Thursday, February 27, 2025
USPS announces refined service standards and cost reductions
The projections include at least $36 billion in savings over 10 years
The Postal Service has announced refined service standards for certain market-dominant services.
This includes service standard adjustments for First-Class Mail, Periodicals, Marketing Mail and Package Services (Bound Printed Matter, Media Mail and Library Mail). The changes will maintain service at existing levels for most volume and upgrade standards for more market-dominant volume than is downgraded.
The changes will enhance service reliability nationwide while maintaining the existing five-day service standard day range for First-Class Mail, whereas the day ranges for end-to-end Marketing Mail, Periodicals and Package Services will be shortened. Similar changes will be made with respect to the Postal Service’s competitive products.
As a result of these refined service standards, the Postal Service projects at least $36 billion in savings over 10 years from transportation, mail processing and real estate cost reductions.
As part of the ongoing Delivering for America plan, the Postal Service has lowered annual transportation costs by $1.8 billion to date by eliminating redundant networks and rationalizing the use of air and surface options. The organization has also reduced 45 million workhours — or $2.3 billion annually — by improving plant productivity and eliminating unnecessary facilities. In addition, USPS has increased revenue by $3.5 billion annually while transitioning its product offerings in the face of significant declines in mail volume.
“The Postal Service has been historically burdened by service standard regulations and onerous business rules that have not been appropriately adjusted to account for volume and mail mix changes, forcing costly and ineffective operations,” said Postmaster General Louis DeJoy.
“For decades — and most specifically during the last three years — Congress has actively resisted operational solutions and meaningful change. By implementing the new standards and the operational initiatives to which they are aligned, we will be better able to achieve the goals of our modernization plans and create a high-performing, financially sustainable
organization, which is necessary to achieve the statutory policies and objectives established for the Postal Service by law.”
The relative impact on service standards, leaving more than 80 percent of market-dominant volume unchanged, demonstrates the Postal Service’s efforts to maintain high-quality service and mitigate any customer impacts to the extent possible while also implementing operational changes necessary to improve postal operations and achieve the critical — and significant — cost savings that are necessary for financial sustainability as required by law.
Implementation will be in two phases to facilitate effective operational execution: the first phase will begin on April 1 and the second on July 1.
The Postal Service will share information at its retail locations and with commercial customers to ensure mailers are aware of the changes. USPS will also have multiple user-friendly tools available so customers understand how long it should take for mail they are sending to reach its destination.
There are no impacts to services at retail locations because retail access will not change.
The Postal Service’s fact sheet has more information.
Do you know how PSHB and Medicare work together?
USPS will offer an informational webinar throughout the year
USPS employees may participate in a webinar that will help explain how the new Postal Service Health
Benefits (PSHB) Program and Medicare work in retirement.
The session, “PSHB and Medicare in Retirement,” will be held from noon to 1 p.m. Eastern on the following Mondays: March 10, April 14, May 12, June 9, July 14, Aug. 11 and Sept. 8.
Representatives from CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, a provider of health plans for federal employees, will lead the webinar.
Participants must register before each event on the webinar website.
Participation is voluntary. Nonexempt employees must be off the clock or on authorized breaks.
Employees who have questions can email the USPS Benefits and Wellness team.
A special type of guy
This USPS employee’s blood is a rarity that’s in constant demand
Do you know your blood type? A survey commissioned by Quest Diagnostics in 2022 revealed that more Americans know their astrological sign (66 percent) than their blood type (51 percent).
Steven Murphy, a WestPac Region logistics implementation strategy manager in San Diego, knows his blood type: O negative, which makes him a universal donor. His blood can be used in transfusions for anyone.
There are eight blood types: A positive, A negative, B positive, B negative, AB positive, AB negative, O positive and O negative.
The designations A, B, AB and O are determined by the presence or absence of A and B antigens on the surface of the red blood cell. In addition, a protein called the Rh factor is described as either present (positive) or absent (negative).
Only 7 percent of the population is O negative.
Murphy is also cytomegalovirus (CMV) negative. “I had no idea what that was, until the phlebotomist explained it to me,” he said. This flulike virus is related to the pathogens that cause chickenpox, herpes and mononucleosis.
“Apparently it’s pretty rare to be my age and still not exposed to it,” said Murphy, 52.
Only 15 percent of the population is CMV negative.
Though CMV is not problematic for most people, it can be fatal to babies and individuals with weakened immune systems, such as cancer and transplant patients. “Someone like my wife, who had leukemia when she was a kid,” Murphy said.
Being both O negative and CMV negative is a rare combination that’s present in only 2 percent of the population. There is a
constant need for this blood type. Murphy feels a sense of responsibility to donate regularly. He visits the blood bank about every two months, the recommended interval between donations of whole blood.
The donation process takes around an hour. “They ask a few questions, check your blood pressure, fill a couple little vials for testing, and then you’re good to go,” Murphy said. It takes just 8-10 minutes to collect a pint of blood.
“Typically they don’t tell you where your blood donation is going. But that doesn’t matter to me,” he said. “I feel good that I can play a part in hopefully saving someone’s life. It’s very rewarding.”
This article originally appeared in the January 2025 issue of The Eagle magazine.
WestPac Area, California 6 District on top in scanning
A snapshot of Postal Service scanning data shows the national rating was 96.71 percent during the week
ending Feb. 21, down 0.81 percent from one week earlier.
The data was collected Feb. 26.
WestPac led the four areas with a rating of 97.42 percent, while Central ranked last with a 95.71 percent rating.
Among the 50 districts,
California 6, part of WestPac Area, ranked first with a 98.02 percent rating, while Kansas-Missouri, part of Central Area, ranked last with a 93.26 percent rating.
Scanning data allows customers to track their mail and packages, which helps USPS deliver excellent service, boost loyalty and drive revenue.
To see the latest data, go to the Informed Visibility website and select “Customer Experience,” followed by “DES 2 Scan Performance.” Postal Service employees must request Informed Visibility access through eAccess.