Senator Carper Statement on USPS Financial Losses
WASHINGTON – Today, Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.), chairman of the Senate subcommittee that oversees the U.S. Postal Service, released the following reaction to the announcement that the U.S. Postal Service lost $3.3 billion in the first quarter of fiscal year 2012:
“While today’s announcement that the U.S. Postal Service lost $3.3 billion in the first quarter of fiscal year 2012 is disappointing, it unfortunately does not come as a surprise. While the magnitude of the losses themselves is bad enough, the fact that they came during a period of the year that is usually the most successful for the Postal Service is truly shocking. The Postal Service has reiterated that if nothing is done, it could be insolvent by fall 2012.
“Our troubled economy – coupled with the continued migration to electronic forms of communication – is putting the future of the Postal Service in jeopardy, and today’s news shows that it’s happening faster than expected. I have been saying for some time now that Congress needs to come together on a plan that can save the Postal Service and protect the more than eight million jobs that rely on it. The bipartisan 21st Century Postal Service Act (S.1789) strives to help the Postal Service adjust its operations to reflect the changing demand for its products and services while also giving it tools that can help it be successful in the 21st century. This bill – the only bipartisan proposal from Members in either Chamber – presents a comprehensive solution to the Postal Service’s financial challenges. If we do nothing, our nation could face a future without a Postal Service.
“While the situation facing the Postal Service is dire, it is not hopeless. That is why we need to pass this bipartisan and comprehensive bill as soon as possible. It is my hope that Congress and the Administration can come together on this plan in order to save the Postal Service before it’s too late.”
Heart Health Forever Stamp Lands Featured Role on NBC’s ‘The Biggest Loser’
WASHINGTON, DC — In a move to raise awareness of maintaining a healthy lifestyle, the U.S. Surgeon General, the host from NBC’s “The Biggest Loser,” and the American Heart Association joined the Postmaster General in dedicating the 2012 Social Awareness Heart Health Forever stamp.
The stamp plays a key motivational role in a competition featured on The Biggest Loser, airing Tuesday, Feb. 14 at 8 p.m. ET. The episode also includes a sweepstakes announcement to encourage letter writing.
All 50 million of the 45-cent First-Class Forever stamps, available in sheets of 20, are available nationwide today at usps.com/shop, 800-782-6724 and at most Post Offices. The back of the stamp sheet offers heart healthy tips.
The Heart Health Forever stamp was dedicated today at MedStar Washington Hospital Center by U.S. Surgeon General Regina M. Benjamin, M.D., M.B.A., and Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe.
“Prevention is the key to eliminating heart attacks and strokes,” said Benjamin. “We are giving Americans information and tools to make healthier choices to prevent tobacco use, access healthy foods and find enjoyable ways to get regular exercise. The Heart Health Social Awareness Stamp and the Million Hearts Campaign are great reminders of the importance of prevention.” Read more
Former Virginia Postmaster Pleads Guilty to Embezzlement
Cynthia Landore Faces Possible Jail Time
February 8, 2012 – ABINGDON, VIRGINIA — The former Postmaster of the Hiltons, Virginia Post Office pled guilty this morning in the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia in Abingdon to embezzlement charges.
Cynthia K. Landore, 56, of Bristol, Tenn., was indicted in November 2011 on a variety of charges related to her work as the Postmaster. This morning in District Court, Landore pled guilty to one count of embezzlement of postal funds and one count of embezzlement of public property. At sentencing, Landore faces a maximum possible penalty of 10 years in prison and/or a fine of up to $250,000 on each count. The defendant has also agreed to pay restitution in an amount of not less than $34,022.
“Ms. Landore violated the trust placed in her by the United States Postal Service in order to line her own pockets,” United States Attorney Timothy J. Heaphy said today. “Her greed prompted her to steal from postal customers and embezzle money to which she was not entitled. This office will prosecute anyone who misuses the public trust, particularly those public servants who handle taxpayer funds.”
Landore admitted today that between June 2010 and July 2011, while working as the Postmaster at the Hiltons Post Office, she embezzled approximately $30,057 by unlawfully converting funds from the sale of money orders for her personal use. The defendant also admitted to embezzling funds from the sale of stamps for her personal use.
The investigation of the case was conducted by United States Postal Inspection Service. Special Assistant United States Attorney Kathy Carnell is prosecuting the case for the United States.
source: U.S. Attorney for the Western District Of Virginia
Congresswoman Maxine Waters’ introduces legislation to reform USPS’s profit-exhausting mandates
Filed under: Congress, postal, postal finances, postal news, press releases, usps
Washington, Feb 8 -
Yesterday, Rep. Waters introduced H.R. 3916, the Protecting Post Offices Act, which would reduce the operating costs of the US Postal Service to provide continued service in urban and rural communities and save 28,000 American jobs. She is joined by American Postal Workers Union, AFL-CIO in support of this much needed legislation to stabilize the US Postal Service.
