Update: more details are available at Montgomery County Police Reporter

HOUSTON KTRK — Authorities believe they have found the body of a missing postal worker in San Jacinto County.Related Content

Eddie Youngblood, also known as ‘Marie,’ was using her Jeep to deliver mail in San Jacinto County yesterday. That burned out Jeep was later discovered on the side of Morris Creek Road near Coldspring.First responders found the car on fire after receiving a 911 call. It’s still not clear who made that call.

Read more: Body found in burned out Jeep in San Jacinto Co. believed to be missing postal worker | abc13.com.

WASHINGTON , May 8, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ – The day before Mother’s Day, make mom proud by contributing non-perishable foods to help Stamp Out Hunger.

On Saturday, May 11, the U.S. Postal Service and the National Association of Letter Carriers will deliver for America by conducting the nation’s largest single-day food drive. Other partners of the food drive include the National Rural Letter Carriers’ Association, AARP, Feeding America, Campbell Soup Company, Valpak, United Way, AFL-CIO, Uncle Bob’s Self Storage, GLS Companies, Publix, Source Direct Plastics and Valassis.

“The Postal Service is proud to again join forces with the National Association of Letter Carriers, the National Rural Letter Carriers’ Association, and other partner organizations to conduct the nation’s largest single-day food drive,” said Postmaster General Patrick R. Donahoe . “With more than 50 million Americans living at risk of hunger, food banks across the country continue to experience record demand for emergency food assistance. Together, we are helping to address this demand and making a difference in the lives of millions of Americans in communities throughout the nation.”

The nation’s 175,000 letter carriers will collect food donations left at the mailboxes of generous Americans in more than 10,000 communities and deliver them to food banks and other hunger relief organizations, such as pantries, soup kitchens and shelters.

You Can Help…

• Helping Stamp Out Hunger is as easy as checking your mailbox. Just leave a bag of non-perishable food items by your mailbox on Saturday, May 11. Your letter carrier will then pick up and deliver the food to a local food bank. Examples of non-perishable items include:
  • Peanut butter
  • Canned soup
  • Canned meats and fish
  • Canned vegetables, fruits and juices
  • Boxed goods (such as cereal)
  • Pasta and rice
• For more information about the annual Stamp Out Hunger food drive, ask your letter carrier, contact your local post office or visit either www.helpstampouthunger.com or www.facebook.com/StampOutHunger, and follow the food drive at www.twitter.com/StampOutHunger.

 

ORLANDO, Fla. -

Rural mail carriers driving their personal vehicles without a seat belt while delivering the mail are violating Florida’s seat belt law.

Sgt. Kim Montes, an 18-year-veteran of the Florida Highway Patrol, says the agency’s legal department reviewed the unorthodox style of mail delivery and found mail carriers are not exempt in either Florida or Federal statutes from wearing a seat belt while “performing their duties.”

Read more: FHP: Rural mail carriers violating Florida’s seat belt law | News – Home.

From the National Rural letter Carriers Association:

Today, as federal employees gather on Capitol Hill, National Rural Letter Carriers’ President Jeanette Dwyer will give brief remarks, connecting the painful sequester budget cuts to the artificial fiscal crisis facing the U.S. Postal Service. Below is an excerpt of her remarks:

“In a political environment plagued by self-created crises, fiscal cliffs, and sequestration, it is truly critical that organizations like ours stand strong and work alongside one another. Because just as wage freezes and budget cuts threaten the livelihoods of federal employees across the country, an artificially-constructed budget crisis has been foisted upon the U.S. Postal Service, threatening to drown this essential and historic institution in billions of dollars in red ink.

“Roughly 80% of the Postal Service’s losses over the past six years stem from burdensome pre-funding requirements to the Future Retiree Health Benefits Fund, a requirement placed on no other government or private institution. While we can all agree that the Postal Service should provide for its retirees, we should also agree that paying for 75 years of benefits over 10 years in simply unreasonable. Allowing the Postal Service more flexibility to make these payments would bring it back from the brink of destruction and allow it to thrive in the 21st century.

“Instead, too many ill-informed persons will continue to spout off about how the Postal Service needs to “modernize” or how the Internet and new technology has left the Postal Service defunct. In an already weak economy, they propose laying off tens of thousands more employees and cutting service, instead of talking about expanding service and finding new and innovative methods to generate revenue for the Postal Service.

