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From: <hier...@comcast.net>
Date: Wed, Dec 19, 2007 at 12:05 PM
Subject: {{ruralc...@rootsweb.com}} NJ Postal and Rural News, Issue 40. V. 1, Dec. 19, 2007 (List 17)
To: Hier...@comcast.net
Cc: Ruralc...@rootsweb.com
NEW JERSEY POSTAL AND RURAL NEWS
Issue 40 Vol. 1 December 19, 2007 Wednesday 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
I want to express my gratitude for all the comments, submissions and feedback and the tremendous interest in this newsletter. PLEASE SHARE THIS NEWSLETTER WITH ALL RURAL CARRIER CRAFT EMPLOYEES!
_________________________________________________________________________
Issue Codes = Issue A(A is not usually used and constitutes just the issue #) and B-E are news and human interest stories; Issue NJ are New Jersey related issues and editorials; Issue OP are editorials or commentary; Issue SE are special editions of investigaory reports or series: Issues SP are special issues with important news; Issues ST are steward/labor relations related articles and Issues-X are breaking news articles of importance.
*************************************************************************
This newsletter is now being distributed to over 400 subscribers who are getting 10-14 pages of rural and postal related news and commentary daily across the entire country.
*************************************************************************
Daily TSP Rates | December 18, 2007
CloseChangeYTD
G$12.260.00 +4.7%
F$11.86+0.05 +6.46%
C$16.40+0.11 +4.53%
S$19.45+0.18 +3.68%
I$24.08+0.15 +8.37%
CloseChangeYTD
L 2040$17.97+0.11 +5.77%
L 2030$17.18+0.09 +5.72%
L 2020$16.47+0.08 +5.71%
L 2010$15.34+0.04 +5.57%
L Income$13.41+0.02 +5.09%
[Source: Fedsmith.com]
Postal Service Hi-Tech Human Resources Transformation a Success
Largest Implementation of its Kind Anywhere Gives Employees Unprecedented Informational Access
WASHINGTON, DC — Postal Service employees everywhere now have access to a new cutting-edge human resources (HR) system to meet the demands of the information age. Rollout of the technology phase of the PostalPEOPLE initiative, the largest implementation of its kind in the federal government or private sector, was completed in October.
“This massive undertaking is helping the Postal Service to increase efficiency and reduce costs while giving employees individualized information and access to human resources-related applications, 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” said Anthony Vegliante, chief human resources officer and executive vice president
Using SAP software, the new platform replaces a system that once consisted of more than 3,800 Postal Service HR professionals relying on more than 200 processes and some 70 systems to support nearly 700,000 employees. Now, those HR professionals, free from repetitive, manual processes, can focus on the Postal Service’s strategic focus to better align the workforce and meet present and future challenges, head-on.
“The result is a single view of the employee that improves service to our employees, customer satisfaction and our ability to conduct business,” said Vegliante.
Completion of the nationwide rollout enables the Postal Service to introduce two significant new services to employees. First is a new self-service tool for managers, which provides managers, postmasters and supervisors with information and resources online to help manage the workforce, perform administrative tasks, and assist their employees with skill development.
A second service has been launched on the organization’s intranet site, allowing employees to perform job bidding anywhere they have access to the Internet. This enhances ease of use for bargaining unit employees and provides them with a new way to access the job-bidding system.
The PostalPEOPLE initiative most notably includes the Shared Services Center in Greensboro, NC. The full-service facility is staffed by professionally trained career postal HR personnel who provide assistance to employees who need to speak directly with a person.
Additional functionality will be added in the coming year, leveraging this technology platform to further streamline and enhance HR functions within the Postal Service. http://www.postalreporter.com/news/2007/12/18/postal-service-hi-tech-human-resources-transformation-a-success/
Labor Dept. Accused of Union Sabotage
By Elizabeth Williamson
Washington Post Staff Writer
Political operatives in the Department of Labor are using federal reporting requirements to undermine trade unions and conduct a "political misinformation campaign" against them, a report released yesterday charges.
While the Bush administration has generally relaxed federal regulations, the department's Office of Labor-Management Standards has done the reverse, beefing up disclosure rules, staff and investigations of union leaders and members, the study by the left-leaning Center for American Progress said. The study criticized the reporting requirements as designed to overwhelm unions with paperwork and trick them into noncompliance. It also accused the office of inflating the nu mber of criminal cases involving union leaders and members.
