Category: Alliance Report
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USPS Assures Mailers That “Marketing Mail” Re-branding Will Not Devalue Mail
After receiving concerned feedback from many mailers, the Postal Service moved quickly to reassure its customers that the re-branding of Standard Mail as Marketing Mail will not harm anyone or reduce the value of mail. At the Postmaster General’s Mailers Technical Advisory Committee meeting on November 1, newly re-titled chief customer and marketing officer Jim…
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USPS and OIG Disagree on Liquidity Measure
Since the Great Recession of 2007-2009, the USPS has been emphasizing a financial analysis ratio as an indicator of its condition. The Postal Service regularly and alarmingly reported that its “days of cash on hand” had dipped into the single digits during the downturn. Recently, the USPS has reported that this ratio is up…
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PRC Orders Some Changes to Proposed Rates
While much better than 2015, the rate case made by USPS was not perfect. The PRC flagged a mainstay issue for the Alliance, ensuring that nonprofit mailers are not discriminated against in work share discounts relative to commercial mailers. The result was a set of changes to the prices for Nonprofit Enhanced Carrier Route. The…
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USPS Rates: Trick or Treat?
As we alluded to last time, even though the overall average postage increase on January 22, 2017 will be below one percent, some types of mail will receive much larger than average increases while others will enjoy rate reductions. Treats Metered Single Piece First Class Mail will decrease from 46.5 cents to 46 cents. This…
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USPS announces 2017 postage changes
October 24, 2016 As you have already heard, the U.S. Postal Service filed on October 12th its next postage adjustment to take effect at midnight on January 22, 2017, pending Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) approval. We have listed below a few of the highlights. The official filing at the PRC is listed as: R2017-1 United States…
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USPS price change webinar provides insights
October 24, 2016 The USPS recently gave a webinar overview of its announced price changes for January 22, 2017. We are providing the slides here. We have said that every mailer needs to check your own mail, in concert with your mail service providers, to ascertain the exact impact of these price changes. Nevertheless, it…
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USPS promotions webinar this Wednesday
October 24, 2016 Many nonprofit mailers are not aware that the Postal Service has run pricing promotions the last few years. Even if you are aware, quite often the promotions seem mysterious with not very intuitive names. They are not as easy as “buy one, get one free” or “20 percent off your entire purchase.”…
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Alliance notes
Alliance notes–October 24, 2016 The Washington Post: England paved the way for our postal service — and the proof is on display Linn’s Stamp News: U.S. Postal Service seeks rate increase for January 2017 USPS: Future Ready The Denver Post: How the first mail-ballot presidential election changes the political math in Colorado Reuters: Rising…
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PRC issues 5-year strategic plan
Upon the release of its latest strategic plan, Acting Postal Regulatory Commission Chairman Robert Taub said in a statement, “Strategic planning and goal setting is important for any organization; such efforts help to articulate priorities and focus key efforts. The coming years present many potential changes, and challenges, for the Commission. I am confident this…
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Postal legislation fails to move
Postal legislation did not move to the floor of either the House or the Senate before they adjourned for election campaigning. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) scoring of the House Oversight bill passed on July 12 has not been released. The CBO score of the federal budget impact of the bill in the next ten…