Editor’s Note: As the following article describes, the USPS is announcing the end of Saturday mail delivery in August, though package delivery will continue. The ONA will be in close contact with our national organizations, NAA and NNA, in terms of the “what’s next” and will keep our members informed. As you may know, several members of the Ohio delegation have helped us in the past, and Sen. Portman is particularly well positioned to be effective if there is anything Congress can do to change this or delay it.
From The Washington Post
The financially struggling U.S. Postal Service announced Wednesday that it plans to stop delivering mail on Saturdays — but will continue delivering packages — starting Aug. 1.
Unless forbidden to do so by Congress, which has moved in the past to prohibit five-day-a-week delivery, the agency for the first time will delivery mail only Monday through Friday. The move will save about $2 billion a year for the postal service, which has suffered tens of billions of dollars in losses in recent years with the advent of the Internet and e-commerce, officials said.
“The American public understands the financial challenges of the Postal Service and supports these steps as a responsible and reasonable approach to improving our financial situation,” postmaster general Patrick R. Donahoe said at a news conference. “The Postal Service has a responsibility to take the steps necessary to return to long-term financial stability and ensure the continued affordability of the U.S. Mail.”
The postal service plans to continue Saturday delivery of packages, which remain a profitable and growing part of the delivery business. Post offices would remain open on Saturdays so that customers can drop off mail or packages, buy postage stamps, or access their post office boxes, officials said. But hours likely would be reduced at thousands of smaller locations, they said.
ONA statement
Statement from David E. Dix, publisher of the Kent/Ravenna Courier and president of the Ohio Newspaper Association Board of Trustees.
“The decision to end Saturday mail delivery will harm many Ohio newspapers by either forcing them to limit distribution or find more expensive means of delivery. More importantly, this does not serve the thousands of Ohio newspaper readers who receive newspapers by mail and rely on them for news and advertising information.
“While we understand the USPS has to get its costs under control, there are many other options that have not been fully exercised. There also appears to be some question whether the Postal Service can do this without Congressional approval, so we hope an alternative still can be found.”
Additional coverage
