Fight for Our Postal System

“You can’t fight City Hall.”

The first few times I heard that phrase growing up, I shook my head. I figured that someday, as an adult, I’d be able to understand why some people would say that. Maybe there was a good reason for it.

It’s one I’ve thought of recently, with so much happening with the U.S. Postal Service:

• 250th anniversary this year
• A successful National Postal Forum in May
• Postage increase and service changes coming Sunday
• New Postmaster General David Steiner takes office the next day (July 14)

And a few weeks ago, leaders from our industry testified before a U.S. House of Representatives hearing on a path forward for our country’s postal service. Despite some philosophical differences, it seemed like there was agreement on the need to pause changes to the processing network, which is affecting delivery performance and increasing costs.

There are a lot of uncertainties about costs of equipment and consumables, labor, and the state of the overall economy. Regardless of our place in this ecosystem, how we all respond to challenges and opportunities is everything.

Your voice and your engagement is needed to ensure that the postal system remains an important, and hopefully thriving channel everywhere for commerce and communications.

Work with Industry Advocates

Membership associations and trade organizations represent your interests before government officials at all levels. They work every day to make sure policymakers, regulators, and the postal service hear from people like you and me who understand the value of mail and print.

For example, this past May, PRINTING United Alliance and its lobbying arm, ACG Advocacy, set up a Legislative Fly-In on Capitol Hill for print industry leaders to meet with members of Congress and their staffs. That’s only part of their advocacy efforts.

Other groups that raise the profile of printers, manufacturers, and mailers include:

• Envelope Manufacturers Association
• Association for Postal Commerce
• Keep US Posted

Also, your local Postal Customer Council (PCC) and Areas Inspiring Mail (AIM) provide a direct channel for companies to work with USPS representatives.

Raise Your Visibility Locally

But you don’t have to travel to Washington, DC to create a positive impact for your company. Policy decisions at every level of government affect our industry, from local zoning and permitting to state taxes and regulations.

At the local and state level:

• Meet with your mayor, local council or township officials, state legislators, or governor
• Invite them to tour your facility
• Explain how your company creates jobs, serves businesses and institutions (schools, nonprofits, government agencies), and contributes to tax revenue in the community

Telling your story makes the economic and social value of print and mailing tangible, and helps prevent harmful legislation or neglect.

At the federal level:

• Reach out to your two U.S. senators and representative in the House.
• Share how postal stability and affordable rates keep your business viable
• Emphasize the ripple effects: local employment, supply chain spending, and marketing services that help other businesses thrive

It’s OUR Postal System - Let’s Make It Work

For years, I’ve followed an astrobiologist, Keith Cowing, who started a website called NASAWatch back in 1996. His intention was to provide an uncensored forum for inside information on our country’s often-changing space policies.

The banner he’s used on the site: “It’s YOUR space agency. Get involved. Take it back. Make it work — for YOU.”

The same is true for the U.S. Postal Service.

It’s OUR postal system, essential to businesses, nonprofits, and communities across the country.

If we want it to keep working for the American people, we can’t just watch from the sidelines.

Let’s find common ground and solutions.

Get involved. Speak up. Make it work — for all of us.

The preceding content was provided by a contributor unaffiliated with Printing Impressions. The views expressed within may not directly reflect the thoughts or opinions of the staff of Printing Impressions. Artificial Intelligence may have been used in part to create or edit this content.