USPSNEWS@WORK
The founding document of American freedom is being
delivered by the United States Postal Service. The Declaration of Independence is touring the country the next three-
and-a-half years. And USPS is the Official Carrier.
Television producer Norman Lear purchased a copy
of the country's founding charter at auction in 2000
with the intent of bringing the "People's Document" to
the people of the nation.
The Declaration of Independence Road Trip is a multi-media mobile exhibit designed to inspire civic activism - especially in young people.
The road trip kicked off last September in Charleston,
SC. USPS will be transporting the Declaration of Independence and exhibit to these cities and towns this
spring:
Little Rock, AR, Feb. 22; Independence, MO, March
3; Kansas City, MO, March 8; Omaha, NE, March 29;
Madison, WI, April 9; New Orleans, LA, April 13;
Minneapolis, MN, April 26; Sioux Falls, SD, May 7;
Bismarck, ND May 11. The exhibit will travel to many
additional cities and towns through 2004.
As America's communications provider for over 200
years, the Postal Service was a natural choice to
transport our country's charter. USPS has an 80-foot
tractor-trailer and a flexible fuel delivery vehicle
dedicated to the project and identifying the Postal
Service as the official carrier of the Declaration of
Independence.
The Postal Inspection Service is providing security as
the document travels to cities and towns across the
nation.
The project is co-chaired by former presidents Gerald
Ford and Jimmy Carter. Depot is the presenting sponsor of the road trip.
New vehicle security video "Lock It Up"
has been distributed to offices
nationwide
Security is the watchword. Safety is the goal. "Lock It
Up" is the new video on vehicle security distributed to Postal Service facilities nationwide.
The USPS fleet is big and highly visible. It represents
a massive ground-based distribution and delivery
network that serves every business and residence in
the country, every day. But that familiarity can pose a
threat if a Postal Service vehicle is taken and used by
someone intent on causing harm.
Accompanying the video is a letter from Chief Operating Officer Pat Donahoe, a mandatory stand-up talk
and a recent Postal Bulletin article (Postal Bulletin 22089, 11-14-02, page 8) on vehicle security.
"The video focuses on simple, corrective measures
that everyone can use to protect our vehicles," says
Donahoe. "Removing keys, closing windows and
locking doors are just a few easy actions everyone
can do to ensure the safety of our vehicles."
Flat out strategic: USPS Flats plan
hinges on customer involvement
"Our Corporate Flat Strategy calls for bringing flat
mail - newspapers, catalogs, magazines and other periodicals - up to the same level of sophistication that letter
mail processing provides today," Operations Senior Vice
President John Rapp said to a recent meeting of the Postal
Service Board of Governors.
Presenting the near- and long-term strategy for processing flat mail, Rapp said USPS plans to "automate
sorting down to the order that letter carriers deliver
their routes."
Between 1993 and 2001, letter mail processing productivity increased 83%. Following deployment of
534 Automated Flat Sorting Machine 100s just two
years ago, flat mail processing productivity jumped
78%.
To
continue this success, Rapp said the Postal Service must find ways to increase
customer involvement in developing rate structure incentives, mail make-up requirements
and communicating the importance of correct bar codes and readable addresses.
Rapp also outlined a delivery plan to sequence letters and flats into a system that provides one "package" of mail for each address. Two options are being
explored.
One hinges on the feasibility of a Delivery Point
Packager R&D effort. Equipment is expected to be
available for testing in the next two to three years. If
the R&D effort is successful, deployment could begin
in 2007.
USPSNEWS@WORK
A second simultaneous R&D effort to create a Flats
Sequencing System will place flats into delivery
order. If successful, that system could begin deployment in 2006.
F3Fill users are getting into the flow -
FormFlow.
More than 75 Postal Service forms have been converted
to the new USPS electronic forms application, FormFlow.
Filing out and filing forms has never been so good - or so
easy.
"FormFlow's tremendous flexibility makes the difference," says Online Services Manager Norm Cloher.
FormFlow has a built-in function that helps users
navigate through standard operations like filling out,
printing and spell-checking. FormFlow's navigational
tool is a tabbing feature that moves the user's cursor
from field to field.
FormFlow Filler Hot Tips, available online at http://blue.usps.gov/formmgmt/ff_tips.htm, provides
new users step-by-step instruction on completing
forms using Form Flow.
