Postal employee makes it big with unofficial postal clothing line

Former Brooklyn postman makes it big with his unofficial postal service clothing line worn by 30,000 workers

Marty Grace [www.nydailynews.com]

From the article: "...Marty Grace, who quit his 22-year job as a mail carrier in 2007 at a Bedford-Stuyvesant post office, now designs T-shirts, hoodies and polos worn by over 30,000 postal workers around the country who rock “Designs by Marty Grace” on the job as opposed to the drab United States Postal Service uniforms. ..."

Article Reference: www.nydailynews.com
Designs by Marty Grace

Postal worker reports mailed marijuana

Sikeston man accused of receiving marijuana in mail

From the article: "...An observant postal employee led law enforcement to the arrest of a Sikeston man and the discovery of more than two pounds of marijuana. On July 11, a postal worker thought a package was suspicious and reported it to the SEMO Drug Task Force..."

Article Reference: www.semissourian.com

Deteriorating postal service has begun to affect magazines and other periodicals

Will Postal Service follow Pony Express route?

From the article: "...Deteriorating postal service has begun to affect magazines and other periodicals, even newspapers that depend on timely delivery to their customers. In a recent news report, the publisher of a small, rural weekly newspaper in South Dakota said her advertising business had been hurt because it sometimes was delivered a week late, arriving with a more recent edition. ..."

Article Reference: www.standard.net

FedEx Express to remove their drop boxes from Postal Service locations under expired agreement

FedEx Fights UPS to Keep $1 Billion Postal Service Deal

From the article: "...The FedEx Express unit also has around 5,000 drop boxes at Postal Service locations that will be removed under an agreement that expired in June, the company said in the filing. ..."

Article Reference: www.bloomberg.com
FedEx Dropbox

Newly hired rural letter carriers will make 10 percent to 20 percent less than current carriers

New rural carriers will get paid 10 percent to 20 percent less than others

From the article: "...Newly hired rural letter carriers will make 10 percent to 20 percent less than current carriers earn under a new labor pact that will affect 111,000 career and non-career U.S. Postal Service employees...."

Article Reference: www.federaltimes.com

APWU: Plan to replace Postmasters w/ Postmaster Reliefs direct violation of collective bargaining agreement

POStPlan in Direct Conflict With APWU National Agreement

From the article: "...The APWU has put the Postal Service on notice that their plan to replace Postmasters at small, rural post offices with Postmaster Reliefs (PMRs) is a direct violation of our 2010 Collective Bargaining Agreement...."

Article Reference: www.apwu.org

Postal Vision

Postal Vision 2020 v2.0; USPS Strategy Opportunity as a “Platform”

From the article: "...The second Postal Vision conference drew 150 attendees to Washington DC’s L’Enfant Plaza Hotel. This was two Metro stops from the real decision makers, i.e., Congress and the United States Postal Service. No one from Congress could squeeze it in but USPS’ new Digital Solutions President and Strategic Planning Manager were in attendance as well as representatives of the two primary Postal Unions for the two-day duration. The USPS, as the core of this intertwined trillion dollar business directly impacting the employment livelihood of nearly 9 million citizens..."

Article Reference: whattheythink.com

Postmasters lives turned upside down at the whim of the PMG

Rural postmasters face ‘life-changing' decision

From the article: "..."I can't afford to take retirement unless I would have another good job out there," he said in a phone interview. But in an area with one of Ohio's highest unemployment rates, he said, "there's absolutely nothing."

Others are in similar circumstances, he added.

"I've got postmasters calling me, bawling and squalling, actually throwing up," Sampson said. "They haven't slept for a week."..."

Article Reference: www.federaltimes.com

Sen. Tom Carper is using Facebook to get House to save the Postal Service

Carper Using Facebook to Push House on Postal Service Reform Bill

From the article: "...Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) has a new Facebook timeline page up today dubbed "Priority Fail" that tracks how the House has yet to take up a bill that supporters say would reform the struggling U.S. Postal Service. The USPS has lost $1 billion since April when the Senate passed its version of the reform bill, according to Carper. ..."

Article Reference: influencealley.nationaljournal.com

Postal Service still moving forward with plans to close mail processing centers

USPS moving forward with plans to close mail processing centers

From the article: "...The United States Postal Service has announced that it will move forward with plans to close up to 229 mail processing facilities nationwide. ..."

