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For Immediate Release
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Contact: Robert E. McLean
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Release No. 02-1
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703-418-0390
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February 6, 2002
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bmclean@mailers.org
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Mailers Council Calls on Postal Service to Get Serious About its Transformation Plan
WASHINGTON, February 6, 2002—The Mailers Council, the nation’s largest coalition of
mailers and mailing associations, has challenged the United States Postal Service to produce a transformation plan that credibly responds to the agency’s financial situation.
The statement is part of the Mailers Council’s response to the Postal Service’s request for
comments on its “Outline for Discussion: Concepts for Postal Transformation.” Last year Members of Congress responsible for oversight of the Postal Service required the agency to create the transformation plan.
According to Mailers Council Executive Director Bob McLean, “The Postal Service is
nearing its statutory borrowing limit of $15 billion, and is facing the possibility of a serious decline in mail volume and a staggering pension liability. Last year the agency, which is part
of a $900 billion mailing industry that employs nine million Americans, raised prices twice—during a recession. In response to these conditions it published a transformation
plan that fails to express any sense of urgency, which we believe the situation demands.”
The Mailers Council suggests the final transformation plan, to be released by March 31, include more substantive comments on several issues:
- If mail volume continues to decline, the plan must show how the Postal Service would reduce its staffing and facility needs. For example, the Postal Service
could seek Congress’ help in this difficult process by calling for a facility closing and consolidation commission, one modeled on the military base-closing commission process.
- Deteriorating postal finances may require changes in the definition of universal postal service. The plan must address this topic and offer alternatives.
- The plan must indicate how the Postal Service will cope with the escalating retirement costs, a problem revealed in a recent GAO study.
- The Postal Service’s productivity record over the past 30 years has been inconsistent. Recent productivity gains are nominal, but encouraging. For this
trend to continue, the Postal Service must set and publish its specific productivity goals for the next decade.
The Mailers Council is a coalition of over 40 corporations, nonprofit organizations and major
mailing associations. Council members represent for-profit and nonprofit mailers that use the Postal Service to deliver correspondence, publications, parcels, greeting cards and
payments. Collectively the Council accounts for as much as 70 percent of the nation's mail volume.
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For the Transformation Plan Comments, click here
Note to Media: To read the Mailers Council’s complete response to the transformation plan, visit www.mailers.org , or call 703-979-6130 for a copy.
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