The
partnership, which will allow both members and other voluntary organisations
to access UK Mails hybrid service, imail, will also help voluntary
organisations with fundraising and marketing campaigns in a cost effective
and environmentally friendly way."
According to
Business Week, "other countries' postal systems are in better financial
shape than the U.S. Postal Service because they can offer services beyond
mail and package delivery, and their governments cover some employee
health-care costs and most retiree costs. In the U.S., the Postal Service is
expected to be self-sufficient, yet its ability to run itself like a
business is restricted."
December 9, 2010
Business Week would like you to "Imagine a company that reported losses
in 14 of the past 16 quarters, has too many retail outlets by its own
admission, and relies heavily on work done for its two biggest competitors
for revenue. Any management consultant would recommend the obvious: Close
unnecessary offices, lay off workers, expand into new lines of business, and
raise prices. But this is the U.S. Postal Service. It's expected to show a
profit without a government subsidy, yet Congress, powerful labor unions,
and even its own regulators are preventing it from making hard-nosed
business decisions. The result could be a painful restructuring or a
government bailout before the fiscal year ends next Sept. 30."
According to long-time student of things postal
Murray Comarow, "The
Washington Posts December 7, 2010 editorial, "Failure to Deliver", makes
some good points about the Postal Services plight. Unfortunately, it also
expresses some views which are dubious or just wrong."
The latest issue of
the PostCom Bulletin is available online. In this issue:
The Guardian said that it believed that "The postal services bill is bad
for postal services and bad for us. The bill is looking more and more like a
done deal, but much of what it puts forward should concern consumers."
According to the
Courier, Express, and Postal Observer, "The Postal Service is in the
midst of deploying its automated FSS machines in a limited number of sites.
There has been significant criticism of the program given the significant
decline in the volume of flat mail. However, a map contained in a recent
presentation by Quad Graphics suggests that the Postal Service's placement
of FSS machines makes some sense if the goal is to create a network that is
designed to optimize the transportation and handling costs without building
a new flats distribution network from production location to delivery
location."
From
International Freighting Weekly: "Our Story: FedEx."
Hellmail has reported that "After 20 years of discussions and finally
the adoption of the Third Postal Directive, which foresees the full opening
of the postal market, it is regretful to note that the development of
competition in the postal market remains very slow." - the opening paragraph
of a 'white paper' by the FFPI (Free Fair Post Initiative), underlining
growing concerns about the path for EU postal liberalisation."
The Postal Service has paid about $592-million for 654 IT retail and
hardware contracts. Part of the challenge is making sure that oversight is
worth it. The Postal Service Inspector General's office just completed an
audit of IT contract oversight, specifically addressing operational risk.
Judy Leonhardt, Director of Supply Management at the Office of Audit for the
USPS OIG, brings us up to speed on this latest audit.
Listen to the audio.
DHL Express has praised its staff for working beyond the call of duty to
try and minimise delivery disruption caused by the adverse weather.
An
official with CVS Caremark has written in the
Chicago Tribune: "Headlines across the country have been declaring the
U.S. Postal Service in dire need of drastic reform to ensure its viability.
But the most talked-about proposal eliminating Saturday mail delivery
has the potential to harm millions of Americans who depend on delivery of
needed medicines without actually addressing the root cause of the agency's
financial troubles. CVS Caremark, like many businesses, depends on Saturday
mail delivery to provide a vital service in a timely manner to our
customers. In our case, to deliver prescription medications."
The
Nottingham Post has reported that "postal staff are aiming to catch up
with deliveries after freezing weather disrupted rounds across Notts. The
Royal Mail says staff are making as many deliveries as possible in the icy
conditions, following criticism some residents have not been receiving
post."
YourCanterbury has reported that "More than 130 postal workers in the
district will lose their jobs thanks to Royal Mail restructuring plans
confirmed this week."
Hellmail has reported that "The Finnish postal service has reported that
500,000 messages were received last month via its hybrid mail service -
NetPosti. The number of e-letters and e-invoices sent to NetPosti increased
rapidly in 2010 with the number of letters sent increasing each month and
culminating in 500,000 e-letters and e-invoices sent in November alone.
Posti, part of the Iella Group, said that NetPosti had become the most
versatile and comprehensive of the electronic services with users keen to
use the hybrid mail service more."
December 8, 2010
Postmaster General Patrick R. Donahoe today announced the top executives who
will work directly with him in creating a more profitable, nimble U.S.
Postal Service, able to compete aggressively in the marketplace and provide
exemplary customer service:
The position of Deputy Postmaster General remains vacant at this time. Megan and Ellis bring a wealth of experience from their previous positions as Area Vice Presidents for the Eastern Area and Southwest Area, respectively. One of the tasks the Executive Leadership Team will tackle is breaking down structural challenges to change and empowering executives, managers and employees to achieve at a higher level and improve the Postal Service competitive posture. Earlier this week, in a message to all employees, the PMG identified four core business strategies: strengthening the business to customer channel; improving the customer experience; growing the package business; and becoming a leaner, faster, smarter organization.
DMM Advisory: December DMM Update. Postal Explorer (pe.usps.com) is your source for up-to-date mailing standards. The Domestic Mail Manual is fully searchable on Postal Explorer and features fly-out menus, cross-reference links, and an extensive subject index. Today we updated our mailing standards to capture the following changes:
New Shipper Paid Forwarding Ancillary Service Endorsement Option. We revised 507.1.5, 507.2.3.5, 507.2.3.6 and 507.4.2.9 to provide a new endorsement option "Change Service Requested" for mailers using Shipper Paid Forwarding (SPF) for Standard Mail, Package Services, or Parcel Select parcels.
Clarification of the Reduced Overflow Option for Automation Letters. We revised 235.3.3, 235.6.6, 245.3.3, and 245.7.5 to clarify standards that apply to mail preparation for First-Class Mail and Standard Mail automation letters in trays.
Change in ZIP Code for Washington DC Network Distribution Center: Revision to Destination Entry Exhibits. We revised exhibits 246.3.1, 346.3.1, 366.4.1, 446.3.1, 453.3.1.3, 466.4.4, to reflect the changing of the Washington DC Network Distribution Center (NDC) ZIP Code from 20499 to 20799.
Automation Letters Perforated Pocket AttachmentsWe revised 201.3.13 to authorize the use of perforated pocket(s) as attachments on letter-size mail when postage is paid at automation letter prices. Click-N-Ship Insurance Indemnity Coverage IncreaseWe revised 503.1.1.6, 503.4.2.1 and 609.4.2 to permanently increase the purchase limit for domestic Click-N-Ship online insurance coverage up to $5,000.
