Conference 7.286::digital

I can't imagine that there could be any objection in any quarter to such an
action if you are using US Mail. I'm relatively sure that no policy prohibits
or controls it. There is no difference to DEC and the mailroom whether incoming
US mail is personal, business or junk. And Lord knows there's plenty of the
latter.

-Jack

    The DEC mail room has, upon occasion, not delivered mail it has
    determined to be personal and not business.  Sometimes they have been
    correct.

    Well every year when I go on holiday I send postcards to several
    friends at their place of work within DEC. I don't know about the USA
    but in the UK interfering with the mail is an offense and, as a letter
    is the property of the post office until it is delivered to person to
    whom it is addressed when it then becomes their property, I would say
    failing to deliver mail could leave you in trouble.

    Jamie.

Re: .2, Tom

I could be wrong, but I believe the reports of DEC Mailroom interception
of personal mail have all been in relation to personal mail which was
sent via *DIGITAL Interoffice Mail*, rather than US Mail. I can (almost)
understand this since anything in DIGITAL Interoffice Mail should properly be
the company's property anyway.

Re: .3, Jamie

I think the prohibition against tampering with or intercepting US Mail
stops once the mail has left the posession of the USPS, but I could be wrong.
The rationale might be that the USPS has fulfilled their duty by getting
it to the DIGITAL plant in question. Since they don't personally deliver it
to your Mailslot, it's probably not reasonable to assume that any postal
restrictions apply once it's out of their hands. (Any lingering doubts I
have about this center around the idea that supposedly no one is to open
rural mailboxes but the owner and the postal carrier. In this case, apparently
once it's out of the USPS hands, it's still protected. I don't know if such
a case has ever been prosecuted.)

-Jack

    How come you never sent me a card then Anderson?
    
    Miffed_Laurie.

    
    Digital has no choice about delivering U.S. mail whether 
    personal or business.  They have lots of choice about
    internal mail.
    
    Steve
    

    Re. .5

    Reread my reply and you will see why.

    Jamie.

    About four years ago, I took a job in Littleton.  I was
    temp-living, staying in a hotel, and my wife was back at
    my old location.  

    She foolishly sent me a card, through US mail, addressed
    to my digital address.  

    The fascists in the mailroom refused to deliver it because
    it was personal mail.  

    I believe they decided this because it was a hallmark
    envelope, hand addressed.

    	- Lee Lindquist

    "Facists"? DOn't dignify fools with names that make them sound more
    than they are. Otherwise you degrade the terminology....
    

    
    Re: .8
    
    If you had complained to the US Postal Service, there would
    have been quite a flap.  The USPS would have been required by
    law to investigate and I suspect they would have raised quite
    a stink with Digital.
    
    Steve
    

    Over the years DEC has periodically asked people NOT to send Christmas
    cards internally.  'spect they will again.  Let's face it, mail rooms,
    etc., are barely staffed now.  Here in CXN it is completely uncovered.
    
    The whole deal on the mail was run through the grinder a couple of
    years ago.  Believe that it was decided that Digital was under no
    obligation to act as an adjunct to the USPS.

    I think it depends on the facility you are in.  Here at SHR I get lots
    of personal mail for people in my department all the time.
    
    Linda
    

    When I relocated a few years ago, they needed me immediately, so I
    started work before I had a place to live. I gave my work address as a
    forwarding address. To this day, I still get L L Bean catalogs at my
    work address.
    
    Funny that at one site they won't deliver a card sent through US mail,
    while at another they deliver "junk mail."
    
    Cathy

    Question
    
    What are the rules of adressing in the US & UK? This could be germain
    to this discussion.
    
    In my neck of the woods there is a distinction in how one writes an
    address:
    
    a) Digital Eq...
         Attn: Joe Bloggs
       Street adr...
    
    b) Joe Bloggs
       c/o Digital ....
           Street adr...
    
    In the former case, the adressee is DEC (and is opened by the people
    receiving mail); in the second case, the adressee is Joe Bloggs and
    should not be opened. Most people, however, are fairly ignorant of this
    distinction, and thereby will often accuse "the system" (post office or
    Digital mail room) of not doing the right thing. (This is not to say
    that they always do do the right thing---ignorance, as we all know, can
    spread to many quarters, also mail handlers).
    
    Mauritz
    

    re .13
    
    HEY! The L.L. Bean catalog is NOT junk mail...!
    
    8^)

This has been discussed before.

Anyone who claims that law or postal regulations in the U.S. have been
violated by Digital refusing to deliver mail

	I S   W R O N G .

Unless the mail is marked "Deliver to Addressee Only" (and the extra fee
for that service is paid), the U.S. Post Office delivers to the address,
as determined by

	T H E   L A S T   T W O   L I N E S .

Once Digital receives the mail from the Post Office, it belongs to Digital,
even if addressed to an individual.  Digital can decide whether to deliver
it or not, and the Post Office will not come help if some employee is not
following the Corporate Mail Policy, which states that incoming personal
mail delivered to the correct facility by the Post Office _will_ be delivered
to the employee.

/john