USPS announces temporary price increase starting late October

[SheltieLover]

https://www.localmemphis.com/mobile/article/news/nation-world/usps-announces-temporary-price-increase/507-3682278c-3519-4825-a2e5-897f5ad78c35

The U.S. Postal Service says it doesn't receive tax dollars and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund the

Author: TEGNA
Published: 1:26 PM CDT August 15, 2020
Updated: 1:26 PM CDT August 15, 2020

Friday the United States Postal Service announced it will be temporarily increasing prices starting Oct. 18. The USPS filed the notice with the Postal Regulatory Commission for the temporary price increase, and says it will last until Dec. 27, 2020.

According to the USPS, the planned price increase was approved by the Governors of the Postal Service on Aug. 6 and would increase prices on commercial domestic "competitive parcels." Those include, Priority Mail Express, First-Class Package Service,

More at link.

PS - On edit, removed reference to ballots.

[wryter2000]

1. It doesn't apply to ballots

More likely, this is a way to make the USPS less competitive relative to Fedex and UPS.

[SheltieLover]

2. Article says

Categories, including 1st class. Are ballots not 1st class? Dunno. Might depend on state. In TN, the voter pays postage.

[MichMan]

6. The OP specifically says it applies to parcels

That also includes First Class Parcels. Unless you mail your ballot in a box as a parcel, it doesn't apply.

[diva77]

19. It is possible that ballots are no longer categorized as 1st class -- not sure though - I found this

article, but still not clear to me:

‘Very concerning’ Postal Service changes could impact voting
The closing of facilities in Olympia, Everett and Pasco resulted in just 5.6% of expected cost savings.
Monday, August 10, 2020 7:13am

https://www.heraldnet.com/northwest/very-concerning-postal-service-changes-could-impact-voting/

Washington election officials are worried that attempts to cut costs at the U.S. Postal Service could impact the November election amid growing bipartisan concerns about the agency’s ability to handle a surge of mail-in ballots across the country.

Secretary of State Kim Wyman said that Washington is preparing for a “very concerning” impact on voting.

The cause for her concern can be found in a July 31 letter to Wyman from USPS General Counsel Thomas Marshall.

Marshall’s letter warns of a “mismatch” that “creates a risk that some ballots will not be returned by mail in time to be counted.”

“Under our reading of Washington’s election laws, the vast majority of your voters should have sufficient time to receive, complete, and return their ballots by the state’s deadlines,” Marshall wrote in a letter obtained by The Spokesman-Review through a public records request. “However, certain deadlines concerning mail-in ballots, particularly with respect to voters who register to vote or update their registration information shortly before Election Day, may be incongruous with the Postal Service’s delivery standards.”

But U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, who took over the Postal Service in June, claimed Friday that ballots won’t be delayed.

“Despite any assertions to the contrary, we are not slowing down election mail or any other mail,” he told the Postal Service Board of Governors on Friday.

Marshall’s letter to Wyman offers a reminder that most first-class mail is delivered within two to five days, while most “marketing mail” takes three to 10 days to reach its destination. A USPS spokesman confirmed that these delivery times are consistent with the agency’s standards, which have not changed since 2015.

But in an interview Friday, Wyman, a Republican, said the letter sent a clear message that is forcing elections officials to change plans with the election less than three months away, and could drive up costs for the already cash-strapped state.

In Washington, voters can register or update their address up until eight days before the election. Wyman said the Postal Service has traditionally treated ballots as first-class mail, despite counties paying the lower marketing mail rate, but she said Marshall’s letter makes it clear that the state will need to pay a premium — roughly six times the usual per-envelope cost — to ensure voters receive their ballots in time.

“If they actually start enforcing those delivery times, our ballots now could take up to 10 days to be delivered,” she said. “Now we are out of the window for someone that changes their address online eight days before Election Day to be able to mail them a ballot and be certain that it’s going to be received, so this is very concerning and it may force us to direct the counties to do all of those later mailings as first-class postage.”
SNIP

[SheltieLover]

22. TY!

Interesting!

[OnDoutside]

4. That's a good point. It's certainly looking like the ballot scam intersected

the bigger gut USPS scam to carve it up for competitors.

[SheltieLover]

5. What about normal states

Which have preprinten envelopes with postage for returning ballots?

