![[PostCom logo]](../../postcom3.gif)
Postal News from February 2011:
The U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General invites you to comment
on the this week’s “Pushing the Envelope” blog topic:
New Audit Projects:
LINK here to
visit our audit project pages. This week we opened the following new
project(s): (Please share any information you may have that would help with
this audit currently in progress by clicking on the link below):
A new audit project has been started on the external website.
Courier, Express, and Postal Observer: The Office of Management and Budget
media office has provided the following response to my question regarding why
OMB Director Jacob Lew is not testifying at the Postal Hearing this Wednesday.
"As a matter of policy, the OMB Director doesn't testify before subcommittees on
issues not directly related to OMB’s appropriations." If this is standard policy
for OMB then the Subcommittee may have posted the hearing schedule prior to
knowing the protocol. Let's hope that the Committee can quickly find out who
will represent the Obama administration on postal policy. Until that happens,
the 2012 budget proposal for the Postal Service risks becoming little more than
a policy orphan.
At the
Postal Regulatory
Commission:
Courier,
Express, and Postal Observer: Congressman Dennis Ross has just
tweeted that OMB is not testifying at the Postal Service hearing
this Wednesday. The loss of OMB as a witness as it eliminates the
possibility of putting the Obama administration on the record on
postal policy. 
American Postal Workers Union:
A protest on March 7th 2011 at the White
House 'Regarding the Protection of the United States Postal Service'
organized by active and retired APWU rank and file membership. The
demonstration primarily focuses on a permanent solution and payback
to/of the CSRS and FERS pension over-funding to save postal worker
jobs rather than the temporary 'relief' measures proposed by the
Obama administration's budget plans allowing further dismantling of
the postal service.
The
Postalnews Blog has reported that "APWU President Cliff Guffey
has declined an invitation to take part in a “march and rally” in
Washington DC during the APWU’s National Presidents Conference next
week. The invitation was extended by St Cloud MN Area Local
President Michael P. Kaehler, who told Guffey he was writing to him
as a rank and file member. Guffey declined the invitation, saying
that while “a march and rally in the nation’s capital may be
appropriate at some point in the future, at the present time,
however I do not believe it would be the most effective use of our
resources.”
Microscope: Death and taxes. The two certainties in life
according to US founding father Benjamin Franklin. Well not to
disappoint, the Government has now added VAT to certain postal
services as of 31 January. So whilst standard UK services are still
VAT exempt, express, tracked and international services now attract
VAT. It might seem obvious, but ensure that you reclaim any VAT you
pay when using a VATable postal service.
Wall Street Journal: As the surreptitious tracking of Internet
users becomes more aggressive and widespread, tiny start-ups and
technology giants alike are pushing a new product: privacy.
TVNZ: New Zealand Post
Group, the state-owned postal service, slashed its first-half
dividend to the government by two-thirds as its reported
profit more than halved. NZ Post will pay just $1.8 million to the
government for the six months ended December 31, down from $5.7
million a year earlier, as net profit tumbled 63% to $15.8 million
in the period. [EdNote: Wonder what will happen when the USPS
fails to pay its pre-funding obligation at the end of this fiscal
year.]
Bernama: Postal service provider POS Malaysia Bhd recorded a
decrease in pre-tax profit for the year ended Dec 31, 2010, taking
into account two major impairment provisions. The total impairment
provision made was RM47.4 million, of which RM25.1 million was for
investment in Transmile Group Bhd while the remaining RM22.3 million
related to capital expenditure incurred for the postal counter
system. "As a result of this impairment provisions, the pre-tax
profit for the financial year ended Dec 31, 2010, slipped to RM99.1
million as compared with RM109.3 million in 2009," said POS Malaysia
in a filing to Bursa Malaysia.
Revenue was, however, at a record level of RM1.014 billion from
RM902.56 million previously.
Postalnews Blog: Rep Dennis Ross, the new chair of the House
subcommittee that oversees the US Postal Service has made no secret
of his contempt for public sector workers and their unions.
Concord Monitor: New Hampshire has 222 post offices, about one
for every 6,000 residents. That's going to change. In fact, the
change has already begun. In 2009, the cash-strapped U.S. Postal
Service closed the office that oversaw New Hampshire's post offices
and consolidated with its counterpart in Portland, Maine. Some New
Hampshire post offices should close, but some money-losing offices,
especially those in rural areas, should be maintained, even if doing
so requires a federal subsidy.
February 27, 2011
Voxy: New Zealand Post will be back in action in Christchurch on
Tuesday, a week after the big quake. Spokesman John Tulloch today
said limited postal services would start again that day. See also
Scoop.
Several European operators have reported that postal services in and out of Egypt are gradually returning to normal and backlogged mail now starting to clear.
February 26, 2011
Dead Tree Edition: "February A Record Month For USPS
Consolidations"
Ghana
Broadcasting Corporation: A delegation of senior executives of
Federal Express, FEDEX, is in Ghana to explore investments
opportunities in the courier and postal services sector.
Columbus Local News: The relocation of the Upper Arlington Post
Office has been cancelled. The branch will remain at its current
location, 3700 Riverside Drive. "A lot of factors came into," the
decision, said Victor Dubina, a spokesman for the postal system. "It
made more economic sense to stay at the current location."
WSBT: Continually plummeting mail volumes are forcing the U. S.
Postal Service to examine whether some Gary postal operations should
be consolidated with South Bend. A Postal Service news release
issued Friday indicates a feasibility study will review mail
processing and transportation operations at both sites in order to
increase efficiency and productivity.
Live-PR: Pitney Bowes Management Services, Inc. (PBMS), a wholly
owned subsidiary of Pitney Bowes Inc. has announced an integrated
return mail management service offering that can update up to 60 to
80 percent of incorrect addresses (as compared to only 10 to 30
percent by competitive single source data providers), which can help
companies significantly reduce the costs associated with return mail
and reconnect with customers.
U.S. News: A 2005 voluntary federal ban on the use of credit
cards to buy cigarettes online, coupled with a ban on all commercial
shipping of such purchases within the United States, has effectively
curtailed the popularity of Web sites that sell cigarettes, new
research reveals. The ban was the result of an agreement involving
major credit card companies and private shippers, such as UPS and
FedEx, made primarily to address the widespread flouting of
cigarette taxation online.
Supply Chain Digital: If there’s anyone that knows a thing or
two about sustainability it has to be FedEx CEO Frederick W. Smith.
Smith is the chairman, president and CEO of Memphis-based FedEx
Corp., and also recently co-chairs the Energy Security Leadership
Council. So yeah, the guy knows what he's talking about when it
comes to the cost of energy. Smith joined political and military
leaders in the council to discuss the dangers of being
overly-dependent of Middle East oil. Joining him on a media
conference call were Gen. Charles F. Wald, USAF (retired), former
deputy commander of U.S. European Command, and former Democratic
senator from North Dakota Byron Dorgan. Together, the council made
an urgent call for action on solutions ranging from electric
vehicles to investment in domestic oil production and renewable
energy.
Financial Times: The Post Office has launched a five-year
savings bond which will add interest at a rate of 1.5 percentage
points above the retail price index (RPI) at the end of each year.
The Inflation Linked Bond guarantees a minimum overall return of 7.5
per cent gross – 1.5 per cent a year – even if the RPI were to fall
below 0 per cent in the five-year term. The April 2011 RPI figure
will be the starting level for calculating the bond’s return. Prior
to this, savers will earn an interest rate of 2.5 per cent.
Bondholders cannot withdraw funds until the end of the five years.
The minimum investment is £500 and the maximum is £1m.
Baxter Bulletin: Cited by critics and budget-cutters, is that
the government provides levels of mail service that may be too
expensive in today's deficit-plagued environment. The nation's mail
system works remarkably well and is something worth preserving — at
least for now.
Hartford Courant: Try though many people did to delay the
inevitable, the U.S. Postal Service is going to downsize in
Connecticut. At least three post offices in the state — in West
Hartford, Greenwich and Norwich — are, or will soon be, for sale.
Any number of neighborhood mailboxes have been removed. It's
important that the postal service keep a small retail presence in
each downtown — and any other downtowns where post offices are
closed — so that residents and customers can buy stamps or mail
packages on foot or in combination with other errands.
Tri-City Herald: Did it seem like something was missing when you
made your latest trip to the post office? It may have been those
newspaper vending racks. Scores of Mid-Columbia postal patrons have
used those racks every day to pick up a newspaper to read with their
morning coffee, or perhaps to fill out the crossword during an idle
moment or to scan the “Help Wanted” listings for a job. Well, turns
out the U.S. Postal Service has gone postal on newspapers across the
nation, and finally put its boots to the Tri-City Herald in our
remote corner of the Northwest as well. The avowed reasons that
newspapers can no longer invade even a small corner of the federal
corporation’s realm, however, are less than clear.
From the Federal Register:
Postal Service RULES Combined Mailings of Standard Mail and
Periodicals Flats, 10757–10761 [2011–4074] [TEXT]
[PDF]
Grand Rapids Press: Local towns wonder if they're on the list as
U.S. Postal Service looks to close 2,000 post offices
New Zealand Herald: New Zealand Post Group's half-year net
profit fell to $15.8 million from $42.5 million a year earlier, with
the state-owned organisation saying its result was affected by
continuing effects from the economic downturn
IT Business Edge: If the folks at Zumbox have their way, the
postal service as we know it will soon be obsolete. Zumbox has
created the digital equivalent of a postal service that is mapped to
every street address in the country. When a household signs up for
the Zumbox service, all the monthly billing statements that the
address receives are converted into a digital format. The customer
then receives an e-mail notification each time there is a new bill
and all the monthly bills are archived in a searchable repository
that customers can examine and print out in case of a billing
dispute or they need a paper receipt for tax purposes. Zumbox CEO
John Payne says the service works in partnership with all the
clearinghouses that send bills each month to millions of households.
When one of those services detects that a bill is going to be sent
to an address in the Zumbox service, Zumbox software routes that
bill over to Zumbox rather than create a paper copy that needs to be
physically mailed.
United States Court of Appeals For The District Of Columbia Circuit
has ordered that the oral argument on the postal rate exigency case
is scheduled for March 15, 2011, at 9:30 A.M. Petitioners and
respondents will be given 15 minutes.
February 25, 2011
DMM Advisory: IMb™ Services Update. Business Customer Gateway update — The Business Customer Gateway (BCG) external application Release 1.8 will deploy on March 6, 2011. Shipping Services and Incentive Programs will be added to the BCG with the launch of the new Program Registration application. Customers can enroll in programs that require access to one or more business applications or services available through the BCG, including the Electronic Verification System (eVS®), Express Mail® Manifesting system (EMM), Parcel Return Service (PRS), and the Tracking Only Service. Additionally, new Business Service Administrator (BSA) roles and service types within the BCG sub-systems will be enabled to increase security access. The Manage Mailing Activity (PostalOne!®) and the Audit Mailing Activity services will now be managed by the Manage Mailing Activity BSA. For detailed information download the Business Customer Gateway External Users Release 1.8 Notes from RIBBS®.
Full Service applications unavailable during March 6 UNIX maintenance — On March 6, 2011, the Postal Service will be applying the quarterly UNIX operating system patches between 4 a.m. CT and 2 p.m. CT. The Full Service applications, including Business Customer Gateway, Mailer ID, FAST® and PostalOne!/MDR, will be unavailable during this time.
The latest issue of
the PostCom Bulletin is available online. In this issue:
Postal Bulletin: Effective June 6, 2011, the Postal
Service™ will revise Mailing Standards of the United States Postal
Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM®) 602.3.2.1 to extend the
option to use a simplified address format to Periodicals flats and
irregular parcels and Bound Printed Matter flats, intended for
distribution to city delivery routes and to Post Office™ (PO) box
sections in Post Office locations with city delivery service. In
the article “DMM Revision: Extension of the Simplified Address
Format” in Postal Bulletin 22300 (12-16-10, pages 46, 71–73), the
Postal Service revised DMM 345.6.9.4, 445.7.6.4, 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 Postal Service city carriers or to PO boxholders at
Post Office locations with city delivery service. These revisions
were effective on January 2, 2011, but were limited only to mailers
of Standard Mail® saturation (carrier route) flats and irregular
parcels. In response to inquiries from the mailing community, the
Postal Service will now extend the simplified addressing option to
mailers of Periodicals flats, irregular parcels, and Bound Printed
Matter flats meeting saturation carrier route standards. Mailers are
reminded that pieces bearing a simplified address for distribution
to city delivery routes, or to PO boxholders at Post Office
locations with city delivery service, must meet the applicable
physical standards for flat-size pieces under DMM 301, or irregular
parcels under DMM 401, in addition to all other eligibility
criteria. These new changes will be reflected in the June 2011 DMM,
but mailers may begin preparing their mailings in accordance with
these new standards immediately.
DMM Advisory: Enhancing Parcel Competitiveness with Product Reclassification and New Extra Service. Two filings yesterday at the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) are a part of continuing efforts to enhance our parcel offerings in the highly competitive shipping marketplace. One filing moves Commercial First-Class Mail® Parcels — which are largely used for lightweight merchandise fulfillment — from the market-dominant product list, and adds “Lightweight Commercial Parcels” to the competitive product list. This move does not affect retail single-piece First-Class Mail Parcels. We also filed to introduce Adult Signature service, allowing Express Mail®, Priority Mail®, and Parcel Select® commercial and online shippers to request the verified signature of an adult upon delivery.
Courier, Express, and Postal Observer: The U.S. Postal Service
Officer of Inspector has posted an important white paper entitled,
Postal Service Role in the Digital Age, Part I: Facts and Trends.
The paper lays out the full range of new mobile and web-based
hardware, software, and cloud based technologies that have changed
how individuals, businesses and governments communicate. All of
these technologies pose threats to traditional uses off mail and
other older means of communications. They also pose threats to older
versions of digital and web based technologies. The paper also
illustrates the holes that exist that prevent the full use of
web-based and mobile technologies from being more widely used The
problem that the Postal Service, every firm that faces challenges in
their traditional markets from new digital and mobile communications
methods reminds me of the last stanza of Robert Frost's Poem, The
Road Not Taken.
Wall Street Journal: Agencies throughout the government are
scrambling to figure out how to handle a government shutdown, with a
potential closure as soon as March 5 prompting a review of which
activities are essential and which aren't. The Postal Service
wouldn't interrupt service. "We're self-funded," said spokesman
Gerald McKiernan. "Keep those cards and letters coming."
Post & Parcel: The US Postal Service should invest to position
itself as a “de facto national service provider” at the heart of
digital communications in the United States, according to a new
report from the Office of the Inspector General (OIG).
AdNews: Australia Post is to appoint its first digital agency as
it embarks on a review of its creative and direct marketing
accounts. The Australian Government-owned postal service is
conducting the nationalreview due to the expiry of its two-year
contract with rostered agencies on 30 March.
Daily Times: The emotionally stirred employees of Pakistan Post
blocked the main thoroughfare of the metropolis - II Chundrigar road
- to protest against the proposed privatisation of Pakistan Post,
causing a crippling traffic jam, here on Thursday. The demonstration
started outside the GPO at II Chundrigar Road. Later, the protestors
marched towards the Sindh Assembly building. Workers held placards
inscribed with slogans against the Privatisation Commission.
Scoop: New Zealand Post will resume partial mail services to
earthquake-affected areas in Christchurch from Tuesday 1 March while
some PostShop/Kiwibank stores are already open. Mail processing is
about to resume, while posties will be helping with reconnaissance
in accessible areas to help establish where mail can be picked up
from and delivered to from next Tuesday.
The National Business Review: New Zealand Post Group has
recorded a net profit after tax of $15.8 million for the half year
ended December 31, 62.8% down from its $42.5 million result in the
same period last year. Operating revenue increased by $30.5 million
to $652 million compared with the same period last year, with
Kiwibank and Datam being the main contributors to the improvement.
The postal business and store network produced lower revenues due to
the continuing customer trend towards electronic mail and online
transaction use. However, overall the postal business has performed
above expectations in the first half of the year. See also
Scoop.
Washington Post: From innovation to Monty Python: An interview
with the U.S. Postal Service's inspector general.
Post & Parcel: Only days remain before applications close for
World Mail Awards 2011 – the post and parcel industry’s most
distinguished event. The application process will close on Monday at
11pm (28 February), so don’t miss the chance to decorate your
company in glory. The award winners are selected by an independent
panel of industry experts and announced during the elegant
Award Gala Dinner on 17 May at the Conrad Hotel, Brussels, Belgium
on the eve of the World Mail & Express Europe Conference and
Exhibition. Remember, companies of any size can apply, and the
wide variety of award categories means that you can select the
category that best reflects your company’s achievements.
From the Federal Register:
Postal Service
NOTICES
International Product Change – International Business Reply
Service Contract , 10628 [2011–4209]
[TEXT] [PDF]
Rockford Register Star: When the U.S. Postal Service last looked
at moving some distribution services out of Rockford in 2006, it had
a 20 percent higher mail volume. But with less mail to distribute
and the agency reporting a loss of $8.5 billion in 2010,
consolidation talks are back on the table.
4029TV:
A meeting was held at the Holiday Inn City Center in Fort Smith to
discuss the Area Mail Processing study, which could mean the Fort
Smith Mail Processing Center would consolidate into the Fayetteville
one. The meeting opened with a presentation by the U.S. Postal
Service which included a video describing what mail processing is.
Then a PowerPoint slideshow detailed the financial situation of the
U.S. Postal Service and why consolidation is necessary all over the
country. The floor was then opened up for the audience to ask
questions and share their opinions. "Any decrease to the mail
service in Fort Smith is completely unacceptable," said Fort Smith
Mayor Sandy Sanders.
Hellmail: Polish postal workers are to protest over
restructuring plans by the Polish postal service. Unions say the
changes, which include post office closures, will lead to
redundancies as well as reduced services. The plans are thought to
be part of a range of measures being introduced to reduce financial
losses and prepare Poczta Polska for competition from other European
operators but the Polish Post branch of the Solidarity trade union
condemned the move, saying it would leave the company unable to
compete.
At the
Postal Regulatory
Commission:
February 24, 2011
Investments & Pensions: Post Danmark is tendering for a
Danish-speaking manager to administer the pensions of 440 employees
– part of a three-year review of existing provision.
Post & Parcel: Posten Norden has improved operating profit by
28% in 2010 despite declining mail volumes.
Bernews: The Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Kim Wilson
would like to advise the public that The Bermuda Post Office is
currently conducting a survey which will help to assess customer
awareness of the Post Office postal products and services.
Press Release: Recognizing that all parcel delivery services
operate in a competitive environment, the U.S. Postal Service today
asked the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) to
reclassify Commercial First-Class Mail Parcels as a competitive
product. Today’s filing is a formal request to move Commercial
First-Class Mail Parcels from the market-dominant product list, and
add “Lightweight Commercial Parcels” to the competitive product
list. The filing proposal does not affect retail single-piece
First-Class Mail Parcels.
DMM
Advisory:
Resumption of Mail Service to
BusinessWire: Pitney Bowes Management Services, Inc. (PBMS), a
wholly owned subsidiary of Pitney Bowes Inc. today announced an
integrated return mail management service offering that can update
up to 60 to 80 percent of incorrect addresses (as compared to only
10 to 30 percent by competitive single source data providers), which
can help companies significantly reduce the costs associated with
return mail and reconnect with customers.
The Economic Times: The postal department has launched a scheme
in which employees of companies can get postal identity cards at
their offices. Read more: Postal ID cards for corporates.