All Postal Service forms currently in F3Fill will be converted to FormFlow and ready to use by fiscal year
end. Since differences in data format and structure
will limit USPS ability to convert all F3Fill data to
FormFlow, documents that employees have saved in
F3Fill must be printed and filed away - and soon.
Look for FormFlow updates in the Postal Bulletin, USPS News Link and Hardcopy in coming weeks.
Drop a line about drop shipments
Publication 804, Drop Shipment Procedures for Destination Entry, will be updated and rewritten this year. That's
where you come in.
If you receive drop shipments at a BMC, SCF and
DDU or if you're involved with the drop-ship appointment process, USPS would like to hear from you.
Got a suggestion? A better procedure? Send an e-
mail to PVDS@email.usps.gov by Feb. 28.
again
Two more missing children have been safely recovered,
thanks to a lead generated by an ADVO card delivered by
the Postal Service. That brings the total to 122 children recovered through the America's Looking for Its Missing Children Program.
Perfectly franked
Official mail of members of Congress is sent without prepayment of postage and bears instead either a written or
printed facsimile signature or a specified marking. Read DMM E050 for more on franked mail.
Terror alert raised to code orange, the
Postal Service ratchets up security,
employee caution
The White House has raised the national terror alert to
code orange, signifying a "high" risk of terrorist attack. In response, USPS is asking employees to increase their attention to security of the mail and Postal Service facilities and
to exercise caution in performing their duties.
A detailed message has been sent to all USPS field facilities outlining daily security measures. They include taking all necessary steps to ensure facility security, taking
extra care when accepting mail at the counter and exercising caution when collecting and delivering mail.
The Postal Service is asking letter carriers and other
employees to immediately report any suspicious mail items
to Postal Inspectors and local law enforcement officials.
Other daily safety guidelines:
Exercise diligence when observing mail that is accepted at the counter. It is very important to ask questions to determine if packages contain hazardous
materials.
Provide either caps or shirts with the Postal Service
logo on them for casual employees who deliver mail.
Letter carriers using satchel carts to perform their duties must keep the cart in view at all times.
If an employee is unable to keep a vehicle in full,
direct sight the vehicle must be locked.
Vehicle Maintenance Facility (VMF) managers must
make sure that surplus vehicles are properly prepared for disposal. If contractors do this work, the
(VMF) manager must verify that it is performed
correctly.
Field operational units must perform daily inventory
of all Postal Service-owned and leased vehicles.
Ensure that both front and rear GSA- or P-tags (commonly used on the administrative or "non-mail hauling" fleet) are accounted for daily.
Notify Inspection Service/local Postal police and the
VMF manager immediately of any lost of missing vehicles or government license plates.
USPSNEWS@WORK
Account for on a daily basis the inventory of USPS ID
badges, Air Operations Area (AOA) access badges,
and other control cards provided to USPS employees
and contractors. Most importantly, USPS IDs must be
returned to the Postal Service when contractors are
separated or no longer have business with USPS.
Access control cards must be deactivated whenever
they are reported lost and for separated employees
and contractors.
Ensure that updated Continuity of Operations Plans
(COOP) and other contingency plans are available.
These protective measures will remain in effect until further notice.
February 2003
Have You Seen Any of These Missing Children?
Please participate in the NALC/USPS Child Alert Program.
Tear out this page and carry it with you. If you have information on any of
these missing persons, tell your Postal Service
supervisor.
