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Inspector General's Office Outlook on FSS
The Office of the Inspector General's blog recently posted "Automation and The Life of The Letter Carrier." It gives a over view of what a carrier can expect after the implementation of FSS (Flat Sequencing System).
The following is an excerpt from the post: "It’s 7:30 am and you’re a letter carrier . . . so take a moment and imagine the following as a typical workday. First, you walk into the office, clock in, and check in with the boss. Then, you load up the vehicle with the mail that is already prepared for your route. Finally, at 7:45 am, you jump into the vehicle, drive off and begin delivering the mail. At no point are you required to manually sort mail. Is that day far off in the future . . . or, is it just around the corner?"
Read the full Article
June 18, 2009
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Residents Notice Route Time Changes
As the Postal Service continues to adjust carrier routes to balance the budget, it's not just the carriers that are seeing the difference. The customers are as well. Due to the route changes, customers who rely on a 'set time when the mail arrives' are getting a shock.
In post offices around the country, the 5 PM return rule is in place. Meaning that carriers should be in office by 5 PM. In some places the rule is 4PM. As many carriers know delivering past five is becoming less and less. Even so route changes on the street aren't going over so well with the customers.
The following is taken from an article in ajc.com
"Longtime Decatur resident Larry Vann, 81, said mail used to land in his box between noon and 2 p.m. until a year ago. His mail carrier said his route had changed, and he likely would receive letters around 3:30 or 4 p.m.
“It never happened,” Vann contends. Mail started showing up at 6 or 7 p.m., he said. Lately, however, he said he’s received mail in the mid afternoon.
Miles said carriers usually wrap up their travel between 3 and 4 p.m., but the goal is to deliver all mail by 5 p.m., but there are exceptions. “There’s no set time, but they have a set line of travel,” Miles said. “They are delivering in a pattern.”
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June 15, 2009
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'Aloha from Hawaii' flat rate box.
In celebration King Kamehameha, the Postal service issued special edition flat rate boxes. Designed by postal employee Jasmine Lum, the unique boxes sport a Diamond Head logo on the side.
An organization that sends care packages to US troops over seas, were quick to use the boxes. Sending the care packages with the symbol of Hawaii on the box gave the organization volunteers a sense of state pride.
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June 14, 2009
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APWU Recieve List of Post Office Consolidations
According to postalnews.com, the Postal Service submitted a list to the APWU of potentiel list of consolidation and or closing of postal branches. The list is in the form of a .pdf file which also has a cover letter and a list of stations for consideration. Note that the list seems to cover the western part of the U.S.
Read Full PDF file
June 6, 2009
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NALC President to Retire
The following is taken from the official NALC website:
"William H. “Bill” Young is the 17th National President of the NALC, the 300,000-member union representing city letter carriers employed by the United States Postal Service. Along with serving as exclusive collective bargaining agent for active carriers, the 117-year-old NALC also promotes the interests of retired members of the craft."
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June 6, 2009
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NALC’s Carrier Alert Program
One of the lesser known programs of the NALC is the Carrier Alert Program. Ask any letter carrier and they may think this program is just part of everyday business.
The following is taken from the NALC website.
"Carrier Alert is a cooperative community service program to monitor the well- being of elderly and disabled mail patrons. As one of the few--and some days only-- point of human contact for home-bound patrons, letter carriers are particularly attuned to signs that could mean an accident or illness. Carrier Alert, begun in 1982, is a system to tap into that sensitivity.
When a volunteer carrier notes something unusual concerning a patron registered with Carrier Alert, he or she reports it to a postal supervisor or other designated individual who in turn contacts the sponsoring local agency. They check on the person and if something's wrong, contact family, police or emergency services as appropriate.
Carrier Alert is a joint program of the NALC and the Postal Service, but its foundation is built on the local service organization, which might be the local United Way, Red Cross or Agency on Aging. The agency handles promotion, registration, administration, establishing local procedures and funding.
Because participation is voluntary and operation depends on local agencies, the Carrier Alert program is well established in some regions and little known in others. Where it is in use it earns constant praise--just as letter carriers across the nation do every day, with or without a formal program, for their vigilance.
Delivering mail to the same residences day after day, letter carriers become familiar with customers' habits and often notice changes in routine that mean a patron is in distress. Accumulating mail is a common clue, but lights burning in midday, pet dogs crying, drawn draperies, or no tracks in the snow--all can signal trouble within.
To find out if there is a Carrier Alert program operating in your neighborhood or the community where an elderly or homebound loved one lives, contact the local NALC branch office or post office.
NALC branches that want to explore the possibility of establishing Carrier Alert in their community, should contact the local postmaster and major social service agencies. NALC branches can also download a PDF of the Carrier Alert brochure."
May 31, 2009
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BRANCH 36 (New York, NY): Letter Carrier Hero
The following os from Branch 39 newsletter:
"The morning commute on April 11th started out like every other for veteran letter carrier John Zabatta from Times Square Station. Not even he knew that his selfless act on that day would possibly save a life.
It was approximately 4:25 a.m., and he waited for his 4:32 train from Wantagh, he noticed a young adult on the platform standing close by him who didn't look so well. He didn't make much of it. He looked on the tracks to check if his train was approaching. As he did so, he heard a loud thump. When he looked back he didn't see the young man who was there before. To his dismay, he looked down and saw the young man face down on the tracks. Knowing the train would be arriving at any moment, reached out to another passenger on the platform for help and selflessly jumped into harms way and carried the injured man off the track back to safety on the platform. Seconds later, his train arrived and he continued on his way to work.
When asked about this heroics he said, "It's no big deal. I just did what I had to do. What did make me feel good was when my kids were on the same platform with me and asked, Is this where you saved the man daddy? That made me feel good."
So here's to you letter carrier John Zabatta from Times Square. Your incredible courage has earned you the Branch 36 Hero Award."
May 31, 2009
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Postal Service Considers Banking Servies
An article in The Federal Times written by Gregg Carlstrom reports that one possible new stream of revenue for the Postal Service could be banking.
Several European posts are also banks, thus generating revenue. In some of these countries commercial banks run daily operations in postal retail offices. This may be the model in which possible banking services could be incorporated with The United States Postal Service.
Such an idea must pass through congress for approval first. Additionally, great opposition from existing financial institutes would be a road block. A post/bank would be immense competition to financial institutions with the Postal Service readily available network of retail outlets.
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May 31, 2009
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