Tag: North America

Lawsuit against UPS certified as class-action

Posted by | Oct 19, 2007 | |

The suit was brought by former Mail Boxes Etc. franchisees who claim that UPS misled them into believing that the UPS Store model would be more profitable.

Atlanta-based UPS acquired Mail Boxes Etc. in 2001 for about USD 192 million, and the majority of Mail Boxes stores changed their names to The UPS Store, while the UPS subsidiary that oversees the stores has retained the Mail Boxes Etc. name. It is based in San Diego.

All new U.S. franchisees after 2003 were branded The UPS Store.

The former Mail Boxes Etc. franchisees formed a group called the Platinum Shield Association in 2003 to pursue litigation in opposition to the UPS takeover.

Their suit, which was filed in April 2003, now has been certified as class-action by a California appeals court, according to a news release from the Platinum Shield Association.

The appeals court ruled that the Superior Court of California in Los Angeles was wrong in denying a motion to certify a class action in the case.

The plaintiffs are represented by Howard Spanier, a Malibu franchisee who is president of the association.

The suit seeks rescission of the conversion to the UPS store model and unspecified monetary damages, the release said.

Officials with UPS could not immediately be reached for comment.

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U.S. Postal Service removing stamp vending machines

Posted by | Oct 19, 2007 | |

People wanting to buy stamps after post office hours will no longer be able to get them in the lobby of the closed office.

The U.S. Postal Service began removing the vending machines from post offices and
other locations around the country this month. The spot where the machine sat in the Cape Girardeau post office is already vacant.

Cape Girardeau and Jackson postal employees said the machines were often in need of maintenance, and according to the U.S. Postal Service, some of the machines were 20 years old. Replacing the parts had become difficult because they were no longer manufactured, according to a statement on the service’s Web site.

Stamps will still be available over the counter at post offices during normal business hours. They can also be purchased online, by phone or by mail with a special form found in the post office.

Grocery and convenience stores as well as some ATMs will still sell them.

The U.S. Postal Service plans to install Automated Postal Centers in post offices. Customers would be able to weigh, pay postage for and ship packages from the machine as well as buy stamps.

As of right now, the closest APC is in Carbondale, Ill.

Officials from the postal service could not be reached for comment Thursday on when Cape Girardeau or Jackson will receive new machines.

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Door drops under threat from environmental issues

Posted by | Oct 19, 2007 | |

The Direct Marketing Association has warned that the door drop industry could face strict measures in response to Government and public concerns over the medium’s impact on the environment.

Speaking at a doordrop media conference organised by postal operator TNT Post, Alex Walsh, head of postal affairs and industry development at the DMA, said environmental issues were posing a significant threat to the direct marketing industry.

He added that while legislation would be too complex to set up for the doordrop industry, a door sticker initiative, in use in the Netherlands since the 1990s, could soon be a reality in the UK. The door sticker, which is also in use in France, Germany, Norway and Belgium, allows consumers to opt out of unaddressed mail completely including free newspapers, or to opt out of undressed mail but opt-in to free newspapers only.

Walsh said that serial offenders who continue to deliver unaddressed mail to those who have opted out by using the door sticker, face fines. ‘No junk mail’ stickers exist in the UK, but there is no legal penalty for those who ignore them.

A spokesperson from TNT Post in Holland said that 13 per cent of households in Holland have chosen to opt-out by using the door sticker.

Walsh also hinted at other possible measures that could be imposed on the industry, such as an eco-tax, which exists in France. Suppliers of unsolicited mail are given the choice of supporting local authority recycling schemes or paying for advertising that encourages the public to recycle.

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Teamsters Eye DHL

Posted by | Oct 18, 2007 | |

With the UPS tentative parcel workers agreement in hand, the Teamsters union is moving onto new ground in the package field.

The union’s national negotiating committee met this month with representatives from DHL to start the “historic task of negotiating a new DHL National Master Agreement,” the Teamsters leadership told its membership last week.

General President Jim Hoffa appointed the national committee, which includes representatives of Teamsters locals from around the country who represent members in every aspect of the DHL Express business. DHL had been covered under the trucking industry National Master Freight Agreement but now is working toward a separate contract.

“While we cannot yet reveal information about specific proposals and discussions, your committee is encouraged by the tone of these talks and DHL’s willingness to negotiate within the framework provided by Articles 1-39 of the National Master Freight Agreement (NMFA),” the Teamsters leaders’ message said.

The union plans to use current contract provisions to “quickly move through the process of negotiating the ‘common clauses’ and begin work on the operational supplements pick-up and delivery, clerical, gateway and hub, as well as allowing each local’s representatives to begin bargaining local riders.”

The new agreement would cover all local unions covered under the NMFA and several locals that previously negotiated stand-alone ‘white paper agreements,’ the message said.

The national bargaining committee is scheduled to negotiate with DHL through the end of October.

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Royal Mail sweeps the board at payroll giving awards

Posted by | Oct 18, 2007 | |

Royal Mail Group has swept the board at the National Payroll Giving Awards 2007, winning the ‘best re-launch of an existing scheme’ category and being highly commended in the ‘best employer and charity promotion’ , ‘best promotional partnership’ and ‘best overall campaign’ categories. Royal Mail was presented with its award by the Right Honourable Jane Kennedy MP, Financial Secretary to the Treasury at a prestigious event hosted at HM Treasury on 17th October. The event was introduced and compared by broadcaster and ‘money saving expert’ Martin Lewis.

Royal Mail Group Ltd has been recognized not only for its scheme but for increasing its overall participation rate by adopting an active approach to Payroll Giving. It has also succeeded in partnering with Charities Trust and Help the Hospices to carry out its Payroll Giving initiative.

The Payroll Giving Awards are designed to showcase the best Payroll Giving schemes from employers in the UK. All applications are marked against specific criteria by a panel of impartial judges; entries are restricted to those employers that have received 2007 Bronze, Silver or Gold Quality Mark Awards.

First launched in 1987, Payroll Giving enables employees to donate to any UK charity straight from their gross salary, giving immediate tax relief. Latest figures show that this year Payroll Giving has distributed almost £90 million to good causes.

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