Sen. Carper Reacts to PRC’s Planned 6 Month Review of Postal Proposal to End Saturday Delivery
April 29, 2010
WASHINGTON – Today, Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) released the following statement reacting to the Postal Regulatory Commission’s planned six month review of the US Postal Service’s proposal to end Saturday Delivery:
“I’m pleased that the Postal Regulatory Commission will be taking steps in the coming weeks to thoroughly examine the Postal Service’s proposal to eliminate Saturday delivery and hear the views of stakeholders on both sides of the issue.
“I am concerned; however, that the proposed timeline that the Commission has laid out for the completion of its work might mean that a final advisory opinion from Commissioners might not come until October or later. As I pointed out at a hearing I chaired last week, this seems to me to be an awfully long period of time, especially when you consider the fact that the 9/11 Commission came out with its report just seven months after President Bush signed the bill that created it into law. With the Postal Service at risk of running out of cash and borrowing room sometime in 2011, it is important that postal management and Congress hear from the Commission sooner rather than later on the advisability of finding savings by eliminating Saturday delivery. My understanding is that the law and Commission regulations envision the Commission being able to complete work on proposals like the Postal Service’s proposal on Saturday delivery within three months. I recognize that this is an issue that a lot of people have strong feelings about but I hope that the Commission can make its views known on a quicker timeline, particularly given the dire financial circumstances currently facing the Postal Service.”
USPS Puts AMP Study For Two Facilities On Hold
Area Mail Processing study for the following facilities are currently on hold:
Daytona Beach, FL P&DF to Mid-Florida, FL P&DC
Atlanta, GA P&DC to North Metro, GA P&DC
The Postal Service began an Area Mail Processing (AMP) study to determine if efficiencies could be increased by consolidating mail processing operations performed at the Daytona Beach, FL Processing and Distribution Facility with those performed at the Mid-Florida, FL Processing and Distribution Center and the Atlanta, GA Processing and Distribution Center with those performed at the North Metro, GA Processing and Distribution Center.
While conducting the study, the Postal Service determined that there are other factors that need to be addressed before proceeding with the study.
When the Postal Service decides to resume this study, all stakeholders will be notified.
Canada Post Reports Profit For 15th Consecutive Year But Financial Challenges Ahead
Canada Post Corporation tabled its 2009 annual report today in Parliament, reporting a profit for the15th consecutive year. The Corporation recorded consolidated net income of $281 million on revenue of $7.3 billion, and reported an operating margin of 4.9 per cent.
The profit in 2009 does not truly reflect the underlying weakness in Canada Post Corporation’s operating performance and the financial challenges ahead. The company would have reported a loss in 2009 if it were not for stringent cost containment measures that resulted in a reduction of $540 million of planned costs by the Canada Post segment, as well as an unplanned non-cash reduction of $271 million in employee future benefits expense.
In 2009 Canada Post, like many other businesses, faced one of the worst economic climates in decades. Volumes and revenues in all three core Canada Post segment lines of business, as well as its largest subsidiary, Purolator Courier, fell sharply. Consolidated revenue declined by $421 million from 2008 levels.
In spite of the challenges faced in 2009, the Corporation met or exceeded Delivery Service Performance targets for all products and registered a gain in our externally surveyed Customer Value Index score. The number of lost-time workplace accidents fell by 22 per cent and the company reported its highest ever employee engagement score. In addition, the company’s $2-billion “Postal Transformation” modernization program hit key milestones in its development, leading up to the opening this June of a new, state-of-the-art mail processing plant in Winnipeg.
“Thanks to the tremendous commitment and effort by our employees and management team to reduce our operating costs, we were able to remain profitable in 2009 while maintaining our service to Canadians and improving safety for our people,” says Moya Greene, President and CEO. “It was certainly one of our most challenging years. Looking ahead, as mail volumes are predicted to decline further, cost containment measures will not be sufficient to sustain our company. We must continue to modernize and seek ways to grow our business.”
In September 2009, the Government of Canada announced the Canadian Postal Service Charter. The Charter outlines the expectations concerning Canada Post’s service. The 2009 annual report includes the first report on its performance against the Government’s expectations. The Corporation will continue to report each year on the Charter.
“The Board of Directors supports management’s Postal Transformation strategy, which is aimed at modernizing operations on an unprecedented scale. The success achieved in 2009 gives me comfort that we are well positioned to face the future,” added Marc A. Courtois, Chairman of Canada Post’s Board of Directors.
