Post Office Tests Hold-For-Pickup Service

KFOX TV El Paso

Escrow, Escrow Everywhere and All the Revenue Did Shrink

'A net income and a revenue deficiency in the same year? How does that work?'
Postcom.org

'Eleventh-hour criticisms'

'The U.S. Postal Service’s "eleventh-hour criticisms" of postal reform legislation have surprised reform supporters on Capitol Hill, who appear adamant that the biggest change the Postal Service is seeking will not take place.'
Federal Times

Commentary: Let’s Try Competence Over Patronage

DMNews.com

USPS Integrated Financial Plan for FY 2006

Powerpoint presentation stored as an Adobe Acrobat file, showing the USPS's plans for the fiscal year that begins tomorrow.
USPS web site

USPS to rely on career employees not contractors for IT services

Government Computer News

UPS Store franchisees send SOS

Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal

DHL Planning To Open Retail Shops In US

Dow Jones

USPS and APWU and Mail Handlers unions agree on reassignment of employees displaced by Hurricane Katrina

USPS News Link

Postal Service Expects $2 Billion Deficit in '06

Associated Press

Board OKs New Phase in USPS Transformation Plan

DMNews.com

Strasser: USPS '06 Costs Higher Than Those in Rate Filing

DMNews.com

Dell switching from UPS to Postal Service

Atlanta Journal Constitution

Katrina reduces supply of lockable mailboxes

Associated Press

Postal Service Working to Re-Establish Service in Golden Triangle Area (Zip Code Areas 776, 777)

Press release

GOP Gang Proposes To Slash Postal, Federal, and Mailer Benefits

e-NAPUS Legislative Newsletter

Houston Mail Deliveries to Resume

'The U.S. Postal Service said on Saturday that it would resume delivery and retail operations wherever possible in Houston today, following the evacuation of large portions of the city and the onshore arrival of Hurricane Rita over the weekend.'
DIRECT

DM Views: A Government Monopoly on Words?

'May the federal government prohibit use of words such as 'Social Security,' 'Medicaid' and other public policy terms on carrier envelopes by advertisers and nonprofits so that government letters are opened instead?'
DMNews.com

Growth management is coming - Post Office-style

'The Postal Service is quietly delivering the word to the area's building and real estate industry that house-by-house delivery will not be made to new subdivisions of eight or more houses...'
Naples Daily News

Katrina took homes, but the mail still comes

Jackson Clarion-Ledger

APWU Wary About Pending Postal Reform Bills

APWU News

Hurricane Rita Related Service Updates

Retail, Delivery Service and Drop Shipments suspended to ZIP Codes 770, 773, 774, 775, 779, 783, 784 and 785.
Suspension of retail, delivery and certain drop shipments to some Louisiana Zip Codes.
USPS.com

Republicans call for cuts in federal retirees benefits to fund Katrina relief

Government Executive

Direct Mail Spending to Surge 7.5%: Report

DIRECT

NAPUS Executive Committee Supports PERF

Also from NAPUS: 'National President Wally Olihovik has contacted USPS Headquarters concerning adjustments to Total Operating Expenses and Revenue plans in many post offices. Postmasters are concerned that the unexplained adjustments to their plans were received with just a few weeks remaining in the Fiscal Year and could have a dramatic impact on their NPA ratings.'
NAPUS Hotline

APWU Donates $60,000 to PERF

APWU News

Louisiana post offices start drive for hurricane victims

Houma Courier

USPS Cuts Ribbon on Pricing and Classification Center

DMNews.com

FedEx Boosts Forecast as Q1 Profits Increase

DMNews.com

USPS Releases August Financials

'Year-to-date, Total Revenue is $1.4 billion or 2.2% over plan with the largest contributor being Permit Revenue at $1.6 billion or 5.9% more than plan. ... YTD, Total Revenue is $1.0 billion over SPLY.'

'Year-to-date, personnel costs are $54 million or 0.1% above plan and non-personnel expenses are $135 million or 1.0% below plan. ... YTD Total Expenses are $2.4 billion or 4.0% above SPLY.'

'Total Mail Volume for August, FY 2005 was 999 million pieces or 5.9% above SPLY. First-Class Mail volume increased by 256 million pieces or 3.3%. Standard Mail volumes, at 627 million pieces or 7.8% over SPLY, continue to be positive primarily because of the increasing strength of direct marketing channels.'

'Year-to-date, Total Mail Volume is 2.9% or 5.5 billion pieces over SPLY. Over 2.4 billion of the 5.5 billion pieces increase occurred in November 2004. The most significant mail volume increase over SPLY for YTD is in the lower revenue-per-piece Standard Mail category, which increased 5.1 billion pieces or 5.9%. YTD, First-Class Mail volume is 0.2% more than SPLY generating $318 million or 0.9% less revenue than SPLY.'

