Fwd: {{ruralcarriers@rootsweb.com}} NJ Postal and Rural News, Issue 39. V. 1, Dec. 19, 2007 (List 37)
0 views
Skip to first unread message
mb
Mar 9, 2011, 8:21:39 PM3/9/11
to hier...@googlegroups.com
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: <hier...@comcast.net>
Date: Tue, Dec 18, 2007 at 2:18 PM
Subject: {{ruralc...@rootsweb.com}} NJ Postal and Rural News, Issue 39. V. 1, Dec. 19, 2007 (List 37)
To: Hier...@comcast.net
Cc: Ruralc...@rootsweb.com
NEW JERSEY POSTAL AND RURAL NEWS
Issue 39 Vol. 1 December 18, 2007 Tuesday Hier...@comcast.net
Issues of the New Jersey Postal and NRLCA News are now posted and available on the following website: http://groups.google.com/group/rlc_onliners_pub?hl=en
I want to express my gratitude for all the comments, submissions and feedback and the tremendous interest in this newsletter. PLEASE SHARE THIS NEWSLETTER WITH ALL RURAL CARRIER CRAFT EMPLOYEES!
_________________________________________________________________________
Issue Codes = Issue A(A is not usually used and constitutes just the issue #) and B-E are news and human interest stories; Issue NJ are New Jersey related issues and editorials; Issue OP are editorials or commentary; Issue SE are special editions of investigaory reports or series: Issues SP are special issues with important news; Issues ST are steward/labor relations related articles and Issues-X are breaking news articles of importance. _________________________________________________________________________
Small-town postmaster starts holiday lights contest
Billings, Montana -- As of late last week, residents of Molt had not responded too terribly enthusiastically to what is being billed as the "first annual Molt Christmas light contest."
Jason Hirst, the Molt postmaster who came up with the idea, hadn't seen any lights or decorations in town yet. Of course, he said, after some mental figuring, Molt proper consists of only five houses, the grain elevator, a church, a school, the fire department, the community center, the post office and a café. And 13 people. Fran Urfer, co-owner and head cook at the Prairie Winds Café, confirmed Hirst's population count.
"Yep, that's right," she said. "And nobody's pregnant."
But Molt is like a very small version of Billings, an island of commerce in a sea of farms and ranches. People come in from all over, all the way from Acton and from the outskirts of Billings, Laurel and Rapelje.
Contest area
That's why the Christmas light contest actually takes in some 400 homes, Hirst said. It is open to everyone served by the Molt post office - ZIP code 59057 - and the Molt Volunteer Fire Department. That means people in Acton, Echo Canyon and the outskirts of Rapelje and on Buffalo Trail Road are eligible.
"It's just a way to develop a little civic pride, something to do around here. There's not much in Molt," Hirst said.
It's the "not much" that appeals to a lot of people who live in M olt. Paul Smith, owner of Smith Tire Service, across the street from the grain elevator, has been in Molt for 29 years and has had his business there for 25. "I was always partial to quiet towns," he said. "I never did like crowds."
The first-place prize in the Christmas light contest is $40 worth of free labor from Smith Tire.
"You got to live out here to appreciate that," Smith said. "Flat tires are an everyday occurrence out here. If you come out here from Billings, especially if you got them bargain-basement tires, you're gonna have problems."
Smith said he wasn't planning to decorate the shop. It's all he can do to get a tree up, he said, and as one of the sponsors of the contest it wouldn't look right for him to string any lights. That's the way Fran feels over at the Prairie Winds. She's not involved in the light contest, but Hirst has also promoted a mailbox-decorating contest for the past three years, and the first-place prize is lunch for two at the café and two books of stamps. Second place is dessert for two and one book of stamps.
Fran and her husband, Jerry, opened the Prairie Winds in 2001, after spending two years fixing up what had been the old Kepferle Mercantile. They live down Molt Road a ways, Fran said, "technically in Billings, but our phone number is Molt." Her husband has been a member of the volunteer fire department since they moved out there in 1984.