In 2011, USPS was expected to post a deficit in excess of $8 billion. “It has become clear that the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act (PAEA) has had an adverse impact on Postal Service’s finances preventing them from becoming profitable once again. In the current environment of reduced mail volumes, inability to raise prices and the exceptional pre-funding payments into the Retiree Health Benefits Fund, the US Postal Service (USPS) has experienced incredible loss.” Read more
Editorial: Why We Love The USPS
When the service is this good there’s no saying “no more.” Email and texting are much less personal ways to connect. The chances of your personal handwritten note or letter going viral are slim to none. As email and other forms of electronic diversion increases so does the exponential amount of spam and meaningless digital correspondence. You say the Internet is faster, cheaper, easier, is it really? Turn off your electronic devices for a moment, oh wait! The power outage has done that for you. Excuse me a minute while I run out to get some antivirus software. Why isn’t my service provider fixing my bad connection? You’re going to charge me how much for a computer repair? I’ll have to be outsourced to where for technical support? What email is really doing is increasing the value of handwritten communication. I’d rather get a letter signed by the President of the United States than an email from his office. Read more
USPS Ends FY First Quarter 2012 With Net Loss Of $3.3 billion
Postal Service Losses Continue in First Quarter;
Profitability Dependent on Comprehensive Legislation and Network Size Reductions
Shipping Services Business Continues to Grow
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Postal Service ended the first three months of its 2012 fiscal year (Oct. 1 – Dec. 31, 2011) with a net loss of $3.3 billion. Management expects large losses to continue until the Postal Service has implemented its network re-design and down-sizing and has restructured its healthcare program. Additionally, the return to financial stability requires legislation which gives the Postal Service typical commercial freedoms, including delivery flexibility, returns over $10 billion of amounts overpaid to the Federal Government and resolves the need to prefund retiree healthcare at rates not assessed any other entity in the United States. Read more
USPS seeks excess IMDAS scanners
The Postal Service wants its excess Intelligent Mail Data Acquisition System (IMDAS) scanners back, and it’s willing to reward offices which return them.
The Materials Distribution Center in Topeka, KS, will give a $360 credit to offices for each returned scanner.
IMDAS scanners are used by letter and rural carriers to scan mail pieces. Records show there are excess scanners in the Postal Service’s network, creating a shortage at the Critical Parts Center (CPC).
USPS could fix more broken IMDAS scanners as they’re returned to the CPC, but only if it has enough returned parts. Also, with extra parts on-hand at CPC, many offices would not have to wait as long to get a repaired unit.
source: USPS News Link
Well-oiled machine: New Exhibit tells the story of mail systems
Customers drop a letter or packages in the mail, confident they will reach their destinations safely and efficiently. But what really happens during that journey from sender to recipient?
“Systems at Work” — a new exhibit at the National Postal Museum in Washington, DC — tells that story.
Spanning 200 years — from stagecoaches and rail cars to ZIP codes and computers — the exhibit provides a behind-the-scenes look at how the Postal Service processes and delivers mail to 151 million locations throughout the nation.
“Visitors have the chance to watch an intricate process that few people in the public ever get to see,” said PMG Pat Donahoe during a ribbon-cutting ceremony. “A lot has changed in the last two centuries, but one thing that has not changed is that the Postal Service uses its mail-processing network entirely to serve its customers.”
At the exhibit’s heart is a video that places viewers in a mail-processing center, surrounded by automated machinery sorting mail at breathtaking speed. Visitors also can try the various mail-processing methods used by USPS over the years — including tossing packages into mail pouches, working a multi-position letter sorting machine and operating hand-held scanning devices.
Click here to view the “Systems at Work” video.
source: USPS News Link
Big Game is Over but Mementos Still Available from USPS
INDIANAPOLIS, IN —This year’s edition of football’s biggest game is already being labeled a classic, and fans can still grab a piece of history by ordering collectible stamped envelopes celebrating Sunday’s Super Bowl via mail.
While the “Championship Station” in the Super Bowl Village’s “Huddle” area in downtown Indianapolis has closed, football fans still have the chance to order the official collectible envelopes, one of which depicts Lucas Oil Stadium along with the official Super Bowl XLVI logo. The other envelope features the official logos of the game, Giants and Patriots, along with photos of starting quarterbacks Eli Manning and Tom Brady. The envelopes are available for $10 each and include a commemorative postmark celebrating the city of Indianapolis’ first opportunity to host the Super Bowl. Read more
The Ed Show: The Republicans War On Postal Workers
The Ed Show: MSNBC’s Ed Schultz discusses the Republicans War On Workers and the Postal Service with Senator Bernie Sanders