USPS tomfoolery brought to you by Trump and the coward Postmaster General Louis DeJoy

[China]

Louis DeJoy's Surprising Second Act

 

Louis DeJoy thought his workday was done as he arrived home one evening in February 2022. The Postmaster General was locked in a grueling, monthslong battle with Congress over a bill to shake up the Postal Service. But as he settled in, his cell phone rang and, pulling it out, he saw who was calling and could already guess why. It was Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. The second most powerful Democrat in America wanted to know how the whip count was coming.

 

As it happened, the count was coming along very nicely. DeJoy may be best known as the Trump-era GOP megadonor the left accused of meddling with mail-in voting to subvert the 2020 election. But by the time Schumer called him on that frigid winter night, DeJoy was on his way to convincing congressional Republicans—120 in the House and 29 in the Senate—to buy into a lengthy Democratic wish list of postal reforms. When President Joe Biden signed the landmark legislation into law two months later, it guaranteed a union-friendly version of six-day mail service and stabilized health coverage for the 650,000 USPS employees. “There’s no way we could have gotten [the] votes without Louis DeJoy,” says Jim Sauber, the chief of staff for the National Association of Letter Carriers at the time. “That’s for sure.”

 

The notion that DeJoy, 65, would help advance a key Democratic agenda item would have seemed unfathomable a few years ago. But to the astonishment of many in Washington, the man Democrats once denounced as a threat to American democracy has become one of their most important allies in government. Defying the far right, he delivered more than 500 million COVID-19 test kits to Americans in the winter of 2022. Crossing conservatives last December, he agreed to transition the Postal Service’s entire fleet to electric vehicles by 2026. DeJoy’s capstone collaboration with Democrats was the Postal Service Reform Act, which is arguably the most bipartisan piece of major legislation in the Biden era, drawing 10 more GOP Senate votes than the $1 trillion infrastructure bill.

 

DeJoy may be the only person on earth who could have delivered these wins for America’s beloved, beleaguered agency. That’s partly because of the perverse credibility his association with former President Donald Trump and the scandalous 2020 headlines give him with Republicans. It’s also his stubborn insistence that he wasn’t going to allow allegations levied against him in the thick of an inflammatory political season define him.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[China]

Runaway stampflation: Postage expected to increase again

 

The price of postage stamps is poised to increase in July for the second time this year — the 17th rate change since 2000 — under a new proposal by the Postal Service.

 

Why it matters: If the 3-cent increase is approved by the Postal Regulatory Commission, it would be the shortest time between increases in the Postal Service's history.

Rates last went up in January and before that in July 2022.

Between the 1970s and 2000, rates increased three to four times a decade.

Driving the news: The Postal Service said the proposed increases raise first class mail by approximately 5.4% to “offset the rise in inflation” and are needed “to address continued elevated inflation and prior years defective pricing model.”

 

Kevin Yoder, executive director of the advocacy group Keep US Posted and a former Republican congressman, said that each time rates go up, mail volumes go down.

Yoder said that after January's rate increase went into effect, mail volume immediately decreased nearly 9% year-over-year, while expenses increased by 16%.

Context: The number of pieces of mail handled by the post office has been on the decline in recent years as more people pay bills online and fewer send physical thank you cards.

 

In 2022, USPS handled 127.3 billion pieces of mail compared to the high of 213.1 billion in 2006, data shows.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[Bang]

Still the best bargain in the world.

 

~Bang

[skinsmarydu]

42 minutes ago, Bang said:

Still the best bargain in the world.

 

~Bang

Yup.  I'm still one of those people who writes physical checks and mails them.  USPS needs the coin, and fifty-something cents is ok (I honestly don't know what it costs ).  Another couple pennies ain't that bad.   

[China]

A California woman is accused of shipping over 9 million parcels using counterfeit postage, costing the USPS $60 million in lost revenue

 

A California woman used counterfeit postage to ship over nine million parcels over the course of six months, prosecutors claimed in a recent court filing.

 

Lijuan "Angela" Chen was arrested on May 24 after postal inspectors from the United States Postal Service investigated the alleged fraud scheme, documents seen by Insider show. 

 

She faces one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States, and one count of use or possession of counterfeit postage, per the documents. Both charges carry a maximum sentence of five years in prison, if the defendant is found guilty.

 

"The evidence obtained in the investigation shows that Chen is operating a business which provides shipping and postage services to businesses, including e-commerce vendors operating out of China, that seek discounted USPS rates for mailing their products within the United States," the court document says.

 

"Multiple examinations conducted by USPS and USPIS staff have revealed that the vast majority of the postage used by Chen and her business to ship goods within the United States is counterfeit," it alleges.

 

Prosecutors say the alleged scheme was initially run by Chen's husband before he travelled to China in 2019, and she is believed to have continued it no later than August 2022.

 

Click on the link for the full article

 

By my quick math, that's over 49,000 packages a day.  WTF?  She must have had business with a lot of Chinese companies using counterfeit postage.

 

 

[China]

Senator Marshall, Congressman LaTurner send letter to postmaster about USPS

 

U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D., and U.S. Congressman Jake LaTurner sent a letter to U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy regarding the United States Postal Service (USPS).

