Postal Service’s Dismal Third Quarter a Reminder of Why Congress Must Act Now on Postal Reform

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Washington, DC – After today’s announcement that the U.S. Postal Service lost $2.1 billion in the 3rd quarter of this year, the U.S. mailing industry urged the U.S. House of Representatives to act on postal reform when they return in September.

“The decline in revenue and mail volumes continues to worsen, and without action by Congress the Postal Service may go under financially by this time next year,” said Art Sackler, Coordinator of the Coalition for a 21st Century Postal Service a coalition of businesses and industries tied to the mailing industry. “The House needs to pass the Postal Service Reform Act when it returns this fall or they will be faced with a costly bailout of the Postal Service next year. This bill would help put the Postal Service back in the black, and protect the more than 7.5 million private sector workers whose jobs depend on the mail.”

The Postal Service Reform Act (HR 756), which received overwhelming support in the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee last April, would shift postal retirees to the Medicare system and save taxpayers more than $6 billion dollars. Without this legislation, the Postal Service may be forced to consider massive postage rate increases which would drive more volume out of the system and hasten the decline of the Postal Service. The bill enjoys strong bipartisan support in Congress and is backed by the Postal Service leadership, the private sector mailing industry and all four major postal unions.

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The Coalition for a 21st Century Postal Service consists of business mailing associations and companies – including newspapers, advertisers and catalogers, e-commerce and parcels, greeting cards, financial services, telecommunications,  insurance and other statement mailers, high-tech businesses, small businesses of every kind – and their suppliers – paper, printing, technology, envelope manufacturing, mail services and other companies, who understand the essential role played by the U.S. Postal Service and want to see it sustained, reformed and strengthened to meet the demands of the future. 

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