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Northern Virginia Postal Customer Council RSS Feed Northern Virginia Postal Customer Council http://www.novapcc.org/en/rss Mike Furey http://www.novapcc.org/tresources/en/images/icons/tendenci34x15.gif http://www.novapcc.org Northern Virginia Postal Customer Council and Podcast Copyright 2010 Northern Virginia Postal Customer Council Tendenci Association Software by Schipul - The Web Marketing Company en-us Mike Furey Mon, 15 Mar 2010 10:48:46 GMT Events http://www.novapcc.org/en/cev/43 Fairfax Post Office Tour/Informational Session <div class="vevent"> <a class="url" href="http://www.novapcc.org/en/cev/43"> <span class="summary">Fairfax Post Office Tour/Informational Session</span> </a><br/> <span class="tdtstart">Start Date:</span> <abbr class="dtstart" title="20100317T130000Z">17-Mar-10 9:00 AM</abbr> <br/> <span class="tdtend">End Time:</span> <abbr class="dtend" title="20100317T163000Z">17-Mar-10 12:30 PM</abbr> <br/> <span class="tlocation">Location:</span> <span class="location"> Fairfax Post Office, Fairfax, VA 22030</span> <br/> <span class="tspeaker">Speaker:</span> <span class="speaker">Mike Furey & Lee Garvey</span><br> <br/> <span class="tdescription">Event Details:</span> <div class="description"><div>Enjoy a tour of the Fairfax Post Office! Get an inside view of what happens to your mail once it arrives at your local office.  Immediately following the tour, NOVAPCC Cochairs Mike Furey & Lee Garvey will conduct an informational session on the future of the United States Postal Service. </div> <div> </div> <div>Buffet lunch will be at the Red Hot & Blue restaurant located just 3 blocks from the Fairfax Post Office. </div> <div> </div> <div>St. Patrick's Day Drawing - Washington Wizards tickets!</div> <div>**Must be present to win</div> <div>**Drawing will be held at Red Hot & Blue</div> <div> </div> <div>*The informational session is open to the general membership and non-members.</div></div> </div> <br/> <div class="vcard"> <a class="fn">Fairfax Post Office <br/> <div class="adr"> <div class="street-address">10660 Page Ave.</div> <span class="locality">Fairfax</span>, <span class="region">VA</span> <span class="postal-code">22030</span> </div> </a></div> http://www.novapcc.org/en/cev/43 Wed, 17 Mar 2010 13:00:00 GMT Events http://www.novapcc.org/en/cev/39 Mailer''s Education Seminar&Business Exposition <div class="vevent"> <a class="url" href="http://www.novapcc.org/en/cev/39"> <span class="summary">Mailer's Education Seminar&Business Exposition</span> </a><br/> <span class="tdtstart">Start Date:</span> <abbr class="dtstart" title="20100318T120000Z">18-Mar-10 8:00 AM</abbr> <br/> <span class="tdtend">End Time:</span> <abbr class="dtend" title="20100318T191500Z">18-Mar-10 3:15 PM</abbr> <br/> <span class="tlocation">Location:</span> <span class="location"> University of Baltimore Thumel Business Center, Baltimore, MD 21201</span> <br/> <span class="tspeaker">Speaker:</span> <span class="speaker">Tammy Edwards,</span><br> <br/> <span class="tdescription">Event Details:</span> <div class="description"><div><font face="Arial"></font> <font face="Arial">All NOVA PCC members will receive the member rate and will include all 10 sessions, continental breakfast, lunch, vendor expo and parking.<br><br><br>THE BALTIMORE POSTAL CUSTOMER COUNCIL<br>MAILER’S EDUCATION SEMINAR & BUSINESS EXPOSITION<br>UNIVERSITY OF BALTIMORE THUMEL BUSINESS CENTER<br>THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2010</font></div> <p><font face="Arial">AGENDA</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">8:00 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.    Registration (Coffee and Doughnuts)<br>       Thumel Business Center Atrium</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">VENDORS AND POSTAL CONSULTATION AREA OPEN ALL DAY</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">8:30 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.   Greeting:  Lisa Kline, Industry Co-Chair<br>              Ivy Envelope<br>      Opening Remarks:  William Ridenour<br>           Postmaster, Baltimore<br>      Vendor Remarks:    To be announced<br>Keynote Speaker:    Tammy Edwards <br>     Area Marketing Manager<br>               USPS Capital Metro Area<br>9:30 a.m. - 9:45 a.m. BREAK</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *<br>(Please select one session)<br>9:45 a.m. -10:45 a.m. Session 1 How to Boost Your Direct Mail Income With Targeted <br> Web Integration  (new session)<br>9:45 a.m. -10:45 a.m. Session 2 Opening, Closing or Relocating Your Mail Center (new session) <br>9:45 a.m. -10:45 a.m. Session 3 Address Mgmt/Endorsement/ACS & MOVE Update  <br>9:45 a.m. -10:45 a.m. Session 4  Mailpiece Design/Mail Quality + Intelligent Mail Barcode </font></p> <p><font face="Arial">* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * <br>(Please select one session)<br>11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Session 5 It’s O.K. to Mail (new session)<br>11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Session 6 Non-Profit Mail <br>11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Session 7      Postal One & Other Electronic Document Submission <br>11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Session 8 Presorted Standard Mail and Flats  </font></p> <p><font face="Arial">* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *<br>12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. LUNCH Thumel Business Center Atrium, Room 143<br> <br>* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *<br>(Please select one session)<br>1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. Session 8 Navigating Postal Websites  (new session)<br>1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. Session 9 Mailpiece Design/Mail Quality + Intelligent Mail Barcode  <br>1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. Session 10 Postal One & Other Electronic Document Submission<br>1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. Session 11 Presorted Standard Mail and Flats  </font></p> <p><font face="Arial">* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *<br>Thumel Business Center Auditorium<br>2:10 p.m. - 3:10 p.m. SUPER SESSION   Q & A Forum – Get answers to today’s Postal<br>       questions & how to find answers for tomorrow.<br>3:10 pm Vendor Punch Card Prize Drawing  *** Certificates will be mailed.<br></font></p></div> </div> <br/> <div class="vcard"> <a class="fn">University of Baltimore Thumel Business Center <br/> <div class="adr"> <div class="street-address">11 W. Mt. Royal Avenue</div> <span class="locality">Baltimore</span>, <span class="region">MD</span> <span class="country-name">USA</span> <span class="postal-code">21201</span> </div> </a></div> http://www.novapcc.org/en/cev/39 Thu, 18 Mar 2010 12:00:00 GMT Events http://www.novapcc.org/en/cev/35 Mail Center Security <div class="vevent"> <a class="url" href="http://www.novapcc.org/en/cev/35"> <span class="summary">Mail Center Security</span> </a><br/> <span class="tdtstart">Start Date:</span> <abbr class="dtstart" title="20100318T140000Z">18-Mar-10 10:00 AM</abbr> <br/> <span class="tdtend">End Time:</span> <abbr class="dtend" title="20100318T160000Z">18-Mar-10 12:00 PM</abbr> <br/> <span class="tlocation">Location:</span> <span class="location"> Merrifield P & DC, Merrifield, VA 22081</span> <br/> <span class="tdescription">Event Details:</span> <div class="description"><div>Protecting your employees and securing your mail center.  We will also address fraud in the mail and how to recognize scams and unlawful schemes. </div></div> </div> <br/> <div class="vcard"> <a class="fn">Merrifield P & DC <br/> <div class="adr"> <div class="street-address">8409 Lee Highway</div> <span class="locality">Merrifield</span>, <span class="region">VA</span> <span class="postal-code">22081</span> </div> </a></div> http://www.novapcc.org/en/cev/35 Thu, 18 Mar 2010 14:00:00 GMT Events http://www.novapcc.org/en/cev/36 Mail and the Environment <div class="vevent"> <a class="url" href="http://www.novapcc.org/en/cev/36"> <span class="summary">Mail and the Environment</span> </a><br/> <span class="tdtstart">Start Date:</span> <abbr class="dtstart" title="20100422T140000Z">22-Apr-10 10:00 AM</abbr> <br/> <span class="tdtend">End Time:</span> <abbr class="dtend" title="20100422T160000Z">22-Apr-10 12:00 PM</abbr> <br/> <span class="tlocation">Location:</span> <span class="location"> Merrifield P & DC, Merrifield, VA 22081</span> <br/> <span class="tdescription">Event Details:</span> <div class="description"><div>Being GREEN has gone mainstream and it managed to survive the recession. It's a new age of corporate responsibility - one that has its rewards, because being eco-conscious isn't only good for the environment; it's smart for the business, too. </div></div> </div> <br/> <div class="vcard"> <a class="fn">Merrifield P & DC <br/> <div class="adr"> <div class="street-address">8409 Lee Highway</div> <span class="locality">Merrifield</span>, <span class="region">VA</span> <span class="postal-code">22081</span> </div> </a></div> http://www.novapcc.org/en/cev/36 Thu, 22 Apr 2010 14:00:00 GMT Events http://www.novapcc.org/en/cev/37 Results Driven Marketing in a Down Economy <div class="vevent"> <a class="url" href="http://www.novapcc.org/en/cev/37"> <span class="summary">Results Driven Marketing in a Down Economy</span> </a><br/> <span class="tdtstart">Start Date:</span> <abbr class="dtstart" title="20100520T140000Z">20-May-10 10:00 AM</abbr> <br/> <span class="tdtend">End Time:</span> <abbr class="dtend" title="20100520T160000Z">20-May-10 12:00 PM</abbr> <br/> <span class="tlocation">Location:</span> <span class="location"> Merrifield P & DC Room 108, Merrifield, VA 22081</span> <br/> <span class="tspeaker">Speaker:</span> <span class="speaker">Doug King</span><br> </div> <br/> <div class="vcard"> <a class="fn">Merrifield P & DC Room 108 <br/> <div class="adr"> <div class="street-address">8409 Lee Highway</div> <span class="locality">Merrifield</span>, <span class="region">VA</span> <span class="postal-code">22081</span> </div> </a></div> http://www.novapcc.org/en/cev/37 Thu, 20 May 2010 14:00:00 GMT Events http://www.novapcc.org/en/cev/38 Executive Mail Center Management <div class="vevent"> <a class="url" href="http://www.novapcc.org/en/cev/38"> <span class="summary">Executive Mail Center Management</span> </a><br/> <span class="tdtstart">Start Date:</span> <abbr class="dtstart" title="20100608T120000Z">8-Jun-10 8:00 AM</abbr> <br/> <span class="tdtend">End Time:</span> <abbr class="dtend" title="20100610T200000Z">10-Jun-10 4:00 PM</abbr> <br/> <span class="tlocation">Location:</span> <span class="location"> Merrifield P & DC Room 108, Merrifield, VA 22081</span> <br/> <span class="tdescription">Event Details:</span> <div class="description"><div>The EMCM program is a comprehensive training program that was designed for individuals who wish to develop Mail Center Management skills.  </div></div> </div> <br/> <div class="vcard"> <a class="fn">Merrifield P & DC Room 108 <br/> <div class="adr"> <div class="street-address">8409 Lee Highway</div> <span class="locality">Merrifield</span>, <span class="region">VA</span> <span class="postal-code">22081</span> </div> </a></div> http://www.novapcc.org/en/cev/38 Tue, 08 Jun 2010 12:00:00 GMT Events http://www.novapcc.org/en/cev/r/dt/2420/ Postal Bulletin Issued <div class="vevent"> <a class="url" href="http://www.novapcc.org/en/cev/r/dt/2420/"> </a><br/> Start Date: <abbr class="dtstart" title="20100325T120000Z">25-Mar-10 8:00 AM</abbr> <br/> End Time: <abbr class="dtend" title="20100325T130000Z">25-Mar-10 9:00 AM</abbr> <br/> </div> <br/> <div class="vcard"> <a class="url fn" href="http://www.usps.com/cpim/ftp/bulletin/pb.htm">http://www.usps.com/cpim/ftp/bulletin/pb.htm </a></div> http://www.novapcc.org/en/cev/r/dt/2420/ Fri, 16 Jan 2009 20:38:48 GMT Events http://www.novapcc.org/en/cev/r/dt/2421/ Postal Bulletin Issued <div class="vevent"> <a class="url" href="http://www.novapcc.org/en/cev/r/dt/2421/"> </a><br/> Start Date: <abbr class="dtstart" title="20100408T120000Z">8-Apr-10 8:00 AM</abbr> <br/> End Time: <abbr class="dtend" title="20100408T130000Z">8-Apr-10 9:00 AM</abbr> <br/> </div> <br/> <div class="vcard"> <a class="url fn" href="http://www.usps.com/cpim/ftp/bulletin/pb.htm">http://www.usps.com/cpim/ftp/bulletin/pb.htm </a></div> http://www.novapcc.org/en/cev/r/dt/2421/ Fri, 16 Jan 2009 20:38:48 GMT Events http://www.novapcc.org/en/cev/r/dt/2562/ Executive Board Meeting <div class="vevent"> <a class="url" href="http://www.novapcc.org/en/cev/r/dt/2562/"> </a><br/> Start Date: <abbr class="dtstart" title="20100421T153000Z">21-Apr-10 11:30 AM</abbr> <br/> End Time: <abbr class="dtend" title="20100421T170000Z">21-Apr-10 1:00 PM</abbr> <br/> </div> <br/> <div class="vcard"> <a class="fn">Merrifield Post Office (Room 108) <br/> <div class="adr"> <div class="street-address">8409 Lee Highway</div> <span class="locality">Merrifield</span>, <span class="region">VA</span> <span class="postal-code">22081</span> </div> </a></div> http://www.novapcc.org/en/cev/r/dt/2562/ Fri, 19 Feb 2010 16:24:56 GMT Events http://www.novapcc.org/en/cev/r/dt/2422/ Postal Bulletin Issued <div class="vevent"> <a class="url" href="http://www.novapcc.org/en/cev/r/dt/2422/"> </a><br/> Start Date: <abbr class="dtstart" title="20100422T120000Z">22-Apr-10 8:00 AM</abbr> <br/> End Time: <abbr class="dtend" title="20100422T130000Z">22-Apr-10 9:00 AM</abbr> <br/> </div> <br/> <div class="vcard"> <a class="url fn" href="http://www.usps.com/cpim/ftp/bulletin/pb.htm">http://www.usps.com/cpim/ftp/bulletin/pb.htm </a></div> http://www.novapcc.org/en/cev/r/dt/2422/ Fri, 16 Jan 2009 20:38:48 GMT Events http://www.novapcc.org/en/cev/r/dt/2423/ Postal Bulletin Issued <div class="vevent"> <a class="url" href="http://www.novapcc.org/en/cev/r/dt/2423/"> </a><br/> Start Date: <abbr class="dtstart" title="20100506T120000Z">6-May-10 8:00 AM</abbr> <br/> End Time: <abbr class="dtend" title="20100506T130000Z">6-May-10 9:00 AM</abbr> <br/> </div> <br/> <div class="vcard"> <a class="url fn" href="http://www.usps.com/cpim/ftp/bulletin/pb.htm">http://www.usps.com/cpim/ftp/bulletin/pb.htm </a></div> http://www.novapcc.org/en/cev/r/dt/2423/ Fri, 16 Jan 2009 20:38:48 GMT Events http://www.novapcc.org/en/cev/r/dt/2563/ Executive Board Meeting <div class="vevent"> <a class="url" href="http://www.novapcc.org/en/cev/r/dt/2563/"> </a><br/> Start Date: <abbr class="dtstart" title="20100519T153000Z">19-May-10 11:30 AM</abbr> <br/> End Time: <abbr class="dtend" title="20100519T170000Z">19-May-10 1:00 PM</abbr> <br/> </div> <br/> <div class="vcard"> <a class="fn">Merrifield Post Office (Room 108) <br/> <div class="adr"> <div class="street-address">8409 Lee Highway</div> <span class="locality">Merrifield</span>, <span class="region">VA</span> <span class="postal-code">22081</span> </div> </a></div> http://www.novapcc.org/en/cev/r/dt/2563/ Fri, 19 Feb 2010 16:24:56 GMT Events http://www.novapcc.org/en/cev/r/dt/2424/ Postal Bulletin Issued <div class="vevent"> <a class="url" href="http://www.novapcc.org/en/cev/r/dt/2424/"> </a><br/> Start Date: <abbr class="dtstart" title="20100520T120000Z">20-May-10 8:00 AM</abbr> <br/> End Time: <abbr class="dtend" title="20100520T130000Z">20-May-10 9:00 AM</abbr> <br/> </div> <br/> <div class="vcard"> <a class="url fn" href="http://www.usps.com/cpim/ftp/bulletin/pb.htm">http://www.usps.com/cpim/ftp/bulletin/pb.htm </a></div> http://www.novapcc.org/en/cev/r/dt/2424/ Fri, 16 Jan 2009 20:38:48 GMT Events http://www.novapcc.org/en/cev/r/dt/2425/ Postal Bulletin Issued <div class="vevent"> <a class="url" href="http://www.novapcc.org/en/cev/r/dt/2425/"> </a><br/> Start Date: <abbr class="dtstart" title="20100603T120000Z">3-Jun-10 8:00 AM</abbr> <br/> End Time: <abbr class="dtend" title="20100603T130000Z">3-Jun-10 9:00 AM</abbr> <br/> </div> <br/> <div class="vcard"> <a class="url fn" href="http://www.usps.com/cpim/ftp/bulletin/pb.htm">http://www.usps.com/cpim/ftp/bulletin/pb.htm </a></div> http://www.novapcc.org/en/cev/r/dt/2425/ Fri, 16 Jan 2009 20:38:48 GMT Events http://www.novapcc.org/en/cev/r/dt/2564/ Executive Board Meeting <div class="vevent"> <a class="url" href="http://www.novapcc.org/en/cev/r/dt/2564/"> </a><br/> Start Date: <abbr class="dtstart" title="20100616T153000Z">16-Jun-10 11:30 AM</abbr> <br/> End Time: <abbr class="dtend" title="20100616T170000Z">16-Jun-10 1:00 PM</abbr> <br/> </div> <br/> <div class="vcard"> <a class="fn">Merrifield Post Office (Room 108) <br/> <div class="adr"> <div class="street-address">8409 Lee Highway</div> <span class="locality">Merrifield</span>, <span class="region">VA</span> <span class="postal-code">22081</span> </div> </a></div> http://www.novapcc.org/en/cev/r/dt/2564/ Fri, 19 Feb 2010 16:24:56 GMT Events http://www.novapcc.org/en/cev/r/dt/2426/ Postal Bulletin Issued <div class="vevent"> <a class="url" href="http://www.novapcc.org/en/cev/r/dt/2426/"> </a><br/> Start Date: <abbr class="dtstart" title="20100617T120000Z">17-Jun-10 8:00 AM</abbr> <br/> End Time: <abbr class="dtend" title="20100617T130000Z">17-Jun-10 9:00 AM</abbr> <br/> </div> <br/> <div class="vcard"> <a class="url fn" href="http://www.usps.com/cpim/ftp/bulletin/pb.htm">http://www.usps.com/cpim/ftp/bulletin/pb.htm </a></div> http://www.novapcc.org/en/cev/r/dt/2426/ Fri, 16 Jan 2009 20:38:48 GMT Articles http://www.novapcc.org/en/art/635/ The U.S. Postal Service Seeks to Cut Saturday Delivery <p><font face="Arial">The U.S. Postal Service Seeks to Cut Saturday Delivery<br>By Jon Jordan<br><a href="http://www.newson6.com/Global/story.asp?S=12136937">NewsOn6.com</a></font></p> <div><font face="Arial"><br><br><br>The U.S. Postmaster General said changes to the U.S. Postal Service are essential in order for the agency to survive a projected multi-billion dollar shortfall.<br>Enlarge this picture</font></div> <p><font face="Arial">One of those changes could include cutting back services from six days to five days by eliminating Saturday delivery.By Jon Jordan, NEWS 9</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">OKLAHOMA CITY -- Facing unprecedented decline and a projected $238 billion shortfall, during the next decade the U.S. Postal Service said they must make drastic changes to survive.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">"The crisis we're facing gives us an historic opportunity to make changes that will lay the foundation for a leaner, more market responsive Postal Service," Postmaster General John Potter said.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">Changes the government agency is considering include, cutting back services from six days to five days, closing some of their stores in exchange for self-service kiosks, as well as being able to change the postal rate faster than inflation.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">Robert Loke sells stuffed animals on the auction Web site eBay and said he doesn't like the idea of cutting postal service on Saturdays.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">"For me it's going to be bad news," Loke said. "As soon as I sell stuff online I want to get it out the door and keep customers happy."</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">Postmaster General Potter has already submitted his list of proposed changes to the Postal Regulatory Commission. The commission will hold public hearing in Washington and around the U.S. as well as seek expert testimony.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">However, even if the independent commission approves the dropped day, the Postal Services would need congressional approval since the current six day delivery is a federal law.</font></p> <p> </p> <br><br>14-Mar-10 12:00 PM The U.S. Postal Service Seeks to Cut Saturday Delivery <p><font face="Arial">The U.S. Postal Service Seeks to Cut Saturday Delivery<br>By Jon Jordan<br><a href="http://www.newson6.com/Global/story.asp?S=12136937">NewsOn6.com</a></font></p> <div><font face="Arial"><br><br><br>The U.S. Postmaster General said changes to the U.S. Postal Service are essential in order for the agency to survive a projected multi-billion dollar shortfall.<br>Enlarge this picture</font></div> <p><font face="Arial">One of those changes could include cutting back services from six days to five days by eliminating Saturday delivery.By Jon Jordan, NEWS 9</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">OKLAHOMA CITY -- Facing unprecedented decline and a projected $238 billion shortfall, during the next decade the U.S. Postal Service said they must make drastic changes to survive.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">"The crisis we're facing gives us an historic opportunity to make changes that will lay the foundation for a leaner, more market responsive Postal Service," Postmaster General John Potter said.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">Changes the government agency is considering include, cutting back services from six days to five days, closing some of their stores in exchange for self-service kiosks, as well as being able to change the postal rate faster than inflation.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">Robert Loke sells stuffed animals on the auction Web site eBay and said he doesn't like the idea of cutting postal service on Saturdays.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">"For me it's going to be bad news," Loke said. "As soon as I sell stuff online I want to get it out the door and keep customers happy."</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">Postmaster General Potter has already submitted his list of proposed changes to the Postal Regulatory Commission. The commission will hold public hearing in Washington and around the U.S. as well as seek expert testimony.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">However, even if the independent commission approves the dropped day, the Postal Services would need congressional approval since the current six day delivery is a federal law.</font></p> <p> </p> http://www.novapcc.org/en/art/635/ Sun, 14 Mar 2010 16:00:00 GMT Articles http://www.novapcc.org/en/art/636/ Editorial: Postal Service must change or risk extinction <p><font face="Arial">Editorial: Postal Service must change or risk extinction<br>By The Grand Rapids Press Editorial Board <br><a href="http://www.mlive.com/opinion/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2010/03/editorial_the_checks_not_in_th.html">Mlive.com</a></font></p> <p><font face="Arial"></font> </p><font face="Arial"> <p><br>Since 1775 when the Second Continental Congress authorized a Postmaster General — the venerable Benjamin Franklin — the U.S. Postal Service has adapted to changing times. From pony express to airmail, steamboats to mail trucks, the agency charged with delivering letters and packages has found new ways to do its job.</p> <p>Today, the Postal Service is facing a fresh challenge, this one from the growth of the Internet and e-mail. Mail volume is projected to fall 37 percent, to 150 billion pieces, by 2020. If it does nothing, the Postal Service will face a $238 billion cumulative shortfall in the next 10 years.</p> <p>The post office has to change again, or risk extinction.</p> <p>Postmaster General John Potter has advanced a plan to eliminate Saturday delivery, raise stamp prices and close post offices that do a low business volume. He would open smaller outlets — kiosks in places such as grocery stores, for instance — and expand retail sales in post offices. Those are all good ideas, and moves the country appears prepared to tolerate.</p> <p>But even the end of Saturday delivery — the move that would have the greatest impact on the general public — would save just $40 billion over the next decade. That makes another of Mr. Potter’s proposals all the more important. He plans to change retiree health benefits and pension benefits. Those legacy costs constitute big factors weighing on the Postal Service.</p> <p>The bulk of the mail is, well, bulk mail. Fliers, catalogues, newsletters and other non-urgent items account for about 60 percent of what the Postal Service moves every day. Waiting a couple of days see what Pottery Barn is offering would be no great strain for the American public.</p> <p>On the other hand, a Social Security recipient who is counting on a check shouldn’t have to wait until Monday for food money. Neither should heart patients waiting for medication to be delivered. The Post Office would need to be sensitive to customers such as those as it makes this transition. Businesses and others who rely on the mail would have to adjust, too.</p> <p>Beyond these immediate concerns, Congress should consider privatization as a possible solution to the Postal Service’s growing problems. At least partial privatization has occurred in European countries, including Britain, the Netherlands and Sweden.</p> <p>The quasi-government nature of the U.S. Postal Service makes lean operation difficult. The service is financially self-supporting, subject to congressional rules and enjoys a monopoly on first-class mail delivery.</p> <p>The agency has 36,500 retail locations, more than twice the number of McDonald’s restaurants in the country. Each location sees on average 600 customers a week, one-tenth the traffic in an average Walgreens store. Roughly 26,000 postal outlets currently lose money. Yet closing a post office is as difficult as shutting down a military base, despite good reasons for doing both. Past closure attempts have met predictably fierce resistance from voter-sensitive members of Congress.</p> <p>The Postal Service is forced to compete with private companies such as United Parcel Service and FedEx, but has to do so under straitjacket political constraints. President Barack Obama’s 2011 budget, for instance, calls for the continuation of Saturday delivery.</p> <p>The Postal Service remains just that, a service. The bulk of its budget — 80 percent — is tied up in employee compensation. So there is no way to address the agency’s looming financial mess without looking at labor costs, including wages, pension benefits and retiree health care burdens that are simply too high. In addition, the Postal Service should end no-layoff rules that protect employees against firing, and work rules that make the organization less nimble. The U.S. Governmental Accountability Office made all these points last year when it tagged the Postal Service as “high risk” and in need of “broad-based transformation.”</p> <p>Unless it delivers on that evident need, and soon, the Postal Service may some day not be delivering anything at all.</p> <p></font> </p> <br><br>14-Mar-10 12:00 PM Editorial: Postal Service must change or risk extinction <p><font face="Arial">Editorial: Postal Service must change or risk extinction<br>By The Grand Rapids Press Editorial Board <br><a href="http://www.mlive.com/opinion/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2010/03/editorial_the_checks_not_in_th.html">Mlive.com</a></font></p> <p><font face="Arial"></font> </p><font face="Arial"> <p><br>Since 1775 when the Second Continental Congress authorized a Postmaster General — the venerable Benjamin Franklin — the U.S. Postal Service has adapted to changing times. From pony express to airmail, steamboats to mail trucks, the agency charged with delivering letters and packages has found new ways to do its job.</p> <p>Today, the Postal Service is facing a fresh challenge, this one from the growth of the Internet and e-mail. Mail volume is projected to fall 37 percent, to 150 billion pieces, by 2020. If it does nothing, the Postal Service will face a $238 billion cumulative shortfall in the next 10 years.</p> <p>The post office has to change again, or risk extinction.</p> <p>Postmaster General John Potter has advanced a plan to eliminate Saturday delivery, raise stamp prices and close post offices that do a low business volume. He would open smaller outlets — kiosks in places such as grocery stores, for instance — and expand retail sales in post offices. Those are all good ideas, and moves the country appears prepared to tolerate.</p> <p>But even the end of Saturday delivery — the move that would have the greatest impact on the general public — would save just $40 billion over the next decade. That makes another of Mr. Potter’s proposals all the more important. He plans to change retiree health benefits and pension benefits. Those legacy costs constitute big factors weighing on the Postal Service.</p> <p>The bulk of the mail is, well, bulk mail. Fliers, catalogues, newsletters and other non-urgent items account for about 60 percent of what the Postal Service moves every day. Waiting a couple of days see what Pottery Barn is offering would be no great strain for the American public.</p> <p>On the other hand, a Social Security recipient who is counting on a check shouldn’t have to wait until Monday for food money. Neither should heart patients waiting for medication to be delivered. The Post Office would need to be sensitive to customers such as those as it makes this transition. Businesses and others who rely on the mail would have to adjust, too.</p> <p>Beyond these immediate concerns, Congress should consider privatization as a possible solution to the Postal Service’s growing problems. At least partial privatization has occurred in European countries, including Britain, the Netherlands and Sweden.</p> <p>The quasi-government nature of the U.S. Postal Service makes lean operation difficult. The service is financially self-supporting, subject to congressional rules and enjoys a monopoly on first-class mail delivery.</p> <p>The agency has 36,500 retail locations, more than twice the number of McDonald’s restaurants in the country. Each location sees on average 600 customers a week, one-tenth the traffic in an average Walgreens store. Roughly 26,000 postal outlets currently lose money. Yet closing a post office is as difficult as shutting down a military base, despite good reasons for doing both. Past closure attempts have met predictably fierce resistance from voter-sensitive members of Congress.</p> <p>The Postal Service is forced to compete with private companies such as United Parcel Service and FedEx, but has to do so under straitjacket political constraints. President Barack Obama’s 2011 budget, for instance, calls for the continuation of Saturday delivery.</p> <p>The Postal Service remains just that, a service. The bulk of its budget — 80 percent — is tied up in employee compensation. So there is no way to address the agency’s looming financial mess without looking at labor costs, including wages, pension benefits and retiree health care burdens that are simply too high. In addition, the Postal Service should end no-layoff rules that protect employees against firing, and work rules that make the organization less nimble. The U.S. Governmental Accountability Office made all these points last year when it tagged the Postal Service as “high risk” and in need of “broad-based transformation.”</p> <p>Unless it delivers on that evident need, and soon, the Postal Service may some day not be delivering anything at all.</p> <p></font> </p> http://www.novapcc.org/en/art/636/ Sun, 14 Mar 2010 16:00:00 GMT Articles http://www.novapcc.org/en/art/637/ Post office needs new fiscal model <p><font face="Arial">Post office needs new fiscal model  <br>By Robert Michaels <br><a href="http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=911469&category=OPINION">Timesunion.com</a></font></p> <p><font face="Arial"></font> </p><font face="Arial"> <p><br>Despite massive U. S. Postal Service losses, you still can have mail delivered to your home or business at no charge to yourself. In contrast, if you want your mail to remain in the post office, you must pay for a post office box. Achieving fiscal sustainability of Postal Service operations requires correcting this intrinsically uneconomical business model, while promoting fiscal and environmental sustainability. <br>    <br>Customers should not be charged for post office boxes, that is, for opting out of mail delivery. Close to 150 million home and business addresses receive mail delivery each mail day, at an enormous cost for labor and energy. This cost is borne, not just by customers, but by our country and our planet because of the huge carbon footprint associated with use of fossil fuel by postal vehicles. </p> <p>The Postal Service should reduce postage for senders, provide free post office boxes and start charging recipients for home or business delivery if they want this service. </p> <p>Itemizing sending and receiving costs might hold the line on overall postal costs, with fiscal sustainability arising from labor and energy savings. People who pass their post office each day might opt to stop in for their mail. Apartment dwellers might opt for delivery at a charge that would be minimal because many boxes are located together. Above all, itemizing sending and receiving costs would improve cost accounting, and thereby promote efficiency and ultimately fiscal and environmental sustainability for a major player in our economy. </font></p> <br><br>14-Mar-10 12:00 PM Post office needs new fiscal model <p><font face="Arial">Post office needs new fiscal model  <br>By Robert Michaels <br><a href="http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=911469&category=OPINION">Timesunion.com</a></font></p> <p><font face="Arial"></font> </p><font face="Arial"> <p><br>Despite massive U. S. Postal Service losses, you still can have mail delivered to your home or business at no charge to yourself. In contrast, if you want your mail to remain in the post office, you must pay for a post office box. Achieving fiscal sustainability of Postal Service operations requires correcting this intrinsically uneconomical business model, while promoting fiscal and environmental sustainability. <br>    <br>Customers should not be charged for post office boxes, that is, for opting out of mail delivery. Close to 150 million home and business addresses receive mail delivery each mail day, at an enormous cost for labor and energy. This cost is borne, not just by customers, but by our country and our planet because of the huge carbon footprint associated with use of fossil fuel by postal vehicles. </p> <p>The Postal Service should reduce postage for senders, provide free post office boxes and start charging recipients for home or business delivery if they want this service. </p> <p>Itemizing sending and receiving costs might hold the line on overall postal costs, with fiscal sustainability arising from labor and energy savings. People who pass their post office each day might opt to stop in for their mail. Apartment dwellers might opt for delivery at a charge that would be minimal because many boxes are located together. Above all, itemizing sending and receiving costs would improve cost accounting, and thereby promote efficiency and ultimately fiscal and environmental sustainability for a major player in our economy. </font></p> http://www.novapcc.org/en/art/637/ Sun, 14 Mar 2010 16:00:00 GMT Articles http://www.novapcc.org/en/art/638/ Weekends off: Postal plan would end Saturday deliveries <p><font face="Arial">Weekends off: Postal plan would end Saturday deliveries<br>By Jim Offner<br><a href="http://www.wcfcourier.com/business/local/article_45d405c0-2e1b-11df-8813-001cc4c002e0.html">WCFCourier.com</a></font></p> <p><font face="Arial"></font> </p><font face="Arial"> <p><br>WATERLOO - Until 1950, residences and businesses across the U.S. got mail deliveries twice a day. Next year, if the U.S. Postal Service's latest austerity plan receives Congressional approval, Saturday deliveries will cease.</p> <p>The Post Office, which has received no direct taxpayer subsidy since 1981, is staring at a cumulative budget shortfall of $238 billion during the next 10 years, according to Postmaster General John Potter.</p> <p>Earlier this month, Potter introduced what the department described as "an aggressive plan of cost cutting, increased productivity, and an array of legislative and regulatory changes necessary" to keep the country's postal system viable.</p> <p>"The crisis we're facing gives us an historic opportunity to make changes that will lay the foundation for a leaner, more market responsive Postal Service that can thrive far into the future," Potter said in a news release. He said a comprehensive reorganization of the system was necessary.</p> <p>Mail volume is projected to fall from 177 billion in 2009 to 150 billion in 2020, according to the USPS. Revenue generated by First Class mail is projected to fall from 51 percent now to about 35 percent 10 years hence.</p> <p>"The Postal Service is between a rock and a hard place," said Richard Watkins, a USPS spokesman based in Kansas City, Mo. "We're not tax-supported. We can't raise prices because that will, in turn, drive away business which we desperately need. We have to have a business model that will work for the Postal Service."</p> <p>That model requires simply raising the price on stamps. In fact, the USPS did just that only last year, boosting the price of a first-class stamp from 42 to 44 cents.</p> <p>Personnel, the USPS says, likely won't be a huge issue, since it expects to lose about 300,000 workers to retirement in the next decade.</p> <p>The agency's troubles don't stem entirely from the Internet, or even privately owned competitors like United Parcel Service or Federal Express, both of whom share some logistical operations with the postal service, Watkins said.</p> <p>"But the two-fisted punch of electronic diversion and the deepest recession since the Great Depression really put us in a bind in terms of revenue as a self-supporting independent branch of the government," he said. "Something's got to give."</p> <p>That "something" is Saturday mail delivery.</p> <p>And, it will force changes at some local businesses that depend on Saturday service.</p> <p>Three local newspapers - the Oelwein Daily Register, Independence Bulletin-Journal and Cedar Falls Times, all properties of West Frankfort, Ill.-based Community Media Group - are currently delivered to subscribers on Saturday.</p> <p>"I have no idea yet; we just brought it up at a meeting yesterday," Publisher Deb Weigel said Wednesday when asked what the company would do if Saturday mail service stopped.</p> <p>Consumers who expect documents like bank statements or wage earners expecting checks to be delivered on Saturdays would see changes, as well.</p> <p>Area banking officials say balance and other financial information is available to customers online, anyway.</p> <p>"As more people transition to electronic, it takes that right out of the equation," said Mike McCrary, vice president of marketing for Lincoln Savings Bank.</p> <p>Some wage earners who have received paychecks in the mail on Saturdays will certainly be affected, said Kari McKay-Widdel, operations manager for Pitney-Bowes Presort Services in Cedar Rapids , which handles about 300,000 pieces of mail per day.</p> <p>"It's still going to be moving," she said. "But we do have customers we process paychecks for on Fridays, and their employees are still going to expect those checks. Those companies will have to look at internal changes."</p> <p>Eliminating Saturday mail deliveries wouldn't be the first major change in the mail system in recent decades.</p> <p>In 1970, under the Postal Reorganization Act, the old U.S. Post Office Department, was given 20 years to become an independent, self-supporting agency.</p> <p>The organization made the transition in 11.</p> <p>"The new, independent postal service was processing and delivering more and more mail volume every year, and for a little over 30 years, it worked real well," Watkins said.</p> <p>But the system has not been able to keep up with costs, he said.</p> <p>"As our delivery network continues to grow, meeting more delivery stops, between 1.5 to 2 million new addresses we have to go to each week, it takes more people, it takes more buildings and vehicles and fuel," he said. "So, our fixed costs have continued to grow. That was not as much a problem as long as mail volume continued to grow, as it did through 2006."</p> <p>But, he said, volume has been trailing off.</p> <p>Watkins said surveys indicate dropping Saturday deliveries is perceived as a lesser evil than other possible alternative austerity moves.</p> <p>"A Rasmussen survey showed that almost 70 percent of business and residential customers prefer going to five-day delivery rather than more radical moves like raising prices or going back to the federal subsidy," he said.</p> <p></font> </p> <br><br>14-Mar-10 12:00 PM Weekends off: Postal plan would end Saturday deliveries <p><font face="Arial">Weekends off: Postal plan would end Saturday deliveries<br>By Jim Offner<br><a href="http://www.wcfcourier.com/business/local/article_45d405c0-2e1b-11df-8813-001cc4c002e0.html">WCFCourier.com</a></font></p> <p><font face="Arial"></font> </p><font face="Arial"> <p><br>WATERLOO - Until 1950, residences and businesses across the U.S. got mail deliveries twice a day. Next year, if the U.S. Postal Service's latest austerity plan receives Congressional approval, Saturday deliveries will cease.</p> <p>The Post Office, which has received no direct taxpayer subsidy since 1981, is staring at a cumulative budget shortfall of $238 billion during the next 10 years, according to Postmaster General John Potter.</p> <p>Earlier this month, Potter introduced what the department described as "an aggressive plan of cost cutting, increased productivity, and an array of legislative and regulatory changes necessary" to keep the country's postal system viable.</p> <p>"The crisis we're facing gives us an historic opportunity to make changes that will lay the foundation for a leaner, more market responsive Postal Service that can thrive far into the future," Potter said in a news release. He said a comprehensive reorganization of the system was necessary.</p> <p>Mail volume is projected to fall from 177 billion in 2009 to 150 billion in 2020, according to the USPS. Revenue generated by First Class mail is projected to fall from 51 percent now to about 35 percent 10 years hence.</p> <p>"The Postal Service is between a rock and a hard place," said Richard Watkins, a USPS spokesman based in Kansas City, Mo. "We're not tax-supported. We can't raise prices because that will, in turn, drive away business which we desperately need. We have to have a business model that will work for the Postal Service."</p> <p>That model requires simply raising the price on stamps. In fact, the USPS did just that only last year, boosting the price of a first-class stamp from 42 to 44 cents.</p> <p>Personnel, the USPS says, likely won't be a huge issue, since it expects to lose about 300,000 workers to retirement in the next decade.</p> <p>The agency's troubles don't stem entirely from the Internet, or even privately owned competitors like United Parcel Service or Federal Express, both of whom share some logistical operations with the postal service, Watkins said.</p> <p>"But the two-fisted punch of electronic diversion and the deepest recession since the Great Depression really put us in a bind in terms of revenue as a self-supporting independent branch of the government," he said. "Something's got to give."</p> <p>That "something" is Saturday mail delivery.</p> <p>And, it will force changes at some local businesses that depend on Saturday service.</p> <p>Three local newspapers - the Oelwein Daily Register, Independence Bulletin-Journal and Cedar Falls Times, all properties of West Frankfort, Ill.-based Community Media Group - are currently delivered to subscribers on Saturday.</p> <p>"I have no idea yet; we just brought it up at a meeting yesterday," Publisher Deb Weigel said Wednesday when asked what the company would do if Saturday mail service stopped.</p> <p>Consumers who expect documents like bank statements or wage earners expecting checks to be delivered on Saturdays would see changes, as well.</p> <p>Area banking officials say balance and other financial information is available to customers online, anyway.</p> <p>"As more people transition to electronic, it takes that right out of the equation," said Mike McCrary, vice president of marketing for Lincoln Savings Bank.</p> <p>Some wage earners who have received paychecks in the mail on Saturdays will certainly be affected, said Kari McKay-Widdel, operations manager for Pitney-Bowes Presort Services in Cedar Rapids , which handles about 300,000 pieces of mail per day.</p> <p>"It's still going to be moving," she said. "But we do have customers we process paychecks for on Fridays, and their employees are still going to expect those checks. Those companies will have to look at internal changes."</p> <p>Eliminating Saturday mail deliveries wouldn't be the first major change in the mail system in recent decades.</p> <p>In 1970, under the Postal Reorganization Act, the old U.S. Post Office Department, was given 20 years to become an independent, self-supporting agency.</p> <p>The organization made the transition in 11.</p> <p>"The new, independent postal service was processing and delivering more and more mail volume every year, and for a little over 30 years, it worked real well," Watkins said.</p> <p>But the system has not been able to keep up with costs, he said.</p> <p>"As our delivery network continues to grow, meeting more delivery stops, between 1.5 to 2 million new addresses we have to go to each week, it takes more people, it takes more buildings and vehicles and fuel," he said. "So, our fixed costs have continued to grow. That was not as much a problem as long as mail volume continued to grow, as it did through 2006."</p> <p>But, he said, volume has been trailing off.</p> <p>Watkins said surveys indicate dropping Saturday deliveries is perceived as a lesser evil than other possible alternative austerity moves.</p> <p>"A Rasmussen survey showed that almost 70 percent of business and residential customers prefer going to five-day delivery rather than more radical moves like raising prices or going back to the federal subsidy," he said.</p> <p></font> </p> http://www.novapcc.org/en/art/638/ Sun, 14 Mar 2010 16:00:00 GMT Articles http://www.novapcc.org/en/art/639/ Our View: It's time to end Saturday mail <p><font face="Arial">Our View: It's time to end Saturday mail<br><a href="http://www.wausaudailyherald.com/article/20100314/WDH06/3140323">WausauDailyHerald.com</a></font></p> <p><font face="Arial"></font> </p> <p><font face="Arial"></font> </p> <p><font face="Arial">If you're like a lot of people, you read the recent story about the U.S. Postal Service proposal to eliminate Saturday service and said, "So what?"</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">And your next thought probably was, "What took them so long?"</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">Both those reactions are telling.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">Many of us shrugged at the inevitability of the news because we have so dramatically changed our personal habits. More and more people pay bills online. They communicate with friends and loved ones via e-mail, text messages, Facebook posts or other digital connections that have all but replaced paper and pencils.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">Most people probably have to think back to Christmas -- or longer ago -- to recall the last time they sent a personal, hand-written letter to someone. Like it or not, letter-writing via "snail mail" is a dying art.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">Within most of our lifetimes, according to techies, we'll be doing almost all our communicating and business digitally. It's still something of a modern miracle that you can put something in your mailbox today, pay less than the cost of a can of soda, and in a couple of days that package will be exactly where you want it, whether three miles away or 3,000 miles away.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">Miracle or not, though, there's no longer much need for six-day delivery (or even five-day, at some point.)</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">As for the "What took them so long?" question, the fact is it didn't take as long as one might think.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">The Postal Service has proposed eliminating Saturday service several times, usually as it was preparing to increase rates. Congress, never eager to take on institutional lethargy or controversy involved with changing something as hidebound as mail service, repeatedly has declined to discuss changes.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">Now, the time has come.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">Just five years ago, 31.6 million pieces of mail went through the Wausau Post Office every year. This year, that number is projected to drop to fewer than 24 million pieces, and the pattern is being repeated across the country.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">The triple-whammy of evolving personal habits, more competition from services such as UPS and FedEx, and the deepest recession in decades means the U.S. Postal Service likely will lose $7 billion this year.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">Like any business, it must either cut expenses, increase revenues or both. Postmaster General John Potter wants to do both, by eliminating Saturday service and raising rates.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">What's most striking about his plan is that so few people have resisted it. Most of us recognize that the time has come to change a service that hasn't evolved at the same pace as its customers.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">In fact, it sometimes feels as though it hasn't changed at all since its creation in 1775.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">Mail won't disappear anytime soon. Grandma still will send birthday cards, your dentist still will drop you a line reminding you of your appointment next week, and satellite television companies still will flood your mailbox with offers of three free months of HBO if you switch over from cable.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">But the numbers will continue to decline, and the Postal Service will continue to bleed red until Congress is able to recognize what the rest of us see so clearly.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">The time for change has come.</font></p> <br><br>14-Mar-10 12:00 PM Our View: It's time to end Saturday mail <p><font face="Arial">Our View: It's time to end Saturday mail<br><a href="http://www.wausaudailyherald.com/article/20100314/WDH06/3140323">WausauDailyHerald.com</a></font></p> <p><font face="Arial"></font> </p> <p><font face="Arial"></font> </p> <p><font face="Arial">If you're like a lot of people, you read the recent story about the U.S. Postal Service proposal to eliminate Saturday service and said, "So what?"</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">And your next thought probably was, "What took them so long?"</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">Both those reactions are telling.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">Many of us shrugged at the inevitability of the news because we have so dramatically changed our personal habits. More and more people pay bills online. They communicate with friends and loved ones via e-mail, text messages, Facebook posts or other digital connections that have all but replaced paper and pencils.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">Most people probably have to think back to Christmas -- or longer ago -- to recall the last time they sent a personal, hand-written letter to someone. Like it or not, letter-writing via "snail mail" is a dying art.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">Within most of our lifetimes, according to techies, we'll be doing almost all our communicating and business digitally. It's still something of a modern miracle that you can put something in your mailbox today, pay less than the cost of a can of soda, and in a couple of days that package will be exactly where you want it, whether three miles away or 3,000 miles away.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">Miracle or not, though, there's no longer much need for six-day delivery (or even five-day, at some point.)</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">As for the "What took them so long?" question, the fact is it didn't take as long as one might think.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">The Postal Service has proposed eliminating Saturday service several times, usually as it was preparing to increase rates. Congress, never eager to take on institutional lethargy or controversy involved with changing something as hidebound as mail service, repeatedly has declined to discuss changes.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">Now, the time has come.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">Just five years ago, 31.6 million pieces of mail went through the Wausau Post Office every year. This year, that number is projected to drop to fewer than 24 million pieces, and the pattern is being repeated across the country.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">The triple-whammy of evolving personal habits, more competition from services such as UPS and FedEx, and the deepest recession in decades means the U.S. Postal Service likely will lose $7 billion this year.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">Like any business, it must either cut expenses, increase revenues or both. Postmaster General John Potter wants to do both, by eliminating Saturday service and raising rates.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">What's most striking about his plan is that so few people have resisted it. Most of us recognize that the time has come to change a service that hasn't evolved at the same pace as its customers.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">In fact, it sometimes feels as though it hasn't changed at all since its creation in 1775.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">Mail won't disappear anytime soon. Grandma still will send birthday cards, your dentist still will drop you a line reminding you of your appointment next week, and satellite television companies still will flood your mailbox with offers of three free months of HBO if you switch over from cable.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">But the numbers will continue to decline, and the Postal Service will continue to bleed red until Congress is able to recognize what the rest of us see so clearly.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">The time for change has come.</font></p> http://www.novapcc.org/en/art/639/ Sun, 14 Mar 2010 16:00:00 GMT Articles http://www.novapcc.org/en/art/640/ Rain nor sleet nor snow (except Saturday); Postal Service looks at dropping weekend service <div><font face="Arial">Rain nor sleet nor snow (except Saturday); Postal Service looks at dropping weekend service<br>Chris Bjorke<br><a href="http://www.bismarcktribune.com/business/local/article_5a0aa6b2-2d57-11df-b75b-001cc4c002e0.html">Bismark Tribune</a><br></font></div> <p><font face="Arial"></font> </p> <p><font face="Arial">If the U.S. Postal Service were a business plan, it would be audacious, if not unworkable: Maintain a network of offices in the smallest, most isolated towns and the biggest metro areas, and deliver items right to anyone’s door, six days a week.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">Or maybe five.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">Because of the Postal Service’s reach and mandate to serve customers for the small price of a stamp, compounded by the prevalence of online communication, the government service needs a lot more money. The service is considering a number of cost-saving ideas to make up a $7 billion budget shortfall, and it recently floated the idea of ending Saturday delivery.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">“Something has to happen. We have seen a serious decrease in mail volume,” said Pete Nowacki, a postal service spokesman based in the Minneapolis area.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">While the number of addresses that the Postal Service delivers to keeps increasing with the population, the number of pieces of mail — along with the number of stamps purchased and shipments paid for — goes down every year. Deliveries peaked in 2006 at 213 billion pieces of mail and are projected to total 150 billion by 2020, Nowacki said.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">The most obvious reason for the drop in mail delivery is the Internet. When information can be sent instantaneously, it makes less sense for it to be printed on paper, driven to its destination and hand-delivered to its recipient.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">But for some, physical mail will still be the standard for the time being.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">“We have over 65 customers and we’re processing 125,000 transactions a month,” said Jackie Zachmeier, who is in charge of the utility bill payment program for the National Information Solutions Cooperative in Mandan. Her department processes $3 billion worth of payments to utilities and services for Fortune 100 corporations at locations across the country. And most of those bills still come to NISC in envelopes.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">“Our biggest mail day for our department already is Monday,” Zachmeier said. She heard from the Mandan post office that mail could still be picked up Saturdays if delivery were ended, but she has been following the Postal Service’s decisions closely.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">NISC has employees who process mail on Saturdays, and the loss of Saturday delivery means rearranging staff to deal with the same workload concentrated into fewer days. “We’re in jeopardy of losing that sixth working day.”</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">But not everyone gets as much mail as NISC.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">Randy Hellman, owner of Hellman Brothers Men’s Clothing in Bismarck, has a business that involves a high degree of customer attention. As a tailor, he works on clothes to suit customers and relies on the post office to deliver their suits.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">“Within the state, we use the Postal Service to deliver to customers because it’s a little faster,” he said. “The other great thing is that they deliver on Saturdays.”</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">Hellman said he would miss not being able to make deliveries on Saturdays and his customers would lose out as well.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">Nowacki cited a Gallup Poll showing that two thirds of mail customers would rather lose Saturday delivery than see postage rates go up, which would likely drive down mail volume even more. Not that people need more encouragement to abandon the Postal Service for electronic delivery. The tax deadline is approaching and more filers are likely to send their returns online.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">“Each one of those is a stamp that isn’t purchased,” Nowacki said.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">The USPS’s budget comes from what it makes in revenue and its budget gap has to be made up through cost savings or rate increases. According to Nowacki, dropping Saturday mail would save the service $3 billion.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">Business owner Dave Renner is doing his part to feed the Postal Service’s revenue.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">“I spent 13 grand last year at the post office,” said Renner, who owns Collectors Universe in Bismarck and does about 40 percent of his business by mail, buying and selling memorabilia and other items over the Internet. He said he would not miss Saturday deliveries.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">“The only thing coming anyway is bills, so who cares?” he said.</font></p> <br><br>14-Mar-10 12:00 PM Rain nor sleet nor snow (except Saturday); Postal Service looks at dropping weekend service <div><font face="Arial">Rain nor sleet nor snow (except Saturday); Postal Service looks at dropping weekend service<br>Chris Bjorke<br><a href="http://www.bismarcktribune.com/business/local/article_5a0aa6b2-2d57-11df-b75b-001cc4c002e0.html">Bismark Tribune</a><br></font></div> <p><font face="Arial"></font> </p> <p><font face="Arial">If the U.S. Postal Service were a business plan, it would be audacious, if not unworkable: Maintain a network of offices in the smallest, most isolated towns and the biggest metro areas, and deliver items right to anyone’s door, six days a week.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">Or maybe five.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">Because of the Postal Service’s reach and mandate to serve customers for the small price of a stamp, compounded by the prevalence of online communication, the government service needs a lot more money. The service is considering a number of cost-saving ideas to make up a $7 billion budget shortfall, and it recently floated the idea of ending Saturday delivery.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">“Something has to happen. We have seen a serious decrease in mail volume,” said Pete Nowacki, a postal service spokesman based in the Minneapolis area.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">While the number of addresses that the Postal Service delivers to keeps increasing with the population, the number of pieces of mail — along with the number of stamps purchased and shipments paid for — goes down every year. Deliveries peaked in 2006 at 213 billion pieces of mail and are projected to total 150 billion by 2020, Nowacki said.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">The most obvious reason for the drop in mail delivery is the Internet. When information can be sent instantaneously, it makes less sense for it to be printed on paper, driven to its destination and hand-delivered to its recipient.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">But for some, physical mail will still be the standard for the time being.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">“We have over 65 customers and we’re processing 125,000 transactions a month,” said Jackie Zachmeier, who is in charge of the utility bill payment program for the National Information Solutions Cooperative in Mandan. Her department processes $3 billion worth of payments to utilities and services for Fortune 100 corporations at locations across the country. And most of those bills still come to NISC in envelopes.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">“Our biggest mail day for our department already is Monday,” Zachmeier said. She heard from the Mandan post office that mail could still be picked up Saturdays if delivery were ended, but she has been following the Postal Service’s decisions closely.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">NISC has employees who process mail on Saturdays, and the loss of Saturday delivery means rearranging staff to deal with the same workload concentrated into fewer days. “We’re in jeopardy of losing that sixth working day.”</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">But not everyone gets as much mail as NISC.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">Randy Hellman, owner of Hellman Brothers Men’s Clothing in Bismarck, has a business that involves a high degree of customer attention. As a tailor, he works on clothes to suit customers and relies on the post office to deliver their suits.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">“Within the state, we use the Postal Service to deliver to customers because it’s a little faster,” he said. “The other great thing is that they deliver on Saturdays.”</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">Hellman said he would miss not being able to make deliveries on Saturdays and his customers would lose out as well.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">Nowacki cited a Gallup Poll showing that two thirds of mail customers would rather lose Saturday delivery than see postage rates go up, which would likely drive down mail volume even more. Not that people need more encouragement to abandon the Postal Service for electronic delivery. The tax deadline is approaching and more filers are likely to send their returns online.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">“Each one of those is a stamp that isn’t purchased,” Nowacki said.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">The USPS’s budget comes from what it makes in revenue and its budget gap has to be made up through cost savings or rate increases. According to Nowacki, dropping Saturday mail would save the service $3 billion.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">Business owner Dave Renner is doing his part to feed the Postal Service’s revenue.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">“I spent 13 grand last year at the post office,” said Renner, who owns Collectors Universe in Bismarck and does about 40 percent of his business by mail, buying and selling memorabilia and other items over the Internet. He said he would not miss Saturday deliveries.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">“The only thing coming anyway is bills, so who cares?” he said.</font></p> http://www.novapcc.org/en/art/640/ Sun, 14 Mar 2010 16:00:00 GMT Articles http://www.novapcc.org/en/art/633/ Congress had a hand in the Postal Service's struggles <div><font face="Arial">Congress had a hand in the Postal Service's struggles<br>By Gary Dunham, Wilmington</font> <div><a href="http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20100312/OPINION10/100311048/1004/OPINION">Delaware Online</a></div></div> <p><font face="Arial"></font> </p><font face="Arial"> <p><br>Kudos for your factual “A flexible Postal Service would better serve public” (March 5) editorial. A quasi-independent agency, the United States Postal Service is hamstrung by congressional regulations.</p> <p>No federal funds have been received since 1983. Since 2006, it’s been forced to pay $5.5 billion per year to prefund future retiree health benefits through 2016. No other federal agency does this that far ahead. In 2010, USPS paid over $75 billion to the Civil Service Retirement System due to a miscalculation. Congress won’t give it back nor apply it toward USPS expenses. That, not the economy, is why it lost $3.8 billion this year.</p> <p><br>The government uses USPS as a cash cow, like Social Security. Now with mail decreases from the down economy, some in media and Congress act like USPS is to blame. Congress over-regulated USPS, prevented them from making a profit, changing rates as needed and closing unprofitable offices with a minimum of bureaucracy. </p> <p>Over my career, outstanding evolutions occurred, from manual to mechanized to automated to computerized operations. USPS is consistently the highest-rated federal agency with citizen contact, getting an 82-85 percent approval rating yearly.<br></font></p> <br><br>12-Mar-10 7:00 AM Congress had a hand in the Postal Service's struggles <div><font face="Arial">Congress had a hand in the Postal Service's struggles<br>By Gary Dunham, Wilmington</font> <div><a href="http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20100312/OPINION10/100311048/1004/OPINION">Delaware Online</a></div></div> <p><font face="Arial"></font> </p><font face="Arial"> <p><br>Kudos for your factual “A flexible Postal Service would better serve public” (March 5) editorial. A quasi-independent agency, the United States Postal Service is hamstrung by congressional regulations.</p> <p>No federal funds have been received since 1983. Since 2006, it’s been forced to pay $5.5 billion per year to prefund future retiree health benefits through 2016. No other federal agency does this that far ahead. In 2010, USPS paid over $75 billion to the Civil Service Retirement System due to a miscalculation. Congress won’t give it back nor apply it toward USPS expenses. That, not the economy, is why it lost $3.8 billion this year.</p> <p><br>The government uses USPS as a cash cow, like Social Security. Now with mail decreases from the down economy, some in media and Congress act like USPS is to blame. Congress over-regulated USPS, prevented them from making a profit, changing rates as needed and closing unprofitable offices with a minimum of bureaucracy. </p> <p>Over my career, outstanding evolutions occurred, from manual to mechanized to automated to computerized operations. USPS is consistently the highest-rated federal agency with citizen contact, getting an 82-85 percent approval rating yearly.<br></font></p> http://www.novapcc.org/en/art/633/ Fri, 12 Mar 2010 12:00:00 GMT Articles http://www.novapcc.org/en/art/634/ Sending Post Office away would be troubling for US <p><font face="Arial">Sending Post Office away would be troubling for US<br>By Max Feldhake <br><a href="http://www.statepress.com/2010/03/11/sending-post-office-away-would-be-troubling-for-us/">Statepress.com</a></font></p> <p><font face="Arial"></font> </p> <p><font face="Arial">“Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.”</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">For well over two centuries the United States Postal Service, whose famous creed we’ve likely all heard, has stood as one of the greatest and most cherished institutions of the United States. In many ways, the USPS has embodied the rugged spirit and promise of the American dream. Over its history it has inextricably melded itself into the fabric of America.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">Yet the Post Office is reporting a record deficit of $7 billion this fiscal year, and the likelihood of that deficit continuing to increase is assured.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">“The economic recession has been tough on the mailing industry, and we have seen an unprecedented decline in mail volumes and revenue,” said Postmaster General John E. Potter in AARP Bulletin Today.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">USPS is planning on potentially closing 677 of over 27,000 its postal stations. According to AARP Bulletin Today, the Post Office’s “total mail volume in the second quarter fell 14.7 percent from the previous year.”</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">E-mail and electronic communications have been disastrous for the Post Office, primarily because American youth seem to overwhelmingly choose e-mail over pen-and-paper letters and postcards. The local post office, which for rural communities once served at a focal point of information dissemination and a gathering spot, is becoming an anachronism for youth.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">The Post Office has even been batting around the idea of discontinuing service on Saturdays in order to stop the hemorrhaging of money. According to the Federal Times, “Estimates of the savings range from $1.5 billion to $3.5 billion,” if the Post Office only had five days of service a week.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">The decline of the Post Office simply will not do, because at its very core USPS represents an institution that serves the entire nation with comparable services at comparable rates regardless of geographic location.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">Many have called for the Post Office to be privatized and to end its legal monopoly on the mail, as has been done in other nations around the world — this would not solve the problem.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">Imagine if sending postcards, letters, bills, etc. operated along the same manner that UPS and FedEx now operate. Prices would sky rocket and service would decrease.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">For as much flak as the Post Office gets, it does a wonderful job based on the limited resources with which it must operate. Do you honestly trust UPS to do a better job than the Post Office, unless, that is, you have to pay triple or quadruple the price?</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">America may rail against the long lines, the slow service and the general culture surrounding the Post Office, all of which are probably not the grandiose problems people make them to be, but were the Post Office to begin cutting back on coverage and service, the country would throw a tantrum.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">We need to find a workable solution to this crisis with the Post Office. In fact, perhaps I’ll go write a letter to a congressman in support of the Post Office … now what is his e-mail address again?<br></font></p> <br><br>12-Mar-10 7:00 AM Sending Post Office away would be troubling for US <p><font face="Arial">Sending Post Office away would be troubling for US<br>By Max Feldhake <br><a href="http://www.statepress.com/2010/03/11/sending-post-office-away-would-be-troubling-for-us/">Statepress.com</a></font></p> <p><font face="Arial"></font> </p> <p><font face="Arial">“Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.”</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">For well over two centuries the United States Postal Service, whose famous creed we’ve likely all heard, has stood as one of the greatest and most cherished institutions of the United States. In many ways, the USPS has embodied the rugged spirit and promise of the American dream. Over its history it has inextricably melded itself into the fabric of America.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">Yet the Post Office is reporting a record deficit of $7 billion this fiscal year, and the likelihood of that deficit continuing to increase is assured.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">“The economic recession has been tough on the mailing industry, and we have seen an unprecedented decline in mail volumes and revenue,” said Postmaster General John E. Potter in AARP Bulletin Today.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">USPS is planning on potentially closing 677 of over 27,000 its postal stations. According to AARP Bulletin Today, the Post Office’s “total mail volume in the second quarter fell 14.7 percent from the previous year.”</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">E-mail and electronic communications have been disastrous for the Post Office, primarily because American youth seem to overwhelmingly choose e-mail over pen-and-paper letters and postcards. The local post office, which for rural communities once served at a focal point of information dissemination and a gathering spot, is becoming an anachronism for youth.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">The Post Office has even been batting around the idea of discontinuing service on Saturdays in order to stop the hemorrhaging of money. According to the Federal Times, “Estimates of the savings range from $1.5 billion to $3.5 billion,” if the Post Office only had five days of service a week.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">The decline of the Post Office simply will not do, because at its very core USPS represents an institution that serves the entire nation with comparable services at comparable rates regardless of geographic location.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">Many have called for the Post Office to be privatized and to end its legal monopoly on the mail, as has been done in other nations around the world — this would not solve the problem.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">Imagine if sending postcards, letters, bills, etc. operated along the same manner that UPS and FedEx now operate. Prices would sky rocket and service would decrease.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">For as much flak as the Post Office gets, it does a wonderful job based on the limited resources with which it must operate. Do you honestly trust UPS to do a better job than the Post Office, unless, that is, you have to pay triple or quadruple the price?</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">America may rail against the long lines, the slow service and the general culture surrounding the Post Office, all of which are probably not the grandiose problems people make them to be, but were the Post Office to begin cutting back on coverage and service, the country would throw a tantrum.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">We need to find a workable solution to this crisis with the Post Office. In fact, perhaps I’ll go write a letter to a congressman in support of the Post Office … now what is his e-mail address again?<br></font></p> http://www.novapcc.org/en/art/634/ Fri, 12 Mar 2010 12:00:00 GMT Articles http://www.novapcc.org/en/art/627/ Postmaster General: focus on customers, not struggling downtowns <p><font face="Arial">Postmaster General: focus on customers, not struggling downtowns<br>By Dave Cook<br><a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/monitor_breakfast/2010/0311/Postmaster-General-focus-on-customers-not-struggling-downtowns">The Christian Science Monitor</a></font></p> <p><font face="Arial"></font> </p> <p><font face="Arial">As e-mail and electronic billpaying reduce the volume of mail nationwide, the Postal Service can't maintain post offices just to prop up struggling downtown areas, says Postmaster General John Potter.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">Last week Mr. Potter released a comprehensive plan for how the Postal Service could deal with what he estimated could be $238 billion in cumulative losses by 2020. The service is being squeezed by sliding sales of first class postage, and costs continue to rise as the number of addresses to which the service must deliver increases.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">Potter is seeking Congressional permission to make a series of changes including eliminating Saturday delivery, making more flexible use of a smaller Postal Service workforce, gaining more freedom to price products, and changing the way it covers the cost of employee retirement benefits.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">Perhaps no proposed solution to the Postal Service’s financial woes is more politically difficult than what Potter calls "expanding access." By that he means providing more postal services at grocery stores, pharmacies, and office supply stores while closing some of the 26,000 money-losing post offices among the 32,000 the service operates.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">“I am not an advocate of just closing a post office," Potter said. "People need to have access to postal services. But think about it. Does that access have to come in a facility that we have today," where on average 600 people walk in during a week, he asked. The average post office foot traffic of 600 people per week compares to 10,000 per week at the average pharmacy, and 20,000 at the average grocery store.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">“So I would just as soon have our products and services where people are and where the traffic is than ... in a location that in some cases is out of the way," Potter said. "And it doesn’t have to be a postal clerk that sells them – it could be anyone.” </font></p> <p><font face="Arial">And in language that may be hard for officials in struggling communities to hear, Potter added, “We don’t want to be the anchor for the revitalization of some downtown area that is pretty much vacant because some big strip malls have been built up outside of the downtown area. We need to be where the people are.”</font></p> <br><br>11-Mar-10 2:00 PM Postmaster General: focus on customers, not struggling downtowns <p><font face="Arial">Postmaster General: focus on customers, not struggling downtowns<br>By Dave Cook<br><a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/monitor_breakfast/2010/0311/Postmaster-General-focus-on-customers-not-struggling-downtowns">The Christian Science Monitor</a></font></p> <p><font face="Arial"></font> </p> <p><font face="Arial">As e-mail and electronic billpaying reduce the volume of mail nationwide, the Postal Service can't maintain post offices just to prop up struggling downtown areas, says Postmaster General John Potter.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">Last week Mr. Potter released a comprehensive plan for how the Postal Service could deal with what he estimated could be $238 billion in cumulative losses by 2020. The service is being squeezed by sliding sales of first class postage, and costs continue to rise as the number of addresses to which the service must deliver increases.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">Potter is seeking Congressional permission to make a series of changes including eliminating Saturday delivery, making more flexible use of a smaller Postal Service workforce, gaining more freedom to price products, and changing the way it covers the cost of employee retirement benefits.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">Perhaps no proposed solution to the Postal Service’s financial woes is more politically difficult than what Potter calls "expanding access." By that he means providing more postal services at grocery stores, pharmacies, and office supply stores while closing some of the 26,000 money-losing post offices among the 32,000 the service operates.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">“I am not an advocate of just closing a post office," Potter said. "People need to have access to postal services. But think about it. Does that access have to come in a facility that we have today," where on average 600 people walk in during a week, he asked. The average post office foot traffic of 600 people per week compares to 10,000 per week at the average pharmacy, and 20,000 at the average grocery store.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">“So I would just as soon have our products and services where people are and where the traffic is than ... in a location that in some cases is out of the way," Potter said. "And it doesn’t have to be a postal clerk that sells them – it could be anyone.” </font></p> <p><font face="Arial">And in language that may be hard for officials in struggling communities to hear, Potter added, “We don’t want to be the anchor for the revitalization of some downtown area that is pretty much vacant because some big strip malls have been built up outside of the downtown area. We need to be where the people are.”</font></p> http://www.novapcc.org/en/art/627/ Thu, 11 Mar 2010 19:00:00 GMT Articles http://www.novapcc.org/en/art/628/ Another proposed overhaul for the USPS <p><font face="Arial">Another proposed overhaul for the USPS<br>Air Cargo World </font></p> <p><font face="Arial"></font> </p> <div><font face="Arial"><br>The US Postal Service (USPS) is forecast to lose $238 billion by 2020 without “cuts across every aspect of our industry” announced US postmaster general John Potter.</font></div> <p><font face="Arial">Mail volume is projected to fall 37 percent from $177 billion in 2009 to $150 billion in 2020. Revenue from first class mail is expected to drop from 51 percent today to 35 percent in 2020.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">Admitting there was no quick fix to the USPS, Potter added, “The crisis we’re facing gives us an historic opportunity to make changes that will lay the foundation for a leaner, more market responsive postal service that can thrive far into the future.” </font></p> <p><font face="Arial">Despite continued cost-cutting, the USPS anticipates a shortfall of $115 billion by 2020.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">To address the projected loss, Potter suggested the USPS increase prices in 2011, restructure retiree health benefits payments, adjust delivery days, increase retail point-of-presence, price products based on demand and not the rate of inflation, and reorganize the workforce as more than 300,000 employees retire in the coming decade.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">“Lifestyles and ways of doing business have changed dramatically in the last 40 years, but some of the laws that govern the postal service have not. These laws need to be modernized to reflect today’s economic and business challenges and the dramatic impact the Internet has had on American life,” Potter added.</font></p> <br><br>11-Mar-10 2:00 PM Another proposed overhaul for the USPS <p><font face="Arial">Another proposed overhaul for the USPS<br>Air Cargo World </font></p> <p><font face="Arial"></font> </p> <div><font face="Arial"><br>The US Postal Service (USPS) is forecast to lose $238 billion by 2020 without “cuts across every aspect of our industry” announced US postmaster general John Potter.</font></div> <p><font face="Arial">Mail volume is projected to fall 37 percent from $177 billion in 2009 to $150 billion in 2020. Revenue from first class mail is expected to drop from 51 percent today to 35 percent in 2020.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">Admitting there was no quick fix to the USPS, Potter added, “The crisis we’re facing gives us an historic opportunity to make changes that will lay the foundation for a leaner, more market responsive postal service that can thrive far into the future.” </font></p> <p><font face="Arial">Despite continued cost-cutting, the USPS anticipates a shortfall of $115 billion by 2020.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">To address the projected loss, Potter suggested the USPS increase prices in 2011, restructure retiree health benefits payments, adjust delivery days, increase retail point-of-presence, price products based on demand and not the rate of inflation, and reorganize the workforce as more than 300,000 employees retire in the coming decade.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">“Lifestyles and ways of doing business have changed dramatically in the last 40 years, but some of the laws that govern the postal service have not. These laws need to be modernized to reflect today’s economic and business challenges and the dramatic impact the Internet has had on American life,” Potter added.</font></p> http://www.novapcc.org/en/art/628/ Thu, 11 Mar 2010 19:00:00 GMT Release http://www.novapcc.org/en/rel/5/ National PCC Group Seeks Your Feedback <div><font face="Arial">The national PCC group at US Postal Service HQ is seeking your opinions, ideas and feedback regarding PCC's.  If you are an industry member of the NOVA PCC, the Postal Service wants to hear your thoughts!  Join the national PCC team on a 1 hour NOVA PCC webinar/conference call on Tuesday, September 1st at 10AM. </font></div> <div> </div> <div>Express your thoughts and opinions regarding Postal Customer Councils during this exclusive NOVA PCC focus group hosted by the national PCC group at US Postal Service Headquarters.  There is no fee, all we ask is for 1 hour to hear your thoughts as well as those of other NOVA PCC Industry members.  Contact Ellen Regan, national focus group coordinator, at <a href="mailto:ellen.l.regan@usps.gov">ellen.l.regan@usps.gov</a> to be included in this important session.<br> </div> <div>Reserve your spot now - the first ten industry members to respond will be guaranteed a spot!<br> </div> http://www.novapcc.org/en/rel/5/ noemail@novapcc.org Thu, 20 Aug 2009 20:00:00 GMT Release http://www.novapcc.org/en/rel/4/ COMPREHENSIVE USPS REVIEW OF NEW PRICES <div align="center"><img alt="" src="../../attachments/wysiwyg/347/pcc_edit.png" border="0" height="535" width="401" /></div> http://www.novapcc.org/en/rel/4/ noemail@novapcc.org Thu, 09 Apr 2009 01:00:00 GMT Release http://www.novapcc.org/en/rel/1/ Postal Service Mailing Services Prices to Change on May 11 WASHINGTON — The Governors of the U.S. Postal Service have approved new prices for mailing services, including a 2-cent increase in the price of a First-Class Mail stamp to 44 cents. Prices for mailing services are reviewed annually and adjusted each May. The new prices will go into effect Monday, May 11. Customers can continue to mail letters at today’s prices by purchasing the Forever Stamp before May 11. Forever Stamps were developed to help consumers ease the transition during price changes. Forever Stamps do not have a denomination and will be honored whenever they are used with no need for additional postage for a one-ounce letter mailing. On May 11 the price of the Forever Stamp will be 44 cents. The new prices are available at usps.com/prices. Rising operational costs make the price adjustments necessary; the increase tracks the 2008 rate of inflation. The Postal Service is not immune to rising costs which are affecting homes and businesses across America today,... http://www.novapcc.org/en/rel/1/ noemail@novapcc.org Tue, 10 Feb 2009 19:45:00 GMT Content Managers http://www.novapcc.org/en/cms/1/ The Postal Customer Council of Northern Virginia Welcome to the home of the Postal Customer Council (PCC) of Northern Virginia, a postal-sponsored, not-for-profit membership organization serving members of the mailing industry since 2007. Membership is open to all business mailers and representatives of the mailing industry as well as Northern Virginia Postal Service employees. We welcome commercial mailers, non-profit organizations, service bureaus, and other types of business enterprises that use the mail, including individuals and sole proprietorship. Members gain instant access to USPS sponsored information as well as discounts on PCC events and training courses. We invite you to join today to enjoy the benefits of membership as described in the About Us section. If you are not sure you are ready to join. sign up for a user ID and we'll notify you about events and training as they are scheduled. If you have any questions, use the contact link above. http://www.novapcc.org/en/cms/1/ Sun, 14 Mar 2010 15:23:33 GMT Content Managers http://www.novapcc.org/links/ PCC Related Links Local PCC Mail Service Providers Mail Service Providers (MSPs) offer a full range of services, including designing, writing, printing, and sending your Direct Mail. Find a list of MSP’s by clicking on the link above. RIBBS This is the website of the USPS National Customer Support Center. Here you will find everything you need to know about Intelligent Mail and Address Quality. Postal Explorer (USPS) Postal Explorer is a virtual library of postal information designed for business mailers. It puts a wealth of postal information at your fingertips in an easy-to-use format. The powerful search feature lets you quickly find information in a single publication or across a range of publications. National Mail Service Updates Information on this site is provided for mailers with plant-verified drop shipments going to postal facilities that are closed or have mail entry limits because of natural disasters or severe weather... http://www.novapcc.org/links/ Fri, 29 Jan 2010 15:26:31 GMT Content Managers http://www.novapcc.org/join-nova-pcc/ Join Nova PCC Why join? As a member of the NOVA Postal Customer Councils you will have direct access to local postal leadership as well as unparalleled opportunities to network with others in the mailing industry. NOVA PCC certificate programs, educational seminars and vendor displays help members to grow professionally and become more successful in the mailing industry. Corporate sponsorships increase the awareness and recognition of members and their companies involvement in the mission of the NOVA PCC. Register for a corporate membership and be recognized as a leader in the mailing industry. Which PCC to join? Two individual Postal Customer Councils (PCCs) serve the geographic areas of the Northern Virginia District, allowing all members to be active in a PCC close to the area where they live or do business. The two NOVA PCCs are: NOVA Metro 201, 220-223 NOVA Shenandoah 226-227 Join either one of of these NOVA PCCs today in order to obtain the most benefit to... http://www.novapcc.org/join-nova-pcc/ Fri, 29 Jan 2010 15:26:06 GMT Content Managers http://www.novapcc.org/history/ History of PCC The Postal Customer Council (PCC) program began more than 30 years ago with the formation of local mail users councils. The Post Office Department organized the councils to improve communication between postal customers and local postal managers. The councils' rallying call was a "Mail Entry" campaign, designed to regulate the flow of local mail.<br> <br> The concept of working with customers to get mail earlier in the day was realized through the Mail Early campaign and the creation of mail users councils, also known as "Citizens Advisory Councils." The name "Mail Users Councils" lasted for nearly a decade until it was changed in 1971 to "Postal Customer Council".<br> <br> Once postal customers and local postal managers began working together under the council framework, both groups found that many problems could be resolved easily. The importance of postal customer councils has grown since the early 1970s. Through regular meetings, mailer clinics, and seminars, PCC members are kept abreast of the latest postal developments and work closely with local post offices to make mail services more efficient.<br> <br> The Postal Service stands behind the PCC program, an important avenue for improving service and understanding mailers' needs.<br> <br> <div> <h2>Future of the PCC</h2> </div> The Postal Customer Council (PCC) will continue to grow and prosper by introducing the latest developments in the mailing industry to its members. This will be done through workshops, seminars, tours, tradeshows, etc and much more. http://www.novapcc.org/history/ Fri, 29 Jan 2010 15:25:40 GMT Content Managers http://www.novapcc.org/about-us/ About Northern Virginia Postal Customer Council <div>The Northern Virginia Postal Customer Council is an organization that works with the United States Postal Service and postal customers to facilitate understanding about mailing and postal regulations between business customers and the postal service.</div> <div> </div> <div> <div> <h2>Mission</h2> </div> <div> <ul> <li>Help PCC members and their organizations grow and develop professionally through focused educational programs.</li> <br> <li>Promote local cooperation, support, and foster close working relations between the U. S. Postal Service and the business mailing community.</li> <br> <li>Share information and facilitate the exchange of ideas about new and existing Postal Service products, programs and procedures.  </li> </ul> <div> <h2>Local PCC's<br> </h2> </div> <div> <div>The Northern Virginia PCC consists of 2 PCC's divided geographically.</div> <ul> <li><a target="_self" href="/nova-metro-pcc">NOVA Metro PCC</a> - Serving all Zip Codes in 201 and 220 - 223</li> <br> <li><a target="_self" href="/shenandoah-valley-pcc">Shenandoah Valley PCC</a> - Serving all Zip Codes in 226 - 227</li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> http://www.novapcc.org/about-us/ Fri, 29 Jan 2010 15:25:22 GMT Content Managers http://www.novapcc.org/dulles-pcc/ Dulles PCC Listed below are the Executive Committee members for the Dulles PCC. There are plenty of positions for members to be involved on the Committee. Contact any member of the Executive Committee to volunteer. VACANT Industry Co-Chair Dale Cornett Postal Co-Chair On-Line Website Chair (Postal) USPS, Postmaster, Leesburg, VA 25 Catoctin Circle SE Leesburg, VA 20175-9998 (703) 669-3755 dale.a.cornett@usps.gov VACANT Membership Chair JoAnn Poland Registration Co-Chair NALC Health Benefit Plan Vacant Sponsorship Chair VACANT Secretary VACANT Programming Chair VACANT Education Chair Sue... http://www.novapcc.org/dulles-pcc/ Sun, 18 Jan 2009 23:00:12 GMT Content Managers http://www.novapcc.org/ppc-facts/ PCC Facts <h2>A Postal Customer Council is organized at the local community level to</h2> <ul> <li>Establish a means of regular communication between postal customers and local postal managers.</li> <br> <li>Provide opportunities for the exchange of ideas and suggestions.</li> <br> <li>Ensure that postal customers are aware of the latest in postal services and rates.</li> <br> <li>Assist customers in improving their internal mail operations.</li> <br> <li>Create a better understanding of the Postal Service through business meetings, mailer clinics, mailing seminars, tours of postal facilities and visits to other customers' plants.</li> <br> <li>Provide information necessary for customers to make the most effective and efficient use of postal services and products.</li> <br> <li>Provide an organized way for postal speakers to present postal programs to customers groups.</li> </ul> http://www.novapcc.org/ppc-facts/ Sun, 18 Jan 2009 18:14:37 GMT Content Managers http://www.novapcc.org/shenandoah-valley-pcc/ Shenandoah Valley PCC <div>Listed below are the Executive Committee members for the Shenandoah Valley PCC.  There are plenty of positions for members to be involved on the Committee.  Contact any member of the Executive Committee to volunteer.</div> <div> </div> <div><strong>Tori Blackburn</strong></div> <div><strong>SHENANDOAH Industry Co-Chair<br> </strong>Shenandoah University<br> <a href="tblackbu@su.edu" target="_blank">tblackbu@su.edu</a><br> <div> </div> <div><strong> Judy O’Hara</strong></div> <div><strong>SHENANDOAH Postal Co-Chair</strong></div> USPS, Postmaster Winchester<br> <div><a href="udy.ohara@usps.gov " target="_blank">judy.ohara@usps.gov </a></div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> </div> http://www.novapcc.org/shenandoah-valley-pcc/ Tue, 06 Jan 2009 11:55:45 GMT Content Managers http://www.novapcc.org/en/cms/26/ Lee Garvey Industry Co-Chair Click2Mail 3103 10th Street N. Suite 201 Arlington, VA 22201 (703) 521-9029, ext. 101 lgarvey@click2mail.com John Budzynski Postal Co-Chair Postmaster, Alexandria, VA 1100 Wythe Street Alexandria, VA 22313-9998 (703) 684-7168 john.f.budzynski@usps.gov Donald Griffin, EMCM Registration Chair Booz Allen Hamilton, Inc. 8283 Greensboro Drive McLean, VA 22102-3838 (703) 377-4320 griffin_donald@bah.com Isacc M. Webb, CMDSM, EMCM Booz Allen Hamilton, Inc. 8283 Greensboro Drive McLean, VA 22102-3838 (703) 902-5930 Fax - (703) 902-3530 ... http://www.novapcc.org/en/cms/26/ Mon, 15 Dec 2008 20:31:42 GMT Survey http://www.novapcc.org/en/sur/?4 What do you think about 5 Day Delivery Objectives: <div>This survey was created to solicit  feedback regarding 5-day mail delivery as proposed by the Postmaster General March 2. Your participation is appreciated.   </div><br><br>Release Date: 10-Mar-10 2:00 PM<br>Expiration Date: 31-May-10 2:00 PM<br><div>Please select the appropriate answer to the questions.     </div> http://www.novapcc.org/en/sur/?4 noemail@novapcc.org Wed, 10 Mar 2010 19:00:00 GMT photos http://www.novapcc.org/en/photos/v/356/ DSC06951 <img src ="http://www.novapcc.org/tpeople/wwwnovapcc4.1/jennifer.d.williams@usps.gov/photos/356/DSC06951-m.JPG" /><br>File uploaded by Jennifer Williams. <br><br> DSC06951 File uploaded by Jennifer Williams. http://www.novapcc.org/en/photos/v/356/ Mon, 15 Mar 2010 10:48:47 GMT photos http://www.novapcc.org/en/photos/v/355/ DSC06949 <img src ="http://www.novapcc.org/tpeople/wwwnovapcc4.1/jennifer.d.williams@usps.gov/photos/355/DSC06949-m.JPG" /><br>File uploaded by Jennifer Williams. <br><br> DSC06949 File uploaded by Jennifer Williams. http://www.novapcc.org/en/photos/v/355/ Mon, 15 Mar 2010 10:48:47 GMT photos http://www.novapcc.org/en/photos/v/354/ DSC06948 <img src ="http://www.novapcc.org/tpeople/wwwnovapcc4.1/jennifer.d.williams@usps.gov/photos/354/DSC06948-m.JPG" /><br>File uploaded by Jennifer Williams. <br><br> DSC06948 File uploaded by Jennifer Williams. http://www.novapcc.org/en/photos/v/354/ Mon, 15 Mar 2010 10:48:47 GMT photos http://www.novapcc.org/en/photos/v/353/ DSC06947 <img src ="http://www.novapcc.org/tpeople/wwwnovapcc4.1/jennifer.d.williams@usps.gov/photos/353/DSC06947-m.JPG" /><br>File uploaded by Jennifer Williams. <br><br> DSC06947 File uploaded by Jennifer Williams. http://www.novapcc.org/en/photos/v/353/ Mon, 15 Mar 2010 10:48:47 GMT photos http://www.novapcc.org/en/photos/v/352/ DSC06946 <img src ="http://www.novapcc.org/tpeople/wwwnovapcc4.1/jennifer.d.williams@usps.gov/photos/352/DSC06946-m.JPG" /><br>File uploaded by Jennifer Williams. <br><br> DSC06946 File uploaded by Jennifer Williams. http://www.novapcc.org/en/photos/v/352/ Mon, 15 Mar 2010 10:48:47 GMT photos http://www.novapcc.org/en/photos/v/351/ DSC06945 <img src ="http://www.novapcc.org/tpeople/wwwnovapcc4.1/jennifer.d.williams@usps.gov/photos/351/DSC06945-m.JPG" /><br>File uploaded by Jennifer Williams. <br><br> DSC06945 File uploaded by Jennifer Williams. http://www.novapcc.org/en/photos/v/351/ Mon, 15 Mar 2010 10:48:47 GMT photos http://www.novapcc.org/en/photos/v/350/ DSC06944 <img src ="http://www.novapcc.org/tpeople/wwwnovapcc4.1/jennifer.d.williams@usps.gov/photos/350/DSC06944-m.JPG" /><br>File uploaded by Jennifer Williams. <br><br> DSC06944 File uploaded by Jennifer Williams. http://www.novapcc.org/en/photos/v/350/ Mon, 15 Mar 2010 10:48:47 GMT photos http://www.novapcc.org/en/photos/v/349/ DSC06943 <img src ="http://www.novapcc.org/tpeople/wwwnovapcc4.1/jennifer.d.williams@usps.gov/photos/349/DSC06943-m.JPG" /><br>File uploaded by Jennifer Williams. <br><br> DSC06943 File uploaded by Jennifer Williams. http://www.novapcc.org/en/photos/v/349/ Mon, 15 Mar 2010 10:48:47 GMT photos http://www.novapcc.org/en/photos/v/348/ DSC06942 <img src ="http://www.novapcc.org/tpeople/wwwnovapcc4.1/jennifer.d.williams@usps.gov/photos/348/DSC06942-m.JPG" /><br>File uploaded by Jennifer Williams. <br><br> DSC06942 File uploaded by Jennifer Williams. http://www.novapcc.org/en/photos/v/348/ Mon, 15 Mar 2010 10:48:47 GMT photos http://www.novapcc.org/en/photos/v/347/ DSC06941 <img src ="http://www.novapcc.org/tpeople/wwwnovapcc4.1/jennifer.d.williams@usps.gov/photos/347/DSC06941-m.JPG" /><br>File uploaded by Jennifer Williams. <br><br> DSC06941 File uploaded by Jennifer Williams. http://www.novapcc.org/en/photos/v/347/ Mon, 15 Mar 2010 10:48:47 GMT Lorem ipsum Courses http://www.novapcc.org/en/courses/view.asp?courseid=1
Lorem ipsum
]]> Course 2008-11-24T15:37:15Z