The report was triggered by the office's latest requirement, new conflict-of-interest reports that, as of Jan. 1, would require a broad pool of union members to attest that even their car loans do not constitute a potential conflict.
The standards office has been led since 2005 by Don Todd, a former Republican National Committee strategist. Todd is credited with helping George H.W. Bush win the presidency in 1988 by convincing Lee Atwater to use a te levision ad featuring furloughed murderer Willie Horton and portraying Bush's Democratic challenger as soft on crime.
The standards office upholds a 1959 statute that tasks the Labor Department with enforcing union financial reporting requirements and investigating their finances.
"The Center for American Progress fails to recognize that Congress enacted the Labor Management Reporting and Disclosure Act . . . in 1959 with the express purpose of safeguarding the hard-earned dues of union members and their right to democratic union elections," Department of Labor spokesman Richard Manning said in an e-mail.
"In an era of greater transparency, the Office of Labor Management Standards . . . serves a vital purpose in protecting rank-and-file union members by enforcing the LMRDA, which has resulted in over $100 million in restitution of union members' dues since 2001," the spokesman added.
Republicans have previously considered using the office's regulations to target unions, which have historically tended to favor Democratic candidates.
Yesterday's report cites a 1992 memo from former House speaker Newt Gingrich to then-Labor Secretary Lynn Martin, urging her to boost the office's reporting requirements to "weaken our opponents and encourage our allies." Republican adviser Grover Norquis t has said that "every dollar that is spent on disclosure and reporting is a dollar that can't be spent on other labor union activities."
Center for American Progress senior fellow Scott Lilly, who authored the report, said, "It's hard not to look at this and think there's a real effort to make life as uncomfortable and difficult as possible for people who lead or work for labor unions."
Lilly said the amount of information required from unions has increased by about 60 percent since Todd took over.
The findings drew sharp criticism of the standards office from union backers in Congress.
"It's unconscionable that laws meant to protect employees have been turned into tools for harassing them," said Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.), chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. The proposed conflict-of-interest reporting form for union leaders would be expanded Jan. 1 from three to nine pages, said Bill Samuel, director of legislation for the AFL-CIO, which represents 10 million unionized workers.
The AFL-CIO estimates that 100,000 more union members would be newly required to submit the form, which he said classifies as union "leaders" even shop stewards who volunteer to serve on health and safety committees or to negotiate labor contracts.
Those members and their spouses and children would have to confirm, for example, whether lending institutions holding their mortgages or car loans do significant business with their union or another company represented by the same union, he said.
Samuel said the AFL-CIO has appealed to Congress to block the coming requirements. Most workers don't have the time or ability to satisfy the requirements, Samuel said. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/10/AR2007121001668_2.html
Postal Service offers Danburians help after mail truck fire
DANBURY, CONNECTICUT -- Don't worry, Danburians! If you're Christmas cards were destroyed in a fire last week, you already know. Roughly 200 homes on the city's west side were left mailless last Thursday when a malfunctioning mail truck's engine went kablooey in Brewster, N.Y., burning the truck "like a cheap toaster," Postal Service workers said. Luckily, the driver was not injured.
The Postal Service sent out letters last week giving Danbury residents on the west side a "Hey, your mail may have burned" heads up.
"We tried to salvage the mail, but it was charred and wet beyond recognition," Postal Service spokeswoman Maureen Marion said. "We're uncertain even a single piece will be saved." The truck was in Brewster, but originated from the Backus Avenue post office and was on its way to make deliveries to houses on the New York border.
Brewster volunteer firefighters doused the blaze. Unfortunately, the Postal Service could not tell customers definitively if their credit card bills burned.
"Your first class mail volume does not come with a record," said Postal Service spokeswoman Maureen Marion. "When it comes to regular mail volume, it's really about what you don't see that will tell you if something is missing." http://www.newstimes.com/latestnews/ci_7744088
Dedicated delivery: Snow, holiday season make loads heavy for mail carriers
Mail carrier Carol Caines makes her way through deep snow while delivering mail on Water Street in Shelburne Falls.
