USPS Confirms Tim Haney as Capital Metro Area VP, Jordan Small takes over Northeast Area
From the Washington Post:
Timothy C. Haney, former manager of a U. S. Postal Service facility in the District where two workers died during the 2001 anthrax attacks, will become head of mail operations for the national capital region.
Postmaster General John E. Potter announced Haney’s promotion in a staff memo Monday morning (see below). As The Eye reported last week, the move upsets workers who remember that Haney assured them of their safety just days before two workers died of anthrax exposure.
Potter named Jordan M. Small to succeed Haney in the northeast, David E. Williams to oversee the mail agency’s network operations and Kelly M. Sigmon to manage engineering.
As part of our ongoing efforts to increase service levels, improve our flexibility and speed, and meet the ever-changing dynamics of the marketplace, I am pleased to announce four new officer assignments within Operations:
Vice President Area Operations, Capital Metro Area, Timothy C. Haney: Tim is returning to the Capital Metro Area after serving as the Area Vice President for the Northeast Area since 2007. He served more than four years as the District Manager of the Capital District and was the Manager, Processing and Distribution, in several offices including Washington, D.C.; Merrifield, Virginia; and Baltimore, Maryland. As the Northeast Area Vice President, he was responsible for developing and implementing plans to transition the administrative functions performed by the New York Metro Area office into an expanded Northeast Area operations office. Following that successful transition, Tim assumed responsibility for postal operations—including mail processing and distribution, customer service, and administrative operations—over a geographic area that now encompasses Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and parts of New York and New Jersey. Tim holds a bachelor of science degree in management studies from the University of Maryland.
Vice President Area Operations, Northeast Area, Jordan M. Small: Jordan served as the Vice President, Network Operations, with responsibility for the national network of 350 mail processing and distribution centers and automation initiatives focused on increasing the amount of mail sequenced in the order of delivery. He oversaw the major transformation of the Bulk Mail Center network to the Network Distribution Center, resulting in improved service, increased efficiencies, and transportation savings. As the Vice President, Delivery and Post Office Operations he organized strategies to optimize the delivery network through joint collaboration with the National Association of Letter Carriers. Jordan, whose Postal Service career began in 1979, has also served in a number of other leadership roles including District Manager of the South Florida District; senior plant manager in the South Florida District; manager/lead executive in the Philadelphia District; District Manager in Akron, Ohio; and Postmaster in Cleveland, Ohio. Jordan studied business management at David Meyers University in Cleveland.
Vice President, Network Operations, David E. Williams: As Vice President, Engineering, Dave was responsible for directing all engineering and acquisition support functions, including the design and development of new automation, material handling systems, and vehicles. As a certified black belt, Dave championed numerous lean six sigma projects which have strengthened the culture of ongoing process improvements within Engineering. Dave brings to his new role a breadth of field and headquarters experience as he has served in numerous field, area, and headquarters positions, including Manager, Processing Operations. In that role, Dave led his team to superior performance over the course of several years, with breakthrough efforts in producing data-driven support for the field’s record-setting service achievements. Dave earned his master’s degree in business at the College of William and Mary, and he was awarded his bachelor of science degree in industrial engineering from the University of Florida.
Vice President, Engineering, Kelly M. Sigmon: A recent graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Sloan Fellows Program in Innovation in Global Leadership, Kelly earned a master’s degree in business administration. Kelly also holds a bachelor of science degree in industrial engineering from California State Polytechnic University. Kelly joined the Postal Service in 1989 as an Industrial Engineer Professional Specialist Trainee and has worked at all levels of the organization—headquarters, area, and the field. She served as District Manager for the Southeast Michigan District where she was responsible for postal operations involving two processing and distribution centers and 124 post offices. Kelly also served as the Senior Plant Manager of the Royal Oak, Michigan, Processing and Distribution Center where she managed day-to-day operations and developed cross-functional teams to improve service to internal customers, capture work hour savings, and increase the use of automated processes. Other positions in Kelly’s career include: Area Manager, In-Plant Support, in the Great Lakes Area; Manager, In-Plant Support, for the San Bernardino, California Processing and Distribution Center; and Operations Support Specialist for the Pacific Area.