Packaging Standards for Mail Processed at Network Distribution Centers. We revised 601.7.2 that applies to packaging books and printed matter for mail processed at Network Distribution Centers. We published this revision in the December 2, 2010, Postal Bulletin.
Labeling Lists. We revised labeling lists L001, L004, L007, L011, L201, L601, L605, L606, and L801 to reflect changes in mail processing operations.
Our next scheduled DMM update is January 2.
Mail
Compared to:
Join us for a Webinar on January 18
Space
is limited. Reserve your Webinar seat now at:
https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/528964968.
Please join the Association for Postal Commerce
for the Mail Compared to "e" - What do The Numbers
Reveal webinar on Tuesday, January 18th at 1 PM ET. We will
evaluate mail and its place in todays array of communication medium
options. With so many different options to communicate, see the how Mail
ranks based on the Direct Marketing Associations Fact Book for 2010. Review
several different mediums for customer / prospect communications. How
viable is the mail compared to more current digital options, email or mobile
messaging? Well also look at what makes mail part of a
multi-channel strategy and ways to get more value out of the Mail.
This web event will be presented by PostCom Board
Directors Kathleen Baker, Sprint and David Robinson, Pitney Bowes. Linda
Woolley, The Direct Marketing Association. Date: Tuesday,
January 18, 2011; Time: 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM EST After registering you
will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the
Webinar.
According to the
American Postal Workers Union, "A recent Washington Post editorial is so
riddled with inaccuracies that its hard to know where to begin to refute
them. But one thing is clear: The message and the not-so-coincidental
timing of its publication is that the anti-union newspaper wants Congress
to tilt the scale against workers just as the APWUs contract negotiations
reach the final stages. Without the pre-funding costs, which exceed $5
billion annually for 10 years, the Postal Service would have shown a surplus
of more than $4 billion over the past four Fiscal Years. Despite the severe
recession and the increased use of electronic communication, the USPS has
otherwise kept its head above water. The Post also advanced the absurd myth,
proffered by the mailing industry and
echoed by anti-labor ideologues, that federal law gives unions the upper
hand in contract negotiations by preventing arbitrators from considering
the financial condition of the Postal Service when resolving contract
disputes." [EdNote: Instead of fighting with your "customers" . . . you
know . . . the people who actually pay your wages and benefits . . . go pick
a fight with your real adversaries.]
As
the
Washington Post has noted, "The new boss at the U.S. Postal Service said
his first hellos this week, telling the rank and file he wants to build a
more profitable, nimble organization that tries to win more of the
competitive package business. In a letter sent to the service's more than
580,000 workers, Postmaster General Patrick R. Donahoe said the digital
revolution is eroding the use of first-class mail and that USPS will need to
adapt to a "smaller marketplace." "We have to be more than an available,
low-cost delivery resource; we have to win customers and find ways of
complementing and adding value to the evolving nature of the way people
communicate and conduct business," Donahoe wrote."
The
Winnepeg Free Press has reported that "Canada Post has brought in
supervisors and retirees from across the country to deliver holiday mail in
Winnipeg."
Hull Daily Mail has reported that "Royal Mail confirmed people living in
HU, DN and YO postcodes may not be receiving letters or parcels due to the
icy conditions. In some areas, mail is reaching sorting depots but postmen
have claimed it is too dangerous underfoot for them to complete deliveries.
Post offices are being inundated with disgruntled people, with one East
Riding branch receiving 300 calls in one day. The situation has left
residents and businesses without mail at one of the busiest times of the
year for the postal network. The Mail has been told of people desperately
waiting for holiday tickets and firms not receiving crucial contracts."
The
News-Journal has noted that "Palm Coast Postmaster William Spangler has
an idea to make it easier on customers and alleviate some of the congestion
at the U.S. Postal Service facility on Pine Cone Drive. Rather than waiting
for crowds to come to the post office, Spangler is bringing the post office
to the crowds. Beginning today through Dec. 18, a mobile post office truck
will be out in the community to help residents get their holiday mailing
done." [EdNote: Nice touch!]
Logistics Manager has reported that "Swiss Post International UK has
entered a partnership with international postal services company, Arctic
Media."
CEP News
(Courier-Express-Postal), published by the MRU Consultancy, has reported that:
It seems like Belgian bpost will be allowed to keep subsidies of around 300m euros. Last week the Advocate-General of the European Court of Justice recommended to approve the subsidies.
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.)
DutchNews has reported that "TNT postal sorting staff and delivery
workers began a three-day strike shortly before midnight on Tuesday."
See also
Radio Netherlands.
From the Federal Register:
Postal
Service
RULES
Domestic Shipping Services Pricing and Mailing Standards Changes;
Correction , 7628276284 [201030668]
[TEXT] [PDF]
According to
Dead Tree Edition, "Though they have struggled to bring decentralized
Worldcolor operations into the fold, Quad/Graphics executives told Wall
Street analysts today they are off to "a fast start" in integrating the two
companies."
The Prescott Report: In This
Issue: Best practices on international parcel delivery... New Zealand Post
and a regional consumer survey database... New Zealand Post is leading the
way in creating a multinational consumer preference survey database for the
Asian Pacific. If successful, international marketers could conceivably have
access to a huge searchable multinational consumer preference survey
database. more... International delivery times for letters and parcels,
country by country! How long will it take to get your marketing letters and
resulting small parcels to your customers in the Asia-Pacific, or elsewhere?
Take a look at the resources we identify on Deutsche Posts website. Why
doesn't the UPU disclose the same information? . more... Italian DP
Authority Guidelines on monitoring employee internet and email use. Balanced
guidance in a delicate legal area...more Online B-to-B lists. How
good/consistent are they? A survey. Stevens and Grossman test five online
data providers. Very good set of "best practices" that merit your
consideration. .......more UK consultancy Snow Valley provides us with the
international best practices of parcel delivery. Accurate address capture on
order intake is one of those more... Japan Post's strategy builds on the
digital. Japan Post has focused on e-commerce as one of the pillars of its
very disciplined strategy, and overseas parcel delivery, and the address and
Customs, are important considerations ... more... To subscribe, visit
www.PrescottReport.com
From
Media Syndicate: "Newgistics initiates standard mail tracking for direct
response retailers. Retailers searching for standard mail tracking are
choosing Newgistics. The organization is noted for delivering results.
Newgistics offers shipping solutions for direct response retailers.
Affordable, reliable shipping can make a huge difference to the bottom-line.
Newgistics is also known for online merchant shipping solutions For
additional information retailers are invited to visit the company web site
at http://www.newgistics.com."