SHELBURNE FALLS, MASSACHUSETTS -- On Monday, one of the busiest mailing days of the year, in the back room of the Shelburne Falls Post Office, mail carriers geared up for long treks where they would face ice, snow, wind and dogs. As mail carrier Carol Caines walks over snow piles, clomps through slush, and gently negotiates ice, she sings 'Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer' in her head.
As the saying goes, 'Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night, stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.' Just make sure you've shoveled a path to your mailbox. The mail carrier won't deliver if you haven't.
Before heading out to her route, Caines puts a white headband over her blond hair, Transitions sunglasses over her eyes, a pair of gloves cut off at the fingers, coils -- to prevent slipping -- over her winter boots, and finally, lip balm over her lips, before grabbing her satchel for the first of three loops.
'When I get home at night, I feel like I've skied all day,' Caines said. Although the air is bitingly cold, Caines generally feels hot from the about 50 pounds she's carrying.
Although walking through snow is more work, and walking around snow piles can turn routes into zigzags, on the bright side, the cold weather keeps Caines from getting really hot. A huge pile of magazines and advertisements are under her left arm and a large pile of letters in her left hand. More piles-worth of letters are in the satchel she's slung over her left shoulder.
For the inexperienced, carrying mail like this feels exceedingly awkward and can take its toll on your arm after something like five minutes.
But after a few years of experience, Caines' arm doesn't ache anymore. She walks about 8 miles on her route.
'I was absolutely exhausted when I first started here,' said Caines, who quickly lost 20 pounds.
Now, she's in the best physical shape of her life, she said. Good thing, too. This week is one of the busiest weeks of the year for the United States Postal Service.
'Your volume peaks dramatically,' Postmaster Erik Doty said. 'It's what we expect at this time of year.'
On Monday, Caines sorted about 1,900 pieces of mail, compared to the usual 800 to 900. As for the pre-sorted mail, done by machine in Springfield, where Caines usually gets two or three full trays, on Monday she had six or seven.
Soon, after the day began at the Shelburne Falls Post Office at 6:30 a.m., parcels were stacked nearly to the ceiling. 'You can't even move around because there's packages everywhere,' mail carrier Rachael Baker said.
'It's organized chaos,' Doty said, who, like most postmasters, tends to work 12-hour days this time of year. 'We had a little walkway to walk between everything,' Caines said.
With all the Christmas cards, parcels, and catalogs that need delivering, Sunday is a lousy time for Old Man Winter to throw a snowstorm.
'But I like it. I like being outside. I love the people,' Caines said. For some people, receiving a letter from a loved one can be the highlight of their day, Caines said. Sometimes children will run up to Caines to get their mail.
'The maiiil is heeere!' they'll shout, Caines said, imitating. Others are less excited. 'Don't bring me any bills till after Christmas' joked Bill Stone, a local barber, as Caines walked down his driveway. Although she hasn't met them all, Caines knows the names of every one of the about 600 people who will receive mail on her route.
Learning everyone's name is necessary because just about every day there are a few wrongly addressed letters. Caines even knows the names of some of the barking dogs she encounters, like Benji and Roosevelt. William Osell, a long-haired mail carrier with sunglasses who enjoys listening to Led Zeppelin on his rural routes, said that over the six years he's been delivering, he's only had about four bad experiences with dogs.
One of them was 'a doozy,' however. A dog got halfway into his car and was frothing at the mouth, Osell said. Fortunately, it was distracted by doggy treats. 'I've never had a nasty experience with a Golden (Retriever),' Osell added as an afterthought.
'I have a few dogs that follow me around on walking loops,' Baker said. There are other unusual things that happen. Last week, Caines twice narrowly avoided being hit by falling snow from roofs.
'Donna can tell you all about the octogenarian who doesn't believe in being fully clothed,' Osell said.
'I haven't seen him in awhile,' replied Donna. 'I hope he's OK. Must be the cold weather,' Osell said.