USPS
News Link: The Postal Service now has 50 flats sequencing system
(FSS) machines in operation — half of the 100 machines scheduled to
become operational during phase 1 of FSS implementation. According
to FSS Executive Director Rosa Fulton, the 50th machine, located in
San Jose, CA, became fully operational this week. An additional 40
machines are installed and ready for testing. “The schedule for
system burn-ins and activations is aggressive, with 10 machines
starting up every 3 weeks,” said Fulton. All 100 machines are
scheduled to be sorting flats by July. More than 14,000 letter
carriers now are receiving sequenced flat mail each day. Route
adjustments — made possible with FSS — are ongoing, with more than
500 city routes eliminated since the first FSS machine went online.
Senator Jay Rockefeller met with Postmaster General and Chief
Executive Officer of the United States Postal Service, Patrick R.
Donahoe, to discuss a substantial number of consolidations and post
office closings that have occurred in West Virginia.
“I had a productive meeting with the Postmaster General today and told him that the state of West Virginia can’t afford any more cuts to services. I told him that if consolidations are proposed, employees must be treated fairly and that communities must continue to have access to postal services, which in many small towns are a lifeline. Postal Service employees in West Virginia have shown themselves to be highly efficient, and should be considered a valuable resource to help the Postal Service through its financial difficulties. There is no question that we need to take a deeply thorough look at our current budget and focus on reducing costs and decreasing the deficit, but we must do everything possible to make sure that the people of West Virginia continue to have access to this vital service.”
ePolitix: The Postal Services Bill will disproportionately
affect the most vulnerable in society, says Billy Hayes of the
Communication Workers Union. Our postal service is under threat and
the vulnerable stand to lose the most again. Last week in the House
of Lords, Lord Low of Dalston, who is chair of the Royal National
Institute for the Blind (RNIB), delivered a warning to the
government that its proposals for the postal service have negative
consequences for people with disability. As Lord Low pointed out,
the Postal Services Bill puts the universal service – delivery and
collection services for six days a week at a uniform affordable
price – at risk. This is a particular issue for those with
disabilities given their greater reliance upon, and use of, mail
services.
Charleston Daily Mail: TNT NV, the Dutch mail company that plans
to spin off its express delivery business and keep its post arm
after an annual meeting of shareholders, says profits rose fivefold
in the fourth quarter.
Saigon Giai Phong: Vietnam Post Corporation or VNPost has
received the Prime minister’s approval to contribute capital to the
Lien Viet Joint Stock Commercial Bank (Lien Viet Bank) by the value
of its subsidiary Vietnam Postal Saving Service Company (VPSC) as
capital contribution and giving cash.
From the Federal Register:
Postal Regulatory Commission
NOTICES
New Postal Products , 10410–10411 [2011–4055]
[TEXT] [PDF]
American Postal Workers Union: Union activists cannot conduct
“business as usual,” APWU President Cliff Guffey told national
officers at a meeting in Washington this week. With the Postal
Service facing a financial crisis and union membership declining,
APWU leaders must take the skills they have honed in the grievance
procedure and apply them in the legislative arena and other areas of
union activity, he said.
RFIDNews: In the new report “RFID for the Postal and Courier
Service”, IDTechEx estimates that the global market for RFID
systems, including tags, will reach $2.5 billion in 2018. The report
goes in-depth, covering more than 40 cases studies of RFID in action
at postal and courier services in North America, Europe, the Middle
East and East Asia. The report mentions a postal RFID system,
successfully tested in Korea this year, which completely automates
the whole process of mail delivery from accepting the package to
classification and dispatching. Also noted is the Swedish Post and
their system that detects and records tampering using RFID and other
innovations abound, including RFID cards controlling driver access
to postal vehicles and RFID enabled postal sorting equipment. More
than one trillion postal items will be tagged yearly, making this
the second largest application of RFID in the world after the retail
supply chain. “Postal services ignoring this accelerating change”,
said IDTechEx, “will become uncompetitive and suppliers missing out
will regret it.”
GenevaLunch: PostFinance, the banking arm of the La Poste, the
Swiss postal system, is giving deposit account holders 2010
centimes, a little over CHF20, to say thanks for making 2010 a good
year.
AFP: US startup RPost on Wednesday accused Switzerland's postal
service of intentionally violating patented technology for proving
email messages have been delivered. The California-based firm is
asking courts in the US and Zurich to put the brakes on Swiss Post's
IncaMail, which it claims "mimics" a Registered Email service it
sells in those and other countries
At the
Postal Regulatory
Commission:
February 23, 2011
Federal
News Radio: Each year seems to bring more dire financial
circumstances to the Postal Service. One ongoing burden is payments
USPS is required to make to retiree health care and retirement
funds. Postal officials believe they're paying in more than they
need to, and that's contributing to current losses. But the
President's 2012 budget proposal would correct some of these payment
imbalances. Joining us with details is the Postal Service's Chief
Financial Officer, chief financial officer, Joseph Corbett. [.mp3]
Austrian Independent: Österreichische Post AG (Post AG) chief
Georg Pölzl has defended the firm’s decision to charge more for
sending letters. The state-owned postal services provider announced
yesterday (Tues) that the fee for posting a letter weighing 20 grams
or less will increase from 55 to 62 Eurocents on 1 May. Pölzl
pointed out today that rates had been the same for seven years
although Post AG’s personnel costs soared by 25 per cent at the same
time. He added the upcoming fee rise will mean just two Euros of
additional costs per year for an average Austrian household.
International Law Office: On March 2 2011 the Brazilian Post
Office and Telegraph Company will conduct E-reverse Auction
10000196/2010, with the purpose of contracting a multimedia
communications service provider to connect its building units
through a national telecommunications network. The procurement
notice states that the successful company will be required to
provide communication links, hardware, software and a network
management platform. The notice also determines the use of the
network for voice services.
Courier, Express, and Postal Observer: The Postal Service has
made a smart business decision by continuing to negotiate with the
APWU, three months after the contract with the union expired. The
decision to negotiate changes in a labor contract that will reflect
the new competitive reality, rather than go to arbitration reflects
the fact the Postal Service needs the buy-in of its employees on the
changes that will be neccessary to turn the Postal Service's
finances around. The Postal Service's negotiations with the APWU
will likely extend until after March 25th when Postmaster General
Donohoe announces the Postal Service's cuts in management employees.
At that point the Postal Service will likely announce a significant
reduction in the number of districts in a move that could follow a
USPS - Office of Inspector General report's recomendations to cut
between 14 and 32 districts and up to three more areas. These cuts,
if they are in this range, will communicate clearly to production
employees the seriousness of the situation and that sacrifices will
be shared by management as well.
New Hampshire Public
Radio: New Hampshire public radio is currently airing a one hour
segment about the future of the Postal Service. It will be available
for download here later today:
http://www.nhpr.org/audio/audio/ex-2011-02-23.mp3
BusinessWire: Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/92636c/rfid_for_postal_an)
has announced the addition of the "RFID for Postal and Courier
Services 2011-2021" report to their offering. “RFID for the Postal
and Courier Service” . Detailed ten year forecasts are given plus a
full explanation of the technologies. In detail, there are 40 new
case studies of RFID in action in the postal and courier service in
North America, Europe, the Middle East and East Asia. The major
breakthroughs that will provide future success are discussed. Postal
services ignoring this accelerating change will become uncompetitive
and suppliers missing out will regret it.
Diario Libre: President of the Permanent Commission of ephemeris
Patrias, Juan Daniel Balcácer, said that though the Instituto Postal
Dominicano (INPOSDOM) has lost ground, even so mail continues to
operate, have an important symbolic value in the country.
IOMToday: A Post Office chief claims rumours about senior
manager pay rises are an attempt to get workers to vote for strike
action. Rumours are rife among postal workers that regrading of some
senior positions has enabled the pay freeze to be sidestepped.
Mediaweek: The Royal Mail's request to increase the amount it
can charge for bulk mail has been slammed as a "shortsighted" move
that could cause long-term damage to the magazine business by Barry
McIlheney, chief executive of the Professional Publishers
Association (PPA).
The Cornell Sun: At its inception, the United States Postal
Service had the ability to revolutionize the world. People in
different cities, states, even countries on separate ends of the
globe, could be connected through mail. However, recently there has
been a massive decrease: Approximately ten billion fewer letters
have come through the USPS in the last two decades. Already closed
on Sundays, the postal service is currently discussing eliminating
Saturday service as well. The explanation is obvious: technology.
Various means of modern communication, including e-mail, mobile
phones and even video-chatting, make the transmission of any type of
message easier and faster. In an age when iPhones and BlackBerrys
seem to populate campus, most people literally have e-mail at their
fingertips. Choosing any other means to send a letter — taking the
time to hand write it, find a mailbox and wait for it to arrive in
the hands of its designated recipient — seems ridiculously
impractical.
Press
Informationn Bureau: The Department of Posts has decided to
improve the Look and Feel of its post offices through Project Arrow.
The project has been launched with the objective of modernising
departmental post offices across the country in a phased manner with
an aim to make visible, tangible and noteworthy difference in post
office operations. It aims at comprehensive improvement of the core
operations of the post office as well as the ambience in which
postal transactions are undertaken.
New York Times: The final frontier for alternative motor fuels,
powering big tractor-trailers, has been crossed. The alternative is
natural gas, but not in the now-familiar form of compressed gas.
Instead, a growing number of the biggest trucks are running on
liquefied natural gas. Burdened by diesel prices that topped out at
over $5 a gallon in 2008 and mindful of the sustained collapse of
natural gas prices, trucking companies are expressing new interest
in liquefied natural gas for their thirstiest trucks, the
over-the-road 18-wheelers.
PostCom Members!! The latest issue of PostCom's
PostOps Update has been posted on this site.
In this issue:
CEP News
(Courier-Express-Postal), published by the MRU Consultancy, has reported that:
Japan Post Service Co. plunged deeper into the red in the first half year. The company where Japan Post consolidates its letter mail and parcel business, recorded an operating loss of 819.9m euros in the first six months of the current fiscal year 2010/2011.
Jukka Alho, president and CEO of Finnish Itella sees the necessitity to adjust prices as revenues decline and volumes decrease in the long term. In the course of the presentation of the annual results 2010 he said that the 1% markup proved to be inadequate to compensate for this development.
The economic crisis had a comparably light impact on Greece’s postal and express market.
Lietuvos pastas remained in the red last year.
The Estonian post generated revenues of 45.1m euros (-11.2%) and a profit of 7m euros in 2010.
France Express (turnover 2008: 340m euros) launched a new service utilising the network of France’s high speed train TGV.
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.)
Postal news from
Postal
Technology International:
The Israel Postal Company has announced that it has completed a project to install ATMs on the exterior walls of branches, so anyone can use their debit/credit card to get cash 24 hours a day. Most postal branches have been now equipped with the machines, which enable customers to pay bills in cash as well as withdraw money. This is useful to customers as in Israel many government offices and other organisations insist on cash payments rather than cheques.
Press Release:
FedEx Corp. announced today that its FedEx Express business unit has
completed the acquisition of the logistics, distribution and express
businesses of AFL Pvt. Ltd. (AFL) and its affiliate, Unifreight
India Pvt. Ltd. (UFL). The acquisition further enhances FedEx
Express international and India business offerings and continues a
long-term commitment by FedEx to the growing Indian market.
Courier, Express, and Postal Observer: The following article
provides a clear discussion as to why the provisions in President
Obama's budget relating to the Postal Service matter to the business
comunity and web-based comerce. It was published on Bloomberg
Government and was only available to subcribers. It is published
here with the gracious permission of the author.
February 22, 2011
Advanced
Workshop in Regulation and Competition 2010-2011
April 1, 2011
Viable Modern Postal System?
K&L Gates LLP, 1601 K Street NW, Washington, DC 20006
Click here for Registration information
PRNewswire: Teradata Corporation, the world's largest company
solely focused on data warehousing and enterprise analytics today
announced that the United States Postal Service (USPS) has added a
new high-availability capability to its Teradata Enterprise Data
Warehouse (EDW) infrastructure. The 'Dual Active' system provides
USPS analysts with the ability to access detailed operational
information, without disruption, for monitoring, analysis, reporting
and decision-making purposes. USPS' new Dual Active infrastructure
serves as an award-winning example of an integrated, centralized
enterprise data warehouse with significant, tangible economic
benefits.
At the
Postal Regulatory
Commission:
MC2010-36 Response of the United States Postal Service to Initial Comments of the Association for Postal Commerce http://www.prc.gov/docs/72/72066/ResponseToPostComComments.pdf
RM2010-13
- Initial Comments of the Association for Postal Commerce
- Initial Comments of the United States Postal Service Comments Orders/ Responses to Orders
- Initial Comments of American Postal Workers Union, AFL-CIO Comments Orders/ Responses to Orders
- Initial Comments of the Greeting Card Association Comments
- Joint Application for Nonpublic Treatment of the Major Mailers Association, the National Association of Presort Mailers, and the National Postal Policy Council
- Joint Comments of the American Banker's Association, the Bank of America Corporation, the Direct Marketing Association, Discover Financial Services, the Major Mailers Association, the Nat'l Association of Presort Mailers, the Nat'l Postal Policy Council Comments Orders/ Responses to Orders
- Comments of Pitney Bowes Inc.
RM2011-3
- Initial Comments of the Association for Postal Commerce
- Valpak Direct Marketing Systems, Inc. and Valpak Dealers’ Association, Inc.
- Comments of Pitney Bowes Inc.
- Comments of Magazine Publishers of America, Inc., Alliance of Nonprofit Mailers and American Business Media Comments Orders/ Responses to Orders
- Initial Comments of the United States Postal Service Comments Orders/ Responses to Orders
VN Post Express Joint Stock Company - United States Postal Service Strategic Bilateral Agreement
http://www.prc.gov/docs/72/72064/VNPE OB Air CP Agreement public.pdf
Federal Times: Here’s an intriguing nugget from the U.S. Postal
Service’s latest quarterly report: Even as the Obama administration
agrees that the Postal Service is owed a huge refund on past
payments to its pension program, the Office of Personnel
Management—headed by Obama appointee John Berry—is requiring it to
shell out more for current payments. For the first quarter of fiscal
2011, the Postal Service’s contributions to the Federal Employees
Retirement System, or FERS, rose by $24 million—from $1.469 million
to $1.493 million—versus the same period in fiscal 2010, even though
the USPS workforce continued to shrink, the report says. The reason,
according to the Postal Service, is that its employer contribution
rate increased from 11.2 percent to 11.7 percent of eligible
payroll. The agency is appealing that boost to a federal board of
actuaries on the grounds that its FERS obligation is already
overfunded to the tune of some $6.9 billion.
From the Federal Register:
Press Release:
FedEx Express, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp. is adding new services
for customers including FedEx First Overnight® Freight and FedEx
2Day® A.M. and is making further enhancements to FedEx First
Overnight®. The services will be available beginning Feb. 28 and
will provide customers with faster, time-definite shipping options
backed by a money-back guarantee.
The Gainesville Sun: The way the local postal workers union sees
it, if the sorting of outgoing mail is moved from Gainesville to
Jacksonville, mail service as we know it will never be the same. The
postal union is fighting possible consolidation of services with
Jacksonville.
The Hindu: The Department of Posts on Monday launched a pilot
project in West Godavari district enabling it to diversify into
cargo services beginning with supply of drugs.
Canada East:
Canada Post acknowledges "errors" it made during its most recent
restructuring of mail carrier routes in Metro Moncton, mistakes
which were cited in an arbitrator's ruling that orders the
corporation to start the whole process over again.
WAToday: Emails and mobile phone text messages are expected to
turn even more consumers off old-fashioned letters during the next
decade. Australia Post chief executive Ahmed Fahour says the postal
service will lose business as customers also went online to pay
their bills. "The generational change in the global communication
market means that the way the community is using our service is
changing and it's changing very rapidly," he told a Senate estimates
hearing on Tuesday.
Dead Tree Edition: Despite common assumptions to the contrary,
digital publications often cost more to produce and have a less
favorable business model than their printed counterparts.
February 21, 2011
Courier, Express, and Postal Observer: The problems faced by the
Patent Office in its dealings are quite similar to those faced by
the Postal Service but on a smaller scale. The impact on the economy
is also similar as Congress's actions regarding the Patent Office
and the Postal Service have had the effect of retarding the economic
growth by making doing business in the United States more difficult
and more expensive than it need be. Unfortunately for the Patent
Office and the Postal Service fixing the problems do not have
solutions that fit easily into political arguments that use words
that poll favorably or fit within the 140 characters available
inTwitter. The willingness of members of Congress to adjust their
language to fit real solutions to the budgeting and policymaking
issues of the Patent Office and the Postal Service will determine if
the country reverses the anti-growth policies that now exist.
Forexyard: TNT NV said postal volumes could worsen this year,
disappointing investors looking forward to the Dutch firm spinning
of its more lucrative express unit from its mail division. Dutch
TNT, whose split has intensified speculation it will become the
target of consolidation in the sector, said a harsh winter and the
first postal strikes in 25 years exacerbated the decline in volumes,
as more people used e-mail and the Internet.
ChannelWeb: Australia based document management vendor PrintSoft
has launched its first channel programme to target partners abroad,
including the UK. The company, a developer acquired in 2005 by
national postal services firm Australia Post, has created four tiers
in the programme – Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Registered partners.
Shanial Charan, UK channel manager at PrintSoft, said the company is
looking to develop partnerships that support its growth in areas
where it already has a presence as well as in new markets and
sectors. Read more:
http://www.channelweb.co.uk/crn-uk/news/2027617/printsoft-launches-global-partner-push#ixzz1EcReFyME
CRN - Essential information for VARs, integrators and converged
resellers. Claim your free subscription today.
Hellmail: It looks increasingly likely that the UK government
will struggle to find a buyer for the Royal Mail that would take on
its mail division unless there were more sweeping changes made to
the way it operates.
Transport Intelligence: France Express has announced it is
launching Top One, a new urgent delivery service utilising rail
transport.
Courier, Express, and Postal Observer: TNT Post is the privately
owned provider of universal mail service in the Netherland. As such
it operates under a corporate structure similar to investor-owned
public utilities in the U.S. From a competitive standpoint, TNT Post
is similar to the land-line operations of Verizon, ATT, Quest, and
numerous smaller firms that are dominant in their traditional market
but face competition from telephone services offered by cable
companies, wireless services, including sister wireless divisions,
and voice over internet services like Skype and Vonage. Just like
land line companies, TNT Post expects demand to decline. Its just
released annual report provides the following information on volume
change in 2010 and in upcoming years. As a consequence of the
combined market trends [i.e., competition and electronic diversion],
the addressed postal volume decline in 2010 was 9%. For 2011, Mail
estimates the decline of its addressed postal volumes to be around
8% to 10%. In the years thereafter, Mail estimates its annual volume
decline to be 6% on average.
Federal News Radio: When it comes to being able to retire,
federal and postal workers are in better shape than most Americans.
Because: * Those who retire under the CSRS program (or the CSRS
offset system) will get an annuity fully indexed to inflation, based
on their highest 3-year average salary and length of service. They
also have their Thrift Savings Plan accounts. Those who retire under
the FERS program (the majority of current working feds) will get a
smaller civil service benefit. But the inflation-adjustments don't
begin until they are age 62 and they are subject to diet COLAs (cost
of living adjustments) that are one percentage point less than the
cost of living as measured by the Consumer Price Index. FERS
employees get Social Security (which they pay into) and are eligible
for a total match of 5 percent from the government to their TSP
accounts.
