Author: Steve Kearney

  • Marketing Mail Content Task Team Off to Slow Start

    Marketing Mail Content Task Team Off to Slow Start January 15, 2019 Day 145: Potential Shutdown of Merchandise in Marketing Mail The USPS public investigation into whether it will ban some or all merchandise from inside Marketing Mail has reached 145 days, with no clear end in sight.  We thought the Postal Service had promised…

  • USPS Watchdogs & Regulators Join Government Shutdown

    USPS Watchdogs & Regulators Join Government Shutdown January 15, 2019 We do not see a major immediate impact from the shutdown of both the USPS regulator and its watchdog.  The January 27 rate increase will go on as planned.  The bringing on board of the new PRC Commissioner Michael Kubayanda will be delayed, as will…

  • Alliance Notes–January 15, 2019

    Alliance Notes–January 15, 2019 December 11, 2018—Fox Business–USPS may ‘franchise’ your mailbox, selling access to private companies December 12, 2018—CNBC–UPS CEO: Consumers can get ‘much better service’ if we get mailbox access December 12, 2018—SDC Executive–Trump Administration Proposes to Monetize Mailboxes December 13, 2018—Fox 32–Postal Service working extra hours during busiest delivery time of the…

  • Postal Report Pitches Eliminating Nonprofit Price Caps–The NonProfit Times

    NPT News & Articles Postal Report Pitches Eliminating Nonprofit Price Caps Postal Report Pitches Eliminating Nonprofit Price Caps  JANUARY 15, 2019       MARK HRYWNA A presidential task force has recommended doing away with price caps on mail products, among a number of suggestions included in a report to put the United States Postal Service (USPS) on…

  • Top Five Things to Track in 2019

    January 2, 2019 Rates Increase January 27 The Postal Service is increasing its rates on Sunday, January 27.  The Postal Regulatory Commission approved the increases.  The average increase for each class of mail is around 2.5 percent: USPS Price Increase Percentages for January 27, 2019 First-Class Mail 2.486% Marketing Mail 2.479% Periodicals 2.520% Package Services…

  • We Welcome Brigitte Schmidt Gwyn to MPA

    January 2, 2019 The Alliance extends a warm welcome to Brigitte Schmitt Gwyn, who today took over the role held by our friend Jim Cregan for many years.  We look forward to a close working relationship with Brigitte, Rita Cohen, and MPA. MPA—THE ASSOCIATION OF MAGAZINE MEDIA TAPS BRIGITTE SCHMIDT GWYN AS EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT…

  • American Mail Alliance Statement

    American Mail Alliance Statement Relating to the Report of the President’s Task Force on the Postal System Now that the President’s Task Force on the United States Postal System has issued its report, the question naturally arises: Where do we go from here?  As the report makes clear, there is a need for a comprehensive…

  • USPS, unions, mailers react to task force report on mails–Linn’s

    Postal Updates USPS, unions, mailers react to task force report on mails Dec 18, 2018, 8 AM Cover of the Dec. 4 report created by the Task Force on the United States Postal System for its report at the behest of President Trump. By Michael Baadke In a statement published Dec. 4, the United States…

  • Ten Things That Concern Us About the Task Force Report

    December 11, 2018 The report of the Task Force on the U.S. Postal System is available here.  We reported our negative reaction last week, and today we elaborate on our concerns. Potential for piecemeal implementation- There is real danger that some ideas in the report will be implemented piecemeal while others are not. This is…

  • USPS Forms MTAC Task Team as Next Step in Marketing Mail Content Adventure

    December 11, 2018 Ironic, isn’t it?  Hard on the heels of the Administration’s Task Force report, the Postal Service is forming a Task Team.  Its goal is more modest, but extremely important to many nonprofit mailers who mail merchandise as critical components of membership and fundraising.  The Team will be tasked to read all the…