The United States Postal Service announced it has filed plans with the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) to improve mail processing and transportation and explained how these improvements will align with proposed refinements within its existing service standards for Mail and Package Products. Last month, the Postal Service held a virtual conference about the proposed changes where it solicited feedback from its stakeholders, including the mailing and shipping community and members of the public, to consider their input and ensure the utmost transparency throughout the process and comply with the applicable regulatory processes. Comments received during the virtual conference have been considered and the Postal Service has now filed its formal request asking for an advisory opinion from the PRC. After receiving an advisory opinion from the PRC, the Postal Service will consider the Commission’s opinion and finalize its decision.

The ballots have today (28 June) began landing at the homes of members of the Communication Workers Union (CWU), which represents postal workers, and the result will be known on 19 July. The union is demanding that Royal Mail Group negotiates with it to secure a “straight, no strings pay increase” for employees. At the time of writing, management intends to impose a 2% pay rise by executive action. The CWU said that in an economic climate where inflation has already soared to 11.7% by May, this would mean “a dramatic real-terms wage cut of Royal Mail employees, who were key workers during the height of the pandemic”. A CWU spokesperson said: “Britain’s postal workers are being forced into accepting a massive pay cut by the same people they have generated incredible profits for.

In its unwavering focus to safeguard data, IWCO Direct, a leading provider of data-driven direct marketing solutions, announced it has achieved HITRUST CSF v8.1 Certification for all facilities through ControlCase, an approved HITRUST Assessor. HITRUST CSF Certification includes Mail-Gard®, a division of IWCO Direct that provides business continuity and disaster recovery services. The certification demonstrates all supporting systems meet key regulations and requirements for protecting and securing sensitive personal healthcare information (PHI). The Health Information Trust Alliance (HITRUST), in collaboration with healthcare, business, technology, and information security leaders, established HITRUST CSF, a certifiable framework that can be used by all organizations that create, access, store or exchange personal health and financial information. Click Read More below for additional detail.