Last year, the Shelburne Falls Post Office, which covers parts of Conway, Ashfield, Heath, Charlemont, Colrain, all of Shelburne and most of Buckland, hand sorted about 1.2 million letters and flats and 50,000 packages. It delivered about 700,000 presorted letters, Doty said. Despite sometimes having to wait in long lines, particularly at this time of year, customers tend to be understanding and friendly, Doty said. http://www.recorder.com/story.cfm?id_no=4704569
Boulder postal workers turn into holiday elves
Monday marked busiest day of the year for U.S. Postal Service
Boulder, Colorado -- It could rival the North Pole: The sole north Boulder post office was bustling Monday with holiday elves shipping out Christmas presents and workers passing out organic chocolate, hot cocoa and candy canes.
It was the busiest day of the year for the U.S. Postal Service, with employees expecting nearly 1 billion pieces of mail to enter their system, up from an average day's volume of 703 million pieces. Americans were expected to entrust about 275 million cards and letters with the Postal Service today, more than three times the average daily volume of 82 million.
If all the mail the Postal Service received Monday was placed end to end, it would circle the globe six times, according to the agency. At the post office inside of Pharmaca, 2700 Broadway, workers were giving treats out to those in the holiday hustle, said practitioner Jody Halsey.
"We're the only post office that is catering to people in line," she said.
The Postal Service has hired 7,000 temporary workers to help with the holiday-season rush, said Al DeSarro, local spokesman for the agency.
Traditionally, the Monday of the week before Christmas is the busiest day of the year at the post office, he said.
"This weekend was a big weekend for shopping, and people are shipping their packages out of town (Monday)," DeSarro said.
Julie Bergh stood in line at the downtown Boulder post office Monday afternoon with packaged candy to ship to friends and family members in Dublin, Ireland. Though she did her shopping early, she said her trip to the post office was delayed.
"I just didn't get to it until today because of finals," said the University of Colorado at Denver business professor. The downtown Boulder office was flooded with not only Christmas cards and gifts, but also boxes that out-of-state CU students were shipping home for their month long winter break. http://dailycamera.com/news/2007/dec/18/postal-workers-turn-into-holiday-elves/
Not even the flu can stop U.S. mail, but it can slow it down
By Howard Greninger, The Tribune-Star
Terre Haute, Indiana -- While neither snow nor rain will halt the delivery of the U.S. mail, a winter flu bug can slow it down. Mail delivery in sections of Terre Haute was delayed several hours Monday as mail carriers worked to cover shifts from fellow workers with the flu or on extended sick leave from operations.
“We had two or three people call in sick. I know the flu is going around, but I don’t know if that is the complete answer … but it does delay the mail going to some places,” said John Verostko, acting postmaster in Terre Haute.
In all, about six carriers were out. “It is not the most we have had off,” Verostko said. “We try to make sure business areas are covered and the last resort is late deliveries to residential areas. We still expect to have all deliveries done by about 5 p.m., which usually are done by 3:30 p.m. or 4 p.m.”
Delays on Monday were in the southern portions of Terre Haute in the 47802, 47803 and 47807 mailing ZIP code zones, Verostko said.
“We held back on standard volumes and carriers did get out early,” on Monday, Verostko said. “It is slippery out there. Our main concern is not to hurry the carriers in light of safety reasons. They were out before 8 o’clock [Monday] morning and normally don’t go out on their routes until about 9. So getting a jump like that has helped us recover.”
There are 54 mail carriers in Terre Haute and 25 mail clerks. The Postal Service’s mail processing center on Margaret Avenue employs about 125 workers.
Under a new union contract with mail carriers, the Postal Service can hire up to five temporary, non-career employees, Verostko said. “We have hired two and are still in the hiring process. Temporary employees are used for this very reason or absenteeism, or when [mail carriers] take their annual leave or when people are on extended leave,” he said.
Monday was expected to be one of the busiest days, when the Postal Service expected to process almost 1 billion pieces of mail. About 275 million pieces of that total were expected to be cards and letters, more than three times the average daily volume of 82 million, according to the Postal Service.
Verostko said Terre Haute handled 319,000 pieces of mail on Dec. 10. He said Monday’s volume could match that or may be slightly down because of weather conditions. http://www.tribstar.com/news/local_story_351233144.html
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. I do not speak for any Postal or Union entity and have no authority to serve as spokesman for, against or otherwise in Postal or Union matters.
