FederalDaily - March 29, 2007
USPS Global Business Group Debuts
The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) has launched a new Global Business group to consolidate all postal
international efforts into a single unit. The separate international units—operations, transportation,
finance, planning, information technology, account management and postal relations—now all come
under the auspices of Global Business, said Paul Vogel, USPS global business managing director, on
March 27. In making the move, USPS officials hope to increase the Postal Service’s $1.9 billion
annual share of the international shipping market. Vogel said a USPS market analysis shows that the
time is right for international expansion. “We will look at entering into contractual arrangements
for international commercial mailers,” Vogel said. “We have the flexibility to do that,
but we’ve never really exercised it until now.” Last year the Postal Service collected,
processed and delivered more than 793 million pieces of international mail, generating $1.9 billion
in revenue. To see more, go to: www.usps.com/communications/newsroom/2007/pr07_024.htm
:: Back to Top ::
Report Examines Alleged Climate Science Politicization
A government whistleblowers group released a new report March 27 which details the findings of a year-long
investigation into alleged political interference at federal agencies that address climate science
issues. The Government Accountability Project (GAP) looked at allegations that policies and practices
have increasingly been used to restrict the flow of scientific information emerging from publicly-funded
climate change research. A primary finding shows that there were objectionable and possibly illegal
restrictions placed on climate scientists in their communication of scientific information to the media,
said GAP staff attorney Tarek Maassarani, author of the report. “The government has failed to
provide any justifications for these increasingly restrictive policies and practices, which seem to
kick in whenever there is politically inconvenient science,” said Maassarani. The report was
presented to the Investigation and Oversight Subcommittee of the House Science and Technology Committee,
which is holding hearings on allegations of political interference in climate change science. GAP wants
Congress to adopt new rules that would prevent such interference, including implementation of a less
restrictive and more transparent media policy. To see more, go to: www.whistleblower.org/content/press_detail.cfm?press_id=853&keyword
:: Back to Top ::
NTEU Launches First TSA Chapter
The National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) has chartered its initial chapter for employees of the
Transportation Security Administration (TSA)—opening a bargaining unit for 1,400 TSA workers
at John F. Kennedy (JFK) International Airport in New York. The move is controversial because NTEU—which
won an election to represent all Bureau of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) workers—has not
received final certification from the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA). The union is vying
with the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) to represent the workers. AFGE filed its
latest appeal in the case on March 19. NTEU President Colleen Kelley said on March 27 that the JFK
organizing drive was conducted in response to requests from TSA employees who had previously organized
together as the Metropolitan Airport Workers Association. “NTEU is uniquely positioned to represent
TSA employees given our long history of representing other federal employees—now part of CBP—who
are charged with the security of our nation,” Kelley said. AFGE President John Gage was sharp
in his criticism. “NTEU should be ashamed,” Gage said. “They are misrepresenting
themselves as a TSA union. They have been nowhere in sight for five years of workplace abuse.” To
see more, go to: www.nteu.org/PressKits/PressRelease/PressRelease.aspx?ID=1069 or www.afge.org/Index.cfm?Page=PressReleases&PressReleaseID=722
:: Back to Top ::
|