India IT has reported that "The Indian postal services that has been
backbone of communication in this huge country is now preparing itself to
embrace technology. The department is planning to offer e-stamps and upgrade
their IT infrastructure. For the IT infrastructure upgrade, the department
has sanctioned around $223 Million (or 1,000 Crore INR). IT majors
Capgemini, Wipro, TCS, Infosys, HCL, IBM and HP are in talks for this
project which expected to be a two to three years contract."
Punch On The Web has reported that "The Postmaster-General, Nigerian
Postal Service, Mallam Mori Baba, on Tuesday, said that, contrary to the
view that Information Technology, particularly the Internet and mobile phone
services, had threatened postal services in the country, it had rather
enhanced service efficiency."
Hellmail has reported that "TNT Post today condemned industrial action
planned by Dutch postal workers on Thursday, describing the action as
'irresponsible'."
December 7, 2010
The Telegraph has reported that "The Governments plans to sell off
state-owned Royal Mail could create a privatised monopoly and push up the
price of stamps, a rival postal company has claimed."
News on Fedex:
The
National Association of Letter Carriers has told its readers that "This
mornings Washington Post has done it again. For the fourth time this year,
they have offered an editorial on the Postal Services financial problems
that is remarkable in its ability to get even the most basic facts wrong. We
have corrected the editors in published letters and we have met with the
editorial writers. Yet the paper refuses to learn and appears to accept
postal managements bogus talking points with an utter lack of skepticism.
These are fundamental failings for so-called journalists. Understanding the
financial crisis facing the Postal Service is not easy. But it is not rocket
science. Shame on The Washington Post for misleading its readers."
Hellmail has reported that "The Postal Users Group (PUG) and the Free
and Fair Post Initiative (FFPI) have been, and continue to be, strong
supporters of a fully liberalized market for Postal Services in the European
Union but say that users of postal services, as well as postal operators
(public and private), are currently left in a difficult position."
The Guardian has reported that "TNT Post and other private postal groups
could quit Britain if Royal Mail is turned from a "public monopoly into a
private monopoly" when it is privatised, regulator Ofcom will be warned this
week. Nick Wells, chief executive of TNT Post in the UK, said that the
government could "fatten up" Royal Mail by bolstering its market position at
the expense of its rivals to get a better sale price. The postal services
bill, which is going through Parliament, will see the state-owned postal
group sold off and will overhaul the regulatory regime governing competition
in the postal market."
Press Release: "Preparations for the 14th annual European Postal
Services are well under way. 29th, 30th & 31st March 2011 in London. For
further information on all of our events please visit
marketforce.eu.com/calendar
The
National Post has reported that "UPS has announced that it will now
require customers shipping packages from retail shipping locations to
present a government-issued photo ID before a package can be sent."
Media Daily News has reported that "A new study of coupon redemption by
MARC Research for the Newspaper National Network shows that coupons that
appear within newspapers (run of press) are redeemed more often than
freestanding inserts, the tabloid-format circulars that typically appear in
weekend editions. They are also more effective at getting consumers to try
new products, switch brands, or trade up to a more expensive product."
The
following letter to the editor of the Washington Post was sent today by
PostCom President Gene Del Polito:
As an editorial publication, the Washington Post is entitled to an opinion of its own. Regarding your recent editorial on the Postal Service, however, you've flat out gotten it wrong.
Correcting the misallocation and misuse of postal payers' dollars on the funding of the Postal Service's retirement-related obligations would not be a give-away to postal unions. Rather, it would be addressing properly an injustice that is bleeding money needed to reinvigorate the nation's postal system, and appropriately reflect the enormous contributions already made by all who pay postage to ensure the nation's postal system remains whole.
Next time, please learn a bit more on what you are about to write before you write it. Using a bit more journalistic shoe leather to do correct and complete research will get you much farther than just accepting whole the line of misinformation some of those in postal management want you to swallow.
In an
editorial, the
Washington Post has said that "The postal mess is especially poignant
and depressing, because it epitomizes America's broader economic and
political gridlock. Postal rates remain under the control of inflexible
regulators; Congress insists on six-day delivery and unprofitable local post
offices in every district; federal law gives unions the edge in collective
bargaining with postal management. Until now, no one has had sufficient
incentive to make the tough decisions that could keep the Postal Service's
debts from being the next multibillion-dollar commitment passed on to the
federal taxpayer. What's missing is leadership, from both Congress and the
White House. At the moment, postal unions are lobbying Congress to
release USPS from its requirement to pre-fund about
$5 billion in retiree health benefits, which might enable USPS to
meet union contract demands and balance its books - temporarily.
Congress must say no. Pre-funding is the
only leverage lawmakers have to force a long-term solution."
[EdNote: Maybe next time before the Washington Post starts talking about
something of which it knows little, it'll seek out more information other
than what postal management has been spoon-feeding it over the past year. It
would be nice to find out that, with a bit more inquiry, it might actually
learn something on what it is about the write before it's actually written.
Man . . . quality journalism has sunk to a new low level.]
Hellmail has reported that "UK postal regulator Postcomm, today
published an illustrative draft for a 'modified' Royal Mail licence.
Postcomm said the draft modifications were to illustrate to interested
parties how the changes, as part of its work to develop a new regulatory
framework, might be implemented. It stressed that the draft was purely for
information purposes whilst it sought initial views from interested parties
and should not therefore be regarded as a final decision."
Hellmail has reported that "TNT Post is the first direct mail supplier
to be awarded the coveted Level 3 certification to PAS 2020, an
environmental standard from BSI for the direct marketing and direct mail
sector. Developed with the Direct Marketing Association (DMA), PAS 2020 is
the first independently-certified environmental standard for the direct
marketing and direct mail industry and provides the sector with the means
for demonstrating the environmental performance of a direct marketing
campaign. The certification for TNT Posts direct mail offering follows it
collaboration with DMA last year, where the two organisations pledged a
commitment to working together to promote environmental best practice within
the direct mail sector."
Postal Technology International has reported that "DHL Global
Forwarding, the air and ocean freight forwarder of Deutsche Post DHL, and
Emirates SkyCargo, the cargo division of Emirates airline, will partner to
drive the e-freight agenda across their networks, to become the industry
leaders in implementing it. Both companies recognise the strategic value of
e-freight; working in an electronic environment will bring enhanced
operational efficiency and improvement to the supply chain."
