Postal Affairs Blog

One of the industry workgroups that I participate on, MTAC Workgroup
#111 Identify Gaps & Define Solutions for Adoption of PostalOne! by Lettershops
and Mail Service Providers, has been successful in recommending to and getting approval
to change USPS policy and hopefully presort industry practices.

Problem:
No standards available for preparing and labeling low volume (“courtesy”)
pallets. These pallets were not reflected in electronic mail communications such
as PostalOne! and FAST/Surface Visibility tacking.

Solution:
Preparing and Labeling Low Volume Pallets June 2007 PS-327 (705.8.5.3)
This CSR discusses the preparation and labeling of low volume pallets. Scanning
pallet labels enables mailers and the Postal Service to track mail when it is received
at our processing facilities. Sacked and trayed mail not presented on pallets may
prove more difficult to track because there is no pallet label to scan. The Domestic
Mail Manual (DMM) states that pallets may contain a minimum of 100 pounds of nonletter-size
mail or 12 linear feet of letter trays if it is a BMC or ASF pallet entered at the
destination BMC or ASF; an ADC pallet entered at the destination ADC; an SCF pallet
entered at the destination SCF; or the only pallet entered at an individual destination
BMC or ASF, ADC, or SCF facility. When a mailer is transporting less than 12 linear
feet of trays or fewer than 100 pounds of sacks within a mailing to a destination
BMC/ASF, ADC, or SCF, the mailer may place this mail on a low volume BMC/ASF, ADC,
or SCF pallet respectively provided the mailer prints and attaches an appropriate
barcoded pallet label to each such pallet. This provision also applies to the last
Mixed BMC or Mixed ADC pallet within a mailing if it contains less than the minimum
required volume as long as all more finely presorted pallets have been prepared.
This variance from the minimum volumes stated in the DMM will facilitate efficient
tracking of the mail.

(Signed) Sharon Daniel
Manager Mailing Standards United States Postal Service
Washington DC 20260-3436

This USPS Customer Support Ruling is now posted and official at the ribbs site,
http://ribbs.usps.gov/

DMM section 705.8.5 will be updated. In the meantime, the CSR is the official word…

It has been a real pleasure working with MTAC WG #111, there is such a sense of
accomplishment to see good works like this get done and implemented! The opportunity
to meet and work with other industry representatives was an invaluable experience.

Best wishes to all,
Lisa

This article is an nformative breif on the reaction of mailer to the Board of Governor’s decsion to reject the PRC rate relief recommendations.  Although implementation would have been problematic, creative solutions could have been undertaken to mitigate the implementation barriers.  here’s an excerpt: 

Mailer’s React to USPS’s Veto on Rate Relief

The mailing community is disappointed that the Governors of the U.S. Postal Service failed to provide relief for the millions of commercial mailers who are being hit with massive, unplanned increases in postage costs.

The Postal Regulatory Commission’s “Second Opinion and Recommended Decision on Reconsideration,” issued May 25, established a transitional temporary rate reduction of 3 cents for all Standard Mail Regular flats and 2 cents for Standard Regular nonprofit flats. In a vote during the Board of Governors’ closed meeting on June 19, the Governors decided not to implement the temporary change.

“We are extremely disappointed and frustrated by the latest decision from the Postal Governors,” said Jerry Cerasale, the DMA’s senior vice president for government affairs. “After recognizing that the PRC’s original recommendations would have been detrimental to many of its commercial customers, the Governors asked the PRC to reconsider. And while DMA was not completely satisfied with the scope of the PRC’s revised recommendations and offered a practical and legal long-term solution in our June 4 comments to the USPS Board of Governors, we are even more unhappy today that the Governors have made a ‘do-nothing’ decision that offers no help at all for their mailing customers.”

Read the rest of the article here:
http://www.dmnews.com/cms/dm-news/direct-mail/41601.html

Bookmark this page
http://www.usps.com/nationalpcc/pccworkshopbox.htm
and check out the Power Point presentations available to mailers 24/7.  These Postal Customer Council workshops are a great resource for introductory information on many of the topics cutting-edge mailers need to be informed on, such as:

• Intelligent Mail® and the United States Postal Service
• Introduction to Manifest Mailing
• PostalOne!® System
• Shaping a More Efficient Future-Periodicals Pricing Change (7/15/07)
• Strategic Transformation Plan
• The 1-2-3 of Electronic Documentation

There are more topics up at the page.  Take a look, and let me know if you have any questions on how Window Book software can help with many of these programs. 

Best wishes for a great week!
Lisa

The BOG met yesterday, and came back with a decision that does absolutely nothing to help Standard Mailers with rate relief, after dangling a carrot with possible rate relief.

Here is the official word from the DMM Advisory. Mailers are going to be very upset, and rightfully so. Although the proposal was not 100% workable in its’ original form, it could have been tweaked to make it easier to implement. It looks like the BOG just abandoned it, instead of working to refine it, and offer much-needed pricing breaks for Standard Mailers hit hard by the increases in May.

Governors Issue Decisions on Two Pricing Recommendations

At their meeting yesterday, the Governors accepted the Commission’s Recommended Decision regarding the pricing of Premium Stamped Stationery and Cards.