She said they stayed because of "the community feeling. It's not like a big city. There's a warmth here." The fire department is a big part of the town. It sponsors an auction and chili supper during the first week of December and a community picnic during the first week of July. Both events are held at the community center, a stone's throw from the café.
The Prairie Winds is definitely the hot spot in Molt, especially on Saturday mornings, when it features live bluegrass music from 9 to noon. But Fran said the café, which serves breakfast and lun ch, does well all week. Some weeks in the summer, she said, the lunch crowd fills the café every day.
Bringing people to town
"If somebody had told me that when we bought this place, I would have laughed right in their face," she said. The grain elevator and tire shop also bring people to town, as does the post office, especially this time of year, when everybody's mailing packages.
Over at the Schulz Grain terminal, manager Aaron Coe said he probably gets 10 trucks a week picking up grain. Coe, who lives in Rapelje and drives 20 miles one way over gravel to get to Molt, makes his own contribution to the local economy.
"I keep the tire business in business," he said. As for decorating the elevator for Christmas, he said, "I guess I hadn't thought about it." Another long-term resident of Molt is Debra Flynn, the only teacher at the Molt Elementary School.
This year she's got three full-time students - a kindergartner, a third-grader and a si xth-grader - and three part-time preschoolers. Flynn, who has been at the school for 22 years, lives in the teacherage next to the school.
She said she was thinking of decorating the teacherage, maybe even getting the kids to help string lights during recess. "I might get it done," she said. "You never know." http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2007/12/17/news/local/30-lights.txt
It's all hustle, bustle for Green Bay Postal Service at Christmas
More than 20 billion cards, letters and packages delivered during holidays
Green Bay, Wisconsin -- The Green Bay Press-Gazette visits with newsmakers in the business world each week in its Monday Conversation feature. This week, Timothy Lewis, acting postmaster, talks about the challenges the U.S. Postal Service faces this time of year, among other topics.
Q. In terms of volume — in Green Bay and throughout the U.S. Postal Service — is the holiday season your busiest time? In terms of numbers, how much mail are you moving on a daily or weekly basis? When is your peak day for holiday mail in the system and what is the second busiest time of the year?
A. The busiest time of the year is between Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve. The Postal Service will deliver 20 billion cards, letters and packages during that time.
On an average, the Postal Service processes 703 million pieces of mail every day.
During the holidays, that volume will increase to 1 billion pieces of mail. Dec. 17 (today) will be the busiest mailing day this year, and we expect to process 275 million pieces. Our busiest delivery day will be Dec. 19 (Wednesday).
The second busiest time of the year is the week before Mother's Day.
Q. From a manager's or logistical standpoint, what are the biggest challenges you face this time of year, if any? While you guys ramp up and know it is going to be busy in November and December, what's it like the middle of January when things have slowed down and it's normal again? Does that take any getting use to?
A. We are equipped and staffed to handle the challenges of the holiday season. The challenge we face this time of year is Mother Nature.
As our volume returns to normal, we will schedule and staff under normal business conditions.
Q. In the past few years, online retailing has blossomed and even coined the phrase "Cyber Monday." How has the Postal Service adapted its online business?
A. We have also embraced the Internet by having our products and services available online. The Postal Service Web site enables customers to conduct their postal business online from the comfort of their home or business.
Check our site at www.usps.com. You can buy stamps, ship packages, request carrier pickup, change your address and there is NetPost Card Store, which lets you create high-quality, personalized greeting cards online.
The five most-utilized areas on usps.com are: Track and confirm; ZIP code lookup; rate calculator; post office locator and Click-N-Ship.
The Internet gives our customers a choice to either go online or to come to the Post Office and receive the excellent service we provide.
Q. People still have a little time to mail their items this week. Any tips for the last-minute shippers/senders? With Christmas falling on a Tuesday, when is the last possible time to get your items shipped?
A. The U.S. Postal Service recommends the following mail-by dates so that holiday cheer arrives safely and on time:
· Dec. 20 — First-Class Mail and Priority Mail
· Dec. 22 — Express Mail
Packaging tips:
· Select a box that is strong enough to protect the contents. Leave space for cushioning inside the carton.
