From the National Association of Letter Carriers:

Negotiations near deadline: The 2006-2011 National Agreement between the NALC and the USPS expires at midnight Sunday, Nov. 20. The entire 28-member NALC Executive Council is in Washington, DC, conducting round-the-clock contract negotiations as the parties consider a whole range of issues that take into account the economy, wages, cost-of-living adjustments and health benefits.

via NALC | The National Association of Letter Carriers, AFL-CIO.

Office of Sen. Michael F. Bennet (D-CO) News Release:

Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet today announced that the USPS has issued a temporary “time-out” on post office closings that will provide more time for the Agency to examine potential effects of these closings on local communities and help Coloradans avoid frustrating and needless holiday season service interruptions.

This month, USPS issued a notice to all Area Vice Presidents, directing them to temporarily suspend all Delivery Unit Optimization (DUO) implementations and post office closings beginning November 19, 2011 through January 2, 2012. While districts may proceed with the post office discontinuance process, the physical closing of a post office or the physical relocation of routes will be temporarily suspended during this window.

“Although we are not out of the woods yet and reforms to place the Postal Service on a more secure financial trajectory are absolutely needed, this temporary ‘time-out’ ensure that the USPS can step back and more closely evaluate the potential effects of post office closures on local communities,” said Bennet. “We have worked hard to communicate the important role post offices play in rural communities, and we hope the USPS uses this time-out to take a closer look at the potential effects of these closures on Colorado communities.”

This announcement comes on the heels of several Bennet efforts to ensure USPS reform takes into account potential impacts on rural communities.

Earlier this month, Bennet and Senator Mark Udall wrote a letter to Senate committee leaders urging them to consider western states and rural communities when exploring potential reforms to the U.S. Postal Service. In the letter, the Senators outlined priorities for reform that encourage innovation, take creative approaches to existing assets and maintain the competitive edge.

In June, Bennet and Udall sent a letter to the U.S. Postmaster General expressing concern over USPS location closures and consolidations that could make it more difficult for Coloradans to send letters and mail packages.

In September, they sent a letter to Ruth Goldway, chairwoman of the Postal Regulatory Commission, urging the Postal Regulatory Commission to carefully consider the effects of possible postal service closures on rural areas and small towns in Colorado and across the country.

WASHINGTON – Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Joe Lieberman (ID-Conn), Ranking Member Susan Collins (R-Maine), Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management Chairman Tom Carper (D-Del.), and Senator Scott Brown (R-Mass.) reacted Tuesday to an announcement from the Postal Service that it lost $5.1 billion in Fiscal Year 2011. The loss would have been $10 billion without emergency Congressional intervention.

Sen. Lieberman: “This is yet more confirmation of what we already know: the Postal Service is in such deep financial trouble that mail delivery would be disrupted sometime next year unless bold action is taken. Senators Collins, Carper, Brown, and I have proposed bold reforms in our 21st Century Postal Service Act, which was approved by the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee last week. I urge my colleagues to support our bill as a last ditch effort to save this valuable national asset upon which millions of people and businesses rely every day.”

Sen. Collins: “It’s no surprise the red ink continues to flood the U.S. Postal Service. Absent action, it won’t be able to meet its payroll a year from now. The Postal Service is the linchpin of a $1.1 trillion mailing and mail-related industry that employs approximately 8.7 million Americans in fields as diverse as direct mail, printing, catalog companies, and paper manufacturing. It literally won’t survive without legislative and administrative reforms. That’s why the bipartisan bill passed by the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committee represents a huge step forward toward giving the Postal Service the authority it needs to restructure, modernize, survive, and thrive. I’m hopeful that this bipartisan compromise legislation will move swiftly through the Senate.”

Sen. Carper: “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. Last week, we took an important step in our effort to reform the Postal Service by passing the bipartisan 21st Century Postal Service Act (S.1789) out of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. Today’s report again underscores the urgency of this situation. But while the situation is dire, it is not hopeless. That is why we need to pass this bipartisan and comprehensive bill – the only bipartisan proposal from Members in either Chamber – 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.”

Sen. Brown: “Combined with losses from previous years, it is clear that the Postal Service faces a significant risk of being insolvent by next year. Congress will need to act soon to address some of the major financial challenges the Postal Service is facing. The 21st Century Postal Service Act is ready to head to the floor and it’s my hope that it will be called up as soon as possible, so that we can begin to put the Postal Service on a path towards financial solvency.”

