Category: Alliance Report

September 15, 2015 Discover why people value mail. Royal Mail research on making direct mail valuable. Visit by Pope Francis will delay mail. Acting PRC Chairman Taub confirms revenue-neutral filings, and USPS need to consult with customers. Copywriting tips for effective direct mail. How to add a “donate now” button to your nonprofit’s Facebook page.…

Alliance Report –August 31, 2015 No one is more dedicated to trying to pass postal reform legislation than Senator Tom Carper (D-DE), the ranking member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. Senator Carper’s staff has been working diligently with stakeholders representing customers, the mailing industry, employees, the Postal Service, the Postal Regulatory Commission,…

Alliance Report — August 31, 2015 As we reported last issue, the Postal Service has been reporting improvements in mail delivery times since winter and a commitment to ensure excellent service going forward. Postmaster General Megan Brennan did so at the Alliance July board meeting and chief operating officer David Williams reiterated the results and…

Alliance Report — August 31, 2015 Unfortunately, but not too surprisingly, the USPS on Friday, August 28, filed a Petition for Review of Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) Order Number 2623 that a month ago ruled that the exigent surcharge of 4.3 percent could be extended until next spring but then must end. Many expected this…

Senator Sanders says relaxed mailing standards are a “disaster.” Senator Sanders wrote to PMG Brennan asking her to speed up mail. Newspaper death spiral due to loss of retail ad revenue. USPS and its unions think letter carriers can evolve. Late mail has a large impact on nonprofits that rely on it for funding. American…

Alliance Report — August 12, 2015 VISA is using a start-up contest to come up with more effective direct mail. Senator Tom Carper’s statement on improving USPS finances. Postal Service sharply reduces losses in most-recent quarter. USPS prices are constrained but costs are not. The Postal Service is an essential government agency. Postal Service plan…

Alliance Report — August 12, 2015 A member of the Alliance tells of a recent trip to Norman, Oklahoma to take a class given by the Postal Service to both employees and customers, called Periodicals Professional. It turns out that the Alliance member was the only customer in the class. When the customer explained that…

Alliance Report — August 12, 2015 Every quarter, U.S. Postal Service (USPS) leadership meets with representatives of its customers and mail service providers who participate in the Mailers Technical Advisory Committee (MTAC) which is celebrating its 50th anniversary. While it has “technical” in its name, MTAC covers more strategic issues and often features presentations and…

June 26, 2015 Eliminating the “count once” constraint should have almost no effect if the Commission uses the correct unit contribution numbers When the Court of Appeals on June 5 vacated the “count once” constraint on recession-related Postal Service (USPS) loss recovery, the USPS jumped to the mechanical conclusion that the action would add approximately…

June 26, 2015 It is time to bring to a close the Postal Service’s five year campaign to extract as much excess, above-inflation revenue as possible from postal customers. The USPS thinks otherwise and has asked the PRC to re-litigate the “new normal” principle that the court affirmed and did not vacate or remand to…