Fox News has reported that "As the U.S. Postal Service grapples with
service cuts and massive budget shortfalls, an estimated $134.4 million
dollars of its annual revenue is quietly slipping away to counterfeiters and
perpetrators of other types of postal fraud. Counterfeit stamps have been
identified as a steady, recurring risk for the U.S. Postal Service, which
reported a loss of $8.5 billion in the last fiscal year, and they are one of
the 10 biggest threats to Postal Service revenue, according to the 2009
annual report of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the law enforcement arm
of the Post Office."
December 6, 2010
 Welcome
to PostCom Radio Join PostCom President Gene Del Polito and Postal Regulatory Commission Chairman Ruth Goldway in a discussion of recently introduced postal legislation and other postal issues. |
Bloomberg has reported that "FedEx Corp. and the National Association of
Manufacturers will work with the Commerce Department to find American
companies that can boost their exports, U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke
said today. Locke said at a ceremony in Washington that the government will
work with the second-largest U.S. package-shipping company and the
manufacturers group to identify companies selling goods in one or two
markets and then try to help them expand their reach to additional nations."
The
Business Standard has reported that "The Indian government today said
the Department of Posts has registered an increase of 8.8 per cent in
revenues to Rs 6,705.64 crore in 2009-10, as compared to the previous
fiscal."
Parcel2Go has reported that "A leading observer of the postal and parcel
delivery industry in the UK has warned that many online businesses could be
left high and dry by the promised government introduction of super-fast
broadband services. And unless private couriers step up to the challenge of
meeting the increased need for reliable delivery services which it could
produce, many householders and businesses will be unable to benefit from
high-speed internet connections."
Fox News has reported that "The Swiss postal system has pulled the plug
on WikiLeaks' bank account in another serious setback for the
secret-spilling website that is fighting to stay online. An official with
Swiss Post in the Swiss capital of Bern told The Associated Press on Monday
that the account under WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange's name would be
canceled."
The
International Mailers
Advisory Group (IMAG) has elected a new Board of Directors to guide the
organization through 2012. IMAGs new Chairman is Karen Houk, Director of
Postal Affairs/Customer Service, International Delivery Solutions, and its
Vice Chairman is Gene Del Polito, President of the Association for Postal
Commerce. Susan Adams, Director, International Services, for RR Donnelley
Logistics will serve as IMAGs Treasurer, and Mike Vassalotti, Vice
President of Sales for Pitney Bowes International Services, will be its
Treasurer.
The U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General posted the April 1
September 30, 2010, Semiannual Report to Congress to its website that
highlights work during the second half of the 2010 fiscal year at
http://www.uspsoig.gov/. You can
LINK here to go directly to the issue.
In an open
letter to all employees on his first official day in office,
PMG Pat
Donahoe defines core business strategies that will guide the
organization to become a profitable, nimble Postal Service that competes
for customers and has a well-defined and valued role in an increasingly
digital world. Donahoe says the strategies will drive significant change in
the organization in the coming days, weeks and months. We are not going to
stray from our core business function mail and package delivery but we
are going to revitalize the way we approach the marketplace, he states in
the letter.
As
the
Herald-Dispatch has noted, "Despite the public's concerns about the loss
of jobs and effects on mail service, the U.S. Postal Service has announced
it will proceed with consolidating the Huntington mail processing plant into
its Charleston facility. There's little doubt that the move will have an
economic impact on the Huntington region and that the level of service will
diminish in some regards. It also appears there's little to be done about
it, considering the pressures that the Postal Service faces to remain
financially viable."
Regarding the TNT decision to split mail from express, the
Financial Times has noted that "There is certainly strategic logic for
the split as the two businesses are very different. The snail-mail division
focuses on Europe and particularly the Netherlands, and requires little
capital. Its volumes shrank 7 per cent in the third quarter, although it
still generates plenty of cash. Conversely, the global express business
needs loads of capital to fuel its high growth agenda. Investors can now
pick and choose. But the real impetus for the split may have come from TNTs
activist investors, who want to facilitate an acquisition. US rivals Fedex
and UPS covet the express business as a vehicle to take them further into
Europe; a separate listing would make a takeover easier."
The
Billings Gazette has reported that "The panoramic view from Rose Marie
Mitchell's front door is a jaw-dropper. But it comes with a price. The
United States Postal Service said it's too dangerous for their employees to
come up the road because it's too steep, Rose Marie said. But it's not too
dangerous for me to walk? Rose Marie cites two factors in her request to
have mail delivered to the end of her driveway. Not only is she legally
blind, but she frequently spends long periods of time as the sole occupant
of the house."
As
the
Courier, Express, and Postal Observer has noted, "One of the greatest
programs to help provide food for the poor has been the National Association
of Letter Carriers food drive. For 18 years letter carriers have collected
non-perishable foods from households which have gone a long way to fill the
shelves at foodbanks. This program has become so successful, that
alternative sources of donations could not fill foodbank shelves without the
National Association of Letter Carriers and sponsors that promote the food
drive."
The
Wall Street Journal has reported that "Having survived the invention of
the telephone, the future of the letter is now uncertain. The Internet and
the use of email have led to a prolonged decline in the number of people
using the postal system. Deutsche Post has seen a decline in the volume of
its mail business of 2.8% in the third quarter of 2010 from the year-earlier
period. But, argues Dr. Appel, there is an opportunity for growth and
perversely it comes from the Internet. "Google is a synonym for a search
engine, eBay is the synonym for a trading place. We want to become a synonym
for a trusted transaction."
From
PR-USA.net: "Amerijet International, Inc. is pleased to offer affordable
small package shipping solutions for businesses of all sizes. From
home-based businesses to corporations, all types of businesses turn to
Amerijet for shipping orders to customers. Their low flat rates help
shippers save big with every transaction. Small packages weighing 60 pounds
or less are billed at flat rates; the shipping rates are as low as $35.00
for shipments weighing 10 lbs or less. This helps businesses get the best
bang for their buck, and it takes the guesswork out of shipping quotes.
Additionally, businesses are able to pass on the savings and convenience to
their customers, creating a better overall experience for everyone
involved."
A
USPS district manager wrote in today's
Zanesville TimesRecorder that "If the final study results support it,
consolidation of some mail-processing operations at the Zanesville
Processing Facility with those of the Columbus Processing and Distribution
Center makes sense. It's not a matter of potential job loss for our
employees. It's a matter of placing our employees in positions where we need
them, as any business would do."
Hellmail has reported that:
December 5, 2010
According to
Greenville Online, "Clemson University cost-cutters have targeted campus
mail and postal services, a $1.2 million operation partly subsidized by
student fees and state taxpayer dollars, and are looking for someone to take
over the operation."