Tim and Jordan will report to the Deputy Postmaster General and Chief Operating Officer. Dave and Kelly will report to the Senior Vice President of Operations. These new assignments will begin Tuesday, July 6.
OSHA Proposes $430,000 in fines against USPS At Scarborough, Maine Mail Facility
AUGUSTA, Maine — The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited the U.S. Postal Service for alleged willful and repeat violations of safety standards following an inspection at the Southern Maine Processing and Distribution Center in Scarborough, Maine. The Postal Service faces a total of $430,000 in fines, chiefly for exposing workers to electrical hazards.
“These citations and sizable fines reflect the Postal Service’s failure to equip its workers with the necessary knowledge and skills to safely work with live electrical parts,” said Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Dr. David Michaels. “The Postal Service knew that proper and effective training was needed for the safety of its workers but did not provide it.”
OSHA’s inspection, which began Dec. 29, 2009, in response to a complaint from workers at the Scarborough facility, found employees working with or near live electrical equipment without adequate training or qualifications, personal protective equipment, safety-related work practices and warning signs.
These conditions exposed the workers to electric shock, arc flashes and arc blasts and resulted in OSHA issuing six willful citations, with $420,000 in proposed fines, to the Postal Service. OSHA defines a willful violation as one committed with plain indifference to or intentional disregard for employee safety and health.
In addition, OSHA found that access to electrical panels was blocked in several instances by materials being stored adjacent to them. This situation resulted in one repeat citation, with a $10,000 fine, since the Postal Service had been cited in November 2007 for the same type of hazard at a Toledo, Ohio, postal facility.
The Postal Service has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and proposed penalties to comply, meet with the OSHA area director or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. This inspection was conducted by OSHA’s Augusta Area Office; telephone 207-626-9160. To report workplace accidents, fatalities or situations posing imminent danger to workers, call OSHA’s toll-free hotline at 800-321-6742.
Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA’s role is to assure these conditions for America’s working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov.
USPS Reports $642 Million Loss for Month Of May
The US Postal Service filed its May 2010 (unaudited) preliminary financial report on Friday, June 24, 2010 with the Postal Regulatory Commission. USPS reported a net income/ loss of $642 million. The total Fiscal Year to year loss is $2.9 billion ($382 lost for April; $381 lost for month of March; $611 lost in February; $592 million lost for the month of January, $179 Million gain the month of December; $255 million lost for November; $221 Million lost the month of October) see full report at the Postal Regulatory Commission
Total Mail Services Volume was down 0.9%
Total Shipping was up 4.6%
Total Mail voume was down 0.8% but revenue up by 0.1%
First class volume down 6.3%
Stand Mail up by 5.6%
Total Workhours was down 3.8% (City Carriers 3.0%, Mail Processing, 9.0%, Cusotmer Services 8.5%, Rural Delivery up by 2.4%, Other 0.8%)
Total Career Employees 590,596
Total Non-Career Employees 89,135
Vehicle Maintenance Service was up 33.6% (see OIG report on Vehicle Maintenance)
California Congressman Michael Honda Calls for More Asian American-Themed Stamps
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Michael Honda (CA-15) sent a letter to the Postmaster General recommending that the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) issue more stamps celebrating Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI). While the USPS does produce some AAPI-themed stamps, they are not issued as frequently as other American heritage stamps. In fact, only 33 Asian American-themed stamps have ever been issued.
“Stamps are like history teachers, educating us on significant, and often omitted, social, cultural and political occurrences in America’s past,” said Rep Michael Honda, Chairman of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus. “Many minority communities, left out of the traditional history schoolbook, rightly receive recognition via the US postal stamp. Asian American and Pacific Islander communities are one such group and while there is a precedent for AAPI-themed stamps, few have gone beyond cultural comment only. Lunar New Year, for example, has comprised nearly half of all AAPI-themed stamps to date. Today we are calling for something more socio-politically substantial. Stamps that remember the Japanese-American internment camps, the Chinese laborers who built the Transcontinental Railroad, or the roughly 11 million AAPI veterans who served our country, among many other meritorious memorials, is a necessary next step in mainstreaming a minority group that remains marginalized from the postal service’s primary platform for remembering America’s history.” – US Representative Michael Honda, Chairman, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus.
