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From: <hier...@comcast.net>
Date: Fri, Dec 14, 2007 at 4:23 AM
Subject: {{ruralc...@rootsweb.com}} NJ Postal and Rural News, Issue 35, V. 1, Dec 14, 2007 (List 4)
To: Hier...@comcast.net
Cc: Ruralc...@rootsweb.com
NEW JERSEY POSTAL AND RURAL NEWS
Issue 35, Vol. 1 December 14, 2007 Friday Hier...@comcast.net
Issues of the New Jersey Postal and NRLCA News are now posted and available on the following website: http://groups.google.com/group/rlc_onliners_pub?hl=en
DISCLAIMER: I have no affiliation with USPS or the NRLCA and as such any information that I pass on is unofficial and constitutes advice and/or suggestions for your consideration. You may be advised to double-check with official sources before depending on its use and while you are doing that ask why is it that someone without official contacts has this information and is passing it on and its not coming from official sources.
Note: These email messages are being sent to the entire NJ State Board and almost all of the senior stewards in New Jersey. There should be no concerns about this being done secretly.
**If you know any rural craft employee who would like to receive this dissemination, please send email address, and office of employment to Hier...@comcast.net.
**If you do not wish to receive these disseminations, please notify Hier...@comcast.net and request removal from dissemination list.
**Please address all comments, submissions, stories to Hier...@comcast.net and be sure to mark it as confidential or note if it is OK to share.
___________________________________________________________________________
MSN, hotmail and live mail (all Micrsoft ISPs) are rejecting incoming mail for 41 accounts of 63 accounts being distributed. If your ISP is MSN, hotmail or Livemail, you may need to contact your ISP or reset your spam filters to accept the newsletter. IF YOU ARE NOT RECVEIVING MY NEWLSETTER AND I WILL BE TRYING TO CONTACT THOSE SUBSCRIBERS, UNDERSTAND THAT IT IS NOT ANYTHING I DID. MSN, in their infinite wisdom, is trying to do what the NRLCA and the NJ RLCA has tried and tried to do without success: TO SHUT ME UP! Will you let them silence me? _________________________ ____________________________________________
Mail carrier who fell loses appeal against Badger schools
Sharon, Pennsylvania-A former mail carrier who delivered to the Joseph Badger School District has lost her appeal claiming that injuries she suffered in a 2004 fall outside the school were caused by its cracked sidewalks. Cheryl M. Melvin of Kinsman began delivering mail to the district in about 2000 while working for the U.S. Postal Service, she told the court. On Feb. 5, 2004, while walking from the school’s main office to her tru ck, she tripped and fell on the sidewalk, she said.
Mrs. Melvin stubbed her toe in the fall, which also caused other “serious physical injuries,” court documents say. The fall occurred outside Joseph Badger’s former building on state Route 7 in Kinsman. The building has since been relocated to Route 7 in Vernon Township. The noticeably cracked sidewalk wasn’t slippery and was clear of snow, she said. She said she was carrying mail and keys while looking ahead to the truck, rather than where she was walking, which court documents say was “pursuant to postal regulations.”
She wasn’t sure why she fell, but it was in the area of the sidewalk where the cracks were, Mrs. Melvin told the court. Mrs. Melvin and her husband, Robert L. Melvin, filed a suit against the district in February 2006 in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court. In April 2007, the court ruled in favor of the school district. The Melvins appealed the decision a month later.
The court recognized grounds for the appeal, but again failed to find sufficient evidence that the sidewalk’s cracks led to the fall. Mrs. Melvin was aware of the cracks and they were visible before the fall, the court maintained. The court said that carrying mail and looking toward her vehicle while walking were part of her job and shouldn’t have played a role in the fall. http://www.sharonherald.com/local/local_story_345193115.html
Accused Post Office Employee Speaks Out
NEW ELLENTON, SC-- A postal worker resigns in New Ellenton after 23 years on the job. She stepped down after allegations of theft. 43-year-old Denise Key is not charged in the case, but she has been questioned by federal agents. Denise Key says she is no Christmas Grinch and the fact she's now the talk of the town, is hurtful.