· Package contents with shredded or rolled newspaper, bubble wrap or Styrofoam. Pack tightly to avoid shifting.
· Always use tape that is designed for shipping, do not use masking tape or cellophane tape.
· Do not use wrapping paper or string.
· Put the delivery and return addresses on only one side of the package.
· For additional packaging tips, please go to our Web site www.usps.com/send/preparemailandpackages/preparingpackages.htm
Q. Anything I didn't ask you about that you wanted to touch on?
A. I have worked in post offices throughout the country and I am most proud to say I am an employee of the Green Bay Post Office. I feel the work ethic here is the best in the nation. The Green Bay Post Office is successful due to our employee's commitment to their customers and our community. http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071217/GPG03/712170511/1247/GPGbusiness
Why Do Not Mail Bills Are Bad Public Policy
What is the issue? Advertising mail is under threat. In 2007, 15 states proposed the creation of state Do Not Mail registries, similar to the national do not call registry, or are considering other limitations on advertising mail. This is a significant increase in the number of Do Not Mail bills seen in previous years; three in 2005 and four in 2006. These bills are a cause for concern to the mailing community not only because of the increase in numbers, but the standards and requirements proposed vary greatly from state to state.
Why Do Not Mail Bills Are Bad Public Policy
To many consumers and policymakers, Do Not Mail bills may sound like an idea whose time has come. However, learning even a little about advertising mail and direct marketing quickly reveals the many problems that Do Not Mail registries would create.
Advertising mail is a large and diverse economic engine creating $660 billion of economic activity annually that would be adversely affected by even just one bill becoming law. Thousands of jobs are dependent on advertising mail and direct marketing – from copywriters in ad agencies to rural letter carriers in remote corners of a sparsely populated state.
Advertising mail provides consumers with a convenient marketplace and an easy connection to local goods and services. As well, it provides significant necessary revenues that help fund the services offered by local post offices.
Advertising mail often can level the playing field between large and small business. It offers a cost-effective entry into new markets for small businesses looking to introduce themselves to local customers. These businesses would be seriously disadvantaged without access to advertising mail to reach potential customers. Further, advertising mail offers larger businesses, who often bring jobs to small towns and rural areas, a way to reach broader audiences.
Legislation is not needed to provide consumers with options for removing their names from marketing lists. Consumers have a variety of choices ranging from contacting an individual company, to registering their name with DMA’s Mail Preference Service.
Keeping a strong and vital postal system is a great advantage to consumers by maintaining competition in the package delivery market. On-line commerce is reliant on package delivery and a competitive postal system helps keep shipping rates affordable.
What Is Driving Do Not Mail Legislation
The mailing community recognizes that consumers want choice in how they manage their mail, are more environmentally conscious and want to secure their personal information. On all three fronts, marketers and the mailing community are taking steps to educate consumers on available tools and steps businesses are taking address these concerns. Importantly, this effort also involves correcting the misimpressions and misstatements that surround mailing issues.
Why the Mailing Community Should Care
Despite the fact that the U.S. Postal Service has been among the most trusted of Federal services for years, many people see advertising mail as intrusive, yet advertising mail is opened and used at very high rates. One-third of the Postal Service’s annual revenue depends on advertising mail. Do Not Mail bills threaten the viability of the postal system through a loss of revenue and volume from advertising mail, potentially leading to reduced services, options or choices to the American consumer and harming US businesses.
What is Being Done to Address Do Not Mail Legislation
Twenty-five associations and 25 companies formed the Mail Moves America coalition (MMA) in late 2006 as a broad based coalition to achieve two purposes: defend against Do Not Mail legislation and develop a more positive message and image for advertising mail. The coalition includes in its membership, associations and companies in the paper, printing, mailing, marketing, publishing and advertising industries as well as users of mail advertising.
Join Mail Moves America today!
For more information on Do Not Mail legislation or to join the Mail Moves America coalition, please send your completed membership application linked below to Ron Barnes, rba...@the-dma.org, Vice President, State Affairs at the DMA or Ben Cooper, Executive Director of Mail Moves America, byco...@wms-jen.com.