There are approximately 16.6 million Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders currently living in the United States. In addition to being one of the most ethnically-diverse communities, it is also one of the fastest growing; by 2050, the AAPI population is expected to more than double. Just some of the AAPI individuals who could be proudly displayed on a U.S. stamp include:
- Patsy Takemoto Mink, the first woman of color elected to Congress and a strong advocate for educational equality for women;
- Judge Herbert Choy, the first Asian American to serve as a U.S. federal judge; and
- Ellison Onizuka, the first Japanese American space astronaut.
“I have the honor of representing an extremely diverse district, including many Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders,” said Rep. Loretta Sanchez (CA-47), Co-Chair of the Congressional Caucus on Vietnam. “Unfortunately, the AAPI community’s significant contributions to literature, science, government, business, and the arts are not adequately reflected on U.S. stamps. Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have enriched the lives of communities across the country, and I think the U.S. Postal Service should do more to honor their history.”
Reps. Honda and Sanchez, are joined by members of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, namely Eni Faleomavaega (AS), Madeleine Bordallo (GU), David Wu (OR-1), Gregorio Sablan (CNMI), Charles Djou (HI-1), Barbara Lee (CA-9), and Bob Filner (CA-51). The text of the letter is available below:
To the members of the Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee:
We write to respectfully ask you to recommend to the Postmaster General that stamps celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) heritage and honoring AAPI contributions be issued each year. Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, which is the month of May each year, presents the perfect opportunity to issue commemorative stamps that reflect the diversity within our community and the contributions of AAPIs.
Since the Committee’s inception, only 43 Asian American and Pacific Islander themed stamps have been issued. This does not do justice to the rich diversity of this community and the myriad contributions this community has made to our country. Currently, there are approximately 16.6 million AAPIs living in the United States, with 45 distinct ethnic groups within our populations, speaking various dialects within each group. It is certainly a diverse community, and one of the fastest growing ethnic groups in the U.S. By 2050, the Asian Pacific Islander population is expected to more than double, and reach 40.6 million, or 9% of the population.
AAPIs have made countless contributions to our country throughout our nation’s history that warrant recognition on the face of a stamp. These include:
- The Chinese laborers that helped build the Transcontinental Railroad;
- Remembering the Japanese American Internment during World War II;
- Honoring the 10.7 million AAPI veterans, including the contributions of Nisei veterans and Filipino veterans during World War II;
- Dalip Singh Saund, the first Asian American elected to Congress in 1956 to represent the 29th district of California, which included Riverside and Imperial counties;
- Patsy Takemoto Mink, the first woman of color elected to Congress in 1964, and champion of educational equality for women;
- Judge Herbert Choy, a Korean American judge who was the first AAPI to serve as a U.S. federal judge;
- Anna May Wong, Chinese American Hollywood trailblazer;
- Ellison Onizuka, the first Japanese American space astronaut. He lost his life when the Space Shuttle Challenger was destroyed;
- Remembering the 52 survivors of the ship that was stranded in the Pacific Ocean in 1988 and ultimately rescued by Filipino fisherman into the Island of Bolinao, and;
- The many Chinatowns, Japantowns, Little Saigons, and other thriving ethnic communities throughout our country in major regions including Orange County and San Jose California.
Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, which is the month of May each year, presents the unique opportunity to recognize the contributions of AAPIs throughout our history through commemorative stamps. In June 1977, Reps. Frank Horton of New York and Norman Y. Mineta of California introduced a House resolution that called upon the president to proclaim the first ten days of May as Asian-Pacific Heritage Week. The following month, senators Daniel Inouye and Spark Matsunaga introduced a similar bill in the Senate. Both were passed. On October 5, 1978, President Jimmy Carter signed a Joint Resolution designating the annual celebration. Twelve years later, President George H.W. Bush signed an extension making the week-long celebration into a month-long celebration. In 1992, the official designation of May as Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month was signed into law. This particular month was chosen to commemorate the immigration of the first Japanese to the United States and the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad, as they each took placed in the month of May.
We ask that the rich diversity and contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders be fairly represented and celebrated in the stamps issued by the United States Postal Service. If you have any questions about our request, please do not hesitate to contact Gladys Barcena in Congresswoman Loretta’s Sanchez office at (202) 225-2965 or gladys.barcena[ at] mail.house.gov . , or Gloria Chan in Congressman Michael Honda’s office at (202) 225-2631 or gloria.chan[ at]mail.house.gov
California Postal Supervisor Pleads Guilty To Theft
Press Release from The U.S. Department of Justice’s U.S. Attorney’s office for Eastern District of California:
June 25, 2010
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced that June Marie Casteel, 46, of Yuba City, pleaded guilty today before United States District Court Judge Edward G. Garcia to felony theft of U.S. Postal Money Orders and theft of currency of the U.S. Postal Service .
According to court documents, from September 5, 2009 through September 10, 2009, Casteel, while employed as a supervisor of the Marysville Post Office, stole five U.S. Postal Money Orders. She used her position as a supervisor to gain access to another employee’s clerk drawer and point-of-sale password to issue each of the U.S. Postal Money Orders. Casteel then submitted false financial records in order to hide her theft. She asked two individuals to cash the money orders and to give her the proceeds, and then instructed them to provide false information to federal investigators. Casteel stole $4633 in U.S. Postal funds for her own use.
The case was investigated by the United States Postal Service’s Office of the Inspector General. Assistant United States Attorney Michelle Rodriguez is prosecuting the case.
Casteel is scheduled to be sentenced on September 10, 2010. She faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, a three-year term of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory sentencing factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.
Postal Service Proposes Mobile Fueling of its Vehicles
“The Postal Service proposes to utilize mobile fueling contractors to fuel vehicles on site at selected postal facilities located throughout the United States. The program would focus on, but not be limited to, city and rural delivery units with 30 or more routes using vehicles owned by the Postal Service. Based on these criteria, it is anticipated that up to 1,100 sites may be eligible to convert to mobile fueling. Mobile fueling, also known as fleet fueling, wet fueling, or wet hosing, is the practice of filling fuel tanks of vehicles directly from tank trucks. In this scenario, mobile refueling contractors drive tank trucks onto Postal Service property to fuel parked delivery vehicles and drive the tank trucks off site when fueling is completed. At this time, the only alternative identified is the ‘no action’ alternative of continuing to fuel delivery vehicles off-site at commercial gas stations.”
It is estimated that the Programmatic Environmental Assessment will be completed by August 1, 2010.
source: Federal Register via FR Doc 2010-14491.
Updated: Postal Service’s History of Seeking Five-Day Delivery to Cure Financial Woes
Documents submitted by PostalReporter reader shows the Postal Service’s History of requesting 5-day delivery to relieve its financial woes.
The 94th and 95th Congresses
Representative Tom Corcoran stated at a congressional hearing that the Postal Service took its first formal step toward eliminating one delivery day per week in 1976 when it conducted a study to examine the possible effects of such delivery reduction.That study, according to Corcoran, was completed, but a formal proposal stemming from the study was not drafted. Instead, in 1977, the congressionally created Commission on Postal Service (created in 1975) submitted to Congress and the President a report that discussed the possibility of transitioning to five-day delivery. The members of the congressional commission were divided on whether to recommend eliminating a day of Postal Service delivery. The commission’s final report said that five of the seven commissioners reluctantly recommended the reduction in delivery, but did not say which day of the week would be the optimal day off.