Bloomberg: TNT NV, the Dutch mail company that plans to spin off
its express delivery business and keep its post arm after an annual
meeting of shareholders, says profits rose fivefold in the fourth
quarter.
IsleOfMail: The chairman of the Isle of Man Post Office has
urged workers to reject strike action.
Fife Today: Hundreds of postal workers and local residents will
hold a rally in Nottingham to demonstrate against controversial
Government plans to privatise the Royal Mail.
Hellmail: A stengthening of discrimination laws in Denmark will
see many Danish citizens over the age of 65 lose access to direct
delivery of mail if they live in blocks of flats. New regulations
which come into force in April this year, mean that there have to be
equal conditions for all, so age will no longer determine whether
mail is delivered directly to individual doors in multi-occupancy
buildings. However, Danish Post said it remained the case that for
people unable to pick up mail on the basis of disability or reduced
mobility would still have their mail delivered to their door.
Chief Officers: Phang Soo Chyi is now a taxi driver in
Singapore. But he used to be a manager with Singapore Post's courier
business Sameday Islandwide Operations where he was supervised
subcontractors with the power to penalise or reward companies for
failing to meet, or exceeding, the required service standards.
Hellmail: Steve Lawson, editor for Hellmail Postal News which
covers European postal affairs said: "We have seen mammoth changes
in the postal industry not unlike those experienced during the last
great industrial revolution and whilst Internet and Mobile services
deliver many exciting possibilities, the pace of change has
decimated traditional postal services. It is difficult for postal
operators to second-guess technological developments and how they
can fit into a constantly changing communications market."
Global Address Data Association: This week, the Board of
Directors of the Global Envelope Alliance (GEA) adopted a resolution
of support for the Global Address Data Association (GADA). GEA
Chairman Bert Berkley said, “The work of the Global Address Data
Association is directed at a fundamentally important aspect of the
envelope business: personal addressed communications sent through
the postal systems of the world. GADA supports both the data
industry and postal companies in making more accurate address data
widely available at a reasonable cost. Its support for the Universal
Postal Union’s assistance to countries in developing address systems
is also unparalleled in the private sector. We are very pleased to
support this work."
The Arctic Sounder: Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe gave
reassurances on the future of bypass mail during recent discussions
about postal services in Alaska, according to a news release.
February 20, 2011
The Telegraph: Royal Mail has spent £5 million in the past five
years on the red rubber bands that often litter Britain's pavements.
Bernama: Khazanah Nasional Bhd has entered into the second stage
of the divestment process of its 32.21 percent stake in Pos Malaysia
Bhd, starting with the restricted tender process for bidders. It
said bidding would be on a level playing field whereby the emphasis
would be on bidders who would be able to introduce sound strategies
and business plans sustainable to bring the postal entity to the
next level of growth. In announcing this, Khazanah also shrugged off
recent speculations in the media of certain parties likely to land
the deal, saying there was "neither a leading nor lagging bidder at
the current stage of the bid process."
Inland
News Today: The prospect of losing a post office is alarming
people in small towns everywhere. The post office gives area
residents a reason to come to town — and patronize other businesses
there — and provides a service they count on and believe their
government owes them. The Postal Service, a self-supporting agency
that gets no tax dollars, has no choice but to reduce its offices,
stations and branches, which now total 31,871, spokeswoman Sue
Brennan says. It loses $23 million a day and ended fiscal year 2010
with an $8.5 billion shortfall. In March, the Postal Service will
begin identifying offices that could be closed. Brennan says it's a
57-step process that can take up to 21 months and includes
opportunities for community input. Federal law bars closures based
solely on economic reasons. Mail volume is down as more people use
electronic communications, she says, and people have access to
postal services at ATMs, groceries and online.
PR-USA.net: Important, time-sensitive materials requiring
tracking and secure delivery now have a new product from the U.S.
Postal Service designed to get attention upon arrival. Introduced
Jan. 2, Critical Mail provides commercial mailers with eye-catching
envelope designs, tracking services and simple, low flat-rate
pricing. Critical Mail is tailored for customers requiring
cost-effective mailing solutions for important documents in many
types of businesses, including those in the entertainment, financial
services, membership services, and tourism industries. Event
tickets, identification documents, stored-value cards, education
transcripts and urgent direct mail messages are but a few of the
items ideally suited for Critical Mail.
Courier, Express, and Postal Observer: Representative Ross's
tweets suggest that postal labor may find that the best they may
expect from postal reform legislation could be the changes in the
criteria arbitrators must use that are contained in bills proposed
by Senators Tom Carper and Susan Collins.
February 19, 2011
BBC: Hundreds of people are set to protest in Nottingham against
government plans to privatise the Royal Mail. The demonstration is
the latest in a campaign by the Communication Workers Union (CWU)
against the proposals.
February 18, 2011
DMM Advisory: IMb™ Services Update. New Service Type Identifiers (STIDs) for Reply Mail: Based upon mailer requests, the Postal Service® has established a new Service Type Identifier (STID) to distinguish Courtesy Reply Mail from other First-Class Mail® pieces. Currently, Service Type Identifier (STID) 700 is used for First-Class Mail Basic Service or non-automation mailings without CONFIRM®, as well as Courtesy Reply Mail™ (CRM), Permit Reply Mail (PRM), and Metered Reply Mail (MRM) without CONFIRM. The new STID for Courtesy Reply Mail is 703. Usage of the new STID 703 for CRM is not mandatory and mailers who have previously used STID 700 to produce CRM may exhaust their inventory without penalty. When CRM mailers replenish their stock, they may change the STID from 700 to 703 at that time. The Postal Service has also issued additional STIDs for Reply Mail. The updated STID table can be found in the Intelligent Mail Barcode Technical Resource Guide on RIBBS. The Postal Service recognizes the business process cycle associated with generating mail stock, including software development. Mailers are encouraged to use the new STIDs in future planning. Mailers may continue using STID 700 for CRM, MRM, and PRM during the transition from STID 700 to new STID values for Reply Mail. The Postal Service will continue to process reply mailpieces encoded with the old STIDs.
At the
Postal Regulatory
Commission:
DC Velocity: The president and CEO of Arkansas Best Corp., the
parent of less-than-truckload (LTL) carrier ABF Freight System,
hinted that ABF has been taking market share from FedEx Freight
since the FedEx unit rolled out its revamped service last month.
Green Technology: The International logistics giant FedEx
recently announced the opening of a corporate data center in the
Northgate business park in the Colorado Springs area. In a press
release, FedEx said that the data center, which is the outcome of
seven long years of planning and construction will eventually
replace a nearly 30-year-old similar facility near its corporate
headquarters in Memphis, Tenn.
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: A new FedEx Ground facility in
Norcross will eventually house more than 500 employees, the vice
president of the company's southern region said Friday.
The latest copy of the
National Association of Postmasters of the U.S. electronic governmental affairs newsletter is available on the NAPUS web site.
The latest issue of
the PostCom Bulletin is available online. In this issue:
National Association of Letter Carriers: As the 112th
Congress gets underway, the NALC’s legislative goals remain
firm. We continue to seek legislation that allows the U.S.
Postal Service to use the pension surpluses in both the
Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) and the Federal
Employees Retirement System (FERS) to fully fund the
Service’s retiree health benefit account. We are asking
Congress to repeal the burdensome mandate included in the
2006 postal reform bill that requires the USPS to pre-fund
that retiree health benefit account to the tune of $5.5
billion a year—an onerous obligation not shared by any other
corporation or government agency. And we continue to push
for legislation that requires the continuation of six-day
mail delivery service.
Now hear this: "This Week In Postal".........the latest podcast posted now!
Rates....MTAC....more
DMM Advisory: We Can Calculate That! We know that your time is valuable and you need answers in a hurry. So we’ve made it easy to compare the simplest and most cost effective way to send your business mail. The Business Calculator on the Postal Explorer® website lets you calculate prices for all shapes and classes of mail. Not sure which class of mail or preparation method is best for you? Calculate several options and then hit the “Show History” button to have all the calculations you just made listed side-by-side for comparison to make your decisions simpler. Quick navigation tools assist in providing you with definitions or links to other references for ease-of-use. No more head scratching when trying to figure out per-piece and per-pound prices — we calculate it for you so that you can spend time on your other business needs.
CNET News: Later this year you'll be able to pay for
clothes, taxi fare, and dinner with your mobile phone and
leave your credit cards and cash at home. Visa is planning a
commercial rollout in the U.S. in the second half of this
year of a service for allowing allow people to turn their
existing smartphones into electronic wallets. It uses Near
Field Communication (NFC) short-range wireless technology
and includes real-time anti-fraud alerts and other features
designed to protect consumers from fraud, Bill Gajda, global
head of Visa Mobile, told CNET in an interview at Mobile
World Congress 2011 here this week. Visa was demonstrating
its PayWave mobile payment system at the show.
[EdNote: And how will people be
protected against tech-savvy crooks?]
Yahoo! News: As many as one in 10 Americans can't get
Internet connections that are fast enough for common online
activities such as watching video or teleconferencing, and
two thirds of schools have broadband connections that are
too slow to meet their needs. Those are some of the
conclusions from the Commerce Department as it unveiled a
detailed, interactive online map showing what types of
high-speed Internet connections are available — or missing —
in every last corner of the country.
[EdNote: In short, this nation still suffers a digital
divide. For heaven sakes, don't make things worse by
crippling the postal system.]
Daily Gamecock: A new mailroom system in the University
of South Carolina Post Office has caused a stir on campus.
On Feb. 11, the old system of placing yellow package
notification slips in students’ mailboxes was replaced with
an e-mail update. Barry Meyers, the director of the USC
Postal Services, is excited about the new method of package
distribution. He said that, in January, 10,050 packages were
delivered to resident students via the mail center. With the
old system of paper notification slips, much of mailroom
employees’ time and energy was spent printing, labeling and
delivering the yellow slips. The e-mail system allows the
mailroom to process the packages through an internal
tracking system and digitally assign them a shelf location
based on the student’s name and the shipping carrier type.
The e-mail is then sent, and students can receive their
packages by scanning their CarolinaCards at the package
pick-up desk.
Azerbaijan Business
Center: A meeting of Azerbaijani and Iranian communications
ministers is taking place in the Ministry of Communications &
Information Technologies of Azerbaijan. In the course of the meeting
Iranian minister of communications Reza Tagipur voiced readiness to
collaborate with Azerbaijan in ICT sector. "We’re ready to develop
cooperation in the area of Internet and mail services, in
particular, banking services in the postal sector,” he said.
World Radio Switzerland: The federal government is
allowing Swisspost to raise prices. Government permission is
required for postage increases on all mail below 50 grams,
for which the state-owned postal service still has a
monopoly.
Hellmail: The Communication Workers Union, which represents
thousands of postal workers in the UK, said today that it welcomed
UK regulator Postomm’s announcement that it is ‘minded to’ accept
Royal Mail’s request for price increases on bulk products.
Time: USPS is joining forces with Hallmark to make sending your
best wishes easier. (via Techland) More than 200 greeting cards will
now come with prepaid envelopes. All you have to do is sign, seal
and the U.S. Postal Service will deliver Hallmark's your heartfelt
note, according to the Washington Post. Prices range from $2.99 to
$3.99 and will include the price of mailing it. Just like Forever
Stamps, said postage will always equal the price of a first-class
stamp. Hallmark and USPS are on the right track in thinking that
they need to make sending out cards easier in this e-greeting era,
but cards are outdated.
Courier,
Express, and Postal Observer:
PR Leap: The
owners of the UK’s leading parcel delivery service, Parcel2Go,
have warned customers that with the possibility of more postal
strikes on the way, any urgent parcels or important documents
should be sent via another method in order to guarantee safe
delivery.
Hellmail: Lithuanian Post (Lietuvos Pasta) announced this
week that preliminary unaudited figures indicated that it had
reduced its loss-making situation from 63m LTL in 2009 to 13.5m
LTR in 2010.
February 17, 2011
Information Week: The Department of Commerce has
published online the first public map providing information
on the availability of broadband Internet service
nationwide, meeting a Congressional deadline to provide the
resource.
Postalnews Blog: Fox News gets credit for first phony “Obama’s
$4 Billion Taxpayer Bailout” headline.
BBC: Isle of Man post workers balloted despite budget warning.
DMM Advisory: 2011 Mailing Services Price Change Update. The Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) yesterday determined that the Mailing Services price change complies with statutory requirements. We will implement these prices on April 17, 2011. The new prices can be viewed online on Postal Explorer® at pe.usps.com. Click on the link in the left blue navigation frame under “*New* April 17, 2011 Pricing Information.”
DC Velocity: The House Transportation and Infrastructure
Committee late Wednesday approved a four-year, $59.7 billion Federal
Aviation Administration (FAA) funding bill that excludes a
controversial provision that would change the labor law governing
FedEx Corp.'s air express unit.
February 16, 2011
Advanced
Workshop in Regulation and Competition 2010-2011
April 1, 2011
Viable Modern Postal System?
K&L Gates LLP, 1601 K Street NW, Washington, DC 20006
Click here for Registration information
Press Release: Important, time-sensitive materials
requiring tracking and secure delivery now have a new
product from the U.S. Postal Service designed to get
attention upon arrival. Introduced Jan. 2, Critical Mail
provides commercial mailers with eye-catching envelope
designs, tracking services and simple, low flat-rate
pricing. Critical Mail is tailored for customers requiring
cost-effective mailing solutions for important documents in
many types of businesses, including those in the
entertainment, financial services, membership services, and
tourism industries. Event tickets, identification documents,
stored-value cards, education transcripts and urgent direct
mail messages are but a few of the items ideally suited for
Critical Mail.
PRNewswire: Hallmark and the U.S. Postal Service
introduce PostagePaid Greetings — a line of "everyday" and
seasonal cards that already include postage. Just sign, seal
and send.
Merinews: India Post has introduced personalised stamps,
wherein the buyers can have their own photos on the stamps.
This concept can popularise philately as well as the
services of postal department.
Daily Caller: The United States Postal Service has fallen on
tough times, struggling to find both revenue and relevance in the
digital age. President Obama’s 2012 budget, released Monday,
attempts to help it accomplish the first of those, providing it with
a total of $4 billion of “temporary financial relief” this year. The
proposal has its critics, with some referring to it as a $4 billion
taxpayer bailout of the Postal Service. But Mike Schuyler, senior
economist at the Institute for Research on the Economics of
Taxation, calls both proposals totally reasonable.
Anchorage Daily News: A Bush mail subsidy that costs the Postal
Service tens of millions of dollars a year in Alaska may be safe,
for now. No changes for bypass mail rates are in the works, a
spokesman for the Postal Regulatory Commission said. The postmaster
general himself said the Postal Service is "100 percent behind" the
program, according to U.S. Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska.
Federal
News Radio: Agencies should expect a different type of oversight
in the 112th Congress. Lawmakers say the Government Accountability
Office's High Risk List not only gives them a roadmap by which to
plan hearings, but demonstrates just what it takes to reform
long-standing governmentwide problems. "We will be asking these
various agencies 'how long is it going to take you to straighten up
and fly right?'" said Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) ranking member of
the Oversight and Government Reform Committee. "And then what we
want them to tell us is when they will be able to do it and then we
will bring them back into the committee and say 'have you done it?'
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), ranking member of the Homeland
Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, said she will focus
like a laser on how best to remove these long-standing troubled
programs. In fact, Collins said she plans on introducing legislation
to address two High Risk List issues. She said the only way the
Postal Service will become financially viable is through
legislation. She also said she plans to reintroduce the
cybersecurity bill this week to improve the Federal Information
Security Management Act and make other significant changes."
The Dayton Beach News-Journal: Merging the mail
processing and distribution operation on Bill France
Boulevard with one in Lake Mary may save the U.S. Postal
Service money, but it could cost area business customers
that use bulk mail. Those customers, who now get a discount
of 4.3 cents for each piece of mail, will lose that savings
if they choose to continue patronizing the Bill France site
after the merger -- slated to take place this summer.
Courier, Express, and Postal Observer: Borders has filed
for bankruptcy and announce that it will be closing 192 of
its 642 stores. The closing of 192 Borders stores will
generate no calls from Congress for an investigation. There
will be no reqirement that Borders hold public hearings
before it can close the stores affected. No regulator will
review Border's decision process in order to determine
whether the decision to close each of the 192 stores is cost
justified. Shouldn't it? Won't the effect on the communities
be greater than the closing of a Post Office retail location
that most patrons visit maybe twice a month that generate
outrage from local communities, local politicians, the
employees affected and Congress and require extensive
regulatory review? Maybe its time for Congress to require
that book stores remain open and/or prove to a government
regulator that the closure would save a company suffering
losses money. [EdNote: Well now, that all depends. For
instance, does it have any unfunded pension liabilities?
Have its pension payments been used to subsidize the
unfunded liabilities of Barnes and Noble?]
From the Federal Register:
EU Postal Operators Could Be Losing New Business
Concerns Over Financial Losses In Northern Russia Postal Network
Postal Employee News: USPS Makes GAO High Risk List Again.
February 15, 2011
At the
Postal Regulatory
Commission:
Docket No. R2011-2
Order Reviewing Postal Service Market Dominant Price Adjustments.
In sum, the Commission found that:
1. The price adjustments are within the annual limitation on changes in rates set forth in 39 U.S.C. 3622(d) and 39 CFR 3010.11 and 3010.28.
2. The price adjustments properly reflect the statutory preferences set forth in 39 U.S.C. 3626.
3. The workshare discounts either satisfy the requirements of 39 U.S.C. 3622(e), or fall within an enumerated exception to those requirements, and may take effect.
Government
Accountability Office: The foreign postal operators (foreign
posts) in industrialized countries in GAO's review have been
experiencing declining letter mail volumes and have modernized their
delivery and retail networks to address this challenge. As
requested, GAO reviewed the innovations and initiatives that foreign
posts are using and the lessons the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) might
learn to help it address plummeting mail volumes and record
financial losses. This report examines initiatives foreign posts
have implemented to improve mail delivery and retail networks and
related results, and modernization strategies used by foreign posts
that can inform consideration of proposals to improve USPS's
financial condition and customer service. GAO selected foreign posts
in Australia, Canada, Finland, Germany, Sweden, and Switzerland as
case studies based on characteristics, such as delivery and retail
changes and country size and location. GAO reviewed foreign posts'
documents, including annual reports and strategic plans related to
delivery and retail network changes and innovations. GAO met with
foreign post officials, toured their retail facilities, received
briefings on their delivery and retail networks and other areas, and
met with regulators, labor unions, and mailers to obtain their views
on the effects of their posts' modernization efforts. USPS generally
agreed with GAO's findings and mentioned both its own modernization
efforts and the barriers it faces.
Summary
Highlights
Full Report
The Guardian: In the welter of activity unleashed by the
coalition government the postal services bill has been
under-observed by those who will be affected by it. That's all of us
in the UK. This bill has its second reading in the House of Lords on
Wednesday – the start of examination and debate there on its
contents. To recap, this is the bill that will sell off Royal Mail –
a process inevitably referred to in the bill as "restructuring" – in
order to introduce private capital and expertise to the running of
Royal Mail. The bill also transfers the pension fund to the
government, and moves oversight of the Post Office Ltd from Postcomm
to Ofcom. There will be a bit of employee ownership of Royal Mail
and Co-operatives UK is currently engaged by the government to look
at models of mutualising the Post Office. How should their lordships
tackle this bill? They should be aware first that it is a plan to
sell off a huge part of the public realm on the grounds that it is
unaffordable. If implemented, it will devastate the localised and
national postal delivery service that, overwhelmingly, the British
people approve of. They will note that there is no vision in the
bill of what the future might look like for this trusted and
national service if it were properly managed in the national
interest.