Canadians can learn more about Canada Post by reading the annual report at canadapost.ca/annual_report, and are invited to attend the Corporation’s annual meeting in Winnipeg, Manitoba on June 4, 2010 or listen to the live webcast at canadapost.ca/publicmeeting.
source: Canada Post
Mojave Post Office Mail Processing Operations Moving To Bakersfield
MOJAVE, CA — As a result of a study begun in Sept., 2009, the Postal Service has made the decision to move mail processing operations from the Mojave Post Office to the Bakersfield Processing & Distribution Center (P&DC). Local mail service will not be affected by the move.
Sierra Coastal District Manager Kerry Wolny said, “Given the drastic decline in mail volume the Postal Service has experienced, we must take action to reduce the size of our mail processing network. Consolidating operations and placing our people where we need them is necessary if the Postal Service is to remain viable to provide mail service to the nation.
“The consolidation makes sense given the fiscal realities,” added Wolny. “The Bakersfield P&DC has the capacity to handle the additional workload and we can realize significant savings by shifting operations there.”
The transition is expected to be completed in June, 2010. Some employees may be reassigned to the Bakersfield P&DC or to other vacant positions as a result of the move.
“I am confident the transition will be smooth and transparent to our customers and they will continue to receive the same excellent service they always have,” said Wolny.
Full retail services will still be available at the Mojave Post Office and the Mojave Business Mail Entry Unit will remain open for large volume business mailers.
OIG Audit Report On USPS Overtime Workhours
Excerpts from the OIG Audit Report On USPS Overtime Workhours:
This report presents the results of our self-initiated audit of Postal Service Function 4 Overtime Workhours (Project Number 09RG009MS000). Our objective was to determine whether Postal Service officials effectively managed Function 4 workhours to reduce overtime costs. This audit addresses financial and operational risk.
Footnote: Function 4 operations include customer service activities – both supervisory and nonsupervisory – of employees at post offices, stations, and branches involved in automated, mechanized, manual, and post office box distribution of mail, post office window, and vending equipment services and miscellaneous administrative and Central Forwarding System operations
Postal Service officials effectively managed Function 4 workhours to reduce overtime costs. Overall Function 4 overtime workhours decreased from 17.5 million in fiscal year
(FY) 2008 to 9.2 million in FY 2009. However, unauthorized overtime workhours as a percentage of total overtime workhours increased from FY 2008 to FY 2009.
Management should strengthen time and attendance procedures to reduce Function 4 unauthorized overtime costs. We estimated that in FYs 2008 and 2009, the Postal
Service incurred unrecoverable unsupported questioned costs totaling $79.6 million for unauthorized overtime workhours.
Time and Attendance Procedures Need Strengthening
Some Function 4 employees clocked in before and clocked out after their assigned workhours, resulting in 1.2 million and 965,000 unauthorized overtime workhours for FYs 2008 and 2009, respectively. This occurred because the Postal Service’s badge control process does not prevent employees from clocking in before and clocking out after their assigned workhours. In addition, managers and supervisors did not follow established time and attendance procedures. Officials stated they did not follow procedures because other duties took priority. Specifically, they did not always:
- Control employees’ access to time cards and badges to ensure they clocked in and out according to their assigned schedules;
- Update the Time and Attendance Collection System (TACS) to reflect changes in employees’ scheduled work times; and
- Record authorized overtime in TACS to reduce the amount of unauthorized overtime recorded in the TACS Unauthorized Overtime Report.
We previously recommended the vice president, controller, assess the feasibility of automating the badge control process with the Electronic Badge Reader (EBR) and TACS to prevent employees from clocking in before their official workhours begin.
Although management identified two automated solutions to prevent employees from clocking in before and clocking out after their assigned workhours, they decided against
these options in favor of using the TACS reports to identify employees clocking in before normal workhours. Management indicated that the reports were sufficient to
effectively and efficiently manage clocking activity.
We interviewed 13 finance managers from high-performing district offices in the Eastern and Pacific Areas to determine the reasons for their success in controlling unauthorized
workhours and to develop best practices. Districts in the Eastern and Pacific Areas incurred the fewest Function 4 unauthorized overtime workhours in FYs 2008 and 2009.
These districts were successful in controlling unauthorized workhours because their managers and supervisors substantially complied with established time and attendance
procedures. The districts provided their managers and supervisors training on time and attendance procedures, provided overtime reports for them to use to manage
workhours, and held frequent meetings to discuss overtime workhours.