Federal Times has reported that "As the U.S. Postal Service keeps
racking up massive losses, top executives regularly tout their success in
cutting employee work hours. But those cuts so far aren't paying off in cash
savings, according to figures from the agency's latest annual report. From
2008 through 2010, work hours fell 14 percent to about 1.2 billion. But pay
raises and other expenses cut into the savings, and total personnel costs
fell only 6 percent, to $49 billion. USPS spokesman Greg Frey noted
cost-of-living adjustments are required by union contracts. He also said
payments aimed at encouraging employees to resign or retire early reduced
savings. The imbalance in savings through cuts in work hours and cuts in
payroll underscores how the vast postal work force could face mounting
pressure for concessions on pay and benefits."
Here's an interesting piece from the
Wall Street Journal: "Okun's Law," as it came to be known, has been
tweaked over the years, and now states that for every two percentage points
the economy grows above its long-term trend annually, unemployment falls by
a percentage point. Most economists peg the economy's long-term trend rate
at about 2.5%, which is roughly where economists polled by The Wall Street
Journal estimate growth stands in the current quarter. That means, according
to Okun's Law, that the economy isn't growing fast enough to bring down
unemployment."
Now hear this: "This Week In Postal".........the latest podcast posted now!
As
WLWT has noted, "Talk
about a rough first day on the job. A U.S. post office worker in training
crashed a minivan into the garage of a Liberty Township home on Wednesday
afternoon. The owner of the home said the postal worker, Lori Newsom, 58, of
Cincinnati, was driving from the passenger seat of the vehicle while
delivering mail and lost control. Newsom hit the garage of the home on Snow
Valley Lane. The homeowner said Newsom's trainer was in the back seat when
the crash occurred."
From
24-7 Press Release: "United States District Judge Clay D. Land recently
ordered the United States of America to pay Mary Bilbrey and her profoundly
injured son, Anthony Bilbrey, more than $11.5 million after United States
Postal Service (USPS) employee Randy Malcom was found negligent in the
operation of his mail delivery truck."
The
New York Daily News has a piece on "Postmaster General John E. Potter, a
Bronx native, helped keep mail moving for 32 years."
According to MSNBC, "Over
time the telegraph replaced the pony express, the phone replaced the
telegraph, and the Internet replaced the phone. Now we can e-mail and text
for instant and relatively inexpensive gratification. We're left without
letters because, ostensibly, we have no reason for them. The post office is
collateral damage."
The
East African has asked: "Will postal firms weather mobile phone
onslaught?" "Price wars in the mobile telephony market have been a boon to
consumers, resulting in reduced calling rates. But for postal corporations
in East Africa, the wars have been costly to their core business. For many
years, government-owned mail companies in the region have kept the
population in touch through delivery of letters. They have also made huge
profits in the process. But all that has since changed. Instant messaging,
e-mail, coupled with the slashing of call rates and mobile phone prices,
have left letter-writing looking quaint and outdated."
According to
The Northwestern, "Congressman Tom Petri wasted little time in getting
to the heart of the matter and demanding answers in regard to the United
States Postal Service's recommendation to close Oshkosh's mail processing
center. A 15-day public comment period on the proposal ends Wednesday before
a final determination is made on 120 community jobs. There's no doubt that
the Postal Service, saddled with declining mail volume, underused facilities
and an $8.5 billion fiscal year loss, needs to make fundamental changes in
how it does business. Consolidation is an unfortunate but necessary part of
solving the agency's problems. Oshkosh's experience, though, is a textbook
example of how to botch the process."
Hellmail has reported that "The CEO of Italiane Poste, Massimo Sarmi,
and the Director General of Russian Post, Alexander Kiselev, yesterday
signed a trade agreement in the presence of Italian Prime Minister, Silvio
Berlusconi, and the President of the Russian Federation, Dmitri Medvedev,
under which Italy will provide Russian Post Offices Italian skills and
expertise for the modernization of 40,000 Russian post offices, the
logistics network, and the introduction of online financial services and
mobile telephony. The agreement was signed at the Italy-Russia bilateral
summit in the Russian city of Sochi on the shores of the Black Sea."
December 4, 2010
Summit Daily has reported that "Summit County residents looking to apply
for or renew a passport will now have to either wait or drive to put in
their applications since two local post offices stopped offering passport
services in the last two months. The two post offices in Summit County that
handled passports, the Dillon and Breckenridge offices, have both
discontinued the service due to staffing shortages."
WDIV
has reported that "A postal mail handlers union president is accused of
stealing from the union. Donald Kister was elected president of a mail
handlers union. However, he is now accused of stealing union assets while in
position."
From the Federal Register:
The Press Information Bureau of India has noted that there are unfilled jobs at India Post that are waiting to be filled. [Must be willing to relocate.]
The Mercury has reported that "Australia Post is set to cut 14 Tasmanian jobs under plans to restructure operations and staff fear further cuts."
DutchNews has reported that "Postal delivery firm TNT is prepared to reduce the number of compulsory redundancies it is planning still further if the unions agree to moderate their pay demands in 2012 and 2013, news agency ANP reported on Friday. Postal union BVPP says TNT has offered to create an extra 300 jobs in its parcels delivery arm and reduce the compulsory job losses by 250 by phasing in the reorganisation over a longer period. In return, the unions are being asked to agree to a pay freeze in 2012 and 1% increase in 2013. TNT Post wants to save 430m by reducing the delivery workforce by 11,000 jobs. Of that some 3,000 would be forced redundancies."
Post & Parcel has reported that "Canada Post has successfully completed one of the most sweeping retail technology rollouts in Canadian history. With its retail point-of-service (RPS) project, Canada Post addressed shortcomings in its retail network, by far the largest and most expansive in Canada, and created a platform that will allow the company to offer new products and services."
DMM Advisory: 2011 Priority Mail Cubic Tier Measurement Modification Available for Early Adoption No Exception Required. When we change our Shipping Services prices on Jan. 2, 2011, a change in the method for calculating Priority Mail commercial plus cubic pricing tiers also will be implemented. At that time, when customers are measuring pieces to calculate pricing tiers, any fraction of a measurement should be rounded down to the nearest 0.25 inch, as opposed to the current method of rounding off each measurement to the nearest whole inch. In anticipation of this change, and to help ease this transition, the Postal Service will immediately begin accepting Priority Mail commercial plus cubic mailings using the modified measurement approach without our customers having to request an exception for early adoption. The final rule "Domestic Shipping Services and Mailing Standards Changes" can be viewed on the Postal Explorer website at pe.usps.com by clicking on "Federal Register Notices" in the left frame.
