FREE Intelligent Mail Barcode Webinars

To date, mailers have deposited more than 50 billion mailpieces with Intelligent Mail barcodes (IMB). If you haven’t already come onboard, the Postal Service would like to remind you that beginning in May 2011, to be eligible for automation discounts on your letter-size and flat-size mailpieces, you’ll need to start using the IMB in place of the POSTNET barcode. In May 2011, the POSTNET barcode will be ineligible for automation prices and the IMB must be used to claim automation prices with either the Full-Service option or the Basic option.

The Postal Service wants to make the transition as easy as possible, so they will be conducting weekly webinars titled “Migrating to IMB” over the next several months. Click here for the schedule.

Source: DMM Advisory

USPS Begins Labor Contract Negotiations

The U.S. Postal Service began contract negotiations this month with the largest of its four unions, the American Postal Workers Union, AFL-CIO (APWU).

The APWU represents employees who work as clerks, mechanics, vehicle drivers, custodians and some administrative positions. The current contract expires midnight, November 20th.

Three other unions represent most other postal employees. Employees represented by the National Association of Letter Carriers, AFL-CIO (NALC) deliver in metropolitan areas; National Rural Letter Carriers’ Association (NRLCA) employees deliver primarily in rural and suburban areas; and, employees represented by the National Postal Mail Handlers Union, AFL-CIO (NPMHU) work in mail processing plants and Post Offices.

Contract negotiations for the NRLCA begin September 13th. The NALC and NPMHU begin negotiations next year approximately 90-days prior to their contract expiration date of November 20th.

Source: USPS Press Release

USPS Reports $753 Million Loss for July

The U.S. Postal Service reported a net loss of $753 billion for July on revenue of $5.3 billion, according to preliminary reports filed with the Postal Regulatory Commission.

The USPS also reported mail revenue of $4.7 billion and volume of 13.7 billion pieces during the month.

Standard mail revenue was $1.4 billion and volume was nearly 6.7 billion pieces in July.

These results are consistent with the USPS’s continued losses of money and stated intentions to seek new funding sources. This includes the postal service’s controversial filing for a new rate increase with the PRC as well as its desire to reduce mail delivery to five days per week, a move that would require Congressional approval. The USPS is also seeking relief from its $5.8 billion annual obligation to pre-fund retiree healthcare benefits until 2016.

Source: Direct

OIG Continues To Find BMEU Deficiencies

The USPS Office of the Inspector General (OIG) released an August 30, 2010, audit report on business mail verification procedures at specific Business Mail Entry Units (BMEUs) in the Triboro District.

The OIG audit concluded that business mail verification procedures were in place and effective at some of the audited BMEU sites, but not at others.

Deficiencies included acceptance employees not performing the required in-depth presort verification procedures in some cases, and not correctly following procedures in selecting sample trays for verification.

Source: PostCom

USPS To Deploy Retail Discontinuance Model FY 2011

The nationwide effort to consolidate stations and branches is NOT over.

At current count, 156 post offices remain under review for possible consolidation under the Stations and Branches Optimization and Consolidation initiative as of March 2010.

USPS actions include the development of a decision tree-based retail discontinuance model to mitigate the inconsistency and subjectivity identified in process. The USPS plans to complete and deploy this model in FY 2011.

Source: Postal Reporter