USPS Postmaster General Jack Potter Unveils Action Plan to Ensure USPS Future

PMG UNVEILS ACTION PLAN TO ENSURE A VIABLE USPS FUTURE

Revenue and mail volume projections point to continuing and dramatic losses in the billions. If the Postal Service takes no action, it could face a cumulative $238 billion shortfall by the year 2020.

To meet these challenges over the next decade and beyond, the Postal Service today presented its action plan — “Ensuring a Viable Postal Service for America” — to adapt to America’s changing mailing habits and preferences.

“The Postal Service understands that to best serve the American people in 2020 and beyond, it must be leaner and have the ability to quickly respond to customer mailing needs,” said PMG Jack Potter.

The plan, presented by Potter and senior USPS executives to an audience of more than 200 congressional and mailing industry stakeholders, calls for the Postal Service to focus on several main areas where change is needed to become a flexible, agile agency able to respond to change. These actions could amount to as much as $123 billion in savings over the next 10 years.

• Restructure retiree health benefits prefunding to “pay-as-you-go,” comparable to what is used by the rest of the federal government and the private sector.

• Adjust delivery frequency to better reflect current mail volumes and customer habits.

• Expand access to postal products and services through self-service kiosks, partnerships with other retail outlets, and a world-class Web site — usps.com.

• Workforce flexibility that allows the Postal Service to put the right people at the right place and at the right time.

• Ensure pricing of Market Dominant mailing products is based on demand for each individual product and its costs, rather than capping prices for every class at the rate of inflation.

• Expand Products and Services by allowing the Postal Service to evaluate and introduce more new products consistent with its mission and compete more effectively in the marketplace.

“This is an ambitious, aggressive plan,” says Potter, adding that it will help ensure a future where the Postal Service remains a vital driver of the American economy. “If given the flexibility to respond to an evolving marketplace, the Postal Service will continue to be an integral part of the fabric of American life.”

Be sure to visit usps.com to learn more about “Ensuring a Viable Postal Service for America.”