At the Postal Regulatory Commission:
The European Regulators Group for Post (ERGP) held its first meeting on 1 December 2010 following its establishment on 10 August 2010 by the European Commission. Jolle Toledano, commissioner at ARCEP, the French postal and telecom regulator, was elected as the Chair of ERGP for 2011, while Tim Brown, Chief Executive at Postcomm, the UK postal regulator, and Gran Marby, Director General of the Swedish regulator PTS, were elected Vice-Chairs for 2011. Strengthened cooperation between independent national regulatory authorities is increasingly important with the liberalisation of postal markets across Europe. With the objective of developing best regulatory practice ERGP is becoming an integral part of an internal postal market and a driving force in ensuring that European citizens have real choice stemming from a competitive market, which will also have positive impact on innovation within the rapidly changing postal delivery sector.
CNBC has reported that "FedEx Corp. is raising rates for ground shipping and home delivery by an average of 4.9 percent next month. The world's second-largest package delivery company said Friday that the new rates will take effect Jan. 3. The full rate increase of about 5.9 percent is being partly offset by adjusting when the fuel surcharges kick in, which trims the surcharge by 1 percentage point. FedEx also said rates for its SmartPost service contracts with individual shippers will change, but it declined to give details." See also Barron's and Reuters.
The Memphis Commercial Appeal has reported that "FedEx wins labor battle with UPS as House delays FAA bill."
Advertising Age has reported that "TV viewers who aren't already skipping ads with DVRs may soon find they are no longer compelled to change the channel or hit mute every time a loud ad comes on the air. And that will make all commercials seem just a little less annoying. Congress on Thursday approved legislation that regulates the volume at which commercials can air. The Commercial Advertising Loudness Mitigation Act, which was introduced by California Rep. Anna G. Eshoo in June 2008, requires the Federal Communications Commission to "prescribe a standard to preclude commercials from being broadcast at louder volumes than the program they accompany." The bill will next go to President Obama."
December 3, 2010
The latest issue of the
PostCom Bulletin is available online. In this issue:
At the Postal Regulatory Commission: The Commission has begun work on Section 701 of the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act (PAEA) as required to issue its report to the President and Congress concerning the operation of amendments made by the PAEA and other recommendations for any legislation or other measures to improve the effectiveness or efficiency of the postal laws of the United States. Once the report is completed, the Commission will forward it to the Postal Service for comment. Both the report and the Postal Service's comments will then be submitted by the Commission to the President and to Congress. To better inform the Commission as it conducts its review, the Commission will hold a public forum at 2:00 p.m., on Tuesday, January 11, 2011, at the Commission offices. Members of the public will be invited to discuss informally their views with the Commission. All members of the postal community and interested persons are also invited to send their comments by e-mail to pagr-prc@prc.gov, or by mail to the following address: Postal Regulatory Commission Office of Public Affairs & Government Relations 901 New York Avenue NW, Suite 200 Washington, DC 20268-0001
DMM Advisory: 2011 Shipping Services Price Change Update. The Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) issued an order yesterday afternoon which found that the Shipping Services price change we announced last month complies with statutory requirements. We intend to implement these prices on January 2, 2011, as planned. Last month's filing at the PRC for two new incentive programs Reply Rides Free and the Saturation Mail/High Density Incentive Program and the Move Update threshold change is still pending.
Media Daily News has noted that "Congress Asks If Do-Not-Track Will Deflate Ad Economy." [EdNote: Duh!]
As the Washington Post has noted, "Patrick R. Donahoe began his first congressional hearing as postmaster general-designate on a sunny note.But moments after Donahoe's brief bit of optimism, he described an organization that is financially very weak. "Our total loss for [fiscal 2010] year was $8.5 billion," said Donahoe, who officially becomes postmaster general Saturday. "This is a stunning number in many aspects, and it is unsustainable." On that point, everyone agrees. There's less agreement on how to nurse the U.S. Postal Service back to health, particularly on what it says is a vital remedy: cutting one day of delivery. Whatever the fix, all agree the service needs help fast."
The Scotsman has reported that "Small businesses have warned that postal delays could hit them hard as invoice payments fail to get through in the snow. The Federation of Small Businesses in Scotland said delivery problems meant hundreds of small companies across Scotland had not received mail for some days - meaning many had missed out on crucial payments from customers."
At the Postal Regulatory Commission: Docket No. CP2011-26: "The Postal Service proposes changes in rates of general applicability for certain competitive products and related classification changes. The changes are scheduled to become effective January 2, 2011. The Commission approves the planned rate changes and will reflect the classification changes in the draft Mail Classification Schedule (MCS)."
December 2, 2010
Government Executive has reported that "U.S. Postal Service officials and employee groups said Thursday they support a Senate bill that would provide greater flexibility to set alternate delivery schedules and change pension funding requirements, both of which would help stabilize finances at the struggling agency."
From WebWire: "The incoming postmaster general told a U.S. Senate subcommittee Thursday that one of his highest priorities would be to improve the customer experience, making the Postal Service "leaner, faster and smarter" in the years ahead. Deputy Postmaster General Patrick R. Donahoe, who will become the nation's 73rd postmaster general on Monday, said he is looking at all the ways the Postal Service deals with its customers. "Every interaction with us," he said, "with a carrier, a clerk, at a kiosk, at a contracted desk or online must be a great one."
From PRNewswire: "Mark Strong, President of the National League of Postmasters submitted a Statement to a Senate Subcommittee concerning S.3831 that opposed provisions in the measure lowering Standards for Rural Postal Services and making it easier to close small rural post offices. "This bill lowers the standard for rural postal services. Anytime such a standard is lowered, and an institution is told that it no longer has to provide the maximum degree of service but only 'effective' service, the result is going to be reduced service," said Strong. The League also strongly supported a provision in the bill that would allow the Postal Service to use a surplus in its pension fund to prefund its retiree health obligations. This transfer measure has mistakenly been called a "bailout" by a number of commentators. "This is our money, not tax money," said Strong, "and if Microsoft or Apple found that it had overpaid into its pension account and wanted to use that surplus to prefund its retiree health benefit obligation, no one would think twice about it. Why is the Postal Service different?" said Strong."
The Washington Post has reported that "Patrick R. Donahoe began his first congressional hearing as postmaster master general-designate on a sunny note. "Despite recent headlines, the Postal Service remains a very strong and motivated organization," he told a Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs subcommittee on Thursday. Motivated for sure. But moments after Donahoe's brief bit of optimism, he described an organization that is financially very weak. "Our total loss for the [fiscal 2010] year was $8.5 billion," said Donahoe, who officially becomes postmaster general on Saturday. "This is a stunning number in many aspects, and it is unsustainable." On that point, everyone agrees. There's less agreement on how to nurse the U.S. Postal Service back to health, particularly on what it says is a vital remedy: cutting one day of delivery. Whatever the fix, all agree the service needs help fast." Sen. Susan M. Collins of Maine, the top Republican on the full committee, summed up the Postal Service's financial condition with one word: "abysmal." She and Carper each have introduced legislation designed to keep USPS from death's door."
