postalnews.com: March 2010

"More Periodicals mail is manually processed than ever, and manual productivity continues to decline."
Jim O'Brien, Vice President, Distribution & Postal Affairs for Time Incorporated for the USPS OIG Blog

Direct mail: It's all about choices

BtoB Magazine

Monday, March 29

Letter Carriers Union Assails Postal Service for Lobbying Public to End Saturday Delivery

postalnews blog

U.S. Postal Service pushes to cut Saturday mail delivery early next year

Los Angeles Times

Health Care Reform & Your FEHBP

Federal News Radio

Day In The Life - U.S. Post Office

Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter

Pueblo Postmaster responds

Pueblo Chieftain
see also the editorial the PM was responding to, and the latest Pueblo news story, Fourth postal clerk suspected of theft

Consider saturation mailings

Marketing consultant says direct mail isn't dead yet
MetroWest (MA) Daily News

A lot of history is in a mailbag

Troy Record

Sunday, March 28

Union leaders recall 1970 postal strike

Workday Minnesota

Flint letter carrier taken to area hospital with unknown injuries after crash

Flint Journal

Saturday, March 27

Washington Post's New Magazine Will Bypass USPS

Dead Tree Edition

Americans Back Five-Day-Per-Week Mail Delivery

Gallup

Lawmakers Join Forces to Propel Postal Service Issues to the Forefront

Press release

Senate passes 'Census mailer' bill

Washington Post

Five Day Delivery: Do polls of the general public matter?

Courier, Express, and Postal Observer

"Disgruntled postal worker"

(Strictly for comic relief: college student who couldn't work most days, and disliked working 2 days in a row blames "government" for his firing from TRC job)
The Keystone Online

Friday, March 26

Updated USPS salary lookup

Who makes what?
Asbury Park Press

Fans of Saturday mail rue changes Postal Service closer to cutting weekend delivery

Houston Chronicle

Postal worker spots Burlington fire; home saved

WCAX TV Burlington VT

The USPS and Disability Retirement: The National Reassessment Program, the Agency and the Worker

USPS Disability Retirement Blog

USPS touts results of new “customer experience” survey

Press release

Why the closing of facilities cannot be left up to the Postal Service

Rag Content

Ex-APWU official indicted in fraud case

Houston Chronicle

South Carolina postal worker said to be a hero

WACH TV Columbia SC

Another possible bomb found in mail collection box in East Texas

Dallas Morning News

The feathered express Postal service brings spring chickens

Le Mars Iowa Daily Sentinel

Here’s An Envelope You Can Really Plant

postal2020.com

Thursday, March 25

USPS: February Financial Results, Still Not Good Enough

Courier, Express, and Postal Observer

Postal Service will not renew 2 sole-source contracts

USPS says it needed to "jump-start the marketing organization" with the help of pickle and fertilizer marketers friendly with VP
Federal Times

USPS Board of Governors presentation on 5 day delivery

Postcom.org (.pdf file)

Cadillacs, Dependent Kids & the FEHBP

Federal News Radio

Postal Service to consolidate Frederick (MD) mail processing

Frederick News-Post

USPS lost $611 million in February

Trust fund payment turns $32 million profit into big loss
postalnews blog

Wednesday, March 24

Postal Service Outlines Five-Day Delivery Proposal

postalnews blog

USPS: Last Post Standing

Courier, Express, and Postal Observer

USPS posts "Five-Day Delivery" web site

usps.com

Mail thief's new address is behind bars

Contract carrier had previous cocaine conviction
Muncie Star Press

Pueblo Postal Worker Accused of Mishandling Money

KRDO TV Colorado Springs

Postmasters lobby Congress as proposals to cut mail deliveries and close post offices are finalized

Washington Post

Former Ohio postmaster facing embezzlement charge

Elyria Chronicle-Telegram

Postmasters, Headquarters reach agreement on reducing redundant reports and logs

National League of Postmasters - Presidents Message

NALC: Issues - What They Are, Where We Stand

National Association of Letter Carriers

Missouri postmaster suspected of shoplifting

Columbia Tribune

Tuesday, March 23

USPS Package Ping Pong

Auction Bytes

ABM: Tabloids, Others Still at Risk for Failing USPS ‘Droop’ Test

Audience Development @ FolioMag.com

Nearly 100 postal workers protest Palatine cuts

Chicago Daily Herald

Feds would feel health care reforms

Government Executive

Missouri carrier charged with mail theft

Suburban Journals

Former postmaster charged with embezzlement

Sandusky Register

NALC local president accused of embezzlement

St Cloud (MN) Times

Mail Truck Hit by Gunfire in Harrisburg

WHTM TV Harrisburg

Is Congress Biting the Postman?

