More drama from Rockford
According to the local TV station, the city of Rockford Illinois must be sitting on the edge of its collective seat this morning. WIFR reports that the “fate” of the Rockford processing plant will be announced today. That may or may not be the case, but the story at least provided a local politician with another opportunity to milk the alleged controversy. Congressman Don Manzullo is quoted as saying: “When you start off with the premise that Rockford has probably the finest cancellation service in the country, you can only come to one conclusion…that it should stay open”.
“The finest cancellation service in the country”? What does that even mean? No smudges?
Postal Service Announcement to Come Monday
Update: It’s official!
The finely crafted Rockford cancellation lives! Good for the employees! Having been through a number of boneheaded, arbitrary reorganizations myself, I can sympathize with the workers who would have ended up moving to other jobs and locations.
I can’t help thinking that management missed the boat on this one, though. Its clumsy PR efforts allowed the APWU and local politicians to set the agenda and monopolize the discussion. Maybe the Rockford move made sense, and maybe it didn’t- we’ll never know now. It certainly doesn’t bode well for the future of the USPS’s network redesign plans.
FedEx outlets move up last daily collection time
Understandably enough, FedEx and UPS have changed their collection schedules in Boston to account for the airport tunnel closings.
The postal service hasn’t, which just demonstrates the difference between the PO and the private carriers. If the USPS had moved up collection times by an hour, there would no doubt have been congressional investigations, legislation delaying any change until full OIG and GAO reports had been filed, and editorials in the Boston Herald calling for the privatization of the Postal Service.
FedEx outlets move up last daily collection time- Boston Globe
Joe may be a friend of postal workers, but he needs to go
Today’s NAPUS newsletter includes a short piece on the ‘horse race’ that has developed in the Connecticut’s Democratic primary election for Joe Lieberman’s Senate seat. NAPUS argues that Joe has been a friend of postal workers, and is in a position to help us, even as though his party is still in the minority. It goes on to suggest that his opponent, Ned Lamont, ‘appears to be solely an anti-war candidate’.
Fair enough- but accusing Lamont of being a ‘one issue’ candidate is a little ironic coming from NAPUS. Don’t get me wrong- I don’t think NAPUS, or the NALC for that matter, are doing anything wrong in endorsing Joe Lieberman. They’re just doing what their members pay them to do- support the politicians who will do the most good for the membership. But NALC and NAPUS are by definition, ‘one issue’ organizations. We don’t expect them to have a position on flag burning or gay marriage, thank god.
In the case of the Connecticut election, however, the issue that Ned Lamont is running on is far more important than any fears about his position (or lack thereof) on postal affairs. Lieberman’s enthusiastic support for George Bush’s disastrous war against Iraq is a disgrace. Lieberman may continue to claim that he is still a ‘real Democrat’ on domestic social issues. By supporting Bush’s war, however, he’s helped Bush to chip away at Americans’ rights, and he’s contributed to the increased hatred of America in the rest of the world. He’s also an accomplice in the staggering budget deficits the war has created, deficits made worse by Bush’s handouts to the wealthy. Doesn’t sound very ‘Democratic’ to me.
So NAPUS and the NALC are really asking their members to support Lieberman based on ‘one issue’- his record of support on postal matters. Fine- but knowing the damage he’s helped Bush do to this country, I think I’d rather take my chances with Ned Lamont!
PRC posts collection box database
Doug Carlson, a frequent consumer intervenor in postal rate cases, alerted us to the database of collection box data now posted on the Postal Rate Commission web site:
“The data show the location and collection times for every collection in the country. The Postal Service resisted release of the data for several years, but a federal judge ordered the Postal Service last year to release the data in response to my Freedom of Information Act lawsuit.”
Note that the data is from January of 2005.
Click here to download the database (it’s a 15 megabyte .zip file, containing six Excel spreadsheets with the actual data).
USPS dragnet continues to sweep up injured workers
(The following commentary comes from Dan Sullivan, who frequently contributes to the 21st Century Postal Worker. Opinions expressed are those of the author. To submit a commentary to postalnewsblog.com, email us at postalnews@gmail.com)
by Dan Sullivan
July 6 - The Postal Service’s Ergonomic Risk Reduction Program (EERP)is premised on a simple lie. As it says on page 2 of the slickly produced booklet promoting EERP, “The Postal Service has a long history of attention to ergonomics.”
Forget about the letter sorting machines that destroyed a generation of postal clerks’ wrists and hands.
Pay no attention to the current automated letter and flat sorting machines that are destroying another generation of workers shoulders and backs.
“The Postal Service has a long history of attention to ergonomics.”
Which is like saying George Bush has a long history of attention to the U.S. Constitution and civil liberties.