“Unfortunately, just last month, the Postmaster General joined this chorus, calling for the elimination of six-day mail delivery. With questionable opinion polls and flimsy numbers, he’s launched a one-man lobbying and PR campaign to convince Congress that he has the right to slash service unilaterally, without permission from any branch of government. But in his quest to tear-apart the foundation and competitive advantage of the Postal Service, he apparently forgot to check the law, which says he is required to provide six-day mail delivery.

“Over the coming weeks and months, it is critical that we continue our work to advocate on behalf of federal employees and postal workers, as well as the families and communities that have felt the pain of budget cuts in cities and towns across the country. Only by working together in solidarity can we protect our hardworking men and women, retirees, and the American economy from a Congress seemingly intent on inflicting as much pain as possible though the draconian slashing of budgets.“

From the Postal Bulletin:

2013 National Rural Route Mail Count

Effective July 2012, in order to comply with the July 03, 2012, Interest Arbitration decision between the United States Postal Service® and the National Rural Letter Carriers Association, a national rural route mail count is scheduled accordingly.

Per standard procedure outlined in Handbook El-902, Agreement between USPS and National Rural Letter Carriers’ Association, 2011–2015, Section 9.2.C.3.a.(1), in 2013, a national mail count will be conducted for eighteen (18) working days beginning February 9, and ending March 2, 2013. All routes will be counted except those routes which both the regular carrier and management agree in writing not to count. The mail count will be effective at the beginning of the fourth full pay period following the end of the count period.

Read more: Organization Information.

When, in 2010, Congressman Darrell Issa proposed eliminating collective bargaining for postal workers, and laying many of them off, the National Association of Letter Carriers was quick to retract its endorsement of the Congressman.

The National Rural Letter Carriers Association, on the other hand, apparently still supports Issa- records show that the union has contributed $8,500 to the congressman’s 2012 re-election effort. That makes the union one of issa’s top 25 supporters, just behind Koch Industries and United Parcel Service.

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) – With hundreds of local jobs at stake, you may be wondering if the U.S. Postal Service any closer to solving its financial problems. News 4 questioned the Postmaster General when he came to Buffalo on Tuesday for the Rural Letter Carriers’ Association National Convention.

Donahoe was not met with a warm reception while speaking to thousands of letter carriers in downtown Buffalo, who booed the Postmaster General. He stood by his five-day mail delivery plan for some locations.

Read more: Postmaster General booed by workers | WIVB.com.

Postmaster General booed by workers

Alexandria, VA, November 3, 2011—NRLCA President Jeanette P. Dwyer has issued the following statement responding to legislation introduced in the United States Senate, S. 1789, the “21st Century Postal Service Act of 2011.” The bill was introduced by Senator Joseph Lieberman (I-CT), Chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, and Ranking Member Susan Collins (R-ME), along with Subcommittee Chairman of the Federal Financial Management, Government Information, Federal Services, and International Security Tom Carper (D-DE) and Ranking Member Scott Brown (R-MA). The postal legislation would affect rural mail delivery nationwide.

“The bipartisan postal legislation introduce today is a commendable attempt to help the ailing Postal Service. For years the NRLCA has advocated the need to fix the Postal Service’s financial condition by restructuring its payments for the Future Retirees Health Benefits Fund and by returning the overpayment of the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS). This newly introduced Senate bill would fix these two financial burdens, which the NRLCA believes will set the Postal Service back on firm financial footing.

“However, there are provisions in this bill the NRLCA cannot support. First, the legislation would allow the Postal Service to eliminate Saturday delivery after two years of enactment if specific criteria are meant. The NRLCA firmly believes any reduction in mail delivery will severely harm the Postal Service and deprive its customers of essential services. In addition, the Senate legislation would interfere with collective bargaining, unfairly tilting the process in favor of the Postal Service. We believe collecting bargaining has benefitted the NRLCA and the Postal Service for well over 40 years and Congress should not interfere with this time-honored process.

“I look forward to continue working with Senate and House members on this and other postal legislation to find common ground that will benefit both the nation’s postal customers, the NRLCA, and the Postal Service.”