Postal Service customers take note — usps.com recently posted a warning about email scammers using the Postal Service’s name to access valuable personal information.

Customers being targeted receive bogus emails with subject lines containing the text: “USPS Delivery Failure Notification.” The emails claim to be from the Postal Service and contain fraudulent information about an attempted or intercepted package delivery. The emails instruct customers to click on a link to find out when they can expect delivery.

Clicking on the link activates a virus, which can steal personal information — such as usernames, passwords and financial account information — stored on the computer.

Customers should simply delete the message and take no further action unless they choose to report the email as spam by contacting abuse@usps.gov.

The email scam is similar to a telemarketing scam uncovered by the Postal Inspection Service in which fraudsters masquerading as USPS employees were phoning residents and requesting birth dates and Social Security numbers as requirements for package delivery (Link, 10/31).

Corporate Information Security Officer Chuck McGann offers these tips on spotting bogus emails:

• The text contains poor grammar or spelling errors.
• The text states immediate action must be taken or customer could face dire consequences.
• The email requests personal information under the guise of re-confirming information.
• The text from an “automated message system” states “Click on this link for details.”

Customers with questions about a delivery by the Postal Service should call 800-ASK-USPS.

via USPS News Link – Nov. 18, 2011.

Our hard working representatives in Washington have once again tackled the difficult problem of postal finances (a problem they created in 2006 with the creation of the PAEA trust fund), by putting it off for another month:

A weekend government shutdown that neither party wanted was averted when Congress approved a compromise spending bill Thursday…

The bill also would extend to Dec. 16 the deadline by which the ailing U.S. Postal Service must pay $5.5 billion to the Treasury for future retiree health benefits. Postal officials have warned they have no cash and would default on the annual payment, which was originally due Sept. 30.

via Congress OKs bill averting government shutdown – Times Union.

SAVANNAH, GA (WTOC) -

The future of the United States Postal Service distribution center in Savannah is in serious doubt.

Employees found out Tuesday that a study was complete suggesting the facility be shut down and mail in Savannah be filtered through distribution centers in Jacksonville and Charleston. WTOC first reported the study’s findings Tuesday, as the livelihoods of more than 200 people are now in limbo

Read more: USPS employees nervous about possible Savannah center closing – WTOC, Savannah, Georgia, news, weather and sports |.

Harte-Hanks press release:

Harte-Hanks, a direct and targeted marketing company, announced the release of prEtrak (v 2.0), a newly-available software tool to help users of U.S. direct mail track their own communications from induction to the mail stream to in-home delivery through the U.S. Postal Service Confirm Program.

“Using prEtrak has given Harte-Hanks 99.9 percent accuracy in its reporting, providing our clients and ourselves with accurate in-home delivery dates for time-sensitive mailings and expediting sales,” said Tony Paul, group managing director, personalized and targeted mail services, Harte-Hanks, in a release.

“No other tracking tool provides an opportunity for proactive, corrective action before a problem jeopardizes timely delivery.”

“Harte-Hanks’ prEtrak service has been instrumental in helping us manage our in-home dates with the USPS,” said Luis Fernandez, vice president, customer insight, Neiman Marcus. “On top of being able to track what is actually happening to our mail as it is being processed, the knowledge that we have gained from using it has allowed us to tailor our mail plans to fit into our marketing needs.”

“With the USPS Postmaster General announcing mail processing and delivery consolidations imminent in the months ahead, the timing is perfect for making prEtrak software commercially available,” Paul said.

“prEtrak monitors automated mail processing by checking USPS operational codes and the time stamps of those codes while mail is in the Postal Service’s hands. Using this data, Harte-Hanks prEtrak applies a unique set of algorithms to determine predicted delivery of specific promotional materials and enables real-time tracking information on delivery of First-Class, Periodicals, and Standard Mail letters and automated flats.”

“As communications become more multichannel, and timing of other media depends on knowledgeable in-home mail delivery, prEtrak offers that reliability in predicting delivery. This allows for other messaging triggers such as text and email to be delivered in a timely manner, as well as the ability to streamline call center staffing functionality. prEtrak provides visibility on your promotional materials and using this information we are able to ensure the proper corrective actions are put into place to drive continuous improvements, obtaining the highest degree of on time delivery possible,” said Chris Armstrong, vice president, mail tracking services, Harte-Hanks Direct Marketing.

The prEtrak software is now being made available for use by consumer and business marketers, mailers and mail service providers to keep track of print communications as they move through the USPS’s mailing infrastructure to final delivery destination, the company reports.

By using the software, mailers and service providers can receive an hour-by-hour snapshot of the location of their automated mail, identifying potential problems before they happen to enable prompt intervention on a mailer’s behalf.

Features include:

-Hourly update reports – prEtrak is updated on an hourly basis. The system is also able to detect and effect change to early or late delivering material.

-Secure Website – the prEtrak site can be accessed from any Web-enabled desktop with security access to each mailer’s reporting structure. Reports can be viewed by a number of filters that include State, SCF (sectional center facility) and 5-digit ZIP Code down to an individual address level.

-Mapping capabilities – prEtrak provides geographical representation of the U.S. for a top-level overview of delivery with drill-down capabilities into each state.

-Detailed Delivery Reporting – reporting can be segmented by brick-and-mortar location, territory or market. Delivery information can be reported on various other criteria based on client specific need.

-Seed reporting – Mailers have access to reporting on seeds from within each promotion or mailing.

-Historical reporting – with the ability to identify trends from promotion to promotion, mailers can manage delivery patterns and maximize response rates.

Harte-Hanks is a direct and targeted marketing company.

WASHINGTON — At yesterday’s meeting of the U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors, Thurgood Marshall, Jr., was elected chairman and Mickey D. Barnett was elected vice chairman. Marshall, the Board’s current vice chairman, will succeed Chairman Louis J. Giuliano, who has served as chairman since January 2010 and will continue to serve as a governor. Marshall and Barnett will assume their new leadership roles during the Board’s next meeting in December.

Marshall is an attorney in Washington, DC and former member of the White House senior staff in the Clinton Administration. He was appointed a governor by President George W. Bush on Dec. 15, 2006. He currently serves as chairman of the Government Relations and Regulatory Committee and as a member of the Audit and Finance Committee.

Barnett is an attorney and former New Mexico state senator. He was appointed a governor by President George W. Bush on Aug. 17, 2006 and currently serves as a member of the Audit and Finance Committee and the Compensation and Management Resources Committee. Governor Barnett lives in Albuquerque, NM.

In a special telecom tonight, The NAPUS Executive Board unanimously approved President Bob Rapoza’s request to ask the Federal Mediation and Reconciliation Service to convene a factfinding panel to review the Postal Service’s final decision on the 2011-15 Postmaster Pay Package.

Rapoza told the Board “In view of the Postal Service’s final decision on the Postmaster Pay Package for 2011-2015, I am requesting that the NAPUS Executive Board consider my request to pursue fact finding through the Federal Mediation and Reconciliation Service (FMCS.)”

For more on this historic and unprecedented action, please go to President Rapoza’s Update link on the NAPUS website.

Charlie Moser

November 16, 2011

via NAPUS.

From the American Postal Workers Union:

The Collective Bargaining Agreement obligates the Postal Service to make “every effort” to create desirable duty assignments from “all available work hours for career employees” when management posts full-time Clerk Craft assignments for bid, Clerk Craft Director Rob Strunk is reminding union members.

“‘Every effort’ means just that,” he noted. “A local manager cannot be excused from the requirement to post desirable schedules simply because his boss or someone at the District level insists that all Non-Traditional Full-Time (NTFT) duty assignments must be established with 35 hours per week or less,” he said.

“All available work hours” also means just what it says, Strunk notes: All work hours – including overtime, hours worked by Postal Support Employees (PSEs), hours worked by part-time flexibles from other offices, and cross-craft hours — must be considered when management creates new NTFT assignments. The contractual language clearly requires management to consider “all available work hours,” not “earned hours,” which are generated by management computer models.

But what are “desirable duty assignments?” It is easy to surmise that an assignment with five 8-hour days and weekends off is more desirable than five 6-hour days with split days off. But are four 10-hour days more desirable than five 8-hour days?

Ultimately, the question of desirability will be answered by members of the Clerk Craft. Each time employees choose to bid — whether by computer, telephone, or through the manual bid box — they are telling management and the union what they consider “desirable duty assignments.”