APPLE VALLEY • A postal carrier was arrested Monday after he allegedly sexually battered a woman while delivering a package to her home, San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Apple Valley station officials said.

Eric Barros, 45, was stopped by deputies while still on his postal route after he allegedly sexually battered the victim, according to sheriff’s officials.

The reported crime took place as he was delivering a package to the victim’s home in the 15000 block of Wichita Road at about 1:40 p.m.

Investigators have forwarded the case to the District Attorney’s office for review, a press release said.

It’s unclear if Barros will be allowed to continue working his route for the Post Office, but sheriff’s officials said the investigation is ongoing.

via AV postal worker sexually batters woman | woman, apple, worker – Local News – Victorville Daily Press.

Republican congressman Darrel Issa finally got around to using the “B” word to describe the postal service’s request to reduce the $5.5 billion a year pre-funding requirement Congress imposed on the USPS in 2006. Issa tells us in today’s Washington Times that postal employees “know that a deeply indebted Postal Service leaves the federal government with no real alternative to a taxpayer bailout as the situation approaches insolvency. Indeed, a sheep’s-clothes argument already is being put forward by the postal lobby and some Democratic lawmakers for a $75 billion taxpayer bailout of USPS.”

Issa conveniently ignores the fact that the $75 billion in question came from postal customers, not the taxpayers. When he refers to the “deeply indebted postal service”, he doesn’t bother to cite the biggest contributor to that debt- Congress, which in 2006 created the health benefit requirement so it could keep $5.5 billion in postal funds flowing in to the Treasury every year.

Most alarming for postal workers is this: “Allowing USPS to postpone billions in obligations just makes a bailout easier and takes away one of the few inducements for a compromise between USPS and postal worker unions.” Translation: “we need to keep the phony ‘obligation’ in place so that we can exaggerate the USPS’s financial situation and win concessions that wouldn’t be justified by the service’s actual operating performance.” Even more alarming? If the GOP succeeds in winning a majority in the House, Issa will be in line to chair the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, which oversees the USPS.

The League of Postmasters has issued the following action alert:

Status: Urgent.

Issue: Fresh efforts are underway in Congress to close small rural post offices. These efforts encompass not only eliminating existing statutory protections against closing small rural post offices solely for operating at a deficit, but also eliminating the Postal Service’s statutory mandate to provide a maximum degree of effective and regular postal services to rural areas, communities, and small towns where post offices are not self-sustaining. There is also talk of a post office closing Commission, designed to close thousands of post offices. These efforts tend to focus on post offices as retail facilities and generally ignore the role post offices play in the distribution system.

League Position: The League strongly opposes these efforts.

Action Requested:

1. Recruit Local Civic Leaders to contact your Senators and Congressman and urge them to oppose efforts to close small rural post offices.

Please have your local leaders—such as County Commissioners, Mayors, Council Members, Community Development Chairs, Small Business leaders, etc.—explain why small rural post offices are critical to the economic, cultural, and social well being of your rural community. Please have them explain all that small rural post offices do beyond the mere provision of postal services. Having hundreds or even thousands of government bodies passing resolutions that oppose closing their local post offices would be most helpful. Send them to you Congressmen and Senators.

2. Add your voice to those contacts going to your Senators and Congressmen opposing the closing of small post offices.

Facts and Arguments: The cost of all small rural Post Offices is roughly seven-tenths of one percent (7/10s of 1 percent) of the Postal Service’s budget. You and your leaders know why your post offices are important to the community. Please have them tell Congress, and have them do so very loud, very clear, and very soon.

See our League Position Paper for further information and talking points.

Download original.

From the Inspector General’s blog page:

Although eliminating Saturday delivery has been heavily debated, reducing delivery to 5 days a week may not be enough. There has been some discussion of whether the viable model for the U.S. Postal Service of the future will incorporate 3-day delivery.

full story: USPS OIG » Blog Archive » 5-Day Delivery? What About 3-Day?.

The Senate last week confirmed the appointment of Dennis J. Toner, of Delaware, to be a Governor of the United States Postal Service for the remainder of the term expiring December 8, 2012. Toner’s main qualification for the job of overseeing the USPS is apparently his former job as deputy chief of staff for Joe Biden.