The latest issue of the
PostCom Bulletin is available online. In this issue:
Senator Susan Collins, Ranking Member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, today introduced legislation to help the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) regain its financial footing as it adapts to the era of increasingly digital communications. The "U.S. Postal Service Improvements Act of 2010" would help the USPS achieve financial stability and future cost savings without undermining customer service. "The Postal Service is at a crossroads," said Senator Collins. "It must embrace changes to revitalize its business model, enabling it to attract and keep customers. This legislation would help spark new life into the Postal Service, helping it evolve and maintain its vital role in our nation's economy. I appreciate the support of a number of groups including the National Newspaper Association, Affordable Mail Alliance, PostCom, and the Alliance of Nonprofit Mailers in this reform effort. "
Today's Senate postal hearing: "Finding Solutions To The Challenges Facing The U.S. Postal Service" Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information, Federal Services, and International Security.
A running summary of comments offered has been posted on this site. For a more complete, immediate report on those proceedings, check that summary. You can also [view archive webcast]
The Independent has reported that "a union's claim that An Post's entire 10,000-strong workforce may lose their jobs when the market is thrown open to competition next year was dismissed as an "exaggeration" yesterday. Members of the Communications Workers Union (CWU) braved the icy conditions yesterday to stage a protest at the Dail over the forthcoming liberalisation of the postal market."
Hellmail has reported that "Snow and extreme temperatures continue to make driving conditions in many areas of the UK difficult and in soime areas, even deliveries on foot impossible. Some areas of Europe have seen extraordinarily low temperatures with many areas completely cut off. In the UK, the RAC has reported that it is taking 2,000 calls an hour."
The Associated Press has reported that "TNT NV, the Dutch postal company, has detailed its plans to legally separate its express and mail arms in January, and says CEO Peter Bakker will quit after the division is complete sometime next year. The company's express operations are growing, while the former Dutch mail business monopoly faces declining volumes and disputes over layoffs. In November, each reported a euro78 million ($102 million) third quarter operating profit. The two arms will receive separate stock market listings if shareholders approve the idea at an annual meeting in May." See also the Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg.
The Wall Street Journal has reported that:
From the Federal Register: Postal Service RULES International Service Changes: Israel , 7515175153 [201030186] [TEXT] [PDF]
The Wall Street Journal has reported that "Seven members of the White House's deficit commission, including the chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, endorsed its final plan Tuesday, setting up the prospect of action to address the nation's fiscal woes next year. The full 18-member panel will vote on the proposals to cut the deficit on Friday and is expected to come up short of the 14 votes needed to issue a formal recommendation to Congress and the White House. But the show of bipartisan support, including the votes of five of the six members appointed by President Barack Obama, gives the plan momentum many thought impossible just weeks ago."
The Irish Times has reported that "up to 10,000 jobs at An Post are under threat as a result of new legislation allowing for liberalisation of the postal market, the union representing staff at the company has claimed. The Communications Workers Union (CWU) said the Government's Postal Services Bill, published this week in the Seanad, would also undermine daily deliveries throughout the State, particularly in rural areas."
The National Commission On Fiscal Responsibility And Reform has reported that "the Postal Service has run multi-billion dollar losses since 2007, and in 2010 maintained an operating deficit of $8.5 billion, even after receiving a $4 billion bailout from Congress the previous year. With the dramatic expansion of electronic mail, the volume of traditional air-mailed items will continue to fall, only worsening these enormous budget shortfalls and requiring even more federal funding in the future. To put the Postal Service on a path toward long-term solvency, the Commission recommends reversing restrictions that prevent the Postal Service from taking steps to survive such as shifting to five-day delivery and gradually closing down post offices no longer able to sustain a positive cash-flow."
According to the Mail Handlers Union, "The last general wage increase under the 2006 National Agreement, set at 1.2%, will be implemented effective November 20, 2010, and will be reflected in paychecks issued on December 10, 2010."
The American Postal Workers Union has told its members that "The USPS Office of Inspector General (OIG) concluded in a recent report that the Postal Service prefunds its pension and retiree healthcare benefits at levels that are substantially higher than other government agencies, the military, and private-sector businesses. Reducing the required funding levels would result in projected USPS savings of more than $60 billion, the OIG found, and would allow the USPS to meet its obligation while conserving cash and improving its financial position."
According to the Daily Yomiuri, "With the current extraordinary session of the Diet set to end Friday, it has become extremely unlikely that a set of government-sponsored postal reform bills will pass the legislature. As things stand, Japan Post Group--an entity with a holding company and four corporations under its umbrella--will find it impossible to transform itself into a three-entity structure and thereby improve the convenience of its services for the public. It also will be unable to embark on new business ventures to improve the quality of its services and shore up its business footing. We believe the Diet should try to fulfill the wishes of ordinary people to see progress in reform efforts to make post offices even more convenient to use." See also Nikkei.
Hellmail has reported that:
The CEO of Norway Post, Dag Mejdell, today took over as president of the International Post Corporation.
Federal Times has reported that "Ten days after their old contract officially ended, the U.S. Postal Service and its largest union will keep talking a while longer in hopes of agreeing to a new one. "We will be working late tonight and early tomorrow," American Postal Workers Union President Cliff Guffey said in a web release this afternoon. The two sides will continue negotiations until they either reach an agreement or decide that a deal is not possible, the release adds. In an e-mail, USPS spokesman Mark Saunders said only that "both parties have agreed to negotiate beyond today." See also the Washington Post.
The Postal Service has posted its FY2010 Qtr. 4 service performance report on its web site.
The Associated Press has reported that "Senate Republicans intend to block action on virtually all Democratic-backed legislation unrelated to tax cuts and government spending in the current postelection session of Congress, officials said Tuesday, adding that the leadership has quietly collected signatures on a letter pledging to carry out the strategy."
DMM Advisory: Published Federal Register Notices. The following three Federal Register notices have been posted on the Postal Explorer website at pe.usps.com.
At the Postal Regulatory Commission:
According to Media Daily News, "Ad revenues on mobile devices are set to soar over the next five years as smartphones spread and consumer attachment only grows. BIA/Kelsey projects that revenues came in at $491 million last year, and are headed toward $2.9 billion in 2014."
