Press Release

For Immediate Release

Contact: Robert E. McLean

Release No. 03-3

703-418-0390

July 23, 2003

bmclean@mailers.org

Mailers Council Praises Postal Commission

WASHINGTON, DC, July 23, 2003--Today the President’s Commission on the United States Postal Service issued recommendations to be included in a report that will suggest major legislative and administrative reforms needed to ensure the viability of postal services. In response, Robert E. McLean, executive director of the Mailers Council, the nation’s largest coalition of mailers, issued the following statement:

“We congratulate the commission members for accepting such a difficult task, one that is extremely important to the nine million Americans employed by the $9 billion mailing industry. We also thank the White House for creating the commission, something we called for over a year ago because we believe the Postal Service as currently chartered cannot survive.

“Once the commission issues its final report we look forward to analyzing it. We expect to support many of its recommendations, notably those that would help improve the Postal Service’s productivity and keep postage prices reasonable. We hope these recommendations will lead to major changes in policy and, where necessary, postal reform legislation.

“We encourage every member of Congress to study and consider the commission’s report because the nation, especially every business, needs a healthy, cost-effective national postal system delivering universal service.”

The Mailers Council is a coalition of corporations, nonprofit organizations and major mailing associations. Collectively the Council accounts for 70 percent of the nation's mail volume. The Mailers Council believes that the USPS can be operated more efficiently, supports efforts aimed at lowering postal costs, and has the ultimate objective of containing postal rates without compromising service.

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