United States Postal Service - The Black Vault

Board of Governors, United States Postal Service (USPS) Meeting Minutes

John Greenewald — Sat, 28 Jan 2017 03:07:33 +0000

Background

The Board of Governors of the U.S. Postal Service is comparable to a board of directors of a publicly held corporation. The Board normally consists of up to nine governors appointed by the President of the United States with the advice and consent of the Senate.

The nine governors select the Postmaster General, who becomes a member of the Board, and those 10 select the Deputy Postmaster General, who also serves on the Board. The Postmaster General serves at the pleasure of the governors for an indefinite term and the Deputy Postmaster General serves at the pleasure of the governors and the Postmaster General.

In 1970, when the Board was established by the Postal Reorganization Act, the governors of the Postal Service were appointed for terms of nine years. The first nine appointments were for staggered terms of one to nine years. Subsequent appointments were made for the full nine years. On December 20, 2006, President George W. Bush signed the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act, P.L. 109-435, which changed the terms of subsequently appointed governors from nine to seven years. The Act also added professional qualifications for the governors. The governors are chosen to represent the public interest generally and cannot be representatives of special interests. Not more than five of the nine may belong to the same political party. They shall be chosen solely based on their experience in the field of public service, law or accounting. However, at least four of the governors shall be chosen solely based on their demonstrated ability in managing organizations or corporations (in either the public or private sector) that employ at least 50,000 employees.

Appointments are made when vacancies occur or for the remainder of unexpired terms. Each governor’s term expires on December 8 of a given year. Governors may continue to serve following expiration of their term or until a successor is appointed but not for more than one year. No person may serve more than two terms as a governor.

The Board directs the exercise of the powers of the Postal Service, directs and controls its expenditures, reviews its practices, conducts long-range planning, approves officer compensation and sets policies on all postal matters. The Board takes up matters such as service standards and capital investments.

In November 2014, the Governors adopted a resolution regarding the exercise of those powers conferred by law solely to the Governors as distinguished from the full Board, which include the appointment and removal of the Postmaster General and the establishment of prices and classifications for postal services. The Governors determined that their ability to exercise those powers reserved to the Governors was not impacted by the loss of a Board quorum. In calendar year 2016, the Board of Governors operated under authority delegated to the Temporary Emergency Committee (TEC), which included one Governor, the Postmaster General and the Deputy Postmaster General.

The TEC will continue in existence until the Board is again able to assemble a quorum.

The governors employ a full-time corporate secretary who serves as the primary staff assistant to the Board. The secretary is generally responsible for coordinating the resources of the Postal Service so that the Board fulfills its statutory duties in the most efficient and informed manner possible. Julie S. Moore is the secretary of the Board.

The Board of Governors meets on a regular basis. Meeting locations are generally in Washington, D.C., but may be scheduled in some other city where the members can see firsthand a Postal Service or large mailer’s operation.

All meetings are open to the public unless the Board specifically votes to close all or part of a meeting in line with exemptions permitted by the Government in the Sunshine Act [5 U.S.C. 552b(b)].

Meeting Minutes

Postal Service Board of Governors Meeting Minutes circa April 2015 – March 2016 [38 Pages, 6.3MB]

Postal Service Board of Governors Meeting Minutes 2014-2015 Release [54 Pages, 6.3MB]

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USPS Investigation: Security Risks in the Capital District Management Advisory Report, January 27, 2014

John Greenewald — Tue, 20 Dec 2016 07:08:32 +0000

Background

The U.S. Postal Service’s security program is. designed to reduce the incidence of crime against employees, the mail, and other assets, as well as maintain the integrity of the Postal Service .. The Postal Service faces a variety of security challenges and threats that it must take seriously.

Our objective was to determine whether the Capital District had an effective anonymous mail program in place to prevent potentially dangerous mail from
entering the. mailstream and a workplace violence program to mitigate violence.