TPM Cafe

Monday, March 22

Nebraska postal worker indicted for mail theft

postalnews blog

Honoring Greensboro's 1st Mail Lady

Greensboro News-Record

Reforms needed at Postal Service

Letter to the Editor of the Federal Times by postal expert Murray Comarow

Postal officials expected to back five-day mail week

Washington Post

Sunday, March 21

Prosecutors: Ex-postal worker stole money, gift cards from mail

Orange County Register

Senator Susan Collins: Déjà vu: The Postal Service’s Economic Troubles

Senator Collins Blog

Sending, getting ‘real’ mail still magic

Danville (IL) Commercial-News

Saturday, March 20

Video: National Postal Museum Program on the Fortieth Anniversary of the 1970 Postal Strike

postalnews.tv

Understanding the Postal Regulatory Commission's Power.

Courier, Express, and Postal Observer

Indiana letter carrier spared prison for stockpiling undelivered mail

South Bend Tribune

USPS Board of Governors to review five day delivery plans at Wednesday meeting

USPS Press release

Contract mail carrier arrested on forgery and theft charges

Washington County (FL) News

Friday, March 19

USPS VP Bernstock directs sole-source $4.5M contract to former colleague

"This sounds like another example from the top to steer a contract to the friends of senior government officials..."
Federal Times

Why the Postal Service Matters: FedEx Needs It

Courier, Express, and Postal Observer

PRC Expects Postal Five-Day Plan This Month

DIRECT

USPS posts plant consolidations updates

USPS - Area Mail Processing

Testimony from yesterday's Senate hearing on the USPS

Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee

Senators challenge Postal Service's 10-year rescue plan

USA Today

Cape Cod carrier faces theft charges

Cape Cod Times

Officials join fight to save Olivehurst postal facility

Marysville (CA) Appeal-Democrat

Eye Opener: Postal Service defends cutbacks

Washington Post

Increased Efficiency Led to Higher Periodicals and Catalog Costs, Goldway Says

Dead Tree Edition

Census Counts on Mail Tracking System

Wall Street Journal

Thursday, March 18

NALC President Rolando Urges Senate Panel to Help USPS by Reforming Pre-Funding Requirement

postalnews blog

Anti-Gay Mailer Sparks Controversy At Post Office

KKTV Colorado Springs

Postal worker suspected of stealing money from cards

Seattle Times

Ex-clerk accused of stealing

Charleston SC Post and Courier

Postal employees buy woman food

Pittsburgh Post Gazette

In Defense Of The Postal Service

Fast Company

Forty Years Ago Today….

The postal strike of 1970
APWU News

Wednesday, March 17

The Postal Service and The Press

Murray Comarow commentary for Postcom.org

USPS launches “Adopt a Shelter Pet” stamps on Ellen DeGeneres Show

postalnews blog

How would a corporate “spin-off” have handled the USPS retirement funding issue?

postalnews blog

Baltimore District overpaid grievance settlement by $1.7 million because of “spreadsheet errors”

postalnews blog

Letters to the Editor - Time for Change in the Postal Service?

New York Times

Former Alabama letter carrier pleads guilty to stealing prepaid phone cards

Mobile Press Register

Pushing the Envelope at the U.S. Postal Service

Advertising Age

Tuesday, March 16

Postal Inspectors raid chiropractor’s office

Cincinnati Enquirer

How Marijuana Is Sent Through the U.S. Mail

ABC News

Red tape complicates Postal Service's fiscal repair plan

Dallas Morning News

The US Postal Service's Business Model Is Outdated. Is It Time To Wind It Down Or Privatize It?

