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Effective January 1, PostCom President and CEO Michael Plunkett has been named President and Executive Director of the American Catalog Mailers Association (ACMA). With the full support of the PostCom Board of Directors, Mike has taken on the dual role of running both organizations. 

PostCom and ACMA have a track record of collaborating on important postal and policy issues and our Board is convinced that this move will strengthen both organizations and provide opportunities for more effective and efficient advocacy on behalf of all our members.

Mike Plunkett, PostCom President & CEO talks with Postal Hub on "US Postal Service operations and strategy" on December 18, 2023.

USPS And USPIS Continue Nationwide Campaign to Combat Postal Crime and Protect Postal Employees On March 12, the U.S Postal Service (USPS) and U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) announced an update on Project Safe Delivery, a joint initiative to protect postal employees and secure the nation’s mail and packages. Since the launch of Project Safe Delivery, Inspection Service personnel have conducted more than 5,500 mail theft, and violent crime prevention activities nationwide. For the 2024 Fiscal Year so far, the Postal Inspection Service has made 73% more arrests for letter carrier robberies over the same time period in the prior fiscal year. This increase is the direct result of the efforts made by the Postal Inspection Service and federal and local law enforcement partners to aggressively pursue those who rob our letter carriers and steal mail. The Inspection Service is conducting targeted law enforcement surges across the country including in Chicago, San Francisco, and cities across Ohio. Additional surges are planned for 2024 in other cities across the United States. Since May 2023, tens of thousands of hardened blue boxes and electronic locking mechanisms have been and will be strategically deployed in high postal crime areas. This includes 15,000 hardened blue boxes, with another 8,500 ordered to be installed, and 28,000 electronic locking mechanisms installed in mail receptacles.

White House Announces Postal Board of Governor Nominee On February 29, President Biden nominated Marty Walsh, former labor secretary and Mayor of Boston and current Executive Director of the National Hockey League Players’ Association to be a Governor of the U.S. Postal Service.  He will join the seven current Governors, leaving one remaining vacancy.

PRC Outlines Activities in FY 2023 Annual Report to the President and Congress On February 21, Postal Regulatory Commission released its Fiscal Year 2023 Annual Report to the President and CongressThroughout the year, the Commission had several significant accomplishments that reflect its mission to provide transparency and accountability of Postal Service activities. In addition to reviewing and approving proposed rate changes for Market Dominant and Competitive products, new product proposals, and formal complaint adjudication, the Commission performed new activities as dictated by the Postal Service Reform Act (PSRA) and beyond.

U.S. Postal Service Reports First Quarter Fiscal Year 2024 Results On February 8, 2024, the USPS reported its financial results for the first quarter of fiscal year 2024 (Oct. 1, 2023 - Dec. 31, 2023). The net loss for the quarter totaled $2.1 billion, compared to a net loss of $1.0 billion for the same quarter last year. Results for the quarter were negatively impacted primarily by non-cash workers’ compensation expenses due to actuarial revaluation and discount rate changes, the amortization of unfunded retiree pension liabilities, and the continued effect of inflation on operating expenses. Total operating revenue was $21.6 billion for the quarter, an increase of $115 million, or 0.5 percent, compared to the same quarter last year. First-Class Mail revenue increased $171 million, or 2.6 percent, on a volume decline of 704 million pieces, or 5.6 percent, compared to the same quarter last year. Marketing Mail revenue decreased $235 million, or 5.4 percent, on a volume decline of 2.4 billion pieces, or 13.5 percent, compared to the same quarter last year.

U.S. Postal Service Sets Broad Goals to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions by 2030 On February 6, 2024 the USPS announcedset of new, ambitious sustainability targets for fiscal year 2030 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and waste at every level of the organization’s operations. The Postal Service’s new sustainability targets are centered around three core areas: climate action, the circular economy and environmental awareness. The Postal Service is reducing greenhouse gas emissions across the organization by moving freight from air to ground transportation, optimizing delivery routes for trucks and carriers, and procuring reduced-emission and zero-emission vehicles. The Postal Service is focused on strengthening the circular economy by diverting waste from landfills and through the sustainable acquisition of materials. Throughout its work to create a greener Postal Service, the organization will continue to educate its 640,000 employees, local communities and federal, state and local partners on its progress.