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Diversity's Five-Year Strategic Plan: The future of performance

Diversity Development's Five-year Strategic Plan details how cooperation among Postal Service employees, customers and suppliers helps to achieve organizational goals.

• The new strategic plan outlines ways to enhance the Postal Service's performance-based business culture by successfully managing diversity in the workplace.

• "With 750,000 diverse employees, the Postal Service is known as an organization that recognizes cultural differences and leverages those differences to better meet customer needs, and improve the workplace environment," said Diversity Development Vice President Murry Weatherall.

• "This plan ensures that we have clear strategies to guide Diversity Development, both internally and externally in the next five years."

• Get a jump on the future. Grab a copy of Diversity Development's Five-year Strategic Plan available now on the Postal Service Intranet Web site at http://blue.usps.gov/diversitynet/diversityplan/ strategicplan/welcome.htm.

House mirrors Senate vote to pass CSRS legislation: Now it goes to the president

The House of Representatives has added its vote to the Senate's earlier vote to pass legislation that changes the funding formula regulating how the Postal Service pays into the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS). Next step: the president's signature.

• In response to the House vote, the Postal Service thanked Congress for its swift action.

• The legislation changes the amount the Postal Service pays into CSRS. Without the change, the Postal Service ultimately would overpay into the fund by $78 billion.

• Passage of the CSRS legislation means the Postal Service will be able to hold postage rates stable until 2006, giving the $900 billion mailing industry - and the economy in general - a much needed boost.

• Under the legislation, the Postal Service also will use the funds saved to pay down prior years' debt. The change will not affect the retirement benefits of former or current Postal Service employees.

USPS to test new biohazard detection system: Fourteen sites chosen for 30-day test

The Postal Service will soon begin testing a newly developed biohazard detection system (BDS) designed to provide an early warning for detecting anthrax in the mail. Tests will take place at 14 mail processing facilities across the country starting in May.

• "The Postal Service is committed to keeping our employees and customers safe," said USPS Engineering Vice President Tom Day. "That's why we developed a system that will help us counter the threat of anthrax in the mail. This biohazard detection system will enable early identification and containment of anthrax, and provide for a rapid response if anthrax is detected."

• The systems, which will each be tested for 30 days, will be located in mail processing and distribution centers at Dulles, VA; Southern MD (Capitol Heights); Albany, NY; Kilmer, NJ; Manasota, FL; St. Petersburg, FL; Tampa, FL; Midland, TX; Los Angeles, CA; Tacoma, WA; Rockford, IL; Lancaster, PA; Pittsburgh, PA; and Cleveland, OH.

• The system uses sophisticated DNA matching to detect anthrax in the mail. The BDS is an automated system that continuously tests air samples from Advanced Facer Canceler System equipment.

• Here's how it works: The equipment collects air samples as mail moves through the canceling machine. It absorbs airborne particles into a liquid sample, which is injected into a cartridge. The BDS equipment then automatically performs a test that looks for a match of the sample "signature" with the signature of anthrax DNA.

• If any of the tests turn out positive for anthrax, there will be an immediate, automatic notification to the plant manager. Onsite personnel also will alert the plant manager, and the plant's emergency action plan will be activated. Employees will be evacuated, and the plant's equipment shut down.

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• The biohazard detection system was designed exclusively for the Postal Service. The first prototype was installed in the Baltimore Processing and Distribution Center in June 2002, where it has been operating successfully. The system doesn't slow down mail processing. Mail processing equipment continues to function normally with the biohazard detection system in place.

• After the 30-day tests are completed, the machines will be removed and the data from the tests will be used to develop plans for a potential national rollout to 282 Postal Service sites.

Safety first, safety together: Historic agreement signed

Safety is everybody's business. And it takes a commitment from everyone involved to reduce accidents and injuries. That commitment was displayed when the Postal Service, two of its major unions and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) signed a historic agreement to reduce musculoskeletal risk factors in the Postal Service workplace.

• At a signing ceremony at USPS Headquarters, PMG Jack Potter joined OSHA Assistant Secretary John Henshaw; American Postal Workers Union, AFL-CIO President William Burrus; and National Postal Mail Handlers Union President John Hegarty to sign an ergonomic strategic partnership.

