Last week the U.S. Court of Appeals, District of Columbia, issued a decision on the Postal Service’s challenge to a ruling by the Postal Regulatory Commission involving barcoding and a rate increase. The ruling is here. The Court’s ruling is essentially a rebuke to the Commission for failing to provide an adequate explanation for why changes in the Postal Service’s … Read More
Trial Starts Monday on The U.S. Postal Service v. The City of Berkeley
Save the Berkeley Post Office: At 12 Noon on Monday, April 2, 2018, the lawsuit initiated by the United States Post Office and the United States Department of Justice against the City of Berkeley will come to trial. Back in August of 2016, the Feds initiated this suit in a challenge to the right of the City of Berkeley to … Read More
Trial Unlikely in Fight Over Berkeley Post Office
A federal judge seemed disinclined to order a trial in the U.S. Postal Service’s now four-year legal fight with the city of Berkeley over the planned sale of its historic downtown post office, wary of claims the city is intentionally trying to diminish the building’s value and discourage buyers. “We’re not just talking about the Postal Service’s ability to sell … Read More
Greenwich arts center to fight sale of Stamford CT post office in Supreme Court
Stamford Advocate: A Greenwich arts group has delivered a message to the U.S. Postal Service.“We’re not backing down,” said Drew Backstrand, an attorney representing the Center for Art and Mindfulness. As construction has begun for two residential and commercial towers at the site of the Stamford’s historic U.S. Post Office, Backstrand said his client plans to take its fight of the … Read More
District Court refuses to reconsider opinion in USPS v. SCE
Today is the birthday of Benjamin Franklin, the Nation’s first Postmaster General, but U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg has given the Postal Service little reason to celebrate. On Thursday, Judge Boasberg denied the Postal Service’s Motion for Reconsideration, which asked him to revise the Opinion he issued back in September in the case of USPS v. Southern California Edison … Read More
The third time a charmer? USPS takes PRC to court over the exigent rate increase, again
The Postal Service is taking the Postal Regulatory Commission to court over the exigent rate increase. On August 28th, the Postal Service filed a Petition for Review of PRC Order No. 2623, Resolving Issues On Remand, in Docket R2013-11R. This will mark the third time the Postal Service has appealed a PRC ruling on the case, going back to 2010 when the Postal … Read More
APWU takes PRC to court over service standards
The American Postal Workers Union has taken the Postal Regulatory Commission to court over its decision to dismiss the union’s complaint that the Postal Service is failing to meet its service standards. As explained on the USPS website, these service standards, as set forth under 39 C.F.R. § 121.1, state how long it will take the mail to be delivered, … Read More
USPS, APWU, and mailers respond to the court’s ruling on the exigent case
This week the Postal Service, APWU, and several associations of mailers filed briefs with the Postal Regulatory Commission responding to the DC Court of Appeals’ June 5th ruling on the case of the exigent rate increase. On Monday the Postal Service filed a motion asking the Commission to suspend the removal of the exigent surcharge, which is due to occur sometime in August. … Read More
Court rules on exigent rate increase: Not forever, but for how long?
This week the DC Court of Appeals issued its decision on the exigent rate case. The court affirmed the most significant element of the ruling by the Postal Regulatory Commission back in late 2013, namely, that the increase could not go on forever. But the court remanded another aspect of the Commission’s order, and it is now almost certain that … Read More
DC Court remands barcode case back to PRC
Today the U.S. Court of Appeals, District of Columbia, issued a decision on the Postal Service’s challenge to a ruling by the Postal Regulatory Commission involving barcoding and a rate increase. The ruling is here. The decision was a mixed bag. The Court ruled partly in favor of the PRC and partly in favor of the Postal Service, and both … Read More
Court dismisses lawsuit over Berkeley post office after USPS rescinds decision to sell the historic building
The Postal Service has rescinded its decision to relocate and sell the historic post office on Allston Way in Berkeley, California. As a result, the legal case challenging the sale has been declared moot by the court, and the case has been dismissed. The lawsuit was filed by the City of Berkeley and the National Trust for Historic Preservation late … Read More
NRLCA, APWU, and USPS go to court over who sorts the mail
Early last fall, the American Postal Workers Union (APWU) filed a labor grievance against the Postal Service concerning who separates and sorts the mail brought back to the post office by rural carriers. Now the National Rural Letter Carriers' Association (NRLCA) has filed a lawsuit against the Postal Service and the APWU over the issue. The case involves work assignments … Read More
USPS may challenge Berkeley rezoning in court
The U.S. Postal Service may file a lawsuit challenging Berkeley's rezoning of the area around the downtown post office. This week the City Council is slated to approve a proposal to establish more restrictive development standards in Berkeley’s civic center. Postal Service spokesman Augustine Ruiz Jr. said via email Monday that “The Postal Service is evaluating all options with respect … Read More
USPS takes the PRC to court over barcode issue
The Postal Service has filed an appeal with U.S. Court of Appeals, District of Columbia, challenging a ruling by the Postal Regulatory Commission concerning the USPS request for a rate increase under the price cap. The PRC has already approved most aspects of the request, but it held that “certain mail preparation requirements [i.e., barcoding] were governed by restrictions on … Read More
Appeals Court To Decide If Post Office Should Deliver To San Francisco SRO Tenants
The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments in San Francisco Tuesday over whether the U.S. Postal Service is required to deliver mail to tenants in single room occupancy (SRO) hotels. The outcome will impact tens of thousands of low-income tenants. Read more. (Also, an audio of the hearing is available here, and the City Attorney's press release is here.)