Krystal Villanueva
Born: 5-11-88
Date Missing: 8-4-01
Missing From: Memphis, TN
Joseph Abdulghani
Age progression to 11 years
Born: 9-22-90
Date Missing: 5-19-97
Missing From: Riverside, CA
Joshua Adams
Age progression to 11 years
Born: 3-14-91
Date Missing: 12-26-95
Missing From: Houston, TX
Herlinda Alcaraz
Age progression to 10 years
Born: 7-20-90
Date Missing: 11-12-94
Missing From: Las Vegas, NV
Miguel Alcaraz
Age progression to 14 years
Born: 8-12-86
Date Missing: 11-12-94
Missing From: Las Vegas, NV
Casidie Broadhead
Born: 7-31-85
Date Missing: 7-11-02
Missing From: Santaquin, UT
Kyle Anderson
Age progression to 11 years
Born: 12-11-90
Date Missing: 4-11-00
Missing From: Fulton, MS
Cameron Anderson
Age progression to 14 years
Born: 3-4-88
Date Missing: 4-11-00
Missing From: Fulton, MS
Rachel Anderson
Age progression to 16 years
Born: 5-9-86
Date Missing: 4-11-00
Missing From: Fulton, MS
Marilyn Byrd
Age progression to 12 years
Born: 4-12-89
Date Missing: 6-16-93
Missing From: Washington, DC
Brett Storesund
Born: 10-30-96
Date Missing: 8-28-00
Missing From: Omaha, NE
Mikkel Storesund
Born: 7-28-93
Date Missing: 8-28-00
Missing From: Omaha, NE
Joseph Carson
Age progression to 5 years
Born: 1-11-96
Date Missing: 10-25-98
Missing From: Phoenix, AR
Chance Chavis
Born: 9-12-01
Date Missing: 7-31-02
Missing From: Windsor, SC
Allen Chavis
Born: 9-3-99
Date Missing: 7-31-02
Missing From: Windsor, SC
David Bertrand
Born: 8-24-99
Date Missing: 10-27-02
Missing From: Killeen, TX
Daniel Santiago
Born: 6-1-95
Date Missing: 7-12-02
Missing From: Honolulu, HI
Noel Santiago
Born: 6-11-91
Date Missing: 7-12-02
Missing From: Honolulu, HI
Christopher Sanchez
Born: 3-8-99
Date Missing: 8-11-01
Missing From: Albuquerque,
NM
Daniel Sanchez
Born: 9-6-92
Date Missing: 8-11-01
Missing From: Albuquerque,
NM
Richard Sanchez
Born: 6-4-89
Date Missing: 8-11-01
Missing From: Albuquerque,
NM
Annette Clark
Born: 3-1-95
Date Missing: 11-21-01
Missing From: New Paltz, NY
Please call the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
Hot Line 1-800-843-5678
TDD 1-800-826-7653
Missing Children Poster Display Instructions
Please display this poster prominently on bulletin boards in retail lobbies of main Post Offices,
classified stations, and branches. Operators of contract postal units may display this poster at
their option.
Companion posters, authorized for display on bulletin boards maintained by employee
organizations, appear periodically in The Postal Record, a publication for members of the National
Association of Letter Carriers.
This poster is published in cooperation with the National Center for Missing and Exploited
Children, the United States Department of Justice, and the National Association of Letter Carriers.
Information appearing on this poster is selected solely by NCMEC.
In addition to Postal Bulletin updates, NCMEC distributes information via broadcast fax.
Notification of newly reported missing children is sent to designated district "Missing Children"
coordinators at fax numbers provided by district managers. Within 24 hours of receipt of a
facsimile Missing Children poster, district coordinators should distribute copies to all postal
facilities in their districts. Missing Children posters are to be displayed for 30 days in Post Office
lobbies, workroom floor areas, and other postal facilities, unless notification is received (from
NCMEC) to remove a particular poster sooner. The broadcast fax network is used to distribute
posters and information in only the most urgent cases of missing and exploited children. This
system supplements, but does not replace, the missing children information in this Postal Bulletin.
Missing Children posters are available to the U.S. Postal Service only as described above. If
postal employees are contacted by individuals or local agencies about displaying a sign or poster
of a missing child in local Post Offices, the individual or agency should be politely informed that
the U.S. Postal Service displays only those posters provided by NCMEC, because it has been
designated by the U.S. Department of Justice to be the national clearinghouse and resource
center for missing and exploited children. The individual or agency should then be referred to
NCMEC at 1-800-843-5678.
The mailings below will be deposited in the near future.
Offices should honor the requested delivery dates.
Mailers wishing to participate in these alerts, for mailings of
1 million pieces or more, should contact Business Service
Network Integration at 703-292-4041 at least 1 month preceding the requested delivery dates. The Postal Service
also offers electronic Mail Alerts via ADVANCE. For more
information, see the ADVANCE Notification & Tracking
System Technical Guide on the Internet at http://www.ribbs.usps.gov/files/advance/ADVTECH.PDF or
contact the National Customer Support Center at
800-458-3181.
