The Boston Globe has a great op-ed piece about the legacy of the New Deal and the loss of the Union Square post office: “Today, the Union Square post office and Moffett’s patriotic mural have been sold, as the US Postal Service embarks on a liquidation program to reduce its $20 billion deficit. The building was purchased for $2.75 million … Read More
How’s the exigent rate increase doing?
Earlier this week, the Postal Service released its preliminary financial report for fiscal year 2014. Now may be a good time to evaluate the impacts of the exigent rate increase that went into effect on January 26, 2014. Back in September 2013, when the Postal Service presented testimony to the Postal Regulatory Commission about the proposed increase, one of the main … Read More
National Trust joins Berkeley in suit against Postal Service
The National Trust for Historic Preservation has joined the City of Berkeley in a lawsuit against the Postal Service over the sale of the Berkeley Main Post Office. The suit complains that the Postal Service has failed to comply with federal historic preservation laws prior to entering into a contract for sale of the building. The National Trust’s complaint is … Read More
Why Congress should not get out of the way of the Postal Service
BY MARK JAMISON News that Ron Johnson, the Tea Party favorite from Wisconsin, will be taking over as chair of the Senate committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs has caused an overwhelming sense of panic among progressives and postal workers. Johnson will control oversight of the Postal Service in the Senate. There may be good reason to think this … Read More
Did the Postal Service forget it owns the historic Lindsborg post office?
The Postal Service has closed the post office in Lindsborg, Kansas, because of concerns about the air quality. Apparently some black mold was discovered in the basement. That’s not too surprising considering that it’s an old building that dates back to 1936. The news reports don’t mention the phrase, but presumably the office was closed for an “emergency suspension.” Under … Read More
WaPo op-ed hacked by dysfunctional status quo
It's business as usual at the Washington Post. Just as it has done many times over the past few years, the Post's editorial staff is calling for more cuts to postal services and more downsizing of the infrastructure, all in the name of "reform." Today's Post has an editorial entitled "Delivering a solvent Postal Service, the bipartisan way." The Post endorses … Read More
Village Post Offices, part 2: More debut, more questions too
In a previous post, “It takes a Village Post Office, but for what?” we questioned the financial rationale for VPOs and asked why many of them were now being placed in densely populated areas. Now there’s more reason to pose such questions. A couple of days ago, an article in The Press Democrat touted the “debut” of some new Village Post … Read More
It takes a Village Post Office, but for what?
Almost every day over the past year, there’s been a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the opening of a new Village Post Office. There are hundreds of stories in local newspapers about these grand openings. The Postal Service clearly thinks that Village Post Offices play an important role in its vision of the future. But it’s not exactly clear what function … Read More
Charges against postal protesters dismissed
Press release: Portland Communities & Postal Workers United POSTAL PROTESTERS CHARGES DISMISSED: More actions planned to stop the delay of mail The “postal defenders” won a reprieve today. County Judge Karin Immergut dismissed criminal charges in a civil disobedience protest case which was over two years old, saying the defendants’ constitutional right … Read More
