There’s another vacancy on the Postal Service’s Board of Governors: Robert Duncan resigned effective March 27. According to his letter of resignation that was included in the Postal Service’s press release, Duncan is now “coping with a chronic and progressive health condition that is preventing me from giving this role the full time and attention it deserves.” A supporter of…
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Speculation Abounds After DeJoy’s Departure – Analysis
When Louis DeJoy announced February 18 that he’d “notified the Postal Service Board of Governors that it is time for them to begin the process of identifying his successor,” speculation began about how that process would unfold. In his statement, he clearly anticipated that the governors would have plenty of time to find his replacement and that he, in turn,…
Read MoreLipstick on a Pig – Commentary
It’s doubtful that anyone doesn’t know the meaning of the analogy that something is “like putting lipstick on a pig.” With no offense intended to pigs, it simply means that the fundamental nature of something isn’t changed or improved by the addition of superficial or cosmetic devices. The analogy applies to the recent press release (and accompanying Industry Alert and…
Read MoreDeJoy Turns to DOGE for Help – Analysis
In a three-and-a-half page letter sent March 13 to the leadership of the House and Senate and the respective committees with USPS oversight, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy recited – again – the many faults he found with the agency when he arrived, and listed seven areas in which his 10-year Plan has led to “impactful” accomplishments. The task list In…
Read MoreWhite House Announces Plan to Take Control of USPS
A report this evening by the Washington Post indicated that the White House was planning an executive order to take direct control of the Postal Service. The article, based on informed sources, stated that the administration plans to fire the governors and move the USPS under the control of the Commerce Department. The report added that, in response, the governors…
Read MorePerception vs Reality
Very few – if any – regular readers of Mailers Hub News may include in their daily routine monitoring the Federal Register or the docket postings on the Postal Regulatory Commission’s website. Those who do, however, likely have noticed the dozens – hundreds – of Postal Service negotiated service agreements that have been filed and approved in recent months. Paperwork…
Read MoreUSPS Reports $9.5 Billion Loss for Fiscal 2024
At the November 14 meeting of its Board of Governors, the Postal Service reported a loss of $9.5 billion for its 2024 fiscal year (October 1, 2023, through September 30, 2024). That amount is $3 billion larger than the loss reported for fiscal 2023, far different from the projected $1.7 billion surplus anticipated in Postmaster General Louis DeJoy’s 10-Year Plan.…
Read MoreUSPS Cancels Planned January Price Increase
In an unexpected announcement late Friday, September 20, the Postal Service announced that it will not be increasing prices for market-dominant products next January as had been forecast. In its press release and concurrent Industry Alert, the agency stated: “A recommendation by Postmaster General Louis DeJoy not to raise prices in January 2025 for Market Dominant products, which includes First-Class…
Read MoreNew Machine, Familiar Problems
A widely-redacted audit report, titled Planning and Deployment of the Matrix Regional Sorter, issued September 5 by the USPS Office of Inspector General, focused on another example of the agency’s recent shoot-ready-aim behavior. Background and findings As the OIG described the machine: “ … The MaRS is a package sorting machine designed to increase package processing capacity and efficiency while…
Read MorePRC Opens Rulemaking About USPS Service Measurement
In an order issued July 2, the Postal Regulatory Commission opened a rulemaking to evaluate the Postal Service’s service performance measurement system. As is reported regularly in Mailers Hub News, the current system does not measure service on a significant portion of the mailstream. In PQII/FY2024 (January-March), for example, only 63.81% of First-Class Mail (all commercial rate), 72.37% of Marketing…
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