Ep 211: How the US Postal Service became a political football

Postal Hub podcast

How did the US Postal Service become a political football? And what happens next? Analysis from John Callan of Ursa Major Associates:

• Pre-paying pension obligations
• No governors on the US Postal Service board
• 2018 taskforce report and hints at privatisation
• President Trump and Amazon - and Jeff Bezos
• The USA’s stoush with the UPU over terminal dues
• Megan Brennan’s retirement as USPS Postmaster General - did she jump or was she pushed?
• The make-up of the US Postal Service board of governors
• Relief funding for the US Postal Service during the pandemic (CARES Act) and the terms of that “loan”
• President Trump’s pressure on the USPS to increase parcel rates
• The influence of Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin
• Parcel volumes, revenues and margins… and the revelation that Amazon is a profitable parcel for the US Postal Service!
• Appointment of the new Postmaster General, Louis DeJoy:
  • The executive search agency’s shortlist
  • How DeJoy’s name was put to the USPS Board
  • DeJoy’s background in logistics
• USPS Governor David Williams’ resignation
• The USPS executive reorganisation
• Trucks leaving on time! And reducing overtime payments to employees.
• Eliminating street posting boxes
• Lack of clear communication from the USPS on changes to delivery
• DeJoy’s management style
• Consultation and the decision-making process
• Congressional hearings
• Failure of Congress to deliver reform
• Postal ballots / voting by mail
• Will DeJoy continue in the face of this political furore?
• After all the political fighting is over, what happens next? Will any of these politicians carrying on about the USPS be able to address the core issues affecting the USPS?
• Privatisation of the US Postal Service (through work sharing, or outsourcing)
• If DeJoy resigns or is forced out, who would take over?
• And in closing… gopost (the USPS parcel locker network) and the concept of a carrier-agnostic universal parcel locker service (refer episode 208)