Postmaster General Louis DeJoy unveiled his 10-year strategic plan for the US post office without money on Tuesday, which includes higher postage fees, some slower services and reduced courier hours aimed at reducing red ink.
“The need for the US Postal Service to transform to meet the needs of our customers is long overdue,” said DeJoy in a presentation of the online plan with other postal authorities. DeJoy said that unless changes are made soon, the postal service could lose $ 160 billion over the next decade.
“The problems at the Post Office are serious, but working together can be solved,” he said. “Our 10-year plan capitalizes on our natural strengths and addresses our serious weaknesses.”
Among the cost-cutting measures he announced is a plan to “modify” first-class delivery services, changing transport “from unreliable air transport to more reliable land transport.”
“First class mail traveling within a local area will continue to be delivered in a day or two and 70 percent of first class mail will continue to be delivered in three days or less,” the agency said in a statement detailing the plan. , which NBC News reported last month.
DeJoy also said that prices are likely to rise for mail and packages, but said he cannot predict how much or how widespread the price increases will be.
“We are committed to competitive prices,” said Dejoy.
The report also suggests that hours may be reduced at some post offices, but it is vague about how much and where. “Based on the success of our previous efforts to develop our retail network and, at the same time, meet the needs of our customers, we will further align the opening hours of the Post Office with local use,” says the plan.
But the plan is not just cuts: it expands package delivery in seven days and includes tens of billions of dollars in investments, including “enhanced package delivery services for business customers” and $ 40 billion “in workforce, new vehicles, improved couriers, technology improvements and infrastructure updates. “
“This is a very positive outlook,” said DeJoy.
He also asks Congress to reform the way the USPS finances its pensions and health benefits.
The president of the American Postal Union, Mark Dimondstein, said the plan “contains both positive attributes and some proposals that should be of concern to postmen and customers”.
Dimondstein praised the plan’s employee recruitment and retention strategy and its goals of creating more community-based services and maintaining deliveries in six days. But he said, “We have deep concerns about other elements of the plan that, if implemented, would not achieve its stated goal of providing ‘service excellence’.”
“Any proposals that slow down the mail, reduce access to the post office or proceed with the failed factory consolidation strategy will need to be addressed,” said Dimondstein.
Democrats are largely opposed to DeJoy’s changes, and it is unclear how much of the plan he will be able to implement.
The Chairman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, Carolyn Maloney, DN.Y., said she was “extremely concerned by the Postal Service’s unacceptable decision to permanently slow delivery of mail”.
The plan “should not be implemented until Congress and the American people have the opportunity to completely review it and provide substantive feedback,” said Maloney.
Deputy Gerry Connolly, D-Va., Called the plan “draconian” and said it “guarantees the deadly spiral of the United States Postal Service”.
“The only way to fix this ship is new leadership, a better vision, and a realistic plan that will serve all Americans,” said Connolly, who chairs the Subcommittee on Government Operations on the House’s oversight panel.
Meanwhile, President Joe Biden has appointed three new members to serve on the USPS Board of Governors, which would give the board a Democratic majority and the means, if it so desired, to fire DeJoy.
It is not clear when the Senate will vote on these nominations, but its advance does not seem imminent.
In the meantime, the current Board of Governors does not intend to wait for confirmation from new board members to begin implementing DeJoy’s plan, a source with direct knowledge told NBC News.