Toner won’t be the only Governor with no obvious postal or business expertise- he joins fellow governors Mickey Barnett and Ellen Williams, both GOP lobbyists, and James H. Bilbray, a former Nevada Congressman and associate of Harry Reid.

From Hellmail:

The Royal Mail said yesterday that companies that switch off paper statements risk damaging customer relationships and that doing so can have the same negative effect on customer satisfaction as removing UK call centres or local branches, damaging relationships and erode customer loyalty.

The research, commissioned by the Royal Mail, reveals that four in ten people agree that paper statements are as important to them as UK call centres and 73 per cent would feel inconvenienced and annoyed if they were taken away.

It said that the findings further highlighted that communication choice is extremely important to customers, even those who prefer online, and a company that makes the wrong choice could lose customers.

65 per cent of customers who prefer paper bills and statements would consider defecting to a competitor, or would leave straight away, if a company removed that choice. And even 29 per cent of customers who prefer to receive information in a digital format would move or consider moving, if the option to receive paper statements was taken away from them.

The research also revealed that stopping paper statements could see the most affluent customers move, with people who receive paper statements having on average £1,000 more in their savings accounts than digital only customers.

A clear preference for a combination of mail and digital transactional communications has been indicated in the findings, with 69 per cent using mail and paper together as the ideal way to manage their accounts.

Overall, three quarters of customers still choose to receive paper bills and statements to manage their accounts.

The research also highlighted the importance for paper statements for company communications. Not only do eight in ten (81 per cent) of customers say they are more likely to read their statements if they receive online and paper copies, 70 per cent say they are more likely to notice advertising on their paper statements.

Antony Miller, Head of Media Development at Royal Mail, said: “Our research clearly shows that most people like to have the choice of receiving confidential statements through a combination of both mail and email channels.

“Companies that do not give their customers a choice about how they receive statements really run the risk of losing them to competitors that do. We want to remind companies of the value of transactional mail and its impact on brand loyalty, customer retention and overall business success.”

© Hellmail Postal News

via New Study – Discontinuing Paper Statements Can Damage Customer Relationships.

USPS is conducting a test marketing and advertising program for PO Boxes in four markets.

The test campaign — using the tagline “Your Other Address” — launched this week in Tampa, FL; Hartford/New Haven, CT; Minneapolis, MN; and Portland, OR. The campaign concludes in December.

The campaign has direct mail, radio, print, Internet and point-of-purchase retail elements. Post Offices participating in the test will receive different supporting materials for the campaign.

To track the effectiveness of each element, USPS has prepared color-coded copies of PS Form 1093, Application for Post Office Box Service. The forms ask for the same information as the application currently in use. Post Offices receiving the color-coded forms can track which element of the campaign customers find the most compelling.

More information soon will be available from each participating Post Office’s district retail manager.

via USPS News Link – Sept 17, 2010.

For information on post office boxes, visit your local post office or usps.com. The PO box page is at bit.ly/poboxes.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 16 — The office of Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, issued the following news release:

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today testified before the Postal Regulatory Commission on the proposed plan by the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to eliminate Saturday mail services.

The USPS has proposed eliminating Saturday mail delivery as part of an effort to balance its budget. In reviewing the USPS proposal, the Postal Regulatory Commission held a series of public hearings across the lower 48 this summer to receive customer feedback about this proposed change. In advance of these hearings, Sen. Murkowski, along with Sen. Begich and Hawaii Sens. Inouye and Akaka wrote a letter to the Commission asking that hearings be held in Alaska and Hawaii in order to hear concerns from postal customers in these states about the proposed changes. The Commission chose not to hold hearings in Alaska and Hawaii, but invited Sen. Murkowski to testify before the Commission in Washington.

Below are excerpts from Sen. Murkowski’s testimony, as prepared for delivery (Her full statement is here):

On the lack of hearings held by the Postal Regulatory Commission outside the lower 48 in Alaska or Hawaii:

“As you are aware, mail delivery in Alaska and Hawaii is very different from the other 48 states, as is our constituents’ reliance on that mail delivery for basic and necessary items. The information you received from the hearings held in large, lower 48 cities will bear little relevance to the conditions and concerns of many of the people of our states…I am here today to advocate on behalf of Alaskans.”

