Along for the Ride

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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USPS Announces Additional Rate Authorities for FY 2023

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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PMG Comments Foretell Continued Price Increases – Analysis

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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Board of Governors Openings Draw Attention

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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PRC Proposes Changes to USPS Service Performance Reporting

A proposed rule published by the Postal Regulatory Commission in the September 30 Federal Register seeks to enhance the information provided by the Postal Service’s periodic reports about service performance. Background In an earlier advance notice of proposed rulemaking, published in the May 2 Federal Register, the PRC proposed “… revisions to existing annual and periodic service performance reporting requirements for the Postal Service’s market-dominant…

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In His Own Words

It’s hardly news that hard-copy mail volume is shrinking – it has been for fifteen years as the uptake of electronic messaging has accelerated.  However, the diversion to electronic media that may work in some applications – personal emails and texts in place of written letters and cards – doesn’t mean all messages translate well.  Many individuals still prefer paper bills and…

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