Few Americans may be interested, and fewer may be observing closely, but those who are will soon see how an autocrat gets to do what he wants. To comply with statute, and allay Congressional critics – who won’t do anything anyway – the Postal Service is going through the process of seeking an advisory opinion from the Postal Regulatory Commission…
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Everyone felt a bit of relief on September 20 when the Postal Service announced it wouldn’t be raising rates next January. In the official quote included in the announcement, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy stated that “Our strategies are working, and projected inflation is declining,” and that, as a result, eliminating the January increase was possible. While the elimination of the…
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In speaking with our subscribers, a frequent and predictable topic is the price and service impacts of Postmaster General Louis DeJoy’s 10-Year Plan. At some point in such conversations comes the question of how and by whom implementation of his Plan can be slowed or stopped. The answer is simple: only two entities can do that, and neither is about…
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It’s not news that frequent price increases, declining volume, and worsening service have characterized the Postal Service as the policies of Postmaster General Louis DeJoy have been implemented. It’s also not news that these conditions have drawn increasing attention from Congress and the Postal Regulatory Commission. Nonetheless, nothing has been done – other than hearings and letters and other protestations…
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As the Postal Service was accelerating its repurposing and consolidation of mail processing operations, it became known that one facility that would be affected was the Missoula (MT) P&DC. Under the network realignment plan, it would be downgraded to a Local Processing Center, handling only mail destinating in its service area. Outgoing volume would be trucked nearly 200 miles over…
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Industry people who’ve often heard Postmaster General Louis DeJoy speak, such as at the Mailers Technical Advisory Committee, usually have a different perspective of him than those who’ve heard him less, such as at the National Postal Forum. Just about every time, the topic is his 10-Year Plan. On its face, DeJoy’s argument about the need to take decisive action…
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Everyone is familiar with “the dog ate my homework” as characterizing any proffered excuse that falls short of being an adequate explanation for the related circumstance. (Pity the poor kid whose dog really did eat his homework.) The latest example is in one of the Postal Service’s weekly news releases bragging about its “stable” service performance. In the December 11…
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Sometimes it might be better to retain a working process rather than implement something else. The article below is a report from one of our subscribers, and illustrates a situation in which a practical ad hoc solution was ended simply because it wasn’t “official.” If only the Postal Service would operate like a business! Here is the perfect example of…
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There always have been occasional stories about somebody getting a letter or card that a long-dead relative had sent years or decades earlier. Where a piece of mail could spend such an interval was always the object of speculation: in an empty sack, stuck in an old letter case, behind a piece of post office furniture – who knows. More…
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Nearly three years into the reign of Louis DeJoy as Postmaster General, many in the commercial mail production business have conceded that their irrelevance to Postal Service leadership is now nearly total. Accordingly, what they think or need matters virtually not at all at L’Enfant Plaza, and, as a result, we’re all just along for the ride. Where that ride…
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