Things are looking up: The Postal Service’s financial report for January 2015

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The Postal Service released its financial statement for January 2015 yesterday.  It shows that for the first four months of Fiscal Year 2015 (Oct. – Jan.), the Postal Service posted a $1.325 billion profit in Controllable Operating Income.  That’s compared to a $912 million profit for the same period last year (SPYL). During this period, the Postal Service owed $1.9 … Read More

OIG Report: What Postal Services Do People Value the Most?

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The survey found that both consumers and businesses still value postal services, especially door and/or curb delivery instead of delivery to a cluster box or parcel locker. Respondents also value the ability to access postal services through post offices, rather than using other alternatives such as postal counters in non-postal retail stores and self-service kiosks. In addition, while consumers and … Read More

Residents heartbomb post office in Napa, CA

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The post office in downtown Napa has been boarded up and fenced off since the earthquake nearly six months ago. While there has been no official word as to what will become of the building, a group of nearly 40 Napa residents stood outside the damaged building to show their love and support with “heart bombs.” “The heart bomb campaign is … Read More

Berkeley: Suits test whether postal service must follow some preservation laws

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By Judith Scherr BERKELEY — Calling their lawsuits against the U.S. Postal Service "test cases," attorneys suing the U.S. Postal Service over its attempt to sell Berkeley's century-old downtown post office said they believe a winning legal strategy will help save historic post offices across the country. The attorneys, Brian Turner, with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and Antonio … Read More

Ukiah tries again to bring back post office mural

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The Ukiah City Council has been trying to come to an agreement with the Postal Service that might allow a mural displayed in the former downtown post office to return to Ukiah.  The mural, “Resources of the Soil,” was painted in the 1930s, and was on display until January 2012, when the former post office on North Oak Street closed. … Read More

Bixby Knolls post office closes, but why?

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The post office in Bixby Knolls, California, closed last week, and the Postal Service is looking for a new location.  The Postal Service says the office had to be closed because the landlord would not renew the lease, but U.S. Rep. Alan Lowenthal (D-CA 47th District) says that it was the Postal Service's decision not to renew.  Read more.

Beware of false assumptions: The OIG looks at the Postal Service’s “unfunded liabilities”

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The USPS Office of Inspector General has just released a new report about the Postal Service’s unfunded liabilities for its pension and retiree health benefit funds.  It's entitled "Considerations in Structuring Estimated Liabilities."  As with previous OIG reports on the topic, the Inspector General suggests that concerns about unfunded liabilities are way overblown.   The OIG’s report provides a refreshing … Read More

Sale of historic Princeton post office moves forward

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The sale of the historic Palmer Square post office in Princeton, New Jersey, is moving forward.  Earlier this week the Princeton Packet revealed that the post office would be relocating a few blocks away to a former West Coast Video building on Nassau Street.  The Postal Service will share the leased property with a 7-Eleven.  The move will take place … Read More

Danny Glover: Our Postal Service

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Actor- activist Danny Glover champions the need for a vibrant public Postal Service and asks the public to join with him in A Grand Alliance to save it.    

The Grand Alliance to save the Postal Service

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Sixty-three national organizations have formed “A Grand Alliance to Save Our Public Postal Service" to advocate for improved, public postal services.  This unprecedented alliance is comprised of national religious coalitions, retiree organizations, educational and postal and other unions, lawmakers, and progressive advocacy groups. These prestigious organizations have come together because the U.S. Postal Service, an institution older than the nation itself, is … Read More

Section 106, Protective Covenants, and Sale of Historic Post Offices

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In her introduction to the 2012 Forum Journal on Section 106, National Trust president Stephanie Meeks notes that Section 106 requires federal agencies to “stop, look and listen” before jeopardizing historic resources. This valuable tool has saved thousands of historic sites across the country. But it only works as long as all players—preservationists and federal agencies—clearly understand Section 106 and their … Read More

Landmarks Approves Bronx Post Office’s Tranformation

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The Bronx General Post Office has been given the green light for redevelopment as retail, office, and restaurant space, with a portion carved out for the post office to remain. The Landmarks Preservation Commission approved a revised proposal on Tuesday—not a surprise, as the project was well on its way to approval when it was presented last month. Young Woo & Associates paid $19 million for … Read More

Thieves crack Canada Post “superboxes”

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The end of Canada Post's door-to-door service has introduced a new problem in Surrey, B.C.: a rise in community mailbox break-ins.  Thieves have apparently figured out how to break into Canada Post's supposedly high-security "superboxes," leaving residents' mail vulnerable.  One resident has had her box broken into three times in just a few weeks, and now she's going to rent … Read More

Historic Plant City post office discontinued, headed for sale

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Earlier this week, the Postal Service announced that the historic post office on Reynolds Street In downtown Plant City, Florida, is being discontinued.  It’s the first such discontinuance in over 16 months. The Plant City post office has been closed since June 2013, when the Postal Service shut down the 1935 facility for an emergency suspension due to deteriorating conditions, … Read More

CPWU Newsletter Feb – March 2015

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The current newsletter from Communities and Postal Workers United featured articles about  the delays being caused by the plant consolidations, the latest on the sale of the Berkeley post office, and the history of African Americans working at the post office.  Read more.

Abbyville, Kansas, post office under emergency suspension

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The Postal Service has closed the post office in Abbyville, Kansas, under an emergency suspension due to safety issues with the building.  The news item doesn't say what the problems are.  “The safety of our employees and customers is our top concern,” said Post Office Operations Manager Mike Monnington in a written announcement. “So we have temporarily suspended operations and … Read More