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Tag: united states postal service

  • Kentucky Mailman Jailed for Stashing 45K Letters

    Former Western Kentucky postal worker William “Brent” Morse has been sentenced to 6 months in a federal prison for hiding almost 45,000 pieces of mail he didn’t feel like delivering. According to David J. Hale, the U.S. attorney for the Western District of Kentucky, Morse is guilty of “destroying, hiding and delaying the delivery of at least 44,900 pieces of mail.”

    Morse, a mailman for five years, stored stacks of letters in his deceased mother’s home and in storage lockers he’d rented near his mail route in Dawson Springs, Kentucky. The hoarded mail was meant to be delivered to approximately 250 households in the Dawson Springs area between March, 2011 and March 2013. City police Capt. Craig Patterson commented, “He wanted to speed up his route. I think he was lazy.”

    Adel Valdes, a U.S. Postal Inspector in Louisville, stated that Morse’s reasoning was that “he wanted to pick up his kids from school every day at a certain time.” Morse, 34, was found out after he’d left the door to one of his storage facilities open, to where the owner of the locker noticed a large amount of undelivered mail and USPS equipment. The owner of the storage facility then alerted authorities.

    Morse wasn’t charged with theft of the mail, though he must pay almost $15,000 in restitution for losses incurred by two businesses that send out commercial circulars. The USPS has since delivered the wayward mail.

    Morse appears to be cut from the same cloth as Jerry Seinfeld’s oft-nemisis Newman:

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  • USPS Stamps: 2014 Line-Up Emphasizes Pop-Culture

    Each time the Earth makes one revolution around the Sun, the denizens of the planet get excited for all of the new possibilities, opportunities, innovations, and creations that inevitably result with the coming of a new year – things such as new movies, TV shows, sports seasons, and music festivals. However, for those who consider themselves philatelists, or stamp collectors, perhaps the most excitement is derived from the announcement of the new stamp line-up. Luckily for philatelists and fans of snail-mail, that list has arrived early this year.

    In a leaked document obtained by the Washington Post, the list of stamps preliminarily approved for production by The Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee displays a new focus-area for the United States Postal Service (USPS) towards its stamp releases – pop-culture.

    Those subjects which immediately stand-out include Jimi Hendricks, Elvis Presley (who holds the record for the top-selling stamp of all time with his 29 cent 1993 release), the Peanuts cast, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Dora the Explorer, multiple celebrity chefs, Harvey Milk, NBA-great Wilt Chamberlain, and recently-deceased Apple co-creator, Steve Jobs.

    Also included in the list are key historical figures and events, including World War II hero and Tuskegee Airmen flight-instructor Alfred “Chief” Anderson, a commemoration of the USS Arizona Memorial, and even the solar system.

    Susan McGowan, the USPS’s executive director for stamp services, hopes that the new line-up will “… bring new eyeballs” to the postal service and “keep the American public engaged.” Even though the new stamps seem to shy away from the tradition of stamps focusing on key historical and cultural events, McGowan insists that “… we’re not going away from our roots… It will be very interesting to see what the American public thinks of the stamps under consideration. I’m sure people are going to be vocal about it.”

    A couple of the stamps which will most likely receive the most flak in the 2014-15 line-up include Charleton Heston, due to his activism with the NRA, and John Lennon, whose inclusion would violate the tradition of only including American subjects.

    The new approach to stamp artistry represents more drastic moves by the USPS to make its service more and more relevant to the public in an age turning ever-more digital. Despite exceeding revenue projections in 2012 and 2013 by $1.2 billion and $1.4 billion respectively, the USPS posted billions of dollars in overall losses for the previous two years, falling $5 billion short in 2013 and a whopping $16 billion short in 2012.

  • United States Postal Service Losing $25M a Day

    It’s no secret that the United States Postal Service (USPS) has been struggling for years. The company has seen its revenues fall in the face of email and the new internet economy.

    In February, the USPS announced that it would be dropping Saturday mail delivery to try and cut its losses. However, congress just this month passed a resolution barring the USPS from getting rid of Saturday delivery. It’s the type of congressional mandate that Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe has been complaining about in every dismal USPS quarterly financial disclosure.

    This week, the U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee held a hearing titled Options to Bring the Postal Service Back From Insolvency. Donahoe was invited to give testimony at the hearing, during which he revealed just how bad the situation is for the USPS.

    “In the past two years, the Postal Service has recorded $21 billion in losses, including a default of $11.1 billion in payments to the United States Treasury,” said Donahoe. “The Postal Service has exhausted its borrowing authority and continues to contend with dangerously low liquidity. We are losing $25 million a day, and we are on an unsustainable path.”

    Donahoe went on to outline the usual points made by the USPS when addressing its financial situation. First class mail use has dropped 28% since 2007, and the Postmaster General complained that restrictive laws governing the Postal Service prevent it “from fully responding to these changes in consumer behavior.”

