Letter From Congresswoman: Key West Post Office Unfairly Understaffed
This upcoming holiday season, thousands of gift parcels will be sent to various homes and business throughout the Florida Keys. To ensure the timely delivery of these items, the men and women of the Key West post office will work extended hours during the week and on holidays. I would like to praise this tremendous workforce for their commitment and dedication to our Keys community.
Yet despite such a stellar record of service, customers of the Key West Post office often face long lines and excessive wait times as a result of mandatory staffing shortages implemented by the U.S. Postal Service. These staffing shortages are intended to demonstrate that additional personnel can be reduced at the Key West branch without disrupting customer service. Clearly, such a plan is not producing the desired result. And for several years, USPS administrators have failed to adequately assess the staffing needs at the Key West Post Office. A staffing assessment, conducted in 2006, did not take into account the fluctuating population in the Keys due to tourists and seasonal residents. Nor did it fully consider increased demand during the holiday months.
As your elected Representative in Congress, I will continue to work closely with Keys residents, post office personnel, and with various local and Federal officials to ensure that the Key West post office is spared from unfair staffing shortages. It is imperative that our local post office receives the funding it requires, the staff it needs, and the recognition for outstanding service it deserves.
U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen
Florida’s 18th District
source: http://ros-lehtinen.house.gov/PRArticle.aspx?NewsID=714
California District Court Rules in Favor of Endicia Versus Stamps.com on Long-Pending Claim
Court Rules Patent Claims from Stamps.com Suit are Invalid
PALO ALTO, Calif., Nov. 16 – Endicia, the leading Internet postage provider, today announced that the United States District Court for the Central District of California has granted summary judgment to Endicia on all claims asserted against it by Stamps.com, Inc., in a case in Los Angeles. Judge Otis D. Wright II, in a 32 page order, found that Endicia had proven, by clear and convincing evidence, that all 15 patent claims from the eight Stamps.com patents in the suit are invalid. The case was filed by Stamps.com in November 2006.
“We are pleased with the court’s decision, which validates what we have believed all along,” said Harry Whitehouse, founder and chief development officer for Endicia, an Internet postage provider with more than 25 years of experience in the postal industry. “We remain focused on staying at the forefront of new technologies and bringing valuable, innovative solutions to business partners and customers.”
Information in regards to – Stamps. COM, Inc. v. Endicia, Inc. Case No CV 06-7499 ODW (CTx) pending in the United States District Court for the Central District of California.
Great Gift Ideas from the U.S. Postal Service
2009 Stamp Yearbook on Sale Now
WASHINGTON — The 2009 Stamp Yearbook is now on sale at selected Post Offices around the country and online. Loaded with colorful graphics, illustrations and photography, this amazing compendium of stamps, stamp art, stories and behind-the-scenes details highlights the Postal Service’s stamp offerings for 2009. Stamp themes this past year included subjects as diverse as American history, pop culture, heroes, natural and man-made wonders.
“For stamp aficionados, philatelists and those on your gift list who appreciate sophisticated collectible Americana, the 2009 Stamp Yearbook from the Postal Service makes a terrific gift,” suggests David Failor, manager of the Postal Service’s philatelic programs.
“Stamps are a celebration of the American experience,” notes Failor, “and this book is sure to be a gift that will be treasured for many years.”
The 64-page yearbook features:
* Full-length stories on each stamp issuance of 2009,
* Short vignettes about each, and
* A compelling array of artist profiles, timelines and quotes.
The 2009 Stamp Yearbook, priced at $59.95, includes 61 collectible stamps. It is available in selected Post Offices and online at usps.com/shop. It can also be ordered by calling 1-800-STAMP-24.
Another great gift that would appeal to stamp collectors is The Postal Service Guide to U.S. Stamps, 36th Edition. Updated annually, this official publication is a fully illustrated, four-color guide to U.S. stamps. It provides comprehensive information about every U.S. stamp issued from 1847 to the present, including the complete 2009 stamp program with first-day-of-issue details, stamp collecting tips, a glossary of philatelic terms and other information. The Postal Service Guide to U.S. Stamps, 36th Edition, is priced at $19.95.
These two beautiful books and many other wonderful gifts on stamp collecting, Americana, philatelic-themed collectibles and stationery can be purchased online at usps.com/shop.
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Click here to see the 2009 Stamp Yearbook online: www.usps.com/shop.
Source: U.S. Postal Service
Postal Service Revamps Green Website
The U.S. Postal Service has just amped up its cyber presence. Today the agency unveiled a slick new version of its green website, usps.com/green. First launched in 2008, the improved version is an attention-getter for people who care about the environment.