Mail Moves America Membership Application (.pdf) http://www.mailmovesamerica.org/
Mail delivery isn't an option, it's a requirement
Bloomfield, New Mexico -- Sometimes, it's hard to believe we're in the 21st Century. In a time when modern technology allows us to transmit information around the world in seconds, it seems archaic that people can't receive snail mail from the U.S. Postal Service.
For a business that is contributing to the economic foundation of a community to have to pay $500 a year for a mailbox at the post office for mail that should be delivered to his business for no additional cost is reprehensible.
Several businesses in Bloomfield are forced to pay for mailboxes because the U.S. Postal Service does not provide delivery in that area. Missouri Street is part of a city of Bloomfield land annexation that took place seven years ago.
For those seven years, businesses on that street have had a choice — use a small mail box at the Bloomfield Post Office provided to them free of charge, or pay for a larger box, which most businesses require because of the amount of mail they receive. The federal government operates the Bloomfield Post Office and the city can't force it to deliver mail to Missouri Street, said Bloomfield City Manager Keith Johnson. Johnson said the city would like to see mail delivered to the street.
"There's no reason they can't have it," he said.
The U.S. Postal Service believes it is accommodating the mail delivery needs of the citizens and the businesses of Bloomfield. Bloomfield's postmaster, Helena Begay, said, "I would say we're keeping up with the (city's) growth."
We beg to differ.
When a business, or a home, is within the city limits, there is no reason that business or homeowner should not have mail delivery. There is no reason, when millions of tax dollars each year are budgeted to support the U.S. Postal Service [Ed Note-No tax dollars are budgeted or authorized to support USPS], that anyone living or operating a business within the city limits should be forced to pay for mail delivery. As taxpayers, we already are paying for it — and paying for it one 41-cent stamp at a time.
The postal service has been a target for criticism over the years, and this is just one example of why. It is a matter of customer service and the U.S. Postal Service has a history of providing less than adequate customer service. The service struggles to maintain itself financially, which creates regular increases in the cost of postage stamps. Private enterprise has cut into the mail delivery system because of the public — and the taxpayer's — frustration with a huge department that is less than user-friendly.
The postal service should take steps immediately to provide mail delivery to the businesses along Missouri Street. It has an obligation to serve the citizens and the taxpayers, and should begin doing so.
As for "keeping up with the (city's) growth," we suggest postal officials take a drive around the city of Bloomfield. The city is enjoying a growth spurt, with new businesses and residents moving in on a regular basis. It's time the postal service steps up to the plate and delivers the home run businesses and residents deserve. http://www.daily-times.com/opinion/ci_7739829
DISCLAIMER: I have no affiliation with USPS or the NRLCA and as such any information that I pass on is unofficial and constitutes advice and/or suggestions for your consideration. You may be advised to double-check with official sources before depending on its use and while you are doing that ask why is it that someone without official contacts has this information and is passing it on and its not coming from official sources. I do not speak for any Postal or Union entity and have no authority to serve as spokesman for, against or otherwise in Postal or Union matters.
Note: These email messages are being sent to the entire NJ State Board and almost all of the senior stewards in New Jersey. There should be no concerns about this being done secretly or behind anyone's backs without their knowledge.
**If you know any rural craft employee who would like to receive this dissemination, please send email address, and office of employment to Hier...@comcast.net.
**If you do not wish to receive these disseminations, please notify Hier...@comcast.net and request removal from dissemination list.
**Please address all comments, feedback, submissions, stories to Hier...@comcast.net and be sure to mark it OK to share or if you want the submission to be confidential and anonymous, please indicate that it is CONFIDENTIAL and I will never disclose authorship, content or any other identifying detail. Absent express authority to share, I will strictly maintain confidentiality per my legal obligations and responsibilities.
RURALC...@ROOTSWEB.COM MAIL LIST.
FOR DISCUSSION OF POSTAL AND RURAL CARRIER RELATED SUBJECTS.
STEWARD CONTACTS
http://www.nrlca.org/stewards.html
NRLCA CONTACT INFO.
