From the Association of United States Postal Lessors (AUSPL):

By now, most AUSPL lessors have received a “Dear Landlord” letter in which the Postal Service introduced its real estate program delegating lease negotiations to CB Richard Ellis (CBRE). We are vigorously challenging this program because we believe it unfairly targets lessors and favors CBRE.

Many members are concerned about being forced to deal with CBRE because it subjects our members to negotiating with less qualified, third party contractors who have no prior experience with the property with the expectation we pay the real estate commission.

At AUSPL, we believe lessors should NOT enter into an agreement to pay CBRE a commission… Do not be bullied or pressured by a CBRE agent. If an agent CBRE “threatens” to withhold recommendation of the negotiated lease terms to the Postal Service real estate contracting officer, contact us immediately. Call 800-572-9483 or E-mail auspl@auspl.com. We will continue to fight this program and we keep you posted. Stay tuned.

via Association of United States Postal Lessors (AUSPL).

Despite the cries of bankruptcy from right wing politicians, the US Postal Service earned a profit of $112 million from its operations in October, despite a 5% drop in revenue, and a 10% drop in total mail volume compared with October 2010.

Unfortunately for postal workers and their customers, however, the accounting gimmicks enacted into law by Congress and the Bush Administration in 2006 require that the USPS hand that profit over to the Treasury. Not only that, but the USPS is required to borrow another $350 million from the Treasury, so that money can also be handed back to the Treasury for the so-called “trust fund” for potential future retiree health benefits.

The end result of all of this politically inspired money shuffling is that the postal service is forced to book a net loss of $139 million. From the politician’s point of view, it’s a win-win situation- each month, the gimmickry shifts another half billion dollars of the national debt “off budget”, to the USPS; and it matches the story people like Darrell Issa and Dennis Ross like to tell about bloated bureaucracies and overpaid workers.

We just can’t have a unionized government run operation making a profit, can we?

USPS Preliminary Financial Information (Unaudited).

The Blocksburg post office is on the list of some 3700 branches around the country that the USPS is currently considering closing. If this happens, it will be devastating for our community and create an extreme hardship for elderly residents and others who can’t afford to retrieve their mail from an office more than 10 miles away.

via The Heart of Our Town – YouTube.

More Than A Post Office.mp4 – YouTube.

From USPS News Link:

Postal employees, members of the public, charitable organizations and corporations can respond to letters received through the mail that are addressed to Santa by participating in the Postal Service’s Operation Santa program — set to kick off Dec. 1.

However, to maintain the trust of its customers and to safeguard the mail, Post Offices must follow certain guidelines that are designed to protect the children who write the letters.

In 2009, the Postal Service changed the letter adoption process. Now, individuals who wish to “adopt” letters must do so in person, present valid photo identification and fill out a form — PS Form 6012-I, Operation Santa Letter (Individual) — that includes a list of the selected letters.

Charitable organizations, corporations or firms must follow similar guidelines. Representatives with correspondence on corporate letterheads authorizing them to view the Operation Santa letters on the company’s behalf must present employee IDs and valid state driver’s licenses or state-issued ID cards. Representatives also must complete a form — PS Form 6012, Operation Santa Letter (Organization) — and list the letters selected for adoption.

USPS began receiving letters addressed to Santa Claus more than 100 years ago. However, it wasn’t until 1912 that PMG Frank Hitchcock authorized local Postmasters to allow employees and citizens to respond to the letters in a program that later became known as “Operation Santa.”

New York City’s Operation Santa program, the largest in the country, receives 500,000 letters each year. The program traditionally begins the first week of December, when tens of thousands of people work with Post Offices by responding to letters to Santa from children of all ages listing their holiday wishes.

via USPS News Link – Nov. 25, 2011.

CLEVELAND, Nov. 23, 2011 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ — Consumers planning to head out this Black Friday to find the best deals can get a jump on their holiday savings right from the comfort of their own home. Now through Friday, November 25, American Greetings Corporation will be running a 70 percent off sale on all holiday cards at Cardstore.com as well as free stamps if you mail your cards directly from the site. The special discount will only be available through Black Friday, or while supplies last, so shoppers should be sure to visit the site early to get into their holiday cards and big savings.

To take advantage of the 70 percent off sale price, shoppers just need to personalize their holiday cards and enter the coupon code, “BLACKFRI” at checkout. Visit the site for additional details.

Cardstore.com continues American Greetings ongoing efforts to offer the best quality and convenience wherever consumers are looking to shop.

With more than 10,000 designs available, Cardstore offers consumers unmatched variety as well as the opportunity to personalize their selections through an assortment of interactive options. Users can add personal photos, include unique, heartfelt messages and even upload a signature for the perfect final touch. In addition to these great options, Cardstore will also stamp and send the cards via US postal service so you can have all of your holiday card sending complete in minutes!

Consumers can find their favorite brands like American Greetings, Papyrus, Kathy Davis, and Taylor Swift and designers like Bonnie Marcus, Caleb Gray, Amy Smyth, and Kate Spain to name a few. On Cardstore.com, you can search by category or by brand to find your favorite designs in birthday, thank you, holiday, birthday, kids and babies, photo cards, and special occasions like wedding, parties, and moving announcements. Also available is a wide array of customized personal stationery.

To take advantage of this great offer, and check out the huge variety of designs perfect for everyone on your list, visit www.cardstore.com . For more information on American Greetings, please visit www.corporate.americangreetings.com . You can also follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/amgreetings and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AmericanGreetings .