Title of Mailing |
Class and
Type of
Mail |
Requested
Delivery
Dates |
Number
of Pieces
(Millions) |
Distribution |
Presort Level |
Comments |
Alternative Cures |
Standard/Flat |
2/21/03-2/23/03 |
7.0 |
Nationwide |
3/5 Digit, Car-Rt |
Rodale |
JCP Spring Sale Preview |
Standard/Flat |
2/22/03-2/25/03 |
21.0 |
Nationwide |
Car-Rt |
Harte-Hanks |
DECISION Magazine |
Standard/Flat |
2/24/03-2/28/03 |
1.1 |
Nationwide |
Barcoded, Basic,
3/5 Digit, Car-Rt |
Minneapolis, MN |
The Sportsman's Guide,
February Main |
Standard/Catalog |
2/24/03-2/28/03 |
2.0 |
Nationwide |
3/5 Digit, Car-Rt |
Quad Graphics,
Lomira, WI |
JCP JA Jewelry `03 |
Standard/Postcard |
2/27/03-3/1/03 |
2.0 |
Nationwide |
Car-Rt |
Harte-Hanks |
Queen of Clean |
Standard/Letter |
2/28/03-3/2/03 |
2.0 |
Nationwide |
3/5 Digit, Car-Rt |
Rodale |
Midnight Velvet |
Standard |
3/3/03-3/6/03 |
2.5 |
Nationwide |
Barcoded, Basic,
3/5 Digit, Car-Rt |
Quad Graphics,
Lomira, WI |
Through the Country Door |
Standard |
3/3/03-3/6/03 |
1.1 |
Nationwide |
Barcoded, Basic,
3/5 Digit, Car-Rt |
Quad Graphics,
Lomira, WI |
Fit Not Fat at 40 |
Standard/Flat |
3/4/03-3/6/03 |
2.0 |
Nationwide |
3/5 Digit, Car-Rt |
Rodale |
- Business Service Network Integration,
Service and Market Development, 2-20-03 |
CONFIRMATION SERVICES CUSTOMERS AND MANIFESTING SYSTEM VENDORS
Attention all Confirmation Services customers and manifesting system vendors!
In an ongoing effort to improve our services, the Postal
Service is implementing changes to our process for sending and receiving data for Delivery ConfirmationTM, Signature ConfirmationTM, and Express MailŪ Manifesting
services. We are replacing our current File Transfer Protocol (FTP) servers with new dial-up FTP servers that are
more reliable and stable and that offer standardized commands. These new servers will require minor changes within your shipping/manifesting software or communications
process.
Important: If you currently transmit to the Postal Service using dial-up FTP, you must transition to the new FTP
because our current dial-up FTP process is being eliminated. Mailers using our Internet FTP are not affected by
this change.
During the transition period, which runs through July 1,
2003, we will maintain our current FTP processes and also
provide the new FTP service. Because the current Postal
Service dial-up FTP processes will terminate after July 1,
2003, you will need to transition to the new FTP by that
date. If you use vendor-supplied software, please contact
your vendor about this change.
In January, we mailed the specifications for the new FTP
process to all customers who currently use Delivery Confirmation, Signature Confirmation, and Express Mail Manifesting services. We are also publishing them in this article,
and you can also request them by calling 877-264-9693,
Option 1. We will also incorporate these specifications into
the next printed and online versions of Publication 91, Confirmation Services Technical Guide.
If you have any questions regarding these required
changes, or if you need assistance with the new process,
please call our Technical Support Group at 877-264-9693,
Option 1, or send an e-mail to dconfirm@usps.com.
Note: In these instructions, the term postaluserid refers
to the mailer's USPS Logon ID - for example, mmc001.
Establish a Dial-Up connection using your PPP postaluserid and dial-up password all in lower case. The
USPS toll-free access number is 1-800-852-9437.
Once connected to the Postal Service Network, establish an FTP session.
Using FTP client software or the command line, connect
to: PTSMFTP.USPS.GOV using your postaluserid and password. postaluserid and password are case sensitive. You are now connected to the USPS FTP Server. The
server uses standard FTP commands.
Change the directory to /postaluserid/inbound (all lowercase). This is the directory where you will be placing your
electronic files. The command used to change to this directory is: cd /postaluserid/inbound
Set the transmission mode to ASCII unless you are
sending compressed (zipped) files, in which case the mode
must be binary. PKZip is the only compression method accepted. Change the transmission mode by entering the appropriate command: ascii or binary
Files must be sent using the following naming
convention: <postaluserid>.manifest
Example: mmcw93.manifest
If sending multiple separate files in one session use the
following naming convention for subsequent files to avoid
overwriting your previous file(s).
<postaluserid><seq>Manifest Begin with the letter a for the sequence identifier and continue with b,c, etc.
for subsequent files.
Example: mmcw93a.manifest
Use the put command to transfer the file to the directory: /postaluserid/inbound
Example:
put <localfilename> <postaluserid>Manifest
When sending Shipping Partner Event Code Files,
use the following naming convention:
<postaluserid>.consolid
If sending multiple Shipping Partner Event Code Files in one session use the following naming convention for
subsequent files to avoid overwriting your previous file(s). <postaluserid><seq>.consolid
Example: mmcw93a.consolid
Change the directory to: /postaluserid/outbound. This
is the directory from which your reports are retrieved. The
command used to change to this directory is:
CD /postaluserid/outbound
To see what files are available for pickup use the directory list command. The command is: dir
Use the get command to retrieve file(s) from the directory: /postaluserid/outbound
Example: get ERRWRNO.RPT.11203520
The following reports can be found in the outbound
directory:
Confirmation Services Error/Warning Report
Extract File
Shipping Partner Error/Warning Report
The naming convention used for these files are as
follows:
ERRWRNO.RPT.MMddhhmmss for the Confirmation Services Error/Warning Report
DETEXTRO.RPT.MMddhhmmss for the Extract File
ERRWRNO1.RPT.MMddhhmmss for the Consolidator Error/Warning Report
MMddhhmmss signifies the following:
MM = numeric representation of the month,
dd = day of the month,
hhmmss = the hour, minute, and second that the file
or report was generated.
Copy the files to your local computer. You may choose to
delete the files from the USPS host. If you do not delete the
files, the USPS host site will automatically delete the oldest
copy (generation) of each file type on the 31st generation of
that file.
To delete the file, use the del command.
Example: del ERRWRNO.RPT.MMddhhmmss
Note: When you first receive your postalid, the corresponding password matches the id. It is highly recommended that you change your password as soon as you
first access your account. To voluntarily change your password, the command chpw must be used. The command
syntax is quote chpw <newpassword>.
Example: quote chpw mspacman
- Product Information Requirements,
Product Development, 2-20-03
HANDBOOK DM-109 REVISION
Handbook DM-109, Business Mail Acceptance, provides information about mail verification and acceptance
policy for mailings deposited by customers in business
mail entry units (BMEUs) and detached mail units (DMUs).
The following information clarifies certain policies and
procedures in Handbook DM-109 involving Chapter 4 and
Chapter 7.
We will incorporate these revisions into the online
version of Handbook DM-109, which is available on the
Postal Service PolicyNet Web site at http://blue.usps.gov/cpim; click on HBKs. We will not print copies of Handbook
DM-109 at this time. Managers, Business Mail Entry
(MBMEs), and other acceptance personnel are encouraged to print a copy of Handbook DM-109 from the Postal
Service Intranet to keep as a reference at their work sites.
Handbook DM-109, Business Mail Acceptance
* * * * *
4 Verification Procedures
[Add the following paragraph as the first paragraph on page
4-1:]
Chapter 4 is intended for use by sites that do not have Mail
Evaluation, Readability Lookup INstruments (MERLIN).
MERLIN sites will follow verification procedures documented in the MERLIN operations training manual, which is
available at business mail entry units (BMEUs).
* * * * *
7 Non-ABE
[Add the following paragraph as the first paragraph on page
7-1:]
Chapter 7 is intended for use by sites
that do not have Mail Evaluation, Readability Lookup Instruments (MERLIN). MERLIN
sites will follow verification procedures documented in the MERLIN operations
training manual, which is available at business mail entry units (BMEUs).
* * * * *
- Marketing Technology and Channel Management,
Business Mail Acceptance, 2-20-03 |