National Rural Letter Carriers' Association
Fourth Floor
1630 Duke Street
Alexandria, Virginia 22314-3465
Phone: 703-684-5545
-------------------------------
To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to RURALCARRI...@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message
From: <hier...@comcast.net>
Date: Tue, Dec 18, 2007 at 2:18 PM
Subject: {{ruralc...@rootsweb.com}} NJ Postal and Rural News, Issue 39. V. 1, Dec. 19, 2007 (List 37)
To: Hier...@comcast.net
Cc: Ruralc...@rootsweb.com
NEW JERSEY POSTAL AND RURAL NEWS
Issue 39 Vol. 1 December 18, 2007 Tuesday Hier...@comcast.net
Issues of the New Jersey Postal and NRLCA News are now posted and available on the following website: http://groups.google.com/group/rlc_onliners_pub?hl=en
I want to express my gratitude for all the comments, submissions and feedback and the tremendous interest in this newsletter. PLEASE SHARE THIS NEWSLETTER WITH ALL RURAL CARRIER CRAFT EMPLOYEES!
_________________________________________________________________________
Issue Codes = Issue A(A is not usually used and constitutes just the issue #) and B-E are news and human interest stories; Issue NJ are New Jersey related issues and editorials; Issue OP are editorials or commentary; Issue SE are special editions of investigaory reports or series: Issues SP are special issues with important news; Issues ST are steward/labor relations related articles and Issues-X are breaking news articles of importance. _________________________________________________________________________
Small-town postmaster starts holiday lights contest
Billings, Montana -- As of late last week, residents of Molt had not responded too terribly enthusiastically to what is being billed as the "first annual Molt Christmas light contest."
Jason Hirst, the Molt postmaster who came up with the idea, hadn't seen any lights or decorations in town yet. Of course, he said, after some mental figuring, Molt proper consists of only five houses, the grain elevator, a church, a school, the fire department, the community center, the post office and a café. And 13 people. Fran Urfer, co-owner and head cook at the Prairie Winds Café, confirmed Hirst's population count.
"Yep, that's right," she said. "And nobody's pregnant."
But Molt is like a very small version of Billings, an island of commerce in a sea of farms and ranches. People come in from all over, all the way from Acton and from the outskirts of Billings, Laurel and Rapelje.
Contest area
That's why the Christmas light contest actually takes in some 400 homes, Hirst said. It is open to everyone served by the Molt post office - ZIP code 59057 - and the Molt Volunteer Fire Department. That means people in Acton, Echo Canyon and the outskirts of Rapelje and on Buffalo Trail Road are eligible.
"It's just a way to develop a little civic pride, something to do around here. There's not much in Molt," Hirst said.
It's the "not much" that appeals to a lot of people who live in M olt. Paul Smith, owner of Smith Tire Service, across the street from the grain elevator, has been in Molt for 29 years and has had his business there for 25. "I was always partial to quiet towns," he said. "I never did like crowds."
The first-place prize in the Christmas light contest is $40 worth of free labor from Smith Tire.
"You got to live out here to appreciate that," Smith said. "Flat tires are an everyday occurrence out here. If you come out here from Billings, especially if you got them bargain-basement tires, you're gonna have problems."
Smith said he wasn't planning to decorate the shop. It's all he can do to get a tree up, he said, and as one of the sponsors of the contest it wouldn't look right for him to string any lights. That's the way Fran feels over at the Prairie Winds. She's not involved in the light contest, but Hirst has also promoted a mailbox-decorating contest for the past three years, and the first-place prize is lunch for two at the café and two books of stamps. Second place is dessert for two and one book of stamps.
Fran and her husband, Jerry, opened the Prairie Winds in 2001, after spending two years fixing up what had been the old Kepferle Mercantile. They live down Molt Road a ways, Fran said, "technically in Billings, but our phone number is Molt." Her husband has been a member of the volunteer fire department since they moved out there in 1984.
She said they stayed because of "the community feeling. It's not like a big city. There's a warmth here." The fire department is a big part of the town. It sponsors an auction and chili supper during the first week of December and a community picnic during the first week of July. Both events are held at the community center, a stone's throw from the café.