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has ordered Knoxville-based Heartland Transportation Inc. to reinstate a former employee and pay the individual $62,090 in compensatory and punitive damages plus more than two years of back wages, interest, benefits and reasonable attorney’s fees. The order follows OSHA’s determination that the company violated the employee’s rights under the whistleblower provisions of the Surface Transportation Assistance Act by terminating the employee for complaining about defective vehicles.

“Putting defective trucks on American roads endangers the company’s drivers and all other motor vehicle operators who share the road with a truck that is improperly maintained. Drivers have a right to complain without fear of retaliation when they are asked to operate an unsafe vehicle,” said Teresa A. Harrison, OSHA’s acting regional administrator in Atlanta.

Heartland Transportation is a contract mail carrier for the U.S. Postal Service. In August 2009, the employee was assigned to deliver a truckload of U.S. mail to a customer in Pontiac, Mich., when he found that his assigned trailer had a nonworking light. After complaining, the light was repaired and the delivery made. The employee had complained about such mechanical failures on a number of previous occasions, but the problems recurred. Accordingly, he informed his employer that he would not drive trucks with such failures in the future. After returning to the company’s facility from Michigan, the driver found that his name had been removed from the driving schedule. He inquired about this development, and, during a meeting to discuss the issue, was informed that his employment was terminated. The employee then submitted a whistleblower complaint to OSHA.

The order issued by OSHA also requires the trucking company to expunge any adverse references from the complainant’s personnel records relating to the discharge, and to post a notice to employees and provide them a fact sheet with notification of their rights under the STAA.

OSHA enforces the whistleblower provisions of the Surface Transportation Assistance Act and 20 other statutes protecting employees who report violations of various airline, commercial motor carrier, consumer product, environmental, financial reform, food safety, health care reform, nuclear, pipeline, public transportation agency, railroad, maritime and securities laws. Employers are prohibited from retaliating against employees who raise various protected concerns or provide protected information to the employer or to the government. Employees who believe they have been retaliated against for engaging in protected conduct may file a complaint with the secretary of labor for an investigation by OSHA’s Whistleblower Protection Program. More information is available online at http://www.whistleblowers.gov.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA’s role is to ensure these conditions for America’s working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov.

Editor’s note: The U.S. Department of Labor does not release names of employees involved in whistleblower complaints.

WASHINGTON — Postal Service customers will be able ship a box for overnight delivery anywhere in the country for one price regardless of weight (up to 70 lbs) starting Jan. 22, 2012. That’s when the Express Mail Flat Rate Box debuts and new Shipping Services prices take effect.

“The introduction of the Express Mail Flat Rate Box leverages the success of our Priority Mail Flat Rate advertising campaign and further positions the Postal Service as the best value in the shipping business,” said Paul Vogel, president and chief marketing/sales officer. The new box, priced at $39.95, for domestic mailing, will be available for customers who need overnight service for items larger than what can be placed in an Express Mail Flat Rate Envelope.

Other Express Mail changes include lower retail prices for half- and one-pound packages and commercial packages to local and close-in areas. The new retail price for the Express Mail Flat Rate Envelope is $18.95.

The overall price change for all Shipping Services is 4.6 percent, with Priority Mail prices increasing an average 3.1 percent and Express Mail prices increasing an average 3.3 percent. The Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) will review the prices before they become effective Jan. 22, 2012, the same day Postal Service Mailing Services prices take effect. Today’s Shipping Services price filing will be available on the PRC website at www.prc.gov and the new Mailing Services prices are available at http://pe.usps.com.

New domestic retail pricing for Priority Mail Flat Rate products include:

• Small box — $5.35
• Medium box — $11.35
• Large box — $15.45
• Large APO/FPO/DPO box — $13.45
• Regular envelope — $5.15
• Legal-size and Padded envelope — $5.30

Commercial base Priority Mail pricing will offer an average 6.8 percent discount off retail prices for customers using online and other authorized postage payment methods. A new, larger Regional Rate Box C (12” x 12” x 15”) will be added to the existing two sizes. If any of the three Regional Rate Boxes is entered at retail, a 75-cent additional charge will be applied.

Also new for 2012 is Package Intercept for commercial mailers, available through a customer interface on Business Customer Gateway. For $10.95 plus Priority Mail postage, customers can request mail be intercepted before final delivery is attempted to the initial delivery address. The shipment can be returned to sender, held for pick up at a Post Office, or redirected to an alternate address. Intercepted packages are shipped using Priority Mail.

First-Class Package Service (formerly known as First-Class Mail commercial parcels and now a Shipping Services product) will see an overall price increase of 3.7 percent. The Intelligent Mail package barcode will provide free visibility to these parcels.

Prices will also be adjusted for other Shipping Services products and services, including Parcel Select, Parcel Return Service, International Mail, Premium Forwarding Service and Post Office Box Service.

via Postal Service Announces Shipping Prices for 2012.

The National Association of Letter Carriers issued the following clarification on the new health insurance initiative NALC President Fred Rolando mentioned in his remarks at the National Press Club yesterday:

Update on health benefits bargaining: Some media reports have inadequately described our position on health benefits. NALC has made no agreements with the Postal Service on health care for active members or retirees, either within or outside of FEHBP. We have agreed to seriously explore mutually acceptable ways to deliver high-quality health benefits at a lower cost both to the Postal Service and to its employees. No agreement will be made that does not have the support of the NALC’s membership.

via Latest News | President Rolando speaks at National Press Club.

… and there were also protesters outside:

post office | Occupy Wall Street | Occupy DC | The Daily Caller.