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For Immediate Release |
Contact: Robert E. McLean |
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Release No. 01-8 |
703-418-0390 |
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October 12, 2001 |
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WASHINGTON, October 12, 2001—According to a new study by the nation’s large coalition of postal customers, the Postal Service maintained most of its recent productivity gains in its second quarter, but again failed to improve the overall productivity of its delivery operations. The data comes from the third Quarterly Report Card on the Postal Service, published by the Mailers Council.
The latest Quarterly Report Card (click here for a graphic of the report card) shows minor changes in most of the 10 grades. According to Mailers Council Executive Director Bob McLean, “that also includes the poor scores for delivery productivity. The trend line shows no improvement for the quarter, resulting in a grade of C-. Clearly the Postal Service’s attempts to use technology to reduce handling time in this operational area have failed.”
The Delivery rating is not a grade based on whether Postal Service carriers consistently deliver letters at the expected time each day; it is a grade that indicates whether the Postal Service is improving the productivity of all employees working in the delivery area.
“To improve delivery productivity,” according to McLean, “the Postal Service must find new systems and technologies that will reduce the time letter carriers spend preparing to deliver mail, and more time on the street delivering it. Investments in new technology will be essential to reducing costs, which is the key to restraining future postage increases.”
The Mailers Council Report Cards grade the Postal Service’s productivity relative to its own performance in previous quarters, and to productivity trends in the private sector. The Mailers Council believes that by highlighting such trends it encourages the Postal Service to achieve greater productivity growth, thereby reducing the frequency and size of postage rate increases.
The Report Cards are not intended to be a reflection on the efforts of postal employees and managers. They measure how well the Postal Service as a whole is improving the efficiency of its operations. The USPS has shown sporadic periods of productivity gains since 1970, but never consistent productivity gains.
The Report Cards are produced by the Mailers Council, a coalition of corporations, nonprofit organizations and major mailing associations. Council members represent for-profit and nonprofit mailers that use the United States Postal Service to deliver correspondence, publications, parcels, greeting cards and payments. Collectively the Council accounts for nearly 70 percent of the nation's mail volume.
To develop the economic comparisons and resulting grades, the Mailers Council selected the Washington Economics Consulting Group, led by the company's president, Dr. James A. Clifton. An economic consultant and expert witness with more than 20 years experience, Clifton has worked with associations, corporations and government agencies. He has extensive experience examining the Postal Service and its finances. Clifton has testified as an expert witness at numerous hearings before the Postal Rate Commission, the regulatory body that reviews all requests for postage rate increases.
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- For bios of the authors of the Report Card, click here
- For a copy of the Report Card, click here
Note to Media: For more information on postal productivity, see the Mailers Council’s 2000 study on productivity click here, or call Joan Worden at 202-337-5411.
©1999-2003 Mailers Council http://www.mailers.org