Postmaster General Addresses Need for Fundamental Change

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Work Hours Reduced, Productivity Increased as Fiscal Year Nears End

PORTLAND, OR — In his annual state of the business address to the mailing industry, Postmaster General John E. Potter today stressed that long-term sustainability for the Postal Service will be achieved through fundamental change.

“The Postal Service must have the ability to manage its business, and to adapt quickly to the needs of our customers and the marketplace,” said Potter. “And our business model must change to reflect the reality of a volatile economy and a communications marketplace that has been undergoing a transformation as profound as anything that has ever come before.”

Despite cutting spending by $3 billion in 2010, the Postal Service continues to seek meaningful change for greater control over business decisions, including delivery frequency, pricing and products, public policy and workforce flexibility.

Potter’s comments came during the National Postal Customer Council (PCC) Day broadcast, an annual event that brings together mailers, industry partners and customers to recognize their contributions to the Postal Service and outline future plans and goals. PCCs are a network of community-based business mailers and representatives of the Postal Service, who meet regularly to share ideas and resources to create a closer working relationship.

In the midst of financial and regulatory challenges, the Postal Service achieved major milestones during fiscal year 2010, including:

  • 17 percent reduction in work hours
  • 20 percent increase in Total Factor Productivity
  • The smallest career complement in 10 years — a reduction of 200,000 positions through attrition or retirement, 100,000 over the last three years.

The Postmaster General also looked forward, telling PCC members that new flat-rate products and a Priority Mail “Regional Rate Box” are being developed and will be available as of January 2011.

Other successful innovations in mail will return, including the Summer Sale, an expansion of the Saturation Mail Sale and a new incentive program included in the exigent price filing, “Reply Rides Free,” that would allow mailers to use bill and statement mailings for advertising messages.

Potter also challenged PCCs and the mailing industry to embrace change, asking for their best ideas on new products and services the Postal Service could pursue and encouraging them to become a part of the Postal Service’s “era of innovation.”

Members of the Mailers Technical Advisory Committee participated in an Innovation Symposium in August and a similar symposium is planned for October with CEOs, consumer groups and marketing professionals around the country.

PCC leaders were asked to solicit their members for three innovative ideas and to submit them for consideration at usps.com/pcc. Regular updates will be provided and a special reporting session is planned for the National Postal Forum next May.

But, Potter stressed, even as the Postal Service focuses on new ways of doing business and changing its business model to address a constantly changing consumer and business environment, the Postal Service remains true to its mission of universal service.

“Service is still our priority, which we’ll continue to improve as we work toward achieving long-term sustainability through fundamental change,” he pledged.

National PCC Day also showcases the work of PCCs and includes a series of awards recognizing outstanding service and individual achievement. The following award winners were announced:

  • PCC Industry Member of the Year:  Theresa Peterlein, Mid-Michigan PCC
  • PCC Postal Service Member of the Year:  Laurel Stengal, Long Island PCC
  • PCC of the Year:  Tampa PCC (large market), Central Missouri (small market)
  • PCC Mentor of the Year:  Sacramento PCC
  • Communication Program Excellence:  Greater Portland PCC (gold), Buffalo/Niagara PCC and Greater New York PCC (silver) and New Hampshire PCC (bronze)
  • Education Program Excellence:  Greater Portland PCC (gold), Buffalo/Niagara PCC (silver) and Long Island PCC and Tampa PCC (bronze)

More information on Postal Customer Councils and National PCC Day can be found at usps.com/pcc.

11 thoughts on “Postmaster General Addresses Need for Fundamental Change”

  2. postal managers make a lot of money and dont do crap. The front line supv’s take all the heat and the craft are the one’s that are in the fire. SMDO’s and MDO’s need to take a pay cut that will save some money, also start holding the idiots accountable for GOD’S sake.

  3. For someone to “grow a spine” and wake up and see what/who the real problems of the USPS is “PMG John E Potter”… We/USPS really NEEDS A (NEW POSTMASTER GENERAL)!!! Even a BLIND person can see that we need REVENUE!! and how can we get REVENUE IF POTTER IS ALWAYS CUTTING SERVICE????? ARE WE NOT CALLED THE U.S. POSTAL “SERVICE” WHERE IS THE SERVICE?? Just who is in CHARGE of making this DECISION??? I’m just wondering if this is a SABATOGE against the USPS? I thought that would be against the LAW!!!(ALL OF YOU SHOULD GO TO JAIL) If you keep trimming from the bottom, and adding to the TOP, What do you think will happen?? we are going to fall, anything that’s top heavy will ALWAYS fall.. WAKE UP IDIOTS in WASHINGTON!! WE ARE FALLING!! and it’s all PMG POTTER’S FAULT!!! FIRE HIM NOW!! Because he won’t ever step down!! HE IS LYING TO THE PUBLIC!!! acting like he cares, when we all know he don’t give a CRAP!!!! He has enough money to live on thanks to the USPS.. DO YOU?? I DON’T..

  4. Potter should stop wasting money on buildings, moving slides three times in a year, building an addition to an existing building then in six months modifying that building at a cost of millions of dollars. cutting window hrs., cutting carriers, and cutting clerks from AO’s is not how to improve productivity and customer service. I always say when you trim a bush, start at the top.

  5. The PMG is a GOP CORPORATIST LIER and will not be happy until we are

    wearing UPS brown shirts or FedEx blue.

    Privatization is their scheme and the PMG and all his Mailing

    Industry Swine “friends” will not rest until they force Congress to

    give them “enabling legislation” to accomplish their wish.

  6. Send all the mail to China, let them read it and email it straight to the customers.

    Bring Back the Dept.of the Post Office!!!!

  7. Sirs,
    1) reduction in force has been become reduction in service
    2) all the scandals at the command level do not inspire the workforce
    3) Why are the Office of Inspector General audits that have shown so much non-compliance by the Postal Service in terms of not following policy and regulation NOT being addressed by Congress/
    4) How can service standards be complied with, much less improved, by employees working 10 to 12 hours a day?
    5) When will the ratio of managers to employees, the highest in the country, be improved to show real efficiency?
    6) Ezactly how much damage to the Postal Service and the workforce can any one manager do before the company removes or demotes him/her?
    7) How much money does the Postal Service pay out each year because their managers refuse to follow the contracts and regulations that they swore to uphold?
    8) How can the Postal Service hope to make money when they remove the blue collection boxes from the street and refuse to staff their stamp selling counters correctly, having 20 or thirty customers waiting on line?
    9) Why does the Postal “Service” NOT respond to these complaints?

  8. Oh gee, thanks Potter for the obligatory lip service to “universal service”. You couldn’t give two craps about a pesky little mandate that, if truth be known, you wish would go away. It just doesn’t fit the “business model” that you and your big mailer pals have in mind. And the fact that you just can’t get rid of rank-and-file and expand management roles fast enough must REALLY be upsetting your handlers. You just can’t justify hiring that huge casual or “seasonal” workforce, while at the same time, excessing every mail processing clerk you can get your hands on. I hope that the arbitraitor that decides the next labor contract sees through the subterfuge, smoke and mirror, fraudulent accounting, and mis-management.

  9. What PMG Potter means is we should outsource the USPS to China. I think we should just fire everyone and have illegals do the work. That way we don’t have to fly mail to China, and then back to the U.S. for delivery. All this is the Union’s fault! Union’s are always asking for better wages, benefits, working conditions, and a safe place to work for employee’s. How can big business strike it rich with all these damn Union demands. Union’s are killing this country!!!!

  11. I will work diligently to get rid of as many craft positions that I can while at the same time, increase management positions

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