'Total Workhours for August 2005 YTD are 15.7 million hours or 1.2% above plan, and 10.8 million hours above SPLY. The most significant plan overruns lie in Delivery Services by 8.4 million hours, Mail Processing by 6.8 million hours, and Customer Services by 3.2 million hours. These overruns in workhours are a reflection of growth in mail volume above plan and continued growth in delivery points. YTD, major contributors to the workhours growth to SPLY are City Delivery and Rural Delivery workhours. Combined these operations workhours are 13.5 million hours above SPLY.'
USPS web site

And now- rebuild

Post Offices, communities emerge from devastation
USPS News Link

Letter Carrier Named 'National Hero of the Year' for Saving Life of Badly Injured Motorcyclist

Press release

Uniforms Donated To Postal Workers In Hurricane Area

WCPO TV Cincinnatti

Health insurance premiums climb 10 percent

Federal Times

Mutiny on the FedEx Truck

Is a package deliverer an independent contractor or an employee?A truckload of money is at stake.
Forbes

NALC/USPS Work to Fill Vacancies with Displaced Gulf Coast Carriers

NALC Bulletin

Postal Service opens offices in Mississippi

Biloxi Sun Herald

U.S. Mail Service, Getting Back on Track

PMG Jack Potter talks with host Michele Norris on NPR's All Things Considered (includes link to audio)
NPR

As Customer Behavior Changes, So Does the USPS

DMNews.com

USPS adding temp jobs at Greensboro Shared Services Center

WFMY TV Greensboro

Workers decry conditions at California post office

Eureka Times-Standard

Study: Online Credit Card Consumers Prefer Direct Mail

DMNews.com

UPS, DHL Resume Service to Areas Hit by Katrina

DMNews.com

Dallas District welcomes displaced employees

USPS News Link

The Unique Requirement of Mail as a Medium

Gene Del Polito commentary for DIRECT

Postal Worker Killed By Post Office Truck

WBBM-TV Chicago

A Double-Tragedy of the Bush Administration

Executive Order Undercuts Wages, Benefits in Hurricane Katrina Zone
Mailhandlers Union web site

Social Security Mailing Decision Riles Right Wing DMers

DIRECT

In 4-Year Anthrax Hunt, F.B.I. Finds Itself Stymied, and Sued

New York Times

USPS To Chairmen Collins & Davis: Thanks, But No Thanks

'... the question remains how postal champions will view the USPS in light of its letter, and the years of Congressional effort that went into drafting the legislation.'
eNAPUS Legislative Newsletter

Commentary: The Board of Governors Speaks

Murray Comarow via Postcom.org

Cost of Alaska bypass mail changes still in the air

Fairbanks News-Miner

Rally protests USPS rejection of park plan

'The U.S. Postal Service has placed its prime 20-acre Marina Processing and Distribution Center near Playa Vista on the market, despite pleas from a collection of elected officials and residents trying to transform the land into public open space.'
Daily Breeze

Postal Service Board's Criticism of Bills Could Hamper Agency Overhaul

'The board of governors at the U.S. Postal Service muddled the outlook for a post office overhaul yesterday, saying House and Senate bills would give postal regulators too much power over the agency's internal operations.'
Washington Post

Little Progress In FBI Probe of Anthrax Attacks

Washington Post

Marina P&D goes up for sale today

Marina del Rey Argonaut

USPS: Generations X and Y Value Direct Mail

DIRECT

USPS Seeks to Raise International Rates 5.9%

DMNews.com

NALC: Katrina and other stumbling blocks stand in way of Postal Reform

NALC e-Activist

Post Offices Continue to Re-Establish Service: Postal Workers Asked to Report to Work

Press release

Potter: Rates Will Rise Despite Positive Outlook

DMNews.com

BOG letter to Congress details concerns about reform bills

DMNEWS.com
Click here to view a copy of the BOG letter via Postcom.org

Postal Service for Katrina Survivors

'The U.S. Postal Service has experienced many disasters in the past, and it was relatively well prepared for the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. While the hurricane damaged some 500 post offices, the Postal Service was able to establish limited services just days after the disaster.'
Congressional Research Service Report via Postcom.org

