Congress tries again: The Postal Service Reform Act of 2016

SteveStory

The House is looking at another postal reform bill, but does it have a chance of becoming law?  A lot of money has been spent lobbying Congress for legislation to fix the USPS, with not much to show for it. wo weeks ago the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform released a draft of “The Postal Service Reform Act of … Read More

Putting Its Stamp on the States – WSJ reviews “How the Post Office Created America”

SteveBlog

Wall Street Journal: Who really looks forward to doing business with the United States Postal Service? The stuff the letter carrier brings by the house is largely junk that recipients may not refuse. Important paperwork, like bills, payments, contract documents and even sincere condolences, moves mainly over the internet. Whether goods ordered online are delivered by a postal worker or … Read More

West Virginia floods disrupt postal operations, close post offices

SteveBlog, Story

Due to the severe flooding in West Virginia, postal operations and delivery in parts of the state have been disrupted. Alaycording to a service alert on USPS.com, postal officials are making efforts to get mail to plants for processing but the safety of employees is the primary concern. The alert also states, “Customers may also to contact their local Post … Read More

Postal Service releases financial report for May 2016: Shipping services continue to surge

SteveBlog, Story

The Postal Service posted its May 2016 financial report with the Postal Regulatory Commission today. As usual, declines in First Class and Standard mail are more than offset by dramatic increases in the volume and revenue from package and shipping services. And as usual, were it not for the obligated prepayments to the Retiree Healthcare Benefit Fund (RHBF), the Postal … Read More

Multiple buyers want iconic downtown Post Office building in Topeka, KS

SteveBlog

cjonliine.com: The historic Post Office building in downtown Topeka has stirred strong interest from buyers, even with a price tag of $1.65 million — but while speed may be of the essence in mail delivery, its process governing building sales is much slower. “We’ve had high interest in the building and multiple offers on the building, which at this point in … Read More

Post office relocation plans for Hendersonville, NC

SteveBlog

According to WLOS, the Postal Service is planning to close the main post office on Fifth Avenue in Hendersonville, N.C., and relocate retail services to a smaller facility.  A public meeting is scheduled for Thursday, July 7. The Postal Service has been leasing the current location since 1966, which means the building is more than fifty years old and eligible for … Read More

The PRC’s Public Representative recommends changes for emergency suspensions

SteveBlog, Story

  he Postal Regulatory Commission may take another look at the issues surrounding emergency suspensions of post offices. The Commission’s Public Representative has filed extensive comments for the Commission’s 701 Report to Congress and the President.  This report provides an opportunity for the Commission and industry stakeholders to assess the effectiveness of the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act and to make recommendations for improving postal … Read More

Labor Department investigating Trump’s Old Post Office project

SteveBlog

Politico: The Labor Department is investigating whether workers on Donald Trump’s renovation of Washington, D.C.’s Old Post Office are being paid less than federal law requires. The Labor Department confirmed to POLITICO that it’s looking into allegations of wage-rule violations by the Craftsmen Group, a Trump Organization subcontractor that restores windows. And workers on the site, including one Craftsmen Group … Read More

Elizabeth Warren’s Fight Against Payday Lenders Comes to the Post Office

SteveBlog

The Nation: Nine years ago, a Harvard law professor dreamed up a new concept: a government agency devoted solely to protecting consumers from unscrupulous financial companies, the way the Consumer Product Safety Commission protects us from faulty microwaves. Today, Elizabeth Warren’s Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is in full effect, and has already netted Americans about $10 billion in remedies … Read More

USPS vs. Congress and two new books about the history of the post office

SteveBlog

Nation: If ever there was a time to make a case for the United States Postal Service’s necessity in American civic, political, and cultural life, it may have already passed. It may then come as no surprise that two surveys of the history of the USPS are out this year: Devin Leonard’s intensely readable Neither Snow Nor Rain: A History of … Read More

Demolition of historic Maplewood, NJ, post office resumes this week

SteveBlog

  The demolition of the historic post office located on 160 Maplewood Avenue in Maplewood, New Jersey, will continue this week. The fate of the building was the source of considerable controversy, and the demolition was opposed by many Maplewood residents who wanted to preserve the historic structure and who opposed the scale of the new building planned for the site. Despite … Read More

Postal Service sells historic building where mailbags were made

SteveBlog

BizJournal.com: For roughly five decades, the U.S. Postal Service facility at 2135 Fifth St. NE in Eckington (in Washington, DC), was the only equipment shop for the entire postal system, manufacturing millions of mailbags and hundreds of thousands of postal locks every year.  Last week, the Postal Service sold the 79,380-square-foot historic building, located on a 2.5-acre lot, for $12.25 million… The … Read More

Celebration heralds reopening of Knights Ferry Post Office

SteveBlog

Oakdale Leader: After several weeks of negotiations and following an abrupt closure of their longstanding facility (as reported in this previous post), the historic Knights Ferry, Calif., Post Office was reopened with many happy citizens in attendance, as well as Congressman Jeff Denham.  The Knights Ferry office is a contract post office, and after the unexpected passing of the postmistress who … Read More

Postal stakeholders file comments for the PRC’s 701 report to the President and Congress

SteveBlog, Story

Yesterday was the deadline for comments concerning the Postal Regulatory Commission’s 701 Report, which the Commission is required to prepare at least every five years, under the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act (PAEA). As the Commission explains  in its notice seeking comments, the 701 Report is directed to  the President and Congress, and it is supposed to address  (1) the operation of the amendments made by … Read More

Obama’s nominee to the Supreme Court stumbles over the Venice Post Office

SteveBlog, Story

Judge Merrick Garland, President Obama’s nominee to the Supreme Court, was one of the judges on the D.C. Circuit that reviewed an appeal over the closing of the historic post office in Venice, California.  In July 2014, the Court dismissed the appeal, with Judge Garland writing the opinion explaining why. As reported in an article by the Free Venice Beachhead, the lawyer who filed … Read More

Two post offices slated for closure will remain open

SteveBlog, Story

Two post offices facing imminent closure — both of which have pending appeals with the Postal Regulatory Commission — will not be closing after all.  The post office in Winchester, Illinois, and the contract post office in Westbrookville, New York, were both due to close over contract issues, but the issues were resolved last week and both offices will remain open. The post office in … Read More