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 or behind anyone's backs without their knowledge. In addition, the newsletter is also being distributed to at least one board member for 45 of the 48 chartered state associations across the country and for many states several officers/stewards are regularly subscribed to the newsletter.
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From: <hier...@comcast.net>
Date: Wed, Dec 19, 2007 at 12:05 PM
Subject: {{ruralc...@rootsweb.com}} NJ Postal and Rural News, Issue 40. V. 1, Dec. 19, 2007 (List 17)
To: Hier...@comcast.net
Cc: Ruralc...@rootsweb.com
NEW JERSEY POSTAL AND RURAL NEWS
Issue 40 Vol. 1 December 19, 2007 Wednesday 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
I want to express my gratitude for all the comments, submissions and feedback and the tremendous interest in this newsletter. PLEASE SHARE THIS NEWSLETTER WITH ALL RURAL CARRIER CRAFT EMPLOYEES!
_________________________________________________________________________
Issue Codes = Issue A(A is not usually used and constitutes just the issue #) and B-E are news and human interest stories; Issue NJ are New Jersey related issues and editorials; Issue OP are editorials or commentary; Issue SE are special editions of investigaory reports or series: Issues SP are special issues with important news; Issues ST are steward/labor relations related articles and Issues-X are breaking news articles of importance.
*************************************************************************
This newsletter is now being distributed to over 400 subscribers who are getting 10-14 pages of rural and postal related news and commentary daily across the entire country.
*************************************************************************
Daily TSP Rates | December 18, 2007
CloseChangeYTD
G$12.260.00 +4.7%
F$11.86+0.05 +6.46%
C$16.40+0.11 +4.53%
S$19.45+0.18 +3.68%
I$24.08+0.15 +8.37%
CloseChangeYTD
L 2040$17.97+0.11 +5.77%
L 2030$17.18+0.09 +5.72%
L 2020$16.47+0.08 +5.71%
L 2010$15.34+0.04 +5.57%
L Income$13.41+0.02 +5.09%
[Source: Fedsmith.com]
Postal Service Hi-Tech Human Resources Transformation a Success
Largest Implementation of its Kind Anywhere Gives Employees Unprecedented Informational Access
WASHINGTON, DC — Postal Service employees everywhere now have access to a new cutting-edge human resources (HR) system to meet the demands of the information age. Rollout of the technology phase of the PostalPEOPLE initiative, the largest implementation of its kind in the federal government or private sector, was completed in October.
“This massive undertaking is helping the Postal Service to increase efficiency and reduce costs while giving employees individualized information and access to human resources-related applications, 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” said Anthony Vegliante, chief human resources officer and executive vice president
Using SAP software, the new platform replaces a system that once consisted of more than 3,800 Postal Service HR professionals relying on more than 200 processes and some 70 systems to support nearly 700,000 employees. Now, those HR professionals, free from repetitive, manual processes, can focus on the Postal Service’s strategic focus to better align the workforce and meet present and future challenges, head-on.
“The result is a single view of the employee that improves service to our employees, customer satisfaction and our ability to conduct business,” said Vegliante.
Completion of the nationwide rollout enables the Postal Service to introduce two significant new services to employees. First is a new self-service tool for managers, which provides managers, postmasters and supervisors with information and resources online to help manage the workforce, perform administrative tasks, and assist their employees with skill development.
A second service has been launched on the organization’s intranet site, allowing employees to perform job bidding anywhere they have access to the Internet. This enhances ease of use for bargaining unit employees and provides them with a new way to access the job-bidding system.
The PostalPEOPLE initiative most notably includes the Shared Services Center in Greensboro, NC. The full-service facility is staffed by professionally trained career postal HR personnel who provide assistance to employees who need to speak directly with a person.
Additional functionality will be added in the coming year, leveraging this technology platform to further streamline and enhance HR functions within the Postal Service. http://www.postalreporter.com/news/2007/12/18/postal-service-hi-tech-human-resources-transformation-a-success/
Labor Dept. Accused of Union Sabotage
By Elizabeth Williamson
Washington Post Staff Writer
Political operatives in the Department of Labor are using federal reporting requirements to undermine trade unions and conduct a "political misinformation campaign" against them, a report released yesterday charges.