Article Reference: golackawanna.com

Early Retirement Buy Out Incentives Offered to USPS Postal Mail Handlers

Mail Handlers to be offered retirement incentive

From the article: "...Mail Handlers who choose to leave employment with the USPS on or before August 31, 2012 will each receive incentive payments totaling up to fifteen thousand dollars ..."

Article Reference: National Postal Mail Handlers Union
Early retirement incentive, Mail Handler Buyout, Postal Buyout Incentives, Postal Retirement Incentive, Voluntary Early Retirement (VER)

Postal Service to Offer Early Retirement Incentives

Postal Service to announce new downsizing plan Thursday

From the article: "...USPS spokesman Dave Partenheimer declined comment Wednesday on whether the cuts will be accompanied by buyouts or early retirement incentives for affected employees. But the American Postal Workers Union, which represents many plant employees, was notified late Wednesday that the Postal Service is working on an "employee incentive," according to a union spokeswoman...."

Article Reference: www.federaltimes.com

$20,000 buyouts for Postmasters

USPS offers buyouts to postmasters, drops plan to close post offices

From the article: "...Under heavy pressure from Congress, the U.S. Postal Service is shelving plans to close up to 3,700 post offices and instead will offer $20,000 buyouts to 21,000 postmasters as a way to save money. As a result, some 13,000 communities will be able to keep their local post offices, but with reduced customer service hours..."

Article Reference: www.federaltimes.com
buyouts

Republicans will largely ignore S. 1789

GOP lawmaker calls Senate postal bill a '$33 billion bailout'

From the article: "...Bartlett's comments are the latest sign that Republicans will largely ignore the Senate-approved bill, S. 1789, and take up their own bill from House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), possibly as early as next week.
..."

Article Reference: thehill.com
S. 1789

Postal buyout incentives possible but plant shutdowns still a fear to communities

Postal crisis delayed

From the article: "...voted to stave off Draconian cuts and retool the nation's mail-delivery system with nearly $11 billion for buyouts and early retirement-incentives for thousands of postal workers, as well as for paying off a lot of the Postal Service's debt...."

Article Reference: www.toledoblade.com
plant shutdowns, Postal buyout incentives, Postal early retirement,

Wholesale destruction of the value of First Class mail

Why Postal Reform Will Fail

From the article: "...More likely than not, the bill will facilitate the destruction of a national treasure by strangling the principles that support its existence. Postal reform is going to fail because Congress cannot understand the fundamental role of a national post as essential infrastructure. Congress will do nothing to stem the slow evisceration of the network. It will do nothing to prevent the wholesale destruction of the value of First Class mail. ..."

Article Reference: www.savethepostoffice.com
First Class mail, destruction of the postal service,

Spiders Go Postal

Recluse Spider infestation closes Louisville Post Office branch

From the article: "...The United States Postal Service closed its Fairdale location because of recluse spiders, which can be poisonous. "They've only seen a few, but spiders like dark places so no telling how many are out there," said USPS spokesman David Walton...."

Article Reference: www.wkyt.com
Postal Employee Dangers,

Postal Buyout On The Way Soon...

Congress preps to tackle postal reform

From the article: "...The measure would tap most of an estimated $10.9 billion overpayment in the Federal Employees Retirement System to pay down postal service debt and use up to $2 billion on buy-out packages to entice long-time employees to retire...."

Article Reference: www.wisn.com
buyouts, buyout incentives, Postal early retirement,

Where is the smallest U.S. Post Office?

Smallest Post Office in the United States

From the article: "...Ochopee, Florida -This closet-sized, 7x8-foot building used to be an irrigation pipe shed for a tomato farm. It was pressed into service after a fire destroyed the Ochopee general store..."

Article Reference: www.roadsideamerica.com
Where is the smallest U.S. Post Office?, Smallest Post Office, 34141-9998,

Senate defers Postal work

Senate Defers Work on Post Office Overhaul

From the article: "...“We hope senators will now use this extra time to carefully analyze the service’s financial problems, so that when the Senate resumes consideration of the bill, it will be prepared to work on real reform designed to strengthen the agency, not dismantle it,” Mr. Rolando said...."

Article Reference: nytimes.com