Techdirt

Contract carriers get probation for failing to deliver thousands of pieces of mail

Mobile Press Register

A Switch in Advertising Modes that Does Not Hurt the Mail... Yet

Courier, Express, and Postal Observer
more from CEPO: Teamsters Bowing to Reality in the LTL market, and The Future of Print - Is it on an iPad?

Postage Due for March 16, 2010

Mike Morgan's comic strip on our Facebook page

Monday, March 15

Save, don't kill, the U.S. Postal Service

Washington Post

Postal Worker Honored For Returning Man's Lost Life Savings

WXII The Triad

The Postal Strike of 1970

USPS OIG Blog

Marketers’ Digital Spending to Overtake Print for First Time Ever

postalnews blog

Mail loses ground to digital post-recovery

DMNews

Andy Rooney on Struggling Post Office

CBS News

Census Bureau explains pre-census postal blitz

Atlanta Journal Constitution

Postage Due for March 15, 2010

Mike Morgan's comic strip on our Facebook page

Sunday, March 14

No timetable yet for decision on Kalamazoo mail-plant consolidation

Kalamazoo Gazette

Netflix shares downgraded on share price, postal worries

Associated Press

South Carolina Man Sentenced For Burning Postal Van Carrying Mail

postalnews blog>

Postage Due for March 14, 2010

Mike Morgan's comic strip on our Facebook page

Saturday, March 13

4 incendiary devices found in eastern Texas mail

Associated Press

Some competitors hope to capitalize on proposed cessation of Saturday mail delivery

Medill Reports, Northwestern University

Jackson postal workers want answers about move of mail-processing operations to Lansing

Jackson (MI) Citizen-Patriot

Who Is Kidding Who On the Cost of Labor At USPS?

Ohio APWU

Federal Disability Retirement under FERS and CSRS: Revisiting "Accommodation"

FedSmith.com

Postage Due for March 13, 2010

Mike Morgan's comic strip on our Facebook page

Friday, March 12

Postal Service Seeks To Change Classification of Some PO Boxes

"Moving some P.O. Boxes into the competitive product category will give the Postal Service greater flexibility..."
postalnews blog

Senate vote endangers Seneca mail-order cigarette business

Buffalo News

Taxpayers Might Have to Fund the U.S. Postal Service

US News

Montana mail bags still missing

KPAX TV Missoula

Postcom radio: “The Postal Service’s Plan for the Future”

Postcom.org via postalnews blog

What's Missing from the Postal Service's Action Plan

Courier, Express, and Postal Observer

PRC posts audio recordings of their monthly meetings

postalnews blog

Postal service chief: Our business model as outdated as the newspaper industry's

The Hill's Hillicon Valley blog

APWU: Commission Sharply Criticizes USPS Station Closure Plans

APWU News

Woman goes postal to help incarcerated hubby

South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Father, son sentenced for assault on postal worker

Miami Herald

Louisiana man indicted for assaulting letter carrier

postalnews blog

The Works of 10 Abstract Expressionists for Under $5 - Courtesy of the USPS

New York Times ArtsBeat Blog

Texas postal worker indicted for theft of gift card

postalnews blog

Missing mail a mystery for Vermont woman

Rutland Herald

Timeworn Canada Post labours to reinvent itself

Toronto Star

Changing an Institution: The U.S. Postal Service

The PMG appears on The Kojo Nnamdi Show, WAMU Washington

Turmoil in Magazine Land: Did Folio Diss Bosacks?

Dead Tree Edition

Postage Due for March 12

Mike Morgan's comic strip on our Facebook page

Thursday, March 11

USPS to sell Bethesda MD post office

Washington Business Journal

MD, chiropractor indicted in alleged health care fraud scheme

most of the patients were USPS employees on workers comp
WLS Chicago

Mailman accused of delivering, using drugs held without bond

Orlando Sentinel

Postmaster General: focus on customers, not struggling downtowns

Christian Science Monitor

Direct Marketers, Cataloggers join forces to battle Do Not Mail legislation

Press release

USPS HQ Staff Has Increased 38% Since 2000

Sam Wood, President, Southwest Florida Area Local APWU for postalmag.com

8125 vs Bill of Lading Debate Continues

Postal Affairs Blog

Charges: MN woman subbed for postmaster, cashed stolen money orders for $41K

Minneapolis Star Tribune

Marysville CA Mail Plant To Close

200 USPS Workers To Be Relocated
KCRA Sacramento

Sex offender with letter carrier job reassigned

Associated Press

PRC says USPS needs to improve post office closing procedures

Press release

Letter to the Editor: USPS employees are overworked

Des Moines Register

When will the Postal Service start telling the whole story?

