Stamp prices go up as postal labor talks reach an impasse

[alp227]

Postage rates jumped Sunday for the first time in two and a half years as the U.S. Postal Service hopes to generate more revenue amid historic losses.

First-class postage stamps now cost 45 cents each, a price jump that officials anticipate will generate an additional $888 million in annual revenue. The rate increase does not affect the use of Forever stamps purchased before Sunday.

The price hike comes as negotiations between the U.S. Postal Service and two of its labor unions reached an impasse that may require a ruling by an arbitrator.

Postal and union officials announced late Friday that separate talks had collapsed between the USPS and the National Association of Letter Carriers and the National Postal Mail Handlers Union. Contracts with both unions, which represent a combined 242,000 postal workers, expired in late November. Negotiations were extended twice before failing Friday.

full: http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/stamp-prices-go-up-as-postal-labor-talks-reach-an-impasse/2012/01/22/gIQAC9WLJQ_story.html

[elleng]

1. Unfortunately, the unions are forced to negotiate with the wrong party;

SHOULD make demands of Congress.

[happyslug]

2. They might be....

In 1970 it took the Letter Carrier Strike to convince Congress and the President to address the problems of the Post Office. Can we say for sure that all sides sees a need for another strike to force Congress to do something?

By 1970 First Class mails were already dropping, AT&T's ad campaign for people to phone people who lived out of town was already working so most people were calling friends and relatives out of town, not mailing them a letter.

After the 1960s, First class mail became the domain of bills (Sent and received). Legal papers were a distant second. Today,with Internet Bill paying, the only people who MUST use the mail are lawyers sending letters, briefs and pleadings to each other(in my home state of Pennsylvania original service is by the Sheriff, but all subsequent service is by first class mail). Yes the poor and others people still rely on the mail for bills, but it is the service of these legal papers that will cause the greatest outcry.

Thus the Unions and the Postal Service may think a strike is the best way to force Congress to address the problem Congress made.

[elleng]

4. I HOPE the Unions think so; I doubt the Postal Service does,

from what I've seen of the Postmaster General. (I hope I'm wrong about him.)

THANKS for the history lesson. Maybe history WILL repeat!

[Occulus]

16. A Union official once told me

"Strikes are illegal."

APWU official, BTW. They were talking about postal employees at the time.

This was several years ago.

[elleng]

19. Have to check it out; its possible.

[boppers]

5. So, they should sue the lawyers?

[happyslug]

6. If the Unions go on strike, the Court System will collapse.

Lawyers use the mail DAILY. Certain things MUST be done in very short time periods. If the Post Office shuts down, how do lawyers meet these deadlines? The answer is they do not,and the Court system will shut down. You can not resolve legal matters if you cannot exchange letters. Faxes and E-mail can do a good bit of this, but NOT with an ORIGINAL signature. That is what is needed and can NOT be done without the Post Office in most situation (I.e. out of town, sent to actual clients NOT in the central business district etc).

Lawyers will complain, so will the Judges who has to figure out a way to resolve the problem of no one able to exchange papers with original signatures.

[Kingofalldems]

7. There won't be a strike---binding arbitration

[happyslug]

18. By law, it is illegal for the Post Office, AND there is NO binding arbetration

Thus the 1970 postal strike was illegal, unlike the PATCO strike ten years later (another technically illegal strike) there was no easy way to replace the workers on strike. With PATCO, you had a reduction in Air Traffic AND military air traffic controllers to replace those strikers.

In 1970 and the Postal Strike the only "replacement workers" that could be used immediately was the National Guard, but the Guardsmen found themselves unable to delver the mail. Thus Nixon had to give in (and the GOP hatred that "surrender", thus when PATCO went out they saw it as they chance to undo what the Postal Unions had achieved in 1970).

http://libcom.org/history/1970-us-national-postal-strike
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._postal_strike_of_1970
http://www.nylcbr36.org/history.htm

[Seedersandleechers]

9. Can't they use FedEx or UPS?

[happyslug]

13. UPS for First Class mail??????

And the volume is to high for FedEx. Sorry the volume is to high. Further more the price is to high. We are NOT talking about express letters, or priority items we are talking about normal matters, but items that are sent daily. Federal Express can not handle that volume (And I am ignoring that the FedEx has a deal with the Postal Service for the Postal Service to do the actual door to door delivery of FedEx letters when FedEx can not do it themselves).

Both are NOT set up to handle the volume of mail in addition to their present volume of shipments. That is the problem, Not the fault of UPS and FedEx, just the unpleasant fact of the volume the Postal Service handle. None of these can handle the volume handled by the other two in addition to their own volume.

[Occulus]

17. Frankly, no.

Neither company has the equipment to handle the volume.

[SoapBox]

12. The overall LACK of understanding on the part of the public is amazing...

Hello? For all those that say let it fold or use UPS/FedEx...

Bill pay with the banks? When there is no electronic arrangement with a company, the bank MAILS out a check!

How the hell would that work if the USPS were to shutter? Congress...get serious.

[onehandle]

3. Stamps would be a bargain at twice that rate. nt

[Orrex]

8. This actually saves me three cents per stamp, because I thought they were already $0.48 a piece

For that matter, I would be happy to pay a dollar for a first class stamp. It would still be worth it and far cheaper than sending via any private courier service.

[salvorhardin]

10. Hear hear!

Actually, make it $1.50 per to buy physical stamps and $1 ea. to print them online.

[eggplant]

11. Are you kidding?

You really want *another* regressive tax on the poor?

[salvorhardin]

14. Actually, if I were made king...

I'd make certain classes of snail mail free (bills, bill payments, legal papers, etc), jack up the price on all other mail including packages, and then task the post office with becoming the national ISP and providing inexpensive broadband in even the most rural of areas... if I were king.

[Occulus]

20. As an employee I applaud that last part

The ISP part. It would create jobs (an entire IT 'craft', actually, as we call such things in our unions) and, if we were to apply the traditional, hands-off-the-contents approach to the data, be heavily encrypted as well.

To be completely honest, I've wondered off and on over the last few years why the USPS hasn't long since done exactly that. The logical progression of ideas should have been obvious to upper management.

It wasn't.

[FarCenter]

15. Why raise first class, which is easy to process and deliver

Increase the postage on all the sundry crap that comes unbidden to my mailbox.

The highest price should be charged for unsubscribed mass mailing.

[Tunkamerica]

22. Make them ten dollars!! and tips included! Let's kill the mail!

[Tunkamerica]

21. The last two days I've received mail I've gotten someone else's, including tax documents

(wrong street right number) and a large package (right street wrong number). It makes me think some of this is trickling down. Also, it makes me wonder how much mail of mine has been delivered to someone else.

[dipsydoodle]

23. UK's 1st Class mail is about 67 cents

on the basis of which 45 cents don't sound to bad.

[struggle4progress]

24. Apologies. Locked in error. Unlocking

Last edited Mon Jan 23, 2012, 06:19 PM - Edit history (1)