A Message from Our Executive Director

               The Association and the USPS are facing enormous challenges as we enter the USPS’ fiscal year and the association’s membership year of 2011-2012.  The USPS faced with its 3^rd straight year of losses from $6-10 Billion dollars has announced its decision to close some 3,000 Post Offices throughout the country and to consider studying nearly 250 Processing Facilities for possible consolidation or closure, reducing mail processing equipment by as much as 50%, drastically decreasing the Nationwide Transportation Network, adjusting the workforce size by as many as 35,000 positions and revising service standard for 1^st class mail.

                The consolidation or closure of mail processing facilities is going to have an enormous impact on our members as the transportation service they are currently providing these facilities will either be eliminated or redirected to a replacement facility.  The association is meeting frequently with USPS Officers in attempts to lessen any such impact and to keep members up to date on developments in this through our Website, The Star Carrier and through Regional Meetings which are listed elsewhere.  At our August 2011 Convention in Baltimore, MD, Postmaster General Pat Donahoe spoke and told the Delegates and Guests in attendance that we are all going to have to take a “Haircut” in order to keep the USPS financially able to perform.  He has also told Congress that if it doesn’t provide the USPS with some financial relief that it will be unable to provide service in the summer of 2012.

                Meanwhile, at this writing, language has been included by Congress in a continuing resolution to fund the government until November 18, 2011, which would extend the obligation of the USPS to pay $5.5 billion into its employee retirement fund until November.  This should provide time for the Congress to consider and hopefully pass legislation (H.R. 2309-Representative Issa’s bill) or S.1010. S.343 (Senator Carper and Senator Collins’ bill): or a combination of both to provide financial relief to the USPS.  However, this legislation is predicated on the USPS making the hard choices of revamping its mail processing network and vastly downsizing its employee force over the next two years by, some say, as much as 120,000 (attrition, retirements, etc).  So, even if the Congress does provide financial relief (and the Association is working hard toward this end) we can still expect the USPS to introduce a dramatic alteration to its Highway Contracting Transportation industry which will be servicing whatever USPS facilities are left.  Since the USPS proposals are tantamount to a change in nationwide service, it must seek approval from the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) and any definitive changes will probably not take place until sometime during the spring of 2012.

                The Association is and will be actively involved in all of this above pending issues and will be working diligently in our members’ behalf with respect to USPS’ proposals to revamp its transportation network.  We ask our members  to continue to check our website, attend Regional and State meetings and read the Star Carrier in order to stay informed on the revolutionary changes in store for the industry and the USPS over the next year.  Thanks for your continued support.  For Non-Association members, this is the time to join so that you can protect your economic interests.

John V. "Skip" Maraney
Executive Director