Associated Mail & Parcel Centers Blog

At the National Postal Forum, AMPC made a short presentation to the USPS Executive Leadership Team (Postmaster General, Deputy Postmaster General and the six Executive VPs) stating that we support five-day delivery and we believe the USPS will need this and other cost savings to survive, but the Commercial Mail Receiving Agents (CMRA) will have to get their mail on Saturday just like Post Office Boxes. Mail delivered to PO Boxes only will not be acceptable.

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The Postmaster General told us that he agrees that delivery to CMRAs on Saturday makes sense.  What he wants in return, of course, is more mail from the Approved Shippers.  In another meeting he told me that he has no intention in giving up the fight to be more flexible on the number of delivery days per week.

The wording in the law has to do with the appropriation bills that get passed every year.  The statement in these bills require Postal delivery, six days a week.  The goal of the USPS is to get this paragraph deleted, giving them the flexibility to make changes based upon mail volume.

Patrick Donahoe appears to be a man of his word. In his short time as PMG he has earned the respect of many large mailers.  But just in case, I have about 1500 witnesses to his approval of Saturday mail delivery to CMRAs and the session will be available on DVD soon.

Fighting the five-day option is self-defeating in that Congress will eventually realize that the demand curve for mail is not going to bend up any time soon.  Without changes, including reducing the delivery days, the USPS will not be able to meet its Constitutional mandate.  And we have an opportunity here – to increase our mailbox business.

If we are successful, the PO and the CMRAs will be the only available options to get mail on Saturday.   Should this all come about, mail box rentals will increase significantly.

Entering into this process to guide it in our direction will be much more effective that letting it happen and then protesting the outcome.  The PMG told me that by providing delivery points and sales outlet at almost no cost to them, the Approved Shipper Program is very important to the future the USPS.

Our letter writing campaign is almost ready to go to the two Congressional Committees that will make the decision regarding five-day delivery.  I have asked for some guidance on how to approach Congress with these letters, and when I get that, the campaign will be launched.   The letters will be editable.

Please be prepared to help.