    Donahoe’s testimony was then countered by Fredric Rolando, the president of the National Associatio of Letter Carriers (NALC), the union that represents the USPS’ letter carriers. Rolando stated that the congress-mandated pre-funding of retiree health benefits is the major factor in the USPS’ insolvency.

  • USPS Clothing Line to be Sold Next Year

    USPS Clothing Line to be Sold Next Year

    The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) has announced a new partnership with Cleveland apparel manufacturer Wahconah Group. The companies will create the “Rain Heat & Snow” line of apparel and “accessory products.”

    The clothes will be designed around the unofficial USPS creed, “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.” The clothing will feature USPS branding and could include some sort of “smart apparel” electronic devices.

    “This agreement will put the Postal Service on the cutting edge of functional fashion,” said Steven Mills, USPS Corporate Licensing Manager. “The main focus will be to produce Rain Heat & Snow apparel and accessories using technology to create ‘smart apparel’ – also known as wearable electronics.”

    This announcement comes soon after the USPS announced a net loss of $1.3 billion during the first quarter of its 2013 fiscal year. As a result of that announcement, the company has planned to use a congressional loophole to end Saturday mail delivery on August 5. USPS estimates that cutting Saturday mail delivery could save as much as $2 billion each year. Though that may be enough to help the Postal Service limp through another year of declining First-Class Mail volume and government-mandated pre-funding of retiree health benefits, it seems that the company is now looking for outside-the-box solutions (such as fashion) to its money woes.

  • USPS Loses $1.3 Billion, Plans to Cut Saturday Mail Delivery

    The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) today announced its first quarter financial results and things are not looking good. In the first three months of the 2013 fiscal year USPS had a net loss of $1.3 billion. The first quarter includes holiday season shipping and mail, which generally makes it USPS’ most lucrative quarter.

    The company cited shipping and package revenue growth and “increaced efficiency” as high points, but admitted that those revenues could not help offset continued declines in First-Class Mail volume and “costs that are beyond Postal Service management control.” USPS has been begging congress for Postal Service reform, but has not received it.

    As a result of its dismal finances, USPS will begin “accelerated cost-cutting actions,” which include eliminating Saturday mail delivery. USPS believes cutting Saturday delivery would save it $2 billion each year.

    “The encouraging results from our holiday mailing season cannot sustain us as we move deeper into the current fiscal year and face continuing financial challenges,” said Patrick Donahoe, U.S. postmaster general and CEO of USPS. “By moving forward with the accelerated cost-cutting actions directed by our Board of Governors, we will continue to become more efficient and come closer to achieving long-term financial stability. We urgently need Congress to do its part and pass legislation that allows us to better manage our costs and gives us the commercial flexibility needed to operate more like a business does. This will help ensure the future success of the Postal Service and the mailing industry it supports.”

    Though the Postal Service is mandated to provide six-day mail delivery, the fiscal cliff impasse in congress had the side effect of delaying the yearly appropriations bill containing the mandate. If a new mandate is not passed by March 27, USPS will legally be able to cut Saturday mail delivery. The new delivery schedule would then begin the week of August 5.

  • Postal Service Announces $5.2 Billion Loss, Begs Congress For Help

    The United States Postal Service announced today that it lost $5.2 billion during the third quarter of 2012. This net loss is over $2 billion more than the $3.1 billion loss the Postal Service recorded for the third quarter of 2011. So far, the Postal Service has lost $11.6 billion during the fiscal year 2012.

    The Postal Service stated that the reasons for the loss are two-fold. $3.1 billion was spent for pre-funding for the health benefits of its retirees. The Postal Service is currently mandated by law to provide such pre-funding. The organization also cited the continued decline of first-class mail volume as a reason for the loss.

    Though overshadowed by the enormous loss, the Postal Service did report a 9% growth in its package delivery services during the third quarter of 2012.

    As part of its announcement, the Postal Service begged congress to pass legislation to help it survive. Among the law changes the Postal Service is looking for are a refund of $11 billion worth of pension plan overfunding, the elimination of the aforementioned pre-funding for retiree health benefits, and a switch to a 5-day weekly mail delivery schedule.

    “We remain confident that Congress will do its part to help put the Postal Service on a path to financial stability,” said Patrick Donahoe, postmaster general and Postal Service CEO. “We will continue to take actions under our control to improve operational efficiency and generate revenue by offering new products and services to meet our customers changing needs. Moving forward with our business plan will make the Postal Service financially self-sustaining, provide a platform for future growth and preserve our mission to provide secure, reliable and affordable universal delivery services for generations to come.”

    The U.S. Postal Service has been struggling with its outdated business model in recent years. It has suggested that Post Office branches throughout the nation could be shut down in an effort to curb expenses. The challenges for the organization are the same as for many aging industries: disruption caused by the instant communication the internet provides. The question now is whether the Postal Service has a place in the same world as the internet.