No tickets are needed for the usps.com/green cyber tour, which transports visitors to forests where 1.7 million new trees are planted each day to replace what’s harvested. There’s a place for children to learn how to create green family trees and great tips anyone can use to make the home environment more renewable.
Take a visual stroll through the Postal Service’s greenest hits. Get 100 percent free, 100 percent recyclable Priority Mail and Express Mail packaging supplies delivered directly to your home or office at no charge. The Postal Service is the only mailing and shipping company in America to be Cradle to Cradle(TM) certified for the environmental and health standards of its packaging. Postal Service packaging supplies are so green, the half billion pieces provided to customers last year prevented more than 15,000 tons of carbon emissions. That’s equal to the amount from 2,747 average vehicles driving on the road for a year.
In October 2009, the Postal Service became the first federal agency to report its carbon emissions. Find out more about the Postal Service’s carbon footprint at usps.com/green. Learn how to calculate savings and help the environment by mailing and shipping from the online Post Office that is always open.
“Friends of the environment will find smart tools on usps.com/green to measure their carbon emissions and create individual conservation plans,” said Sam Pulcrano, vice president of Sustainability. “The Skip the Trip calculator shows how to save money, fuel and energy by using our easy online services. It’s another way the Postal Service helps customers make greener choices about their mail.”
The Postal Service has made recycling a priority. The agency recycled 274,000 tons of paper, plastics and other waste in 2008, enough to fill up the Empire State Building one and a half times. On usps.com/green everyone can recycle. From small electronics and ink jet cartridges through the mail, to larger items at any of 100,000 recycling centers around the country, the Postal Service makes it easy to go green!
The revamped usps.com/green is one of many environmental achievements in 2009, including:
Saving $3 million and nearly 100 million kilowatts in an agency-wide energy challenge
Avoiding $1.05 million in costs via green information technology initiatives
Helping customers divert 24,000 tons of paper from landfills by recycling in 6,000 Post Office lobbies
Increasing alternative fuel use 61 percent since 2005
Using electric, propane and natural gas delivery vehicles and retiring 10,000 non-energy efficient vehicles
Since 1995, the Postal Service has won more than 75 major environmental awards, including 40 White House Closing the Circle awards for environmental stewardship, the 2009 Climate Action Champion award, the Direct Marketing Association Echo Green Award and the 2009 Postal Technology International Environmental Achievement of the Year award.
SOURCE U.S. Postal Service
USPS Launches PO Box Growth Initiative
USPS has launched a “Back to Basics” PO Box Revenue Growth initiative. The strategy is aimed at adding $60 million in new PO Box revenue by the close of fiscal year 2010.
The initiative includes a competition. This quarter, USPS will recognize district managers, area customer relations managers and area managers of Operations Support whose area or district shows the greatest increase in revenue over the same period last year.
The first round of competition began last week and ends Dec. 31. Winners will receive gift certificates for themselves and their teams.
But the program doesn’t end with the first-quarter competition. Each quarter, USPS will introduce new contests and awards. The Special Services “Back to Basics” project team, headed by Marketing Specialist Arnetta Cobb, also is planning quarterly and monthly webinars to provide hands-on support and to recognize the previous quarter’s competition winners.
“PO Boxes are a great way to serve customers’ needs and to generate new revenue for the Postal Service,” said Nan McKenzie, manager, Special Services. “Our ‘Back to Basics’ program will help the field introduce the value of PO Boxes to the public and reduce the inventory of unused PO Boxes in retail locations throughout the country.”
Senator Gillibrand And Congressman Maffei Fight To Keep Central New York Post Offices Open
Press Release from the office of Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y
U.S. Postal Service Is Considering Closing Two Postal Facilities In Syracuse, North Syracuse
U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Congressman Dan Maffei today called on the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to consider local impacts, including pedestrian access and neighborhood benefits, when evaluating a consolidation plan that affects post offices in Central New York. The USPS is considering closing two post offices in the Syracuse area – the Elmwood Post Office on South Avenue in Syracuse, and the North Main Street Post Office in North Syracuse.
Senator Gillibrand and Congressman Maffei raised concerns that the plan to close these branches could have potentially harmful economic and environmental consequences. Both facilities are in heavily traversed areas where many patrons walk to and from their post office, providing access to citizens in surrounding low-income and elderly communities. The office in North Syracuse has been a part of the community for more than 100 years. Both postal facilities also make a profit, with the North Syracuse facility making more than $300,000 and the Elmwood office making more than $130,000 this year.
Senator Gillibrand said, “It is unacceptable for the USPS to close two critical post offices in Central New York, which are vital to the local neighborhoods. If the point of consolidation is to save money, then why is the USPS considering closing two postal facilities which actually make a profit. Closing these post offices could have harmful economic and environmental consequences on our communities.”
Congressman Maffei said, “I’m please to join forces with Senator Gillibrand to fight to keep our local post offices open. This is an extremely important issue for our community- that is why I’ve been working on this for months and will continue to pursue all possible opportunities to keep our Elmwood and North Syracuse post offices open for business.”
Syracuse Mayor Matthew J. Driscoll said, “The Elmwood post office is a strategically located lifeline for many residents on the Southside. Losing mailing, delivery and financial services such as stamps, post office boxes and money orders would create a hardship for residents in this area.”
Village of North Syracuse Mayor John Heindorf said, “The Post Office in the Village of North Syracuse has been in operation since 1887 and serves not only the 7,000 residents in the village, but an additional 14,000 residents outside the confines of the village that reside in the same 13212 zip code. All of these people and businesses have depended heavily on the North Syracuse Post Office throughout the years. Closing this post office would be a severe blow for everyone.
In their letter to John E. Potter, Postmaster General and Chief Executive Office of the USPS, Senator Gillibrand and Congressman Maffei wrote, “Closing these branches will not only lead to less patrons using the services of the United States Postal Service (USPS), but would have potentially harmful consequences from both an economic and environmental standpoint on our communities. As the USPS explores ways to trim costs by consolidating branches, it would be impractical to consider these offices as they both make a profit. … We appreciate the need for the postal service to re-evaluate programs in light of the current economy. However, we believe there are ways to cut costs without reducing or denying service to our constituents.”
The USPS held public hearings on Nov. 6 concerning the possible closures. Maureen Marion, a local representative for the Postal Service, told the Syracuse Post-Standard that the decision likely will not be made until 2010. According to the Post-Standard, residents in North Syracuse and Syracuse have collected more than 2,400 signatures on petitions to keep the post offices open.
Dunkin' Donuts Offers Postal Letter Carriers A Free Coffee On November 25
On Wednesday, November 25, any USPS letter carrier can visit Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants throughout the country for free coffee, any size
CANTON, Mass. (November 24, 2009) — On the eve of the holiday season, Dunkin’ Donuts, America’s all-day, every day stop for coffee and baked goods, is delivering a very special gift to the men and women who deliver our holiday cards, catalogs and presents. On Wednesday, November 25, Dunkin’ Donuts will serve free coffee to any United States Postal Service (USPS) letter carrier. Any USPS letter carrier that is wearing an official uniform or shows their union card identification can visit participating Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants throughout the country for a free coffee, any size. No additional purchase is necessary.
“The United States Postal Service letter carriers serve tirelessly throughout the holiday season, and we wanted to recognize their hard work during this very busy time of year,” said John Costello, Dunkin’ Brands’ Chief Global Customer and Marketing Officer. “We invite letter carriers to kick off the season with a free cup of coffee at their local Dunkin’ Donuts restaurant, and to know that we are there to help keep them running through snow or rain or gloom of night.”
Postal Service Announces Short-term Supervisor Selection and Placement Process
From National League Of Postmasters League President Charley Mapa:
Dear Leaguers,
For quite some time now, the Management Associations have challenged Postal Headquarters on the significant number of supervisor vacancies and we are, therefore, gratified that something is finally being done about it.
Please note that this process opens on December 29. Also significant is that it is open to all EAS and career bargaining unit employees. For those of you Postmasters who have been waiting for an opportunity like this, here’s your chance. Others may have identified clerks, carriers and other bargaining unit employees that you thought would make good supervisors.
If you have a supervisor vacancy or think that you qualify for one, do your own SWCs now to prepare for this process.
Excerpt from USPS memo:
Vacant Level EAS-17, Supervisor, Customer Services and Supervisor, Distribution Operations positions may be filled using the abbreviated process for a single posting period beginning December 29. Attached is a brief outline of the short-term supervisor selection process, including a timeline. This timeline include steps for consideration and selection of non-competitive lateral and downgrade requests, as well as a competitive process for employees seeking promotion.
http://www.postmasters.org/news/latest/Short%20Term%20Supervisor.pdf
NALC: USPS Financial Plan for 2010 Retains Six-Day Delivery
Despite cutting 40,000 career employees, getting a $4 billion break on retiree health benefit payments, and taking other cost containment measures, the Postal Service reported a net loss of $3.8 billion for its 2009 fiscal year. The bleak report, issued November 16, showed $1 billion more red ink than a year earlier.
The report also cited total mail volume of 177.1 billion pieces, compared to 202.7 billion pieces in 2008, a 12.7 percent decline. In making the announcement, the Service said its projections for FY 2010 are based on continuing six?day delivery.
