Dear Editor:
The best place to gauge the impact of the current recession on the United States Postal Service is in your mailbox. An economic decline generally leads to a drop in mail volume, and we are seeing the biggest mail volume decline in history. When big mailers like banking, insurance, and housing industries struggle, mail volume suffers too.
Mail volume in our postal region of central and northeastern Missouri and southern Illinois was down 9.1 million pieces last year. Nationally, volume fell by 9.5 billion pieces. That resulted in a $2.8 billion net operating loss after paying $5.6 billion to refund retiree health benefits as required under the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006.
The Postal Service does not receive tax dollars and is funded only through the sale of its products and services, so like other businesses, we’re making changes to match the decline in sales.
The Postal Service has offered early retirement to eligible employees. We’ve reorganized delivery routes, adjusted post office hours, and relocated collection boxes to reflect customer demand.
We’ve also adjusted hours in the processing plants, consolidated processing operations and postponed the construction of new post offices.
We’re adapting products and services to improve customers’ experiences in post offices, on usps.com and by phone. We’re launching competitive shipping prices and continue to create value for customers.
Our goal is to continue to provide quality service at reasonable prices to over 149 million American homes and businesses, including Sullivan.
Sincerely,
C.M. Quick
Postmaster
Sullivan, MO