The Governors also resolved the uncertainty surrounding Standard Mail Regular and Nonprofit prices by choosing not to implement a temporary change to the prices that was the subject of the latest Commission Decision on Reconsideration. The Governors had asked the Commission to reconsider some of the prices that were originally recommended on February 26, 2007, and implemented on May 14, 2007. The current Standard Mail Regular and Nonprofit prices will remain in effect.

The Standard Mail issue represents the last of the three items returned to the Commission for reconsideration. On May 10, the Governors approved the Commission’s other two recommendations regarding the reconsideration of the price for the Priority Mail Flat Rate Box and the application of the nonmachinable surcharge for First-Class Mail letters. Those changes were implemented on May 14.

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There is also a good article on this at DM News here:
http://www.dmnews.com/cms/dm-news/direct-mail/41544.html

From PostCom, earlier this week:

The Postal Regulatory Commission has issued a “Notice And Order On Field Hearings To Receive Testimony On Implementation Of Modern System Of Ratemaking” in Docket No. RM2007-1.

PostCom President Gene Del Politio urged mailers to participate in a memo sent to PostCom Members – I reiterate that sentiment, and also strongly encourage particpation as new rate making rules are established. Mailer feedback and participation in the process is imperative.

Get involved, be informed!
Best wishes,
Lisa

From the PostCom Memo, reprinted with permission:
the Postal Regulatory Commission announced that it would be holding field hearings to receive testimony from affected constituencies (e.g., mailers) on the implementation of a modern system of ratemaking. Three hearings have been scheduled: (1) June 22, 2007 in Kansas City, MO, (2) June 28, 2007 in Los Angeles, CA, and (3) July 9, 2007 in Wilmington, DE.

The Commission is hoping to hear from businesses such as yours, either in the form of personally presented testimony or comments or testimony submitted for the written record. All comments and testimony received, including responses to questions from Commissioners, will be transcribed, posted on the Commission’s website, and used to inform the Commission’s decisions. The public is invited to attend the hearings.

The Kansas City field hearing will be held Friday, June 22, 2007 in Council Chambers, City Hall (26th Floor), 414 E. 12th Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64106. The hearing is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. and conclude by 12 noon. Scheduled witnesses include: Donald J. Hall, Jr., Vice Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Hallmark Cards, Inc.; David Berry, Vice President, Community Publications Inc; Mury L. Salls, Senior Vice President, DST Mailing Services; William S. Berkley, President and Chief Executive Officer, Tension Envelope Corporation; and Randy Stumbo, Director of Distribution and Postal Affairs, Meredith Corporation.

We have added two new customer service items this week.  First of all, a new, streamlined support system was put into place.  Check out the new Support Center, and the clean and easy Support Ticket improvements.  All the old support history was retained, and you can still request support right from within the program. 

The other new feature is a password-accessible user forum.  Look for a menu listing of “Portal” to access the Customer Forums.  Participate by sharing best practices, and asking questions of the other product users in the Window Book family.  The forums were inspired by a very successful collaborative list one of the mailing associations hosts.  Bounce ideas off each other, express yourselves, and meet other mailing professionals just like you, trying to meet similar challenges. 

There will be a future webinar session on navigating the Window Book website.   Let me know if you are interested in participating.

Best wishes,
Lisa

This item from PostCom.org:

From the Federal Register: “The U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors will be holding a closed meeting on Tuesday, June 19 at 12 p.m. Among the issues to be discussed: 1. Strategic Issues. 2. Postal Regulatory Commission Second Opinion and Recommended Decision on Reconsideration in Docket No. R2006-1, Postal Rate and Fee Changes. 3. Rate Case Update. 4. Labor Negotiations Update. 5. Financial Update. 6. Personnel Matters and Compensation Issues. 7. Governors’ Executive Session–Discussion of prior agenda items and Board Governance.

We’ll be watching the outcome of this meeting closely, and letting you know if any action is taken. Rates continue to be a moving target.

More soon,
Lisa

Yesterday we finally got samples of the required Qualification Reporting formats for the new Periodicals mailings.  There are two new reports to support the container charges of the new rates, a Bundle Report and a Container Report.  I have t compliment the USPS PAVE (Presort Accuracy Validation and Evaluations) Team for getting the info out as soon as they possibly could, and for keeping the lines of communication open with vendors.

However, the mailing public needs to take a hard look at the time frame, and make their voices heard through industry channels such as Postcom.  As a mailing software vendor, we now have a total of 42 days to interpret preparation rules, program, test, educate, and distribute major changes to out customers.  The industry as a whole had begged for at least 180 days, minimum.  The compressed time frame puts a heavy burden on dedicated USPS Teams, Mailing Service Providers of all kinds, and ultimately the mailers.  This is not good business.

We are plugging away at getting you the changes you need as quickly as we possibly can.  With other possible USPS changes (such as the Standard Mail Rate Relief proposal), it looks like we will be busy just keeping up with required changes. 

Best wishes,
Lisa

Be sure to check out this article at DM News that was published today:
http://www.dmnews.com/cms/trackback/41346-1

The article contains comments from the industry regarding the Postal Rate Commission Proposal to give out temporary rate reductions on Standard Mail.  Several of my own comments were included.

Hope you’re having a great week,
Lisa