The U.S. Postal Service is seeking to save $3 billion annually through changes that reflect its greater reliance on streamlined regional networks, while maintaining local mail transit times of one to three days and allowing customers to more accurately track specific delivery times.
Election mail will not be affected, officials said.
The proposal announced on Thursday would adjust postal delivery times while maintaining a commitment to a maximum delivery time of five days for the flagship nationwide Ground Advantage program and a maximum delivery time of three days for local first-class mail.
Postmaster General Louis DeJoy said the changes, which will take effect next year, are necessary “to enable us to operate more efficiently and reliably, grow our business and give us a chance at a viable future” after the number of first-class mail shipments fell 80% since 1997 and the number of packages rose accordingly. Overall, the Postal Service has accumulated losses of more than $87 billion from 2007 to 2020.
The details were released by the Postal Service ahead of a meeting on September 5 at which the proposed changes will be discussed with stakeholders before being presented to the Postal Regulatory Commission.
Election and holiday mail will not be affected because the proposed changes would not take effect until next calendar year, officials said. Medicines should also continue to be delivered at current speeds or even faster under the proposal, officials said.
Representative Gerry Connolly, who has often criticized DeJoy’s changes, was not impressed by the proposal.
“Any attempt to degrade service while raising prices is a recipe for a death spiral at the Postal Service,” Connoly, a Virginia Democrat, said in a statement. “This is the second time Postmaster General DeJoy has proposed lower service standards. He might as well announce a return to horse-drawn carriage mail delivery.”
The proposal reflects the Postal Service’s efforts to overhaul its processing and transportation network with a focus on large regional hubs. That’s already happening in Atlanta, Richmond, Virginia, and Portland, Oregon. Changes to better utilize existing ground networks mean the Postal Service will have to adjust pickup and delivery times between post offices and processing facilities, a move that will increase the speed of some mail, officials said.
This proposal is consistent with the organization’s mission to be financially independent while continuing to deliver to every address across the country six days a week. If this proposal is adopted, 75% of first-class mail will see no change from current service standards and roughly two-thirds of mail will be delivered in three days or less, the Postal Service said.
