Postal Union Fights to Save Saturday Delivery

Postal employees and customers are approaching an important milestone in the fight to save Saturday service, as a House resolution supporting six-day mail delivery continues to gain momentum. Close to 200 U.S. Representatives have signed on to co-sponsor House Resolution 173, which says “the U.S. Postal Service should take all appropriate measures to ensure the continuation of its six-day mail delivery service.” A total of 218 votes are needed to adopt the “sense of the House resolution,” which was introduced in February 2009 by Rep. Sam Graves (R-MO). Although adoption of the measure would not create new law, it would send a strong signal that lawmakers oppose the elimination of Saturday delivery. The USPS is seeking authority to reduce the number of delivery days from six to five, and has launched an aggressive public-relations campaign to achieve that goal. The American Postal Workers Union (APWU) vehemently opposes the elimination of Saturday delivery, which President William Burrus has said “would lead to the demise of the Postal Service.” Mail volume also dropped 6.3 percent vs. the same period in 2009. Source: APWU

USPS Issues New Escalation Process

The Postal Service has published an escalation process and contact information to assist mailers in getting their questions answered as quickly as possible. For questions concerning business mail preparation or acceptance, mailers should always consult first with the local Post Office or Business Mail Entry Unit (BMEU) where they hold their permits and deposit their mail. A BME Supervisor or Postmaster can be a good resource for information and assistance. If you have questions regarding mailpiece design, contact your local Mailpiece Design Analyst. You can search by using the Mailpiece Design Analyst Lookup. The first step in escalating an issue or concern is to contact your District Business Mail Entry Manager. You can search by using the District Business Mail Entry Locator. If you are unable to resolve your issues, you can escalate to the local District Marketing Manager. Marketing Managers and their Districts’ 3-digit ZIP Codes are listed on RIBBS>Business Mail Acceptance, under Important Links. Source: DMM Advisory

Is your BRM ready for May 2011

Intelligent Mail barcode (IMb) requirement for Qualified Business Reply Mail (QBRM) and permit reply mail (PRM) pieces goes into effect May 2011. Current standards require an IMb on all BRM letters and on all PRM pieces as of May 2011. The Postal Service has issued an announcement providing customers with reasonable time to use up existing stock. The USPS will be publishing a Federal Register proposed rule to require BRM flats (in addition to letters as stated above) to use an Intelligent Mail Barcode as of May 2011. In addition, in the Federal Register proposed rule, Courtesy Reply Mail that does include a barcode must bear an Intelligent Mail barcode effective May 2011. Source: DMM Advisory

Overfunding of CSRS Getting Attention

The U.S. Postal Service is pushing ahead with plans to reverse billions of dollars in anticipated losses during the next decade, but a significant overpayment to its pension fund and excessive obligations for health benefits are hindering progress. Speaking before the PostCom Board meeting Board of Governors Chairman Louis Giuliano said the overfunding of the [Civil Service Retirement System] account is getting lots of attention and no one wants to move forward on other things until we determine what the impact will be. According to USPS Inspector General David Williams, the $75 billion overpayment was the result of a misinterpretation of a 1974 law regulating pension funding. The Office of Personnel Management incorrectly made USPS fund a higher portion of the pensions than it owed, he said, adding the agency could use the $75 billion to pay off its Treasury debt and its obligations to pension and health care accounts. Sources: PostCom & Government Executive