Allegations of tampered mail and theft at New Ellenton's Post Office. "We've actually got them where they'd be wide open." says customer Mickey.
Ruth Wilson agrees. " I've had several letters opened and resealed. My social security card was not in it and now I have to call the social security board about it, but all my other paper work was in there."
These are just some of the complaints from the post office. Employees say it's been a problem for quite awhile. "This time of the year, nothing is impossible." says customer Edna Kissiah. "It concerns me, especially with all this identity theft going on. It makes me angry." adds Wilson.
Federal authorities notified New Ellenton's Police Chief that something may be wrong in November. A day later, they came and questioned Denise Key, a postal carrier for the last 23 years. She resigned that day.
"I feel like all the blame is being put on me, and it's not me. I'm no
Christmas Grinch." says Key. She says she resigned because of the investigation and because of health reasons.
She also says the only mail she ever opened, belonged to her own family. "I opened some mail. My ex husband's and my son's mail. If they want to charge me, fine. They can charge me. I'm guilty of that." She also says she's aware of the ongoing mail problems at the post office. "I don't want to be the only one blamed in all of this mess. They need to keep investigating and find out that a lot of our problems come from Augusta."
And that's where New Ellenton's customers may be headed as well. Customers like Milton Williams, "I'll carry mine to the post office in Augusta from now on." News 12 tried calling the US Postal Service Special Agent in charge of this investigation, but our calls were not returned. We are also still waiting to hear back from the Office of Inspector General who is also involved in this investigation.
Key was questioned more than two weeks ago, but she has yet to be charged. She says she told the truth to investigators and they searched her car. Key says she even offered to let them search her house because she says she has nothing to hide. http://www.wrdw.com/crimeteam12/headlines/12449156.html
Mail carriers share tips and tricks of winter
Hastings, Nebraska-They are the men and women who brave the winter weather to make sure you get your mail. But the job is not always easy and it is not always safe. Unless you have a shoe strap. A shoe strap does not sound like much, but the Hastings Post Office says it can have a big impact on safety. News 5 followed one mail carrier on her route Wednesday.
She says when the weather gets rough the first thing she does is reach for her straps. It is a door to door walk that can get dangerous. Delivering mail along the slippery, icy sidewalks is something Sandra Krueger faces everyday. But a shoe strap makes her walk a little safer.
"It gives you a little extra sense of security when your walking. It helps make the day go a lot better you got a lot of other things to worry about besides slipping and falling," said Krueger.
Krueger says she never starts a winter route with putting on the straps. The Hastings Post office has been using them about 10 years.
"You get good traction, just being safe on peoples porches, you get done on time," Krueger said.
The post offic e says safety and efficiency are among its top goals. It has experimented with a number of devices over the years, but now uses these two in particular.
"It i s just a good business investment," said Hastings Postmaster Dana Ferguson. "If you have a carrier fall back and break an ankle or leg or something you are going to pay a couple years worth with these walking aids very quickly with medical expenses and lost work time."
It is something Sandy says she agrees with. "We have a life outside the post office and you do not want to get hurt and laid up out of work," said Krueger. Now if you're wondering how much the shoe straps cost the post office says it is usually around $30 a pair. The straps are not just for mail carriers - anyone can use them. They have become pretty popular with the elderly. http://khastv.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=12002
2007 Embezzlement of Union Funds
APWU Branch 715
On November 5, 2007, in the United States District Court for the District of Colorado, Linda Peterson, former Secretary-Treasurer of APWU Branch 715, was charged with embezzling union funds in the amount of $2,905 and embezzling U.S. Postal Service funds in the amount of $3,600. The charges follow a joint investigation by the OLMS Denver District Office and the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General.
