A federal appeals court has upheld $540,000 in damages the U.S. Postal Service owes to a New England artist who did not authorize his sculpture to appear on a 37-cent Korean War stamp. Last week’s ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit is a victory for Frank Gaylord, 89, a World…
Representative David McKinley (R-WV) proposes to assist rural America by introducing a bipartisan resolution that would end the “go-slow” approach to mail delivery and return USPS to a time when customers received their newspapers, medication and credit card bills on time. According to Rep. McKinley, that was the norm before July 1, 2012, when the…
For the first time, the USPS Office of Inspector General (OIG) has placed a value on the “brand” of the USPS. In an article published January 29, 2015, on FierceGovernment.com, the USPS OIG valued the Postal Service’s brand at $3.6 billion. Although the USPS OIG believes the USPS should “regularly evaluate its brand value,” the…
A January 26, 2015 article posted on the KOAM TV 7 website, reported that, during a Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee meeting Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO) reinforced the importance of post offices to rural Missourians, as well as, the pressing need for USPS reforms. According to Senator McCaskill, it’s time to get the “really…
Join AUSPL President Morgan Wolaver, AUSPL Director of Operations, Mark Karolczyk, Harry Glenn of Van Scoyoc & Associates, and AUSPL members for an opportunity to meet with members of Congress and their staff. Please review the following preliminary schedule and call us at 800-572-9483 so we may add you to our group. We look forward to hearing…
What Law Applies and Where Will the Case be Decided? Unlike other commercial leases with private tenants, a lease with the Postal Service is most likely not governed by a particular state’s laws. All USPS leases entered into after March 1, 1979 are automatically subject to the Contract Disputes Act (CDA). The CDA requires all…
The landlord needs to know the site area and building area of the properties they lease to the Postal Service. The building area is the net interior square feet of the space. Exterior walls are not included. The site area is the area encompassed by the leased parcel of land. It is the land area…
By Harry Glenn
The 113th Congress closed with a flurry of activity last month and members of your AUSPL board and staff were on the ground in our nation’s Capital to monitor legislative activity and meet the key players on postal reform legislation in the upcoming 114th Congress.
President of the Board Morgan Wolaver, Vice President Gary Phillips, and Director of Operations Mark Karolczyk were pleased to learn while they were there that the final omnibus appropriations bill to keep the federal government open and running through September 30, 2015 included a legislative provision stating, “That none of the funds provided in this Act shall be used to consolidate or close small rural and other small post offices.” The legislation also included a provision requiring the postal service to maintain six-day mail delivery throughout the same time period.
The U.S. Postal Service has had its fair share of gripes with Congress over the last several years. From burdening it with required payment to prefund future retirees’ health benefits to blocking the closure of post offices and facilities to failing to pass comprehensive reform, postal management and lawmakers have often been at odds. Congress…
“Nothing makes a bigger impression on lawmakers than a visit from constituents,” according to a November 26, 2014 article in The Hill, a Washington, D.C. publication. The article, linked below, reported on a three year study conducted by the Congressional Management Foundation (CMF). The study determined that visits to the Washington DC offices of legislators…