The Court Rules on the Barcode Case (again)

SteveBlog

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

SteveBlog

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

SteveBlog

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

SteveBlog

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

adminStory

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

APWU takes PRC to court over service standards

adminStory

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

adminStory

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?

adminStory

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

adminStory

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

adminStory

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

adminStory

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

adminBlog

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

adminBlog

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

adminBlog

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.)