APWU Local 238
On October 1, 2007, in the United States District Court for the District of Kansas, Dwayne Giles, former President of APWU Local 238, was sentenced to five years probation for conspiracy to embezzle union funds. As special conditions of his probation, Giles was ordered to make $11,959.44 in restitution and serve six months in home confinement. On May 30, 2007, Giles pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to embezzle union funds in the same amount. The sentencing follows an investigation by the OLMS Kansas City Resident Office.
On August 17, 2007, in the United States District Court for the District of Kansas, William Kendrick, former Treasurer of APWU Local 238, was sentenced to six months of home detention, five years probation, and ordered to make restitution in the amount of $26,236.94. On May 23, 2007, Kendrick pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to embezzle union funds.
On May 23, 2007, in the United States District Court for the District of Kansas, William Kendrick, former Treasurer of APWU Local 238, pled guilty to conspiring to embezzle union funds. Kendrick and Dwayne Giles, former Local 238 President, co-signed checks that allowed Kendrick to embezzle approximately $26,237 in union funds. On February 28, 2007, Kendrick was charged with one count of conspiring to embezzle union funds in the same amount. The guilty plea follows an investigation by the OLMS Kansas City Resident Office.
On February 28, 2007, in the United States District Court for the District of Kansas, Dwayne Giles and William Kendrick, former President and Treasurer, respectively, for APWU Local 238, were charged in a one-count indictment with conspiring to embezzle union funds. The two are alleged to have co-signed checks that allowed Giles to embezzle approximately $15,589 and Kendricks to embezzle approximately $26,237 in union funds.
APWU Local 7065
On January 18, 2007, in the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri, David Hlavacek, Secretary-Treasurer for APWU Local 7065 and Missouri State Postal Workers' Union, entered a plea of guilty to one count of embezzling union funds totaling $6,383 from the labor organizations. On December 18, 2006, Hlavacek had been charged with one count of embezzling union funds in the same amount. The guilty plea follows an investigation by the OLMS St. Louis District Office.
USPS unveil Sinatra stamp
USPS has unveiled the design for next spring’s stamp commemorating Frank Sinatra at a special ceremony in California. Sinatra’s three children attended the unveiling and were clearly very proud that their father would be adorning a postage stamp next year.
"I am certain that anyone receiving a letter with Frank Sinatra's smile on it will smile back," said daughter Nancy. The stamp is based upon a photograph taken in the 1950s and has been designed by artist Kazuhiko Sano.
NRLCA union officer pleads guilty to theft [From July, 2007]
Monday, July 23, 2007
WILMINGTON -- The secretary-treasurer of the Delaware Rural Letter Carriers'
Association pleaded guilty to stealing almost $59,000 from his union.
According to federal prosecutors, between 2002 and 2006, Michael A.
Pingitore, 47, of Newark, stole union funds by diverting payments to a
checking account he controlled, writing unauthorized checks to himself and
by starting a credit card on a union back account, without proper union
approval, to pay his personal expenses. At a hearing today before Chief District Judge Gregory M. Sleet, Pingitore agreed to plead guilty to all six charges of embezzlement of union funds.
In exchange for the plea agreement, prosecutors agreed not to bring additional char ges related to the thefts, including falsifying records.
He now faces up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine for each charge, in addition to restitution, but will likely face much less time under federal sentencing guidelines.
According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Kravetz, Pingitore diverted money that was supposed to be used as mileage reimbursement for union officials on business trips, rebate money due to union members and union dues among other items -- in dozens of transactions from amounts ranging from $12 to $6,727.
Sleet set sentencing for October. Officials from the union, which represents about 400 letter carriers in the state, attended the hearing but declined comment. Pingitore's attorney, Jerome Capone, also declined comment.
RURALC...@ROOTSWEB.COM MAIL LIST.
FOR DISCUSSION OF POSTAL AND RURAL CARRIER RELATED SUBJECTS.
STEWARD CONTACTS
http://www.nrlca.org/stewards.html
NRLCA CONTACT INFO.