The Prairie Winds is definitely the hot spot in Molt, especially on Saturday mornings, when it features live bluegrass music from 9 to noon. But Fran said the café, which serves breakfast and lun ch, does well all week. Some weeks in the summer, she said, the lunch crowd fills the café every day.
Bringing people to town
"If somebody had told me that when we bought this place, I would have laughed right in their face," she said. The grain elevator and tire shop also bring people to town, as does the post office, especially this time of year, when everybody's mailing packages.
Over at the Schulz Grain terminal, manager Aaron Coe said he probably gets 10 trucks a week picking up grain. Coe, who lives in Rapelje and drives 20 miles one way over gravel to get to Molt, makes his own contribution to the local economy.
"I keep the tire business in business," he said. As for decorating the elevator for Christmas, he said, "I guess I hadn't thought about it." Another long-term resident of Molt is Debra Flynn, the only teacher at the Molt Elementary School.
This year she's got three full-time students - a kindergartner, a third-grader and a si xth-grader - and three part-time preschoolers. Flynn, who has been at the school for 22 years, lives in the teacherage next to the school.
She said she was thinking of decorating the teacherage, maybe even getting the kids to help string lights during recess. "I might get it done," she said. "You never know." http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2007/12/17/news/local/30-lights.txt
It's all hustle, bustle for Green Bay Postal Service at Christmas
More than 20 billion cards, letters and packages delivered during holidays
Green Bay, Wisconsin -- The Green Bay Press-Gazette visits with newsmakers in the business world each week in its Monday Conversation feature. This week, Timothy Lewis, acting postmaster, talks about the challenges the U.S. Postal Service faces this time of year, among other topics.
Q. In terms of volume — in Green Bay and throughout the U.S. Postal Service — is the holiday season your busiest time? In terms of numbers, how much mail are you moving on a daily or weekly basis? When is your peak day for holiday mail in the system and what is the second busiest time of the year?
A. The busiest time of the year is between Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve. The Postal Service will deliver 20 billion cards, letters and packages during that time.
On an average, the Postal Service processes 703 million pieces of mail every day.
During the holidays, that volume will increase to 1 billion pieces of mail. Dec. 17 (today) will be the busiest mailing day this year, and we expect to process 275 million pieces. Our busiest delivery day will be Dec. 19 (Wednesday).
The second busiest time of the year is the week before Mother's Day.
Q. From a manager's or logistical standpoint, what are the biggest challenges you face this time of year, if any? While you guys ramp up and know it is going to be busy in November and December, what's it like the middle of January when things have slowed down and it's normal again? Does that take any getting use to?
A. We are equipped and staffed to handle the challenges of the holiday season. The challenge we face this time of year is Mother Nature.
As our volume returns to normal, we will schedule and staff under normal business conditions.
Q. In the past few years, online retailing has blossomed and even coined the phrase "Cyber Monday." How has the Postal Service adapted its online business?
A. We have also embraced the Internet by having our products and services available online. The Postal Service Web site enables customers to conduct their postal business online from the comfort of their home or business.
Check our site at www.usps.com. You can buy stamps, ship packages, request carrier pickup, change your address and there is NetPost Card Store, which lets you create high-quality, personalized greeting cards online.
The five most-utilized areas on usps.com are: Track and confirm; ZIP code lookup; rate calculator; post office locator and Click-N-Ship.
The Internet gives our customers a choice to either go online or to come to the Post Office and receive the excellent service we provide.
Q. People still have a little time to mail their items this week. Any tips for the last-minute shippers/senders? With Christmas falling on a Tuesday, when is the last possible time to get your items shipped?
A. The U.S. Postal Service recommends the following mail-by dates so that holiday cheer arrives safely and on time:
· Dec. 20 — First-Class Mail and Priority Mail
· Dec. 22 — Express Mail
Packaging tips:
· Select a box that is strong enough to protect the contents. Leave space for cushioning inside the carton.
· Package contents with shredded or rolled newspaper, bubble wrap or Styrofoam. Pack tightly to avoid shifting.
· Always use tape that is designed for shipping, do not use masking tape or cellophane tape.