A series of congressional hearings were held on six-day delivery from November 1977 through March 1978. According to Representative Patricia Schroeder, who opened the hearings, the Postal Service prompted the hearings by proposing a cut back in delivery service.36 Although the Postal Service had made no formal indication that it supported the elimination of one service day, one Member of Congress said that “statements made by postal officials indicate[d] they [were] leaning toward making such a recommendation.”In all, Congress held 12 hearings in as many cities with more than 500 testimonies offered between November and March. Those who testified included Members of Congress, union representatives, editors and publishers, the general public, and representatives of the aging. Most of those who testified did not support a reduction in Postal Service deliveries, finding such cuts a “disservice”38 that could result in “possible delay in the receipt of welfare, social security, pension checks, and so forth—the kind of mail that people receive … on weekends and through Saturday mail.”
In addition to concerns about mail delivery in general, much of the testimony framed the debate over six-day delivery as a tension innately embedded in the mission of the Postal Service: is it a profit-driven organization, or a public service? Representative Timothy E. Wirth stated at one hearing that the six-day service was a “social value,” and that cutting a day of service at a time when people were “losing some of their faith in what government can do for them” would exacerbate their disillusionment.
1977 House Report on Saturday Mail Delivery
Early this year, the Commission on Postal Service, a special study commission created by Public Law 94-421 to study the public service aspects of the Postal Service and other subjects, issued a report recommending that Saturday mal delivery be discontinuance of Saturday delivery service would reduce postal costs by $412 million annually. Through attrition, approximately 18,000 full-time positions would be eliminated. The Commission attempted to support its recommendation in part on the basis of a small survey of public opinion which showed that 79 percent of the individuals surveyed would be willing to give up Saturday mail delivery if such a reduction in service helped hold down postal costs.
Immediately following the Commission’s report on April, the Postmaster General summoned the leaders of major postal union to discuss the discontinuance of Saturday mail delivery.
The 96th and 97th Congresses
In 1980, the House Committee on the Budget was expected to propose an $836 million reduction in Postal Service appropriations for FY1981.42 According to Representative James M. Hanley, the chairman of the House Committee on Post Office and Civil Service, the reduction in appropriations would have eliminated “all of the public service appropriations” and other subsidies for the Postal Service.43 At a March 26, 1980, hearing before the House Committee on Post Office and Civil Service, then-Postmaster General William F. Bolger stated that eliminating Saturday delivery was one option the Postal Service was considering to ensure its economic stability in the face of the budget cuts. Bolger estimated the service reduction could result in the elimination of 15,000 to 20,000 Postal Service jobs, but would save the Service about $588 million.
The 1980 Task Force
On March 25, 1980, Postmaster General William F. Bolger established a task force to analyze the possible effects of moving from a six- to a five-day delivery schedule. The task force conducted a study, which consisted of telephone interviews of 320 major mailers and 13 selected industries and government agencies. It found that moving to five-day delivery could save $588 million in the first full year of implementation.85 The savings were estimated to “exceed $1 billion annually in future years.”With the cost savings, however, were predicted increases in other stresses for the Postal Service, like loss of patrons to private mailing services or adverse effects on “the levels of service provided to mail on the remaining delivery days.”87 In spite of the projected cost and fuel savings, the task force stopped short of endorsing a reduction in delivery service, saying “[t]he potential cost reduction is extremely attractive; but it is clear that the risks to service and future postal revenues are high.”
The task force recommended a 12- to 18-month planning period if any action to move to five-day delivery was to be made. No such planning period occurred. In addition, the task force suggested that if five-day delivery were to occur, Saturday should be the eliminated day because it “will not greatly affect the majority of … business mailers.”89
April-May 1980 Senate Hearing
There are, of course, a number of factors which have contributed to the operating deficit; however, inflation has undoubtedly been the great factor. The sharp rise could not have been foreseen when the 1970 law was enacted, and it has has a major impact not only on labor costs, which comprise 86 percent of the USPS budget, but on construction, materials and equipment, and operations in general. Also unforeseen was the relentless rise in the cost of energy. The USPS estimates that for every 1-cent increase in the cost of a gallon of gasoline, the transportation costs increase by $3 million.