National Rural Letter Carriers' Association
Fourth Floor
1630 Duke Street
Alexandria, Virginia 22314-3465
Phone: 703-684-5545
-------------------------------
To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to RURALCARRI...@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message
From: <hier...@comcast.net>
Date: Fri, Dec 14, 2007 at 4:23 AM
Subject: {{ruralc...@rootsweb.com}} NJ Postal and Rural News, Issue 35, V. 1, Dec 14, 2007 (List 4)
To: Hier...@comcast.net
Cc: Ruralc...@rootsweb.com
NEW JERSEY POSTAL AND RURAL NEWS
Issue 35, Vol. 1 December 14, 2007 Friday Hier...@comcast.net
Issues of the New Jersey Postal and NRLCA News are now posted and available on the following website: http://groups.google.com/group/rlc_onliners_pub?hl=en
DISCLAIMER: I have no affiliation with USPS or the NRLCA and as such any information that I pass on is unofficial and constitutes advice and/or suggestions for your consideration. You may be advised to double-check with official sources before depending on its use and while you are doing that ask why is it that someone without official contacts has this information and is passing it on and its not coming from official sources.
Note: These email messages are being sent to the entire NJ State Board and almost all of the senior stewards in New Jersey. There should be no concerns about this being done secretly.
**If you know any rural craft employee who would like to receive this dissemination, please send email address, and office of employment to Hier...@comcast.net.
**If you do not wish to receive these disseminations, please notify Hier...@comcast.net and request removal from dissemination list.
**Please address all comments, submissions, stories to Hier...@comcast.net and be sure to mark it as confidential or note if it is OK to share.
___________________________________________________________________________
MSN, hotmail and live mail (all Micrsoft ISPs) are rejecting incoming mail for 41 accounts of 63 accounts being distributed. If your ISP is MSN, hotmail or Livemail, you may need to contact your ISP or reset your spam filters to accept the newsletter. IF YOU ARE NOT RECVEIVING MY NEWLSETTER AND I WILL BE TRYING TO CONTACT THOSE SUBSCRIBERS, UNDERSTAND THAT IT IS NOT ANYTHING I DID. MSN, in their infinite wisdom, is trying to do what the NRLCA and the NJ RLCA has tried and tried to do without success: TO SHUT ME UP! Will you let them silence me? _________________________ ____________________________________________
Mail carrier who fell loses appeal against Badger schools
Sharon, Pennsylvania-A former mail carrier who delivered to the Joseph Badger School District has lost her appeal claiming that injuries she suffered in a 2004 fall outside the school were caused by its cracked sidewalks. Cheryl M. Melvin of Kinsman began delivering mail to the district in about 2000 while working for the U.S. Postal Service, she told the court. On Feb. 5, 2004, while walking from the school’s main office to her tru ck, she tripped and fell on the sidewalk, she said.
Mrs. Melvin stubbed her toe in the fall, which also caused other “serious physical injuries,” court documents say. The fall occurred outside Joseph Badger’s former building on state Route 7 in Kinsman. The building has since been relocated to Route 7 in Vernon Township. The noticeably cracked sidewalk wasn’t slippery and was clear of snow, she said. She said she was carrying mail and keys while looking ahead to the truck, rather than where she was walking, which court documents say was “pursuant to postal regulations.”
She wasn’t sure why she fell, but it was in the area of the sidewalk where the cracks were, Mrs. Melvin told the court. Mrs. Melvin and her husband, Robert L. Melvin, filed a suit against the district in February 2006 in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court. In April 2007, the court ruled in favor of the school district. The Melvins appealed the decision a month later.
The court recognized grounds for the appeal, but again failed to find sufficient evidence that the sidewalk’s cracks led to the fall. Mrs. Melvin was aware of the cracks and they were visible before the fall, the court maintained. The court said that carrying mail and looking toward her vehicle while walking were part of her job and shouldn’t have played a role in the fall. http://www.sharonherald.com/local/local_story_345193115.html
Accused Post Office Employee Speaks Out
NEW ELLENTON, SC-- A postal worker resigns in New Ellenton after 23 years on the job. She stepped down after allegations of theft. 43-year-old Denise Key is not charged in the case, but she has been questioned by federal agents. Denise Key says she is no Christmas Grinch and the fact she's now the talk of the town, is hurtful.