While the Bush administration has generally relaxed federal regulations, the department's Office of Labor-Management Standards has done the reverse, beefing up disclosure rules, staff and investigations of union leaders and members, the study by the left-leaning Center for American Progress said. The study criticized the reporting requirements as designed to overwhelm unions with paperwork and trick them into noncompliance. It also accused the office of inflating the nu mber of criminal cases involving union leaders and members.
The report was triggered by the office's latest requirement, new conflict-of-interest reports that, as of Jan. 1, would require a broad pool of union members to attest that even their car loans do not constitute a potential conflict.
The standards office has been led since 2005 by Don Todd, a former Republican National Committee strategist. Todd is credited with helping George H.W. Bush win the presidency in 1988 by convincing Lee Atwater to use a te levision ad featuring furloughed murderer Willie Horton and portraying Bush's Democratic challenger as soft on crime.
The standards office upholds a 1959 statute that tasks the Labor Department with enforcing union financial reporting requirements and investigating their finances.
"The Center for American Progress fails to recognize that Congress enacted the Labor Management Reporting and Disclosure Act . . . in 1959 with the express purpose of safeguarding the hard-earned dues of union members and their right to democratic union elections," Department of Labor spokesman Richard Manning said in an e-mail.
"In an era of greater transparency, the Office of Labor Management Standards . . . serves a vital purpose in protecting rank-and-file union members by enforcing the LMRDA, which has resulted in over $100 million in restitution of union members' dues since 2001," the spokesman added.
Republicans have previously considered using the office's regulations to target unions, which have historically tended to favor Democratic candidates.
Yesterday's report cites a 1992 memo from former House speaker Newt Gingrich to then-Labor Secretary Lynn Martin, urging her to boost the office's reporting requirements to "weaken our opponents and encourage our allies." Republican adviser Grover Norquis t has said that "every dollar that is spent on disclosure and reporting is a dollar that can't be spent on other labor union activities."
Center for American Progress senior fellow Scott Lilly, who authored the report, said, "It's hard not to look at this and think there's a real effort to make life as uncomfortable and difficult as possible for people who lead or work for labor unions."
Lilly said the amount of information required from unions has increased by about 60 percent since Todd took over.
The findings drew sharp criticism of the standards office from union backers in Congress.
"It's unconscionable that laws meant to protect employees have been turned into tools for harassing them," said Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.), chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. The proposed conflict-of-interest reporting form for union leaders would be expanded Jan. 1 from three to nine pages, said Bill Samuel, director of legislation for the AFL-CIO, which represents 10 million unionized workers.
The AFL-CIO estimates that 100,000 more union members would be newly required to submit the form, which he said classifies as union "leaders" even shop stewards who volunteer to serve on health and safety committees or to negotiate labor contracts.
Those members and their spouses and children would have to confirm, for example, whether lending institutions holding their mortgages or car loans do significant business with their union or another company represented by the same union, he said.
Samuel said the AFL-CIO has appealed to Congress to block the coming requirements. Most workers don't have the time or ability to satisfy the requirements, Samuel said. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/10/AR2007121001668_2.html
Postal Service offers Danburians help after mail truck fire
DANBURY, CONNECTICUT -- Don't worry, Danburians! If you're Christmas cards were destroyed in a fire last week, you already know. Roughly 200 homes on the city's west side were left mailless last Thursday when a malfunctioning mail truck's engine went kablooey in Brewster, N.Y., burning the truck "like a cheap toaster," Postal Service workers said. Luckily, the driver was not injured.
The Postal Service sent out letters last week giving Danbury residents on the west side a "Hey, your mail may have burned" heads up.
"We tried to salvage the mail, but it was charred and wet beyond recognition," Postal Service spokeswoman Maureen Marion said. "We're uncertain even a single piece will be saved." The truck was in Brewster, but originated from the Backus Avenue post office and was on its way to make deliveries to houses on the New York border.
Brewster volunteer firefighters doused the blaze. Unfortunately, the Postal Service could not tell customers definitively if their credit card bills burned.
