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Postage Due- an original comic strip by Mike Morgan

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Press release:

(BEAUMONT, TX) —The U.S. Postal Service today announced that the Beaumont Remote Encoding Center (REC) will be closed as part the next phase of a nationwide consolidation plan. The facility, located at 750 Pearl Street will close in November, 2007.

“The Remote Encoding Centers were designed as a temporary solution to automate and expedite the processing of handwritten and poorly printed addresses,” said Danny Smith, manager for the Beaumont REC. “The plan from the start was to downsize the REC operation as technology enhancements enabled us to automate more mail.”

In 1994, when the Beaumont REC and 54 others were established, postal computerized sorting equipment could only read two percent of addresses on handwritten envelopes. Since that time, with new technology improvements, postal computers are currently able to read and process 93 percent of the mail electronically.

Smith said the decision to close the Beaumont REC was based on a variety of business factors, including operating costs, facility costs, lease expiration dates and the ability of other RECs to absorb the workload. The Beaumont closing, and the previous closings since the consolidation process began in 1999, mean that the number of RECs will decline to nine.

The Postal Service is providing the REC employees with six months notice of the closings. The 344 career postal employees at the Beaumont REC will be reassigned to other postal positions in accordance with national collective bargaining agreements. The 549 part-time temporary employees will receive outplacement counseling to help them find new employment.

The remote encoding process involves transmitting electronic images of handwritten mail from mail processing plants to RECs where operators view them on computer screens and key in address information. This information is transmitted back to the postal processing plant where a barcode corresponding to the address is printed on the envelope so that it can be processed on automated equipment. With ever-increasing improvements in optical character recognition technology, the volume of images sent to RECs has diminished significantly and the Postal Service has gradually consolidated them. As technology evolves, the Postal Service will continue to look for opportunities to reduce operating costs and these opportunities will likely include additional REC consolidations in coming years.

Dave Lewin
Communications Programs Specialist
Southwest Area Public Affairs and Communications

Postage Due- an original comic strip by Mike Morgan

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Postage Due- an original comic strip by Mike Morgan

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WASHINGTON, DC– Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) today introduced a bipartisan amendment reaffirming that both federal law and the Constitution protect sealed domestic mail from being searched. The amendment is in response to a signing statement that the White House issued in conjunction with the signing of the Collins- Carper postal reform legislation.

In a speech before the U.S. Senate, Senator Collins explained that following the singing of the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act, the White House issued a statement that resulted in confusion about the Administration`s commitment to abide by the basic privacy protections afforded sealed domestic mail.

“The President`s spokesman has explained that the signing statement was not intended to change the scope of the law. But the statement caused confusion and concern about the President`s commitment to abide by the basic privacy protections afforded sealed domestic mail,“ said Senator Collins. “Given this unfortunate perception, I wish to be very clear as the author of the postal reform legislation. Nothing in the Postal Reform Act or in the President`s signing statement alters in any way the privacy and civil liberty protections provided to a person who sends or receives sealed mail.“ The Collins-Carper Postal Reform bill, which was signed into law in December 2006, represents the most sweeping reforms of the U.S. Postal Service in over three decades. It will help the Postal Service meet the challenges of the 21st Century, establishes a new rate setting system, and helps ensure a strong financial future for the Postal Service. And it protects the basic features of universal service. The new law also provided for continued authority for the Postal Service to establish a class of mail sealed against inspection.

“Under current law, mail sealed against inspection is entitled to the Constitutional protection against unreasonable searches. With only limited exceptions, the government needs a court warrant before it can search sealed mail,“ said Senator Collins. Senator Collins` resolution is cosponsored by Senators Carper, Daniel Akaka (D-HI) and Norm Coleman (R-MN).

Postage Due- an original comic strip by Mike Morgan

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A reporter for the St Louis Post-Dispatch contacted me today. He’s researching charitable giving and would like to get in touch with CFC donors who have given to the following charities:

* Diabetes Aid and Research Fund
* Cancer Aid and Research Fund
* Breast Cancer Research and Assistance Fund
* Childhood Diabetes Research Institute
* Childhood Leukemia Research and Assistance Fund
* Children’s Emergency Medical Fund
* Feed My People Children’s Charities
* Children’s Cancer Aid and Research Institute
* Children’s Christian Hunger Network
* Cancer Research Wellness Network
* Alternative Cancer Research Fund
* Christian World Relief
* Children’s Relief Mission

The reporter’s name is Jeremy Kohler. Reach him at the Post-Dispatch via email at jkohler@post-dispatch.com, or by phone at 314-340-8337.

Postage Due- an original comic strip by Mike Morgan

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Postage Due- an original comic strip by Mike Morgan

Subscribe to Postage Due:

Postage Due- an original comic strip by Mike Morgan

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