Allegations of tampered mail and theft at New Ellenton's Post Office. "We've actually got them where they'd be wide open." says customer Mickey.
Ruth Wilson agrees. " I've had several letters opened and resealed. My social security card was not in it and now I have to call the social security board about it, but all my other paper work was in there."
These are just some of the complaints from the post office. Employees say it's been a problem for quite awhile. "This time of the year, nothing is impossible." says customer Edna Kissiah. "It concerns me, especially with all this identity theft going on. It makes me angry." adds Wilson.
Federal authorities notified New Ellenton's Police Chief that something may be wrong in November. A day later, they came and questioned Denise Key, a postal carrier for the last 23 years. She resigned that day.
"I feel like all the blame is being put on me, and it's not me. I'm no
Christmas Grinch." says Key. She says she resigned because of the investigation and because of health reasons.
She also says the only mail she ever opened, belonged to her own family. "I opened some mail. My ex husband's and my son's mail. If they want to charge me, fine. They can charge me. I'm guilty of that." She also says she's aware of the ongoing mail problems at the post office. "I don't want to be the only one blamed in all of this mess. They need to keep investigating and find out that a lot of our problems come from Augusta."
And that's where New Ellenton's customers may be headed as well. Customers like Milton Williams, "I'll carry mine to the post office in Augusta from now on." News 12 tried calling the US Postal Service Special Agent in charge of this investigation, but our calls were not returned. We are also still waiting to hear back from the Office of Inspector General who is also involved in this investigation.
Key was questioned more than two weeks ago, but she has yet to be charged. She says she told the truth to investigators and they searched her car. Key says she even offered to let them search her house because she says she has nothing to hide. http://www.wrdw.com/crimeteam12/headlines/12449156.html
Mail carriers share tips and tricks of winter
Hastings, Nebraska-They are the men and women who brave the winter weather to make sure you get your mail. But the job is not always easy and it is not always safe. Unless you have a shoe strap. A shoe strap does not sound like much, but the Hastings Post Office says it can have a big impact on safety. News 5 followed one mail carrier on her route Wednesday.
She says when the weather gets rough the first thing she does is reach for her straps. It is a door to door walk that can get dangerous. Delivering mail along the slippery, icy sidewalks is something Sandra Krueger faces everyday. But a shoe strap makes her walk a little safer.
"It gives you a little extra sense of security when your walking. It helps make the day go a lot better you got a lot of other things to worry about besides slipping and falling," said Krueger.
Krueger says she never starts a winter route with putting on the straps. The Hastings Post office has been using them about 10 years.
"You get good traction, just being safe on peoples porches, you get done on time," Krueger said.
The post offic e says safety and efficiency are among its top goals. It has experimented with a number of devices over the years, but now uses these two in particular.
"It i s just a good business investment," said Hastings Postmaster Dana Ferguson. "If you have a carrier fall back and break an ankle or leg or something you are going to pay a couple years worth with these walking aids very quickly with medical expenses and lost work time."
It is something Sandy says she agrees with. "We have a life outside the post office and you do not want to get hurt and laid up out of work," said Krueger. Now if you're wondering how much the shoe straps cost the post office says it is usually around $30 a pair. The straps are not just for mail carriers - anyone can use them. They have become pretty popular with the elderly. http://khastv.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=12002
2007 Embezzlement of Union Funds
APWU Branch 715
On November 5, 2007, in the United States District Court for the District of Colorado, Linda Peterson, former Secretary-Treasurer of APWU Branch 715, was charged with embezzling union funds in the amount of $2,905 and embezzling U.S. Postal Service funds in the amount of $3,600. The charges follow a joint investigation by the OLMS Denver District Office and the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General.
APWU Local 238
On October 1, 2007, in the United States District Court for the District of Kansas, Dwayne Giles, former President of APWU Local 238, was sentenced to five years probation for conspiracy to embezzle union funds. As special conditions of his probation, Giles was ordered to make $11,959.44 in restitution and serve six months in home confinement. On May 30, 2007, Giles pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to embezzle union funds in the same amount. The sentencing follows an investigation by the OLMS Kansas City Resident Office.