Transformation Plan, Hurricane Katrina Highlight PMG Broadcast

Press release
Click here to view the broadcast

Florida postmaster sentenced to two years for embezzlement

Fort Myers News-Press

Post office popular in Astrodome shelter

LA Times News Service

Royal Mail Plans Size-Based Pricing in August '06

DMNews.com

Postal Service Delivers! 80% of Katrina-Affected Areas Resume Mail Service

Press release
click here for more on the storm response from USPS Link Online

Postal worker flees hurricane, finds work in Wisconsin

Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel

Despite earlier hassle, Katrina evacuee can get local P.O. box

Lansing State Journal

Mailers Want Return of USPS Friend-to-Friend

DMNews.com

Katrina Keeps Postal Rate Increase on Track for January

DMNews.com

Catalogers Shift Circulation Away From Katrina

DMNews.com

Postal Reform: Doubtful; Rate Increase: Definitely

DMNews.com

E-mail Outpulls Catalogs for DMer Web Sites

DIRECT

Petroleum problems are going postal

Greenville (MI) Daily News

Commentary: Real Postal Reform May Be on the Way

'The real postal reform is being generated internally at the USPS.'
DMNews.com

Two Dallas postal employees indicted for Voyager credit card fraud

Press release

Postal Service Continues to Restore Mail Services Along the Gulf Coast

Press Release

Mississippi District manager's decision angers postal workers

Employees told to work day after Katrina
Hattiesburg American

Postal unions picket Fayetteville (NC) post office

Fayetteville Observer

Bacteria Found At D.C. Postal Facility

NBC4.com

Man pleads guilty to shooting postal worker

Associated Press

Mail carrier killed by her own vehicle

Charlotte Observer

Katrina's Legislative Undertow

e-NAPUS Legislative Newsletter

Respond, reconnect, re-establish

More employees contacting hotline, more COAs filed, more offices reopen... Also: Delivering the 'Dome: Houston employees help Astrodome evacuees get mail service.
USPS Link Online

National Mail Service Updates: Latest on Katrina Impacts on Postal Operations

USPS.com

Postal Reform Can Survive Katrina, Insiders Say

DMNews.com

USPS Reopens Some ZIPs to Standard Mail

DMNews.com

Potter to America:

Mail services being restored where possible and safe to do so, displaced customers need to file change of address, displaced employees are asked to call in
USPS Link Online

Commentary: Real Postal Reform May Be on the Way

DMNews.com

USPS: Katrina Damage Could Surpass $100 Million

DMNews.com

Florida letter carrier leaves post to help Katrina victims

Palm Beach Post
Click here to listen to the NPR Morning Edition segment referred to in the story.

USPS Returns to Some Flooded Areas

DMNews.com

Map showing status of Katrina-affected Post Offices.

USPS.com

Hurricane update- helping customers reconnect

More than 38,000 Changes of Address filed
USPS News Link

Mediation Board Calls UPS, Pilots Back for Talks

DMNews.com

USPS Signs Data Storage Deal With EMC

Byte and Switch

UPS raises cap on air fuel surcharge

bizjournals.com

Mail call: Postal services set up at shelters

Houston Chronicle

Finding employees, delivering the mail

USPS News Link

USPS Struggles Delivering to Disaster Area

DMNews.com

Letter: We Should Listen to Strasser

DMNews.com

Katrina Photo Gallery

Social Security checks and a look at the Pass Christian, MS Post Office
USPS Link Online

Postal Service data system delivers

Minneapolis Star Tribune

PSoTD They're Going To Be There A While

'One of the most maligned agencies of the Federal Government [The US Postal Service] was planning before Katrina for refugees. So why were other federal agencies so surprised?'
PSoTD.com

Cleaning up records mess

Katrina victims must deal with loss of mail, files; agencies, companies help
Washington Post

Paper or Online? Many Bank Customers Still Pick the Old Way

New York Times

Why the Internet Isn't the Death of the Post Office

New York Times

UPS pilots halt strike moves in wake of Katrina's devastation

Louisville Courier Journal

Houston: Mail could still find relocated people

Associated Press

Helping our postal family

USPS News Link

APWU wins decertification vote in Kansas City

APWU News

UPS pilots vote to authorize strike

Reuters

Congress Focuses Attention on Hurricane Relief

Also: '...And Then There Were Six': with the retirement of Governor Walsh, there are now only six Presidentially appointed members, five of them Republicans.
NAPUS Legislative Newsletter

Economic Activity as a Driver of Mail

'Will economic variables have the same influence on mail volumes in the future or will other factors become more predictable determinants of mail demand?'
Paper by Elena Diakova, Manager, Strategy Projects, Corporate Strategy Group, Pitney Bowes

One of Katrina's many lessions

'To its credit, the U.S. Postal Service was one of the first of first-responders to mobilize its resources to deal with this disaster.'
Gene Del Polito commentary for DIRECT

Storm strands two postal workers at Norman training facility

The Oklahoman

The Effects of S. 662 on the Long-Term Financial Outlook of the USPS

Congressional Budget Office Report

Delivery services try to cope

Baltimore Sun

Postal service sets up centers for mail pickup

Associated Press

Information for Mail Handlers Affected by Hurricane Katrina

NPMHU web site

APWU Hurricane Update

APWU News

Unprecedented Delivery Challenges

USPS concerned about employees in disaster area; urges them to make contact if possible
USPS Link Online

Postal workers protest Pasadena plan

Pasadene Star News

Social Security checks rerouted after Katrina

Associated Press
Government Working To Get SSI Checks To Evacuees
KSLA TV Shreveport

Temporary USPS Logistics Changes Due to Hurricane Katrina

via Postcom

USPS Stops Accepting Standard Mail Addressed to Hurricane-Ravaged Area

DMNews.com

More Katrina

Postal Service relocating to Baton Rouge
Shreveport Times
LLV hijacked by flood refugees
Reuters photo

Postal Service Working to Restore Mail Service

USPS Press Release