[wryter2000]

10. There's another OP around here

Suggesting you put enough postage on there to make it first class. Just put the stamps over the pre-printed "stamp." I'm going to do that and write First Class on the envelope.

That's because they say they're going to treat pre-paid ballots like fourth class grocery fliers.

[Thekaspervote]

27. place 2..TWO 1st class stamps on it. See why below! Ballots are delivered via a bulk rate not 1st

The ballot size itself is too big to go as 1st class with just one 1st class stamp and can be returned to you for postage due with just one stamp.

[wryter2000]

29. TY

That's why I sad "enough postage" for first class. People need to be aware they're going to need multiple stamps. You wouldn't believe how big a California ballot can get.

[OnDoutside]

12. Safest is to get it to a drop box.

[SheltieLover]

20. Or vote early, in person.

👍

[OnDoutside]

21. Yes indeed.

[SheltieLover]

23. That's what I'm going to do!

[SheltieLover]

15. TY!

Apologies. OP edited.

[lostnfound]

31. After handing over confidential contracts (so they could be leaked), de joy will profit from it

There are fifty ways to turn such information into cash.

[Jarqui]

3. And attack Amazon-Washington Post owner via

raising their rates

[MichMan]

7. How does raising rates on mailing packages disenfranchise voters?

Unless people intended to put their ballot inside a box.

[SheltieLover]

16. My mistake

Apologies. OP edited.

[Indykatie]

8. When Dems Get WH and Senate They Must Deal With Pre-funding Pension Issue for USPS.

I'm not an expert on the details of the funding requirements but have read that the USPS's pension liabilities are funded differently than other companies which causes their financial issues.

[elleng]

14. They are.

'The Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act (PAEA) is a United States federal statute enacted by the 109th United States Congress and signed into law by President George W. Bush on December 20, 2006.[1]

The bill was introduced in the United States House of Representatives by Tom Davis, a Republican from Virginia, and cosponsored by Republican John M. McHugh of New York and Democrats Henry Waxman of California and Danny K. Davis of Illinois.[2] The bill was approved during the lame duck session of the 109th Congress, and approved by a voice vote.[3]

PAEA was the first major overhaul of the United States Postal Service (USPS) since 1970.[4] It reorganized the Postal Rate Commission, compelled the USPS to pay in advance for the health and retirement benefits of all of its employees for the next 50 years, and stipulated that the price of postage could not increase faster than the rate of inflation.'

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postal_Accountability_and_Enhancement_Act

[enough]

9. Applies to parcels only. NT

[SheltieLover]

18. Ty!

Apologies. My mistake. OP edited.

[qwlauren35]

11. Screw small businesses again

All the companies that rely on USPS for e-commerce. And the companies delivering medicine.

Small businesses may not recover from this.

[Thekaspervote]

28. Exactly..sml business sending 1st class packages will not be able to stay afloat

[SCantiGOP]

13. War on Christmas !!

I read the PO delivers over a billion Christmas cards every year, and countless packages.
Someone needs to trick Trump into saying that they plan to put the PO back on sound footing again as soon as the election is OVER.
Otherwise, I will be unable to send out pictures of baby Jesus and the 3 wise guys celebrating the virgin birth.

[dalton99a]

17. Kick

[Towlie]

24. "The planned price increase was approved by the Governors of the Postal Service..."

... all of whom were appointed by Trump.

https://about.usps.com/who/leadership/board-governors/

Robert M. Duncan was appointed to the Postal Service Board of Governors by President Donald Trump...
John M. Barger was appointed to the Postal Service Board of Governors by President Donald Trump...
Ron A. Bloom was nominated to serve on the Postal Service Board of Governors by President Donald Trump...
Roman Martinez IV was appointed to the Postal Service Board of Governors by President Donald Trump...
Donald L. Moak was appointed to the Postal Service Board of Governors by President Donald Trump...
William D. Zollars was appointed to the Postal Service Board of Governors by President Donald Trump...

By the way, mail-in ballots here in Florida don't need stamps. They're "postage paid." All mail-in ballots should be that way.

[louis-t]

25. Orange fuck has already said USPS needs to "triple their prices".

Once that's done, the move to privatize is profitable. This is no accident.

[SheltieLover]

26. Nothing chumputin has done is an accident imho

Willful, systematic destruction!

[DSandra]

30. Trump to America: "I dare you to stop me"

Trump is testing America