Hellmail: "The Itella Mail Communication’s profitability
declined due to falling volumes and rising production costs, as well
as extremely moderate price development. Personnel reductions and
other efficiency improvement measures were not sufficient to
compensate for these." said Jukka Alho, President and CEO. “The
upturn in the economy affected Itella’s business with a delay and
only in certain areas of our business. Although our financial
performance did not meet the targeted level, our already healthy
solvency strengthened further.
BBC: Royal
Mail has been given permission by the postal regulator, Postcomm, to
increase prices on some business mail services. The company says
this will enable it to raise another £100m to safeguard the
universal postal service. See also
Reuters.
Public
Integrity: The Internal Revenue Service and the U.S. Postal
Service, already the butt of many bad jokes, are among the poster
children on the GAO’s list of federal agencies at “high risk” of
waste, fraud, abuse and mismanagement. The Government Accountability
Office on Wednesday released its biennial list of programs
especially vulnerable to waste or in need of broad reform. The list,
updated every two years with the start of the new Congress, is a mix
of old complaints and new areas to target at a time when the Obama
administration and Congressional Republicans are looking for ways to
cut government spending.
Advertising Age: While Apple steadfastly clings to its 30% cut
of magazine subscriptions sold through its App Store, Google just
made a better offer, allowing publishers to keep 90% of their tablet
subscription revenue -- and possibly higher.
MarketResearch.com: Direct Mail Advertising in the US - Industry
Market Research Report
 |
PostCom welcomes its newest member: IMS, Inc. (Immediate Mailing Services, Inc.) 245 Commerce Boulevard Liverpool, NY 13088-4541 Contact: John D. Mashia, Jr. President & Chief Operating Officer |
WGME: A veteran U.S. Postal Service employee in northern Maine
faces multiple charges for allegedly stealing prescription drugs
that were being mailed to veterans.
Washington Post: From innovation to Monty Python: An interview
with the U.S. Postal Service's inspector general.
PrintWeek: Postcomm will stand by its "minded to" decision to
allow Royal Mail to impose price rises on bulk mail of up to 19%,
despite fierce resistance from the DM sector.
PR-USA: Global postal counter automation expert Escher Group has
launched a mobile solution that takes services traditionally found
in post offices and delivers them in new locations - in shops,
hotels or directly to the customer's doorstep. MobileRiposte(TM) is
so versatile and easy to use that it promises to open new markets
for postal operators and heralds a new future for the postman: as a
provider of a broader range of products and services rather than
simply a deliverer of mail.
CEP News
(Courier-Express-Postal), published by the MRU Consultancy, has reported that:
China’s express and postal companies remained on course for growth in 2010.
The Kenyan government’s proposal to introduce a levy on the revenues of private courier and express operators to finance the postal service in rural areas sparked protests.
Mexican Correos wants to achieve revenue growth despite electronic substitution.
Colombia’s national postal operator, plans to enter the banking business.
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.)
WESH: The
post office on Bill France Boulevard, the Daytona Beach area's main
mail distribution and processing center, will close in July,
according to United States Post Office officials. USPS said they
will save nearly $6 million by consolidating the Daytona Beach
facility with the main Lake Mary office. Workers have been fighting
against the move and said the closure will force job losses.
Employees also point out that the move will end next-day mail
service and will eliminate the Daytona Beach postmark. USPS said
career opportunities will be reassigned.
TheDay: Mayor Peter Nystrom and City Manager Alan Bergren will
meet soon with Norwich Postmaster Eileen Kelty to express the city's
opposition to the U.S. Postal Service's plan to move out of downtown
to the mail distribution center on Route 82 at the edge of the city.
Pakistan
Observer: Federal Minister for Postal Services Alhaj Sardar
Muhammad Umar Gorgage on Tuesday said that the ministry would take
more steps for further improving the postal services in the country.
He stated this while chairing the high level meeting of Pakistan
Post at Postal Headquarters. The minister said that postal services
are very important specially in rural areas of the country for easy
access, adding that most of the educational institutions and
organization depend on postal services. Sardar Gorgage said that
postal services would make efforts to introduce more facilities for
their customers. “He would work for the betterment of the
organization and its employees. He also lauded the services of
Pakistan Post,” he said.
Frederick News Post: For the second time in 14 months, the U.S.
Postal Service is considering consolidating operations at its
mail-processing center in Frederick. Ron Borsella, president of
Southwest Maryland Bay Area Local 512 of the American Postal Workers
Union, isn't happy that more changes could be coming to the plant.
Las
Cruces Sun-News: At least for now, it's a philosophical question
being asked by U.S. Postal Service officials: "Should the processing
of mail continue to be done in Las Cruces or should operations be
consolidated and moved to El Paso?" The Postal Service has begun an
evaluation, called the Area Mail Processing study, to answer that
question. The study is expected to take several months to complete
and its results will be used by the Postal Service to determine if
mail processing in Las Cruces should be moved to the El Paso
Processing and Distribution Center. The proposal didn't give Las
Cruces residents the warm and fuzzies.
Trend: The
services of Western Union money transfer will be available in most
branches of the Azerbaijani state postal operator LLC Azerpost by
late 2011, head of the postal services department of the Azerbaijani
Communications and IT Ministry, chairman of the postal services of
the Regional Commonwealth of Communications Novruz Mammadov said.
Today, a meeting was held in Baku between representatives of
Azerpost and Western Union Company to discuss rendering of money
transfer services via this system in the operator's branch network.
The Botswana Gazette: Botswana Post has promised to deliver
quality improvements in both services and products as the entity
goes through modernization and transition.
Live-PR: Neopost, the UK's leading provider of mailroom
equipment, today announced the launch of two new smart franking
machines, the AutoStamp : 2 and IS-280 : . These entry level
machines are the perfect solution for up and coming businesses,
offering sophisticated features in a compact package.
Leagle: Appellant United States Postal Service ("USPS") and
Appellant/Intervenor National Postal Mail Handler's Union ("NPMHU")
(collectively, the "Appellants") appeal from the order of the United
States District Court for the District of New Jersey, granting
summary judgment to the Trenton Metropolitan Area Local of the
American Postal Workers Union ("Trenton Metro") on Trenton Metro's
claim for enforcement of a settlement agreement between it and USPS.
Senator Susan Collins: 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 2011" would help the
USPS achieve financial stability and future cost savings without
undermining customer service.
Rasmussen Reports: Although many Americans today rely on
electronic forms of communication, they still believe there is a
need for the U.S. Postal Service. But they're okay with cutting back
snail mail delivery to five days a week.
Charleston Daily Mail: Some residents of Charleston's West Side
and Kanawha City areas who receive notices after missing their mail
carriers will have to drive a little farther to get their packages
and certified mail. The U.S. Postal Service will consolidate two of
Charleston's stations starting Saturday, moving mail carriers from
the Venable Avenue Postal Annex in Kanawha City and Stonewall
Station on the city's West Side to the main post office downtown.
From the Federal Register:
Postal Regulatory Commission
NOTICES
American Postal Workers Union: President Obama’s proposed budget
for Fiscal Year 2012, which was released Feb. 14, “recognizes the
seriousness of the Postal Service’s financial condition and proposes
beginning steps to address it,” APWU President Cliff Guffey said.
National Association of Postal Supervisors: The National
Association of Postal Supervisors welcomed the news of proposed
financial relief for the struggling United Stated Postal Service.
President Obama’s proposed $4 billion reduction of pre-funding
requirements for the 2011 fiscal year will help USPS as it attempts
to return to financial solvency. “A viable Postal Service is
critical to the entire infrastructure of commerce in the United
States,” said NAPS President Louis Atkins. “We applaud President
Obama in seeing that placing the Postal Service on sounder financial
footing is best for every American.” While pre-funding of health
benefits is still a part of the proposed budget, it will now be on a
more reasonable schedule. The flexibility will allow USPS “with the
breathing room necessary to continue restructuring its operations
without severe disruptions must be coupled with meaningful reforms
to its business model to make USPS viable for the medium and long
term.”
As
part of a class in Cost-Benefit Analysis, six students at the
LaFollette School of Public Affairs at the University of
Wisconsin-Madison examined the impact of closing one of the seven
Post Offices in Marquette County, Wisconsin. The study was performed
at the suggestion of the Center for the Study of the Postal Market
as its first student project focusing on business and policy issues
of interest to postal stakeholders. The six students working with
publicly available information provide a useful first attempt to
estimate the economic impact on a community of closing a Post
Office.
PRWeb: Crawford Technologies today announced the release of PRO
Unique ID Manager and PRO Mail Tracker. These new, innovative
software solutions allow organizations to be compliant with and take
advantage of the benefits of USPS® IMb (Intelligent Mail® barcode)
without having to change their applications or print production
facilities. These new solutions also offer similar functionality for
other worldwide postal barcoding schemes that allow for mail-piece
tracking, such as the United Kingdom's Royal Mail RED TAG solution.
Read more:
http://www.benzinga.com/press-releases/11/02/p862279/implement-usps%C2%AE-imb-and-other-intelligent-postal-barcodes-with-ease#ixzz1E49IPrzA
The latest issue of
the PostCom Bulletin is available online. In this issue:
At the
Postal Regulatory
Commission:
UNI Global Union: UNI europa Post & Logistics, together with the
Turkish Trade Union Haber-Is, organised a seminar on liberalisation
of the postal sector in Ankara/Turkey Turkish Unions & UNI europa
work to deal with postal liberalisation Examples from all over the
world have shown that postal liberalisation does not work.
National Association of Letter Carriers: The U.S. Postal Service
received some good news from the Obama administration Feb. 14 when
the White House released its proposed budget for the 2012 fiscal
year. “By proposing significant short-term financial help for the
Postal Service in his budget, President Obama clearly stands with
the NALC and our goal of getting the Service back on the right
financial track,” NALC President Fredric V. Rolando said. “But we
all need to keep one thing in mind—that this budget proposal is just
that: a proposal. “With a divided Congress, there’s little doubt
that we face an uphill fight for real pre-funding reform,” he said.
“But we believe that a strong Postal Service is a bipartisan
policy." Obama’s proposed budget still calls for pre-funding future
postal retiree health benefits as mandated by the 2006 Postal
Accountability and Enhancement Act, but on a more reasonable payment
schedule. It also calls for reducing the Postal Service’s overall
pre-funding payment obligation for the 2011 fiscal year by $4
billion.
WebWire:
The owners of the UK’s leading parcel delivery service, Parcel2Go,
have warned customers that with the possibility of more postal
strikes on the way, any urgent parcels or important documents should
be sent via another method in order to guarantee safe delivery.
Courier, Express, and Postal Observer: Now that the President's
2012 budget is out, both Senator Tom Carper and Senator Susan
Collins have already commented on the proposal to provide some
modifications to the Postal Service's retirement obligations. To
date, members of the house who are leading the subcommittee
responsible for marking up legislation that would enact the changes
that the President proposed have made any public statement about
their views on the proposed statements. As both Representatives
Dennis Ross (R-FL) and Justin Amash (R-MI) are freshmen, they have
no history with Postal issues and are more than likely coming to the
issue with not much more background in the postal market than the
average consumer. Given their lack of experience with the issue, it
is not surprising that they did not immediately respond to the
budget as the Senators Carper and Collins did. What we have to go on
is their public statements so here is a review of quotes from
articles and press releases that may provide some guidance.
PROGRAM ANNOUNCEMENT. During the past year, postal
contractors have seen continued USPS cost-cutting efforts and a
greater focus on obtaining competition. These pressures, plus new
measures, can be expected to have significant implications for
postal contractors in 2011.
Please join David Hendel, Chair of Husch Blackwell's postal
service contracting group, for a special webinar where we will
review major developments that impacted contractors in 2010, as well
as discuss changes, challenges and trends for postal contractors in
2011 and beyond.
Topics will include: (1) USPS financial condition (2) Aftermath of
the Office of Inspector General reports on Robert Bernstock and USPS
noncompetitive purchases (3) Newly issued procedures and
certifications required for the award of noncompetitive purchases
(4) Highlights from Supply Management's three-year strategic plan
(5) USPS green purchasing initiatives (6) Legal decisions from the
Postal Service Board of Contract Appeals and U.S. Court of Federal
Claims (7) Reorganized USPS under new Postmaster General, Pat
Donahoe (8) New Congressional committee and subcommittee assignments
affecting the postal service, and newly introduced legislation.
Date & Time Wednesday, March 2, 2011 12 - 1 p.m. (CST) This
program is complimentary; however,
registration is required. You will receive webinar connection
instructions upon registration. Questions? Please contact Stephanie
Dorssom at 314.345.6646.
Hellmail: Spanish postal operator Correos said this week that
workplace accidents had fallen by 22% in 2010. Overall, there was a
decline in all types of accident, but in particular, serious
accidents actually fell by 44% and saw the number of working days
lost annually drop by 31%.
Post & Parcel: Hungarian operator Magyar Posta has increased
prices for its domestic postal services by an average of 4.8%.
Washington Post: President Obama's proposed 2012 budget doesn't
say anything about raising stamp prices, ending Saturday mail
deliveries or closing post offices, but it does attempt to remedy
the perilous financial condition of the U.S. Postal Service by
recommending about $11 billion in relief. [EdNote: Don't anyone
hold your breath waiting for this one. It will require a Republican
House (one not to enamoured of the Presiden'ts budget) to approve
anything that could help save the fiscal viability of our postal
system.]
Media Daily News: Tablet computer sales will increase more than
tenfold in the next couple of years, according to two new forecasts
that predict tablet sales making up an increasingly large percentage
of overall computer sales. [EdNote: A very convenient way to get
your mail digitally before you get it in hard-copy.]
Politico: Democrats are understandably obsessed with Darrell
Issa — he’s built himself up as a one-man investigative machine
aimed straight at the Obama presidency. But a handful of liberal
political operatives in California — including a former Hillary
Clinton hand — are taking their anti-Issa passion to a whole new
level, launching a nonprofit group, a website and even paid media
advertisements aimed at undermining and investigating the
rabble-rousing chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform
Committee.
Hellmail: Pitney Bowes has introduced the latest version of its
P/I OfficeMail™ software - an innovative, secure hybrid mail
solution that automates the process of mailing desk-top generated
documents. P/I OfficeMail software is an integral part of Pitney
Bowes Production Intelligence® software solutions to link print and
mail. With Pitney Bowes P/I OfficeMail software, users simply create
documents and, with the click of a mouse, submit them for printing
and mailing. Instead of being printed locally on desktop printers
and manually processed, documents are aggregated and transmitted to
an in-house print-and-mail centre or an off-site facility for
efficient production.
Dead Tree Edition: The proposed budget released today by the
Obama Administration would "promote an adaptive, 21st Century
workforce" in the Postal Service but also make it a potential
political football next year.
Postalnews Blog: "from the OPM section: The Budget proposes to
shift how the Postal Service (USPS) pre-funds its retiree health
benefits unfunded liability (UFL). Under current law, from 2011 to
2016, USPS must make a stream of payments set in statute toward
paying down retiree health benefit unfunded liabilities, as well as
pay annual premiums for current retirees. Also under current law,
starting in 2017, USPS must pay the per capita accruing costs (or
normal cost) to fund future retiree health benefits of current
employees and a 40-year amortization of the remaining UFL for
current retirees. Under the proposal, starting in 2011, USPS would
pay the normal costs for the future retiree health benefits of
current employees and also a stream of payments associated with
paying down the remaining UFL for current retirees. Further, USPS
would be provided temporary financial relief as the 2011 payment
would be adjusted so that USPS would pay $4
billion less than what it would have paid to this Fund under current
law. USPS would make up this $4 billion payment to the
Fund by paying larger amounts in future years. Beginning in 2022,
USPS would pay the remaining UFL, amortized over 40 year period.
This proposal provides the following benefits to USPS: 1) USPS would
be provided temporary financial relief in
the form of a lower payment in 2011; 2) The new
calculations of normal cost and UFL are based on new actuarial
assumptions that reflect that USPS has fewer employees than in 2006,
when the prefunding mechanism was originally adopted—therefore the
actual annual payments for the normal costs
would be reset each year based on the number of USPS employees;
3) This Fund would pay the premiums for
current USPS retirees now, rather than starting in 2017—this
accelerates what would have occurred anyway in 2017 under current
law."
Postalnews Blog: "While many postal workers are no doubt
disappointed by the “relief” proposed by the Obama administration in
its budget, a more pressing concern should be what the teabagger
dominated House will actually approve. The Chairman of the House
committee that oversees the USPS, Darrel Issa, is a career
politician, not a teabagger, but he obviously has to placate that
wing of the GOP these days. (He used to be union-friendly enough to
be supported by the NALC, believe it or not!) So it shouldn’t have
come as a surprise to anyone when, last October, Issa made the
astonishing discovery that the CSRS overpayment is a myth dependent
on changing the law to conjure up an overpayment through backdoor
accounting."
Sen.
Tom Carper (D-Del.), chairman of the Senate subcommittee
overseeing the U.S. Postal Service, has released a statement
responding to postal reform measures in President Obama's 2012
budget proposal. He said in part: "Putting the Postal Service back
on stronger financial footing is something I've been trying to do
for a long time now, and I plan to reintroduce comprehensive postal
reform to enact these necessary changes. I hope my colleagues and
the Administration will join me in pushing for this much needed
reform so we can prevent the Postal Service from going broke by the
end of the year."
Wall Street Journal: FedEx Corp. (FDX) lowered its outlook for
earnings in the current quarter because severe winter storms and
higher-than-expected fuel prices pressured expenses higher. The
company, among the world's largest international package shippers,
said those costs would also alter its full-year guidance, which it
will adjust when it announces full results for the fiscal third
quarter on March 17. FedEx's results had been gaining momentum as
the global economic picture improved. In its second-quarter results,
profit fell but it reported record volume in the overseas business.
Bloomberg: United Parcel Service Co. said Monday it arranged
$22.5 million in franchisee lending for its retail outlets.
Government Executive: President Obama's fiscal 2012 budget
grants the U.S. Postal Service some of the short-term financial
relief it has requested. The president's budget proposal would
return about $6.9 billion in FERS overpayments to the Postal Service
over 30 years, including $550 million in fiscal 2011. USPS also
would receive short-term relief from a 2006 requirement to prefund
its retiree health benefits at about $5 billion annually. It is the
only federal agency with that obligation. See also
Federal Times.
The Star: Khazanah Nasional Bhd will be putting the bidders for
its 32.21% equity in Pos Malaysia Bhd through a vigorous process
that includes a detailed assessment of the business plan and whether
there will be a “cultural fit” between the new owners and the postal
company.
February 14, 2011
The U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General invites you to
comment on this week’s “Pushing the Envelope” blog topic:
* Too much management turnover? Has there been an increase
in financial related issues or difficulties due to management
turnover? LINK here to
read and provide comments.
New Audit Projects:
LINK here to visit
our audit project pages. This week we opened the following new
project(s): A new audit project has been started on the external
website.
* Compliance with Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 – 11RR002IT000. The purpose of this audit is to evaluate the Postal Service’s progress in implementing a reliable and effective system of personal identity verification (PIV) in compliance with Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12). This directive mandates the use of government-wide identification credentials for employees and contractors.
At the
Postal Regulatory
Commission:
Asbury Park Press:
Postal salary database.
Statement of Joseph Corbett, Chief Financial Officer United
States Postal Service. "The Postal Service is encouraged by the
President’s recognition of the Postal Service’s financial situation.
