Last week, the Postal Service unveiled its latest proposal to save money by reducing truck trips and slowing service to rural customers.
You can find out more – and potentially speak and ask questions – by attending the “USPS Pre-Filing Conference” via Zoom on Thursday, September 5 from 1pm -3pm ET. Space is limited and the registration deadline is September 3rd so sign up asap.
Insights from Stephen Kearney, Executive Director of The Alliance of Nonprofit Mailers:
“The proposal is driven entirely by the Postal Service’s goal to make its network more efficient for packages and mail. A large part of the estimated $2.8 to $3.3 billion in annual savings would be from the ‘Regional Transportation Initiative’ that would eliminate picking up mail in the evening from many rural post offices, adding another day’s delivery time to mostly First-Class Mail.
The first regulatory step is a remote “pre-filing conference” where a panel of USPS staff will explain their proposal, answer questions, and sometimes respond to comments.
In a sense, this is not a surprise. We had heard something like this was coming. More importantly, this action is another natural response to an agency mandated to operate as a self-funding business under a statutory monopoly with a weak regulator. This is USPS operating more like Amazon, FedEx, and UPS than a government agency attempting to serve all Americans well and equally.
USPS leadership wants to improve service for anyone near a processing facility while diminishing it for rural citizens and the mailers that interact with them.”
PMG will be attending the USPS Pre-Filing Conference on September 5 to learn more and express our concerns. Please join us!