On the importance of Saturday mail delivery in Alaska:

“The U.S. Postal Service is literally a lifeline for the many Alaskans who do not have access to a pharmacy in their community where the only way to receive antibiotics, insulin, or other medications and medical devices is through the mail. Even Alaskans who do live in communities with a local pharmacy rely on prescriptions by mail because their insurance plans incentivize this practice as a cheaper alternative.”

FedEx said Thursday that its first quarter profits were double what they were a year ago. Despite that, its stock price fell on a soft outlook for the second quarter. In addition, the company announced that it would merge its FedEx Freight and FedEx National LTL operations, closing 100 facilities and eliminating 1,700 jobs.

FedEx attributed its revenue growth to “strong FedEx International Priority(IP) growth at FedEx Express, continued growth at FedEx Ground and a benefit from the net impact of higher fuel surcharges.”

Much of the FedEx Ground growth came from its FedEx SmartPost product, which uses the USPS for residential deliveries. The company said SmartPost average daily volume “increased 9%, with net yield increasing 19%. The increase in FedEx SmartPost yield was primarily due to lower postage costs as a result of increased deliveries to U.S. Postal Service final destination facilities and increased fuel surcharges.”

PORTLAND, OR — In his annual state of the business address to the mailing industry, Postmaster General John E. Potter today stressed that long-term sustainability for the Postal Service will be achieved through fundamental change.

“The Postal Service must have the ability to manage its business, and to adapt quickly to the needs of our customers and the marketplace,” said Potter. “And our business model must change to reflect the reality of a volatile economy and a communications marketplace that has been undergoing a transformation as profound as anything that has ever come before.”

Despite cutting spending by $3 billion in 2010, the Postal Service continues to seek meaningful change for greater control over business decisions, including delivery frequency, pricing and products, public policy and workforce flexibility.

Potter’s comments came during the National Postal Customer Council (PCC) Day broadcast, an annual event that brings together mailers, industry partners and customers to recognize their contributions to the Postal Service and outline future plans and goals. PCCs are a network of community-based business mailers and representatives of the Postal Service, who meet regularly to share ideas and resources to create a closer working relationship.

In the midst of financial and regulatory challenges, the Postal Service achieved major milestones during fiscal year 2010, including:

* 17 percent reduction in work hours

* 20 percent increase in Total Factor Productivity

* The smallest career complement in 10 years — a reduction of 200,000 positions through attrition or retirement, 100,000 over the last three years.

The Postmaster General also looked forward, telling PCC members that new flat-rate products and a Priority Mail “Regional Rate Box” are being developed and will be available as of January 2011.

Other successful innovations in mail will return, including the Summer Sale, an expansion of the Saturation Mail Sale and a new incentive program included in the exigent price filing, “Reply Rides Free,” that would allow mailers to use bill and statement mailings for advertising messages.

Potter also challenged PCCs and the mailing industry to embrace change, asking for their best ideas on new products and services the Postal Service could pursue and encouraging them to become a part of the Postal Service’s “era of innovation.”

Members of the Mailers Technical Advisory Committee participated in an Innovation Symposium in August and a similar symposium is planned for October with CEOs, consumer groups and marketing professionals around the country.

PCC leaders were asked to solicit their members for three innovative ideas and to submit them for consideration at usps.com/pcc. Regular updates will be provided and a special reporting session is planned for the National Postal Forum next May.

But, Potter stressed, even as the Postal Service focuses on new ways of doing business and changing its business model to address a constantly changing consumer and business environment, the Postal Service remains true to its mission of universal service.

“Service is still our priority, which we’ll continue to improve as we work toward achieving long-term sustainability through fundamental change,” he pledged.

National PCC Day also showcases the work of PCCs and includes a series of awards recognizing outstanding service and individual achievement. The following award winners were announced:

* PCC Industry Member of the Year: Theresa Peterlein, Mid-Michigan PCC

* PCC Postal Service Member of the Year: Laurel Stengal, Long Island PCC

* PCC of the Year: Tampa PCC (large market), Central Missouri (small market)

* PCC Mentor of the Year: Sacramento PCC

* Communication Program Excellence: Greater Portland PCC (gold), Buffalo/Niagara PCC and Greater New York PCC (silver) and New Hampshire PCC (bronze)

* Education Program Excellence: Greater Portland PCC (gold), Buffalo/Niagara PCC (silver) and Long Island PCC and Tampa PCC (bronze)