We look forward to working with the Administration and Congress in
the coming year on CSRS and FERS over-funding, the retiree health
benefit pre-funding requirement, delivery flexibility and retail
access. The Postal Service strongly supports the Administration’s
commitment to the principles outlined in the budget: (1) Realign
Postal infrastructure, facilities, processing and delivery systems
to continuously improve efficiency; (2) Promote an adaptive 21st
Century Postal workforce; and (3) Accelerate value creation and
enhance service to the public while respecting fair competition in
the marketplace. The Administration’s commitment, together with
ongoing Postal initiatives within existing structures, will help put
USPS on a path toward financial stability."
PRNewswire: Global postal counter automation expert Escher Group
has launched a mobile solution that takes services traditionally
found in post offices and delivers them in new locations - in shops,
hotels or directly to the customer's doorstep. MobileRiposte(TM) is
so versatile and easy to use that it promises to open new markets
for postal operators and heralds a new future for the postman: as a
provider of a broader range of products and services rather than
simply a deliverer of mail.
From the
Office of the President regarding the proposed 2012 fiscal year
budget:
"The Administration recognizes the enormous value of the Postal Service to the Nation's commerce and communications, as well as the urgent need for reform to ensure the future viability of USPS. Therefore, the Budget proposes specific short-term financial relief measures, grounded in principles of fiscal responsibility as well as sound financial management, and the Administration will work with the Congress and postal stakeholders to secure necessary reforms. As to the structure of relief, the Budget would improve USPS financial condition by returning to USPS surplus amounts it has paid into its OPM account for its share of Federal Employee Retirement System costs. OPM has determined this surplus is approximately $6.9 billion, which would be paid back to USPS over 30 years, including an estimated $550 million in 2011. Secondly, the Budget proposes to restructure USPS retiree health benefits payments that were specified by the 2006 Postal Act. This change would still prudently pre-fund retiree liabilities, but on an accruing cost basis rather than the arbitrary amounts fixed in current law, which do not allow for the dramatic shifts in demand or workforce size that USPS has experienced in recent years. This restructuring and near-term deferral would provide USPS with $4 billion in temporary financial relief in 2011. Over the 2011 to 2021 budget period this proposal has an estimated deficit effect of $5 billion. See the Office of Personnel Management section of this Appendix for more information on this proposal.
"These steps to provide USPS with the breathing room necessary to continue restructuring its operations without severe disruptions must be coupled with meaningful reforms to its business model to make USPS viable for the medium- and long-term. Postal volumes have dropped precipitously in the last few years due to the economic crisis and longer-run shifts in communication technologies and use shifts that have created new challenges even as they propel innovation and revolutionize our economy. The Postal Service needs the flexibility to adapt to these changes and higher public expectations for customer service. To that end, the Administration's discussions with the Congress and others will be guided by the goals of allowing the Postal Service to: 1) Realign its infrastructure, facilities, processing and delivery systems to continuously improve efficiency; 2) Promote an adaptive, 21st Century workforce; and 3) Accelerate value creation and enhance service to the public while respecting fair competition in the marketplace."
Also from the budget:
"TERMINATION: REVENUE FORGONE FROM REDUCED RATE MAIL. Postal Service. The Budget proposes terminating the $29 million annual appropriation to reimburse the Postal Service (USPS) for prior years' lost revenue from legislatively mandated reduced postage rates for non-profit mailers. This appropriation was authorized to compensate USPS for lost revenues that occurred in the early-1990s and ended in 1998, and is not related to any current USPS activities. While the funds serve to very marginally increase postal revenues, the Budget proposes far greater, though temporary financial relief to USPS to provide it an opportunity to evaluate and adjust its overall business framework."
WHIZ: The United States Postal Service has decided to stop mail
processing in Zanesville. Columbus District Manager Joshua Colin
says local processing will be consolidated into the Columbus
Processing and Distribution Center.
Wall Street Journal: A newly resilient economy is poised to
expand this year at its fastest pace since 2003, thanks in part to
brisk spending by consumers and businesses. In a new Wall Street
Journal survey, many economists ratcheted up their growth forecasts
because of recent reports suggesting a greater willingness to spend.
Herald Sun: More than a century ago, as Americans migrated west,
the Postal Service opened offices seemingly everywhere, fulfilling
its mission, as stated in federal law, to provide "services to bind
the Nation together through the personal, educational, literary and
business correspondence of the people." Today, as Americans
increasingly communicate electronically, the volume of mail has
plummeted by more than 20 percent in five years, leaving the country
with fewer than 32,000 post offices.
Crain's Detroit Business: The massive mail volume produced by
local cell phone recycler Recellular Inc. is allowing two small-town
post offices in Dexter and Pinckney to defy the national trend of
declining volumes.
Business Times: Singapore Post Limited said on Monday that it
has agreed to sell its pawn broking business operating under the
brandname of SpeedCash to GL Group Pte Ltd (GL) for S$1.1 million.
Courier,
Express, and Postal Observer:
USA Today: The prospect of losing a post office is alarming
people in small towns everywhere. The post office gives area
residents a reason to come to town — and patronize other businesses
there — and provides a service they count on and believe their
government owes them.
The Citizen: All documents and packages from government
ministries and agencies will from today be delivered using the
City Urgent Mail Service (CUM). The directive comes from the
minister for Communication, Science and Technology, Prof Makame
Mbarawa when launching the service at the weekend. Prof Mbarawa
said it was necessary for government institutions to make good
use of the service as a way of treasuring what the Tanzania
Postal Corporation (TPC) was doing in retaining its lost glory.
Courier, Express, and Postal Observer: The Baton Rouge
Advocate reported that LSU is replacing a Postal Service run
retail station for students on campus with one run by Ricoh,
USA. The switch will occur in the fall of 2011. The switch is
required because the campus Post Office is one of those being
closed by the Postal Service.
Courier, Express, and Postal Observer: The President's
budget is expected to recommend changes in law that will jump
start a multi-year process of revamping postal law and the
Postal Service's business model. Just in time, the Center for
Research in Regulated Industries of Rutgers University has
announced three conferences that should help stakeholders and
policymakers evaluate the options that will be on the table.
February 13, 2011
The Barbados Advocate: THE Barbados Postal Service (BPS) has
emerged ahead of its public sector competitors in the recently
conducted National Initiative for Service Excellence (NISE) Customer
Satisfaction Index (NCSI).
Hellmail: Post to and from Egypt still faces disruption with
many postal operators having suspended services since late January.
Mail to and from the country ground to a halt after protesters took
to the streets, calling for the resignation of Egyptian leader
Mubarak after some 30 years of authoritarian rule. He stepped down
on Friday with control of the country now in the hands of Military
leaders. Egypt Post, state-owned and established in 1865, is one of
the oldest Egyptian institutions, and normally processes mail and
parces for around 15 million people. It also serves 2m people
through its financial services division. It could be several weeks
before mail services in Egypt return to normal and any backlogged
mail cleared although much depends on progress with respect to fresh
elections.
Manx Radio:
Isle of Man Post chief executive Mike Kelly is assuring customers
contingency plans are in place, should postal staff decide to take
some form of industrial action.
The Middletown Press: Veterans of past wars to save local post
offices had better marshal their forces: A new wave of closings is
on the way, and the U.S. Postal Service intends to shorten the
timeline this time.
February 12, 2011
Nigerian Compass: The Lagos Mainland branch of the Nigeria
Postal Service (NIPOST) has recorded a profit of N680 million for
the 2010 financial year.
Emirates 24/7: Work is continuing to set up the Khaleeji
Express, the new postal services for GCC countries, Emirates Post
CEO told Emirates 24/7. “The project for express mail (Khaleeji
Express) for GCC region is ongoing, but the proposed pan-GCC mail
transportation company has been shelved,” said Abdullah Al Ashram.
He did not give a timeframe as to when the new service will become
operational. Khaleeji Express will replace the Express Mail Service
in GCC countries. According to Al Ashram, the company is currently
emerging out of a restructuring process driven by Emirates Post
Holding Group.
Muncie Star: The U.S. Postal Service is moving some mail
processing operations from a Muncie processing and distribution
facility to one in Kokomo.
Japan Times: Japan Post Service Co., the mail-delivery arm of
the Japan Post group, plans to lay off some nonregular workers when
their contracts expire at the end of March as part of efforts to
turn its business around, sources said Saturday. The unit has
approximately 160,000 nonregular employees nationwide, and the
contracts of as many as "several thousand" may not be renewed,
including those who deliver and sort mail, the sources said.
Hattiesburg American: Just two years after the U.S. Postal
Service abandoned plans to move Hattiesburg mail processing
operations to Gulfport, it announced Friday it will give the plan
another look.
UPI: British post office workers will decide whether to
authorize a strike for higher pay and a renewed guarantee against
closings, union leaders said Friday. Dave Ward, deputy general
secretary of the Communications Workers Union, accused Post Office
Limited, which is now part of the Royal Mail, of leading a "race to
the bottom," The Guardian reported. He said the 4,000 members who
work in the branches directly owned by Post Office, will be polled
for a strike vote.
From the Federal Register:
Postal Regulatory Commission
PROPOSED RULES
Periodic Reporting , 8325–8326 [2011–3192]
[TEXT] [PDF]
Dead Tree Edition: A Congressional panel heard the blunt truth
today about how Congress' budget games have put the U.S. Postal
Service on track to run out of money in September.
Sen.
Tom Carper (D-Del.), chairman of the Senate subcommittee with
jurisdiction over the U.S. Postal Service, has reacted to a recent
Postal Service Inspector General report that details abuse of agency
credit cards by postal employees
At the
Postal Regulatory
Commission:
RM2010-9 Valpak Direct Marketing Systems, Inc. and
Valpak Dealers? Association, Inc. Reply Comments
http://www.prc.gov/docs/71/71921/Valpak%20RM2010-9%20Reply%20Comments.pdf
RM2010-9 Reply Comments of the United States Postal
Service
http://www.prc.gov/docs/71/71922/RM2010-9 Reply.pdf
Revenue, Pieces and Weight (RPW) Report Quarter 1, FY
2011 (Public)
http://www.prc.gov/docs/71/71929/Letter-RPW_Rpt-Qtr1_FY2011.pdf
http://www.prc.gov/docs/71/71929/Fy2011q1_RPWsummaryreport_public.xls
Memphis Daily News: The chief financial officer of FedEx
Freight Corp. wants to try to make the LTL (less than truckload)
freight business more like the package business.
Memphis Commercial Appeal: Union leaders have endorsed a
tentative labor agreement between FedEx and its pilots and
scheduled a ratification vote Feb. 25 to March 23.
February 11, 2011
Hellmail: "My Google Alert for "postal address" articles and
blogs on the Net returned to me proof of two things: 1. People care
about their addresses no matter where they are, and 2. Postal
systems know it's in their interest not to charge customers for
change of address services, but for some reason they can't help
themselves."
Post & Parcel: "Congress was told today that the United States
Postal Service needs an influx of staff from outside the
organization – and more opportunity for external ideas to feed in.
That was the view today from Dave Williams, the USPS Inspector
General, testifying today before the House Finance Committee
subcommittee that oversees the Postal Service. Williams said federal
organizations like the struggling Postal Service could benefit from
the introduction of new people, despite perceptions that it would
take time to get external recruits up to speed on the issues.
Representative Serrano, from New York, said he believed pursuing new
ideas to grow revenues would be preferable to job-cutting measures
like moving to five-day deliveries. “This is not the time to be
cutting jobs,” he said. “Let’s look at some really hard decisions
and not go for the easy option like five-day deliveries."
Business Wire: "Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) today
expressed outrage on behalf of taxpayers at new reports of United
States Postal Service (USPS) employees using business credit cards
for personal travel, to expense adult entertainment parties,
purchase personal computers, and pay their mortgages. The Washington
Post’s Ed O’Keefe details the contents of the USPS Office of
Inspector General’s report, “Over a two-year period, some postal
workers used credit cards meant for travel and lodging expenses to
buy family members flights to Spain and Italy, purchase Apple
computers and make more than 50 purchases at ‘adult entertainment’
stores…All told, the mail agency could have saved more than $600,000
in excessive travel costs during fiscal 2009 and 2010 if it had
cracked down on non-compliant workers, the report said.”
The Scotsman: "Thousands of Post Office counter staff are to be
balloted for strikes in a row over pay, threatening disruption in
the run up to Easter, it was announced today. The Communication
Workers Union said 4,000 of its members will vote over the next few
weeks on whether to launch a campaign of industrial action."
Victoria Advocate: "The U.S. Postal service will move all mail
processing operations from Victoria to Corpus Christi, according to
a news release issued Friday. Local mail service will not be
affected by the move and retail service for purchasing stamps and
other postal products will continue to be available at all Victoria
Post Office locations, according to the release. The transition is
expected to be completed by July."
DMM Advisory: IMb™ Services Update. Facility Access and Shipment Tracking (FAST®) Release 16.0 originally scheduled for deployment March 6, 2011, will now be deployed to the Production environment effective Sunday, April 17, 2011. Updated FAST User Guides and Release Notes for FAST 16.0 are posted on the FAST website (Resources/Reference Documents section) and RIBBS® website. Please be advised that the FAST Production system will not be available from 4 a.m. through 8 a.m. (CDT) on Sunday, April 17, 2011. FAST Release 16.0 will deploy to the Test Environment for Mailers (TEM) on Monday, April 18, 2011. The FAST TEM system will not be available from 8 a.m. through 12 Noon (CDT) on Monday, April 18, 2011.
Looks like the Postal Service has decided to go into the retail
advertising distribution business in
competition with its current customers through a
simplified address based program called "Every
Door Direct Mail."
Washington Post: "If the cash-strapped U.S. Postal Service wants
to save money it should ensure that its workers aren't booking
pricey hotel rooms and airplane tickets or buying pornography,
according to a new watchdog report. Over a two-year period, some
postal workers used credit cards meant for travel and lodging
expenses to buy family members flights to Spain and Italy, purchase
Apple computers and make more than 50 purchases at "adult
entertainment" stores. The findings, detailed in a Postal Service
Inspector General report, also reveal that USPS didn't cancel 2,491
credit cards issued to former employees, including 53 who were
listed as deceased. Two former employees were still using their
cards after they left, according to the report."
The latest issue of
the PostCom Bulletin is available online. In this issue:
The USPS Board of Governors (BOG) met in open session this week to discuss its first quarter financial results, service performance, and legislative activities. The USPS would have made $226 million for the first quarter excluding the cost of prefunding future retiree healthcare benefits and noncash adjustment to the workers’ compensation liability.
The Postal Service released its unaudited first quarter financials for Fiscal Year (FY) 2011 which showed $329 million net loss, compared to a $297 million net loss for the first quarter FY10. According to the Postal Service, “excluding the cost of prefunding future retiree healthcare benefits and noncash adjustments to workers’ compensation liability, the Postal Service would have had a net income of $226 million for the first quarter.”
The Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) on February 4, 2011, established a new docket RM2011-7 for consideration of the USPS’ latest request for temporary waivers from periodic reporting of service performance measurement [see PostCom Bulletin 05-11 for more information on the USPS’ request]. The USPS in its February 3, 2011, filing requests waivers from reporting for Standard Mail, Bound Printed Matter (BPM) flats, and certain Area and District level data for Presort First-Class Mail and End-to-End Periodicals. Its request also includes proposals for interim service performance reporting.
According to the Postal Service, it continues to work on formulating the rules to govern mailpiece design for folded self-mailers. The USPS is trying to develop rules that allow industry creativity in mailpiece design but also prevent pieces with problematic design characteristics from being damaged and disrupting its letter automated processing equipment, or requiring significantly more costly flats or manual processing.
In a letter to President Obama, Postcom joins other associations in urging him “to direct OPM to recalculate the Postal Service CSRS obligations using the method endorsed by both the Postal Regulatory Commission and the Postal Service Inspector General and to transfer any excess to the Postal Service Retiree Health Benefits Fund. Such action will allow our members to create new American jobs, and to help save the United States Postal Service from ruin.”
In his oral testimony, USPS Chief Inspector General David Williams said, “I have outlined the need for substantial change to increase readiness and recognize the Postal Service's role in positioning America in the communications revolution. The engine for this transformation is innovation and the Postal Service needs to strengthen its systems for innovation. Innovators collaborate with customers, take risks, make mistakes, stop failures quickly, and replicate successes. The Postal Service's success depends on embracing this environment. Federal financial raids on the Postal Service have to be halted; and the Postal Service should be taken back off-budget as originally designed, and the benefit funds restructured. We will need strong collaborative efforts to enable the Postal Service to serve Americans in the 21st Century.”
The Postal Journal has just posted three recent studies looking at the changing ways that consumers and businesses receive and pay bills. The articles as a group suggest that consumers are increasingly looking toward web and mobile methods of handling bills and web, mobile and in-person methods of paying bills.
Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee welcomes new members. Study says 2016 is “tipping point” for eBill usage. Time to fix the USPS. Redesigning USPS: changes to be announced in late March. Unbundling postal prices. NALC does not support Collins’ workers comp bill. USPS changes salary rules for postmasters. Margaret Cigno named as PRC’s OAC Director. USPS submits Collaborative Logistics market test report. USPS eases IMb requirements for Reply Rides Free.
An update on DMM Advisories issued by the U.S. Postal Service.
An update on postal rules and notices published in the Federal Register.
A review of postal news from around the world.
Postal previews.
Hey! You've not been getting the weekly PostCom Bulletin--the
best postal newsletter anywhere...bar none?
Send us by email your name, company,
company title, postal and email address.
Get a chance to see what you've been missing.
The PostCom Bulletin is distributed via
NetGram
Media Daily News: "Frustrated in its efforts to strike a
subscription deal with Apple for the iPad, Time Inc. is making a bit
more progress with other technology companies. The magazine
publisher has struck a deal with Hewlett Packard enabling it to sell
digital magazine subscriptions to consumers who own the forthcoming
HP tablet computer. According to All Things Digital, which first
reported the news, Time Inc. will be able to market subscriptions to
four flagship titles -- Time, People, Sports Illustrated, and
Fortune -- to consumers who buy the HP tablet computer, a new device
incorporating Palm's webOS platform, which is due out this summer."
Washington Post: "The California Supreme Court ruled Thursday
that merchants can no longer ask for the Zip codes of customers who
make purchases with credit cards because such requests violate a
state consumer-protection law."
B2B Marketing: "Royal Mail has launched a campaign to promote
the use of DM among advertisers and agencies. The campaign, designed
by Proximity London, encourages recipients to access a microsite via
a PURL. The microsite offers recipients a free copy of The Little
Red Book of Bigger Returns - designed to demonstrate the most
effective ways to integrate DM into a campaign. The DM piece will be
sent to 5000 individuals at the top 3000 advertisers and agencies
and will include an incentive of a 25 per cent discount for those
who have not used DM for two years or more. The campaign coincides
with research - by Brand Science - that reveals integrating DM can
increase ROI from an average of £2.81 to £3.40."
The Tennessean: "The U.S Postal Service on Royal Parkway in
Davidson County was hit with a safety violation for allowing workers
to use damaged and unrepaired dock levelers, the U.S. Department of
Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced
Wednesday."
Azerpoct Ltd is going to buy cash machines and POS terminals to equip its regional post offices before the end of the year. Novruz Mammadov, the head of the Postal Office of the Ministry of Communications & Information Technologies of Azerbaijan, has said that today 700 post branches around the country are almost ready for installation of cash machines and POS-terminals.
