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TOP NEWS STORIES |
December Was Profitable for USPS
"The U.S. Postal Service had something in December it hasn't
seen in a long time -- a profitable month. The Postal Service
had net income of $179 million for the month, it revealed in a
report filed yesterday with the Postal Regulatory Commission.
The USPS had more mail volume (9%) and revenue (6%) than
budgeted, but lower expenses (-2%), enabling it to beat its
budget by $546 million." -
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USPS is Accelerating Flats Sequencing Installations
"The U.S. Postal Service is installing Flats Sequencing
System machines at a rapid pace but is still overhauling the
schedule for future installations. Only 11 of the massive
machines are up and running, which is about eight months
behind the early-2009 schedule for the system that is supposed
to revolutionize the handling of catalogs, magazines, and
other flat mail. But another 39 installations will be complete
by the end of July, postal officials said at last week's MTAC
(Mailers Technical Advisory Committee) meeting." -
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Postmaster General Potter to Announce New Business Model for
USPS (PDF)
"The Postal Service is facing serious and substantial
challenges: declining mail volume, increased use of the
Internet for bill payment and presentment, a lingering
recession and legislative constraints on how and when we can
close Post Offices or what types of products we can sell at
retail. After four months of intense research and discussion,
the Postal Service will announce an action plan to address
these concerns, as well as a number of steps necessary to
close a substantial gap by the year 2020. The Postal Service has
decided on a future path that calls for greater business model
flexibility and changes to the way it does business." -
USPS: Future Business Model -
Potter to Lay Out New Business Model for USPS -
Page 27: USPS social welfare role of providing middle class
jobs to America may not be possible in future business model
(PDF) -
Related link? Page 42: Sequenced introduction of
private-sector postal franchises (PDF) -
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Revised USPS five-day delivery plan keeps branches open, some
Saturday processing
"Under its revised plan to cut mail delivery to five days
a week, the US Postal Service would eliminate delivery to
street addresses and some processing on Saturday, but it would
not close post offices. The plan requires Congressional action
to be enacted. The USPS' revised plan was influenced by nearly
40 meetings with stakeholder groups, Sam Pulcrano, VP of
sustainability at the Postal Service, told attendees of the
quarterly Mailers Technical Advisory Committee meeting this
week." -
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Postal Service foresees insolvency - unless Congress acts
"The U.S. Postal Service could become insolvent if Congress
doesn't approve five-day mail delivery and change the way the
agency funds its retiree health benefits, according to the
agency's top financial official. "We will need [some
assistance from Congress] or we will have difficulty paying
all of our obligations this year," said Joe Corbett, the
Postal Service's chief financial officer. "And going into next
year, we might not have enough cash to operate. We are
dangerously close to running out of cash." -
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Despite Obama's Budget, USPS CFO Backs 5-Day Week
"This month, the Postal Service plans to release its
operational plan for transitioning to five-day-a-week
delivery. However, there has been little enthusiasm in
Congress for service reductions, even as lawmakers acknowledge
the USPS' dire financial situation. Many members of Congress
have urged the agency to look at other ways to reduce costs
rather than eliminating Saturday delivery." -
White House,
Congress resist Postal Service
goal of cutting delivery days -
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Postal Service financial woes will continue in 2011
"The fiscal 2011 budget, which acknowledges the Postal
Service's financial concerns, commits the Obama administration
to working with the agency, its employee unions, Congress and
other stakeholders to keep mail operations viable. Discussions
already are under way on several issues, said Gerald
McKiernan, a USPS spokesman. The administration is aware of
the agency's interest in moving to five-day delivery, he said,
though no changes will occur before Sept. 30." -
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Payments Looming for USPS (PDF)
"We have substantial scheduled cash payments in September
and October 2010, including $5.5 billion due to the PSRHBF on
September 30, 2010 and approximately $1.1 billion due in
October 2010 to the Department of Labor (DOL) for our workers' compensation liability. Based on our borrowing capacity and
current projections of cash available from operations, we may
be unable to fund our September and October payment
obligations and meet our short-term operating cash flow cash needs."
- USPS Quarterly Loss Declines
- USPS Logs $279M Loss on 8.9% Volume Drop -
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Post office closings upset rural communities
"The cutbacks - which come as the financially ailing Postal
Service struggles with a sharp decline in mail because of the
Internet and the recession - have fallen most heavily on poor,
rural communities, where the post office is not just a place
to buy stamps, but a gathering spot where townspeople trade
news and gossip." - Prairie City
fighting to reopen post office -
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Is 5-Day Delivery Inevitable?
"For mailers trying to plan for 5-day delivery, the following
schedule seems realistic:
- March 2010: The USPS files a service change request with
the Postal Regulatory Commission.
- March 2010 through November 2010: The PRC conducts the
review.
- November 2010 - February 2011: Congress holds hearings.
- February 2011 - September 2011: Congress passes a law
allowing the Postal Service to offer 5-day a week delivery.
- Summer 2011 or January 2012: Implementation of 5 day a week
service." -
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Postal Service Shootings Featured Prominently in New
Documentary
"Murder By Proxy, How America Went Postal shows
how the transformation of the US Postal Service from a
government agency into a corporation created a stressful
workplace environment filled with increasingly anxious and
unhappy employees and, eventually, resulted in unprecedented
bloodshed. The documentary Includes in-depth, behind-the-scenes
looks (including crime-scene photos) of two postal massacres and attempts to discover the
true reasons behind the violence."
- The Tainted Eagle, by Charlie Withers -
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