Office of Senator Marshall said Marshall and LaTurner submitted a letter on Thursday, June 8 to DeJoy requesting information on consolidation efforts within the state’s postal system that threaten to disrupt mail delivery and eliminate jobs.

 

Senator Marshall shared a comment about the USPS.

 

“Reliable mail delivery is essential to the continued growth of our communities and individuals across Kansas,” said Senator Marshall. “I often hear from constituents in both rural and urban communities who go days without mail delivery. While I believe it’s important for all federal agencies to always be looking for ways to make their processes more efficient, we cannot do so while compromising service. I encourage Postmaster DeJoy to bring greater transparency to his plans for changes in mail delivery in Kansas.”

 

Rep. LaTurner echoed Marshall’s sentiments.

 

“The postal service is a vital part of our communities in Kansas. While I understand the financial challenges the USPS faces and the importance of streamlining the sorting process, unexpectedly closing post office locations with little explanation causes unnecessary confusion and uncertainty for postal workers and customers alike,” said Rep. LaTurner. “I’m proud to work with Senator Marshall to deliver Kansans the answers they deserve.”

 

Read the full text of the letter HERE.

 

Click on the link for the ful article

[Hersh]

How does this guy still have a job?

[China]

17 minutes ago, Hersh said:

How does this guy still have a job?

 

Read the article at the top of the page for the answer.

[skinsmarydu]

Shenanigans continue.

 

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/dec/15/usps-job-layoff-mail-service-delay-louis-dejoy

 

 

[China]

Stamp Prices Will Rise (Again) in January 2024

 

Stamp prices will rise to 68 cents in January — the fifth hike in less than three years. This probably won't be the only stamp price increase in 2024, either.

 

It's part of a course correction by the U.S. Postal Service, which has been aggressively raising stamp prices since August 2021. In an announcement, officials attributed the price increases to “inflationary pressures on operating expenses and the effects of a previously defective pricing model.”

 

The USPS is supposed to sustain itself financially rather than rely on taxpayer dollars, but the agency has been losing money for more than 15 years, according to an August report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO). The USPS’s expenses continue to grow faster than revenues, according to the GAO report, which also notes that mail volumes are falling for some of the agency’s most profitable products.

 

The latest round of rate changes, including the increase from 66 cents to 68 cents for a "Forever" stamp, is scheduled for Jan. 21.

 

If you send a lot of mail, you can consider stocking up on these stamps now before the 2-cent price increase takes effect as they will work indefinitely.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[China]

Charlotte mail carrier suspended after calling 911 in medical emergency

 

A Charlotte mail carrier was suspended without pay in November after she called 911 because she was having a medical emergency while out delivering mail on her uptown route.

Marshun Brooks called WBTV for help after being put out of work.

 

Brooks said she called 911 as she experienced chest pains and shortness of breath on the afternoon of Nov. 20.

 

Brooks said that before calling 911, she sent a message to her managers through a USPS messaging device. Brooks said her message included her location and what was happening.

Brooks said nobody responded. That is when, she said, she called 911 and went to the hospital.

 

“I’m gonna put my health before anything,” she said.

 

After nearly six hours in the ER, she was released. She said she took an Uber back to the mail station to check in and return her mail truck keys. At that point, she said she still had not heard anything from her supervisors.

 

“The supervisor was sitting at the desk, and I was like, ‘Did you not all see…my text message I sent through the scanner? Because I just got released from the hospital,’” Brooks said. “She went to her work computer and her eyes just start bulging like ‘Oh my god.’ And she asked me where’s the postal vehicle? And I was like, ‘It’s in the same location that I sent in a text message.’ I said, you know, ‘This is ridiculous. I had a medical emergency and you all didn’t do anything about it.’”

 

A few days later, Brooks’ doctor cleared her to return to work so she went back into the office with her medical documentation in hand.

 

She clocked in and a supervisor came up to her saying she was being suspended without pay for abandoning her route.

 

She left the mail station that day on leave and without pay.

 

WBTV reached out to USPS and a spokesman said “A carrier who is having a medical emergency while delivering mail is trained to seek medical attention immediately, which can be done by going to a nearby emergency room or calling 911.”

 

Brooks said that is what she did.

 

Brooks received a letter from USPS hours before this story was set to run, dated Dec. 19, clearing her to return to work.

 

The letter came days after WBTV began asking questions about why Brooks was suspended in the first place.

 

Although Brooks can return to work, according to the letter, it does not address back pay or other questions surrounding the disciplinary action in the first place.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[China]

USPS Buying Six of EV Startup Canoo's Pod-Like Delivery Vans

 

Earlier this week, the United States Postal Service (USPS) revealed plans to establish more than 14,000 charging stations at delivery centers across the country as it grows its fleet of EVs. The service said it will also order 9250 Ford E-Transits, bridging the gap until electric versions of the purpose-built Next Generation Delivery Vehicle arrive. But it appears the USPS is still open to exploring other avenues, with EV startup Canoo announcing today that the USPS will be purchasing six right-hand-drive versions of the LDV 190 during the first quarter of this year.

 

Click on the link for the full article