NATIONAL POSTAL FORUM

The National Postal Forum (NPF) — the premier education event and trade show for mailing industry professionals — will be held at the Washington, DC, Convention Center, September 19-22.

The NPF and Postal Service have partnered to develop new content, learning labs, and workshops with topics for Periodicals mailers, small businesses, and PCCs. Forums since 1990 have been held semiannually, but become annual starting this year. More information about the Forum is available online at www.npf.org.

THE ART OF THE DEAL

The Postal Service has filed two experimental mail classification cases with the Postal Rate Commission (PRC) proposing new Negotiated Service Agreements (NSAs) with BankOne and Discover Financial Services.

“We are committed to providing more pricing innovation to the marketplace,” said Chief Marketing Officer Anita J. Bizzotto. “The proposed NSAs with BankOne and Discover Financial Services follow the successful model already in place as a result of negotiating a similar agreement with Capital One.”

A Negotiated Service Agreement is a contractual agreement between the U.S. Postal Service and an individual company that provides pricing incentives or other arrangements customized for a company’s unique mail operations. NSAs are intended to meet the needs of specific customers for whom mail is an integral part of their business strategy.

NSAs can specify the preparation, presentation, acceptance, processing, transportation, and delivery of mailings under particular rate, classification, and service conditions and restrictions that go beyond those required of other mailers. Under the terms of the separate agreements, BankOne and Discover Financial Services will receive pricing incentives on First-Class Mail that they send above a negotiated annual mail volume. The proposed NSAs as filed are functionally equivalent to the Capital One NSA.

BankOne and Discover Financial Services also agreed to convert to Address Change Service (ACS), a system that electronically updates forwarding orders and information on the deliverability of mailpieces.

In addition to the expected new First-Class Mail volume and net revenue, the Postal Service will avoid the costs of collecting, packaging, and delivering return pieces to BankOne and Discover.

USPS PROPOSES NEW FLAT RATE PRIORITY MAIL BOXES

Shipping customers want simplicity and convenience. The Postal Service is working to deliver.

On June 3, USPS filed a request with the Postal Rate Commission (PRC) to implement a two-year test of two new flat-rate Priority Mail boxes.

Much like the flat-rate Priority Mail envelope introduced in 1991, the new flat-rate boxes would offer a single postage rate — $7.70 — regardless of the actual weight or destination of the parcel. The proposed rate is convenient because it is exactly twice the price of the flat rate Priority Mail envelope, and customers can affix two $3.85 Jefferson Memorial Priority Mail stamps to cover postage.

The corrugated fiberboard boxes, which would be produced by the Postal Service and made available at no charge to postal customers in post offices and via www.usps.com, would come in two shapes: one similar to a clothing gift box (14 inches x 12 inches x 3.5 inches), and one about the size of a shoe box (11.25 inches x 8.75 inches x 6 inches). Both boxes would provide the same capacity (.34 cubic feet).

Flat-rate shipping is particularly valuable to small and home-based businesses. Flat rates let companies know their shipping costs in advance and do not require scales, zone-based rate charts, or trips to the Post Office.

A decision from the PRC concerning the proposed two-year test is expected later this year.

POSTAL SERVICE RECOGNIZED FOR DIVERSITY

The Postal Service has been named one of the 50 Best Companies for Minorities for the fifth year in a row by leading business magazine Fortune. The Postal Service ranked sixth on the list this year.

“This is a great honor and I’m extremely proud of every employee of the Postal Service. Dedication to the values represented by diversity has helped us build an organization that is stronger because of it,” commented Postmaster General John E. Potter.

According to the article, the top 50 are firms that “make an effort not only to hire minorities but also retain them and promote them through the ranks. They actively interact with outside minority communities and management accountable for diversity efforts.”

Fortune gave the Postal Service high honors, noting that 59 percent of new hires were minorities. With 24 percent of its 50 top-paid positions held by minorities, Fortune noted that the Postal Service has one of the better records for making sure “diversity percolates to the top.”

“All of our diversity programs are active and alive,” says Diversity Development Vice President Murry Weatherall. “They’re being used day-to-day to further our efforts in providing an inclusive environment.” The Postal Service works hard to ensure that its workforce reflects the communities it serves.

The magazine contacted the nation’s 1,000 largest corporations and 200 privately held companies to compile data for the rankings. Its model considered information like the number of minorities in the workforce and on the corporate boards, the rate at which minority employees are hired, and whether managers are made accountable for hiring, promotion, and retention.