Rag Content

Plant-Verified Drop Ship Mailings Update

Postal Affairs Blog

Postage Due for March 11, 2010

Mike Morgan's comic strip on our Facebook page

Wednesday, March 10

Save the Postal Service: Demand Fairness in USPS Pension and Retiree Health Funding

NALC Fact Sheet

From the USPS: How to Be Successful With Intelligent Mail Full Service

postalnews blog

2010 USPS Financial Performance

Courier, Express, and Postal Observer

USPS: Known Knowns, Known Unknowns Unknown Unknowns

Courier, Express, and Postal Observer

Bill’s Author Can’t Change the Facts: Postal ‘Reform’ Created the USPS’ Financial Plight

Burrus responds to Susan Collins
APWU Burrus Update

Seven Misconceptions About the Postal Service's Action Plan

Dead Tree Edition

Editorial - Saving the Post Office

New York Times

Editorial: Congress is running out of time to save the Postal Service

Washington Post

Postal Worker Accused of Identity Theft

WAGA TV Atlanta

PRC Chair speaks at FTC workshop on Postal Periodicals Subsidies this afternoon

postalnews blog

Postage Due for March 10, 2010

Mike Morgan's comic strip on our Facebook page.

Tuesday, March 9

USPS career staffing down by 8% compared with a year ago

postalnews blog

USPS refuses to install defibrillators in Minneapolis PO

Organization offered to donate them for free...
WCCO TV Minneapolis

Podcast: "It's Time To Stop Stealing Postal Customers' Money"

PostCom President Gene Del Polito and Valassis Senior VP for Governmental Affairs Vincent Giuliano for Postcom Radio (.mp3 audio file)

USPS Business Customer Gateway Getting New Look

Postal Affairs Blog

Q&A With SOX Compliance Chief for USPS

Compliance Week

Louisiana mailman robbed, stabbed on route

Lafayette (LA) Advertiser

'Waste' mail is part of the rising cost of the 2010 U.S. census

Kansas City Star

Postage Due for March 9, 2010

Mike Morgan's comic strip on our Facebook Page

Monday, March 8

UK: Junk mail deluge feared as postal union and Royal Mail reach deal to end strikes

The Guardian

Revolving door: Former USPS BOG chairman is named DHL Global Mail chairman

InternetRetailer.com

APWU Urges Members to Support Six-Day Mail Delivery

APWU News

Analysis: Postal rescue plan faces impossible odds

Federal Times

The U.S. Postal Service is Officially in a Panic

Courier, Express, and Postal Observer

Postage Due for March 8, 2010

Mike Morgan's comic strip on our Facebook Page

Our view: No Saturday delivery? Post office needs still more cuts - Editorial

"Some free-market advocates say the answer is to privatize the Postal Service, but it's unimaginable that any for-profit business would want the job ..."
USA Today

Editorial: Reinventing the post office

"Bleeding red ink and facing technological and societal changes, the Postal Service can't just cut Saturday delivery."
Los Angeles Times

Postal Service worker injured in collision in Fall River MA

Fall River Herald News

Opinion of a Postal Employee and NALC Steward

Postal Employee Network

Sunday, March 7

Editorial: It's time to downsize the mail

People's attachment to post offices is a peculiar thing...
The Day (New London CT)

Residents hoping to save their threatened post office

Miami Herald

Congresswoman says five day delivery will hurt rural areas

postalnews blog

USPS presentation on 5 day delivery plans

postalnews blog
also available in the original PowerPoint version, or as a .pdf file

Saturday, March 6

USPS Comes Through with 8125 Checklist Update

Postal Affairs Blog

Ooops...

We had a slight problem with some software changes earlier this afternoon, which resulted in the site being temporarily replaced with a generic wordpress template- sorry about that!