We developed an enhanced security risk model to identify high-risk districts that warrant further review. We analyzed data related to anonymous mail, which
is [ REDACTED REDACTED REDACTED REDACTED REDACTED REDACTED REDACTED REDACTED REDACTED REDACTED ]

We also analyzed data related to workplace violence; suspicious and potentially dangerous mail; and Voice. of the Employee survey results covering fiscal year 2012, Quarter 3, to fiscal year 2013, Quarter 2.

What OIG Found

In addition, Capital District employees did not always follow policy when handling anonymous and potentially dangerous mail and did not always comply with
workplace violence prevention requiirements to effectively mitigate violence in the workplace.

The greatest opportunity to limit inappropriate use of the mail is during the earliest point in the Postal Service’s distribution system. Potentially dangerous mail or an act of wo1rkplace violence could put employees, mail, assets, and the public at risk and negatively impact the Postal Service’s brand. Enforcement of good security practices is essential to an efficient and economical operation.

The Investigation

Security Risks in the Capital District Management Advisory Report, January 27, 2014 [39 Pages, 5.9MB]

https://documents.theblackvault.com/documents/ig/HR-MA-14-003.pdf

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USPS Investigation: Security Risks in the Capital District Management Advisory Report, January 27, 2014

John Greenewald — Fri, 18 Nov 2016 23:10:49 +0000

Background

The U.S. Postal Service’s security program is designed to reduce the incidence of crime against employees, the mail, and other assets, as well as maintain the integrity of the Postal Service .. The Postal Service faces a variety of security challenges and threats that it must take seriously. Our objective was to determine whether the Capital District had an effective anonymous mail program in place to prevent potentially dangerous mail from entering the. mailstream and a workplace violence program to mitigate violence.

We developed an enhanced security risk model to identify high-risk districts that warrant further review. We analyzed data related to anonymous mail, which
is ___________________________________________________________________________.

What the OIG Found

The Capital District did not have an effective anonymous mail program in place to prevent potentially dangerous mail from entering the mailstream and a workplace violence program to mitigate violence. For example, the Capital District had an average anonymous mail testing failure rate of ___ percent. In addition, Capital District employees did not always follow policy when handling anonymous and potentially dangerous mail and did not always comply with workplace violence prevention requirements to effectively mitigate violence in the workplace.

The greatest opportunity to limit inappropriate use of the mail is during the earliest point in the Postal Service’s distribution system. Potentially dangerous mail or an act of workplace violence could put employees, mail, assets, and the public at risk and negatively impact the Postal Service’s brand. Enforcement of good security practices is essential to an efficient and economical operation.

What the OIG Recommended

We recommended management clarify employee roles and responsibilities, require personnel to take additional training, implement anonymous mail program best practices, complete the workplace violence self-audit tool, and establish controls to ensure personnel comply with anonymous mail and workplace violence requirements.

The Report

Report Number HR-MA-14-003 – Security Risks in the Capital District Management Advisory Report – dated January 27, 2014 [39 Pages, 5.9MB]

https://documents.theblackvault.com/documents/ig/HR-MA-14-003FinalDetermination.pdf

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USPS Investigation: Packages Suspected of Containing Marijuana, October 12, 2016

John Greenewald — Mon, 14 Nov 2016 22:24:45 +0000

Background

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s narcotics program is intended to protect U.S. Postal Service employees at nearly 32,000 facilities from the dangers of handling packages containing illegal narcotics and ensuring public trust in the mail. The Postal Inspection Service conducts investigations of individuals attempting to use the mail for drug trafficking. In fiscal year 2015, the Postal Inspection Service seized about 34,000 pounds of marijuana from the mailstream.

We initiated this audit to address allegations regarding postal employees’ handling of packages suspected of containing marijuana at seven post offices in the Capital Metro, Great Lakes, Pacific, and Western areas.

The Investigation

HR-AR-17-001 – Packages Suspected of Containing Marijuana – dated October 12, 2016 [20 Pages, 4.2MB]

https://documents.theblackvault.com/documents/ig/2017-IGFP-00027.pdf

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