Before the end of the first half of 2011 Azerpoct LLC intends to complete negotiations with payment system Visa International on the issue of plastic cards. Novruz Mammadov, the head of the Postal Office of the Ministry of Communications & Information Technologies of Azerbaijan, says that Azerpoct has issued 2,000 local plastic cards on wages for its employees.
Post & Parcel: "La Poste is to receive EUR 2.7bn from the
French government as it prepares for the liberalisation of the
postal market. The cash injection will be provided by the state
in conjunction with its investment arm Caisse des Depots."
From the Federal Register: Postal
Regulatory Commission
NOTICES
Postal Service Rate Adjustment , 7883–7884 [2011–3166]
[TEXT] [PDF]
According to
Dead Tree Edition: "The Postal Service would not need to end
Saturday delivery if the budget lifts the two anchors weighing down
USPS's finances -- what are euphemistically referred to as prepaid
retiree benefits and overpayments for pensions. If those two Postal
Service subsidies of the federal government (that's right, the
Postal Service has been bailing out the federal government, not
vice-versa) were corrected, the Postal Service would be profitable."
Art Daily: "Alan and Sandy Whitman have donated $100,000 to
support the National Postal Museum’s expansion to create the William
H. Gross Stamp Gallery. Alan is a managing director at Morgan
Stanley Smith Barney and an active member of the museum’s Council of
Philatelists."
Pensions & Investments: "United Parcel Service Inc., Atlanta,
contributed $3.2 billion in cash to its U.S. pension plans in the
last two months, said Norman Black, UPS spokesman. The company
contributed $1.2 billion in January and $2 billion in December, he
said. As a result of the contributions, each of the company's U.S.
defined benefit pension plans is now more than 100% funded, Mr.
Black said. The amount of the overfunding was unavailable, he said."
The Sofia Echo: "Bulgarian Posts has placed its first bond,
worth 15 million leva, in a bid to restructure debt, the state-owned
postal services operator said on February 10."
Baltimore Sun: "The U.S. Postal Service is considering moving
some of its Frederick mail-processing and distribution operations to
Baltimore."
Business Recorder: "The employees of Pakistan Post under held a
protest rally in front of G-9 Markaz Post Office here on Thursday
against the proposed privatisation of the organisation. The
protestors were carrying placards and banners inscribed with
anti-privatisation slogans."
At the
Postal Regulatory
Commission:
USPS Preliminary
Financial Information (unaudited), December 2010
http://www.prc.gov/docs/71/71899/DEC-10_PRC_-_FINAL.pdf
http://www.prc.gov/docs/71/71899/Letter-PFI-December-2010.pdf
The 2011 NPF Workshop Matrix is Available and Early Bird Deadline Extended for another two weeks! The 2011 NPF Workshop Matrix is now available to view and download at www.npf.org. This matrix provides a complete day-by-day, hour-by-hour listing of the workshop schedule. There are over 130 workshops scheduled for the 2011 San Diego Forum. The National Postal Forum is the mailing educational event that you cannot afford to miss. Early Bird Registration was set to expire on February 11th! This deadline has now been extended to enable you to still take advantage of the $50 discount. The new early bird deadline has been extended to February 25th, don’t miss this opportunity......the Early Bird Deadline will not be extended after this date!!
Please click below to view reports posted on the U.S. Postal Service
Office of Inspector General website (http://www.uspsoig.gov/).
If you have additional questions concerning a report, please contact
Wally Olihovik at 703-248-2201, or Agapi Doulaveris at 703-248-2286.
Compliance with Travel Policies and Opportunities for Cost Savings (FF-AR-11-007). We estimate the Postal Service could realize an additional $600,000 in savings over the next 2 years, or $300,000 annually, if it takes action to curtail employee noncompliance with travel policies.
Facility Optimization: Western Area (DA-AR-11-001). Although the Postal Service has made progress in optimizing excess interior space, additional opportunities remain. In the Western Area, we analyzed five districts, and found the Postal Service can do more to optimize 4.5 million square footage of excess interior space to potentially realize about $17.4 million annually.
FY 2011 FTC BME Unit Oversight Reviews - Atlanta BME Unit - Atlanta, GA (FF-MA-11-013)
FY 2011 FTC Oversight Reviews - Mid-Island Processing PDC, Melville, NY(FF-MA-11-020)
FY 2011 FTC Oversight Review - Reading BME Unit, Reading, PA (FF-MA-11-021)
NonProfit
Times: "Continuing to push for Congressional relief from
prefunding future retiree healthcare benefits, the United States
Postal Service (USPS) said it would have netted $226 million in
income for the first quarter if not for the required $5-billion
payment. Instead, the USPS reported a loss of $329 million, more
than the $297-million loss a year ago, and it expects to have a
chase shortfall by the end of this fiscal year (Sept. 30), as
well as reaching its statutory borrowing limit."
Hellmail: "Innovations in mobile technologies and changing
consumer behaviour are expected to drive an explosion in
e-commerce over the coming years, providing unique opportunities
for postal operators around the world to leverage the predicted
accompanying growth in cross-border e-commerce. However in order
to benefit from the anticipated boon, posts need to develop
flexible, seamless solutions for international e-retailers.
These were just some of the findings to emerge from a
senior-level roundtable on Innovations in E-commerce co-hosted
by International Post Corporation and the Stanford Graduate
Business School Global Supply Chain Management Forum that took
place last week at Stanford University in Palo Alto,
California."
Houston Chronicle: "A Missouri City man who owned three mail
presort companies has been convicted of fraud, including
altering postage meter machines to produce counterfeit postage
in mass mailings. A federal jury on Tuesday convicted Neal Uy
Lim, 50, of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, two counts of mail
fraud and four counts of possession of counterfeit postage meter
machines, United States Attorney José Moreno and U.S. Postal
Inspector-in-Charge Gary Barksdale announced Wednesday. Lim was
indicted in June last year with five other people. The
co-defendants have previously pleaded guilty to conspiring to
commit mail fraud. The crimes were committed between 2003 and
2007, authorities said, at Lim's companies: Gulf Coast Presort
at 1005 Ennis St. and Mail Processing Center at 10835 Seaboard
Loop, both in Houston, and a satellite office at 5940 N. Sam
Houston Parkway E. in Humble."
Logistics
Manager: "DHL is investing $22.5 million to expand its hub
at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky airport to meet the growing
demands of international customers."
CNET: "-The next generation of Internet Explorer is nearly
ready for the public at large, as Microsoft announces the
release candidate of Internet Explorer 9 at the Hang Art Gallery
in San Francisco's Union Square this morning. The feature
changes from the first beta are focused largely, yet not
exclusively, on security. Like the Firefox 4 feature, the new
"do not track" feature will prevent Web advertisers from
tracking your behavior using a header-based solution."
At the
Postal Regulatory
Commission:
Print CEO: "The spate of winter storms much of the U.S. has
faced this season has had many postal carriers begging patrons to
clear a path to their mailboxes despite the motto attributed to the
postal service. But if Zumbox has its way, neither the motto nor the
postal carriers may be needed in a future that features digital mail
delivery."
International Freighting Weekly: "The air cargo industry will
not make substantial progress on introducing e-commerce until
greater standardisation between service providers and governments is
agreed, according to Andrew Herdman, Director General of the
Association of Asia Pacific Airlines. A recent survey painted a
depressing picture on the speed with which the air cargo industry is
introducing e-commerce systems."
The prospect of an Executive Branch agency defaulting on its obligations (because of inside the Beltway politicking) would be a sad commentary on the competence of the Executive Branch to manage the country's economic affairs.
Federal Times: "The U.S. Postal Service suffered worsening
financial losses in the first quarter of the fiscal year and is
warning it will default on a $5.5 billion payment it must make later
this
year to its retiree health care fund."
Daijiworld: "Under the aegis of Rural Postal Employees
Association, postal employees from rural centres will be holding a
symbolic protest in front of all the divisional offices in the state
on Thursday February 10 afternoon. They have been demanding revision
of wages on par with the recommendations of the sixth pay
commission."
NEXT: "The National Identity Management Commission is to partner
with the Nigerian Postal Service on the distribution of the national
identification number slips and the national identity cards which
are to serve as smart cards."
Wall Street Journal: "President Barack Obama is set to unveil
Thursday a plan to boost broadband wireless coverage across the U.S.
and create a nationwide, interoperable wireless network for public
safety, White House officials said Wednesday. Mr. Obama will lay out
the initiative at Northern Michigan University in Marquette, Mich.
It's expected to reduce the country's deficit by $10 billion through
the sale of wireless spectrum to businesses, said Jason Furman,
deputy director of the National Economic Council. The plan is aimed
at building on efforts in the private sector to expand wireless
coverage. Mr. Obama said in his State of the Union address that he
wanted to make available high-speed wireless services to at least
98% of Americans. Mr. Furman said the initiative would also help
spur job growth because workers will be needed to build the wireless
networks." [EdNote: Mr. President, while we're building out
a nationwide broadband wireless network, let's not screw up the
nation's postal network. Let's address and fix the CSRS/pre-funding
mess before the nation's postal system isn't worth a tinker's dam.]
PRNewswire: "Cardiac Science Corporation, a global leader in
automated external defibrillator (AED) and diagnostic cardiac
monitoring devices, has been awarded a contract to deploy
Powerheart® AEDs at U.S. Postal Inspection Service sites across the
nation. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is the primary law
enforcement arm of the United States Postal Service."
The latest issue of
National Postal Forum Mailing Industry Updates has been posted
on this site.
Hellmail: "The Communication Workers Union confirmed today that
it is to serve notice to the Isle of Man Post Office (IMPO) that a
ballot for industrial action is to go ahead. This is the first
strike ballot ever at the mail company."
BizJournals: "The U.S. Postal Service starts a new fiscal year
with a wider first-quarter loss, and it warns at this rate, it won’t
be able to meet some of its obligations by September."
Daily Monitor: "Posta Uganda has put an embargo on parcels
weighing over 500 grammes to the Unites States of America and Canada
as a security measure against terrorism. The ban, that takes effect
today, was communicated to the firm’s management by Uganda Postal
Union, as precautionary demand by the USA government that controls
about 50 per cent of world postal business. The embargo follows the
Al Shabaab terrorists’ twin bombings in Kampala which killed at
least 76 people and injured dozens of others at Kyadondo Rugby Club
and Ethiopia Village Restaurant last year."
MMDNewswire: "The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety
and Health Administration has cited the U.S. Postal Service on Royal
Parkway in Nashville with one willful safety violation for allowing
workers to use damaged and unrepaired dock levelers, carrying a
penalty of $70,000. OSHA began its inspection following a complaint
that an employee was seriously injured while lifting a damaged
steel-hinged plate that provides a bridge between the dock and a
truck trailer. The strap that the employee was using to lift the
plate slipped off the steel flap, which caused the employee to lose
balance and fall backwards, striking the concrete floor. A willful
violation exists when an employer has demonstrated either an
intentional disregard for the requirements of the law or plain
indifference to employee safety and health."
At the
Postal Regulatory
Commission:
Wall Street Journal: "United Parcel Service Inc. (UPS) has
stopped lobbying Congress to approve a labor provision heatedly
opposed by rival FedEx Corp. (FDX), acknowledging the high-profile
battle appears to be over at least for the next two years."February 9, 2011
♪♫"Oh I heard it -- Heard It -- Yes, I heard it through
the grapevine. . . ."
♫♪
Hey PRC, have you
got your ears on? Key sectors on Capitol Hill are very unhappy
with the fact the the Commission's long-awaited report on 5-Day
Delivery has yet to be delivered. People are questioning the
wisdom of providing the Commission with any further regulatory
discretion. You got to move it move it.
PostCom Members! The
2010
Annual Report of the Association for Postal Commerce has
been posted on this site.
At the
Postal Regulatory
Commission:
Business Daily Africa: "A new regulation has set off a fight
between private courier operators and the government over
plans to introduce a levy on their revenues to finance
Postal Corporation of Kenya (PCK) to serve unprofitable
rural areas. The private courier operators will start paying
0.5 per cent of their total revenue annually from July 1 to
the Postal Universal Fund with the Communication Commission
of Kenya (CCK) collecting the money and PCK managing it."
Bloomberg: "The U.S. Postal Service, which predicts that by the
end of September it will be unable to make health-benefit payments
for future retirees, said its first- quarter loss widened as
first-class mail volumes declined. The loss widened to $329 million
in the three months ended Dec. 31 from $297 million a year earlier,
the Postal Service said in a statement today. Revenue fell 3.3
percent to $15.3 billion. Growth in bulk mail volumes that spurred a
1.5 percent mail volume increase failed to generate enough revenue
to counter declines in letter sending, the Washington-based agency
said. It urged Congress to change laws requiring it to pay now for
health-care benefit costs of future retirees, saying that’s the only
way it won’t run out of cash and lose the ability to borrow by Sept.
30, the end of its fiscal year. "
The slides from the
Chief Financial Officer's presentation today to the USPS
Board of Governors has been posted on this site.
Champaign-Urbana News-Gazette: "The U.S. Postal Service
is studying the idea of moving mail-cancellation services
from Champaign to either Bloomington or Springfield."
MyHermes: "A Conservative MP has criticised Royal Mail
for creating a "postcode lottery" which means many of his
constituents pay high insurance premiums."
Transport Intelligence: "UPS expects 2011 to be a
“record-setting” year."
At today’s USPS Board of Governors’ meeting:
Orlando Press Register: "Some rural post offices could
be closed down."
Post & Parcel: "Mexico’s postmaster general José Ignacio García
Olvera said yesterday that his company would achieve growth in the
postal market even with competition from internet communications.
hide Google Search Results You arrived here after searching for the
following phrases: * "Mexico" * "culture" Click a phrase to jump to
the first occurrence, or return to the search results. However,
Correos de Mexico is looking to make changes in its working culture
and while maintaining its presence across the country, consolidate
its operations in order to deliver safely, in a timely fashion and
at a lower price."
Bluefield Daily Telegraph: "City Manager Andy Merriman said
Tuesday he is drafting an opposition letter that challenges the
proposed closure of Bluefield’s Processing and Distribution Facility
by the U.S. Postal Service. “It’s going to have a negative impact on
the city,” Merriman said. “We are very concerned.”
Post & Parcel: "The development of a paperless postal system in
the United States has taken a step forward today with technology
developer Zumbox signing up a major mailing partner. KUBRA operates
electronic billing systems for major telecommunications, utility,
healthcare and finance companies, bringing 400 mailers to the Zumbox
system. Collectively, KUBRA’s customers send out around one billion
pieces of transactional mail each year. Along with existing
partnership with transactional mail printing firm DST Output, it
means Zumbox now has around 1,000 mailers that can use its
technology to send transactional mail electronically, rather than
through physical mail services. Zumbox told Post&Parcel ahead of
today’s announcement that it is planning to launch the consumer side
of its electronic mail box offering in the second quarter of this
year." See also
Marketwire.
Washington Post: "Frank S. Johnson Jr., a public relations and
communications executive who worked under three U.S. presidents and
for corporate, financial and not-for-profit organizations, died Jan.
12 at his home in Falls Church after a heart attack. He was 80. Mr.
Johnson led public affairs departments for the Labor Department
under President Richard Nixon, the U.S. Postal Service and NASA
under President Ronald Reagan, and the U.S. Information Agency under
President George H.W. Bush."
CEP News
(Courier-Express-Postal), published by the MRU Consultancy, has reported that:
Virtually at the last minute Johnny Thijs, CEO of bpost, tries to prevent the strike, scheduled for February 11 (CEP-News 05/11). Talks with the unions about abandoning the call for strike were scheduled for next week.
’The results we achieved in 2010 will show that it has been a positive year for Poste Italiane’. Last week, CEO Massimo Sarmi told the media he was confident about the last business year. As Poste Italiane already posted a 32% rise in turnover (12.4bn euros) and a 13% increase in profit (915m euros) his optimism was well-founded without doubt.
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.)
Indian Express: "Though officials find it hard to admit
that smuggling of narcotics has increased, latest figures
from the Customs department highlight a sharp rise in
seizure of contraband materials booked through courier and
post."
From the Federal Register:
Postal Service
RULES
International Mail:
Mailing Services Price Change , 7114–7116 [2011–2794]
[TEXT] [PDF]
Green Bay Gazette: "The John W. Byrnes Main Post Office
at 300 Packerland Drive in Green Bay has seen an uptick in
business the last few weeks due in large part to people
sending T-shirts, jerseys, Cheeseheads and other Green Bay
Packers merchandise."
Online Media Daily: "A new privacy bill that includes
authorization for do-not-track regulations could be
introduced in Congress as early as this week by Rep. Jackie
Speier (D-Calif.). The proposal would enable the Federal
Trade Commission to issue regulations ensuring that
consumers can opt out of online data collection by companies
engaged in interstate commerce, according to a summary
provided by Speier's office. The bill also allows the FTC to
create exceptions for "commonly accepted commercial
practices."
Yahoo! News: "For the first time ever, smart phones such
as Apple Inc.'s iPhone are outselling personal computers,
according to a report by research group IDC."
PC World: "According to a comScore report out today on digital
trends in 2010, the use of Web-based e-mail has begun to drop. The
culprit? That's easy. People are increasingly shifting to instant
messaging, posts on social networks and texting on their mobile
phones. That, according to comScore, doesn't bode well for the
future of this communication tool. Webmail usage among teenagers,
actually dropped 59% in the past year."
WHNT: "The U.S. Postal Service is considering moving some mail
processing operations from Huntsville to Birmingham. In fact, there
is an upcoming meeting to discuss the specifics."
February 8, 2011
WVMetro News: "More Postal Service jobs could be on the
line here in West Virginia. The U.S. Postal Service is in
the process of conducting an Area Mail Processing study, or
AMP, at its Bluefield Distribution and Processing operation.
Cathy Yarosky with the Postal Service says the study just
got underway the first of the month."
Bullard Banner News: "USPS spokesman insists expenses
must be cut."
Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee
Chairman Joe Lieberman, ID-Conn., and Ranking Member Susan
Collins, R-Me., Friday welcomed to the Committee one new
Democratic member and three new Republicans. Newcomers are
Senators Mark Begich, D-Alaska, Ron Johnson, R-Wisc., Rob
Portman, R-Ohio, and Rand Paul, R-Kty. The Democratic
members of the Committee, in addition to the Chairman are:
Senators Carl Levin, D-Mich., Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii, Thomas
Carper, D-Del., Mark Pryor D-Ark., Mary Landrieu, D-La.,
Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., Jon Tester, D-Mont.; and Mark
Begich, D-Alaska. Republican members are: Senators Tom
Coburn, R-Okla., Scott Brown, D-Mass., John McCain, R-Ariz.,
Ron Johnson, R-Wisc., John Ensign, R-Nev., Rob Portman,
R-Ohio, and Rand Paul, R-Kty.
Memphis Daily News: "The executive council of the labor union
representing FedEx pilots meets this week to consider a tentative
contract between the pilots and the Memphis-based shipper."
CBS News: "The recent news that the U.S. Postal Service would
like to begin the process of closing 2,000 post offices next month,
begs the question -- are post offices still relevant?"
At the
Postal Regulatory
Commission:
The
Association for Postal Commerce, the Direct Marketing
Association, the Alliance of Nonprofit Mailers, the
Association of Magazine Media, and the National Newspapers
Association have written to President Barack Obama
urging him "to direct OPM to recalculate the Postal Service
CSRS obligations using the method endorsed by both the
Postal Regulatory Commission and the Postal Service
Inspector General and to transfer any excess to the Postal
Service Retiree Health Benefits Fund. Such action will allow
our members to create new American jobs, and to help save
the United States Postal Service from ruin."