Mr. Chairman, these hearings are taking place in concert with the Senate’s consideration of the fiscal year 1981 budget. There has been a great deal of discussion about reducing mail delivery delivery from 6 to 5 days in order to meet the anticipated cut in the postal budget. I am concerned that such a decision could exacerbate the current trend of mailers seeking alternate delivery systems and thus decrease further the revenues of the Postal Service.
The President’s Commission on the Postal Service
In 2003, the President’s Commission on the United States Postal Service, created by President George W. Bush, anticipated an “unstable financial outlook” for USPS.90 The commission, however, adamantly rejected any action that would reduce delivery days to five. The Commission firmly recommends continuing the Postal Service’s current Monday
through Saturday delivery regimen. While the Postal Service could save as much as $1.9 billion (less than 3% of its annual budget) by reducing its delivery schedule by one day a
week, its value to the nation’s economy would suffer. Beyond the universal reach of the nation’s postal network, the regularity of pick-up and delivery is an essential element of its
worth in the current climate. Elimination of Saturday delivery, for example, could make the mail less attractive to business mailers and advertisers who depend upon reaching their target audience on that day. In addition, given the volume of mail the nation sends each day, scaling back to a five-day delivery regimen could create difficult logistics, mail flow, and
storage problems.
While the report advised continuing six-day service, the commission noted that increasing use of electronic mail was leading to “a reduction in the demand for mail services” that could lead to a “relaxation of the six-day delivery requirement” in the future.
Documents
May1976HouseHearingsMailCutback
1977HouseReportSatMailDelivery
Nov1977-Mar1978House6DayHearings
Apr-May1980SenateHearings (PDF)
My Five-Day Experience, by Postal Pete
On the day I was born June 12, 1957:
“Postmaster General Summerfield today outlined for Congress a series of cuts in postal service which he plans to put into effect July 1 if his department is not given more money … The list, submitted at a closed meeting, was reported to include: Elimination of Saturday mail deliveries … (and) closing of 2,000 small fourth-class post offices.”
When I was almost five years old :
Feb 19 1962
The Kennedy administration has studied the discontinuance of Saturday mail delivery but fears any publicity might adversely affect its proposals for raising mail raise, Postmaster General J. Edward Day has told Congress …
(Day) said the (post office) department estimated it could save $100 million a year by ending Saturday mail delivery.
When I was eighteen:
Nov 24 1975
With the United States Postal Service losing more that $250,000 an hour, Postmaster General Benjamin F. Bailar is considering further economic moves such as discontinuing Saturday mail deliveries …. The Postal Service … ran up a $1.5 billion debt as of last July.
The year I took the postal exam:
March 29 1977
“The Commission on Postal Service … voted 5 to 2 to recommend elimination of Saturday delivery, a step that would save $400 million a year … Elimination of Saturday delivery is likely to be unpopular on Capitol Hill. Numerous legislators denounced the idea when the service said it was being considered a year ago.”
and so it continued throughout my postal career:
Feb 7 1981
Saturday mail deliveries, Amtrak train service and urban programs, survivors of last year’s spending cuts, face a new threat from President Reagan’s budget ax, according to internal administration documents obtained Friday … (The documents say), “The possible reduction of service to five-day delivery is a symbol of the seriousness of the fiscal austerity being imposed by reductions throughout the federal government.
December 15, 1987:
The Postal Service lost $223 million in the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30 … Possible major effects … include … Seeking congressional permission to eliminate delivery on Saturdays … closing 10,000 to 12,000 small post offices, primarily in rural areas.
October 16, 1992:
Postmaster General Marvin Runyon said Thursday that he backs continuing Saturday deliveries but wonders whether home delivery could be cut from six to four days a week…
His suggestion was to eliminate Tuesday and Thursday mail for home deliveries, keeping deliveries on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Business deliveries would remain six days a week.
April 9, 2001:
The U.S. Postal Service is thinking about ending Saturday deliveries — and shutting down post offices in rural and remote areas, and raising the price of stamps even more … because it finds itself in almost exactly the position the railroads were in after commercial jet travel became commonplace…
Something quicker came along: regularly scheduled jets. We said we loved the railroads — but we headed to the airports. We gave the railroads our hearts, but not our money… This country will feel different — diminished — without Saturday mail.
But the country already feels different. Fax machines, privately owned overnight delivery services, and — most significantly — the huge growth in e-mail have transformed the way that we write to each other.
December 31 , 2008:
After thirty years of service I take the early out and talk of five day delivery resurfaces.
Postal Pete
Pete Countryman
Sectional Center Facility
Elizabethtown, Kentucky 42701
30 yrs USPS / APWU
USPS Extending the Life of Its Delivery Vehicles
Most of the Postal Service’s 142,000 Long Life Vehicles (LLV) have been in service 20-24 years.
But replacing the fleet is a significant investment. Until the Postal Service decides what kind of vehicles will best serve its growing base of customers — at the lowest cost — USPS is taking a series of steps to extend the lives of its LLVs.
To implement this plan, USPS in February awarded contracts to five companies to develop a battery for an electric-powered light delivery vehicle. These vendors will use LLVs as the base vehicle and convert them to electric power. Prototype vehicles from all five companies are scheduled to arrive in August. The Postal Service will spend the next year testing them in and around the Washington, DC, metropolitan area.
“It’s critical that we invest in vehicles to let our employees efficiently perform their work in a safe and secure manner at the lowest total cost of ownership,” said David Williams, vice president, Engineering.
Williams said vehicle technology continues to evolve, including the use of alternative fuels. In addition to battery power, USPS is evaluating a number of other fuels including compressed natural gas, propane, E-85, diesel and hydrogen fuel cell.
“Any fuel used must have an adequate supply and a fueling infrastructure that will last for the expected life of the vehicle,” said Williams. “There are plenty of options, and finding the best solution will require careful analysis to make sure we select the best alternative for our operations.”
source: USPS News Link
Former Postal Employee Sentenced to Statutory Maximum Sentence of Five Years in Federal Prison for Role in Mail Theft Conspiracy
June 24
The U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas issued the following news release:
Defendant Worked as a Mail Handler at Dallas Main Post Office
DALLAS- A former employee of the U.S. Postal Service, James Olabode Laniyan, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Jorge A. Solis to 60 months in federal prison, the statutory maximum, for his role in a mail theft conspiracy, announced U.S. Attorney James T. Jacks of the Northern District of Texas. Judge Solis also ordered that Laniyan, pay $302,620 in restitution for disbursement to Discover Card Services and Capital Bank One Bank. Laniyan, 51, of Grand Prairie, Texas, was ordered to surrender to the Bureau of Prisons on July 28, 2010.
Laniyan pleaded guilty in February 2010 to one count of conspiracy to possess stolen mail matter and commit fraud and related activity in connection with access devices. In January 2010, Laniyan’s co-conspirator, Sulaimon Olasode, 36, of Houston, Texas, pleaded guilty to the same offense and was sentenced last month by Judge Solis to 48 months in federal prison and ordered to pay restitution jointly and severally with Laniyan. Olasode is in federal custody; following his sentence, will be referred to U.S. Immigration authorities for deportation to Nigeria.
According to documents filed in the case, Laniyan was employed as a mail handler with the U.S. Postal Service at the Dallas Main Post Office. Sometime prior to October 2008, Olasode approached Laniyan about stealing mail from the post office. After considering the money he could make, Laniyan agreed to participate in the conspiracy, which they ran until August 5, 2009.
“The American public trusts the Postal Service to deliver its mail intact. When a postal employee betrays that trust and steals mail, then uses stolen financial information to wreak havoc in the lives of our citizens, Special Agents of the Postal Service’s Office of Inspector General investigate. Fortunately, these incidents are not common, and the overwhelming majority of the 600,000 postal employees are honest and hard working. With the prosecutive support of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, we will aggressively pursue any employee committing a postal crime,” said Max Eamiguel, Executive Special Agent-in-Charge, Office of Inspector General, U.S. Postal Service, Southwest Area Field Office.
