The Postal Reform Act of 2013 is at the discussion draft stage on the House of Representatives side, with House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa outlining some of the highlights in order to solicit broad input prior to introduction.
The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) estimated its plan to end most Saturday deliveries would have added $2B annually to its beleaguered bottom line. Now the governors are looking for other ways to get that money, and instead of an across-the-board increase they’re suggesting that the hikes be targeted at allegedly unprofitable mail.
Despite extensive downsizing by the Postal Service and better preparation of catalogs and magazines by mailers, USPS claims its costs of handling flat mail have risen rapidly in recent years. Some postal experts blame USPS’s cost-accounting system, which tends to allocate the costs of “automation refugees” and other inefficiencies
The financially beleaguered U.S. Postal Service suffered a setback in its plan to end Saturday delivery of first-class mail as Congress on Thursday passed legislation requiring six-day delivery.
The House of Representatives on Thursday gave final approval to the legislation, known as a continuing resolution, that maintains the provision, sending it to President Barack Obama to sign into law. The Senate approved the measure on Wednesday.
"Once the delivery schedule language in the Continuing Resolution becomes law, we will discuss it with our Board of Governors to determine our next steps," said David Partenheimer, a spokesman for the Postal Service.
Quad/Graphics was recognized by the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) for excellence in driving technology innovation and supporting growth for the mailing industry. “Our collaboration with Quad/Graphics demonstrates how technology is making mail more powerful and transforming the mailing industry,” said Postmaster General and CEO, Patrick R. Donahoe.
RESTON, VA—More than half of everything printed is mailed, which makes mailing and fulfillment a vital segment of the graphic communications industry. At PRINT 13, slated for Sept. 8-12 at Chicago's McCormick Place, the newly branded "DELIVER" Mailing & Fulfillment Center will offer attendees access to new resources and learning opportunities, along with a comprehensive lineup of mailing and fulfillment equipment and software.
The USPS has certainly played a starring role in creating many of the problems it faces. But it also deserves credit for being proactive in finding solutions, despite being hamstrung with retiree pre-funding requirements and inflexible union labor contracts. Now is the time for all hands on deck in Congress to throw the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) a much-needed lifeline.
Commercial Printing Industry News Briefs from Printing Impressions’ March 2013 edition, including items on Vertis Communications; EPS-Doublet and Think BIG Solutions; Royal Printing and Modern Printing; Classic Graphics; The John Roberts Co.; the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) and Valassis Direct Mail; Impressions Plus Printing and Copying; and Eastman Kodak.
Even reputable news organizations botched the announcement last Tuesday that the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) has entered into a licensing agreement allowing a clothing company to sell the “Rain Heat & Snow brand of apparel and accessory products.”
“Strapped for cash and obviously desperate, the USPS is launching a new line of ‘smart apparel'—also known as wearable electronics," wrote The Atlantic, which also said USPS would "get into the outdoor gear business."
U.S. printing prices have failed to keep pace with inflation during the past 25 years, the CEO of the country’s second largest printing company told a Senate panel this week.
“During that same time period, the price of postage has continued to increase and as a result the single largest expense of printing is now the postage associated with delivering the final product,” Joel Quadracci, Chairman, President & CEO of Quad/Graphics Inc., testified Wednesday during a Senate hearing on the “Crisis Facing the U.S. Postal Service.”
With the theme of "Innovate, Integrate, Communicate," this year's PRINT 13 in Chicago, September 8-12, promises to deliver a host of new and exciting show floor attractions. Among the highlights at PRINT 13 is DELIVER—The NEW Mailing & Fulfillment Center.