NetworkWorld: "FedEx package-delivery personnel across
the United States have been reduced to inputting package
information by hand and getting handwritten signatures
instead of doing this all electronically due to what’s
believed to be a software glitch on their handheld devices."
NetworkWorld: "FedEx, which Monday saw a nationwide
software glitch impact the mobile devices called PowerPads
used by its package-delivery personnel, said it has resolved
the problem. However, the FedEx system Tuesday morning was
still working through a backlog of tracking information."
The Olympian: "Secretary of State Sam Reed recently
announced that this state played a significant role in
creating a new postal classification for election mail –
hopefully saving the state and county auditors millions of
dollars when they mail voter pamphlets, ballots and other
election-related materials."
The final agenda
for the February 28 - March 3, 2011 Mailcom event in
Washington, DC has been posted on this site.
Forbes: "Shipping company United Parcel Service Inc.
said Monday it is expanding its express freight service into
Israel and Slovakia."
San Francisco Chronicle: "Rep. Jerry McNerney,
D-Pleasanton, wrote a letter to postal managers today
warning about plans to scale back a mail processing facility
in Stockton and transfer the work to Sacramento. Such
congressional interventions are typical of postal
operations, which are uniquely conducted by an independent
agency overseen by Congress and written into the U.S.
Constitution."
February 7, 2011
The U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General invites you
to comment on this week’s “Pushing the Envelope” blog topic:
DMM
Advisory:
All Mail Service to
At the
Postal Regulatory
Commission:
Hellmail: "Slovenian Post has concluded an agreement
with Deutsche Post that will allow customers who buy items
online from Germany, to return them free of charge."
Auctionbytes: "Some postal employees have been
incorrectly telling online sellers that they must use SCAN
Forms when dropping off packages with prepaid online
postage. SCAN Form (PS Form 5630) is a useful service that
allows sellers to prove their packages have entered the mail
stream - the SCAN Form contains a master barcode that
represents all the packages in a shipment, and a single scan
enters all of the associated packages into the USPS database
as "Shipment Accepted."
Rapid City Journal: "Rural residents worry about post
office closures."
The Postal Journal has just posted three recent studies looking at
the changing ways that consumers and businesses receive and pay
bills. The articles as a group suggest that consumers are
increasingly looking toward web and mobile methods of handling bills
and web, mobile and in-person methods of paying bills.
The studies, listed in order of their publication and their relavent
conclusions are as follows:
Implications of These Studies. These studies confirm the Boston Consulting Group's (BCG's) conclusion that the primary purpose of mail in 2020 will be the delivery of advertising as the volume of bills and payments in the mail decline. These three studies suggest that the Postal Service and others interested in the future of the Postal Market need to take a second look at the forecasts developed by BCG and presented publicly last spring in order to determine if the more recent data suggests a faster or slower decline in transaction mail than previously believed. From a policy standpoint, these studies suggest that more information is needed about:
DMM Advisory: February 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:
Collect on Delivery Service
We revised
503.11.2.1 to clarify standards that apply to
disputes regarding Collect on Delivery (COD) services once
payment is returned to the mailer. Specifically, the Postal
Service cannot intervene in disputes between mailers and
recipients of COD mail after postal records indicate payment was
returned to the mailer.
Submission of Electronic
Documentation with Comailed and Copalletized Mailings
We revised
705.8.7,
705.8.8,
705.8.16 and
707.27.0 to require mailers preparing comailed
or copalletized mailings, or mail owners who contribute
mailpieces to a consolidated comailed or copalletized mailing,
to submit electronic documentation to the USPS by an approved
method.
New Preparation Standards for
Flat-Size Mailpieces Destinating in FSS Zones
We revised
343.6.0,
343.7.0,
363.5.0,
363.6.0,
705.14.0,
707.13.0,
707.14.0 and Labeling List
L006 to provide new standards for mail
preparation of flat-size Standard Mail, Periodicals, and Bound
Printed Matter mailpieces prepared for delivery within the ZIP
Codes served by Flats Sequencing System (FSS) processing.
Market Test: Alternate Postage
Payment Method for Greeting Cards
We revised
709.3.0 to conduct a 2-year market test of the
Alternate Postage Payment Method for Greeting Cards. The market
test is effective from January 2, 2011, through December 31,
2012.
Processing Refund Requests for
Unused Meter Indicia
We revised
604.9.0 to clarify standards that apply to
processing refund requests for unused postage evidencing system
indicia.
Labeling List Changes
We revised labeling lists
L001,
L002,
L003,
L005,
L006,
L007,
L201,
L606, and
L607 to reflect changes in mail processing
operations.
NACHA - The Electronic Payments Association: "When will
eBills be more widely used than traditional paper bills? A
recent study suggests it might only be five years down the
road. “eBills have not reached their full potential, but
they’re gaining momentum,” said Janet O. Estep, president
and CEO of NACHA — The Electronic Payments Association.
“With companies’ long-term commitment to converting their
customers to electronic bill presentment, we see adoption
gaining momentum."
Foster's Democrat: "Once a monopoly, others have found
more efficient and cheaper ways to deliver — Federal Express
and UPS chief among them. Add to these the Internet, and the
need for the Postal Service to significantly rehabilitate
its business model is clear. What is also clear is that the
Postal Service is here to stay, at least for the foreseeable
future. By mandate, USPS workers must ensure the mail gets
to every nook and cranny of the United States, not to
mention the old saying — neither rain, nor sleet, nor dark
of night ... At one time that mandate was profitable, but no
more. That does not mean the USPS business model is beyond
repair. Sen. Collins is backing legislation that would
address the billions of dollars in overfunding prior
legislation has forced into USPS retirement coffers.
According to the senator, her legislative efforts would also
"improve the Postal Service's contracting practices, and
help prevent the kind of problems recently uncovered by the
Postal Service Inspector General, which include contract
mismanagement, ethical lapses, and financial waste."
MacVideo: "Following the etailer's acquisition of online
and postal movie rental service Love Film last month, Amazon
posted a message on a web page that hinted at the move.
Amazon is thought to be preparing to offer its Prime
customers the chance to stream movies and TV shows over the
internet."
ERR News: "The merger between Express Post and the
national postal service Eesti Post should not be
overdramatized, said a director of Eesti Post, as a small
country should not have two mail delivery systems and the
market remains open to new players. Aavo Kärmas said in
business daily Äripäev that the volumes of letters and
periodicals have decreased over recent years and there is no
point in maintaining two parallel systems." See also
The Baltic Course.
Hellmail: "The Estonian Ministry of Finance along with
Estonian Post's subsiduary service - the Estonian eInvoicing
Centre (www.arvekeskus.ee), will sign a service agreement
this week, offering the e-invoicing service environment to
government agencies to help reduce administrative costs. The
signed service contract will be valid until 2013."
Hellmail: "Marcela Hrda, CEO of Czech Post said last
week that whilst she was proud of the achievements of the
postal service in reducing operating costs last year, Czech
Post needed to remain vigilant."
Postalnews Blog: "With preparations underway for
negotiations over the terms of the 2011 National Agreement
between the NPMHU and the Postal Service, the National
Office has issued its official call for bargaining proposals
from all members and Local Unions. To be fully considered
prior to the onset of negotiations, proposals must be
submitted by March 31, 2011. Although formal bargaining is
not scheduled to begin until August or early September of
this year, the Union’s Field Negotiating Committee will be
meeting for a full week in April 2011 to review all
submitted proposals and outline the changes in the National
Agreement that should be proposed by the NPMHU."
Postalnews Blog: A USPS announcement will be made by the end of
March. "a major benchmark in the long-term redesign of the Postal
Service — could include district closures, as well as changes in
organizational structures at headquarters and in the field. The
March announcement also could lead to a reduction in force (RIF) or
voluntary early retirement (VER) for specific groups of employees.
If implemented, the VER option will be announced along with the new
organizational structure."
The Economic Times: "The government may allow post offices to
set up automated teller machines, or ATMs , at rural areas, in an
attempt to further strengthen the role of India Post in financial
inclusion."
The Citizen: "Tanzania Posts Corporation (TPC) needs Sh30.8
billion to enable it to operate competitively. TPC has presented its
recovery plan and a budget to the ministry of Science, Technology
and Communications."
February 6, 2011
Express and Star: "The Royal Mail has forked out more
than £2 million on compensation claims to people in the West
Midlands over the last five years, new figures revealed.
Payments were made to residents whose mail or parcels were
either lost, delivered to the wrong address or damaged
during transit. Since 2005, the Royal Mail has paid
£2,022,644 in response to 134,829 complaints from people in
the region. The organisation said on average, there was one
complaint for every 19,000 items posted throughout the
area."
Seeking Alpha: "The world's two shipping companies are
enjoying a massive rebound in volumes and revenue. United
Parcel Service (UPS) reported earnings this week. The
company reported that earnings surged 44% in the fourth
quarter. UPS also stated that 2011 earnings per share should
set an all-time high."
Bluefield Daily Telegraph: "The proposed closure and
consolidation of Bluefield’s Processing and Distribution Facility by
the United States Postal Service is a flawed and poorly conceived
idea."
Daily Mail: "Hundreds of campaigners recently marched through
David Cameron's Oxfordshire constituency to protest against
Government plans to sell off the Royal Mail. 'The planned
privatisation is an unnecessary ideological move which will damage
postal services for ever,' said Billy Hayes, leader of the
Communication Workers Union. While Hayes believes the sell-off of
Royal Mail - in State hands since its inception in 1516 - would mean
an increase in prices, a decrease in services and mass Post Office
closures, Business Secretary Vince Cable claims the move will
'secure the services that consumers and businesses rely on'."
Times of Malta: "Maltapost plc is in the throes of an evolution
that will see its product offering and service delivery upgraded to
meet the changing demands of customers increasingly turning to
e-commerce and online shopping, chief executive officer Joseph Gafà
told The Sunday Times. In its performance review for the year ended
September 30, 2010, Maltapost said it would continue to streamline
and update its strategy to ensure it remained innovative, efficient
and competitive."
The Malta Independent: "Postal carrier MaltaPost has reported
profits before tax for the year ended on 30 September of €3.2
million, level with last year’s and Earnings per Share of €0.07."
In-Forum: "There is a value to small-town post offices that goes
well beyond a profit-and-loss statement. The U.S. Postal Service,
that quasi-private, misnamed, bureaucratic monster, doesn’t get
that. Since it became a curious private/government hybrid, the
concept of “service” has been shunted aside by a drive to be a
profit-making enterprise."
BruDirect: "In an effort to better facilitate communication
between the post office and the public, the Post Office Department
yesterday launched the first phase of a project that uses Short
Messaging Service (SMS). The Acting Postmaster General, Hj Mohamad
Hj Manan Lakim said that the new SMAPos project intends to further
improve the quality of the postal service by providing more
alternative means of communication between them and their clients."
Auctionbytes: "While postage rates continue to rise (the U.S.
Postal Service plans another rate hike in April), the USPS has also
introduced some new products that can help online sellers save
money. One example is the new Padded Flat Rate Priority Mail
envelope. Online booksellers and merchants selling small items that
need to arrive quickly are evaluating the new envelopes. The service
costs the same as the regular Flat Rate Priority Mail envelope, and
depending on what you're shipping, may save you money on bubble wrap
or special mailers. Another innovation is the Priority Mail Regional
Rate box, and sellers in the U.S. may be able to save money if they
are a commercial customer or online shipper (for example,
Click-N-Ship, ShipRush, Endicia.com, Stamps.com, etc.). Priority
Mail Regional Rate can be used to ship small, dense packages short
distances that need to arrive in 2-3 days, and all extra services
that are available for Priority Mail can be used with the Regional
Rate boxes as well."
Nerdles: "FedEx Takes The Express Out Ground Shipments."
Gothamist: "UPS Still Blaming Snow For Failed Deliveries."
February 5, 2011
Courier, Express, and Postal Observer: "Currently most
postal customers have their rates set as a discount from a
base rate for the class of the product being mailed. The
discount is based on an analysis of the savings generated
from reductions in the amount of work that the Postal
Service that the Postal Service does for the customers. The
Postal Service currently can offer services in an unbundled
way if it keeps a Chinese wall between the two services.
Fixing this problem requires the Postal Rate Commission to
agree that postal costs should be measured from the bottom
up and not from the top down as they are now. It would
require it to accept the use of imperfect automated data
systems as a replacement for costly sampling systems that
were not designed to develop precise product costs at the
level of product and customer detail necessary for today's
Postal Service."
RealtorMag: "Real estate professionals have long
understood how personalization in mailings helps boost
response. A well-crafted mail piece can help you develop new
relationships and reinforce your connections with existing
clients. Over the past two years, however, new rules, ideas,
and technologies have emerged that are changing the
dynamics. If you want your mailings to have a greater
impact, you need to constantly evaluate how your offerings
compare to the other letters, postcards, and self-mailers
that your prospects receive in their mailboxes every day.
Here are a few of the ways practitioners are taking
personalization — and results — to the next level."
Stabroek News: "The Guyana Postal and Telecommunication Workers’
Union (GPTWU) and GT&T are at loggerheads over the sharing of
financial records and the company says it is flabbergasted over a
45% wage hike demand from the union."
Hellmail: "An independent parcel network which uses convenience
stores and other outlets as despatch and collection points and
cheaper than Royal Mail, is proving to be popular with customers."
February 4, 2011
NALC: "On Feb. 2, Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), the ranking
member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental
Affairs Committee, introduced legislation to reform the
federal government’s workers’ compensation program. The NALC
cannot support the legislation as drafted. It makes no
provision for the loss of regular retirement benefits under
CSRS and FERS suffered by FECA recipients who are separated
from the Postal Service—since such injured workers get no
years-of-service credit over the period of their injuries
once separated, and since their annuities are based on their
high-3 average salaries at the time of their separation, not
at the time of regular retirement."
Government Executive: "The U.S. Postal Service is
proposing to eliminate salary protection for postmasters and
nonbargaining employees who move to lower-grade jobs. In a
Jan. 28 letter to union leaders, USPS acting Manager of
Labor Relations Policy Administration Joe Cavallo wrote that
employees who are downgraded during reduction-in-force
procedures will have their pay reduced after two years if
their current salary exceeds the maximum of the lower grade.
Previously, workers received indefinite saved-salary
protection. The proposed change affects postmasters and USPS
employees under the Executive and Administrative Schedule
who accept a lower grade nonbargaining position in a
management-initiated action. According to Cavallo, that
could include a RIF avoidance or notice period, placement in
a nonduty, nonpay status for 30 days, or a RIF process."
Webtrends: "Webtrends aggregates a massive amount of data from
Facebook ad campaigns that we’ve either run or white-labeled for
other agencies. We decided to take a look at some of data that these
campaigns have generated to see what trends would emerge. The result
is our latest white paper, Facebook Advertising Performance,
Benchmarks & Insights."
At the
Postal Regulatory
Commission:
Washington Post: "Ninety miles west of Washington, at
the foot of the Shenandoah mountains, Star Tannery's main
attractions are its church, which hosts an annual picnic on
the second Saturday in August; a bar with $2 drafts and
karaoke every Wednesday; a fire hall, home to the annual
farmers carnival in July; a lone market that serves
sandwiches on white - and white only - and does not have a
toaster; and the post office, all of 308 square feet, which
has been in the same white clapboard building since 1923,
when postmaster Hesler Himelright opened it in his general
store. ad_icon Take away their post office, Star Tannery's
residents say, and they will have to make a 20-mile round
trip to Strasburg for that basic service. As much as
inconvenience, they fear losing that inky black "Star
Tannery, Va." on their postmark, a celebration of their
place on the map."
Times of India: "Speculation about promoters of Gati
Ltd, a leading domestic logistics and supply chain solutions
firm, selling stake to a foreign strategic buyer returned
this week, even as the name of Dutch express distribution
giant TNT emerged as a potential frontrunner."
Yahoo! News: "The survey by the Pew Research Center's
Internet & American Life Project found that 85 percent of
Americans 18 and older own a cellphone and 90 percent of all
adults live in a household with at least one cellphone."
[EdNote: That means 85% of all Americans have an electronic
and a physical address. Unfortunately, the Postal Service
still cannot connect the two. When it comes to things
digital, the Postal Service, alas, is still a babe in the
woods.]
National Association of Major
Mail Users: "NAMMU continues to champion the achievement
of 100 per cent deliverable mail in the best interests of
cost efficiency and the effective commercial use of mail as
an important business tool. Canada Post has introduced new
Address Accuracy (Address Validation and Correction)
software used for cleaning mailing lists. The new software
uses Point of Call Address Data, that has more detail than
the data used in previous versions of Address Accuracy
software. The new software may identify addresses as
“invalid” that were previously considered as “valid” when
compared to the Postal Code range data used by the previous
software, particularly in the case of apartment addresses.
The invalid apartment addresses will not count against a
mailer’s Address Accuracy score for a six month period, from
January 17 to August 1, 2011. This period is to give mailers
time to update their mailing lists and manage the transition
to the new software. Unless you ran your customer file(s)
prior to January 17th, you must use this new file for
Address Accuracy rating purposes. As with any new tool, a
period of adjustment will be required as issues arise and
are dealt with either by the mailer and/or by Canada Post
with database corrections."
Now hear this: "This Week In Postal".........the latest podcast posted now!
The latest issue of
the PostCom Bulletin is available online. In this issue:
DMM
Advisory:
Global
Express Guaranteed Service to
Post & Parcel: "Canada Post was forced to fix an
embarrassing glitch in its three-month-old Comparison
Shopper website yesterday, and could now face a scolding
from the Canadian government. After splashing through the
Canadian press, questions were raised in Canada’s Parliament
yesterday about the discovery that a company selling adult
products was featured on the online retail website, which
was launched by the postal operator last October. The
company apologised today, stating that there had been a
problem with the website’s filtering system." [EdNote:
Hmmmm. Naughty bits.]
Bloomberg: "AS Ekspress Grupp, the only publicly traded
Baltic publishing company, will sell its 50 percent stake in
publications delivery company AS Express Post to state-owned
postal service AS Eesti Post to focus on electronic media."
Post & Parcel: "Belgian operator bpost is to restructure
its sorting and distribution operations over the next five
years. The move forms a part of the company’s ‘2011-2015′
strategic plan, put into place as a result of falling mail
volumes. Five current sorting centres (Antwerp, Brussels,
Charleroi, Ghent and Liege) will be transformed into
Industrial Mail Centres (IMCs). Operations at the IMCs will
be expanded considerably. The five IMCs will ensure the
regional sorting addresses are put in order of the rounds of
the postal workers. Regular mail will thus be ready for
delivery, as soon as the deliverer leaves the IMC."
Politico: "The
unemployment rate fell to 9 percent in January, down from
9.4 percent, while the economy added 36,000 jobs."
Dead Tree Edition: "The U.S. Postal Service's stepped-up
efforts to consolidate its mail-processing facilities is
good news for printers that handle dropshipped mail,
according to a printing executive."
Boston Herald: "Hub start-up PackageFox.com wants to make it
easy for unsatisfied customers to get their share of the $2 billion
in refunds that go uncollected each year when private shippers don’t
deliver the goods on time. PackageFox will track companies’ FedEx
and UPS shipments to make sure they arrive on the expected date and
within the specified time frame. When a package is late, it will
contact the shipper for a refund — provided the cause of tardiness
doesn’t fall under allowable exceptions, such as the weather."
