Tag: USA

Postal Service won't add more private mail carriers

Posted by | Jul 13, 2007 | |

The U.S. Postal service has agreed not to hand over any of the country’s new urban mail routes to private companies, at least for the next six months. All plans to contract out new mail deliveries, including a proposal for building in Perth Amboy, have been withdrawn.

The agreement is a victory for members of the national letter carriers’ union, who have been concerned with the postal service’s increased use of part-time, non-union employees to deliver mail. Now, according to a contract tentatively agreed on last night, a committee will be formed to look at the issue of privatization.

In New Jersey, the postal service has also reversed its recent decision to privatize routes in Little Falls, West Paterson and West Orange. And in Perth Amboy, the building that the postal service had planned to assign to a private contractor is now part of a city carrier’s route.

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ACMA In defense of the catalog

Posted by | Jul 13, 2007 | |

Catalog mailing costs are hitting new highs, especially for the business-to-business mailers who lack the criteria necessary for the best discounts.

Panelist C. Hamilton Davison, executive director of the American Catalog Mailers Association, explored how we got here and what we need to do to promote a favorable change.

The United States Postal Service handles 98 billion pieces of First Class Mail a year, accounting for USD 5 billion for last year; 103 billion pieces of Standard Mail accounting for USD 20 billion; .9 billion pieces of priority mail, accounting for USD 5 billion; 9 billion periodicals, accounting for USD 2 billion; 1.2 billion pieces of package services, accounting for USD 2.3 billion; and 2 billion other pieces accounting for 2.5 billion.

Overall the USPS handled 53.2 billion pieces of mail last year, accounting for USD 16.7 billion.

Standard Mail has seen a great increase and mail volume and delivery points are also increasing.

The growth of the US economy and mail volume coincides and mail is not going away, because it helps consumers thrive. It connects consumers to the market.

Most catalogers spend less than 10 percent of their time worrying about postal issues. This is ironic considering the USPS controls access to the consumer.

He talked about how catalogers are good for the USPS and for consumers.

Converting customers, for example, is good for the USPS as well because it results in multiple mail pieces.

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USPS won’t stop mailing animal-fighting paraphernalia

Posted by | Jul 13, 2007 | |

The Humane Society of the United States filed a lawsuit in federal court in the District of Columbia in June challenging the US Postal Service’s refusal to implement portions of a new federal law that prohibits the mailing of animal- fighting paraphernalia, including trade magazines that advertise fighting animals, knives and other implements used in illegal dogfights and cockfights.

The lawsuit is being filed as a companion case to an action the HSUS filed earlier this year against Internet retailer Amazon.com and other parties for shipping the same animal-fighting trade publications in violation of the federal animal-fighting law.

In May 2007, President Bush signed the federal Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act, which strengthened the federal law against dog fighting and cockfighting. One provision of the law makes it a felony to send any “commercial speech for purposes of promoting or in any other manner furthering an animal- fighting venture” through the mail.

The lawsuit alleges that the USPS is violating the law by knowingly accepting animal-fighting materials for mailing, and by issuing discount, bulk mail permits to two animal-fighting trade publications — The Feathered Warrior and The Gamecock, both published in Arkansas.

The HSUS alerted USPS officials to the new animal-fighting law the same day it was enacted, and asked them to halt the mailing of two trade magazines that are essentially mail-order catalogs for illegal cockfighting weapons and fighting birds.

The society said Congress was explicit in its intent to halt mailing of these magazines, including by noting in the Congressional Record that the new law “prohibits the Web sites and the magazines where fighting animals are advertised for sale.”

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FedEx Ground coming to West Frankfort (Kentucky)

Posted by | Jul 12, 2007 | |

A new FedEx Ground Distribution Center could be under construction in West Frankfort later this year.

FedEx Ground officials have signed a contract with a development company to construct Presley said he received word about the contract Tuesday afternoon.

A new facility is necessary because the company has outgrown the current center located in Marion. The new facility would bring an additional 40 to 60 jobs.

“We have chosen a developer and hope to have a signed, executed lease in the next 30 days,” company spokesman David Westrick said. “I would compare where we are now to someone who has their heart set on a house but they have to make sure it passes inspection and do all the nitty-gritty work to make sure the house is suitable for their needs.”

If all goes well, Westrick said, the facility is on track for a September groundbreaking.

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Florida East Coast Railway named Rail Carrier of the Year by UPS

Posted by | Jul 12, 2007 | |

Florida East Coast Railway, L.L.C. (“FECR”), the transportation subsidiary of Florida East Coast Industries, Inc. (“FECI”), has been recognized by UPS as one of two Rail Carriers of the Year for 2006. The award recognizes FECR’s continuing commitment to UPS for daily on-time delivery. UPS, which is the Railway’s largest domestic intermodal customer, has a long-standing partnership spanning well over a decade.

Senior executives of the Railway and UPS are scheduled to meet with FECR and UPS employees from Jacksonville to Miami over a three-day period starting today to commemorate and celebrate this system-wide achievement.

In addition to working directly with National Accounts in the retail market within the Southeast, FECR’s Intermodal Division builds relationships with Intermodal Marketing Companies (IMCs), Parcel carriers, Less-Than- Truckload Companies (LTLs), Truckload carriers, Ocean carriers and railroads.

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