• The partners will work cooperatively to implement an Ergonomic Risk Reduction Process to identify musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) and control the associated risk factors.

• "The Postal Service believes every employee has the right to a safe workplace. We are committed to working with our partners to achieve this goal," said Potter.

• This partnership is a voluntary cooperative that will encourage and assist the Postal Service in reduction of injuries and ergonomic risk factors. Labor and management at USPS and OSHA will identify common goals, develop plans for achieving them, and cooperate in the implementation of strategies to reduce the pain and suffering caused by MSDs.

• The agreement does not preclude bargaining unit employees from exercising any right provided under the Occupational Safety and Health Act, nor does it modify current national agreements between the Postal Service and the unions. The agreement may be extended by mutual agreement of the parties and any party may withdraw from the partnership with 30 days' notice.

• Initially ten sites are participating in the three-year agreement: Richmond, VA; Providence, RI; Mid- Island, NY; Phoenix, AZ; Pittsburgh, PA; Nashville, TN; Ft. Worth, TX; Portland, OR; Minneapolis, MN; and South Suburban, IL.

• Ten additional sites will be added later this year: Portland, ME; Cincinnati, OH; Buffalo, NY; San Diego, CA; Indianapolis, IN; Austin, TX; Birmingham, AL; Philadelphia, PA; Tampa, FL; and Oakland, CA.

Net income above plan: Productivity gains and expense reductions lead way

Chief Financial Officer Richard Strasser reports that the Postal Service had a net income of $1.65 billion through quarter 2, thanks to productivity gains and expense reductions. Due to the uncertain economy, mail volume remained below expectations.

• Strasser said Postal Service expenses for quarter 2 were $559 million below plan, $36 million below last year.

• Net income was $645 million for the quarter, $285 million over plan. Year-to-date revenues total $32.8 billion with expenses of $31.1 billion, leaving a net income of $1.65 billion.

• Strasser noted that the Postal Service makes most of its revenue in the first two fiscal quarters, with losses over the summer months as seasonal mail volume declines.

• "The expense reduction during the quarter was extraordinary," Strasser said, "and it came despite rising fuel costs, the impact of severe snowstorms in the east this winter and inflation in health benefits that will exceed $500 million for the year."

• A significant driver of the expense cutbacks came from workhour reductions. "Our plan called for a reduction of 40 million workhours this fiscal year," Strasser said. "We've already reduced workhours by 31 million as of quarter 2." Career complement has been reduced by 11,485.

• These actions will result in a fourth straight year of substantial productivity increases, Strasser said. "However," he cautioned, "this good news is tempered by weak volume trends.

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• Mail volume for quarter 2 was essentially flat, with the increases in advertising mail and packages unable to offset the decline in First-Class Mail and other mail." Strasser said the outlook isn't favorable to make volume or revenue targets for quarter 3, given the state of the economy.

Safe at

Authorities have recovered the nation's 124th missing child, thanks to a Postal Service customer who responded to ADVO's ShopWise "Have You Seen Me?" card delivered by the Postal Service.

• The girl was five when she was abducted by a noncustodial parent in June 1988. She was safely recovered nearly 15 years later.

• This recovery makes 24 children recovered in the last 32 months, and 124 since the program was established.

Extended celebration: National card and letter Writing Month

April is National Card and Letter Writing Month. To mark this special time, the Postal Service will extend the popular campaign into May, culminating with the writing and sending of cards and letters for Mother's Day, May 11.

Be opinionated: Complete and return your VOE survey

The Voice of the Employee (VOE) survey is seeking your expert opinion about your workplace. Speak up! Take the time - on the clock - to fill out the survey. Inquiring minds want to know what you're thinking. One fourth of Postal Service employees are surveyed each quarter. Responses are confidential. Surveys must be postmarked by April 23.

The Postal Bulletin - Help Us Save Paper and Money

The Postal Bulletin has been around for 123 years, and it's the most relied-upon, trusted source of information in the Postal Service today.

In the 1970s, when our nation became more concerned about our environment, the Postal Service began using recycled paper to print the Postal Bulletin. We have also tried over the years to print just the right number of copies to save our nation's resources.

Despite our efforts, some offices tell us that they receive too many copies. We need to do something about this.

Therefore, if you want to reduce the number of copies your office receives or if you want to cancel your subscription altogether, send an e-mail to pbulleti@email.usps.gov or call 202-268-5776. Please be assured that we will not reduce or cancel your subscription unless you ask us to do so.

Remember, each issue of the Postal Bulletin since 1995 is available online. To access the online version of the Postal Bulletin, please follow either of these routes:

• On the Intranet: Go to the Postal Service PolicyNet Web site at http://blue.usps.gov/cpim; click on View Postal Bulletins.

• On the Internet: Go to www.usps.com; click on About USPS & News, then Forms and Publications, then Postal Bulletin.

For more information on the Postal Bulletin, please see our article in Postal Bulletin 22097 (3-6-03, pages 5-6) titled "The Postal Bulletin - Your Source for Trusted Information."

We've come a long way, and we'll continue to evolve with the times. Our job is to make your job easier. As you know, the Postal Bulletin is here to serve you, as it has been for almost 125 years.

- Policies and Procedures Information,
Public Affairs and Communications, 4-17-03

Administrative Services

HANDBOOK REVISION/CORRECTION

Changes to Password Requirements

Handbook AS-805, Information Security, has been revised to bring password requirements into alignment with current Postal Service needs.

In Postal Bulletin 22099 (4-3-03, pages 8-9), we included incorrect information for 9-7.1.1, items a and b. The corrected information appears here.

We will incorporate this revision into the online version of Handbook AS-805, which is available on the Postal Service's PolicyNet Web site at http://blue.usps.gov/cpim; click on HBKs.

Handbook AS-805, Information Security

* * * * *

9 Information Security Services

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9-7 Authentication

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9-7.1 Passwords

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9-7.1.1 Password Selection Requirements

* * * * *

[Revise items a and b to read as follows:]

a. For privileged users and personnel in technology areas, passwords must consist of at least eight characters and contain at least one character from each of the following: English uppercase letters (A-Z), English lowercase letters (AZ), and westernized Arabic numerals (0-9).

b. For all other users, passwords must consist of at least six alphanumeric characters and contain at least one character from each of the following: English uppercase letters (AZ), English lowercase letters (AZ), and westernized Arabic numerals (0-9).

* * * * *

- Corporate Information Security Office,
Information Technology, 4-17-03

NOTICE

New External (Internet) E-Mail Addresses

Information Technology has changed the format of external (or Internet) e-mail addresses for everyone who has Postal Service e-mail accounts, either Outlook or cc:Mail.

Users of Postal Service e-mail systems have two e-mail addresses: one for internal use and one for use from outside the Postal Service network. The new external e-mail address is more intuitive, personal, and easier to understand and remember. From now on, a user's external e-mail address is his or her full name, including middle initial. To simplify the format even further, we have eliminated the "email" portion of the address (i.e., xxxxx@email.usps.gov).

Under the old system, users Jane Q. Richards and John Q. Richardson would have had the following addresses:

jrichar1@email.usps.gov (Jane)
jrichar2@email.usps.gov (John)

Under the new system, these addresses would be simplified as follows:

jane.q.richards@usps.gov
john.q.richardson@usps.gov

Note: Special characters, such as apostrophes, tildes (~), and hyphens, are not included in the external e-mail address; however, this change will not affect external e-mail addresses already in place.

With the new system, external e-mails sent to your old external e-mail address will be rerouted to your new external e-mail address. This change will not affect your internal e-mail address.

You can look up your own new address and others at http://aceutility.usps.gov.

If you have any problems or questions regarding this change, please contact 800-USPS-HELP. You will be prompted to indicate which system or application requires support. Outlook users should say "Outlook," and cc:Mail users should say "cc:Mail," then "user."

- Technology Planning, Policy, and Communications, Information Technology, 4-17-03

Customer Relations

Mail Alert

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.