It's here at last, after months of speculation. The U.S. Postal Service has filed a rate case, and it's a mild one as such things go: a 5.4% increase, compared with the double-digit whopper some had predicted.
The bad news is that another case is almost certainly going to be filed next year. And if postal reform still hasn't been signed into law by then, it could turn out to be “the mother of all rate cases,” as our columnist Gene Del Polito, president of the Association for Postal Commerce, recently said to Larry Riggs (see story starting on page 1).
But reform could happen. Rep. John McHugh (R-NY), who should be elected to the DMA's Hall of Fame for his sheer persistence (he's been trying to accomplish this for over a decade), has with Tom Davis (R-VA) filed a new postal reform bill.
Of course it's not perfect, but Congress should pass it and President Bush should sign it because the health of the postal service — and of every firm that sends advertising mail — depends on it.
Knowing that mailers want quick and accurate information on this situation, Direct has scheduled a Webinar for May 4. Our panelists will translate the rate request into English and discuss what's likely to happen in the coming months.
We will address:
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Just what the proposed new rates are, in every classification affecting direct mailers and catalogers.
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What the outlook is for next year and why experts anticipate a more serious rate hike.
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How reform could help the postal service — and you.
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What your company can do to minimize the impact of the suggested rate hike and the one to follow.
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What you can do to influence the outcome of this rate case and any future one.
The speakers include Anita Pursley, vice president for postal affairs at Quebecor World, and Gene Del Polito.
A second Webinar on the rate case will be conducted a day later. Sponsored by our sister franchise Operations & Fulfillment, it will cover the effect of the proposed rate increase on parcel shippers. The speakers include Mark Taylor, CEO of Taylor Systems Engineering Corp., and Kevin Collins, vice president for business development with APX Logistics Inc. It will be moderated by Rama Ramaswami, editorial director of the Operations & Fulfillment franchise.
Want to attend? Here's how.
For direct mailers and catalogers: “The New Postal Rate Case: Don't Celebrate Yet,” live Webinar, Wednesday, May 4, 2005, 2 p.m.-3 p.m. Eastern, 11 a.m.-noon Pacific (http://www.directmag.com/webinars/postal-rate-case-webinar/).
For parcel shippers: “Insider Tips on How to Handle the Postal Rate Increases,” live Webinar, Thursday, May 5, 2005, 2 p.m.-3 p.m. Eastern, 11 a.m.-noon Pacific (http://opsandfulfillment.com/webinars/postal-rate-case-webinar/).
Please join us May 4 and 5.