Reuters: "Poste Italiane is aiming for a profit from a
new bank aimed at developing Italy's poor south, despite the
project's political roots, the postal service's chief
executive said on Thursday. Poste Italiane will act as front
office for the centre-right government's Bank of the South,
a group of cooperative banks aimed at lending to small and
mid-sized companies in the impoverished region. Massimo
Sarmi said the postal service's extensive network gave it
the local knowledge needed to oversee loans. It could be
especially valuable as a go-between for businesses looking
for European Union loans or to fund groups of small
companies, he said."
February 3, 2011
“USPS Pricing 101”
View our on-demand Webinar anytime!
The Pioneer: "The United States Postal Service (USPS)
ended the 2010 fiscal year with an 8.5 billion dollar loss
according to the USPS fiscal report. Any business with this
type of loss would soon go out of business, or at least need
restructuring. Yet, the postal service, despite its cry for
change, cannot because it operates under Congress. Partially
privatizing the postal system, or at least giving it more
freedom to operate like a corporation, would allow
profitability again. This would still accommodate some
federal intervention, but allow it to operate relatively
autonomously, such as Fannie Mae."
At the
Postal Regulatory
Commission:
Press Release:
"FedEx SupplyChain, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX), today
announced significant enhancements to its FedEx Critical Inventory
Logistics® service. FedEx Critical Inventory Logistics is a
comprehensive, end-to-end solution designed to optimize the
management of critical inventory and service parts distribution and
returns process. It incorporates a hub based central stocking
location (CSL) and a network of forwarding stocking locations (FSLs)
integrated through extensive information capabilities."
Senator Susan Collins, Ranking Member of the Senate Homeland
Security and Governmental Affairs Committee today introduced
legislation to stop the costly and escalating abuses of the federal
workers' compensation system. The bill would reduce
workforce-related costs government wide by converting retirement
eligible postal and federal employees on workers' compensation to
retirement when they reach retirement age.
A copy of Sen. Collins bill has been posted on this site.
Letter from the USPS to National League of Postmasters:
Regarding changes in pay grades associated with Reductions In Force.
Congresssional Research Service: "The U.S. Postal Service and
Six-Day Delivery: Issues for Congress."
Times & Transcript: "Forget election rhetoric - it was talk
about sex toys, erotica and Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff's
fondness for lingerie that was heating things up on Parliament Hill
yesterday, thanks to ... Canada Post?"
North County Times: "The new $1.5 billion Flats Sequencing
System being installed by the U.S. Postal Service at its Carmel
Mountain distribution center is a modern marvel. The machine takes
up 70,000 square feet, sorts 12,500 flats an hour and can read bar
codes, printed words and even handwriting. Better yet, it reduces
the cost of sorting magazines, advertisements, newspapers, manila
envelopes and the like by as much as 60 percent. Unfortunately,
those total cost savings won't be passed on to taxpayers any time
soon. But if the USPS wants to survive, it had better get its labor
costs under control. If it doesn't, there's a good chance it'll go
the way of the Pony Express."
TreeHugger: "Last month the US Postal Service changed their
rules about bulk mailing. They're making it easier for marketers to
reach mailboxes by easing restrictions, and allowing "simplified
addressing" -- it allows letters, flyers and parcels to reach every
address on a delivery route, with or without an exact name or
address written on it. The Wall Street Journal reported that the new
rules are supposed to reduce overall costs for smaller businesses,
since many of them have started switching to e-mail and online
campaigns instead. Want to avoid more junk mail than ever from
hitting your mailbox? Here's how to opt-out, and ideas for dealing
with what junk mail makes it through the slot."
Direct Marketing News: "The US Postal Service introduced three
business-facing international flat rate shipping options on February
2. The USPS said the Express Mail Legal Flat Rate Envelope and the
Priority Mail Legal Flat Rate Envelope will enable attorneys,
financial industry professionals and real estate agents, among
others, to easily mail legal-sized documents. The Priority Mail
Large Flat Rate Padded Envelope also offers cushioning for fragile
shipments."
Napa Valley Register: "No bailout — that’s the position of the
U.S. Postal Service. They have never requested one, nor do they even
want one. The postal service faces dire financial challenges, but
not through any fault of its own. The fault lies with Congress who
created their financial disaster."
Azerbaijan
Business Center: "The national postal operator of Azerbaijan,
Azerpoct, is going to transfer to international standards of pricing
of universal postal services. The Ministry of Communications &
Information Technologies of Azerbaijan informs that the last change
in rates for the universal postal services was undertaken in order
to meet the current requirements and recommendations of the
Universal Postal Union (UPU) and eliminate non-conformity of prime
cost and tariffs for postal services."
BusinessWeek: "TNT NV, the Dutch postal and express company, has
warned that bad weather, integration costs, and strikes decreased
its fourth quarter operating profit by about euro45 million ($62
million). In November, TNT reported a third quarter operating profit
of euro143 million."
Board of Governors Meeting
Yuma Sun: "Yuma postal customers may have noticed a few changes
in their mail delivery. While carriers traditionally delivered mail
by driving up to individual curbside mailboxes, carriers are now
parking their trucks and delivering mail on foot. They can be seen
walking up and down Yuma streets, carrying satchels full of letters
and packages. The change became effective Jan. 3 and is part of an
attempt to cut costs."
Los Angeles Times: "As the Postal Service continues its slow
fade into history, something will be missing. Not written
communication — indeed, it's only multiplying — but the small
comforts that come from waiting for it, handling it and smiling
whenever you pass the table you've placed it on. For that, nothing
beats the U.S. mail."
Press Release: "BCC Software, a BÖWE BELL + HOWELL company and a
leading developer of postal and data quality technology solutions
that optimize client communications, announces the launch of
eAppointment, a new feature to its powerful Mail Manager Full
Service software solution."
From Around the Nation: It's winter. It snows in winter. It
affects mail delivery. Get your shovel. Clear your walk and give the
letter carrier access to your mailbox.
Global Data Association: "The Universal Postal Union has
announced it is seeking an intern for a six month assignment to
compile current address assets of the UPU, contact partners of the
"Addressing the world..." initiative and compile their resources,
contribute in a research activity on the value of the address as an
infrastructure, and prepare a paper that would serve as a baseline
White Paper to be completed later this year."
Dead Tree Edition: "In the past seven days, the U.S. Postal
Service has announced it is considering the closing or downsizing of
seven distribution centers as it steps up efforts to shrink its
mail-processing network. The latest announcements mean that more
than 15% of the country's approximately 260 processing and
distribution centers are the subject of Area Mail Processing
studies, which can lead to work being shifted to facilities in other
cities. While the media pay attention to the recent announcement
that 2,000 small post offices might close, the less publicized AMPS
process could be equally significant for the USPS's workforce, cost
savings, and customers."
February 2, 2011
The slides from today's
PostCom
webinar on postal costing and pricing can be found on this site.
American Postal Workers Union: "Repealing a provision of the
Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act is “so critical to the
welfare of the Postal Service” that it should be the exclusive focus
of a report to the president and Congress on the effectiveness of
the law, the APWU wrote to the Postal Regulatory Commission on Feb.
1. The provision, which requires the Postal Service to pre-fund
health benefits, costs the Postal Service more than $5 billion
annually and has driven the USPS to the brink of insolvency. These
payments are “unsustainable, inconsistent with the provision of
universal service at fair and reasonable rates, and inconsistent
with the operation of the Postal Service in an efficient and
businesslike manner,” the union’s counsel wrote [PDF]
on behalf of the APWU."
Hellmail: "ONEPOST is to manage the postage portfolio of
Post-Switch. Recently voted the 60th fastest growing company in the
UK after 5 years of providing quality postal management services,
Post-Switch founder Jonathan DeCarteret emphasised that it was not a
takeover but a commercial decision that would benefit both
companies."
Wall Street Journal: "The French government Wednesday confirmed
it is investing EUR2.7 billion in the French postal services
provider La Poste in partnership with its investment arm, Caisse des
Depots et Consignations, or CDC, ahead of the liberalization of the
postal market this year."
Post & Parcel: "President Obama is set
to present a special Valentine’s Day gift to the US Postal Service
this year, in the form of assistance in his latest Budget. The
struggling USPS needs to address financial problems that saw it
posting an $8.5 billion loss last year, with commentators predicting
a $6.5 billion loss this year – and possible insolvency. But this
morning, the chairman of the Postal Regulatory Commission revealed
that she had been told by White House officials that some assistance
will come in the President’s Budget for the 2012 fiscal year, which
is due to be announced later this month. “I did have a meeting with
representatives of the OMB in the White House,”
Ruth Goldway said at the Commission’s
latest open meeting, “that there will be something in the
President’s Budget on February 14 that deals with major financial
concerns in the Postal Service.”
Central Florida News: "A severe snowstorm impacting most of the
rest of the country has made travel nearly impossible. Thousands of
flights have been cancelled, but as the old saying goes, "the mail
must go through." And it has been, with no significant delays
reported at post offices nationwide. Officials at the U.S. Post
Office in Orlando said they are used to getting the mail through,
but having many distribution centers headquartered in the South
helps. But other shipping companies have been impacted by the
blizzard. UPS and FedEx both rely heavily on airplanes to move their
packages. FedEx, said it has been able to reroute a good number of
packages through other airports, but Indianapolis, a major hub, has
caused the company lots of shipping problems in the last week. UPS
also reported difficulties because of flight cancellations. Overall,
however, officials said the slowdowns will only slow down deliveries
by about a day or two."
CNNMoney: "FedEx CEO: Let's end our need for oil."
The Association for Postal Commerce has filed two documents today
with the Postal Regulatory Commission:
As the United Nations today officially launched the International
Year of Forests, the Universal Postal Union
will contribute to raising awareness of the importance of protecting
forests through its 40th International Letter-Writing Competition
for Young People. [EdNote: I'll leave out all the comments on not
being able to see the forest through the trees. Oh . . . I just said
that, didn't I?]
At the
Postal Regulatory
Commission:
Hellmail: "Russian Post this week launched a new all-Russian
People's housing lottery with customers being given the chance to
win a new apartment of their own - a joint initiative of the federal
postal operator and the Gosloto, the Russian National Lottery.
Proceeds will go towards implementing a national project to create
affordable housing in Russia. Post offices began selling tickets
yesterday."
PRNewswire: "The U.S. Postal Service has introduced simplified
pricing and three new products to its portfolio of flat-rate
shipping solutions, providing additional options priced to move
messages, materials and merchandise across the country or around the
world for one simple, low rate. Leading the expanded lineup of
flat-rate shipping options are the new Express Mail Legal Flat Rate
Envelope and Priority Mail Legal Flat Rate Envelope, allowing
attorneys, finance professionals, real estate agents and others to
easily mail legal-sized documents, eliminating a fold in these
important materials."
A new report has been posted this morning on the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General website (http://www.uspsoig.gov/). If you have additional questions concerning a report, please contact Wally Olihovik at 703-248-2201, or Agapi Doulaveris at 703-248-2286.
Seacoast Online: "The U.S. Postal Service is moving ahead with a
study that could affect the future of more than 100 people employed
the Mail Handling and Distribution Center on Heritage Avenue. The
review of the facility's operations, known as an Area Mail
Processing study, will try to determine the needed capacity at the
facility to increase efficiency and improve productivity, according
to the USPS. If the study determines it's more efficient and
cost-effective to move employees in charge of processing to larger
facilities in Manchester and Scarborough, Maine, that will be done."
PR-USA: "Stamps.com® (NASDAQ: STMP), the leading provider of
USPS® postage online and shipping software to approximately 400,000
customers, today announced an invitation to join the Stamps.com
Fourth Quarter 2010 Financial Results Conference Call. The call will
take place Thursday, February 10, 2011 at 5:00 pm ET and will be
webcast from our Investor Relations Web site at
http://investor.stamps.com. The fourth quarter 2010 earnings press
release will precede the earnings call at 4:30 pm ET on February 10,
2011."
The Local: "The
Swedish Security Service (Säpo) are following developments after a
package exploded at a post terminal in Borlänge in central Sweden on
Wednesday morning, leaving several people needing treatment."
CBC News: "Changes in the technology for sorting mail at Canada
Post is delaying delivery to customers across Atlantic Canada."
The Portland Press Herald: "The United States Postal Service
announced today it will conduct a study of its Portsmouth,
N.H.-based mail processing facility to determine if its customers
would be better served by consolidating some of its operations with
facilities in Scarborough or Manchester, N.H."
WBKO: "The U.S. Postal Service held a meeting Tuesday night to
discuss a possible move of operations from Bowling Green to
Nashville and Evansville. Many people showed up to voice their
opinions."
The Augusta Chronicle: "The U.S. Postal Service said Tuesday
that it will begin a study immediately into the possible
consolidation of operations at Augusta's Processing and Distribution
Center to the center in Columbia, according to a news release."
Yahoo! Finance: "TNT NV, the Dutch postal and express company,
has warned that bad weather, integration costs, and strikes
decreased its fourth quarter operating profit by about €45 million
($62 million)."
The Courier: "A Consumer Focus Scotland spokesperson said, "We
have been in regular contact with Royal Mail over the problems
postal consumers in Dundee East have been experiencing. "We raised
the issue at a meeting with Royal Mail representatives last week,
when they outlined the action taken to address the problems and the
lessons that have been learnt. "We will continue to monitor the
situation in the coming weeks and urge any consumers still
experiencing problems with their mail service to contact Royal Mail
and make a formal complaint."
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.)
Roll Call: "Newly minted Oversight and Government Reform
Chairman Darrell Issa and ranking member Elijah Cummings are having
a hard time hiding their antagonism toward one another."
Azerbaijan Business
Center: "Despite the national postal operator, Azerpoct, was
given the right to render limited banking services, it has not led
to an increase in its commercial viability and prompted the need to
raise tariffs universal postal service from 1 February 2011. Tariff
Council’s secretary Elshan Asadov has claimed that tariffs were
revised the last time in October 2002, and currently the prime cost
of universal postal services is 3.2-fold more than tariffs. "For
this reason Azerpoct has a loss from provision of universal postal
services for a sum of over 5 million manats year. The average salary
in the enterprise is 133 manats that is 2.4-fold less than the
average indicator around the country. Increase in tariffs for postal
universal services will help eliminate these problems,” Asadov
noted."
Hellmail: "SMEs are set to take a hit to their profits from the
start of February if they use the Royal Mail to deliver their
parcels and cannot reclaim VAT, as the organisation announces it is
to charge VAT on some of its services. The move could see Royal Mail
and Parcelforce customers facing a 20 per cent hike on their
delivery costs ahead of planned price increases in April this year
which will provide a double whammy for already hard pressed
businesses."
February 1, 2011
At the
Postal Regulatory
Commission:
Hellmail: "Spanish postal operator Correos is proposing
investment and organisational measures that will strengthen the
commercial orientation of the Group to compete in a fully
liberalized market including increase revenues in four relevant
markets: postal, packaging, direct marketing and new technologies."
From the
Postal Bulletin:
Logistics
Manager: "DHL Freight has opened a logistics centre at Pratteln
in Switzerland. The 516 667 sq ft facility serves as headquarters of
DHL Freight Switzerland as well as being the gateway hub for DHL’s
European less-than-truckload Euroconnect service."
Media Daily News: "Madison Avenue may be consumed by fast-moving
digital media like Facebook and Google, but it is the friendly, old
school name of Meredith that advertisers and agencies rank as the
highest rated media brand, according to the latest findings of a
twice-annual study of the perceptions of advertising executives by
Advertiser Perceptions Inc."
Courier, Express, and Postal Observer: "In order for mail to
remain a viable options for communications and advertising, every
part of the mail supply chain has to eliminate every penny of
unnecessary costs. No cost is more unnecessary than printing and
delivering a mail piece to the wrong address. Every penny associated
with delivery to the wrong address reduces the return generated by
mail delivered to the intended recipient."
Wall Street Journal: "United Parcel Services Inc. (UPS) on
Tuesday delivered a 48% rise in fourth-quarter profit and forecast
record full-year earnings in a sign that the momentum in corporate
spending remains positive as shippers trade up to more expensive
delivery options. The largest domestic package delivery company also
boosted its buyback program after making a substantial year-end
pension contribution and flagged further expansion in emerging
markets to challenge rivals such as FedEx Corp. (FDX), which had
raised its own 2011 guidance in December. UPS saw higher profit
margins in domestic and international services despite the impact of
poor weather, and boosted margins as it passed on higher fuel costs
through surcharges. It plans to buy back around $2 billion in stock
this year."
Times of Malta: "Maltapost’s shareholders yesterday approved a
final net dividend of €0.04 per share for the financial year ended
September 30, 2010. Shareholders will again be given the option of
receiving their dividend either in shares or in cash."
Wall Street Journal: "The Internet is about to run out of new
addresses, a milestone that is spurring Web giants like Facebook
Inc. and Google Inc. to develop new versions of their sites and
prompting carriers like AT&T Inc. and others to upgrade networks.
This week, the organization that oversees Internet addresses is
expected to dole out its last batch of existing Internet protocol
addresses, a step akin to telephone companies running out of numbers
to give customers. While there is a new Internet addressing system
ready to go that greatly expands the number of addresses, it isn't
compatible with the existing system. So in June, Google, Facebook,
Yahoo Inc. and others will switch over to the new addresses for one
day in the first wide-scale test of the new network, dubbed IP
version six, or IPv6."
Post & Parcel: "RPost is to provide the first $1m investment
fund dedicated to Posts that deploy RPost technology for their
e-post initiatives. RPost is the inventor of Registered Email®
services - with 30 patents covering third-party authentication of
online mail delivery and content. This fund will finance Posts in
delivering a full set of modern e-post services and accelerate new
revenues without impacting current budgets, the company said. New
products will include email proof of delivery, encryption, and
electronic signature services built on RPost’s technology."
Sun Sentinel: "One of the most wonderful government institutions
whose services are available to all people — not only Americans
living in our United States — is the U.S. Postal Service. We take
this institution for granted, and only moan, groan and complain when
a day's delivery is missed due to a national paid holiday or some
unforeseen catastrophe. Yet, due to our modern electronic age, we
are slowly but surely doing away with this wonderful system. We are
allowing websites, e-mail, Facebook, Twitter and the like to replace
something that most of us take for granted, all the while forgetting
that not all people living within our 50 states have access to this
technology. We as Americans cannot sit idly by and allow this
institution to slowly die away. We must write to each and every one
of our elected representatives in Congress and urge them to come up
with a solution to this terrible problem."
Azerbaijan Business
Center: "Today Azerbaijan has put into force the fresh tariffs
for postal services. The Tariff (Price) Council reports that the
tariffs of national postal operator Azerpoct on domestic universal
postal services were established in the range of 0.2 to 2 manat and
basic fares and tariffs in accordance with the weight parcels for
services on delivery of international mail will depend on a country
of destination."
The Street: "Investors searching for signals of the strength of
the economic recovery can look to UPS(UPS_) and FedEx(FDX_), which
fund managers and analysts say are the best barometers of business
activity in the U.S."
BusinessWire: "FedEx Freight Corp., a subsidiary of FedEx Corp.
and a less-than-truckload (LTL) market leader, significantly
enhances its service offerings today, launching its new unified LTL
network and offering customers the choice of two levels of service
from a single company. Both services, FedEx Freight® Priority and
FedEx Freight® Economy, are designed to meet the needs of today’s
LTL shippers."
MediaPost: "The vast majority of marketers--88%--plan to pursue
mobile marketing this year, according to a new survey by the
Association of National Advertisers in partnership with the MMA.
Further, 75% will increase spending on mobile marketing efforts, by
an average of 59% compared to a year ago."