· Do not use wrapping paper or string.
· Put the delivery and return addresses on only one side of the package.
· For additional packaging tips, please go to our Web site www.usps.com/send/preparemailandpackages/preparingpackages.htm
Q. Anything I didn't ask you about that you wanted to touch on?
A. I have worked in post offices throughout the country and I am most proud to say I am an employee of the Green Bay Post Office. I feel the work ethic here is the best in the nation. The Green Bay Post Office is successful due to our employee's commitment to their customers and our community. http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071217/GPG03/712170511/1247/GPGbusiness
Why Do Not Mail Bills Are Bad Public Policy
What is the issue? Advertising mail is under threat. In 2007, 15 states proposed the creation of state Do Not Mail registries, similar to the national do not call registry, or are considering other limitations on advertising mail. This is a significant increase in the number of Do Not Mail bills seen in previous years; three in 2005 and four in 2006. These bills are a cause for concern to the mailing community not only because of the increase in numbers, but the standards and requirements proposed vary greatly from state to state.
Why Do Not Mail Bills Are Bad Public Policy
To many consumers and policymakers, Do Not Mail bills may sound like an idea whose time has come. However, learning even a little about advertising mail and direct marketing quickly reveals the many problems that Do Not Mail registries would create.
Advertising mail is a large and diverse economic engine creating $660 billion of economic activity annually that would be adversely affected by even just one bill becoming law. Thousands of jobs are dependent on advertising mail and direct marketing – from copywriters in ad agencies to rural letter carriers in remote corners of a sparsely populated state.
Advertising mail provides consumers with a convenient marketplace and an easy connection to local goods and services. As well, it provides significant necessary revenues that help fund the services offered by local post offices.
Advertising mail often can level the playing field between large and small business. It offers a cost-effective entry into new markets for small businesses looking to introduce themselves to local customers. These businesses would be seriously disadvantaged without access to advertising mail to reach potential customers. Further, advertising mail offers larger businesses, who often bring jobs to small towns and rural areas, a way to reach broader audiences.
Legislation is not needed to provide consumers with options for removing their names from marketing lists. Consumers have a variety of choices ranging from contacting an individual company, to registering their name with DMA’s Mail Preference Service.
Keeping a strong and vital postal system is a great advantage to consumers by maintaining competition in the package delivery market. On-line commerce is reliant on package delivery and a competitive postal system helps keep shipping rates affordable.
What Is Driving Do Not Mail Legislation
The mailing community recognizes that consumers want choice in how they manage their mail, are more environmentally conscious and want to secure their personal information. On all three fronts, marketers and the mailing community are taking steps to educate consumers on available tools and steps businesses are taking address these concerns. Importantly, this effort also involves correcting the misimpressions and misstatements that surround mailing issues.
Why the Mailing Community Should Care
Despite the fact that the U.S. Postal Service has been among the most trusted of Federal services for years, many people see advertising mail as intrusive, yet advertising mail is opened and used at very high rates. One-third of the Postal Service’s annual revenue depends on advertising mail. Do Not Mail bills threaten the viability of the postal system through a loss of revenue and volume from advertising mail, potentially leading to reduced services, options or choices to the American consumer and harming US businesses.
What is Being Done to Address Do Not Mail Legislation
Twenty-five associations and 25 companies formed the Mail Moves America coalition (MMA) in late 2006 as a broad based coalition to achieve two purposes: defend against Do Not Mail legislation and develop a more positive message and image for advertising mail. The coalition includes in its membership, associations and companies in the paper, printing, mailing, marketing, publishing and advertising industries as well as users of mail advertising.
Join Mail Moves America today!
For more information on Do Not Mail legislation or to join the Mail Moves America coalition, please send your completed membership application linked below to Ron Barnes, rba...@the-dma.org, Vice President, State Affairs at the DMA or Ben Cooper, Executive Director of Mail Moves America, byco...@wms-jen.com.
Mail Moves America Membership Application (.pdf) http://www.mailmovesamerica.org/
Mail delivery isn't an option, it's a requirement
Bloomfield, New Mexico -- Sometimes, it's hard to believe we're in the 21st Century. In a time when modern technology allows us to transmit information around the world in seconds, it seems archaic that people can't receive snail mail from the U.S. Postal Service.
