Postal Service accounting is, to say the least, complex. Not only does it have to measure “institutional” costs – like maintaining the USPS Headquarters building – and “attributable” costs – like the manual distribution of Periodicals flats – but it also has to divide those costs between the market dominant products and competitive products. A core statutory requirement is that…
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As 2022 came to a close, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy was interviewed by Government Executive to get his opinions about progress in implementing his 10-year Plan. For DeJoy, 2023 is the “Year of Implementation” when many of the operational changes he’s been planning finally are put in place and, presumably, begin to deliver the efficiencies and cost savings that he…
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In the closing days of 2022, the legal wrangling continued between the Postal Service and a group of industry associations about how to account for the billions of forgiven USPS debt resulting from last April’s Postal Service Reform Act of 2022. Earlier As has been previously reported, the debate started when the Postal Service sent a letter to the Postal…
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In a document filed December 30 with the Postal Regulatory Commission, the Postal Service provided the calculations for its additional (over-CPI) rate authorities under the PRC’s November 2020 final rule. According to the Postal Service’s calculations, its added rate authority under the “density” provision is 1.026%, and its “retirement” rate authority is 1.036%. The “non-compensatory” rate authority is a fixed…
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It’s a new year, and new privacy laws are emerging across the country. Commercial mail producers need to understand the latest developments so they and their clients don’t inadvertently run afoul of the requirements and limitations these laws impose. To keep you informed, join us on January 17 at 1 pm ET when Stacy O. Stitham and David Swetnam-Burland of…
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This article was produced by Merry Law, Mailers Hub’s expert consultant on international mail. Merry may be reached at MLaw@WorldVu.com. The Universal Postal Union’s administrative bodies, the Council of Administration (CA) and the Postal Operations Council (POC), met in their regularly scheduled quarterly meeting in late October. In addition to the usual meetings, a one-day conference on opening further to…
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This article was produced exclusively for Mailers Hub by Stacy O. Stitham & David Swetnam-Burland of Brann & Isaacson. The firm is the Mailers Hub recommended legal counsel for mail producers on legal issues, including tax, privacy, consumer protection, intellectual property, vendor contracts, and employment matters. In June 2021, we published an article advising our readers about three states that…
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When the comments of an organization’s top executive to its board of directors are published in a press release after they’ve met, it’s likely that such a statement is less intended to report on the meeting’s proceedings than to provide curated information for public and media consumption. Any candid discussions among the organization’s leadership are kept confidential. The Postal Service’s…
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Though the Postal Service has issued its PQ IV service performance data, it remains questionable whether the reported figures truly represent the service experience of the associated class or category of mail. Significant quantities of mail remain not “in measurement” for any of several reasons, but the leading causes are “long haul,” “no piece scan,” and “no start-the clock.” The…
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As informed members of the commercial mailing community are aware, the Postal Service’s Board of Governors consists of the Postmaster General, the Deputy PMG, and nine political appointees who are nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate. The nine appointed governors serve staggered seven-year terms, and each can serve an additional holdover (or “grace”) year until a successor…
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