On August 17, 2007, in the United States District Court for the District of Kansas, William Kendrick, former Treasurer of APWU Local 238, was sentenced to six months of home detention, five years probation, and ordered to make restitution in the amount of $26,236.94. On May 23, 2007, Kendrick pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to embezzle union funds.
On May 23, 2007, in the United States District Court for the District of Kansas, William Kendrick, former Treasurer of APWU Local 238, pled guilty to conspiring to embezzle union funds. Kendrick and Dwayne Giles, former Local 238 President, co-signed checks that allowed Kendrick to embezzle approximately $26,237 in union funds. On February 28, 2007, Kendrick was charged with one count of conspiring to embezzle union funds in the same amount. The guilty plea follows an investigation by the OLMS Kansas City Resident Office.
On February 28, 2007, in the United States District Court for the District of Kansas, Dwayne Giles and William Kendrick, former President and Treasurer, respectively, for APWU Local 238, were charged in a one-count indictment with conspiring to embezzle union funds. The two are alleged to have co-signed checks that allowed Giles to embezzle approximately $15,589 and Kendricks to embezzle approximately $26,237 in union funds.
APWU Local 7065
On January 18, 2007, in the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri, David Hlavacek, Secretary-Treasurer for APWU Local 7065 and Missouri State Postal Workers' Union, entered a plea of guilty to one count of embezzling union funds totaling $6,383 from the labor organizations. On December 18, 2006, Hlavacek had been charged with one count of embezzling union funds in the same amount. The guilty plea follows an investigation by the OLMS St. Louis District Office.
USPS unveil Sinatra stamp
USPS has unveiled the design for next spring’s stamp commemorating Frank Sinatra at a special ceremony in California. Sinatra’s three children attended the unveiling and were clearly very proud that their father would be adorning a postage stamp next year.
"I am certain that anyone receiving a letter with Frank Sinatra's smile on it will smile back," said daughter Nancy. The stamp is based upon a photograph taken in the 1950s and has been designed by artist Kazuhiko Sano.
NRLCA union officer pleads guilty to theft [From July, 2007]
Monday, July 23, 2007
WILMINGTON -- The secretary-treasurer of the Delaware Rural Letter Carriers'
Association pleaded guilty to stealing almost $59,000 from his union.
According to federal prosecutors, between 2002 and 2006, Michael A.
Pingitore, 47, of Newark, stole union funds by diverting payments to a
checking account he controlled, writing unauthorized checks to himself and
by starting a credit card on a union back account, without proper union
approval, to pay his personal expenses. At a hearing today before Chief District Judge Gregory M. Sleet, Pingitore agreed to plead guilty to all six charges of embezzlement of union funds.
In exchange for the plea agreement, prosecutors agreed not to bring additional char ges related to the thefts, including falsifying records.
He now faces up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine for each charge, in addition to restitution, but will likely face much less time under federal sentencing guidelines.
According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Kravetz, Pingitore diverted money that was supposed to be used as mileage reimbursement for union officials on business trips, rebate money due to union members and union dues among other items -- in dozens of transactions from amounts ranging from $12 to $6,727.
Sleet set sentencing for October. Officials from the union, which represents about 400 letter carriers in the state, attended the hearing but declined comment. Pingitore's attorney, Jerome Capone, also declined comment.
RURALC...@ROOTSWEB.COM MAIL LIST.
FOR DISCUSSION OF POSTAL AND RURAL CARRIER RELATED SUBJECTS.
STEWARD CONTACTS
http://www.nrlca.org/stewards.html
NRLCA CONTACT INFO.
National Rural Letter Carriers' Association
Fourth Floor
1630 Duke Street
Alexandria, Virginia 22314-3465
Phone: 703-684-5545
-------------------------------
To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to RURALCARRI...@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message
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