For a business that is contributing to the economic foundation of a community to have to pay $500 a year for a mailbox at the post office for mail that should be delivered to his business for no additional cost is reprehensible.
Several businesses in Bloomfield are forced to pay for mailboxes because the U.S. Postal Service does not provide delivery in that area. Missouri Street is part of a city of Bloomfield land annexation that took place seven years ago.
For those seven years, businesses on that street have had a choice — use a small mail box at the Bloomfield Post Office provided to them free of charge, or pay for a larger box, which most businesses require because of the amount of mail they receive. The federal government operates the Bloomfield Post Office and the city can't force it to deliver mail to Missouri Street, said Bloomfield City Manager Keith Johnson. Johnson said the city would like to see mail delivered to the street.
"There's no reason they can't have it," he said.
The U.S. Postal Service believes it is accommodating the mail delivery needs of the citizens and the businesses of Bloomfield. Bloomfield's postmaster, Helena Begay, said, "I would say we're keeping up with the (city's) growth."
We beg to differ.
When a business, or a home, is within the city limits, there is no reason that business or homeowner should not have mail delivery. There is no reason, when millions of tax dollars each year are budgeted to support the U.S. Postal Service [Ed Note-No tax dollars are budgeted or authorized to support USPS], that anyone living or operating a business within the city limits should be forced to pay for mail delivery. As taxpayers, we already are paying for it — and paying for it one 41-cent stamp at a time.
The postal service has been a target for criticism over the years, and this is just one example of why. It is a matter of customer service and the U.S. Postal Service has a history of providing less than adequate customer service. The service struggles to maintain itself financially, which creates regular increases in the cost of postage stamps. Private enterprise has cut into the mail delivery system because of the public — and the taxpayer's — frustration with a huge department that is less than user-friendly.
The postal service should take steps immediately to provide mail delivery to the businesses along Missouri Street. It has an obligation to serve the citizens and the taxpayers, and should begin doing so.
As for "keeping up with the (city's) growth," we suggest postal officials take a drive around the city of Bloomfield. The city is enjoying a growth spurt, with new businesses and residents moving in on a regular basis. It's time the postal service steps up to the plate and delivers the home run businesses and residents deserve. http://www.daily-times.com/opinion/ci_7739829
DISCLAIMER: I have no affiliation with USPS or the NRLCA and as such any information that I pass on is unofficial and constitutes advice and/or suggestions for your consideration. You may be advised to double-check with official sources before depending on its use and while you are doing that ask why is it that someone without official contacts has this information and is passing it on and its not coming from official sources. I do not speak for any Postal or Union entity and have no authority to serve as spokesman for, against or otherwise in Postal or Union matters.
Note: These email messages are being sent to the entire NJ State Board and almost all of the senior stewards in New Jersey. There should be no concerns about this being done secretly or behind anyone's backs without their knowledge.
**If you know any rural craft employee who would like to receive this dissemination, please send email address, and office of employment to Hier...@comcast.net.
**If you do not wish to receive these disseminations, please notify Hier...@comcast.net and request removal from dissemination list.
**Please address all comments, feedback, submissions, stories to Hier...@comcast.net and be sure to mark it OK to share or if you want the submission to be confidential and anonymous, please indicate that it is CONFIDENTIAL and I will never disclose authorship, content or any other identifying detail. Absent express authority to share, I will strictly maintain confidentiality per my legal obligations and responsibilities.
RURALC...@ROOTSWEB.COM MAIL LIST.
FOR DISCUSSION OF POSTAL AND RURAL CARRIER RELATED SUBJECTS.
STEWARD CONTACTS
http://www.nrlca.org/stewards.html
NRLCA CONTACT INFO.
National Rural Letter Carriers' Association
Fourth Floor
1630 Duke Street
Alexandria, Virginia 22314-3465
Phone: 703-684-5545
-------------------------------
To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to RURALCARRI...@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message
Reply all
Reply to author
Forward
0 new messages