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DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS AND COMMUNICATIONS
USPS NEWS Today
Tuesday | November 12, 2002
Quotable Quotes . . . "The USPS says it may be able to delay the next rate increase until 2006 because it can afford to make smaller contributions to a federal government retirement fund. After enduring three rate increases in 18 months, hallelujah! Let's hope our lawmakers see it as a way to postpone higher rates without jeopardizing the system. In the meantime, the mailing community needs to show its support. This period of rate stability will allow marketers to plan their mail strategies, and if volume grows – who knows – maybe the USPS can extend that date beyond 2006."
— Tad Clark, Editor in Chief, DM NEWS, Nov. 11, 2002
MORE COST SAVINGS. USPS V.P., Engineering Tom Day has unveiled two research and development programs that could save up to $2.8 billion annually in delivery costs. Day described the Flat Sequencing System (FSS) and Delivery Point Packager (DPP) as major cost-saving initiatives.
FSS will bring flat sorting technology up to the same level of sophistication as letter mail by sorting flats such as magazines, catalogs and other periodicals into delivery order. DPP will develop a single system to sort letters and flats into delivery order simultaneously, then bundle them into individual delivery packages. Previous tests have shown a 20% reduction in delivery time when mail is prepared this way. Testing for FSS begins in summer 2003 and for DPP in winter 2004.
SEEING STARS. USPS received the Government Video Star Award in the news/information category for "Section 508 and the Postal Service." Public Affairs and Communications produced the video with Information Technology to increase understanding of the importance of Section 508 compliance. The award will be presented Dec. 4 at the Washington, DC, Convention Center.
ANOTHER AWARD. Another prestigious award went to USPS for its safety campaign, Safety Depends on Me! USPS won the Platinum Best-of-Show Award recently at the 2002 Aurora Awards, an international competition designed to recognize excellence in corporate-sponsored film and video, national commercials and regional or special-interest entertainment. Safety Depends on Me! involved a series of videos, posters, safety talks and other internal communications reminding employees about the importance of working safely at all times.
GOOD LOSER. The postmasters of San Francisco and Anaheim, CA, took part in a friendly wager in conjunction with the recent World Series. Each promised to deliver mail along a route of the other's choosing if their home team lost. After a seven-game series and an Anaheim win, San Francisco Postmaster Rosemarie Fernandez trekked to Anaheim recently to pay up.
Anaheim Postmaster Larry Webster chose letter carrier Jesse Lewis's route so that Fernandez could deliver mail to Edison Field, home of the Angels. Fernandez delivered the mail wearing an Angel's baseball cap.
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USPS NEWS Today