See the Full OIG Audit Report (PDF)
USPS: Full Service Resumes for International Mail to Europe
WASHINGTON — With the reopening of international airports across Europe, full service for international mail has resumed, and the temporary restriction imposed by the U.S. Postal Service since April 21 on the acceptance of perishable items for delivery to the continent has been lifted.
Effective immediately, the service guarantees for Express Mail International (EMI) and Global Express Guaranteed (GXG) to all destinations have resumed.
“We appreciate the patience of our customers while the airport closings were in effect,” said Pranab Shah, managing director and vice president, Global Business. “It was an unprecedented situation, and despite the challenges, we were able to establish alternate transportation channels to keep mail moving both inbound and outbound to many areas of the continent.”
Customers can monitor the status of their shipments on usps.com or contact Customer Service at 1-800-222-1811. Additional information and updates are posted online at: International Service Updates .
PRC Sets Schedule to Review Proposal to End Saturday Mail Delivery
Washington, DC – The Postal Regulatory Commission today established the procedural schedule, available here, for Docket N2010-1 to review whether the U.S. Postal Service plan to eliminate Saturday delivery should be implemented.
“The Commission has developed a disciplined schedule to ensure a timely, thorough review of the Postal Service’s proposal,” said Chairman Ruth Y. Goldway. “Our process will provide multiple opportunities for the public to be heard and for all the facts to be considered before the Commission issues its Advisory Opinion.”
In addition to steps outlined in the procedural schedule, the Commission will hold public field hearings in Las Vegas, NV; Sacramento, CA; Dallas, TX; Memphis, TN; Chicago, IL; Rapid City, SD; and Buffalo, NY. Persons wishing to be considered for inclusion on a field hearing witness panel may contact the Commission at www.prc.gov, by clicking the “contact PRC” tab or by phoning 202-789-6800.
By law, the Postal Service is required to ask the Commission for an Advisory Opinion in advance of any change in nationwide service. Commission procedures provide for public, on-the-record hearings to analyze and cross-examine the Postal Service’s “five-day” proposal and supporting evidence. During the process, mail users and interested members of the public may offer supporting or opposing views, both informally and as part of more formal, technical presentations. The nationwide elimination of Saturday mail delivery service is one of the most significant changes the Postal Service has ever presented to the Commission.
A list of the field hearing locations and times is attached.
The Postal Regulatory Commission is an independent federal agency that provides regulatory oversight over the U.S. Postal Service to ensure the transparency and accountability of the Postal Service and foster a vital and efficient universal mail system. The Commission is comprised of five Presidentially-appointed and Senate-confirmed Commissioners, each serving terms of six years. The Chairman is designated by the President. In addition to Chairman Goldway, the other Commissioners are Vice Chairman Tony Hammond, Dan Blair, Nanci Langley, and Mark Acton.
PRC FIELD HEARING SCHEDULE FOR DOCKET NO. N2010-1:
May
Las Vegas, Nevada – Monday, May 10, 1:00 p.m.
City Council Chambers, 400 Stewart Avenue
Sacramento, CA – Wednesday May 12, 9:00 a.m.
Sacramento City Hall, City Council Chambers, 915 I Street
Dallas, Texas – Monday, May 17, 1:00 p.m.
Dallas City Hall, City Council Chambers, 1500 Marilla Avenue
Memphis, TN – Wednesday, May 19, 1:00 p.m.
Memphis City Hall, City Council Chambers, 125 N. Main Street
June
Chicago, IL – Monday, June 21, 1:00 p.m.
Chicago City Hall, City Council Chambers, 121 N. LaSalle Street
Rapid City, SD – Wednesday, June 23, 9:00 a.m.
Journey Museum, 222 New York Street
Buffalo, NY – Monday, June 28, 1:00 p.m.
Buffalo City Hall, City Council Chambers, 65 Niagara Square, 12th Floor
Congresswomen Introduce Bill To Honor Two Postal Employees Who Died In Anthrax Attack
The following is a press release from the office of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton:
April 28, 2010
WASHINGTON, DC- Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today introduced a resolution, along with Congresswoman Donna Edwards (D-MD-04) as an original co-sponsor, to honor the lives of Joseph Curseen, Jr. and Thomas Morris, Jr. with a commemorative stamp issued by the United States Postal Service. Both men died in the anthrax attack at the Brentwood Post Office in the District, now named in their honor. “These two men, born and raised in the District, dedicated their combined 52 years of service to their country and to the United States Postal Service as committed employees,” Norton said. “A commemorative stamp, not only will honor the memory of their service and sacrifice, but will also remind Americans of the work and diligence of all of those who protect the American people and the homeland.” The two men, who resided in Congresswoman Donna Edwards’ congressional district, are eligible for stamp commemoration, because the five-year time period since their deaths has passed.”