Laniyan stole credit cards and credit card customer information by removing letters and parcels from the mail stream and then sent the contents of the stolen mail to Olasode in Houston for him to activate and use the stolen credit cards in the Houston area. In February 2009, members of Discover Financial Services Organized Crime Unit identified more than 40 credit cards mailed to customers in the Dallas area that were never received and later compromised. The vast majority of the compromised cards were being fraudulently used in the Houston, Katy, Sugarland and Richmond, Texas, areas.
Approximately 150 victims had their Capital One or Discover credit cards stolen in the scheme.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Service – Office of Inspector General and the Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron L. Wiley was in charge of the prosecution.
Postal Union Officers Indicted, Sentenced For Embezzlement
On April 28, 2010, in the 60th District Court of Muskegon County, Michigan, a misdemeanor complaint was filed charging Jamie Nielsen, former President of National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) Branch 13 (located in Muskegon, Mich.), with one count of embezzlement of $200 or more but less than $1,000. The charge follows an investigation by the OLMS Detroit District Office.
On April 1, 2010, in the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana, David M. Matthis, former Secretary Treasurer of American Postal Workers Union (APWU) Local 205 (located in Alexandria, La.), was sentenced to three years of supervised probation, 200 hours of community service, ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $7,222.57, ordered to pay a fine in the amount of $7,000 and a special assessment of $100. On December 17, 2009, Matthis pled guilty to one count of embezzling union funds in the amount of $5,472.61. The sentencing follows an investigation by the OLMS New Orleans District Office.
On March 24, 2010, in the On March 5, 2010 in the United States District Court, District of Minnesota, an information was filed charging Steven J McDeid, former President of National Association of Letter Carriers Branch 388 (located in St. Cloud, Minn.), with one count of embezzling $51,639.61. The charge follows an investigation by the OLMS Milwaukee District Office and Minneapolis Resident Office.United States District Court for the District of Minnesota, Steven J McDeid, former President of National Association of Letter Carriers Branch 388 (located in St. Cloud, Minn.), pled guilty to one count of embezzling union funds in the amount of $51,639.61. On March 5, 2010, McDeid was charged in an information with one count of embezzling union funds in the same amount. The plea follows an investigation by the OLMS Milwaukee District Office and Minneapolis Resident Investigator Office.
On March 17, 2010, in the United States District Court for Southern District of Texas, Frankie Sanders, former Southern Regional Coordinator for the American Postal Workers Union (located in Houston, Texas), was indicted on one count of wire fraud in the amount of $1,753.78 and one count of embezzling union funds in the amount of $10,078.40. The charges follow an investigation by the OLMS Houston Resident Investigator Office.
On March 16, 2010, in the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, Barbara Patton, the former President and Vice President of the American Postal Workers Union, Local 4469 (located in Johnstown, Pa), was charged with one count of embezzling union funds in the amount of $2,015.78. The charge follows an investigation by the OLMS Pittsburgh District Office.
On March 5, 2010 in the United States District Court, District of Minnesota, an information was filed charging Steven J McDeid, former President of National Association of Letter Carriers Branch 388 (located in St. Cloud, Minn.), with one count of embezzling $51,639.61. The charge follows an investigation by the OLMS Milwaukee District Office and Minneapolis Resident Office.
On January 21, 2010, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, Sonia McGuire, former Treasurer of American Postal Workers Union Local 3434 (located in Decatur, Ga.), was sentenced to five years probation, the first 6 months on home confinement with electronic monitoring, and was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $16,023.12 within 120 days and a special assessment of $100. On November 18, 2009, McGuire, pled guilty to one count of embezzling union funds in the same amount. The sentencing follows an investigation by the OLMS Atlanta District Office and the U.S. Postal Service’s Office of Inspector General.
Source: Dept. of Labor, Office of Labor-Management Standards (OLMS)