"Your first class mail volume does not come with a record," said Postal Service spokeswoman Maureen Marion. "When it comes to regular mail volume, it's really about what you don't see that will tell you if something is missing." http://www.newstimes.com/latestnews/ci_7744088
Dedicated delivery: Snow, holiday season make loads heavy for mail carriers
Mail carrier Carol Caines makes her way through deep snow while delivering mail on Water Street in Shelburne Falls.
SHELBURNE FALLS, MASSACHUSETTS -- On Monday, one of the busiest mailing days of the year, in the back room of the Shelburne Falls Post Office, mail carriers geared up for long treks where they would face ice, snow, wind and dogs. As mail carrier Carol Caines walks over snow piles, clomps through slush, and gently negotiates ice, she sings 'Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer' in her head.
As the saying goes, 'Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night, stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.' Just make sure you've shoveled a path to your mailbox. The mail carrier won't deliver if you haven't.
Before heading out to her route, Caines puts a white headband over her blond hair, Transitions sunglasses over her eyes, a pair of gloves cut off at the fingers, coils -- to prevent slipping -- over her winter boots, and finally, lip balm over her lips, before grabbing her satchel for the first of three loops.
'When I get home at night, I feel like I've skied all day,' Caines said. Although the air is bitingly cold, Caines generally feels hot from the about 50 pounds she's carrying.
Although walking through snow is more work, and walking around snow piles can turn routes into zigzags, on the bright side, the cold weather keeps Caines from getting really hot. A huge pile of magazines and advertisements are under her left arm and a large pile of letters in her left hand. More piles-worth of letters are in the satchel she's slung over her left shoulder.
For the inexperienced, carrying mail like this feels exceedingly awkward and can take its toll on your arm after something like five minutes.
But after a few years of experience, Caines' arm doesn't ache anymore. She walks about 8 miles on her route.
'I was absolutely exhausted when I first started here,' said Caines, who quickly lost 20 pounds.
Now, she's in the best physical shape of her life, she said. Good thing, too. This week is one of the busiest weeks of the year for the United States Postal Service.
'Your volume peaks dramatically,' Postmaster Erik Doty said. 'It's what we expect at this time of year.'
On Monday, Caines sorted about 1,900 pieces of mail, compared to the usual 800 to 900. As for the pre-sorted mail, done by machine in Springfield, where Caines usually gets two or three full trays, on Monday she had six or seven.
Soon, after the day began at the Shelburne Falls Post Office at 6:30 a.m., parcels were stacked nearly to the ceiling. 'You can't even move around because there's packages everywhere,' mail carrier Rachael Baker said.
'It's organized chaos,' Doty said, who, like most postmasters, tends to work 12-hour days this time of year. 'We had a little walkway to walk between everything,' Caines said.
With all the Christmas cards, parcels, and catalogs that need delivering, Sunday is a lousy time for Old Man Winter to throw a snowstorm.
'But I like it. I like being outside. I love the people,' Caines said. For some people, receiving a letter from a loved one can be the highlight of their day, Caines said. Sometimes children will run up to Caines to get their mail.
'The maiiil is heeere!' they'll shout, Caines said, imitating. Others are less excited. 'Don't bring me any bills till after Christmas' joked Bill Stone, a local barber, as Caines walked down his driveway. Although she hasn't met them all, Caines knows the names of every one of the about 600 people who will receive mail on her route.
Learning everyone's name is necessary because just about every day there are a few wrongly addressed letters. Caines even knows the names of some of the barking dogs she encounters, like Benji and Roosevelt. William Osell, a long-haired mail carrier with sunglasses who enjoys listening to Led Zeppelin on his rural routes, said that over the six years he's been delivering, he's only had about four bad experiences with dogs.
One of them was 'a doozy,' however. A dog got halfway into his car and was frothing at the mouth, Osell said. Fortunately, it was distracted by doggy treats. 'I've never had a nasty experience with a Golden (Retriever),' Osell added as an afterthought.
'I have a few dogs that follow me around on walking loops,' Baker said. There are other unusual things that happen. Last week, Caines twice narrowly avoided being hit by falling snow from roofs.
'Donna can tell you all about the octogenarian who doesn't believe in being fully clothed,' Osell said.
'I haven't seen him in awhile,' replied Donna. 'I hope he's OK. Must be the cold weather,' Osell said.