The New York Times has reported that "The Federal Trade Commission advocated a plan on Wednesday that lets consumers on the Internet choose whether they want information about their browsing habits to be collected, an option known as "do not track."
ABC News has reported that "FedEx Corp. has said more than 200 jobs will be cut when it closes a shipping terminal in southwest Ohio in January."
December 1, 2010
The Azerbaijan Business Center has reported that:
MAILCOM 2011 Washington, DC UPDATE The 31st Annual Conference & Exhibition February 28-March 3, 2011 Washington Hilton / Washington, DC www.mailcom.org Early-Bird Registration Deadline December 15, 2010
The Wall Street Journal has reported that "Couch potatoes of America, listen up. Congress may be just days away from turning down the volume on ear-splitting TV. The Commercial Advertising Loudness Mitigation, or CALM, Act follows rules set last year by a United Nations body in Switzerland on how to measure and clip broadcast volumes. The U.S. bill, inspired by decades of consumer complaints, should finally ban TV ads that blare louder than the programs they interrupt."
West Virginia Metro News has reported that "A U.S. Postal Service spokeswoman says operations at the Beckley and Huntington mail processing centers will be consolidated into the Charleston processing and distributions center."
WJRT has reported that "To cut costs the United States Postal Service is looking to consolidate its Saginaw processing operations and move it to a plant in Pontiac."
According to Direct Marketing News, "American voters sent a clear message about government spending last month when they voted in a new House of Representatives class dominated by Republicans. Direct marketing industry experts are hoping this new Congress will take measures to help the US Postal Service get its financial house in order as well."
The Comet has reported that "Despite opposition by union members, the delivery office in Hitchin will close and move to Stevenage, while the New Town's sorting office will go to a major new centre in Hemel Hempstead, after Royal Mail bosses gave the money-saving project the green light. The company estimates the reshuffle will mean 300 jobs will be lost out of the 4,500 in the wider Hertfordshire area, while travel to sites further afield may mean workers have to give up their jobs."
Trend has reported that "The post operators are allowed in Azerbaijan to render all banking operations (excluding issuing credit), on the basis of a license issues by the Central Bank of Azerbaijan." See also News.az and the Azerbaijan Business Center.
Helsinki Times has reported that "Flight cancellations caused by the cabin crew walkouts are to somewhat delay postal deliveries, according to a statement on Wednesday by Itella, formerly known as Finland Post. Particularly post from southern Finland to northern Finland is expected to be delayed. Itella is arranging road transportation for airmail in order to keep disruptions at a minimum. Read more: Cancelled flights disrupt postal deliveries."
The Zanesville Times Recorder has reported that "The U.S. Postal Service could save about $478,000 if it consolidates its Zanesville mail processing and distribution operations into the Columbus distribution center. Two previous studies indicating cost savings of between $700,000 and $800,000 if work was consolidated."
Press Release: "NetDespatch has made its web shipping, tracking and advanced systems integration tools available for Royal Mail Tracked and Royal Mail Tracked Next Day services. The NetDespatch Velocity system provides a new and convenient online method for Royal Mail customers to produce Royal Mail barcoded shipping labels, electronic pre-advice files and paper collection manifests. Royal Mail will offer the NetDespatch service as a free Royal Mail Tracked on-line despatch management service. This will provide multiple methods of systems integration, including web services, FTP and the unique Velocity Connector application for secure automated file transfer, which will streamline despatch operations for major home shopping companies, manufacturers and on-line retailers as well as thousands of smaller organisations using Royal Mail Tracked services."
CEP News (Courier-Express-Postal), published by the MRU Consultancy, has reported that:
The Dutch government instructed the competition watchdog authority NMa to investigate in price dumping in the postal market. If it is proved that Sandd, Selektmail and TNT's subsidiary Netwerk VSP sell their products below costs, the government would take action against this.
'It is too early to determine the form, a timeframe or the terms of the post's privatisation'. Portuguese minister of finance, Teixeira dos Santos, officially spoke out against any speculations about CTT Correios's privatisation planned for 2013.
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.)
UNI Post & Logistics Global Union welcomed the announcement that the Netherlands Government is going to investigate whether the mail companies Selekt Mail and Sandd have been dumping on prices to try and drive out TNT. But they say the Government should also be investigating their social dumping activities. UNI has been for some time demanding that the European Commission look into the social dumping by the mail companies in the Netherlands and has said liberalisation of the mail market is costing workers jobs, has been putting their income below social minimums and means that for the customers a quality postal service has been plummeting.
From the Federal Register: Postal Service NOTICES Product Changes: Parcel Return Service Negotiated Service Agreement , 74755 [201030185] [TEXT] [PDF]
Hellmail has reported that "Czech Post and the Czech Interior Ministry have announced new features for the Data Box - Czechoslovakia's digital mail service, which was launched in November 2009. The Czech government backed the introduction of Data Boxes, a national electronic documents delivery system as a cheaper and faster way for authorities and business to communicate with Czech citizens. The service uses a secure infrastructure, setting it apart from conventional email."
According to the Herald-Dispatch, "In the decades gone by, mail -- never referred to as snail-mail, it was simply mail -- was the main way folks communicated with each other when they were out of the local calling area. Stamps were cheap, penmanship was stressed and long-distance phone calls were expensive. The result was that people consistently used the postal service for everything from love letters to job applications, and of course, bills. Mail was meaningful. While those days may not be forgotten by many; they are gone. The U.S. Postal Service may be going the way of the rotary phone."
The Daily Caller has reported that "Rep. Jason Chaffetz called the $5.5 million retirement package for outgoing Postmaster General John Potter absurd and unfair in the wake of the United States Postal Service's announcement that it had lost $8.5 billion this year. "That was ridiculous," Chaffetz said in a phone interview with The Daily Caller. "It doesn't seem fair to anybody." The congressman from Utah is the ranking Republican member on the Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, Postal Service, and District of Columbia. He has been working with California Rep. Darrell Issa, the ranking Republican member of the Oversight Committee, on "introducing a comprehensive postal reform bill," he said."
The Tribune has reported that "the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST) has received emergency notifications from the International Bureau of the Universal Postal Union regarding mail despatches into Canada and the United States of America. The notifications, signed by the UPU Director of Operations and Technology, Akio Miyaji, gave details of the United States Transport Security Administration (TSA) heightened security measures for international mails destined for the United States of America from member countries of the UPU."
WVNS has reported that "The United States Postal Service announced on Tuesday, Nov. 30 that it will be consolidating mail processing operations in Beckley and Huntington with those in Charleston. Rep. Nick Rahall, D-W.Va., released a statement upon being notified of the change." See also WSAZ.
At the Postal Regulatory Commission: