Results tagged “usps”

Yesterday the US Postal Service announced they would save 9 of the 14 branches that were set to shutter, due to a decrease in business. CityRoom reports that the five still being shut down are in the Bronx and Queens.

While some might claim the worst Post Office in Brooklyn is in Park Slope... the Williamsburg USPS worker bees are working the hardest they've ever worked to steal that title away. The South 4th Street outlet is known for slow service and a blatant disregard for customer service... and sometimes technical difficulties! A reader tells us that those on line this past Saturday got the added treat of being told "there was a problem getting the computers started and there would be a delay for the windows."

The U.S. Postal Service released a revised list (PDF) of locations it is closing, due to its financial woes (it lost $7 billion in the fiscal year that ended September 30), and 16 NYC locations are listed. Seven are in the Bronx, seven are in Manhattan, and two are in Queens—full list after the jump. While it's not pretty, 53 locations were on the possible closing list in the summer.

The Botanical Station post office in the Bronx is on the chopping block, as the Postal Service faces a $7 billion deficit. The NY Times visits the establishment, one older patron saying she doesn't "know what I would do" if it shut down. The PO's landlord doesn't want to them leave either, "They always pay on time. It’s like money in the bank." The paper notes that this is just one of 15 city post offices that may be shuttered, 7 of which are in the Bronx (here's a list of 14 of them).

Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney met with the NYC postmaster to discuss the possibility of closing the Pitt Station post office as part of much-needed budget cuts. The USPS points out that Knickerbocker Station is only three-tenths of a mile away. But LES seniors point out that that can be really far for some people, as well as the fact that Knickerbocker has stairs. And old people hate stairs. [The Lo-Down]

The argument over where New York's worst post office is could go on forever, since they are all pretty much the worst, but one tipster is tossing the 9th Street Post Office of Park Slope into the hat. So angered by the slowness of the establishment, this morning one local (we have our suspicions) turned to the chalk to take out their aggressions. Now, now, let's all take a deep breath and recall when residents rallied for the now-closed Prince Street Post Office, declaring: "The Worst Post Office is Better Than No Post Office!"

News about the potential shuttering of post offices across the city is drawing scrutiny from politicians and residents, who are both upset and skeptical about the Postal Service's announcement. After a list of 53 post offices under consideration for closing was released—and then amended to include only 14 locations—the NY Times reports today that many just flat-out don't believe the USPS is cutting back on the cut-backs. Says New York postal union President Clarice Torrence, "On station closings they’ve always been very deceptive...If they amended the list they would let me know." Rep. Anthony Weiner, meanwhile, points to the closings confusion as an example of Newman-style post office ineptitude: "The way the U.S.P.S. has released information in dribs and drabs, it’s no wonder that they have been losing business." That loss of business is the main reason for the $7 billion budget hole facing the USPS this year—with too little mail and too many branches, USPS officials are hoping that enough closings might help the service "become more efficient."

The United States Postal Service's budget problems are forcing the agency to consider closing many post offices across the county. Yesterday, the Postal Regulatory Commission released a list of almost 700 locations that might need to go. The AP reports, "Some of the offices could be closed while others could have some of their functions consolidated with other offices. For example, in some cases preparing mail for delivery may be shifted from Office A to nearby Office B, but the first office might still offer such services as selling stamps and mailing parcels and letters. In other cases one of the offices might be closed."

The much-maligned yet convenient Prince Street Post Office (which later moved to Greene Street) closed last week. Of course, the location's P.O. Box customers only found out about the closing when they were greeted by the sign directing them to pick up packages at the Canal Street station.

You better make sure you have some 2-cent stamps on hand, because stamp prices are rising from 42 cents to 44 cents tomorrow. One Manhattan resident wasn't too upset about the price hike, telling the Daily News, "If I had to buy 1,000 stamps, it would be a big deal. The biggest inconvenience is having to get the new stamps." Of course, the Forever stamp is helpful that way, since its price doesn't change—more details about new stamp prices here. And the USPS have been looking at a number of cost-cutting measures—from eliminating 24-hour teller service at the James Farley Post Office (the stamp machines and PO Boxes are will available 24-7) to consolidating mail operations. Most recently, local lawmakers were infuriated with the USPS's idea to move Queens mail processing to Brooklyn, which would mean an end to a Queens postmark. Mail from Queens would be sent to Brooklyn for processing...and then back to Queens, which worries residents, lawmakers and postal worker unions about lost time in transit.

Residents and businesses near the 27 West 60th Street post office can put off having a cow for now: The post office will stay open for another year. According to the West Side Spirit, the USPS was considering closing the location (perhaps moving it) when the lease was up at the end of the month, because "the landlord was reportedly asking for more than twice the current rent of about $400,000 month." However, both sides came to an agreement for at least a one year reprieve (details are not disclosed as this point). Rep. Jerrold Nadler said, "This is great news for the West Side. I’m very pleased that the Columbus Circle Post Office was able to successfully renegotiate its lease. This means that neighborhood residents won’t have to travel far afield to do their basic postal errands.” Nadler is also working on trying to work with the USPS on the Prince Street post office, where the lease is up in July.

Sorry, 24-hour party people in need of late-night/early-hour postal workers: The Daily News reports that the 24-hour retail window at the James A. Farley Post Office will close starting May 9. The new hours: Monday-Friday, 7 a.m.-10 p.m.; Saturday 9 a.m.-9 p.m.; and Sunday 11 a.m.-7 p.m. The Farley post office's lobby will remain open 24 hours a day, so customers can access their P.O. boxes and use the automated machines. Regarding the possible closings of Manhattan branches, USPS spokesman George Flood said discussions were ongoing and other locations for the branches were also being considered.

Yesterday, the U.S.P.S. announced a number of cost-saving measures—closing six of 80 district offices and offering 150,000 employees early retirement— to save $100 million annually. The U.S.P.S., which had a $2.8 billion deficit in 2008, is reviewing other cuts, and Senator Charles Schumer is defending Staten Island's mail processing at the Manor Road Post Office, where all of the borough's mail gets its postmark. The U.S.P.S. is considering moving outgoing mail processing (and 300 employees) to Brooklyn or Queens; the P.O. would stay open, but the Staten Island Advance points out, "Letters addressed to Staten Island then would be brought back by truck for distribution here." Schumer' wrote to the Postmaster General, "It is unacceptable that the United States Post Office is even considering shutting down the outgoing mail facility at the Manor Road Post Office ... During this economic crisis, transferring these workers to Brooklyn or Queens would cost them time, transportation costs and could damage the quality of [mail] delivery for Staten Island."

With the U.S. Postal Service asking Congress to authorize a five-day work week for postal employes, down from the current six-day week, because of falling revenues, the NY Post turned to a well-known figure. However, that figure is known for only , not actually being one. Yes, the Post has a column from Wayne Knight, aka the actor who played Newman on Seinfeld.

The Postmaster General asked a Congressional Panel to "end the requirement that the post office deliver mail six days a week," according to NY1. The U.S.P.S. had a $2.8 billion deficit last year, due to rising costs and more people using e-mail instead of snail mail and believes that things won't get better as the economy is still hurting. The NY1 adds, "If the post office was to cut its delivery days, it would not necessarily cancel Saturday delivery. Previous studies have looked at the possibility of skipping some other day, such as Tuesday." This month, the price of Priority and Express Mail shipping went up and postage rate pricing will be announced next month. Image: The Year of the Ox stamp.

The US Postal Service reopened a newly modified Operation Santa Claus yesterday after it had been temporarily shut down earlier this week following a "breach of security" when a postal worker discovered that a registered sex offender in Maryland "adopted" one of the hundreds of thousands of letters to Santa sent in by needy children this holiday season.

The U.S. Postal Service shut down its beloved Operation Santa program, where people can take letters to Santa written by needy children and send those kids gifts. The NY Times has the grim explanation:

A Postal Service official in Washington, after an initial, limited acknowledgment of a “privacy breach,” said that at one of the programs, not New York’s, a man whom a letter carrier recognized as a registered sex offender had “adopted” a letter. When postal officials confronted the man, the official said, he said he was sincerely trying to do a good deed, but postal inspectors nonetheless retrieved the letter and notified the family of the child.

; you can wait until 12/20 if you're sending it first-class and priority mail or until 12/23 if it's sent via express mail. And yesterday was also the busiest day of the year for FedEx (for Christmas delivery, you have until 12/17 to ship via FedEx Ground and until 12/23 via FedEx Express).

Eight-year-old Alexander Toulouse was struck and killed by a mail truck Saturday afternoon in Downtown Brooklyn. Alexander, known as the "little professor," was biking near his Cobble Hill home with his father, Fordham University political science professor Christopher Toulouse, when a postal truck turning on Livingston Street and Boerum Place hit the boy without ever having seen him. A witness said that the driver "wasn't going real fast" and was not charged after staying on the scene following the accident. Witnesses said he appeared devastated. The NY Daily News says that Alexander had just begun third grade at P.S. 29, was a big fan of Dancing With the Stars and a fervent supporter of Barack Obama.

Last night around 10:50 p.m., heavy smoke was reported at the landmark James A Farley Post Office on Eighth Avenue. Dozens of people were evacuated as the city's only 24-hour postal service branch was shut down so firefighters could locate the cause.

Has anyone else out there found their New Yorker subscription arriving later and later in the week? We're pitifully elated if it's in our mailbox before Thursday, and on more than one occasion it hasn’t even been delivered until the following week. Sure, there's content online, but you can't bring that on the subway!

This morning around 6:15 a.m., two people were shot outside the Manhattanville Houses at 1430 Amsterdam Avenue before the gunman shot himself. Now it turns out the shooter was a postal carrier who had gotten into a fight with the men.

Yesterday afternoon, a United State Postal Service tractor-trailer hit a fire truck in Laurelton, Queens, leaving a total of eight people injured. The truck had been responding to an alarm on 226th Street when the USPS vehicle hit it in the side at North Conduit Avenue and 225th Street. Then a taxi minivan crashed into the USPS truck.

Another noose was found Thursday afternoon - and this time, it was outside the Church Street Post Office. Um, WTF is going on?

Migrating birds should have a safer journey now that the US Post Office has altered the exterior of one of its Manhattan facilities. Migrating birds have annually fallen prey to the Morgan General Mail Facility in Chelsea. The distribution center between 9th and 10th Aves. has a south face that reflects the trees in Chelsea Park on 28th St. Thinking they've found a nice perch, many birds smack into the side of the building. Volunteers for the Audubon Society counted 338 avian fatalities at the Morgan mail building during last fall's migratory season.

Take this as your dose of levity for the day: As part of a big Star Wars stamp roll out for the film's 30th anniversary, the US Postal Service will have some mailboxes across the country wrapped with R2D2 decals.

It's not surprising news, but it's a reminder why people don't live in New York City. A report from the Independent Budget Office showed that New York City has the biggest tax burden than eight other big cities. In fact, NYC's tax burden is practically 50% higher than the average of cities like Philadelphia, Los Angeles, San Antonio, Houston, Chicago, Dallas, Phoenix and San Diego. (We don't know where San Francisco, Boston, or Seattle were during this survey.) For every $100, New York City's state and local taxes "absorbed" $9.02, while other cities average $6.16.

Shortly before 10, Gothamist got a tip that it was snowing in Manhattan in the Flatiron district. Just a few minutes ago, we witnessed the first snowfall of the Winter outside our offices in Greenpoint. The snow seemed to be coming from a swath of dark clouds above us. Those clouds have since been replaced by blue skies.

Columbia University sent out its admissions letters on Wednesday, and clever applicants figured out a way to see if they were admitted before the mail actually arrived. Apparently, the admissions officers were photographed sending out the "yes" letters via FedEx, while the rejections went out via USPS. As soon as the photo was published in the Spec, applicants picked up on it: