WASHINGTON, DC—The United States Postal Service (USPS) announced proposed price changes, including an increase in the price of a First-Class Mail single-piece letter from 46 cents to 49 cents. The proposed changes, which would go into effect in January 2014, are intended to generate $2 billion in incremental annual revenue for the Postal Service.
Catalog mailers may see, on average, a 5.9 percent postal rate increase based on price changes the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) has proposed to the Postal Regulatory Commission, according to a statement e-mailed to Multichannel Merchant by the American Catalog Mailers Association.
Hamilton Davison, president and director of the American Catalog Mailers Association, said various mailers will see slight variations in the amount imposed. According to Davison, an increase of nearly 6 percent will do real damage to an industry still struggling to adjust to the exorbitant 2007 rate hike where many companies are struggling mightily, mail volumes are depressed,
In a letter disseminated to customers, Board of Governors Chairman Mickey Barnett described the “precarious financial condition” of the Postal Service and the “uncertain path toward enactment of postal reform legislation” as primary reasons for seeking price changes above the CPI increase. He also indicated that the price adjustment above the CPI increase is necessary in order to ensure that the Postal Service will be able to maintain and continue the development of postal services of the type and quality which America needs.
In response to the United States Postal Service (USPS) announcement of a rate increase of 5.9 percent, Donna Harman, president and CEO of the American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA), has issued the following statement.
Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe said Thursday his agency is in "the midst of a financial disaster" and may need an emergency increase in postage rates to keep operating.
Donahoe pressed lawmakers Thursday for swift action on legislation to fix his agency's finances. Without help from Congress, the agency expects its multibillion-dollar annual losses to worsen. He warned that the agency's cash liquidity remains dangerously low.
"The Postal Service is quickly moving down a path that leads to becoming a massive, long-term burden to the American taxpayer," he said.
The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) has expand its reach to domestic and international customers, by opening a Postal Store on eBay at ebay.com/stamps. The USPS is also auctioning rare stamp-related collectible philatelic products and items from the Postmaster General’s Collection on eBay.
Erv Drewek of Brown Printing in Waseca, MN, was elected for the Postmaster Generals’ Mailers' Technical Advisory Committee (MTAC) vice-chair position. As the vice-chair, Drewek, along with other committee members, will oversee the activities of the Leadership Committee, gathering information on how to enhance the value of mail-related products and services.
A statement released by the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) board of governors confirmed that the panel met Thursday and, as part of its agenda in a closed-door meeting, "considered pricing issues, including the possibility of filing for price adjustments."
The governors, the statement said, "continue to listen to stakeholders and have postponed final pricing decisions until the next scheduled Board of Governors meeting" scheduled for Sept. 24 and 25.
Postal-rate increases are capped at inflation, as measured by the Consumer Price Index. That would mean an allowable increase of about 2 percent for implementation in January.
Last week, Joel Quadracci, Quad/Graphics' chairman, president and CEO, returned to Capitol Hill for a second time, to testify before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee the importance of the USPS to private industry and the U.S. economy while emphasizing the urgency for postal reform to reverse a crisis of confidence in the future of mail delivery.
The Marketing Pavilion, The Marketing Theater, targeted seminar slate and co-located events are among the highlights for marketers, designers and marketing service providers at PRINT 13 in Chicago.