“There is no way to sugarcoat it; it was a horrible year,” NALC President Fred Rolando said. “The housing collapse and meltdown on Wall Street hit the most mail?intensive sectors of the economy, and the deep recession that followed may have accelerated the drive by many mailers to seek electronic substitutes for mail.”
The Postal Service’s chief financial officer, Joseph Corbett, agreed: “Our 2009 fiscal year proved to be one of the most challenging in the history of the Postal Service. The deep economic recession, and to a lesser extent the ongoing migration of mail to electronic alternatives, significantly affected all mail products, creating a large imbalance between revenues and costs.” Corbett noted that the Service reduced work hours by 115 million, or the equivalent of 65,000 full?time employees. The Service reduced overtime and pared transportation costs and virtually every other expense.
Independent auditor Ernst & Young cautioned that “there is significant uncertainty” whether the Postal Service will have enough cash on hand to make all of its payments in the year ahead, including the $5.5 billion retiree health benefits payment due on the last day of FY 2010. That is the next installment due to pre?fund future retiree health insurance costs. The 2009 payment was reduced by $4 billion, thanks to passage of legislation vigorously endorsed by the NALC.
With further revenue losses and mail volume declines expected, Postmaster General John E. Potter said that USPS will continue to move aggressively to meet the challenges posed by the recession.
“We realize our customers are facing the same economic challenges,” Potter said, noting the Service will not raise prices for First?Class and Standard Mail and its other market?dominant products in 2010.
Looking ahead, the statement said, “The 2010 plan, which estimates a revenue decline of $2.2 billion, a net loss of $7.8 billion, cost reductions of more than $3.5 billion and a reduction in mail volume of 11billion pieces for the year, is based on the assumption that there will be no change in the number of delivery days per week, and no change in the current retiree health benefits payment schedule.”
Potter said, however, that the Postal Service faces “a sobering reality” of the same financial problems in 2010 and every year in the near future as volume contracts and the Postal Service struggles with the costs of an ever?expanding delivery network.
President Rolando said the Postal Service’s year?end report underscored the need to enact a long?term fix to the retiree pre?funding obligation.
“We appreciate the short?term relief provided by H.R. 22, but Congress must order the Office of Personnel Management to review the pre?funding provisions of the law to both more accurately measure the true cost of future benefits, which it now grossly exaggerated, and provide for a more reasonable and sustainable schedule for pre?funding,” he said.
Rolando expressed hope that the economy will begin to turn around in 2010, but cautioned letter carriers that a full recovery will take time: “We will have our work cut out for us in the years ahead to restore the Postal Service and protect our long?term job security. We will have to fight for legislative reforms and make the right decisions at the bargaining table.”
see full NALC Bulletin: http://nalc.org/news/bulletin/PDF2009/Bull09-20.pdf
USPS: Only 241 Post Offices Remain On Closure List
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Postal Service today updated the list of retail stations and branches that remain under review for possible consolidation, with only 241 offices still under review.
Unlike most federal agencies, America’s national mail system receives no tax subsidy for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations. The Postal Service reported a loss of $3.8 billion at the end of its 2009 fiscal year in October.
“To shore up its finances, the Postal Service is looking at every aspect of its business to economize. Reducing over-capacity in retail and delivery operations is a smart business move. Every effort is being made to maintain and improve customer access to postal services,” said Steven J. Forte, senior vice president, Operations.
Today’s announcement updates a review process begun earlier this summer that initially examined about 3,300 stations and branches in urban and suburban areas across the country, focusing on facilities in relatively close proximity to one another. The process is to determine where consolidations might be feasible without compromising customer access to postal services.
With over 36,000 Post Offices, stations, branches, contract and community post offices, the Postal Service has the largest retail network in the United States. An additional 56,000 locations such as supermarkets, drug stores, and other retailers sell postage and selected postal services. Nearly 18,000 ATMs dispense sheets of stamps. But customers do not have to visit a physical building to purchase products and services; postage can be bought at usps.com and printed on personal computers.
As part of this process, the Postal Service has filed periodic updates with the Postal Regulatory Commission, identifying the retail stations and branches that remain under consideration. The filing does not represent a final decision on consolidation. To date, no facility-specific final decisions have been made as a result of this initiative.
New initiatives also are being undertaken to build revenue, including Flat Rate Priority Mail pricing. If it fits in the box, it ships for one low price regardless of U.S. destination or weight. Another recent revenue building initiative introduced greeting cards to 500 select Post Offices.
Click here for the list http://www.usps.com/communications/newsroom/stationbranchop.pdf