Norton’s statement on the resolution is attached.
REMARKS OF
CONGRESSWOMAN ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON
ON THE INTRODUCTION OF THE
Anthrax Attack Commemorative Stamp Resolution
April 28, 2010
Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, today I introduce a resolution directing the Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee to recommend to the Postmaster General that a commemorative stamp be issued to honor the lives of Joseph Curseen, Jr. and Thomas Morris, Jr., the two United States Postal Service (USPS) workers, and District of Columbia natives, who died as a result of their exposure to anthrax while working at the USPS facility located at 900 Brentwood Road, NE, Washington, D.C., during the 2001 anthrax attack. This commemorative stamp meets the Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee’s requirement that no postal item may be issued sooner than five years after an individual’s death.
Joseph Curseen, Jr. and Thomas Morris, Jr. served the USPS honorably and diligently for a combined period of 52 years until their deaths on October 22, 2001, and October 21, 2001, respectively. Curseen, remembered as a quiet man with a fuzzy mustache, loved to tell stories and loved his church. He was so dedicated to his work, that during the 15 years that he worked for the USPS, he never called in sick. His co-workers described him as someone who was kind and courteous, who stayed at the Post Office seven days a week, giving up breaks to get the mail out, and who regularly led a postal worker Bible study group. In his neighborhood of Cambridge Estates, Maryland, Curseen was the president of the homeowners association, an avid jogger, and a member of St. John the Evangelist Church. To his neighbors, Curseen was someone who everyone knew, who was friendly, and who worked quietly, but “really got things done.” He helped build a playground and park in the Cambridge Estates area, even though he and his wife had no children. Although Curseen lived in Clinton, Maryland, he grew up in Southeast D.C., where Our Lady of Perpetual Help Roman Catholic Church was his childhood parish and school. Curseen’s wife, Celestine Willingham Curseen, to whom he was married for 16 years, described her late husband as a generous, kind, hard-working man who will be greatly missed.
Thomas Morris, Jr. also grew up in the District of Columbia, although he and his family moved to Suitland, Maryland. Before joining the USPS, Morris served in the United States Air Force. Morris joined the USPC in 1973 and worked as a distribution clerk. He was a hard worker who had no aversion to working overtime, a proud husband and father of one son and two stepchildren, as well as the president of a bowling league team. To his neighbors, Morris was a quiet, thoughtful, deeply religious and humble man, who dispensed helpful, and often paternal, advice to his younger neighbors. His wife, Mary, described him as true to others and to himself, as someone who was respectful and law-abiding.
Please join me in honoring the lives of these two men, who died serving their country, and in requesting a commemorative stamp in their memory.
I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.
Postal Retirees Not Paid – Get Busy Signal When Calling OPM Toll-Free Number
Many APWU members who retired in October have reported that they still have not received regular annuity checks. We also have heard that many retirees receive a busy signal every time they call the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) on the agency’s toll-free number.
This is an intolerable situation, and I have met with OPM officials several times in an effort to resolve these problems. I will continue meeting with OPM to resolve our members’ complaints. Currently, issues are being addressed on an individual basis. Please contact my office if you are experiencing a problem obtaining information about retirement and need assistance.
In a February letter to John Berry, OPM Director, Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) sharply criticized OPM’s “delayed efforts to modernize their retirement information system.” These delays have inconvenienced APWU retirees for years.
Mikulski also addressed complaints about the “length of time required to calculate service credit deposits and re-deposits, COLAs, and court-ordered benefits.” She noted that 132,000 federal employees that have complained about lack of access to information that they need to plan for retirement. “In a time of strained family budgets, federal employees retirees need certainty and reliable information; this cannot be a casual endeavor for your office,” she wrote.
APWU Retirees Department
Senator, Congressman Introduce Bills To Address Postal Managers Unreasonable Workload
Filed under: politics, postal, postal managers, postal supervisors, Postmasters, usps
From the Postmasters.org website:
“Senator Akaka (D HI) and Congressman Gerald Connolly (D VA) have both introduced a bill that would add language to title 39 that puts into law that postmasters and other supervisory personnel shall have a reasonable and sustainable workload and schedule. These bills both address the unreasonable overload that the Postal Service has placed on managers over the last several years. The bills would also clarify certain provisions concerning consultation and changes or terminations in certain proposals.- The League, along with Napus and Naps, supports these bills.”