Last year, the Shelburne Falls Post Office, which covers parts of Conway, Ashfield, Heath, Charlemont, Colrain, all of Shelburne and most of Buckland, hand sorted about 1.2 million letters and flats and 50,000 packages. It delivered about 700,000 presorted letters, Doty said. Despite sometimes having to wait in long lines, particularly at this time of year, customers tend to be understanding and friendly, Doty said. http://www.recorder.com/story.cfm?id_no=4704569
Boulder postal workers turn into holiday elves
Monday marked busiest day of the year for U.S. Postal Service
Boulder, Colorado -- It could rival the North Pole: The sole north Boulder post office was bustling Monday with holiday elves shipping out Christmas presents and workers passing out organic chocolate, hot cocoa and candy canes.
It was the busiest day of the year for the U.S. Postal Service, with employees expecting nearly 1 billion pieces of mail to enter their system, up from an average day's volume of 703 million pieces. Americans were expected to entrust about 275 million cards and letters with the Postal Service today, more than three times the average daily volume of 82 million.
If all the mail the Postal Service received Monday was placed end to end, it would circle the globe six times, according to the agency. At the post office inside of Pharmaca, 2700 Broadway, workers were giving treats out to those in the holiday hustle, said practitioner Jody Halsey.
"We're the only post office that is catering to people in line," she said.
The Postal Service has hired 7,000 temporary workers to help with the holiday-season rush, said Al DeSarro, local spokesman for the agency.
Traditionally, the Monday of the week before Christmas is the busiest day of the year at the post office, he said.
"This weekend was a big weekend for shopping, and people are shipping their packages out of town (Monday)," DeSarro said.
Julie Bergh stood in line at the downtown Boulder post office Monday afternoon with packaged candy to ship to friends and family members in Dublin, Ireland. Though she did her shopping early, she said her trip to the post office was delayed.
"I just didn't get to it until today because of finals," said the University of Colorado at Denver business professor. The downtown Boulder office was flooded with not only Christmas cards and gifts, but also boxes that out-of-state CU students were shipping home for their month long winter break. http://dailycamera.com/news/2007/dec/18/postal-workers-turn-into-holiday-elves/
Not even the flu can stop U.S. mail, but it can slow it down
By Howard Greninger, The Tribune-Star
Terre Haute, Indiana -- While neither snow nor rain will halt the delivery of the U.S. mail, a winter flu bug can slow it down. Mail delivery in sections of Terre Haute was delayed several hours Monday as mail carriers worked to cover shifts from fellow workers with the flu or on extended sick leave from operations.
“We had two or three people call in sick. I know the flu is going around, but I don’t know if that is the complete answer … but it does delay the mail going to some places,” said John Verostko, acting postmaster in Terre Haute.
In all, about six carriers were out. “It is not the most we have had off,” Verostko said. “We try to make sure business areas are covered and the last resort is late deliveries to residential areas. We still expect to have all deliveries done by about 5 p.m., which usually are done by 3:30 p.m. or 4 p.m.”
Delays on Monday were in the southern portions of Terre Haute in the 47802, 47803 and 47807 mailing ZIP code zones, Verostko said.
“We held back on standard volumes and carriers did get out early,” on Monday, Verostko said. “It is slippery out there. Our main concern is not to hurry the carriers in light of safety reasons. They were out before 8 o’clock [Monday] morning and normally don’t go out on their routes until about 9. So getting a jump like that has helped us recover.”
There are 54 mail carriers in Terre Haute and 25 mail clerks. The Postal Service’s mail processing center on Margaret Avenue employs about 125 workers.
Under a new union contract with mail carriers, the Postal Service can hire up to five temporary, non-career employees, Verostko said. “We have hired two and are still in the hiring process. Temporary employees are used for this very reason or absenteeism, or when [mail carriers] take their annual leave or when people are on extended leave,” he said.
Monday was expected to be one of the busiest days, when the Postal Service expected to process almost 1 billion pieces of mail. About 275 million pieces of that total were expected to be cards and letters, more than three times the average daily volume of 82 million, according to the Postal Service.
Verostko said Terre Haute handled 319,000 pieces of mail on Dec. 10. He said Monday’s volume could match that or may be slightly down because of weather conditions. http://www.tribstar.com/news/local_story_351233144.html
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